1 Day, 0 Deadlines

Yesterday ended up being one of those “I vow I won’t work late but end up doing so anyway” days. Which is fine, though, because I’m DONE!

I came across a market and editor that would be absolutely brilliant and perfect for me the other day. They want someone with my experience and my location to contribute regularly, so I just sat there for what seemed like an eternity, playing the should-I-shouldn’t-I game. I could have written to him introducing myself and saying that I’d be out of commission for the next couple of months and have work lined up for when I got back, but then I realized that it doesn’t really make much sense to go, hey, I’d love to write for you but not for another two months. So I’m counting on the fact that he’ll still need a writer when I return and I can always write to him then. It’s not as much a lost opportunity as it is a delayed one. Or so I hope.

This has made me wonder, however, if I’m going to get antsy about writing to editors and drumming up work. Every so often I find an opportunity that’s perfect for me and I’ve ended up getting quite a bit of work that way almost immediately. It seems a bit odd to me now to be sitting on my hands not marketing when there are things staring me right in the face. I’ve just ended up with two new clients in the last month who want me to do regular work for them once I’m back, so I’m quite confident that at least I’ll be able to get right into it on my return.

I’ve been hearing from lots of women– friends, fellow writers, and other pregnant ladies who’ve had kids before– about how they went about handling their maternity leave. It’s really helpful to know how so many women have done it in so many different ways that were suited to their lifestyles and personalities. From the woman who was actually bored after the first month and hence chose to return to work to the women who’ve taken a year or more off work, it’s been good to know that there are a lot of choices.

I’m a bit surprised, though, because I find that way too many women like to tell me what I can’t or won’t be able to do, rather than what I can, which I find quite disconcerting. It’s almost as if having a baby is a career death sentence in their eyes, which I totally don’t buy. I remind myself that thousands of women, including my own mother, returned to work and had babies who survived just fine without their constant presence. Which is why I’m always thrilled to hear stories of those who’ve made it work, like the novelist who finished her novel during her maternity leave (yes, it’s possible!) or a very close journalist friend of mine who would strap her son on her back and take him on every assignment with her, even to the villages and hospitals.

Realistically, I don’t see myself taking more than three months off not only because no matter how much I love the kid, I don’t see any reason to sacrifice my entire life in the process, but also because we do need my income and can’t possibly go a year without it. So my editors know the exact date of my return. I simply think of myself as a working mum who has to return to work after a three-month maternity leave. Could be earlier, but definitely not later.

I’m not sure yet what the blog will look like in the interim. But I’m happy to figure it out as I go along.