Make Your Own Damn Luck

Suzanne Macpherson is Feeling Lucky

Make Your Own Damn Luck
Whoops I’m -- A day late a dollar . . . short? Not the best saying in the current economic climate is it? How about A Day Late, a Thousand Dollars in my Pocket! LOL

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s day, my regularly scheduled blog day. I have to say I was so enamored with Pauline’s column I wanted it to stay up as long as possible. Just spot-on Pauline!
And well, I’m Irish. So we partied yesterday. My daughter made green eggs for breakfast too. At night there were potatoes and there was whiskey, not necessarily in that order, and no one suffered from either. Irish Eyes are Smiling.

So-day job. Writing is my day job, along with being the managing director of our lives—bookkeeper, secretary, driver, cook, event coordinator, school volunteer, etc. etc. but if you let the manager job take over your day job, and it happens, oh yes it does, you are -going to see the results. So it is a choice. Make your own book luck. I’ve been getting this message in a myriad of formats lately.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR JOB/ LIFE/ OUTPUT
Erase the words "I CAN'T". I completely feel for those who have day jobs- but I feel two things- happy they have an income source and a structure to their day, and understanding that stealing writing time in that situation can be very challenging

Sometimes that looks like a full out revolution for women with families, where the folks that have been “DEPENDING” on you have to like- hello- PONY UP and do it themselves! If you are in a situation of complete lack of support for your writing, the question is not how can I get them to be better, its --why are you putting up with this? We are writers, HEAR US ROAR!

Now in the Pony Up category, there is a big difference between a three year old and a thirteen year old, obviously. When I was playing in the big mud puddle I availed myself of a lovely Australian woman –Auntie Helen- who had a small, sweet batch of kids at her house and treated my daughter with the love and care I give her myself. My child was enriched in the process, and I managed to write seven books while she spent maybe- four or five hours playing in Auntie Helen’s Happy Place.
Before that came the 4 am writing, and times when there wasn’t Auntie Helen money- just creative time stealing.

There is also a big difference between the PTA president and the EDITOR you want to become best of friends with. Sometimes you have to disappoint one of them. Which one will you choose?

Having your day job be on pause regarding income production,when a project you’re working on hasn’t been picked up for publication yet, does not change the facts.
We are still writers, and the more we keep to that promise the more we accomplish. If you have to get ANOTHER day job during that time, embrace your commute, get creative, take charge, dry your eyes, it will be okay. You have time. Publishing still happens.

But boy the whole deal can sure be a bitch can’t it? There you are writing in some dark and messy office day after day or there you are juggling two jobs.

It all leads to the need for some serious humor, which is the Path to Sanity.

That’s where Anne Taintor comes in. Because to have writing be your day job you must at least once a week laugh your ass off as counterbalance.


Anne reminds us why we choose writing over housewife every time. You know it’s true, don’t you!!!!
I refer often to what Bet Midler says to her husband in Stepford Wives as he returns home:
“Did you bake?”
“No, I wrote three chapters, did you bake?”