IWSG - The Working Writer

Here we are into October already and it's time again for the The Insecure Writer's Support Group.

 

October 7 question - When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!

 

My idea of a working writer is a lot different than it used to be. I used to imagine the kind of life James Michener had. Not only was he wealthy thanks to his writing, he was wealthy enough to hire assistants (assistants!!!) to help him do research. He was wealthy enough to travel to the places he was writing about. And he was wealthy enough that writing was his only job. Lucky guy.

 

On the flip side, a lot of big name writers have to travel, make public appearances, and (gasp!) might actually be required to  speak at said event, a task I'd just as soon avoid.

 

Today, few working writers live that life and most supplement their income with a 'regular job.' Thinking of what my life would look like if I was a working writer (which I am, just not getting those nice royalty checks), I imagine having a part time regular job, not only for financial reasons but to get out of the damn house for a few days. Having spent as much time at home as I have these last six months, staying home isn't as attractive as I thought it would be. But. I sure would like to be able to travel to some of the places I have written about and the places I do want to write about.

 

Meanwhile, in other news, I've read four more books, aided in large part by a power outage and the fact that I was almost done with one, and two were short (under 300 pages).

 

Find Layla by Meg Ellison is about a girl who lives with her abusive mother and little brother in an apartment that should be condemned. It was a good story, and I liked Layla, the girl who's trying to hide her real life from everyone, including teachers, friends, and eventually the authorities.

 

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergei Dyachenko is...hard to describe. The story centers on Sasha who is contacted by a strange man who demands she perform certain tasks. If she doesn't something bad will happen. The man says he will never ask her to do anything impossible. Eventually, the man demands she go to a particular school and the story gets more interesting. There, Sasha finds a very different and demanding type of learning environment and classes that do ask the impossible. Only it isn't impossible for Sasha and the other students because they're special, though not exactly the way you might think.

 

Anyway. I kept waiting for Sahsha to become whatever she was supposed to become and then do something with her changed self, you know, like save the world. I also felt like the authors had written an allegory for the changes adolescents go through (they dedicated the book to their daughter) rather than a story that was complete. Basically I thought it was super interesting but was let down a bit by the ending.

 

Every heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is an orphanage story and at first I thought the head of the place was evil and planning something horrible for her charges. Rest assured, this was not the case. Instead, Miss West cares very much for her charges, all of who have entered other worlds (think Narnia, except all the worlds aren't so nice) and are dying to get back. I really liked this book a lot and will probably read the next in the series.

 

My favorite out of the four was The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O'Neal. This story revolves four women: Lillian, who's old and showing alarming signs of it, her granddaughter Zoe who has come home to Devon to help and hopefully heal her daughter (Isabel) who has deleted all her media accounts and refuses to return to school. Lastly there's Zoe's mom (poppy) who left her in the care of her grandmother when she was seven and never came back.

 

Ordinarily I don't read much family drama, but this book took hold and pulled me in, making me want to know would happen next. Could Poppy and Zoe ever find their way to back to a relationship or did the hurt run too deep? What happened to Isabel that she can't tell anyone about? Is Lillian imagining the things she sees or are her suspicions valid? And why did Poppy leave and never come back until it was too late?

 

The Lost Girls moved me, and, as much as don't like to admit it, made me tear up a bit (okay. A lot), so I highly recommend it to anyone who likes stories about families healing. Plus the descriptions...Now I need to add Devon to the list of places I want to go...when I'm rich and famous.

 

What does the writer's life look like for you? Read any books? Seen Enola Holmes?