My Journey to Become a Writer 04/30/2024 Post #121

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At the end of the lecture people lined the hall, and she was led up the stairs by some members of the college staff.  She was on her cell phone and looking slightly stressed.  I don’t know what was being said, but my heart went out to her. Perhaps my empathy was misplaced – maybe she really enjoys this sort of thing; but part of me wished she could just be whisked away to her hotel room to have some privacy.

Here’s where my presumption kicks in.  Does she sometimes feel like an exhibit on display when people stand in a line to get her signature?  Does it just exhaust her?  I really don’t know; but I imagine it could be pretty tedious. 

It gave me great pause. 

Not that I’m in danger of being any kind of success like that.  It’s just – if I were, would I want to have to sit in a chair and have people wait for my signature?  I can hardly sign a check without feeling shaken while people wait – I’m not a multi-tasker.  To smile and nod and listen to quick phrases and pleasantries seems like it would be overwhelming after a while; but maybe some people like that sort of thing. 

My reaction was, “I could never do that”. 

But then I remembered funerals – being in a receiving line, smiling and greeting people and thanking them for coming.  That part I can do.  I have done it, and I didn’t die.  If I ever get to the point where I’m signing autographs, I want to make this note to self, “It’s like a receiving line.  Your book table is like the casket, with all the words on the pages being the things you’ve died to – had to “let go of”, surrender, or something like that. 

I’m sure I have plenty of time to mull that concept over in my head before any kind of success strikes, and like most things that we worry about – it probably won’t ever really happen. 

Which is actually kind of a relief. 

Writing is such a strange mix – I have stories I feel like I have to get out of me; but then what to do with them is a totally different issue.  Do I actually want them read?  I really don’t know. 

Today I am in a totally new setting, and it’s setting my senses humming as I consume new tastes, scents, sounds, sights, etc… causing me to notice things I normally wouldn’t.
I want to capture them on a page.
I’d guess this instinct helps a writer get more descriptive.

– me

What Did I Accomplish Today to Be a Writer?

I did Day 121 of the 100 Words a Day Writing Challenge 2024 through L.A. Writers’ Lab.  

My Office Management Strategy to Cut Down on Distractions as a Writer

Thanks for reading what I’m writing,

Jody Susan

Looking back 99 days ago, I can see that it was one of the few days where I actually gave myself a break. That was a point of growth:

My Journey to Become a Writer 01/23/2024 Post #23