When I first told my mum that I wanted to be a writer, she said that it wasn’t a good idea because writers lived a lonely life. At that point, I was 14 and often closed myself in my room to write, knocking back movie nights with friends. I didn’t know anyone else who wrote so I was pretty much on my own.
As I’m getting older and understanding what it really means to be a writer, I’ve realised that my mum was completely wrong. Half my social life stems from my writing - especially since all my uni friends are writers, too.
- Going out for coffee with writer friends.
- Work-shopping with groups of people.
- Going to literary festivals and events.
- Going to weekend writer retreats with uni groups, that end up a combination of words and wine.
- Researching for stories - often very interactive.
And not to sound schizophrenic, but when I'm really into a story, I find that the characters are always in my mind. They become people I know and trust, people I want to help, and be helped by. So in that sense, it's not so lonely.
As a published writer, part of the job is to market and promote the book and yourself. This involves having an active online presence, being interviewed, touring, etc ...
So while the physical process of writing is exclusive, I just find that there are so many other aspects of being a writer that are social.
I usually think that my mum is always right. Not this time though. Sorry Mum!
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