I have decided, very firmly, that I want to be a writer, so now I think it makes sense to move to Italy for 6-9 months, around September.
Yes, it’s sometimes exhausting to be me.
I will explain and, in doing so, hopefully touch on themes ripe for us all. I acknowledge these themes may only apply to my crazy mind, but humor me and pretend like you think about them during commercial breaks watching Gossip Girl too.
I am currently a Sponsorship Account Manager at the Tribeca Film Festival. Corporations give our Festival money. I develop and execute programs to enhance the Festival with that money and also provide the corporation with exposure and a platform to market themselves at the Festival. It’s a good job that I’m very fortunate to have, and it has me on track for a “successful” career and secure life. Problem is, I don’t want that life.
I want to be a writer. I have since I was 7 (according to my Mom). Reason: there is nothing in the world I find more fulfilling. Maybe dancing at bars, but that is not a respectable career for a Boston College graduate.
Unfortunately – breaking into writing is very challenging. Establishing enough regular freelance assignments to support myself will take time. Plus they don’t come with guarantees, or health insurance. It’s a risky life choice, and I’m not the poster child for risk-taking (outside of bars and clothing stores). That said, if I don’t tuck in my balls and give this one a shot, (is that how it goes Kev?), I’ll never forgive myself. And that is even more risky.
Now I can stay at my current career path as a safety net and try to fit writing in while here until I’m secure enough in it to leave my job, or I can shake things up a little. Move, live life, work somewhere crazy, try to make a little money along the way all-the-while contacting editors, pitch stories, and writing. And if this plan B is my plan well then I may as well move to Italy because it is perfect there. What’s six months of derailing a career I didn’t want it in the first place? Maybe it’s the makings of a novel – or 8 part magazine series.
Retirement savings? Place to live? Work visa? Boyfriend? Plan to fall back on? Details, details. We’re talking life calling here – isn’t the rest just plot points along the way?*
*This question is not rhetorical
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Being the methodical thinker that I am, I am going to present your situation to you in a way that will make all my science teachers proud and will hopefully help you to arrive at a decision.
Jessie Rosen = writer
Jessie Rosen = fashionable
Fashionable = salary
Therefore, can we prove that writer = salary?
For writer to equal salary, writer must = talented and interesting.
Jessie Rosen definitely = talented
So all we have left is interesting.
Jessie Rosen living a plan B lifestyle = less than thrilling.
Less than thrilling certainly does not = interesting
Jessie Rosen moving to Italy, meeting a gorgeous Italian, riding on the back of his moped into the sunset, falling in love with him only to find out that three generations back, his family swore hatred on her family forcing the lovers to never see each other again, but faced with the possibility of losing the love of her life, Jessie uses her gift of rhetoric and keen insight to convince gorgeous Italian’s family to leave the past in the past so that the family will allow them to get married, but she then finds out that he’s Italian nobility and the ceremony will be conducted in the palace that TomKat wanted but were too “common” to obtain = interesting.
I rest my case.
PS if you’re concerned about whether or not BC would approve one of their grads taking such a risk, I have no doubt that the BC Fund will be more than happy with a tiara or two thrown their way