Meredith has come my way through the fantabulous Wow! Women on Writing blog tour. I love them. If you’re not familiar with their awesome blog, please stop and check them out. She has graciously offered to blog for us today on Writing as a Second Job. I am so thankful for this because I struggle to support and encourage writers who try to keep up when they just aren’t home. I can’t imagine the stress that can create if you let it. So, I curtsy to Meredith who will shine a little inspiration our way today!
Writing as a Second Job
I’m a very lucky gal, because I have not one but two jobs that I can do wearing my pajamas 90% of the time. Do you have any idea how long that contract with the devil took to negotiate?!
Well. It took a VERY long time, I’ll tell you that much.
My first job – my “real” job, if you will – is being a voiceover artist. I’m one of those ladies on your TV and/or radio who is always insisting that you go buy stuff. Which you should totally do, by the way, because you definitely need it. Go get it right now! (If you’re interested, you can check out my voiceover website here: www.mzspeaks.com, or feel free to ask any questions about v/o in the comments section.) Anyway, my schedule is pretty flexible and varies from day to day, which means I have lots of time to write… and have become an expert in procrastination as a result.
I’ve always written – articles, blogs, reviews – in my spare time, but I didn’t really call it a second job until Putnam bought my book. (A book that I’d written in the same slapdash fashion as everything else, by the way.) Suddenly I was faced with a sudden realization: I was a real writer! I had to be serious about it and write every day and stuff like that! And… I totally didn’t do it.
My friends who are full-time writers have these very impressive, set writing schedules, which I think is amazing. They have to be so focused in order to earn a living and keep on top of deadlines and other important things. It’s proven much harder for me to follow suit, partly because I am the world’s laziest person, and because I always fall victim to negotiations with myself. Like, if I’ve already earned money doing voiceover stuff that day… don’t I deserve to watch 16 episodes in a row of “Law and Order” as a reward!?
Maybe the real truth is that I’m not quite brave enough to have just one career. The security of having another job gives me the freedom to relax and enjoy writing instead of feel pressured to produce, and I’m really grateful for that.
That said, I should probably get down to business. (Right after this episode of “Law and Order.”)
What do you guys do when you aren’t writing???
You can follow my daily adventures on Twitter: @zeitlingeist
Freshman Year and Other Natural Disasters by Meredith Zeitland
Let’s say you’re fourteen and live in New York City. You’d think your life would be like a glamorous TV show, right? And yet . . . You don’t have a checking account, much less a personal Black American Express card. You’ve never been to a club, and the only couture in your closet is a Halloween costume your mom made from an old laundry bag.
In other words? You’re Kelsey Finkelstein – fourteen and frustrated. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled. Kelsey wants to rebrand herself for high school to make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. But just because Kelsey has a plan for greatness . . . it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.
Kelsey’s hilarious commentary and sardonic narration of her freshman year will have readers laughing out loud – while being thankful that they’re not in her shoes, of course.
About the Author:
Meredith Zeitlin is a writer and voiceover artist who lives in Brooklyn with two adorable feline roommates. She also writes a column for Ladygunn Magazine, changes her hair color every few months, and has many fancy pairs of spectacles. In case you’re wondering whether any of Kelsey’s experiences are based on Meredith’s own, the answer is NO WAY. When she was fourteen, Meredith looked and behaved perfectly at all times, was never in a single embarrassing situation, and always rode to school on her very own unicorn.
Find Meredith online:
Meredith Zeitlin’s Twitter: @zeitlingeist
Meredith Zeitlin’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FRESHMANYEARBOOK
Meredith Zeitlin’s website: www.kelseyfinkelstein.com
Meredith Zeitlin’s blog: http://www.kelseyfinkelstein.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=3
