Follow me and I’ll follow back.
Anyway, let me just first laugh bitterly before I answer this prompt. I had two careers lined up in my dewy youth. I was a Spanish teacher and I was a writer. Writing tended to take a step back whenever I was gainfully employed, but I had been doing it since my teens and tended to fall back on it when I needed to augment my allowance. I was a youth correspondent for a news daily before I proceeded to contribute to various weekly magazines. I’m obviously referring to a different time.
I decided to quit my teaching post and stay home a couple of months before I gave birth to my eldest. While I continued writing from home, it was freelance and part-time, done to supplement my husband’s income so we could live somewhat comfortably. I was hardly the picture of a career-driven woman.
I tried teaching Spanish and French from home, but with kids on the spectrum, the gig wasn’t really sustainable. I continued to write for pay – SEO stuff and ghostwriting stuff. I was… grateful for the work.
I tried fulfilling a lifelong dream of publishing fiction, but I did it the modern way (self-pub). The writing part, while not necessarily brilliant, came more easily. I had the aptitude for it and, modesty aside, I had the necessary skills. All the other responsibilities of self-pub were more challenging, and I found that I was not equal to them, or I refused to be; I couldn’t be sure.
These days, I mostly do writing that caters to my tastes and whims. I blog. I write articles about topics I care about. I contribute to anthologies (not lately). I write novellas… The effort is yet to bring in money I can’t sneeze at. Not to worry though. I intend to send queries to legitimate publishing houses (not vanity ones). I also aim to self-publish again, but hopefully do it right this time around.
I just need to get around to actually realizing these grand plans.
My wish is to earn a decent income from doing the kind of writing I enjoy. My latest attempt involves Medium, but I just started and I’m floundering. So, if you’re there and would like some mutual support, I’m happy to follow back and clap for all your pieces that I like. Howzaboutit? Here’s my latest story:
This Small Life 