It really never fails. When I go out (yes I do, sometimes) and happen to meet up with someone I haven't seen in awhile the invariable question is 'how's the writing coming?' I'm not talking about friends I see all the time, although those words come out of their mouths too often enough. The people I'm talking about I may see once a year, or even less, and usually just by chance.
I'm not really sure what they expect me to say to that. It's great, I just signed a million dollar deal? (yeah, I wish I COULD say that someday just to see the looks on their faces.)
You might think--well Tam, you know, they may just really be interested, and hope you're doing great. Somehow I don't get that feeling though. It's almost a snide remark, like--are you finished being a bum yet? When are you going to get a real job? That type of thing.
After several weeks of not seeing my son even he'll ask me (and he's a lot more direct--quite point blank in his questioning arts) are you getting rich yet?
Why do folks automatically assume that writers that are any good, are going to be rich? Hell the VAST majority of really good writers are not only NOT rich, they usually exist on a shoestring budget unless their significant other is independantly wealthy, and that's if they have a significant other.
I blame it on the media. Yeah, I like to blame everything on the powers of the media anyway, so why not this? Every once in a while a big name writer makes a frightfully huge sum of money on a book and it's all over the front page, so common folk think that's what a writer should be making--if they're any good at what they do.
Just once I'd like to run into an old aquiantance and have them ask-hey Tami how are YOU?
2 comments:
Some people are just jealous that you've found something that you love and they haven't.
LOL well that may be part of the issue as well, Lady.
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