A Writer’s Retreat May 4, 2008
After being in cold, drizzly, damp Boston for a few days, I came home to find an email from one of my former writing profs in my inbox. It was an invitation to attend a writer’s workshop in Guatamala where the prof will be teaching. The retreat is being held at Joyce Maynard’s house on Lake Atitlan and the email contained a link to a New York Times article about Maynard and her house. And of course, like an idiot, I click on the link, read the story, and watch the slide show.
Now I really want to go! Unfortunately I’ll be in school when the workshop is being held and I don’t have $2000+ to spend. It would be wonderful to take a week to write, relax, and get feedback from other writers. Thinking about all of this makes me feel guilty about not writing. If money was no object, I’d definitely be a writer. Most of the people who know me well think I should write for a living. I have an ex-bf who asks me “Are you sure this [nursing] is what you want to do?” every time he sees me. Writing profs make comments like, “Hopefully I’ll see you in print in a few years.” The Boy hopes that I can write if I decide to be a stay-at-home mom.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure I’ll love being a nurse. I enjoy interacting with and caring for people. The science and medical aspect are very interesting. As a nurse I’ll always have a well-paid job that allows me to learn and grow everyday. It’ll be relatively easy to work part-time and raise kids, if I decide to do that.
Writing sounds like such a romantic job, but it’s really not. You have to become a marketing expert and continuously publicize yourself. Connections with other writers, as well as editors and agents are essential. You don’t have a reliable pay-check. There’s no benefits or 401K. You don’t get paid vacation or sick days. Taxes are a pain, and you face rejection and self-doubt constantly. The question is, does your love for writing outweigh all of the non-writing work that writers have to do? Having a conventional job is much easier. Sigh. Decisions, decisions.
