At 16, I read that "the average age of a published writer is 35". That line changed my life. I was horrified. Thirty-five was a lifetime away — 20 years!! I would be a old lady by then. I didn't doubt that you needed maturity and life experiences to write well, but 20 years of it?!
The Plan
In my panic-induced state, I struck out on a plan. I would double up my experiences. By the time I was 26, I would have as many life experiences as your avery 36-year-old — peeling 10 years off the writer's timetable.
The only rule was that the experiences had to be legal. The article didn't mention anything about "the average published writer has spent time in prison."
And so began the journey.
Weird Stuff I've Done for Writing
Flash forward 30 years. I've got a truckload of experiences under my belt. Some are bit weirder than others — like mud wrestling.
Some years back, I heard there would be competitive mud wrestling at the Puyallup Fair. I'd seen John Candy in Stripes. I signed up immediately. How many chances like this come around?
If I had known that the first thing they have you do is stand on an enormous scale to be publicly weighed in, I may have reconsidered. But I was already there. I stepped up, got my weight and my official mud wrestling T-shirt.
Turns out you have to wear a T-shirt over your bathing suit because the mud is more like axel grease than mud. Because it's slick, you're natural response is to grab your opponents suit, which has a good chance of coming off under the strain. Since this is was family event, they didn't want any youngsters seeing exposed parts — although I could tell from the audience's reaction that a good number had come for just that possibility.
The Line Up
The officials pulled names from a hat at to see who we would wrestle first. I was in the lightest of the three weight groups and my opponents looked pretty wimpy. I felt extremely confident I had a chance at the $25.00 grand prize.
Then came the last-minute contestant — a 110-pound woman that looked like she just got off a Harley Davidson. She was decked out in leather and looked like she could bench press her equally tough-looking boyfriend. I knew instantly I would draw her name, and I did.
On the bright side, I made it all three rounds without being pinned. I still feel bad about ripping her expensive, black leather halter. But it was her fault. She wouldn't wear the official T-shirt.
Afterwards they hosed us off in the cow barn. (That water is COLD!! How do cows stand it?) And I had another life experience to add to my resume.
The Moral of my Story
Did I get published at 26? No. I started publishing regularly in magazines at about 35. Right on schedule.
Am I sorry I started my odyssey. No way. It was the best panic-driven decision I've ever made. I'm still racking up experiences and my stories are benefiting because of them.
Please tell me I'm not alone!
di
Posts
3 comments:
Wow! Mud Wrestling That's definitely one I haven't tried. I love that you tried it. Way to go. I find that stepping outside of my comfort zone always brings me a good lesson to learn. Most of the time it's the fact that something I didn't think I could do, I did and enjoined. Sometimes I'd do it again and sometime I feel it was a one time experience, either way I like that I tried.
I'm all for jumping out of the comfort zone. :-) Unfortunately, the next thing out of my comfort zone isn't nearly as interesting -- wiring a new house. Should come out of it with stories though and a whole new level of appreciation for electricians.
Not alone. I thought I could be a street-accordion-busker at age 49. I have published 6 stories in the literary journals. Mud-wrestling sounds fun.=) Happy writing!!~~bernadette....
Post a Comment