1. Low expectations. Non-writers might imagine some sort of serene and meditative experience that produces at least hundreds of pages if not a book. Writers will expect multiple games of Words With Friends, an endless layering of bad feelings: guilt, shame, fear, boredom, panic, anger, regret. Repeat. Writers know that no matter the beauty of your setting – mountains, ocean, lakes – you will feel trapped, sad, and grow to loathe the landscape.
Read MoreSo, on the phone yesterday I was sobbing to my mother that I was so sorry not to be able to manage Thanksgiving in a traditional way, creating that perfect meal, because I was "struggling." I am struggling. I know it's hard to be a writer, challenging to be sixty, the world is in such turmoil, I broke my leg and can no longer spend hours working out, I am trying to be an effective teacher, reading essays, blah, blah. I have so much, a wonderful husband, a lovely place to live, an amazing son, friends,
Read MoreThere were many things I have never understood because they seemed boring or useless or possibly beyond my intelligence although I am very smart, almost a genius according to one childhood tester but then again, I had talked nonstop and managed to persuade the nice lady to skip most of the math. I don’t understand math, especially algebra, and things that fit into each other, which way the pulleys moved if they were tugged, and how to measure anything. I don’t understand football or cars or war, but I understand refugees and I would count most men in that category, forced to suppress their feelings, their love for male friends and their fear. I am excellent in a crisis, calm and kind and efficient.
Read More
