I knew I’d get your attention with that title… but never fear, the time will come to talk about egg timers.

It has been an interesting week full of many ups and downs for me.  I have just sent in the last of the five edit/rewrite articles so I will wait to see what’s next on that front but hopefully some of my own fresh writing!

Of course it means my Christmas story has been left behind but that’s all about finding a new groove!  I got my old egg timer out that I’ve had for over 5 years.  An egg timer?  you ask.

Yes, shortly before I went shopping for that I read an article where authors with multiple projects on the go need to set time limits and to use a timer to set a preset block of time and work on a single project but then to move on to another when the bell rings!  So I found myself an egg-shaped egg timer that times up to 45 minutes.  I actually used it way back when I was still treasurer at church so that I only spent 30 minutes doing accounting stuff and making certain that I moved on to my writing.

Because I have my own projects and those of a paid gig now, I felt it was important to divide my time.

The other exciting part of my week was a job posting that went up on Tuesday and I was desperate ALL day to sit and get my cover letter written and submitted but it was my 12 1/2 hour day so I printed it and carried it with me until Wednesday when I could sit and put it together.

The post… Staff Writer/Reporter full-time for a brand new weekly publication for our region’s four townships!

OMG!

Do you see now why I HAD to get that letter done and submitted?

They contacted me the next day, which was great and very welcome and think I would be a great fit but concerned that they couldn’t meet my salary expectations based on my current work and experience.  They also let me know that it would be about 10 articles a week!  WOW!  I thought long and hard about my response because, naturally, one would think of someone in a nursing position as making a big salary… well, not me with where I have been working… probably hospital nursing but the same salary does not transfer to the outside!  So I kindly asked if they would share the salary they had in mind and waited, and waited.  Turns out they had internet issues that were only fixed yesterday so I will get a reply tomorrow.

I hope that I do!  I hope they feel comfortable enough sharing that with me because I would love if this moved forward.  If they’re not comfortable sharing then I will press to go for an interview.  Based on the course that the college has assigned I may not be teaching this summer which would free up even more time for writing.  I was thinking that worst-case scenario we work something out where I am fulfilling their writing needs while working still and either gradually (or not gradually at all), transition to being there full time in the fall though I would prefer sooner.

Of course it’s totally possible that they are able to meet my salary requirements and that last paragraph is just a waste of a what-if… something else we authors are good at!

So as I move forward into, yes, the unknown in many ways, I don’t find myself nervous at all.  I think, with a new start-up the only thing I really need is to actually get paid!  Otherwise, I’m there!  100% as long as I can still teach and spend some time at the Wellness Studio!