here's something new I've written.
About life. Lived every day.
Also, there's an escalator.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Mr. Barton Tanner
Sometimes as a writer I feel like Barton Tanner. The talented baritone of Dayton, Ohio. The cleaner who'd made his shop the best.
Mr. Tanner was a talented singer, no doubt. His friends even told him so. And so he finally spent his savings to prep for and hold a concert -- he went public with this private talent that had made him so happy.
The result was not at all positive. He'd lost his savings and the critics suggested he consider another endeavor. That is, he simply wasn't quite good enough to make a living from singing.
That's how I feel about my writing.
I'm told by many that I'm a good writer. Sometimes, a great writer. In my most recent job, my boss told me I was definitely a "writer." She could tell, her husband is a writer and you can tell when someone has that talent, she said.
I love to write. I love to manipulate words and tell stories. I have always recognized my abilities as a strong written communicator. Sometimes, to my frustration as my ability to verbalize what comes so clearly in writing is somewhat lacking.
I also practice writing. In one of my very first jobs, I wrote all day, every day. I wrote press releases and speeches and articles. I got frequent feedback. All the while, I was pursuing a Ph.D., so I was writing paper after paper for class and then a dissertation. And, I kept a blog where I wrote fiction.
So, after many years, my craft has been honed, so to speak.
But, can I make a living doing it? In most of my professional work, my writing has either helped me land the job OR been a key reason I get to keep a job. But what if I wrote all the time? Could I earn enough money simply writing to live like I do now? And what if I took off, started writing, and didn't make it?
What if I don't get published or can't sell an e-book?
What if I did not know how well I wrote, but it just made me whole?
I know you can't live in the what-if world -- but I also know you can't live on a hobby that makes you whole, either.
Oh, and in case you want to read what I wrote, you can read the "Row House" (a work in progress) here.
*Bonus points to anyone in the comments who knows who Barton Tanner is and where (besides Dayton) he came from.
**And by bonus points, I mean I may include you in a story or post at some point. Maybe.
Mr. Tanner was a talented singer, no doubt. His friends even told him so. And so he finally spent his savings to prep for and hold a concert -- he went public with this private talent that had made him so happy.
The result was not at all positive. He'd lost his savings and the critics suggested he consider another endeavor. That is, he simply wasn't quite good enough to make a living from singing.
That's how I feel about my writing.
I'm told by many that I'm a good writer. Sometimes, a great writer. In my most recent job, my boss told me I was definitely a "writer." She could tell, her husband is a writer and you can tell when someone has that talent, she said.
I love to write. I love to manipulate words and tell stories. I have always recognized my abilities as a strong written communicator. Sometimes, to my frustration as my ability to verbalize what comes so clearly in writing is somewhat lacking.
I also practice writing. In one of my very first jobs, I wrote all day, every day. I wrote press releases and speeches and articles. I got frequent feedback. All the while, I was pursuing a Ph.D., so I was writing paper after paper for class and then a dissertation. And, I kept a blog where I wrote fiction.
So, after many years, my craft has been honed, so to speak.
But, can I make a living doing it? In most of my professional work, my writing has either helped me land the job OR been a key reason I get to keep a job. But what if I wrote all the time? Could I earn enough money simply writing to live like I do now? And what if I took off, started writing, and didn't make it?
What if I don't get published or can't sell an e-book?
What if I did not know how well I wrote, but it just made me whole?
I know you can't live in the what-if world -- but I also know you can't live on a hobby that makes you whole, either.
Oh, and in case you want to read what I wrote, you can read the "Row House" (a work in progress) here.
*Bonus points to anyone in the comments who knows who Barton Tanner is and where (besides Dayton) he came from.
**And by bonus points, I mean I may include you in a story or post at some point. Maybe.
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