September 28, 2005
Okay. I had a follow-up doctor's appointment this morning to discuss my latest bloodwork (gee, sounds like a great title for a novel ... oh, yeah, right, by Michael Connelly). My doc isn't all that close, so I got up as usual, got the kids off after checking my e-mail, then drove off to the doctor, then stopped at Borders looking for the latest Robert B. Parker which should have been there but wasn't, then hit the gym (yes, actually, this is related to the doctor's appointment), dropped off my prescription at the pharmacy, then got home, checked the answering machine, the e-mail, had lunch and took Frodo for a nice long walk. It's a gorgeous day, one of the last above 70 days we're likely to get here in Michigan for a while, clear blue sky, absolutely fabulous, and I thought, "This is a great gig if you can get it."

Sure. I'm thinking that when I'm not working. Actually, I'm thinking that when, as a matter of fact, I haven't done ANY work yet unless you call answering your e-mail work, which I suppose it is. One of the messages was contact information for an interview for an article I'm writing.

And the thought WAS followed by the thought: "Yeah, and it took you 18 years to get here." Which may very well be the addendum to, "If you can get it."

At one point in the last year my sister asked my wife how my job was working out (yeah, well, if they don't believe me, they'll go to somebody else and ask, right?) and Leanne said, "Great. He should have done it five years ago."

Right. Sure. Except I didn't have any national good-paying clients then. Could I have done it? Maybe. It would have been a rough start. I know more now. I'm a better writer now, and when I left the hospital to freelance fulltime I not only had a client paying me 85 cents a word to write long articles and who for the last two months had been having me write 2 to 4 news articles a week at $150 a shot, but I had the regular editing gig for the technical journal (still do), as well as the newspaper gig (still got it) to review books and write health features, as well as a few others. When I was ready, I was ready, I guess. I couldn't do more writing than I was on that schedule.

Some people wouldn't like working out of the house. They'd find too many excuses to do other things. Not me. I'm pretty glued to the computer except for workouts and "errand" days--going to the office supply store, the post office, the copy shop, FedEx. Some people can't handle being alone. Alone? Me? I've got Frodo the Office Manager to keep me company. Plus my oldest gets home at 3:00 and my youngest at 4:00 and due to their teacher's contracts they seem to have a half-day every other week. Some people can't deal with the roller coaster aspects of the money (I can deal with it, but sometimes it drives me nuts), or the insecurity. (Actually, I don't find this too bad. I have faith that'll I'll have work, somewhere.)

And I don't have to commute. I have time to go to school functions for my kids from time to time, I have time for exercise, and I'm doing something I love. Gee, it's a great gig.

Best,
Mark Terry