My life--or lack thereof--as a writer [Mandy]

If you ask me, I usually say I’ve been writing since I could hold a crayon. If you ask my parents, they’ll say it started long before that. Apparently, even in my toddler years, I understood the value and the lure of a finely crafted story, and while I can’t remember much of my own work back then, I’ve been told that my stuffed animals lived quite the Peyton Place-esque lives.


Unfortunately, even though I had a pretty big head start on stardom and success, I’ve found that being a writer, and growing as one, is much less glamorous than I originally planned.


Shocking, isn’t it?


To date, no one has lobbed long-stemmed roses at my car as it drives by, and I’ve yet to receive even the smallest box of chocolate in the mail. In moments of frustration, I ask myself . . .


“Didn’t they read my article on teenage abstinence? How could they and not have been completely and irrevocably changed?”


“Okay, okay, but surely that piece I did on debt reduction must have ruffled some feathers. Where’s the complaint letters?”


“What about that website I . . . no? Nobody even read that?”


Being a freelance writer is a thankless (and often, poorly paying job). So why do I do it? Because I'm a glutton for punishment? Perhaps. But even beyond that, the reality is that stream of income helps finance my other, grander writing dreams. Truthfully, it’s the only reason you’ll ever catch me writing about Network Affiliate Marketing Programs or editing tutoring policies.

But, to be philosophical, it’s all part of the journey. I’ve learned that, unfortunately, I’m not always going to get paid for writing the stuff I want to. And sometimes, my work could be posted in Times Square, and still, no one would notice. That’s the business.

But sometimes, every once in a while, the passion and the payoff converge. I guess that’s why I do it. Because even when it doesn’t work, I can’t seem to find the heart (or the talent for anything else) to change careers, and when it does . . . well, I certainly couldn't imagine wanting to do anything else.