I am conflicted but well understand the feelings conjured by calling yourself a writer. On the one hand, there is an old Quentin Crisp story where he declares (I paraphrase) that you can call yourself anything you want for 2 years but after that, if you are still (basically not making a living from it) you can no longer call yourself that. At that point you are the thing at which you make your living. On the other hand, why does or should money enter into the equation? If I do needlepoint I can accurately say as much. If I garden at my home, same thing. Why do we misguidedly think that we can only call ourself an artist if we earn a living from that pursuit? To wit: You write. You are a writer. But that's not all you are.
Thank you so much Tracey. You are totally picking up what I'm putting down. And I love that anecdote about Quentin Crisp, not only because dropping CQ is always gonna get a thumbs up from me, but because it's deliciously ironic coming from him, a jack of almost no trades. I think of him as a "Writer? Maybe an actor?" and Wikipedia lists him as a "raconteur" which he absolutely was, and absolutely made his living at. Now THAT's a job I'd love to have ;)
Lara. You absolutely are a writer, and a very good one. I am so glad you are putting your stories out there and I for one tune in every week to check out what you have to say!
Mac & Cheese on a waffle iron is the best. I am loving your writing and I think you should call yourself a writer. I am seriously invested in this story and I want to hear more. I hope you are getting what you did not get out of therapy by writing these down. Please don't stop writing! Sometime we should discuss the incredibly sad lack of qualified therapists out there. I also had a home good therapist and I think the lady at 7-11 was more helpful. Hugs Lara!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading - it means so much to me. And HA! Yes, I got more empathetic listening from the lady I was chatting it at the post office than I did from Dr. Home Goods. The more I talk to people about their experience in therapy, the more I understand how bad so many of them are.
The comments about would-be writers are spot on. I have an acquaintance as well (she knew my father) who tried to use me for connections (that’s a long story) and now runs a terrible website helping people query agents or something? She’s also an “award-winning children’s author” and honestly it irks me to no end, because her self-published books are awful. Stay humble my friend, but you are a writer—someone who can put words together in a way that makes people want to read, without making them want to scoop their eyeballs out. I can’t wait for the next installment!
Oh Rebekah thank you so much. That means so much coming from you. And yeah, the kids' books people are maybe the worst because they seem so... sincere, and they prey on sweet G'ma's who wrote book about a dog that rhymes and their grandkids just love. Feh!
I wait for you to post, Lara. I drop everything so I can read what you write. Thank you.
They say you’re not drawn to what you want, you are drawn to what you know.
Oh Laila thank you so much. That means so much to me. <3
I am conflicted but well understand the feelings conjured by calling yourself a writer. On the one hand, there is an old Quentin Crisp story where he declares (I paraphrase) that you can call yourself anything you want for 2 years but after that, if you are still (basically not making a living from it) you can no longer call yourself that. At that point you are the thing at which you make your living. On the other hand, why does or should money enter into the equation? If I do needlepoint I can accurately say as much. If I garden at my home, same thing. Why do we misguidedly think that we can only call ourself an artist if we earn a living from that pursuit? To wit: You write. You are a writer. But that's not all you are.
Thank you so much Tracey. You are totally picking up what I'm putting down. And I love that anecdote about Quentin Crisp, not only because dropping CQ is always gonna get a thumbs up from me, but because it's deliciously ironic coming from him, a jack of almost no trades. I think of him as a "Writer? Maybe an actor?" and Wikipedia lists him as a "raconteur" which he absolutely was, and absolutely made his living at. Now THAT's a job I'd love to have ;)
Lara. You absolutely are a writer, and a very good one. I am so glad you are putting your stories out there and I for one tune in every week to check out what you have to say!
Oh Julia thank you <3 coming from you, a writer and a reader, that means so much.
Mac & Cheese on a waffle iron is the best. I am loving your writing and I think you should call yourself a writer. I am seriously invested in this story and I want to hear more. I hope you are getting what you did not get out of therapy by writing these down. Please don't stop writing! Sometime we should discuss the incredibly sad lack of qualified therapists out there. I also had a home good therapist and I think the lady at 7-11 was more helpful. Hugs Lara!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading - it means so much to me. And HA! Yes, I got more empathetic listening from the lady I was chatting it at the post office than I did from Dr. Home Goods. The more I talk to people about their experience in therapy, the more I understand how bad so many of them are.
The comments about would-be writers are spot on. I have an acquaintance as well (she knew my father) who tried to use me for connections (that’s a long story) and now runs a terrible website helping people query agents or something? She’s also an “award-winning children’s author” and honestly it irks me to no end, because her self-published books are awful. Stay humble my friend, but you are a writer—someone who can put words together in a way that makes people want to read, without making them want to scoop their eyeballs out. I can’t wait for the next installment!
Oh Rebekah thank you so much. That means so much coming from you. And yeah, the kids' books people are maybe the worst because they seem so... sincere, and they prey on sweet G'ma's who wrote book about a dog that rhymes and their grandkids just love. Feh!