Even though I've had 35+ articles published so far, like most other writers, I struggle to get my work out there. It's tough and sometimes I feel like giving up. But something stops me from doing that. Call it the driving force of the writer or call it masochism, I just keep asking for punishment.

 

Punishment? Yeah, you know---in comes in the form of those lovely rejection letters from publishers, editors, and agents. The many levels of rewrites also falls into this category. Why do it? Because that's just what writers do.

 

So that's what I do. I've done other things, too. I started my own personal chef service in the hopes that I could quit my 9-to-5 job and restore my shriveling soul to its natural state. But being a chef is alot of work, especially when you must do all the shopping, travel to your client's home with ingredients and equipment, and stand on your feet for hours cooking numerous dishes in someone else's kitchen.

 

Being in New York City, I had the added pleasure of driving around for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot and schlepping my stuff several blocks and then up some steps, into an elevator, down a corridor, and finally setting myself up in some of the tiniest kitchens I've ever seen. I have closets bigger that these kitchens! Often, I've had to resign myself to parking in a garage and then find a way to politely tell my clients that I needed to be reimbursed.

 

Ultimately, it got to be too much. Working all week and then cooking for people on the weekends was too hard on me physically and mentally. So I do only the occassional dinner or party. And I'm back to concentrating on my writing. I'm also working full time again as an assistant managing editor for travel magazines.