The ultimate course in ego management

I have VERY exciting news, friends! And it has nothing to do with a new book (or a new baby, as much as I adore other people’s babies!)

This past August I went back to school for a master’s in social work. Now that I’ve made it through the first of four semesters, I can officially say this has been one of the very best decisions I’ve ever made. You saw the seeds in Life Without Envy, in which I talked about moving from seeking recognition towards making a contribution. I got so thoroughly sick of listening to myself rant and rail about systemic racism and transphobia and environmental injustice and why are so many people drinking the right-wing Haterade?! that I needed to do something drastic. Something wonderful. Something really, really challenging that I never thought I’d be capable of back when I interviewed my uncle for a fourth-grade assignment.

Helping Uncle Dan enjoy some weekend chill time, summer 1983.

Uncle Dan worked at the Department of Youth and Family Services for over thirty years. He’s seen some really awful stuff, y’all. Back then “self care” wasn’t widely recognized as an essential part of social-work practice—how I wish I could go back in time and introduce him to Audre Lorde!—and that hard and necessary work took a huge toll on his health. When Seanan chose to retrain in social work eight or so years ago, Uncle Dan passed along the advice he wished someone had given him way back when: to check in with himself and take a break when he needed it.

After thinking about all this for years—and yes, inspired by my writer-friends who’ve already chosen social work—I changed my mind about what I might be capable of.

I wanted to make myself useful.

But not my notion of “useful,” no. This is the beauty of social work. In direct practice, you are supporting an individual’s right to self determination.* And in macro social work, you are doing your modest part in remaking these dysfunctional systems we (seemingly) have little choice but to participate in as-is.

What about my writing career? Ha!, well, I could go on about the dysfunctionality of the traditional publishing industry. You want to know why you haven’t seen a new novel in awhile? It’s partly because no one wants to buy what I’m writing. (My last middle-grade manuscript really was the best thing I’d written so far. It’s been on sub for well over a year now.)

Admittedly I’d be having an easier time of it if I’d just crank out another dark YA novel like Bones & All. I have a good idea, but there are other stories I’ve wanted to tell first. And even if I were getting book deals, I’d still be retraining in social work. We need competent mental-health professionals and social-welfare advocates far more than anybody “needs” another novel out of me.

…Okay, I lied. I do have a book update. And now that I’m on winter break, I’ll finally have time to blog about it.**

The view from the graduate study room.

P.S. The International Rescue Committee is the humanitarian aid organization to which I contribute on a monthly basis. Here’s a link so you can click through and donate if you feel so inclined.

*provided they are not at risk of harming themselves or others.

**Soon! Like, next week!! (It’s the happy sequel to the “writer’s block” posts of late 2023 and early 2024.)