Jul 05 2006
What do YOU want to be when you grow up?
It’s a question I try to answer every day.
Truth be told, I want to be what I’ve always wanted to be: a writer.
Did I tell you how I was published at a very young age? We had to write a poem in school for President’s Day. I wrote mine about George Washington and the teacher was just blown away. I was only 6 or 7 and a little confused about what all the fuss was about. Now, when I see the poem and realize how young I was, I’m like, all, DAMN, I was so good. They should have rushed me off to writer’s school and made me famous - FAMOUS (I could have already had my Nobel prize by now!!!!).
You’re dying to read that poem, aren’t you?? (Just pretend, so my ego doesn’t get bruised, precious thing that it is). Here goes:
I cannot lie
Father, it was I
Who chopped down this ol’ tree
Why did I do it?
It was wrong and I knew it
Please forgive me
Deep shit, huh? RAW unbridled talent. Well, shut up if you don’t agree - my mother thinks I’m a literary genius! So there!
Seriously, though, I want to write. I guess that puts me there with about 98% of the other bloggers who want to write. For a living. And get paid.
I’ll just sit over here and write my little blog and hum a little tune and I’m sure that any second, some big publisher will come by with a garbage bag full of money and say “Linda! That George Washington poem? FABULOUS. Here, take this money and quit your job. Please, I’m begging of you.”
Waiting…. waiting… waiting. No? You don’t think it will happen that way?
Well, then for the love of all that is holy, tell me how to do it!!! Surely the world needs people to write shit and I can write shit (and the first one of you that goes for the obvious joke I just set up can kiss my ass!)
Do I just keep trying, submitting samples, applying, asking, begging?
Do I schmooze with other people who have broken through on this writing thing?
Is there some way I can BUY my way in with sexual favors?
I don’t know how to do it. I only know that I want to, badly.
The other thing I know about myself is that when I put my mind to it, I can accomplish anything I set out to do.
Watch this space, people. I’ll get there. I’ll be there. I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but I will succeed.
