Five Years a Writer

At age 13, I wrote my first story. In high school, I fantasized about becoming an interpreter at the United Nations. In university, I earned degrees in translation, journalism, and applied communication. In my early and mid-career professional life, I translated my education into corporate writing gigs. In my late-stage career, I became a college writing instructor. I have loved it all, and what has there been not to love? My chosen line of work has always included a creative element; my skills have evolved and improved over the decades; I have had some writing published, some of it even for money; and I’ve been successful as an educator. Today, with all my combined skills and experience, I am becoming comfortable describing myself as a writer, and I am ready to look ahead to the next chapter of my life. As I head towards my 60 th birthday, I want to ensure that my transition into ‘retirement’ – whether two years or five years away – is deliberate and satisfying. This is...

The best way to arrive at a specific and desirable future point is to define it and then to build the road to get there. My specific and desirable future point is that time when my life does not include a daily job. Some might call this retirement. The road I am building to get there is informed by a plan that I am developing, which has writing and writing projects at its centre. To support my planning, I have established an online presence through this blog, Five Years a Writer , and I am working with my friend Deborah to prepare and deliver two writing-centred projects: (1) for anyone interested in learning about writing as a tool in self-discovery and (2) for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of, and skill with, the process of writing . If you’re curious about my plans, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates on my progress and for invitations to events along the way. Amanda #amwriting #amplanning #amgrowing