I'm stingy about my writer friends, so what?

     Yes, it is a sad but true fact. I am totally stingy about who in the writing community I view as a friend. I've always been the kind of person who likes the be in charge, the center of the universe. I guess it's the Leo roar coming out in me. Whatever the reason, I don't mind sharing the spotlight or stepping back and following... I just don't prefer it. So, in the past, I always gravitated to a group of friends with completely different interests as mine. I'll be the deep writer, he can be the artsy, well, artist, and she can be the techy guru. We mesh.
     
     However, as I've gotten older and hopefully wiser, I've come to realize the value in having community support from other writers going through the same processes I am. It has also been invaluable just to be able to vent about some of the issues I have. I'm working on my piece for publication mostly as a hobby. Right now, I want to focus on my freelance career and accomplishing a few content projects. I'm not ready to get ready for the publishing dream. So, when I'm bitching about how my editor is yanking all the creative aspects out of my article, my husband nods and smiles, but he doesn't get it! He doesn't understand that every piece I write is a piece of my soul, and detaching that for work is currently a hard lesson for me to learn. 

Write for Work = Money

Write for Pleasure + Sex with the Creative Muse (figuratively ya'll! come on) = Fictional Genius

     This brings me to my point: I am stingy with my writer friends. I have lots of acquaintances throughout the net world, but few would I call friends. Why am I stingy? Well, honestly, it is because I don't prefer the writers who seriously overestimate their abilities, who look down on the people (like agents and editors) who help polish or even completely rewrite their work, and those who seem to think deep writers must live in this haze of false angst and mystery.


     The latter is my absolute nightmare! I feel like I'm in a strange cross between the teen angst of high school and a herd of crying emo's. I just don't enjoy the company of false downers. Now, I do have to say that I have a friend, a tech god, who is very mellow and deep and real about it. He doesn't try to be that way to impress anyone or fit into some stereotype. He just is.


    So, yup. I sure am stingy about my writer friends, but I'm totally cool with it.




... and yes, once more food inspires my though processes. All this occurred to me as I made and devoured a GIANT and oh-so-delicious Caesar salad.