Wearing Ramona’s highlighter, eyeliner, and mascara and Philip’s coat, I went to a writing conference in DC for five days. I can't get my head around putting highlighter, it really just seems like eyeshadow, under my eyes and I was self conscious the whole time about a button missing on the coat. I smiled at everyone, hoping to distract them from my sparkling under-eyes and shabby coat.
#AWP. A conference for writers and poets. This was my effort to join the club, scope out literary journals, and see how I might fit into this world in a DIY sort of way. I have no time or inclination to buy my way in through an MFA, so I just went for it, hoping to figure out how to be a real writer.
“I’m pivoting from teaching to writing,” I repeated to everyone I met. “I want to be, I mean, I am a writer.”
Writing is unlike teaching. As I teacher I was center stage, telling my stories to a captive, if not always rapt, audience. I write alone, even when I am at the coffee shop surrounded by people. I work and rework my stories, shaping the narrative of my life. #AWP taught me to label my writing as CNF, Creative Non-Fiction. As I met writers further along the road I kept worrying I would say CFN instead of CNF in the same way I mix up SVU and SUV.
Writing is like teaching in one way: half of the time I know I am onto something brilliant and half of the time I am sure this is a fruitless endeavor.
But, like the guy starting paleo or the friend preparing for a marathon, I need to publicly announce my intentions. This post reminds me of what my father-in-law told Philip and I about a wedding, “It’s important. It’s important to stand in front of your friends and family and God and commit.” So here I am publicly declaring myself a writer. In fact, after I post this, I will change my Facebook occupation from nothing to writer, making it officially official.
#AWP was worthwhile, but I was searching for a secret handshake and I already knew what I needed to do to be a writer.
How to be a writer:
1. Write as much as possible.
2. Read too.
3. Take really good care of yourself so that you can write. And read too.
4. Live frugally so you can write. Saving money is the same as making money.
5. Set up several writing related gigs to generate income and community, but make sure these gigs don’t capture or crush your soul.
6. Submit your stuff all over the place all of the time. Pick one day per week (or every other) to do this.
7. Write across genres. Work on several projects at once, including your manuscript.
8. Build a community of writers to support you.
Now, I just have to (keep) doing it.
