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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I'm A Writer. Yeah, You Heard Me


If you have something you want to do in your life that doesn't involve following the herd, know ahead of time you are going to get the shit kicked out of you. Veering off from the herd pisses people off because they also want to veer, but they are afraid.
I have been with the herd for many, many years. Most people feel comfortable and stable in that situation. I, on the other hand, never felt comfortable. I felt depressed and angry. But I did it so I didn't feel irresponsible. I have a family, three daughters and my husband, you do what you have to do. Now, my girls are grown and I'm thinking, goodbye herd.


I do feel you have to be strategic. I have been a comic for twenty years and have been writing all my life. I have spent over two years working on my book at night when everyone was taken care of and sleeping, while working and taking care of mom and all the other things in life. I wouldn't advise anyone to just quit their job and 'become' a writer or comic. You should put in years and years of groundwork on your craft and have some kind of foundation before you even consider quitting your job. And if you write in the hours you can steal from life, for years, and eventually something of substance together, goodbye herd.
Here is another thing. I have spent years calling my book, 'my project'. Or saying, "I wrote a little thing." Something about actually saying "I wrote a book." Made me feel fear of being ridiculed. Or made fun of. Or people rolling their eyes and making me feel like I was too stupid to write a book.


You know what? I wrote a book. I wrote a fucking book. It's not 'my project'. It's a book. I wrote it. I will get an agent and it will get published. And you eye rollers will buy the book and I'll spend your money on bullshit I don't even need.
I left the herd because I wrote a book. What do I do?


I'm a writer. There are zillions of writers. I'm one of them. And I really, really like it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If there a "zillions" of writers, isn't that just another herd? I don't think in reality you can ever "leave the herd". The only thing you can do is choose which herd your going to be associated with otherwise you just end up with mad cow disease. And nobody wants to be an angry bovine with no herd to vent with. :)