Tennies on the Subway, Pumps in the Office

That's right, I'm a working girl.

I got a job!

Well, to be clear, it's more of a job-let.  But to say that it is an answer to prayers would be a gross understatement.  I've been itching for the past year or so to write.  And not just on the blog or work on my book, but to write for compensation.  To be able to help provide for my family by using the gifts God gave me.  Even if that provision is mainly just gas money.  I think I was also (secretly) wanting someone not related to me to say, "No, you're not crazy.  You can write.  You are correct in thinking this is your thing God gave you.  Michelle Kwan's is skating.  Bradley Cooper's is, well, just look at him. And yours is writing." 

While no one has exactly said those specific words to me (did I just compare my writing to Bradley Cooper's hotness?), it has brought me great joy to receive respect and admiration for my writing. 

So what is my new job?  Well, actually, I sort of have two jobs.  But only one of them pays.  The first, the non-paying gig, is that since January I've been writing for and editing the Virginia Bethany Christian Services newsletter.  In total, it is about 8ish pages each month.  May was about honoring mothers, both birth and adoptive moms.  June's is about fundraising.  Since I've taken over, it seems we've gotten some positive feedback.  It used to be just sort of slapped together by some of the pregnancy counselors.  And I want you to know I'm saying slapped together not because they were sloppy or unprofessional, just that they a) are not writers, and b) work as social workers for a non-profit (which is to say they work way too much for way too little money).  So I asked if I could take it off their hands.  They cheered, did little dances, and then handed me the reins.  It's been great.  And the editing of the articles has prepared me for my second job.

Which is to help another writer with her writing and to get things out the door to agents and publishers and the like.  And this one is the one where God just pointed at laughed at me.  Literally, on Friday, I received an email that said (I'm loosely paraphrasing)--Hey, Elizabeth.  I think you are awesome and I would like to pay you to sit around in your PJs and Toms and write for me.  Also, at some point there will be Margaritas.  I'm not kidding about the margaritas.  Margaritas have been promised to me. 

The most difficult things about both of these jobs are time management and voice.  Time management because I'm committed to being a stay at home Mom, committed to my kid's memories of me being about Legos and dance parties, not shows on the DVR while Mommy types in the dining room.  Right now I'm typing while Henry is at school.  Grace fell asleep in the car while running errands and I'm just letting her take her afternoon nap two hours early.

And as to voice?  I am finding it difficult, in both the newsletter and the joblet, to be true to the original author's voice.  I have to squash the part of my writing self that says, "Oh, I would've said it this way" or "this would be funnier here".  Sometimes I do this when just reading books for pleasure.  To the point that at my last book club meeting I said, "This book was okay.  My main problem with it is that I didn't write it.  It would've been funnier if I wrote it."  Sorry, Shauna Niequist.  Apparently you didn't get the memo that Cold Tangerines was really my story.

So if I'm blogging less or just putting up photos it is because I'm going to try to limit my blogging time to 30 minutes.  This post has taken roughly 20.  But some of them, like the three without typos, I spend hours on.