If you couldn't tell from the fact that this blog has over 70 entries, I really enjoy writing. Words are fun, and I love using them as pigment with which to paint a picture. Because of this passion for the written word I've challenged myself to do something I'd only mused about briefly in college: I'm going to try to become a paid writer. In no way am I abandoning my career in science to do so, nor am I going to try science writing (unless there's uber good money in it; like 3 heli trips-a-year money, because seriously, science writing is so very mundane). Rather I want to know if I am capable of doing it.
The impetus behind this decision came yesterday when I submitted a proposal for a conference workshop. Montana State University hosts a statewide girls' conference annually to promote girl-power and to let girls know about the opportunities in the world. I won't get into the details of my proposed workshop, but one of the major over-arcing themes is pursuing your passions. Since I had considered journalism as a major in undergrad, then later applying to film school for script-writing, and then my creation and continuing posting on this blog, it was clear to me that my passion for writing was not transient. It also seemed to me that not pursuing writing as a form of some income was being untrue to myself, and therefore would make me a hypocrite if I do get the chance to speak to the girls at the conference.
Hopefully in a few months I'll be posting a link to a article written by yours truly on, like, a legit website and not Blogger (much love Google, but this site makes people think they're wayyyyy more important than they actually are). Stephen King, in his autobiographical On Writing, wrote about his plethora of rejections when starting out, which has hopefully prepared me mentally for that inevitability, but I suppose we'll see. This is just another step, another aspect, in my personal hunt for the steeper side of life.
Wish me luck!
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