ARCHIVE FOR Liz Breen

You’re a writer on the side.

You write at night; you write when the kids are asleep, when the dog’s had his walk, when the house and all its residents are safely tucked in.

You write in the mornings before the kids are awake, after your coffee, while the sun hoists itself over the horizon and creates condensation against the cold kitchen window.

You do this because you have a job, a J-O-B with a 401K, and you’ve come to believe that able-bodied, able-minded people contribute their 40 hours, and that’s all there is to it

So you’re a writer, but you’ve never been published. That’s fine. Let me just ask you one thing: Where is your graveyard? Where are you putting all your beautiful, polished pieces? In a drawer? Under your mattress? At the bottom of your pet cockatoo’s birdcage? For me, it was the computer hard drive. I was storing all my best short stories in a folder called “HOORAY! DONE!” I wish I were kidding.