What I Do

When I was in second grade, my school had a talent show we were all obligated to take part in. Kids were going to play instruments, do dances, sing songs, the whole bit. I knew from the start what I wanted to do: I was going to write a story. That was what I did best. It was my talent. So it was a bit of a shock when my teacher told me writing wasn't allowed. Writing wasn't something you could perform, it was something you did alone, at your desk, and it wasn't very interesting to watch happen.

I had to learn how to juggle in two weeks.

My teacher was right, in a way... you can't sit on a stage and write, because it's far too boring. But writing CAN be a performance, and it CAN be something people want to watch happen. It's all about getting the bits into the right order, and using the internet to glue it all together.

If my New Year's resolution was to make more people know who I am, my goal for the year is to make Livewriting my job. It's a tall order, but it's doable. By blurring the lines between author and performer, I'm getting access to the same tricks musicians use to earn a living. I'll be figuring things out as I go along, but I've come to realize this exactly what I want to do, and I can't wait to do it again.

So now when I'm asked: "What do you do?", I can say I'm a livewriter.

What's that entail?

I guess we'll find out.