“I Just Write
Stories”
As a regular
patron of the bookstore, Janet had often seen the fliers for the Pen Jockeys,
the writing group that met every month in the store’s café. She didn’t consider herself a writer, just a
dabbler who wrote two or three short stories a year to post on her blog. Several people – not just her friends – had
said that she had talent and should write more.
After much debate, she decided to at least check out the writer group
and see if she could learn anything from real writers.
In the café, two
tables had been pushed together to make room for about a dozen people. A sign in the middle of one proclaimed the
tables reserved for the Pen Jockeys. It
was still about ten minutes until the meeting time, but two men and a woman
already sat there. They welcomed Janet
and had her join them.
“I’m Brian,” the
first man said. “I write gay fantasy.”
The second man
introduced himself as Doug. He
explained, “I write science fiction with strong libertarian underpinnings.”
“And I,” Samantha
added, “write historical fiction with strong female characters.”
“It’s nice to meet
you all,” Janet said. “I … just write
stories.”
The three looked
confused. “What kind of stories?” Doug
asked.
Janet
shrugged. “Whatever comes to mind.”
“Do they have
specific themes?” Brian asked.
“Um … no. Just your basic run-of-the-mill stories.”
“What are you
trying to achieve with them?” Samantha asked.
“Ah … they’re just
fun. I usually post them on my blog.”
Janet looked around at them for a moment before asking, “Is that a problem?”
The three looked
at one another. “Well,” Doug began, “if
you really want your writing to take off you need to write to a specific
audience, be they gay, libertarian, feminist, what have you.”
“Oh,” Janet
replied. “Well, I’m just starting out,
so I’m more interested in learning about writing, not the marketing aspects.”
“Writing is a
business,” Brian stated. “Too many
people who want to be writers never learn that.”
Janet was quiet as
she thought that over.
Samantha then
asked, “You said you just write … for fun?”
“Yes.” Janet looked
around. “Don’t you?”