Friday, August 22, 2008

Writer's Blockade

Writer’s Block is nothing compared to the barricade I am standing behind. Take a moment to imagine, if you will, my obstruction. A giant purple dinosaur, a furry red monster, mountains of books offering one to five words per page, and an assortment of flashing, beeping, singing paraphernalia (a miniature kitchen, a smiling car, a table and chair that talks, even shoes that flash) together impede my view of the world outside of stay-at-home-momville.

There are many women, as well as men, who consciously make the transition between holding careers and staying at home with their children. These stay-at-home moms and dads (SAHM, SAHD) often possess college degrees, or positions of power, and have the ability to work in coveted occupations, but feel that the most important job that they could possibly embrace is the one of raising their children. I once read a woman and work poll/reader survey that found “if moms could choose to do whatever they wished, only 4% would choose full-time employment.”

So, here I sit in the majority as a mom who chose to stay home with her children over her career. Does that mean my mind should no longer focus on anything non-toddler or teen related? I co-created this blog, The Write Impression, in an effort to keep my foot in the “real world.” My goal is to appeal to other writers, continue to write, think about writing each and every day, and learn more about writing. These are things that I feel should not end just because my career is temporarily on hold. So, why do I sit here not knowing where to begin?

This blog entry is an appeal to all writers and blog readers who visit our site. Tell us what you want to read about. Give me the key to unlock the block! Perhaps we have answers to your questions, or perhaps you have answers to ours. In either case, I promise to break through this blockade and begin writing more regularly. I look forward to writing with you.

Friday, August 1, 2008

What To Do With a Writing Degree

My daughter is entering her junior year in high school, so the “what do you want to be when you grow up?” discussion came up the other day. She asked me why I chose technical writing as my college major. In her summation, there was nothing interesting to do with such a major. Of course, I informed her she was so very wrong, and then I proceeded to identify the many things that one could do with a major in writing.

Here is a short list of possible careers. Feel free to suggest more.