Writerness

[shadesong]

How does one define being a real writer, a professional writer, etc?

I'm a writer. Writing is what I do. Writing is in my blood and bone. I've been doing it since I could hold a pencil, and I'd do it even if I never got a penny for it. It isn't about that. It's about the worlds inside my head, and showing them to you.

And am I going to get a little money for my Shayara thing? Wee bit. Lunch and chai money. Hardly matters. Does that make me a professional writer? Technically, yes. Technically, by those standards, I've been one for years, since I was selling Shayara chapbooks at MegaCon 2002. But this feels a lot more real, because it was actually solicited through Diamond and can be purchased in stores and not just through me.

But my brain gets itchy when I'm referred to as a professional writer. liveforlyfe did so at karlita's writing group two weeks ago, and snesgirl did so yesterday, and even though, by that standard, it is true, I backpedal - not really, not really!

And I wonder.

I mean, when I get the Shayara graphic novel out. I'll feel like a professional writer then. Right?

Will I?

I hope I will.

How many short stories will it take? Novels? If Walking on Water comes out first, will I feel like a professional writer? Or will I not, because that's nonfiction?

I wonder where that line actually is in my brain.

I've said before that 2005 is the year of Shit or Get Off the Pot. It is time to make a determination. I have enough Walking on Water material already written to fill a book. karlita says that she actually assumed that that's what was coming out of me first.

So we'll see. I'll take a look at that and at Ondine, at Places We Haunt, at Maggie's story. I'm telling the neurologist that I'm going off the Topamax and staying on the Trileptal, because out of all four medications, it fucks with my writerbrain the least. I have shit to do.

Mmm. Work calls. More later.

Comments

[yendi]

Why would nonfiction make you less of a professional writer?

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I am examining my brainmeats. When have my brainmeats ever made sense?

[yendi]

:-)

[fiddledragon]

ditto what he said ;)

[qassandra.livejournal.com]

Are real writers and professional writers necessarily the same thing, though?

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

That, m'dear, will be Part II. I think.

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

Godz, no!

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

Just now you are reminding me of Cat Midhir.
Breathe.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Heh. My third-favorite de Lint book. :)

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

Still my fave, but yeah.

[fiddledragon]

Hrm - I ask myself the same thing about being a professional musician. Technically? Yes - I get paid to do what I do out at fest. I get paid to teach others to play violin. Not much (and sometimes not yet!)

I guess I don't consider myself a professional musician yet because I don't really make a living off of it - not even part time. If I have to label myself, I'd call myself a semi-professional musician :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Very few people, I think, really Make A Living Writing. I don't expect to. So when do I stop shying away from the title?

[fiddledragon]

When you're comfortable. At the very least I would consider you a semi-professional author. As you say, it's What You Do. On top of that you do get paid something.

At the same time? It's just a label. Not really worth spending time worrying about it.

Or maybe another way to look at it is. When someone asks you what you do, who you are, what comes to mind first? If someone brand new came up to you and said (outside of any other context such as work, writer's group, etc), "Hey - who are you? What do you do?" Would you say, "Hi, I'm 'Song, I'm a writer." or would you say, "Hi, I'm 'Song, I'm a secretary."?

I say, "Hi, I'm FD, I'm a software developer." Maybe further into the conversation I would say, "Oh, and btw, I play violin/fiddle"...and maybe further along I would mention something about an interest in women's health.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

When someone asks you what you do, who you are, what comes to mind first?

Heh.

I write. :)

[fiddledragon]

Then I would say that the distinction between "professional" , "semi-professional", and "amateur" is completely irrelevant ;)

[aurora-lamour.livejournal.com]

I will probably soon have to choose between Trileptal and Topomax. I have been on Trileptal before but mixed with Seroquel so it is hard to know which side effects were which. What did Topomax do for you that was worse than Trileptal. I know from reading you for a while that your side effects are not necessarily the standard, but I would still like to know.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Hm. I don't know about worse so much as it's all just dogpiling on top of it. It's increasing the fatigue exponentially. The electricity thing is annoying, and that's in addition to the tongue and face tingling/hurting from Trileptal. And I just feel SLOW and all kindsa fucked. I just want to only deal with one drug at a time.

[aurora-lamour.livejournal.com]

I certainly relate. I am most likely looking at a cocktail again of Cymbalta, Seroquel, and Trileptal or Topomax. Plus Synthyroid for hypothyroidism, Metaforim for PCOS, Allegra for allergies, Xanax and Ambien for anxiety and insomnia, and Trivora for birth control.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell, man!

Semantics

[entropic-om.livejournal.com]

A writer writes.

An author publishes.

;p

Re: Semantics

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Well, I have always been a writer... :)

Re: Semantics

[yendi]

And a publisher profits. :-)