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November 2014 is a big month for me. My spouse and I have been together for 10 years- and it’s now 6 months since I jumped ship to write full time!

I can’t believe how fast it’s gone. Am I glad I did it? 100%! Do I feel any yearn to go back to my old full-time schedule? Not at the moment. Though I do miss certain coworkers of mine, I’ve enjoyed a lot less anxiety since leaving, particularly since I no longer dread waking up in the morning.

I still do plenty of work, but it’s on my own projects, on my own terms. It’s not going as fast as I’d like, perhaps. Then again, if I had my druthers, I’d have ten bestsellers out by now, and would be typing this from a cozy London flat.

Anyway, here’s a little breakdown on what I’ve accomplished, fell short of, and what my financial status is like. I’m hoping it might help anyone else contemplating their own jump out of the workforce.

Accomplishments

* I’ve set up a daily work routine that I’ve stuck to: waking up around the same time of day, writing until lunch, then usually writing a few more hours in the evening. I use the afternoon for exercise, chores, hobbies, and naps.

* A promotion to Assistant Editor at The Daily WTF. I now write a monthly feature, plus help with sorting and choosing submissions.

* Got through two big editing passes with my novel, and am currently on what I HOPE will be the last major rewrite. This sucker will expand the manuscript by as much as 50%! I think the book will end up being better this way than if I just rushed it out as-is. I also think I’ll be able to finish future books faster, as I’m learning a lot about the sort of thinking and planning I should’ve been more thorough about five years ago.

* Put together a more polished freebie for my mailing list subscribers. Retiring the Gods is a short story collection I’ll be adding to over time as inspiration strikes. Where can I send your copy? :)

* Kept up with weekly blog posts here- mostly about writing tricks, but sometimes straying into more general territory.

* Spruced up my website. Navigation is mostly the same, but everything is now in much niftier colors, and HTML5. Ooh!

* Got back into drawing. Using my discipline tricks, I started by forcing myself to work on a picture for half an hour at a time, gradually expanding to an hour. I’m reconnecting with that “flow” I once had that let me sit with a picture for hours at a stretch. My progress is slow as I relearn how to do things, but I’m having fun with it.

* Returned to martial arts after a long hiatus- something that had been completely off my radar! I’ve taken up German longsword with a local HEMA branch. It’s a lot of fun. A little more expensive than I’d prefer, given my reduced income, but hey, I was stashing away the bulk of every paycheck for years before this. Past-Self says to Present-Self, “Go out and have fun, you crazy kid. Just don’t get your bell rung.”  :)

Also, the swordfighting experience will undoubtedly come in handy as I write about knights spanning the galaxy in spaceships.

Income

$140/month from TDWTF. That’s all right now, but I’ll take it.

To leave the rat race one day, you must save your pennies first! Obviously, I couldn’t live on this if I were alone and without significant savings. If you’re looking for ways to stretch your current income further, Mr. Money Mustache comes highly recommended.

Stuff I Still Want To Do

* Finish the novel, and start on the next one! LOL I’m hoping early next year.

* Find a way to stick with my floundering language study. I think the main problem is not having anything to study for– no people to talk to, no upcoming trips, etc. Also, I still can’t roll my double-Rs in Spanish!

Current languages (in order of strength): German, Spanish, Farsi, Japanese

Future languages: Dutch should be really easy to pick up, since I have German and English. However, I don’t have any use for it currently. Quick, someone send me to The Netherlands for an extended vacation!

* Learn to wake up earlier. 8:00 AM isn’t bad, but 7:30 or 7:00 might be better. I don’t know if it’s happening, given how late I like to stay up!

That’s all for now. Here’s to another fun 6 months! If you have any advice or encouragement, drop me a line in the comments :)