Sokrates leaps; prays for net

Sokrates was told that if he leapt, the net would appear. He's now lying on a stretcher, being told that the net was down for repairs.

That's the status I posted to Facebook last night—my own take on the saying, "Leap and the net will appear." If you couldn't tell, I can be pretty averse to change.

But I've come to realize that I need to change, at least in the way I make money. Having been a copy editor and proofreader for over 10 years, I feel I've reached my burnout point. I'm simply not interested in that kind of work anymore—and my rediscovery of writing hasn't helped. These days I'm interested in being the writer, not the guy who cleans up his mistakes.

So what am I gonna do? I don't know yet. As usual, this blog is where I come to think out loud. However, someone I know has me in mind to be a runner/PA (basically, a gofer) at the production company where he works. At this point, I'd rather run errands in LA traffic than listen to it as I try to edit marketing materials.

For a while, I was reluctant to share these thoughts on my blog. After all, a potential employer could come here and read about my lack of enthusiasm. But during the interview I had recently, it became obvious that my copy-editing days may be mercifully coming to an end.

So now I'll just say it: I'm sick of being a copy editor (and its lesser sibling, the proofreader). I want to write—and I haven't given up on acting yet. But until my creative pursuits pay the bills, I'll need to find other sources of income.

I fear that this entry will inspire all sorts of well-meant yet grating advice. During soul-searching times like this one, I hate getting advice that I haven't asked for. Then again, my aforementioned contact did think of me for PA work when I mentioned on Facebook that I'm looking for employment. So we'll see what happens when I publish this blog post.

People have been telling me to try stand-up again. (I haven't.) They've also been telling me to turn my status updates into a book. (Going back and collecting them all? Ugh.) And some have said I should put on a one-man show. (How quaint! Maybe someday.) All these suggestions! Don't people know I'm averse to change?

But I do get around to it every now and then. Telling the world that I don't want to edit copy anymore is, I hope, the first step toward finding something better.