{"id":164,"date":"2016-09-07T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victoriafeistner.com\/?p=164"},"modified":"2019-02-10T13:18:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-10T18:18:30","slug":"things-i-wish-people-would-ask-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriafeistner.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/07\/things-i-wish-people-would-ask-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Things I Wish People Would Ask Me at Parties"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve written before1<\/sup> about how difficult I find navigating the social minefield of “talking about writing full-time while not making money doing so”. But after a year, more and more of my wider social circle knows\/remembers, so it’s gotten easier.\u00a0Occasionally, though, I’ll be talking to someone and out comes\u00a0the dreaded: “So, how’s the writing going?”<\/p>\n

It is a friendly question. It is meant in a friendly way, and I appreciate that.<\/p>\n

Problem is, this is\u00a0a question that blue-screens me like a 486 running Win952<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\n

If writing is going well<\/em>, then of course<\/em> I want to talk about it, and I will. I will talk until the other person’s eyes roll up in their heads and they fall to the ground in the manner of an opossum praying\u00a0that I will stop to\u00a0wander off in search of easier prey, i.e. an appetizer3<\/sup>. And I am acutely aware of this, so what usually happens is I babble for about 30 excited seconds and then the ABORT\u00a0command hits and I come to a screeching halt and awkwardly change the subject. It’s a not a great response when you’re trying to sell yourself, admittedly. It’s not a great response for anything<\/em> except weirding people out.<\/p>\n

…I may have mentioned I am not great at parties.<\/p>\n

While some people enjoy my rambling4<\/sup>,\u00a0no one<\/em> wants to hear me talk about how writing is going badly. I am very aware of that too; hence this blog5<\/sup>. So the ABORT command travels even faster and sometimes I can change the subject before they’ve finished speaking, which I consider a skill.<\/p>\n

Either way, it is not a\u00a0Super Happy Fun Chat Times Question for me.<\/p>\n

\n

Well then, Neggy Naysayer, what’s the alternative?<\/p>\n

I thought about this before heading on vacation last month6<\/sup>\u00a0. Then, when I got back, I reached out to some writer friends and acquaintances. I mean, I know what the answer\u00a0is for me<\/em> (which I will talk about next week) but I realized that there is probably a different response out there for each individual\u00a0writer. And I\u00a0got very curious about what those responses might be. So next week I will have my\u00a0potential solution, for those interested7<\/sup>, and at least once a month I am hoping to have a guest post from a variety of people who all write\u00a0in various capacities. Doesn’t that sound fun? I think that sounds fun.<\/p>\n

See you next week!<\/p>\n

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    \n
  1. see: “Writer vs. Designer<\/a>“<\/li>\n
  2. If you are coming here from another page, welcome! I make a lot of nerdy references and YOU CAN’T STOP ME<\/li>\n
  3. This has never actually happened (promise) but if it did I certainly wouldn’t blog about it. OR WOULD I<\/li>\n
  4. I call these people “friends”<\/li>\n
  5. see: “Writing is the Deadliest Sport<\/a>“. Also: thanks for making it this far.<\/li>\n
  6. and also while<\/em> on vacation floating in a lake on an innertube that looks like a Homer Simpson doughnut, which is the best way to do any<\/em> serious thinking, FYI<\/li>\n
  7. I love youuuuu<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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