Thread by @justicearman

My uncle asked me last week how I jumped from healthcare to tabletop RPGs. This is a question I get fairly often as most of my education is related to health science—can I get a Medicine check?

As boring as it may be, my answer basically boils down to "I worked really hard." 🧵

I don't have a writing degree. I wish I did, but creative pursuits were always treated as hobbies rather than legitimate careers (which isn't surprising if you knew my mom and dad's stories).

I knew I had (and still have) a lot of room to learn and grow, so I just spent every ounce of free time I had trying to level up my TTRPG skills.

At work, I would sit with this little book nearby so that if a flash of inspiration came, I'd write it down and continue working.

I'd scarf down my lunch and spend the rest of the time writing, or pop open a Google Doc if things ever got especially slow.

I used PTO days to catch up on freelance projects. I'd take a day and just go to a coffee shop to write, knowing that work was piling up at the office.

There were a few times I got close to burning out—my friends will tell you that I did—or really stressed out, but I also feel like those were the times that I grew most as a writer. I'm sure more are around the bend, but I don't miss them in the meantime. 😅

I have more than a few dusty video games and unread books, purchased by a more optimistic (or maybe foolish) past Justice. I have a binge-y personality, so I try to avoid new video games or tv shows with a lot of episodes (with a few exceptions here and there).

I think that life is sort of like point buy, except the character you're creating is future you.

You only have so many points to allocate, and I just dumped a bunch of stats for a while—is sleep a stat?—in favor of maxing out TTRPG practice.

So yeah, no secret sauce here. Just a lot of long nights. I'm sure there's more ahead.

I'm proud though. 😊

Happy labor day!

Also, an addendum to add:

1) There is *always* a degree of luck and privilege involved in stories like this, including mine.

2) This thread doesn't account for the friends, community, and mentors I had along the way. Nothing in TTRPGs happens alone.