I Woke Up Writing This Morning

Summary

The author describes their passion for writing, particularly in the morning, and their dedication to completing a series of books aimed at helping young people find their first job, despite personal and societal challenges.

Abstract

The author begins their day with a focused writing routine, prioritizing their book project over checking Medium stats or emails. They are working on a series of books for young job seekers, drawing from their extensive work experience. The author has completed the first and last books but is currently finishing the middle one, which was interrupted by a bout of COVID. They emphasize the importance of showing up on time, being consistent, polite, and interested, as well as the need to stand up against injustices in the workplace. The author shares a personal anecdote about their morning's work, having written a substantial portion of their book, and reflects on the evolution of workplace ethics. Inspired by a YouTube video from a prolific author, Sarah Noffke, the author reaffirms their passion for writing and the sense of community among writers, which has given them the courage to confidently identify as a writer.

Opinions

The author values the energy and creativity of early morning writing sessions.
They believe in the importance of personal experience and simple, consistent work ethics when advising others on job hunting.
The author acknowledges the improvements in workplace equality and ethics over the years but also recognizes that there is still progress to be made.
They advocate for the courage to speak out against workplace injustices.
The author finds inspiration and validation in the writing community, particularly from fellow writers on Medium and presentations by successful authors like Sarah Noffke.
They express a humorous and intimate connection with their guide, Seth, who supports their writing process regardless of their attire, symbolizing the freedom and comfort the author associates with their writing routine.

I Was on Fire

I love to write. I have a morning routine where I make coffee, set out our vitamins and medicines, feed the cats, and then I jump, with enthusiasm, into my desk chair in the study and write. What I did this morning, though, was slightly different. In the old days, checking my Medium Stats would have been up there, but this morning I didn’t do that. They are, actually, pretty dismal and have been for some time. Nor did I check my email. I decided that my first energy of the day is the best energy. I am on fire those first few hours before anybody gets up. Those are my writing hours.

I decided to write in my book. It was supposed to be one book aimed at young people who are looking for their first job. The only expertise I have on the subject is that I’ve worked since I was 20 years old. Being 68 now and having had about 18 jobs during the course of my career in the working world, I figure I do have a leg to stand on.

It’s pretty simple, anyway. Show up on time. Be consistent. Be polite. Look interested. Learn all you can and volunteer when you see a need. How to make that into a book? Easy. I actually made it into three books. That first book kept getting longer. So, the first book is done. The last book is done. It’s the middle book that is halfway done and needs to get finished. The last time I wrote in it was December 2022 when we got Covid. That is a miserable thing. Knocked me for a loop, and everything in my life stopped, including my writing.

Recently, I’ve been gearing back up again, though I hadn’t gotten back to writing on my book. Mostly, I was writing at Medium and at Substack with all sorts of plans to begin posting on social media (which I hate) but is a necessary evil I’ve been told when you want to beat your own drum.

But this morning, I was dreaming of talking to the kids again. Mrs. Encouragement, that’s me. They mean a lot to me, the people who will be reading these books. Even though I’ve never met one of them, I can see them in my mind’s eye, waiting with bated breath for how to be successful and find a job.

I lay in bed for an hour talking to them in my head. Not aloud. Dennis wears earplugs anyway, but I was just having this conversation with these imaginary young people.

What I thought was, “That’s not right!”

I was thinking about all the injustices you see along the way. And you will see a lot of them. In these very aware times, people have become sensitive to the needs of folks who are disadvantaged or who haven’t had the same advantages as others. As a young, naïve person in the work world, I saw a lot of bad stuff going on that is now illegal or really frowned upon. Businesses all over have policies in place against racial, gender, religious, and political bias.

The thing that has been my own experience with this is that it was a lot worse 48 years ago. It’s better now, but those behaviors have not completely died out. They will. Eventually. Things will be very different 200 years from now, and people from that time will look back at where we are now and say, “How could they stand it?”

Well, we did, we are, and we will. I wanted to write about it. How to have the courage to risk your job if you see something terrible going on. How to have the courage to stand up and say, “That’s Not Right!”

I sat down, my husband got up eventually and left for work, and I continued to write. I was oblivious to what was going on around me. I wrote 2,468 words in Chapter 11. Of course, the title of Chapter 11 is: That’s Not Right. Eventually, I got hungry and had breakfast at noon. That’s how long I was at it.

So, I guess I’m back on track again.

In the afternoon, I watched a YouTube video, a presentation by Sarah Noffke, who, in seven years, has written 87 books. She talked about what you need to write long series. She also said she didn’t “get it” until she had written her 40th book. You really need to watch this one. The first thing she brought up was being passionate about your writing. I have that now. I do. It’s a decision I made about 40 years ago that I was going to be a writer one day. It’s this feeling that is very elemental and as important as breathing this wanting to write. I no longer hope to be a writer. I know I am one.

I had a channeling funny that happened this afternoon as I was listening to Sarah on YouTube. I was thinking about how I don’t get dressed much anymore. I am content to sit around in my frowzy nightgown and robe, being retired and having all the time in the world to write. For me, it is an important feeling. Seth, my guide, said to me, “We don’t care if you write naked.” Maybe you had to be there, but it did make me laugh and cry all at the same time because I suppose I feel guilty sometimes that there are all you writers out there who also punch a clock and have to get dressed.

Anyway, Sarah said something to the audience about why she was giving her presentation. She said it was because the people in the audience were her tribe. That’s how I feel about all you writers out there at Medium. Without you, I would never have had the courage to say I am a writer.

Thanks.