My Life's Change of Setting

It looks like the move I hinted at in my earlier entry is a go. The decision to go forward with it has everything to do with my desire to be a writer.

I’ve always considered myself a “serious” writer because I’ve always found a way to integrate writing into my life. But in the last couple years, I’ve begun making decisions specifically with the goal of writing in mind. I decided to transition to doing freelance work full-time so that I’d have more control over my schedule, and thus, more flexibility to write. The transition has been successful for the most part, but I’m still not writing as much as I’d like to. Money gets in the way.

Although I’m making approximately the same amount as a freelancer as I made as a full-time employee, my rent keeps going up. Higher rent means more time spent doing paid labor. More time spent in paid labor means less time for writing.

It’s no secret that being a writer isn’t exactly a lucrative career, and if I was ever in it for the money, I’d have gotten out long ago. I wish I was above needing money, but I’ve gotten used to having things like food and shelter in my life. For almost a year, I’ve been striving to find a way to make “more money in less time.” Since that hasn’t come through, I’m moving on to Plan B: cut the expenses.

My move will cut the expenses in a big way. What I’ll spend in rent for my last two months in my current location will be enough to pay my rent for half a year in my next one. I’m lucky to be a person who knows what I want: I want to write. Knowing that, I owe it to myself to make decisions accordingly. When I told my best friend I was considering this move, she said, “Is a change of scenery really such a big deal, if it lets you be more true to your calling?”

I like to write with Lake Superior out my window. But as far as scenery changes go, a garden, trees, and cornfields aren’t bad, either. When I was twelve, I had a dream of someday writing on the shores of Lake Superior. I’ve got that dream covered. Now it’s time to explore my (somewhat more ridiculous, but present nonetheless) dream of writing in the middle of nowhere. After all, one can get a lot of writing done when there’s absolutely nothing else to do.