I love being a writer. Well, let me amend that. I love most parts about being a writer. I don’t love the rejections (and make no mistake, even published authors get them), I don’t love the glacial pace at which the sale/publication process works, and I especially don’t love the business aspects of the job–the contract negotiations, the ‘branding’ considerations, and the promotional stuff (well, okay, I might like that part better if I had more TIME!).

I do love the creativity of the job and the flexibility it gives me. I also freelance edit, and I can drop my editing or writing at any time if one of my kids wants to talk, or if I have to take somebody to the doctor. And I love that I can make myself a cup of my fave coffee anytime. And that I can work in my sweat pants. And that I don’t have to make tons of small talk or deal with office politics (both of which I had to do regularly when I worked as an in-house editor at a large publishing company–I wasn’t very good at either).

Which isn’t to say I don’t occasionally miss having co-workers around. When you’re feeling blue, the isolation only deepens the shade. And when you’ve just started a new project and have no idea if you’re on the right track (that’s, um, me right now), it can be a real drag only having yourself to answer to. Sure, I have an agent–an agent who used to be an editor, no less, and is supremely qualified to give me insightful feedback. But unfortunately, she currently has three other projects of mine in various stages sitting on her desk–or rather, in her computer’s hard drive–and I can’t, in all good conscience, saddle her with another one. I also belong to a great writer’s group, but one of our members just had a baby, another’s taking a break from writing, and the third is killing herself writing a couple of books I just happen to be freelance editing for her publisher. (Sorry about those crazy deadlines, M!)

So for now, I’m on my own…again. Definitely both a blessing and a curse. What think you, peeps?