Why I'm Excited to Pay Taxes

I recently received a 1099 from my literary agency. I practically skipped back to the house! For years tax time has been something I dread, and not for the usual reasons.


My husband and I pay to have our taxes done. We sit down and get all our paperwork laid out. Find the receipts. We answer the questions. And I get sad because I don't contribute financially to our household. Yes, I contribute in countless other ways, but on tax day, I feel like a failure.

Three years ago I asked the professional about deducting my writing expenses. She didn't recommend it. With no income from my writing, it would increase our chances of being audited. I was okay with that.

Two years ago, I didn't even ask. I still earned nothing, and I sat there with a sadness in my heart that I'd been working so hard for years with no money to show for it.

Last year, I earned a small amount for a short story. Finally, I could deduct my business expenses!

Yeah...well...

The man helping us raised his eyebrows at my tiny check. He barely looked at my tidy list of expenses, shook his head and said, "Writing is your hobby, right? I mean, you have a full time job."

I clenched my jaw, my chest burning. "No, writing is my job. I write full time."

And I could see it--the pity or wow-you-must-not-be-very-good flash in his eyes before he dismissed me. "If you don't make more income than your expenses, the IRS will consider it a hobby."

I cried all the way home.

I wasn't crying because he was rude (well, partly so), but because I'd poured years and years of work into something that held no value to anyone but me. In fact, it cost our family for me to spend all that time trying to get published.

Not everyone incurs the same costs, but every writer pays something.

Here is what I paid:

- Time. I could have gotten a full-time job and earned a second income, which would have helped our family tremendously.

- Money. I've paid thousands of dollars in equipment, membership dues, office supplies, conference costs, postage, website hosting and other expenses.

- Hobbies. I gave up most of my free time to pursue this dream. I have busy kids, I manage our household, and I write full time. For me to have time-consuming hobbies, I would have to write less, make my kids give up extracurricular activities they enjoy, or let our house slide.

So this year, ripping open that tax form was validating beyond words. I don't have to sit through another tax session feeling inferior. I don't have to hear the word "hobby" again. Because finally, finally I get to pay taxes for doing what I love!


What have you given up for a dream? 

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What Are You Waiting For?

Five romance novels, seven extra pounds, a stack of magazines, dirty kitchen cabinets, a messy office, winter shoes, a manuscript to polish, my daughter's drive time to qualify for her license--last week I stared down many things I planned to "get to" at some point last month. Yeah, my life has been crazy lately (what's new?) with extra responsibilities and not enough time or energy for the regular routine, let alone the additional tasks. But did that mean I should completely give up? Pretend the to-do's on my list didn't exist?

Of course not!

I'd read a book on organizing my life earlier in the year, and some of the advice roared back. Life wasn't going to accommodate me with big chunks of time. I was going to have to chip away at the issues.

The first thing I did was ask myself what was bothering most on the list? Easy! Two things jumped out at me.

1. My weight
2. My manuscript

Next up?

3. Drive time for my daughter
4. Romance novels (I'd agreed to read each of them)
5. Everything else

I work on my manuscript every weekday, but I mapped out a clear end date with target goals for the remaining steps I needed to take to finish it. As for my weight, I want to be toned, so I committed to twenty minutes of exercise six days a week.

Then I smooshed the other things into the days I don't have to drive my son to baseball or my daughter to track. A few of them I haven't gotten to yet (winter shoes and dirty kitchen cabinets might wait a long time), but I feel so much better now that I'm making progress, I'm okay with having a few danglers!

Sometimes I get behind because life overwhelms me, but when I make a plan and tackle things a little here a little there, they get done. We don't have to wait for a huge block of free time. Let's face it, that big old hunk of time might not happen for months! The slowly-but-surely method works great. Try it!

What are you waiting for?

Have a terrific weekend!!

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What Would You Do With...?

What would you do with an extra hour today?

Would you curl up with a tantalizing book?
Watch the television show you always miss because you're trying to put your kids to bed?
Lace up your running shoes and fit a long-neglected workout into your day?
Jump in bed for an extra hour of sleep?
Call a friend?
Read the Bible and pray?
Take a long, hot bubble bath?
Plan a romantic hour with your loved one?
Squeeze in a couple errands?
Play catch with your dog?
Listen to a favorite CD?
Daydream about a vacation?
Catch up on Twitter or Facebook?
Write another scene?
Sketch a picture?
Knit a few rows?

Just curious. If I had an extra hour today, I would throw in a John Coltrane CD and finish the Susan May Warren book I've been reading for over a week.

But you know, if I chop five minutes off my usual tasks, I might be able to find that elusive extra hour. Hmm...

Susan May Warren here I come!

What would YOU do with an extra hour?

Happy Monday!

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The Learning Spirit in Childhood

As a child, I often felt my sole reason for living was to learn. Each year I learned new subjects in school, and my teachers didn't expect me to know beyond my grade level. When I joined a sport, my coach did not expect me to be an expert. Even at home, my parents taught me new skills, not expecting me to know how to do something I'd never done before.

As an adult, I often feel I'm expected to have it all figured out. After all, years of experience has taught me many skills. But what about the chances we take as adults? Do we expect our learning curve to be tiny, even non-existent?

Personally, I'm learning every day. I'm learning how to communicate with my growing children. I'm learning how to write not just a novel, but a good novel. I'm learning new recipes, new exercises, and new ways to deal with old issues. Sometimes I get frustrated when I try something new and it doesn't come easily. Those are the days I remind myself to foster that learning spirit I had throughout childhood. It's okay if we don't catch on to something in five seconds. Becoming proficient at anything takes time.


Do you get frustrated when it takes you a long time to learn something new?

Join me on Friday to set one goal!

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Childhood's Wide Open Spaces

My childhood ran at a slow pace. I had plenty of room to run, but even if I had grown up in an apartment in the city, I know I would have had the same feeling of wide open spaces. It's because of the gift of time.

Often, I thought I was bored. Those moments forced me to nurture my creativity. I remember building my own Japanese dollhouse out of stuff around the house after I read a book about a Japanese family. Even the tiny details fascinated me--the tea, the beds, the screens.

We had a long, gravel driveway and an enormous tree out front. The simple act of getting the mail became a welcome diversion by waltzing up the driveway and checking out the wild daisies and milkweed that grew along it. Crimson ladybugs lived in the tree one month each summer, and my sister and I would play with them. When you're a kid, you notice this stuff. I couldn't tell you if any of my current trees have an annual ladybug gathering, and getting the mail is a ten step jaunt now.

I don't miss being a child. Grown-ups get to make their own decisions. However, I do miss that sense of infinite time. I miss dawdling up a gravel driveway with nothing better to do than check out weeds. The wide open spaces I miss are the mental ones.

Did you have wide open spaces as a child? Were they more mental than physical? Do you enjoy wide open spaces now?

Join me on Friday to set one goal!

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