Amra Pajalic
  • Blog
  • About Me
    • More Writing
    • News & Events
    • Media Page
    • Za Bosance
  • All Books
    • Meet Me at the Intersection
    • Things Nobody Knows But Me
    • Rebellious Daughters
    • Coming of Age: Growing up Muslim in Australia
    • Amir: Friend on Loan
    • The Good Daughter
    • What a Muslim Woman Looks Like
    • Teacher resources
  • Book Me
    • Aspiring writers >
      • Six things writers should do
      • Writing tips for young people
  • Contact

back up plans

27/4/2013

1 Comment

 
Sick with an ear infection and feeling all contemplative and stuff. Watched the Voice the other night and Seal asked a contestant what will she do if her singing career doesn't take off. She was a university student and he said that the best thing he can give her is to teach her not to have a back up. That singing just has to be it. And this got me thinking about writing and the artist life in general.

When I first began seriously writing in about 1999 when I commenced my Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing I had no plans for a back up. Writing was it. I had the day job of course, this is a must because after all we do have to eat, and worked as a office chick. Every workday was full of frustration as I did a job that I knew was beneath me intellectually, but this frustration just fuelled my passion for writing more. I was going to prove all those co-workers who looked down on me as their serf and do something great with my life.

Getting a novel published was a hunger that burnt within me. Even so it took years for it to happen. Ten years in fact. And getting published did change something within me, it confirmed what I believed about myself and the purpose of my life, but the hunger didn't abate. Sometimes it seems that publication corrupts that passion because know there is always this strategic element about writing what is potentially publishable, but I digress.

About the time that my daughter was born things changed. I had to grow up and accept that I could not always put the artist's life first. While writing was still always my passion, a certain wear and tear occurred. There is the need for creature comforts. The artist life of barely having enough money loses it's allure. And there is also the acceptance that my writing is not a sprint, it's a marathon. I will be writing until my dying day. That is what I do. And while I might have to slow down a bit as other aspects of my life take priority, sometimes with less time to write comes greater efficiency. After all writers practice procrastination religiously. 

There is also the fact that being an artist is to undertake the practice of sadomasochism. There are highs and there are lows, and this is just through the writing process in battling the muse and filling the page, not to mention the glacial slow process of waiting for anything to happen, and then there are the inevitable rejections. There are always rejections. The hardest times of my life have been those when I have had nothing but writing to fill my time. The harshness of a writer's life was most apparent then because I had nothing else to lift me up from the sting of rejection or the battles with the muse. So from my perspective a back up is a necessity. Not just to eat, but also to give you something to push against, to give you another outlet for self esteem, and to give you perspective.

I have found in my career that when I am busy with other things, this is when the writing comes the easiest and when I have the wins. It's because I feel good about myself in having a full life and engaging at different levels. And it is also because getting published doesn't have that whiff of desperation attached to it. Instead I can roll with the punches easier and just keep doing what I love, being true to my muse and getting those words onto the page.
1 Comment
Jodi link
1/5/2013 05:35:50 pm

I absolutely agree. Apart from having to eat and pay the bills...having a back-up or 'real job' or even just a qualification up your sleeve means you have something to push against, spurring you to create. It's also an essential safety net because after all, this is real life. Having a back-up doesn't mean giving up on the dream. Basically, you're funding the dream! You are your own patron. And like you said, it also means you can be selective about what writing jobs you take on and not just have to pick up any old thing. In this way, you're better able to 'craft' a career. Nice post.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am an author, reader and teacher. My memoir Things Nobody Knows But Me about being parented by a Bi Polar mother from a Non-English Speaking Background will be published by Transit Lounge in 2019. Read more about it here. 
    ​
    Memoir extracts have been published in anthologies
    Meet Me at the Intersection 
    ​and 
    Rebellious Daughters.

    I am co-editor Coming of Age: Growing up Muslim in Australia an anthology of Muslim writers.

    I am the author of a novel for children Amir: Friend on Loan, and of award winning young adult novel The Good Daughter. My memoir Things Nobody Knows But Me will be published with Transit Lounge in 2019.

    For teaching notes of all my books go to Teacher resources. If you wish to leave me a message go to my Contacts page, or buy copies of my books go to My Books page and find links. To hear about my writing news please subscribe or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, links below. View my previous newsletters here.

    Blog  Updates

    If you want to receive updates when I update my blog like my Facebook Author page below or follow me on Twitter, or follow me via Bloglovin here.

    Twitter feed

    Tweets by @AmraPajalic
    Follow Amra's board On Teaching on Pinterest.
    Follow Amra's board Memoir Blog Post series on Pinterest.

    Blogroll

    Simmone Howell
    Penni Russon
    Melina Marchetta
    Sherryl Clark
    Cath Crowley
    Gabrielle Wang
    Wendy Orr
    Demet Divaroren
    Tor Roxburgh
    Koraly Dimitriadies
    Smart Bitches Trashy Books
    Renee Robinson
    Art By Wiley
    Inside a Dog Residence
    Amanda Wrangles
    Literary Minded
    Buzz Balls and Hype
    A Newbie's Guide to Publishing
    Barry Eisler
    Keris Stainton
    Steph Bowe
    Blood Red Pencil
    Kimberley Starr
    Big Blue Pen
    Elise McCune

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Author Feature
    Book Review
    My Life
    My News
    Plugs
    Poetry
    Publishing
    Teaching
    Writing

Copyright Amra Pajalic 2017