Question of the Month and Reminder

The first of the month brings the Question of the month, a quick hop started by Michael D'Agostino. This month is an easier question than the previous months. Check out Michael's blog, A Life Examined, for his answer and a link to others.

“What’s the best job you’ve ever had?”

A very appropriate question for Labor Day. I grew up on a farm and we usually spent Labor Day bringing in hay or some other hot, difficult, exhausting job. My dad always said Labor day was for laboring. That was the hardest job I ever had. Being a mother is hard work but it's not a job, it's a privilege.

The best job I've ever had is the one I have now, being a full time writer. When I left teaching two years ago, I was saddened by losing all that time spent with teenagers. I really do love that group. I have so many wonderful memories but being released from a M-F, 7-3 job, is a dream come true. I concentrate on promotion in the mornings and do household chores or shopping. By noon, I'm caught up on all that unless I have to mow the grass. Then I exercise in the afternoon, swim in the summer, and do more outside work. Only in the evening do I actually write new material and then I often work until midnight. Can't quite quit the habit of writing late at night as I did when I was teaching full-time. But this job, the up and down life of a writer, is the best ever!

Also, don't forget to check out the contest sponsored by IWSG. If you missed the announcement last week, check it out here. You have until November first to get that story to the email provided. This is your chance to get a short story included in an anthology published by a small press on which you will earn royalties. It's another terrific opportunity from IWSG.

You'll often hear writers talk about being in the right place at the right time. Luck. So often I read about writers who received their first contract or met their agent through an introduction by a friend. It sounds like they got really lucky. But I firmly believe we make our own luck. We need to be open to opportunities and seek them out. Joining writing groups, in person if possible and online. Entering contests, reading industry news and craft articles and books. It's too easy to look ourselves into our writing office and forget about the business side of the business. Make your own luck.

Are you laboring on Labor Day? Have a best-ever job? Are you working on your short story? How do you go about making your own luck?