Girl Gone Mild
With college spring break right around the corner, it seems appropriate to devote my first blog entry to exploring a question that has long troubled me: are writers exactly like those girls gone wild in Panama City or Cancun? The answer, I’m afraid, is yes. Well, almost.
Writers and girls gone wild both feel an impulse to expose the most private parts of their selves to an enthusiastic audience. Usually, that impulse grows stronger with alcohol. Neither a girl gone wild nor a writer would, if they thought about, really want their parents to see what they’ve done. No matter what they claim—that they want to create a timeless work of art that elucidates the struggles of the human spirit or “I’m so wasted”—both really do it for the attention and approval.
There is, however, one significant difference between a writer and a girl gone wild: while writers face rejection on a daily basis, those wild girls almost never do. It is that experience—the seemingly enormous odds against ever getting published and the heartbreak of having your best work turned away—that I will explore in this blog. Because, unfortunately, that seems to be one of the realities of the business: at least in the beginning, you will probably be rejected more often than not. There is hope, though. Sometimes you aren’t rejected and your work finds a home and you get your audience and you feel as elated as spring breaker and find yourself throwing your arms in the air and yelling “Woo!” at passing strangers. I’ll talk about those times too.
Best,
Rachel Luria
February 19th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Looking forward to it.
Notable difference between the wild girl and the writer: Success for a writer results in a published work for all to see. Validation of the struggles and sacrifice necessary to put pen to paper. Success for a wild girl results in herpes.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I wonder if there will be a Mild video out