You never know when you wake up on a given day that something might happen in the next 24 hours that changes the trajectory of your life.
When two pair of eyes meet for the first time.
When the phone rings with a welcome opportunity.
Something happened to me a few years ago that turned me right side up as a writer. I was at a conference when the speaker challenged us about our goals. She said that we made a big mistake if we made “getting published” our primary goal as writers. She argued for something larger: “Make it your goal to live a literary life.” Getting published was only one aspect of that life. She urged us to dive into the literary world by doing things like going to book signings and buying other author’s new works at list price. Literary living meant to send congratulatory notes to colleagues upon their success. These were just a few signs of a literary life being well-lived.
I came away from that talk energized. I could not control whether I got published or not, at least by a traditional publishing house. But I could control the quality and content of my literary interactions. I could live a life of give and take, creation and consumption. I could post regular reviews and read those posted by others. I could interact with authors at local writing groups. I could launch websites like this one.
Fame is fleeting but a literary life can last a lifetime. May “Writing and Ephemera” serve you well. Thank you for reading, writing, buying, and anything you do to live a LITERARY LIFE.