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Torn As Torn

By Leroy James King · April 21, 2010

I know I said my next post was going to be a hardcore dissection of Adaptation… but I lied. Somehow I can’t find it anywhere to buy. Alas…


So based on my previous post I got some interesting feedback, the most profound being, “…it helps to have another job [when you’re writing all the time].” To put it lightly – thatlittle tid bit was a HUGE reassessment catalyst for me.

“Maybe I shouldn’t just write.” Well… shit.

This notion has been rattling around in brain since I read that response on Facebook the other day. Needless to say, I’m incredibly torn. Part of me is like, “Screw that. I’m here to write, and I’ve finally been given the chance to do it exclusively.”

But the other part of me is like, “Maybe you need the disconnect. Maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities, and write for you, more so than for others.”

At this point, I’m totally unsure of what to do. For shits and giggles I’ve sent out my resume for other production related jobs that still employ my writing skills, but are less “involved” – the idea being to dedicate most of my writing for myself. To my surprise, after only about 24 hours passing from the time I sent out my last resume, I’ve gotten a lot of responses wanting to schedule interviews. Such a huge fucking flip flop from when I was first looking for jobs out here, which also kind of stops me in my tracks. I’m actually like… viable now, based on my skill set that breaches outside of the exclusive writing realm, and I have a lot of potential to grow in these different areas. I mean, that’s the impression I’m getting, solely based on the feedback I’ve been getting from the slew of production companies I’ve been in contact with.

So now I’m at a total loss, and there’s not much more to say at this point. I guess it really boils down to this:

Do I want to continue to struggle as a writer, and only as a writer? Or do I want to keep beefing up my potential in other areas of the entertainment industry, while still writing?

What would you do? Is it admitting defeat to consider these other opportunities? Or is it just taking active measures to reclaim my sanity? To make my writing more of a true outlet, as opposed to a total monetary dependence?

I need feedback. Pretty please. And sorry for the super self-indulgent post. Just part of that whole “reclaiming sanity” thing…