I once met an editor for the Penguin Publishing company at a park in New York. I was reluctant at first to tell her that I myself am a writer, because I did not want her to think I was trying to schmooze in the middle of our conversation. But when she asked what I did, I told her the truth. She then gave me this advice: Don't make a career out the thing you love the most, but out of what you love second best. Otherwise you lose interest and lose sight of your art.
I have not yet made a career out of my writing, but in going to school for writing I already understand why she gave this advice to me. I am starting to forget what it means to write for myself. I am losing the passion I once had and am struggling to enjoy writing. I no longer write poetry, I no longer keep a journal. I don't even carry a notebook with me anymore because I merely write when I have to, not having the time or energy to write when I want to. This scares me.
In the midst of this, my passion for singing has bloomed. I have been writing lyrics and recording music with friends. I love to sing more than anything else and it's not something I ever want to lose. I have never taken a class, have never pursued singing as more than an amateur thus I have never struggled to enjoy singing.
Sometimes we lose sight of ourselves when we become too involved. But it's also important not to get involved at all. I think what the editor was trying to tell me this. To find a balance in my art that does not take away from it or myself. She knew that the balance would not be found in an institution or the corporate world.
I do not (unfortunately) remember her name, but I do thank her for our conversation everyday because with her advice she also gave me hope. She told me she knew I would be great at anything I do and gave me a hug. Every time I am frustrated with writing I remember the things she told me and give myself time to contemplate her words. It allows me to rebalance my art. I remember that writing is for me, not for my school and my professors. When I think of our conversation that day in New York, I can write again.
1 comment:
A curious tale, of meeting a Penguin editor in a parking lot!
But I do think the advice she gave was only half right: sure, if you want to pursue writing as a career, you should have a day job. But if writing is indeed the thing you love best, then you certainly shouldn't pursue it as a "second" career -- why should it not be first?
Not to diss any editors at Penguin or anywhere else, but editors as a whole tend to be much more business-minded than writers. And business-minded, to my mind, is the very LAST thing writers should be!!
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