Hi. We met in the "Office"? You asked me if I wanted to talk to you? Remember? I thought, Ok, I'll see what she has to say. So I subscribed. I can't say that I'll be able to keep up with you. But I'll make an effort. First off, I don't work. I'm one of those old fuck Baby Boomers. I'm 65 (...but a handsome 65!) I'm living off a pension, but it's not enough, which is why the wife is still working. I told her, if I have to work until I'm 65, so do you. She doesn't mind, because she likes her job. I like it too, because she quite often brings work home. (Thank Fuck, because she works in a liquor store.)
Anyway, I write fiction. I don't do the blog thing. Never did. I write lonnngg stories. So if you have an afternoon off, and you have an hour to kill, open up a story and take a look. I think you might like what I have to offer. I don't worry about word count, because Substack offers me the freedom to be myself. As a result, my stories tend to hover around the 15 to 20,000 word length. I do like the theatre though. I even have an idea for a play I want to write one day.
I ramble a lot, too. I also smoke dope and drink a lot of wine. Those are the only two vices I have left. I had to give everything else up...and everything else is anything you can imagine. Did I tell you I write? I use to work in a sawmill here on the Left Coast of Canada. I live just outside of Vancouver. It was the only job I ever had. I worked there for 45 years. I started when I was 19. I have no degree. I have High School though. I've been writing since I was 15. I think I'm pretty good at it. You'll have to read a story of two and let me know.
I already told you I'm married. I have two children--one of each, and probably both older than you. I am not politically correct. That's what happens when you grow up in an industrial job. I have to ask my daughter when I cross the line. (She works in an office.) Oh yeah, you can see a picture of my wife in my Archives page. It's the story of how I got one of my earrings. (Yeah, I still have them in; I have 2) She's not bad to look at, considering her age. (She still looks hot to me, and that's all that matters.)
So being retired, I had to come up with something to do. I thought I might do the "Extras" thing, just for the hell of it. I mean, I can sit in the background and drink coffee, or read a book, or do a crossword, or talk to a woman. I've done those things before. (I excel at coffee drinking.) But I decided I was going to be a writer instead. I mean, it's what I've always done, and I'm pretty good at it. Being 65, I figure I should get at least 20 years to work at it...maybe 25, but who the fuck wants to live to 90?
I'm going to tell you, if you can afford it, don't go back to work until the kids are in school. Enjoy them while you can. Stay at home and write. If you were in theatre before, write about that. Better still, write a play, toss it in the drawer and then writer another one; toss that one into the fire, and write a third one. Then go back to the first one and read it again. Then, and only then, rewrite the second one (the one you tossed into the fire), and you'll be amazed at how good it is. But don't go back to work if you don't have to. Tell everyone you are now a writer. (Because why would you work OT and not get paid for it?)
Having a job is NOT cool. I just want to say ditto to everything you said. I have a degree that I'm not using the way I want to or had planned on doing, but I'm using it. But having a Corporate Hell Job is just that. Hell. I'm completely over it and just want to do my side hustle full time. LOL
Sooooo relatable. I took a break from work to raise two kids until the youngest started school. I didn’t really have a career prior to that and had a blog that helped me develop my writing skills.
When an opportunity did come along, it was pretty random. Could not have planned it if I tried. But it was a writing gig that I got paid for, and I’ve been writing for work ever since!
Great piece, and you write so well that, yes, I'm sure people will pay you for it!
I left the full-time workplace last year after 30+ years. I was pretty well treated, and liked what I did, but the hours and stress take their toll in the end.
Hi. We met in the "Office"? You asked me if I wanted to talk to you? Remember? I thought, Ok, I'll see what she has to say. So I subscribed. I can't say that I'll be able to keep up with you. But I'll make an effort. First off, I don't work. I'm one of those old fuck Baby Boomers. I'm 65 (...but a handsome 65!) I'm living off a pension, but it's not enough, which is why the wife is still working. I told her, if I have to work until I'm 65, so do you. She doesn't mind, because she likes her job. I like it too, because she quite often brings work home. (Thank Fuck, because she works in a liquor store.)
Anyway, I write fiction. I don't do the blog thing. Never did. I write lonnngg stories. So if you have an afternoon off, and you have an hour to kill, open up a story and take a look. I think you might like what I have to offer. I don't worry about word count, because Substack offers me the freedom to be myself. As a result, my stories tend to hover around the 15 to 20,000 word length. I do like the theatre though. I even have an idea for a play I want to write one day.
I ramble a lot, too. I also smoke dope and drink a lot of wine. Those are the only two vices I have left. I had to give everything else up...and everything else is anything you can imagine. Did I tell you I write? I use to work in a sawmill here on the Left Coast of Canada. I live just outside of Vancouver. It was the only job I ever had. I worked there for 45 years. I started when I was 19. I have no degree. I have High School though. I've been writing since I was 15. I think I'm pretty good at it. You'll have to read a story of two and let me know.
I already told you I'm married. I have two children--one of each, and probably both older than you. I am not politically correct. That's what happens when you grow up in an industrial job. I have to ask my daughter when I cross the line. (She works in an office.) Oh yeah, you can see a picture of my wife in my Archives page. It's the story of how I got one of my earrings. (Yeah, I still have them in; I have 2) She's not bad to look at, considering her age. (She still looks hot to me, and that's all that matters.)
So being retired, I had to come up with something to do. I thought I might do the "Extras" thing, just for the hell of it. I mean, I can sit in the background and drink coffee, or read a book, or do a crossword, or talk to a woman. I've done those things before. (I excel at coffee drinking.) But I decided I was going to be a writer instead. I mean, it's what I've always done, and I'm pretty good at it. Being 65, I figure I should get at least 20 years to work at it...maybe 25, but who the fuck wants to live to 90?
I'm going to tell you, if you can afford it, don't go back to work until the kids are in school. Enjoy them while you can. Stay at home and write. If you were in theatre before, write about that. Better still, write a play, toss it in the drawer and then writer another one; toss that one into the fire, and write a third one. Then go back to the first one and read it again. Then, and only then, rewrite the second one (the one you tossed into the fire), and you'll be amazed at how good it is. But don't go back to work if you don't have to. Tell everyone you are now a writer. (Because why would you work OT and not get paid for it?)
Having a job is NOT cool. I just want to say ditto to everything you said. I have a degree that I'm not using the way I want to or had planned on doing, but I'm using it. But having a Corporate Hell Job is just that. Hell. I'm completely over it and just want to do my side hustle full time. LOL
“snowflake western children” 😂
Sooooo relatable. I took a break from work to raise two kids until the youngest started school. I didn’t really have a career prior to that and had a blog that helped me develop my writing skills.
When an opportunity did come along, it was pretty random. Could not have planned it if I tried. But it was a writing gig that I got paid for, and I’ve been writing for work ever since!
Great piece, and you write so well that, yes, I'm sure people will pay you for it!
I left the full-time workplace last year after 30+ years. I was pretty well treated, and liked what I did, but the hours and stress take their toll in the end.