Are You Out of the Writing Closet?

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"You're a writer?"

I get that a lot. I guess I don't put out writerly vibes or something. I think that most people have a pretty defined stereotype of what a writer is supposed to look and act like. You know, skinny, white, glasses, kinda homely, kinda geeky, sorta brooding, kinda like the stereotypical accountant with an artistic flare. I'm not those (except for the white part but hey, nobody's perfect). In fact, if you look across the writing blogosphere, it's tough to find writers that fit that description. Side note: Am I the only one who's noticed how good looking many writer-bloggers are? And literary agents too!  

The thing is, I like the idea of being recognized as a writer. I don't mean that I want people to run up to me at the mall and beg me to sign their tan lines. I just want "writer" to be one of the categories people assign to me.

Adam Gaylord: devoted husband, wildlife biologist, loyal friend, binge drinker, writer.

It's one of the main reasons I write. Is the desire for recognition enough to inspire a publishable manuscript?

No.

Is it enough to motivate me to keep learning the trade, stick with it long term, and devote the time that it will take to inspire a publishable manuscript?

Maybe. Only time will tell. I hope so.

Give what I've just told you, you might suspect that I run around yelling at every person I meet that I'm a writer as I beat them into submission with a copy of my manuscript. Not true. Some of my friends and a few family members know that I write. Most don't. I think only one or two know that I blog (Hi Luciano!).

I'm trying to be a little more open about my writing but the fact is that for a long time, writing was a closet activity for me. I kept my writing to myself and nobody new about it. And I think that I would have preferred a Barbra Streisand concert (aka torture) to actually letting anyone read anything I wrote.

The thing about closets is that they're lonely. It's hard to improve you craft without feedback. It's tuff to maintain direction without encouragement. It can be done but I don't want to be the one to do it.

I'm out of the writing closet.

I AM A WRITER!!!

How about you? Are you out of the writing closet?