Escapades

Washington, DC - For 14 years Cheryl Elizabeth Taylor worked as a Federal Employment attorney. She had the six-figure income to prove it, along with a window office. There was just one small problem - her desk. Her desk, at home, was loaded with half-written manuscripts. ＂Every time I walked in there I could hear them bickering - write me, no... no... write me!＂ She laughs. Last winter, she finally listened to her heart and her manuscripts. Writing was not new to Cheryl. She has been writing since she was 15 years old, and particularly enjoyed writing on bananas - ＂The tip of a pen rides like a BMW on banana skin.＂ She laughs. ＂I was born in a small town named Media, PA. My father was a letter carrier. Just a few hints that I was born to write.＂ She says. Still it took almost 35 years before Cheryl mustered the courage to publish her work. ＂It took a long while for me to give my inner critic the boot, and bare my soul. Writing requires extreme transparency, vulnerability and authenticity. That took awhile for me to grow into.＂ What advice would Cheryl give to those of us salivating at the thought of writing full-time? ＂Plan, prepare and plan some more. Write. Write. Write. Then there’s the business of writing. Today you have to be an entrepreneur, and a writer, to thrive in this business. Take classes on social media marketing, and on-line publishing. Writing full-time calls for constant creativity on every level, lots of prayer and a part-time source of income. The hours are long, and the pay... well, its slow in the beginning, and not a whole lot, initially anyway. You have to be prepared to suck it up, live on less, and write like your pen is on fire.＂