26 March 2009

Whining with Sour Grapes

So, I have a dilemma. I recently started working full-time, which I LOVE. I love being at work, making a name for myself, being professionally respected. I love that I don't have to watch, save, entertain or punish Jacob all day long, just for being himself. (God, I have GOT to get that boy some help!)

Being away from the kids for 50 hours a week puts me at a disadvantage in the parent blogosphere. I mean, really, how do I write a 900+ word essay every week on being a full-time mom post-military, if I'm not a full-time mom anymore? I'm rapidly running out of material.

So when my other blog gig called me and laid me off due to recession cuts, it came as somewhat of a relief. I mean, I truly love writing, and I love writing about my zany kids and my adorably wacky husband. But between my messy house, my work schedule, and the sleep Jacob is not letting me have, I really haven't had the energy to write. So, I took the news with grace.

Then I log onto the site, and see a new writer. Granted, she has previous posts so she's not NEW-new, but her last post was a year and a half ago! And they let me go because they had to cut someone and my page views aren't high enough to justify keeping me, but hers are? Serious ego drain.

And then my friend Andrea gave me some great advice, which I think I'm going to embrace: "Please don’t let this irk you. You got to XX Website because of your cajones – and you’d never written before? Now you can write to someone new saying you have written for a huge website. That’s BIG." Thanks, Andrea!

So, I guess I'll focus on work, focus on my kids and marriage, and vent and laugh on Chocolate and Whine. Thanks for listening!

6 comments:

Mels Place in Big Bear said...

Damn straight you have stuff to write for.

Beginning next week. You are going to guest post on my blog.

From military mom to toddler bombs. Are you in?

Professor Raven said...

you bet :-)

Kim Moldofsky said...

Andrea is spot on. If you decide to pursue other writing, you have a nice feather in your cap. And if you don't, it's fun and gratifying to build up your personal blog.

Sprite's Keeper said...

Oy! All this change! I'm sorry to hear about this, but Andrea is right, and she has cajones to spare! Sometimes, it's better to lose the restrictions so you can write about what you like and want to write about. Stretch those writing muscles! Good luck!

Hannah Handpainted said...

I'm sure the Universe has wonderful things in mind for you, and perhaps this will somehow or another help your sanity. You DO have a lot on your plate, but regardless of what happens, I know you'll figure it out. Although I admit that is a weird turn of events with the new writer...onward and upward!

Anonymous said...

Hi Emily,
I just read your "aufveidersein" (sorry for the butched spelling) post and hopped on over here after that - I so enjoy your writing! Know that you have lots of material, and there is so much more to you as writer than just the BC gig - you are not defined by any one gig! I was also "let go" and I wanted to let you know that I am pretty sure the "new writer" is actually one of the BC editors, not a freelancer (see the bio link). (It makes sense, financially, for them to use staff at this point, what with their freelance budget having been cut and all....) I hope this helps -- it would feel bad to think they had just usurped us w/ other freelance writers, but they didn't :)
Here's to your continued writing journey! Evonne