Liz and I were watching reruns of ER tonight, and there’s a scene between Dr. Green and Dr. Carter, where they’re talking about passion, and how that fits into their jobs. And Green tells Carter that you do your job day after day, doing the best you can, and maybe you look back after a decade, and then you’re judged on the sum total of your work, not on the passion you have on any one day.
Which is kinda how I’ve been feeling lately. I didn’t getting into journalism as any part of a grand dLiz and I were watching reruns of ER tonight, and there’s a scene between Dr. Green and Dr. Carter, where they’re talking about passion, and how that fits into their jobs. And Green tells Carter that you do your job day after day, doing the best you can, and maybe you look back after a decade, and then you’re judged on the sum total of your work, not on the passion you have on any one day.
Which is kinda how I’ve been feeling lately. I didn’t getting into journalism as any part of a grand design. I just sorta stumbled into it. And over the years I’ve been frustrated by the market, switching jobs more than I wanted to–some by choice; some because I had no choice–and I’m tired. I’m tired of plotting out my next move, or how long the job I have is even going to be a job, lest the company fold or get sold or consolidated.
So I’ve been thinking back over the last decade, and when you add it all up, I can see that I’ve done okay. A recruiter called me recently and said, "wow, you’re resume looks great. you’ve got a ton of great experience." Thing is, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been on some fairly successful magazines over the years. I like to think they’ve been successful because I’ve been a part of them. In fact, I know that some have faltered, or folded, after I left … so aren’t I just the cat’s meow?
As a writer, I’ve probably got almost a million words in print somewhere under my byline. Probably five times that as an editor. But at this point, I’m so much more interested helping the young (and sometimes older) writers get better at what the do, guiding them so that they can be more effective. It’s so much more rewarding for me to give someone pointers, techniques and advice that they can build on for a lifetime, compared to just moving around a few words.
It’s almost hard for me to believe that I’ve been working in publishing for a decade. So many people, so many stories. Some good times, some hard times, some blah times.
It’s still frustrates me that I have to spend so much of my time negotiating nonsense rather than being productive, but I can honestly say that I’ve worked hard to get better and better and what I do–in many different ways–and that I’m able to give more to the people I work with than I ever have. It’s hardly ever as much as I’d like, but I do what I can.
I have no idea what the next 10 years will look like. Hopefully they’ll include a few best selling novels and loads and loads of folks who are grateful that they met me, but whatever I’ll be saying about my efforts as I look back, I know that the sum total will be all right indeed.
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2007/02/10 22:18
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2007/02/14 13:48
