Maybe I'm not a writer...

This is not a self-pity party, this is a review of the facts. I was talking to a friend about potential career paths and brought up my creative writing projects. She asked how they were going. Well...um...they...I...err... The truth is, they weren't going...anywhere. I wasn't writing, except in my blog and personal journal. I've been trying to think of creative outlets for myself, but straight up writing was not happening. I've been thinking about podcasts, but I'm not familiar with the format. I don't see how I can make a podcast by myself and tell a story that will be interesting to people, unless I do something David Sedaris-style. That idea is still on the table. However, can I claim writership if I'm not, in fact, writing anything worth talking about? My answer is no.

This same friend I was talking to told me about a woman who didn't figure out what she wanted to do until she was 40-something. I hope beyond hope it doesn't take me that long to find my niche.

Oh the writing!

September has sent my mind reeling. Things have happened and my brain was going to explode from all the thoughts. However, it hasn't - so I will write them here.

First, my reading has changed. I could barely pick up a work of fiction before, and now it's what I mostly try to read. Mainly because I want to write it. This desire truly felt like it came out of nowhere (though the Harry Potter incident - see previous post - helped it along considerably). My brain has been busily scouting for books and running through ideas like a madman running down the street. I admit that feel so behind. I haven't read fiction in a while and this is part of the equation of getting good at it. So much to do!

Second, I've decided on a career path. YES CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I've decided to pursue technical writing/editing as my money-making endeavor. I'd been talking to a friend last weekend and she was telling me about her writing and getting grants. I started thinking about grants...and grant writing...and I remembered a position at the UA for a grant/technical writer that looked interesting to me. Someone in this position would write proposals, help write/edit manuscripts, write for grants, and do other similar work. I decided to research technical writing. Now a week later, I'm a member of the Society for Technical Communication. I've started looking into certification and degree programs, but I'm hoping to talk to a professional and see what kind of education I really need. Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University offer technical/professional master's degrees that I can take online AND I receive a considerable discount since I'm a UA employee (tuition at one of these institutions is $25 for 9 credits...yeah...).

As with everything else, these things could fade, but I don't think they will. Not soon anyway. The reason I believe this is because with everything else I've considered doing, there has been a giant "wall" I would have needed to climb. The wall was made of significantly more education and involved returning to an environment (formal schooling) that I didn't much care for. These barriers don't exist in this situation...which makes a future in writing easier to pursue.