A Day in the Life (of a Writer)

The lasting image of a male writer is that of a socially awkward man sitting at his desk with stacks of books crowding his space and rings of cigarette smoke swirling above his head.

Well, I don’t smoke, so there goes that theory.

It’s true that many nights do seem quite lonely. It’s just me keeping company with my thoughts as my fingers dance along the keyboard trying to keep up with my flawed ideas. But it’s never lonely. Football’s on the TV, music’s playing in the background… And Zack (from the first book) and Neil (from the second) are active participants on the computer screen.

And sometimes… sometimes… the writing bubble collapses around me and forces me to walk the streets and engage with the real world.

Like this past Thursday evening (right after writing all day on ET Canada).

It started with another visit to a bookstore. They had offered me a consignment arrangement, so I signed the form and dropped off five books. They promised to display one in the travel section and another one in the local author section. No promises. Just a handshake and a hope that it all works out. It was good small business karma for both of us.

The next stop was a local restaurant to meet a friend. While drinking a Guinness, I read over some pages from Bands, Bulls, and London and made some revisions. There’s another lasting image of a male writer: a socially awkward man working on his book in a crowded restaurant under the influence of Irish alcohol. However, this image is closer to the truth… at least for me.

My friend arrived and we were off to a book launch party. The author, Sabrina Zollo, was celebrating the debut of her first novel. We had met only once before: on a cold winter’s afternoon at a coffee shop. She was a friend of a friend who wanted to know about self-publishing. I told her the hard truth about the business and it probably frightened her!

At any rate, she didn’t pursue that route and found a publisher. (Sabrina’s book’s called Why I Love My Gay Boyfriend, and if her public reading is any indication, it’s very charming and funny.) It felt good to celebrate someone else’s success, because the one important thing I learned about writers is this: we all want each other to succeed. We’re not competing with each other; we’re all united in competing with the distractions of the world. So there was good author karma for both of us.

My friend and I then retired to another pub to discuss her book. She’s still in the early development stages of her project with only a few pages to show for it. However, it’s a very solid idea and I am sure it will find its intended audience when she’s done. I also told her the hard truth about her writing style and it probably frightened her! At any rate, she’s determined to continue which can only mean more pleasant nights at the pub for both of us. So more good author karma is on its way.

And maybe it’s already arrived – like this past Friday evening (right after writing all day on ET Canada). Because when I opened my business e-mail account, I found a new message from a small but respected movie company: “Are the film rights available for John Meyer’s Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy?”

The answer is yes. So what’s next? Well, it will start with a visit to the company’s office. No promises. Just a hope that it all works out. And hopefully… I will have future feel-good stories to tell about a whole new chapter of Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy.

But right now, it’s just karma paying me back.

And it’s back to work on my next book in a crowded restaurant under the influence of Irish alcohol.
 
For more posts about the day in the life of a writer, check out:

https://www.johnmeyerbooks.com/small-announcements/

https://www.johnmeyerbooks.com/golden-globe-envy/

https://www.johnmeyerbooks.com/changes-great-and-small/