How you become a writer

When I was a kid, my mother told me that great writers are never appreciated in their lifetimes, but are recognized only after their deaths. She said writers often aren't even published until after they die, and that it was certainly no way to make a living.

How unfortunate!

I was set on becoming a writer, and why would I settle for less than great?

So began my detours on the way to writerhood. Write, but expect nothing. Write, but prepare to be ignored. Write, but, for heaven's sake, find some other way to support yourself.

The nobility, the glamor and the romanticism of tilting against publishing windmills has grown old.

The earth is changing under my feet, and it turns out that mother wasn't always right about everything.

The heck with detours. This road right here

looks pretty interesting.