The "Crazy" Writer

First let me say HAPPY RELEASE WEEK to Lisa!! My copy of Whistlin’ Dixie in A Nor’easter arrived yesterday, and I’m already a few chapters in and loving the book! And I should mention that the book is gorgeous – even more gorgeous in person than it looks online, which is tough, considering how gorgeous it looks online.

Now, onto my craziest thing. I have to admit, I’m not really the type of person who does crazy things. I’m not much of a risk taker/thrill seeker. I’m more of a worrier/likes-to-be-safe kind of person. And I always was that way. Even back in elementary school when the other kids were jumping off the top of the jungle gym and trying to swing high enough to flip the swings, I was always the one standing by the side worrying and trying to make sure no one got hurt.

So I guess I’m going to have to say that most of the so-called crazy things I’ve done in my life have really revolved around being a writer. At least, they were things that other people thought were crazy, even if they didn’t feel crazy to me. For one thing, I majored in English in college instead of majoring in a “real” subject that could get me a “real” job after college. Then, I moved completely across the country to a city I knew nothing about to go to graduate school to get my MFA in Creative Writing. I can’t tell you how many crazy looks I got from family members and friends for that one, and all the questions I got about why I needed a degree and a 2000 mile move to write.

Fast forward to a few years after graduate school, to when I got laid off from a job. Then I decided that instead of looking for another job right away, I’d spend some time writing a novel. I spent days, then weeks, then months in my house, in my sweatpants sitting in front of my computer working on something I wasn’t sure anyone else would ever read, all the while, making no money. (Eventually, years later, this didn’t seem so crazy when I got an agent and when she sold this book, but at the time, I got a lot of sideways glances from my friends when I told them what I was doing.)

Most recently, I have done this: quit my teaching job in order to have more time to write. In other words, I decided to ignore that whole “don’t quit your day job” mantra which, every time I take the time to reflect on it, feels nothing short of crazy! But most days, I don’t think about whether my choice was crazy or not. I write. And if I’m able to get enough accomplished this year to making writing my full-time career in the long term, then in hindsight, this will be the best, not the craziest thing I’ve ever done.

So what’s something you’ve done that other people have considered crazy (even if you haven’t)? Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Lisa’s book, Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter and $100 to Amazon!!