My Life and Editorial Business From The Road
Back in May 2018, my wife and I took a huge leap. We sold everything—house, cars, furniture—bought a motorhome, and took our editorial and ghostwriting business on road.
Being a ghostwriter and running an editorial and publishing consulting business allows us to live a nomadic lifestyle. As long as we have internet and cell service, we’re in and open for business. It has been an adventure because there is no guarantee we’ll have either one. There’s been times when we’ve had to hike a mile or two into a small town to use the wi-fi at a library or mom and pop coffee shop, but we are getting some fresh air and exercise and it beats the daily 9-5 grind.
This was a huge change. I went from having a large home office with an L-shaped desk, four-drawer file cabinet, closet storage, and white boards (four of them) to a small flip tray and an 18x24 inch collapsible table. Much to my surprise, I don’t miss the space as much as I thought I would. I use a small storage bin for my office supplies. The four white boards have been replaced with good old-fashioned pen and paper, and any documents I need are now digitally saved on my computer, Carbonite, and an external hard-drive.
It hasn’t always been easy. After a seven-hour drive from Syracuse, New York we arrived in Carroll, New Hampshire only to discover we had zero phone service. We started to panic as several blogs were due to a client in a few hours. So we hit the road again; “keep driving,” Kathleen said, until we finally heard the “ding” from our phones telling us our files had been sent. We gave a huge sigh of relief and broke out in laughter.
Whether we’re boondocking in the Twin Mountains or settled in a campground in Florida for the winter, our first priority is connecting to wi-fi and helping writers polish their words. Thankfully in this high-tech world, that usually is not a problem.
Our view at Carroll, Twin Mountain, New Hampshire
Being on the road allows us to visit numerous writing groups. Sometimes we go as writers giving and receiving advice, other times as guest speakers sharing advice on writing and getting published.
Besides getting to meet so many authors, we also get to spend quality time with family. Instead of a jam-packed week-long visit, we stay for a month right in their driveway, in our own space. We still work, but after-hours is for family. It’s a great way to unwind.
Of course this lifestyle is not for everybody. Tight living quarters can cause stress, so there is a lot of give and take. If one of us is on the phone, the other needs to be quiet, there is no “other room” to go into. You’re also forced to be organized. No more leaving dishes in the sink or clothes on the bed, simply having a few items not in their proper place can have your RV looking like a college frat party took place. Another thing to consider is your snail-mail. Delivery can be weeks apart. Thank goodness for email and Amazon Prime.
RVs are known to always be in need of some kind of repair. In the first few months we had to replace our house water pump and had to get a new 30amp receptacle and plug installed, so it helps if you’re handy with a screwdriver. It also helps if you have a good sense of humor. Being newbies in the RV world has been a learning curve. Like the time we didn’t realize the pilot light was out for the water heater and took some ice-cold showers.
For us, though, it works. We get to spend a lot of time together working, writing, and reading, and we wouldn’t trade the freedom and flexibility for the world. And that’s the point, we have the world at our feet, or at least the continental United States and Canada. Our business is growing, and our office view is now remote locations and small towns instead of four walls covered with white boards.
Writing a book? Feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you and learn more about what you’re writing. If we happen to be in your neighborhood we can even meet up for a cup of coffee.
Keep writing! Thanks for reading our blog! If you have any questions about writing, editing, or getting published, either comment below or send an email. Please “like” us on Facebook. If you enjoyed this blog post and got some value from it, please share it—it’s the best way to thank us! Keep Writing!