The Velveteen Writer

Last week, I clinked glasses and sipped Champagne with my agent, her staff and my new editor (that's her, the fantabulous Melody Guy, on the right) to celebrate the sale of my first novel. It was a sublime moment—a dream come true. I’ve published several nonfiction books, but writing and selling a novel makes me feel like a “real” writer. Which is kind of silly because what truly makes anyone a “real” writer is writing, and I’ve been doing that most of my life. But there’s something strong and deep about pursuing and achieving this dream. Maybe it’s still cause I’m in a brain fog due to this cold, but I can’t really describe it.

This quote from Suzan-Lori Parks (from the Oct. 30th issue of the New Yorker) gets to some of what I’m trying to say: “I wake up every day and say, ‘Yes! I’m a writer!’ When you make that commitment, all sorts of things move toward you.”