I find myself periodically wondering where are they now...
In my personal life, I have met a gang of folks, from '78-99 we travelled the world,
Moved twelve times, met a lot of people,
Try as I might, I couldn't keep up, though there are a few,
Yvette, in Columbus, GA, hadn't had my eyes on her face since '92, but keep in touch,
Have a running communique, that's my GURL...hey YY...
Then of course there is music,
We all know, they come, they go,
I remember this song from maybe 1970, 'I know that I'm in love' by ChiChi and Pepi,
Loved it, never heard from them again...
Anyhoo...
Now the writer's game...
I have read a lot of books,
There were years when I was in some little European outpost,
With no American TV and a sleeping infant and it was nothing for me to read a book or two in a day...
Then,
There is my own short tenure as a writer,
I realized the other day that in March it will only be two years since I took up a place,
In cyberspace, joining groups, etc.
And in that very short period of time, I met a lot of writers, writers to be and wanna be writers...
And many have gone on to parts unknown...
Where are they?
What caused this nosiness,
Is one of said writers sent me an email the other day,
Telling me they had happened across my blog,
Saw me on the APOOO Author Salute....woo hoo,
And wondered what had made me stick it out,
After asking her why she stopped writing,
She told me a number of things, mostly how tired she was of the game,
Lack of sales, less than favorable reviews, etc.
So I told her, 'I stick it out because I am a writer, and writer's write. Long before I ever stepped into cyberspace, I was a writer, long before I published, blogged or did anything I was a writer. Not only that but I am a longevity kind of chick. Write or Die. I know that most things worth having or doing, takes patience, training, perseverance and a VERY THICK SKIN, when it comes to reviews or opinions on your work...mmm hmm. I was non-delusional, un-illusional, which didn't cause me to be confusional....so I can hang around and do what I do. Not only that, I take most things with a grain of salt, tossing the remains over my shoulder... I only expect things of and from myself, though I am most appreciative of what is offered me in terms of support or advice, I know that at the end of the day, getting my work to stick is up to me. I also told her that there is a huge world out there beyond online and a writer can find ways to sell books, if selling books is the aim.' Silence....
Finally she thanked me, moving on...
So I guess the answer to the Where Are They Q, at least in the writer's game is many people leave when they discover it isn't easy, fame and fortune isn't automatic, that some people will love your work, others will not, and most importantly, that no one can do those things for you that you aren't willing to do for yourself...
Just Rambling,
Smooches,
Angelia
