ThomG chats with a real, live novelist

“You thought journalism was fucked up, lemme tell you. Publishing, now that’s fucked up.”
I sat down for coffee Tuesday with a real, live novelist, and for the cost of a regular coffee and an apple fritter, I was treated to an insider's knowledge of a business I'd like to be in. So I listened. I asked questions.
“Basically, I’m just at a point of collecting advice from people,” I said. “Just trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”

A former journalist himself (you never really get rid of actually being a journalist; it’s a lot like herpes), he told me – from his perspective – what it takes to write a novel. He didn’t dissuade me from trying, but he gave me a lot to think about.
A few great tips, which I have already begun to incorporate into my daily life.

Mostly, it was the reaffirmation I needed to begin planning and plotting a future. Whether in journalism, out of journalism, or a little bit of both.
“Man, I don’t know that I did all that much. Put an apple fritter in front of me and I’m good to talk for hours.”

The talk let me take a long look at myself – and my future – from the outside looking in. It gave me the strength to know that I am doing all the right things.
And that I was ready to step onto a path that would lead to a journey…
To my future.

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