I was sitting on the train yesterday, playing Bejeweled 2 on my iPhone, and I overheard these two men chatting about their work. It was clear that they were both involved in IT. (I originally wanted to call them computer geeks, but I realized that anyone who works in IT has to be incredibly smart and patient and they have my undying gratitude.) They were going on and on about some problem they were having. It was mildly annoying but interesting at the same time. Though I didn’t understand a word of what they were talking about, I understood their mindset. They were very serious, almost passionate, about their work.
I thought about that on the way home. At first, I was amused that anyone could get so wrapped up in computer geek-speak. But then I realized that I’m the same way – when I’m with other writers.
Part of the appeal of writing conferences is the need to be around others who think like you do, people who understand what a WIP is, who know the perils and pitfalls of self-publishing and writer’s block. Because writing is such a solitary pursuit, trying to explain writing (and editing and publishing) to someone who doesn’t understand tends to be like those IT guys trying to explain what they were doing to someone who only knows how to turn the computer off and on.The average computer user just wants the computer to work when they turn it on, and for it to be fixed if it’s broken. They don’t want to know what the IT folks do to get it running and keep it running.
The average reader has no idea how much goes into producing a book – and I’m not talking about money, either. The average reader doesn’t care. They just want a story. They don’t want to know how the author labored over the words and images. They don’t want to know about disagreements with editors or lousy advances (if any). They really don’t want to know that the average writer has a “real” job to pay the bills because they would starve and be homeless if they depended on writing to make a living.
That’s why conferences are so needed. It’s the only place where writers aren’t average – they’re extraordinary. And we can writer-geek speak to our hearts’ content without anyone wondering what we’re talking about.
donnad69
