somniloquence

I mean, I can't imagine going back to work at a regular job. I love that I can set my own schedule. But...it's feast or famine, and lately more famine after a few years of too much feast, as publishers are going away. And some of my clients just don't send me work anymore, for whatever reason, and that means I have to search for more new clients, which I hate beyond reason. I make, most jobs, less than minimum wage will be in Seattle soon because my field is not valued and considered worthless for the most part. My health insurance went up over 100 dollars per month but my income is decreasing each year. So I don't know. I think there are some fields where freelance is doable, and some parts of the country. But it's really hard here. There's no retirement, basically. You're completely at others' mercy. If I hadn't inherited some money from Dad, i'd be in big, big trouble because I probably couldn't keep my house, but I'm burning through that like crazy. I can't take care of some medical needs because I simply can't afford it and insurance doesn't pay for it.

But I can get up when I want, work on my own body clock. I can work in my robe. I'm home with my kitty. I don't have to drive in rush hour. I don't have a shitty manager or harrassment or have to listen to a co-worker post-nasal drip snorting or eating something gross next to me. And while I have a lot of trouble finding new clients because of my nature, I at least only have myself to blame. This is a field with a lot of passive aggressive people who will treat you terribly, but at the same time, at least you don't have to, like, sit with them or something or go to endless staff meetings.

So it's a mixed bag. A really mixed bag. Most people I know, they wouldn't trade it, but it's a tricky life and you are never financially stable unless you're in a very techy, money oriented field that people desire.

The books I read last year were The Martian and Song of Achilles. I loved the latter. Absolutely loved. Gorgeous writing. I wish I could work on fiction like that--the fiction I read is mostly terrible.