The life of a writer is hard
In 1995, we moved to New Orleans for eleven months and I met a guy in a writer’s workshop at Tulane. Then he moved to San Francisco where his sister lived. Then I moved back to San Francisco. I joined a writer’s workshop there and the woman who ran it was such a nutball. In one of the sessions we had to review submissions from other writers wanting to join the group. And a manuscript I read was so funny that I highly recommended the writer join. The group leader said no way, it’s not good enough. Her manuscript was so tedious and we had to endure it each session. So I said see you, wouldn’t want to be you, and started my own group, phoned the guy and he joined my group.
That’s how I met Robert. One of the most talented writers I’ve ever known personally. Mark my words, one day you are going to be reading one of his books.
Last night I caught up with him here in Chicago where he now calls home – he’s getting married, he’s working hard, and he is still writing funny stories.
It takes a lot of fortitude to keep writing in the face of other demands on your time. I told him I have turned into a blogger and haven’t written one tiny bit of fiction in a million years. Well, bloggers are people too, I told him.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
I’ll be watching and reading the covers on all the funny new books I see coming out with an author called Robert! I’ve never admitted it, but lots of writer’s groups leave me cold. I’ve been in a few, some really helpful some not so much. I found the best way is just keep writing. That’s why I switched to blogging. Sometimes I reveal myself to myself. That is not such a bad thing, is it?
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:41 am
I love that! Indeed – T told me yesterday I should write a novel about lesbians and I’ve considered it but I really do find a perfect fit between blogging and my writing. I’m glad you feel the same way. We are cutting edge – well maybe not anymore with a zillion people doing it but when I started it was cutting edge. And the world is changing and blogging is less mercantile than the let’s rub elbows with agents at writer’s luncheons and going to Stonybrook to meet writers so they can recommend you when you get your book published and well, you know in the end, we are writing for ourselves when we blog.