2 minute read
Being a Captain is Hard Work
CAPTAIN NO BEARD’S REFRAIN that being a captain is hard work is woven into each one of the ten books I have written in the series. I didn’t plan for him to say it, but the world weariness is something both the captain and I have shared many times in our lives, in many different situations.
I became a mother at twenty-two. I was the first of our crowd to embark on this portion of our lives and remember vividly the shock at the unremitting volume of work, the mind-numbing exhaustion, the tense worry that I was somehow now in charge of someone who knew less than I did. The days ran together into a kaleidoscope of unending moments. I felt stuck on an out-of-control merry-go-round, that twirled with a steady abandon. If I thought being a teenager was hard work, I had no idea of the allencompassing soul-sucking responsibility and job that parenthood commanded.
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The workload changed. Less laundry, more drama. Nobody likes me, your child complains, your child is not working to his full potential, the teacher complains, you don’t make time for us, your spouse complains, we never see each other, your parents complain, you’re no fun anymore, your friends compl…oops. The friends evaporated with the work load.
So, now that the kids can wipe their own…noses, you’ve moved back to the work force, just to prove that like Superwoman, you can do it all too. Whether it’s a head cold, a deadline, a business obligation, or science fair, you break your back showing everybody you can do it all, with a smile, and only your therapist and your mother know that being a mom/ businessperson is hard work.
You’ve arrived. Almost at the finish line and you’ve decided to squeeze another career into your resume of caretaker, councilor, chauffeur, teacher, cook, chief bottlewasher, and what ever you went to college or trade school for. You decide to live your dream and become a writer. You write your first book. Didn’t you know it has to be illustrated, formatted, edited, then edited some more? What about marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, oh we left something out. I don’t know what, but I know I did. Pin it, did you remember to PIN IT!! Where, I’m not sure, but you better PIN IT somewhere! You published, but the facts are wrong. Take it back and get it right. You may have offended the people on the left, or maybe it was the folks on the right. Does it matter?
Being a writer is hard work. It really is, but like all the professions and jobs I’ve taken on in my lifetime, this I know for sure. It was all was worth it!
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Roman is best known for her Captain No Beard series, but she has many compelling series that will captivate the hearts and minds of young readers.
