Instant Writer

Today as I was checking out in the grocery line, the young lady who bagged my groceries, a senior in high-school, asked me if I was a writer, noting that I wore a t-shirt that read:  “Instant Writer, just add coffee”.  She, too, has a vision of becoming a successful writer of children’s books. The first words out of my mouth to her:  “Get a good-paying day job.”  She smiled and replied that a lot of people had told her that; I instantly regretted my trite response. I came back with, I hope, words of encouragement. “Most importantly,” I said to her, “you are the next great writer on the horizon.”

Statistically, maybe, five percent of writers will publish, and of that percentage, a very small number will be on the bestsellers’ lists; and of that number, even fewer will earn enough from their work to live above poverty wages. If one can hurdle the deterrents to writing--rejection, dejection, abnegation--the writer then has a long mile to go to getting into print, and even further to the finish line of being recognized. There is no such thing as instant success. If you choose be a writer, then know that you are in it for the long distance marathon. It is more like a triathlon. First you have to write, then submit, and if all the planets align and the sun shines on the second Tuesday of third month of the lunar eclipse, an editor might chose to read your manuscript; then, if all conditions are met with the powers that be, you might get your manuscript into print. Now the really tricky part is having an audience other than your family, that embraces you, recognizes your talent and is willing to reward you for it.

Not every entrant into a race finishes. Some fall, get back up and go on. Others quit and find something else more suitable to do with their time. Some will decide to stay on a treadmill instead of joining in the fray. A few run with the pack and find satisfaction in the doing of it. And, then there are those who hit the runners’ high and commit to a lifelong passion of running towards the finish line.

I cannot think of one example of a writer sprinting over the finish line with a huge publishing contract as first prize.  So why do so many writers persist in a career with so little instant gratification?

One driving motivation, I believe, is being heard. It is, in my opinion, one of the innate forces of our very being, as compelling as the need for water, food and procreation. Revolutions, constitutions and lives have been impacted by the written word. Writing is in its very essence our lifeline to community, to linking ourselves to others through shared experiences, ideas and ideals. We exist, but we are alive, absolved, deified, vilified and acknowledged through the written word. My running shoes are well-worn and a little smelly, and there are times I just hop on the treadmill for exercise; but, like an addict, I am chasing that writers’ high and have hopes that the next piece of writing will be my best, the next novel will be better than the last one, and a whole bunch of people will cheer for me as I cross the finish line.