Conversation First
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A child asks: What is the surest way to success as a writer? Success being (the child says) fame, being fortune. Because it happened to J.K. Rowling. Because it should happen to us all.
I want to say: Change the terms of your equation. Seek, first, conversation with yourself. Then conversation with others. Then impact.
2 comments:
Beth, What a great message just at the right time for me. With first published book frenzy and "did it get a good review???" angst, I need to slow down. It's published. I'm enough. Thank you!
I used to think that writing was the hardest part of writing. Then I started publishing books and essays and I realized, well, no, managing expectations (dreamshopeswants) is the hardest part of writing.
What I've learned, and what I keep trying to remind myself, is that I write best when I want the right things from whatever I'm writing. And the right thing, for me, is a sort of whole-ism—nothing torqued for the sake of getting noticed, everything directed toward honest storytelling.
Your own book, Violet on the Runway, sounds like a lot of fun, especially to me, who just woke up after watching last night's episode of Top Model.
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