How To PCS With A Work Deadline
One of the struggles for every military spouse is: Where am I going to work once we PCS? Is having a career even worth it? What job can I find at my next duty station? How can I move my career with me? Will I have to be a stay at home mother/father?
In answer to some of these questions, many military spouses have found a job they can take with them wherever they go. The downside is that the pesky PCS always seems to interrupt deadlines or other work issues, and it’s no different for me. While writing is often a self paced profession, there are times when requests from my agent or publisher happen at the same time the movers are putting those little stickers on my furniture (you know, the ones you find a year later on a bed leg or underneath your kitchen table).
I have had to PCS or even at one point evacuate from a natural disaster…because you know, we tend to live in area’s where disasters happen the most. I have traveled on orders during deadlines, book releases, while signing contracts to work with my lovely agent, and even while selling my Montana Mountain Romance series to my amazing editor at Kensington. So how do I juggle it all?
In my family we have gotten away with having only one vehicle, so if I have to PCS during a deadline I am able to work on the road thanks to Verizon MiFi and even cell phone hot spots. Writing and editing while my husband drives has become the norm during long drives, and it doesn’t interfere with our family time later that night. However, most families have two vehicles. So how do you overcome this obstacle? One way is to tow your second vehicle. This free’s you up to work as your spouse drives and the kids play the alphabet game in the backseat. Throw on some headphones with your favorite work music to help you focus. Of course, if you’re already towing something different, you could always consider the option of shipping your second vehicle to your next duty station.
Another trick I have learned over the years is to take my home printer with me. This works well since we have an RV, but I would pack it in a rubber made tub if we didn’t. Taking my printer with me has helped me print off (scan and send) book contracts on the go, print off my book to edit in the car, and even sign and turn in rental agreements for the house we are trying to rent.
I take every opportunity I get to work while traveling, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our family fun time. I’ve written a book in a car while PCSing and one on a ferry from Alaska to Seattle. I’ve edited my newest release, WILD PASSION, while traveling to pick up my children after they evacuated to my parents house during a hurricane, and even planned a book tour to coincide with a cross country PCS.
As long as you plan ahead, budget your time, and take the appropriate tools with you; working during PCS doesn’t have to be a daunting task. After a while you and your family will get the rhythm down, and it will be even easier than passing your government housing move out inspection the first time.
Want to get your hands on Dawn Luedecke’s latest Montana Mountain Romance, Wild Passion?
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A country girl born and bred, Dawn Luedecke has spent most of her life surrounded by horses, country folk, and the wild terrain of Nevada, Idaho and Montana. She enjoys writing historical and contemporary romance and spends as much time as she can working on her current manuscript. For more information visit dawnluedeckebooks.com.
