The Juggling Writer

  • About
  • E-Books
  • Newsletter
  • Best Of
  • Contact
  • Credits
  • Evernote for Writers
my banner
You are here: Home / Inspiration / Greener Fields

Greener Fields

September 26, 2018 by Christopher Gronlund Leave a Comment

Green fieldJames Rebanks’s book, The Shepherd’s Life, chronicles the life of a modern Scottish shepherd. I’ve seen it described as a book about doing very hard work to avoid simply working hard (i.e. working the land vs. having a busy day job in an office). There’s a bit in the introduction about this, and how some view those who don’t leave the land:

Later I would understand that modern people the world over are obsessed with the importance of “going somewhere” and “doing something” with your life. The implication is an idea I have come to hate, that staying local and doing physical work doesn’t count for much.

It’s not lost on the author that when the same people who knock doing hard work locally get burned out on the life they’ve told others to live, that they move to the country with dreams of having small farms and a pastoral life free from the stresses of an office.

Greener Fields

It’s easy to look at something else and romanticize it. I’m that middle-aged guy who would not mind a slower pace in the country trending to a green place. (In my defense, I’ve never embraced the office job as anything special — and I’ve worked on a farm and know that it’s not always what many dream about.) I know many people my age who talk about, “finally writing that best-selling novel that’s in all of us,” even though they’ve never even written a short story (and the fact that no, there isn’t a best-selling novel in most people — including many very skilled writers).

I’ve seen people in relationships move away from what they thought was boring to something deemed more exciting…only to discover they were bored because they are boring people. (And sometimes even regretting leaving the person they took for granted all along.)

I’ve seen artists envy their friends who have always had decent health insurance through their jobs, while those secure friends envy the artist for spending all their time doing art. (Even if many times, the artist ended up doing work they didn’t particularly enjoy to pay the bills.)

As I said, it’s easy to look at something else and romanticize it…

The Writing Life

I once worked with someone who, as far as I could tell, never finished as much as a short story — let alone a novel. But they talked about “the writer’s life,” and how they imagined it to be when they “finally broke out big” [paraphrased]:

Oh, just imagine: meeting with other writers over lunch or tea or cocktails in sun dresses and wandering the shops while thinking about stories…that would be so wonderful. An open window with the breeze blowing the curtains in my office. Calling my agent and editor to discuss stories. Being on tour where adoring fans fill book stores and auditoriums to see me…

Only it doesn’t work like that.

The writers I know on tour have all had signings where only a handful of people showed up and, in one case, only three people: one who wanted an autograph just because, another who thought buying the book was admission to nitpick things in the story not to their liking — and then that person’s bored friend. Never mind the worry caused by canceled flights and having to travel while sick…because to not show up means people will take to social media to complain about why you blew them off.

There’s the fear that the next book won’t make as much, meaning a return to a day job they never particularly liked.

There’s the stress that one day your best books will be behind you…

Are There Green Spaces?

The cynic will say there is no green field — that it’s all romanticized and not what it seems. But I do know people doing the thing they love full time who make a great income and rarely have bad days doing their work. It’s enjoyable and fun; in part, because they have always looked at things realistically and know that to do anything means there will be rough days or sometimes boring work.

There will always be the exceptions, the fortunate writers who bubble up to something big and end up set for the rest of their lives.

For others, it’s simply doing the thing they love in spite of all the other things they do in their lives.

The trick seems to stick to what is true to you and making the place where you stand your green space…no matter what.

 

Filed Under: Inspiration

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to the E-mail Feed

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Sign Up for the Newsletter

E-Books for Sale

The Hell Comes With Wood Paneled Doors Podcast

Follow Me On

Recent Posts

  • Fifteen Years
  • A Silent Year
  • Fourteen Years
  • The Annual September Silence
  • Process Series

Recent Comments

  • Christopher Gronlund on Fourteen Years
  • Christopher Gronlund on Fourteen Years
  • A Silent Year on The Annual September Silence
  • Paul Lamb on Fourteen Years
  • Lisa Eckstein on Fourteen Years

Archives

  • September 2024
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009

Copyright © 2025 · eleven40 Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in