Saturday, March 15, 2008

Talking About Writing is Not Writing

Today I'll be appearing as part of a discussion panel of writers at a writing group. I was asked to participate about a month or so ago. They needed a poet to round out the group, I think. I sent in my brief bio, and a couple of days ago, I got an email that included questions I might be asked:

What is your writing routine?

Where do you find your ideas/inspiration?

What appeals to you most about your particular genre?

Do you feel that you have “made” it as a writer, and when did that happen?

How do you handle writer’s block?

I've listened to panel discussions at writing conferences and gatherings. Sometimes they are really inspiring - usually when they have a topic - like "Privacy" or "Writing the Political." Talking about writing is just that - talking about writing. Ultimately, writers write. I don't know if telling anyone my writing routine is going to inspire them to write. The organizer of the event has said that these are just questions to get the discussion going - so I hope that the discussion goes off on some complex tangents - fast.

1 comment:

Indigo Bunting said...

I hope it went well. I don't know if hearing about how others do things is inspiring or not, but it has the potential to be interesting...