Friday, April 26, 2013

King's Speech: W is for WORK

Regular readers of The Shellshank Redemption know how much I enjoy a good quote (see Motivational Mondays) and that I’m a huge fan of Stephen King (see the King of All Days Part I and Part II.) So, for the 2013 A-Z Challenge, I decided to combine the two, using some of my favorite King quotes about reading, writing and life in general. Enjoy!

*****

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, 
the rest of us just get up and go to WORK. 
(Stephen King)

I believe some people I know think I sit around all day twiddling my thumbs. These are the same people who rarely ask me anything specific about my writing and don’t bother to remember any project I’m working on. They’ll ask me about my husband’s business and how that’s going. They’ll ask me if that meeting he had scheduled went well. Do they ask about National Novel Writing Month, something I’ve done for eight years in a row? Pfft. Do they read my blog or make a point to read my published stories? Hardly.

Yes, I know I sound bitter, but I’m really more frustrated than anything else. I do my best to ask about other people’s jobs and careers - I respect what they do. Just because I don’t make a lot of money and don’t work in someone else’s office and grouse about vacation days, doesn’t mean that what I do isn’t work. Just because I love what I do doesn’t mean it deserves any less respect. 

16 comments:

  1. I'm lucky that lots of people ask about my books but I wish more would. Maybe I need to talk about them more.

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  2. OE - glad you liked it!

    Susan - I've talked about my work, thinking maybe I do need to bring it up more, etc and then a chunk of the time, the resp is "that's nice" and then on to some other topic. I'm not sure what makes me feel worse - that, or not asking at all.

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  3. People are funny when it comes to writers and authors. And I think in general, most people don't ask questions about others - they just want you to ask about them.

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  4. Alex - I would love to have more give and take, questions and answers on all sides - you know, a conversation. :)

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  5. LOL. It's like being a home schooler. People have their stigmas, but the truth is, I'd rather people not ask about my writing. I'll give hints and blurbs when I'm ready to share, but mostly, I want it to be a surprise. ;)

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  6. Ya know - I never thought about it. Everyone at the office knows I am doing A-Z and Camp but no one has asked about word count, or how the story is going.

    Of course I haven't brought it up either. {{wanders off to think about it}}

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  7. Crystal - I hear you. I think it's different asking something specific about a story or a novel and just asking something more general but still thoughtful, like "How's NaNo going this year?" or "Have you entered any writing contests?"

    Jai - that's the trick. Talk about it, mention it, but how much is too much? When does it start to feel like waving our arms in the air and saying, "Look at me! Look at me! My work is important, too!" :)

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  8. Amen to this!

    Happy weekend, Madeline. :)

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  9. Madeline - six books later, I still get that same non-reaction from certain people.

    I think many people feel they could write, too, if they just had the time to sit and do it. This makes them think writing is easy and something that's done as a hobby.

    Barbara
    Honoring W Blogs in this A to Z
    The Daille-y News

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  10. Barbara - good point about how a lot of people think it's easy.

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  11. I get it. They say if you do what you love you'll never work another day in your life. That Stephen King quote is awesome, too. Stephen King, quotes, and Madeline's are all of my favorite things! (My name was almost Prudence. I got off lucky.) :)

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  12. Maybe people don't ask about someone's work when they don't understand it. I sort of feel the same way about working in social services. I just try to remind myself that my work is important and it only matters that I know this.

    Jaime at Awakenings and Reflections

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  13. Sometimes when people make ignorant assumptions about me or what I do or used to do, I have to work really hard not to respond with something catty like, "You really don't know what you're talking about, do you?"

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  14. Madeline - "Prudence" isn't a bad name at all, but I like our name better. :) And welcome to TSR!

    Jaime - that's a good point, though I usually try to find something to ask about someone's job/career, even if I don't understand it. Even as something as simple - as complex! - as "Do you enjoy what you do?" PLus, by asking, I learn. :)

    Cynthia - I just get quiet and feel bad. Or I used to. I'm getting better at shrugging it off. :)

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