I am unemployed. Holy shit.
Yes, that’s right. After a three-month break from The Dallas Morning News, I’ve decided to leave the newspaper. I want to make it clear that I’m leaving on good terms, and I’ll explain my reasoning in a future post.
I strongly feel that the reporting staff at the DMN is the best in Texas. I believe in my former colleagues and their ability to carry out the mission of holding city and state leaders accountable and listening to the communities around us.
As for me, it’s time to move on, so here I am now writing this and hoping that I’m reaching more than just 10 people. But if it is just 10 of y’all, shout out to my fans.
I’m also praying to the universe that I’m not overestimating my appeal to the readers who have followed my work.
Now…
For those who don’t know, I took a break from my job back in August with the intended goal of returning to the newspaper at the start of November. I was having mixed feelings about how the job was treating me and I was emotionally and mentally fatigued.
Reporting during the first turbulent days of the Black Lives Matter protests in Dallas this year also took a heavy mental toll on me. I was repeatedly tear gassed by the Dallas Police Department and frequently found myself running with the crowds as officers fired flash bang grenades and less than lethal projectiles.
The added stress of living during a pandemic and the weight of the past five years (Oh, I will definitely be addressing Donald Trump soon) really forced my hand. So I asked for a break from work and my former editors were courteous enough to approve it.
But in that time away, I learned a lot about myself and about what I want to be doing and why I want to be doing it. There’s not really a point to dancing around the subject, so here goes: I want to write in my own voice and I want to write a novel.
I want to write a story that explores what it’s like to be a brown immigrant in this country because that is who I am. I am a Mexican immigrant with brown skin who has faced certain struggles in both my life and career because of the color of my skin and biases held against me.
I want this story to explore my community’s strength and our drive to succeed. But I will also delve into our faults. The story I envision will go beyond the surface-level storytelling we often see written about our people. My hope is that whatever comes of my writing will advance and improve our representation across mediums.
To support my family, I plan on doing some freelance writing, but I am also launching a Patreon site where I hope I can find some additional financial support.
Asking for support while I selfishly pursue my dream might seem ridiculous. But I’m at a point in my life where if I don’t try to achieve what I’ve always wanted to do, it’s just never going to happen.
My career to this point is what it is because I’ve been fortunate to have the trust and support of the community around me. So…
I am once again asking for your support. I will be launching a newsletter soon that will be a collection of my own musings and stories or essays I’ve enjoyed. I will also be publishing on this blog at least twice a week. This will be a collection of opinion, analysis, some storytelling and personal reflections.
I see amazing writers and creators all around the country pursue their passion projects with the support of people around them. It’s incredibly brave of them to do, so I am going to emulate them here and hope for the best.
I don’t really have a timeline for this project, so for now this Patreon page is a way to alleviate some of the financial pressures of life and to give myself time and create my story.
It is my since desire that when I am done, I will be able to present something genuine that will truly mean something to my community. I hope to present something that will make you proud.
Thank you.