Hoppe Ever After

Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer. I would write and illustrate short stories, and even had an eighth-grade project presented to the school board at one point. In high school, I wanted to major in English studies and both teach and write. My parents ultimately influenced me to find a career that was both more reliable AND well-paid, like working in healthcare. So naturally, I became a nurse. I’ve been a nurse for nearly a decade, and while I find so much fulfillment in my role, I also have a longing for a career that isn’t mine (yet). So here’s my starting attempt at finding a career as a writer.

My first attempt at writing is to discuss my game plan for success, with ideas based off of an article from The Everymom blog.

1. Write everyday – My current schedule requires a lot of grace. I have a 3-year-old (almost) and am planning for more kids. I work full-time nightshift and run the household (budgeter, calendar-keeper, doing all the research about how to care for kids, household planning, grocery/household shopping). I also try to keep time for my hobbies and general well-being, so add in working out, cooking, a lot of cleaning, gardening, and reading. While I have a most amazing husband who tries hard to help with the load, there are so many things that still fall on me as the control-freak-mom. So, to find time to write can be hard but I’m making it a priority to spend some time sitting down every day to write, even if that means just jotting down ideas to write about in greater detail later. In the meantime, I have a book I bought from a nursing conference, titled The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice For An Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad. I plan to use this to begin opening my brain to writing, journaling, and thinking more.
2. Take a creative writing class – I need to find one of these online, but where? When I do a Google search, there’s actually not many opportunities that result. And so, I’ll continue my search. I’m looking for a virtual class that is self-paced (see my difficulty in finding time above) but also a part of a reputable program
3. Find and attend local writers sessions. I live in a relatively small, but growing, town that doesn’t feel like it has a lot of opportunities. Finding sessions like these might be available in the next biggest city close to us, Nashville, but I also don’t feel like driving downtown here one more day (I already work downtown and the commute is just miserable). But I’ve heard of sessions where people just go to a coffee shop and everyone has time to focus on their writing, and everyone being together holds each other accountable.
4. Later down the road, once I have some completed work to share, I’ll cold send companies my work to see if it interests them to share on their platforms. I’d love to write for the Everymom one day, a company I have followed religiously for years now (an original Everygirl fan).

Check back in with me and see how my plans evolve, and what success I do (or do not) meet, and how that helps me navigate new goals!