{"id":702,"date":"2009-12-29T11:09:48","date_gmt":"2009-12-29T16:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/?p=702"},"modified":"2009-12-29T11:09:48","modified_gmt":"2009-12-29T16:09:48","slug":"backing-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/2009\/12\/29\/backing-it-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Backing it Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday<\/a>, I wrote about how a layoff can be good for a part time writer. I said I would show readers that I follow my own advice.<\/p>\n

Here it is…<\/p>\n

Seven years ago I was laid off.<\/p>\n

I didn’t mope or panic about my situation; instead, I pitched a local travel article<\/a> to the Dallas Morning News<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"(My first travel article was about Caddo Lake State Park<\/a>, in east Texas.)<\/p>\n

I’d never written a travel piece, and I had no connections at the paper. I took the chance and sold my first travel article. I also completed my first novel in the time following that layoff.<\/p>\n

During another layoff, I completed my first two screenplays…one of which advanced in the Austin Film Festival’s<\/a> “Heart of the Screenplay”<\/a> competition. Both were seriously considered by two major studios.<\/p>\n

Following layoffs, I typically get a lot of writing done and end up with a better job than the one I had before.<\/p>\n

I really do see layoffs as a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n

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I try not to make this blog about me. Sure, there are personal reflections about writing, but I try to keep those reflections universal and hope others share their stories.<\/p>\n

I try not to write fluff, either. When making lists of suggestions, I write about what’s worked for me or for other people I’ve talked with about writing and other creative endeavors.<\/p>\n

I think it’s important for bloggers to put up or shut up. It’s easy to write lists of things to do to reach a goal, but it’s much harder to follow one’s own advice.<\/p>\n

The Thursday before Christmas, I was laid off from my job of almost five years. Having a job is important for my survival: I have a large pituitary tumor<\/a> that requires medical treatment or things get really bad. For the past five years, I chose to work at a job close to home that allowed a fairly flexible schedule in exchange for a lower salary, so emergency funds aren’t what they should be. My wife is also looking for work — we’re a no income<\/strong> household <\/strong>right now.<\/p>\n

But I’m not fretting.<\/p>\n

I have my plan, and writing is a big part of that plan. (So is juggling, hiking with my wife, relaxing and reading — things I enjoy).<\/p>\n

While I need to find a new job fast, that doesn’t mean that when my job hunt and research is done each morning that I won’t use the time to write.<\/p>\n

I’ve accepted the layoff<\/strong> as a fortunate misfortune, like I discussed in yesterday’s post. I’ve slowed down<\/strong>, like I suggested in yesterday’s post. I’ve researched <\/strong>and I’m organizing, <\/strong>like I discussed in yesterday’s post. I already have my writing plan <\/strong>— I’m still on schedule to finish my current novel by late February, or early March…with this layoff, I may be able to finish it sooner. It’s time to do it<\/strong>, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.<\/p>\n

I may end up with a job soon and not be able to get to all the things I hope to do following this layoff. But even if I start a new job in a couple weeks, I’ve had another taste of what it’s like to write full time, and it’s definitely a flavor I can get used to.<\/p>\n

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If you’ve found yourself laid off, or if you’re laid off in the future — by all means — make finding your next job a priority.<\/p>\n

But also recognize the opportunity in the change.<\/p>\n

By taking my own advice, I started writing travel articles, finished my first novel, and finished two screenplays…all while unemployed.<\/p>\n

I look forward to seeing what I do this time around…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I wrote about how a layoff can be good for a part time writer. I said I would show readers that I follow my own advice. Here it is… Seven years ago I was laid off. I didn’t mope or panic about my situation; instead, I pitched a local travel article to the Dallas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[24,23,59],"tags":[17,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}