sawyl | From writer to teacher

From the Indy via John Scalzi, the news that Steph Swainston has decided to give up being a full time writer and to retrain as a chemistry teacher:

She says: "I have to get back to real life again. It wasn't an easy decision, because it took a lot to get to the stage of being a published author. But during my teacher training so far, I've dealt with so much — flooded schools, fire alarms going off, children being sick ..." And, after living in her own fantasy worlds for so long, it's this seeming mundanity that Swainston craves. That and "doing something meaningful with my life". But won't she miss the writing? "Chemistry feeds that sense of wonder that made me want to be a writer in the first place," she says. "Besides, I've never said I won't write again, just that if I do write another book, I'll do it on my terms."

Kudos.