Midlife Crisis at 30?
From July 2006
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In January 2005, Brennan took a leap of faith and quit her 13-year career to commit herself fully to her family and writing. She managed to finish five books in less than two years.
“When I completed my fifth book, I sensed ‘this was it,’ and queried a handful of top agents. I landed my dream agent, who went on to sell my first romantic suspense novel, ‘The Prey,’ a week after sending it out,” Brennan says. Today, she has written a trilogy of romantic suspense novels and is at work on a fourth book slated for publication in 2007.
Brennan credits professional writing organizations such as the Romance Writers of America with giving her the courage to take the plunge. “If you want to be a writer or pursue a different career, research your options and find the steps you need to take to make a change,” Brennan says. “I spoke to a lot of authors and researched the craft of writing and the publishing process.”
Brennan also learned not to take rejection personally, acknowledging a manuscript sent out before her first work was published was rejected by 45 agents.
Making a Plan
Kathy Sanborn, a Sacramento-based career coach and author of “The Seasons of Your Life: How to Master the Cycles of Career Change” (McGraw-Hill, 2003) sees many clients who would prefer to be working in completely different careers. “The common theme is they are bored in their jobs,” Sanborn says. “Many of them want a job that offers them more creativity or balance in their lives.”
The premise of Sanborn’s book is simple: Careers and jobs go through seasonal changes. Spring is time for rejuvenation, energy and initiative. Summer is often the peak of one’s professional achievements. Autumn is inertial and tired. Winter is both unsettling (as in being fired) and exciting (as in embarking on a new career).
“I have many clients who no longer enjoy going to their jobs each day,” Sanborn says. “We work together to determine what kind of career would make them happy and how they can use the skills they have now in a new career.”
Career changes take time, Sanborn adds, and she advises the best way to approach a drastic change is through small steps. “Research the field, talk to people who are currently working in the field and begin putting money aside for a rainy day,” she says. “And most of all, don’t let others dictate what you should be doing. Follow your dreams and listen to your heart.”
“When I completed my fifth book, I sensed ‘this was it,’ and queried a handful of top agents. I landed my dream agent, who went on to sell my first romantic suspense novel, ‘The Prey,’ a week after sending it out,” Brennan says. Today, she has written a trilogy of romantic suspense novels and is at work on a fourth book slated for publication in 2007.
Brennan credits professional writing organizations such as the Romance Writers of America with giving her the courage to take the plunge. “If you want to be a writer or pursue a different career, research your options and find the steps you need to take to make a change,” Brennan says. “I spoke to a lot of authors and researched the craft of writing and the publishing process.”
Brennan also learned not to take rejection personally, acknowledging a manuscript sent out before her first work was published was rejected by 45 agents.
Making a Plan
Kathy Sanborn, a Sacramento-based career coach and author of “The Seasons of Your Life: How to Master the Cycles of Career Change” (McGraw-Hill, 2003) sees many clients who would prefer to be working in completely different careers. “The common theme is they are bored in their jobs,” Sanborn says. “Many of them want a job that offers them more creativity or balance in their lives.”
The premise of Sanborn’s book is simple: Careers and jobs go through seasonal changes. Spring is time for rejuvenation, energy and initiative. Summer is often the peak of one’s professional achievements. Autumn is inertial and tired. Winter is both unsettling (as in being fired) and exciting (as in embarking on a new career).
“I have many clients who no longer enjoy going to their jobs each day,” Sanborn says. “We work together to determine what kind of career would make them happy and how they can use the skills they have now in a new career.”
Career changes take time, Sanborn adds, and she advises the best way to approach a drastic change is through small steps. “Research the field, talk to people who are currently working in the field and begin putting money aside for a rainy day,” she says. “And most of all, don’t let others dictate what you should be doing. Follow your dreams and listen to your heart.”
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