Yesterday at the Bookworm, one of the waiters, as he was on break, was looking at a magazine at the bar. I was sitting at the counter on my computer when I noticed he looked back and forth from me to the magazine and back again. He turned the page over so that I could see it, showed me the photo of a woman in an article, and asked if I were she. I smiled and said no, but he seemed to think I was not telling the truth.
For the rest of the day, he showed the photo to his fellow co-workers and each of them in turn looked up at me, as if to check his face-recognition accuracy. I got several more giggles throughout the afternoon.
Today I'm back. I haven't been approached as a celebrity look-alike, but have been diligently trying to conjure up a new poem, vis-a-vie my new fascination with the Southwest.
During one of my strategically-timed lulls of procrastination (because I refuse to call it writer's block), I looked for writing jobs online and found this:
I'm a freelance features writer looking for real life stories, particularly womens' interest. Do you have an inspiring tale to tell - something shocking, unusual, inspiring or funny? It could be about anything: health, love, phobias, relationships...You will be treated fairly and your story will be written accurately. And, of course, you will be paid - from around £200 up to £2000!
I thought, now that's something I could do for a little extra pocket money. But then again, how many of us want our dirty laundry aired in public, particularly when your name is given such a prominent byline?
Of course, there is an element of fiction in everything we write, even if we are writing an autobiographical account or memoir. The act of writing always makes things more theatrical and thus it cannot ever be 100% true, right?
So, what about poetry? Granted, this particular call is for stories, but when thinking about the general question of fiction vs. fact, how many of us read a poem and automatically assume it is autobiographical? So many poems are written in first person; yet the poet's inspiration could have been so loosely based in reality.
In essence, comparably, if I send off a few "real-life stories" to this advertisement, how are they to judge what is real and what isn't? After all, I could have very easily told that waiter the woman in the magazine was me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi, M. The article sounds intriguing--maybe you could establish a pen name! That way you could be Serious Poet M., and something totally different for any trashy romances you might decide to write. Just an idea.
Glad to hear you're finding some leads online!
Thanks, Kaijsa!
You know, I've seriously thought about trying out my smutty romance skills (or figuring out if I have any at all). I would definitely need a pen name. When I was in high school I came up with "Willa Ryan." Willa after Willa Cather, and Ryan after my grandmother's maiden name. It's a good romance-novely name, I think.
Post a Comment