I left my job today. About two weeks ago I learned that I had the option to go full-time or to take a layoff. I'd known this was brewing for months, so it was no surprise.

In fact, for most of that time I'd been planning on going full-time. You know. The safe road. Security. But when I received the letter I saw it for what it was: a gift. A chance to go out on my own and become the writer I set out to be when I quit my old, safe, secure engineering job. My heart knew what to do.

Of course my...