Allowing myself some grace

For as long as i can remember, i’ve always wanted to be a writer. I became a journalist instead — it wasn’t that much less glamorous, the pay was decent, and i still managed to write a few dozen books on the side. Trouble is, tying your whole identity to your job is a fantastically bad idea. I ended up despising the job, and worse, writing itself. Since quitting last year, i’ve become a product design manager at a training firm, a position that’s stimulating enough, but definitely isn’t my only reason to get up in the morning. Finding my way back to writing has been tougher. I’ve been publishing these dispatches each and every week to prevent atrophy, but after a year, it still doesn’t come easy. For the first few months, i could barely write two paragraphs without running out of steam. I had to tack on links, book reviews and assorted bits and bobs to make do. Since June, i’ve been able to write longer pieces. It’s still a bit of a slog, but it’s been getting better and better each…