Off To Work

I have two modes I'm expected to perform in the role of "writer": Writing and Talking About Writing. I'm off to Connecticut today so I can meet with a group of twelfth graders bright and early tomorrow morning, and with a reading group at a bookstore in the evening. I'll be talking about my first book in the morning and my second book at night. Although at first I dread this kind of thing, I know it's good for me, and I always end up having such a good time, even though the endeavor exhausts me. Standing up in front of a roomful of people who've read my book, I always end up having a moment where I realize that the people asking me questions have *actually read my book*. That's unusual. That's cool. The questions they (especially students) ask are often things I've never considered before. Look, I think the publishing industry (and the culture as a whole) has done a really good job of training people to believe that they're "not smart enough" for certain books. The people who are brave and come to these events realize immediately that they are more than smart enough to spend an hour or two talking about ideas. As a result, these conversations almost always become deeply rewarding exchanges; I can only speak for myself, and I always end up learning something new. And then I have to come home and shift back into the private world of writing, where I hear voices and forget to take off my pajamas. But that's not until Thursday. (mbw)