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12-04-2015, 03:02 PM
I get a lot of questions about being a writer, and find I need to correct some crazy ideas that writing is a breeze. Don't get me wrong: I love what I do! But it isn't easy, and until you hit the heights of famous writers, the pay isn't what you hope. Even so, I have a plan, and I'm working toward it, and enjoying how I spend my working time. But those questions! I've mulled them over enough, trying to come up with witty answers that won't totally offend the asker.... but have, so far, only managed the witty-in-my-head, why couldn't I have thought of that sooner" answers.
And a conversation began in my head, like they often do....
Announcer: Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of 20 Questions! Insightful anecdotes await, so let's get to it!
She's a 51-year-old writer from the Chicago suburbs, mother of a 16-year-old boy, partner to The World's Most Interesting Man, and Guinness Book record holder for The Most Trips In -- and out -- of a Room in Less Than 6 Minutes Because She Can't Remember What She Went in There For! Let's welcome Dana McKenna!
Announcer: Welcome, Dana!
Dana: Thank you so much, Nigel. It's a real pleasure to be here.
Announcer: Let's get right to the questions, I know our readers have a lot of them! First, from Tammy in Weehawken, New Jersey --
Tammy: You write a lot about being an over-50 woman navigating the twists and turns of life as a mom after a nasty divorce and reinventing yourself. I'm about to get married. Any advice?
Dana: Honey, why on Earth are you asking me?
Announcer: And we've got Sarah from Naperville, Illinois --
Sarah: Have you published anything yet?
Dana: Well, yes, my twice-a week blog column and my columns for the Huffington Post.
Sarah: No, I mean for real publishing.
-- a beat of silence --
Dana: Have you published anything?
Sarah: Well, no, I...
Dana: Ok, when you publish something, THEN you can ask me if I've published for real yet. In the meantime, I'll just keep writing and editing 4,000-6,000 words -- that's approximately 15 pages -- a week (try it sometime -- it isn't as easy as it sounds) and getting them out in front of thousands of people each week, including on an international news outlet.
Announcer: And here's Nathan from Detroit --
Nathan: Do you date younger guys?
Dana: Next.
Announcer: Becky from Orange County --
Becky: Like, I know having kids can be, like, real hard sometimes, but like, er mehr gerd, you're like really hard on your son sometimes! What has he, like, ever done to you?
Dana: Well, Becky, it's like this: Most days I really, really love him and know he's the best thing that ever happened to me. Other days, I'm ready to ship him to Timbuktu, still knowing he's the best thing that ever happened to me. Being a Mom is funny like that. He can drive now, so I can send him out on errands when I don't feel like going out, so his stock has gone up there. I was in labor with him for four days, so he still owes me for that. Listen, the long and the short of it is, if I didn't write about him, I'd have to work a lot harder at coming up with ideas for my blog.
Announcer: Hello, Peter, from Schenectady, New York --
Peter: Why do you only use first initials for the people you write about?
Dana: Would you want to be identified in the columns I write?
Announcer: Hi there, Sharlene, from Bloomington, Indiana --
Sharlene: Your biography says you grew up in the theater. Is that true?
Dana: Absolutely! At 6-weeks old, I was tagging along to the high school theater where my Dad taught and directed students. Later we moved where I was SO fortunate to attend school where the arts are encouraged and supported, and is also home to a fantastic community theater facility that had equally fantastic talent to draw upon. I was onstage there from age 9 until I left at 29, as well as performing in high school. Summer stock productions (3 each summer) were mentored by the adult talent in the community with students doing everything from performing onstage, to playing in the orchestras, to lighting and set design, costuming, stage crew -- everything. My family was never into sports, we did theater; so that's where I learned how to be part of a team and work towards a goal together. It was also where all my friends were, so it was an ideal way to grow up.
Sharlene: I thought it meant you got to see lots of movies. Nevermind.
Announcer: This is Letitia from Boise, Idaho --
Letitia: So what do you do all day?
Dana: Well, write and edit mostly. There are some business aspects to attend to with a blog and social media. And "real life" still happens in that occasionally there is a dentist appointment, or one of the pets needs to go to the vet, or I need to go out and buy a birthday gift for someone, or run to the store. I am lucky in that my time is my own to schedule. But, if I take time off during the day, I need to work into the evening or through weekends to catch up.
Letitia: But you get paid weekends off, right? And holidays? Sick time? Lunch hours?
Dana: Um, no.
Letitia: Well you work for yourself, right?
Dana: Yes...
Letitia: Then what's the problem?
Dana: -- eye blink -- My boss is a real slave driver.
Announcer: Dylan from Tempe, Arizona --
Dylan: Is there much money in writing?
Dana: TONS! Millions! More than I can count! Yes, indeedy. Unfortunately, my name isn't Stephen King or Diana Gabaldon.
Announcer: Here's Candy from Portland, Maine --
Candy: Do you know J.K. Rowling?
Dana: We're tight as thieves. We get together every week. Wonderful guy.
Announcer: Mikey from Baltimore --
Mikey: So you want to get paid for sleeping in til noon, rolling outta bed and sitting at your computer for a coupla hours and then going out shopping?
Dana: Yes! Absolutely! Where do I sign up???
Announcer: We have time for one more question! How about Jerry from Toledo, Ohio --
Jerry: So how do I break into this writing gig? It sounds like a sweet and easy way to go!
Dana: Oh Jerry, sweetie, it is so easy: first, you agonize over whether or not you have anything of substance to say. Then you make the terrifying decision of whether to keep your day job and stay up all night and spend all weekend hours to write; or, quit your job with benefits and focus entirely on writing all day and all weekend. Then you need to set impossible goals for each week of how many pages you need to churn out in order to meet deadlines. Then it's off to an editor where you just need to withstand pages upon pages of red ink slashing through your heart's work, reading page after page of edits that totally run counter to the earth-shattering words you wanted to impart to the public. Then breeze through rewrites trying to make everyone happy. Finally comes publication and you can start the process all over again in order to make a living at it! Easy as pie!
Announcer: Delightful, delightful. Well folks, that's all the time we have for today! Let's give Dana a big hand (just to humor her)!
Dana: Thank you, Nigel. Thank you, readers. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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And a conversation began in my head, like they often do....
Announcer: Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of 20 Questions! Insightful anecdotes await, so let's get to it!
She's a 51-year-old writer from the Chicago suburbs, mother of a 16-year-old boy, partner to The World's Most Interesting Man, and Guinness Book record holder for The Most Trips In -- and out -- of a Room in Less Than 6 Minutes Because She Can't Remember What She Went in There For! Let's welcome Dana McKenna!
Announcer: Welcome, Dana!
Dana: Thank you so much, Nigel. It's a real pleasure to be here.
Announcer: Let's get right to the questions, I know our readers have a lot of them! First, from Tammy in Weehawken, New Jersey --
Tammy: You write a lot about being an over-50 woman navigating the twists and turns of life as a mom after a nasty divorce and reinventing yourself. I'm about to get married. Any advice?
Dana: Honey, why on Earth are you asking me?
Announcer: And we've got Sarah from Naperville, Illinois --
Sarah: Have you published anything yet?
Dana: Well, yes, my twice-a week blog column and my columns for the Huffington Post.
Sarah: No, I mean for real publishing.
-- a beat of silence --
Dana: Have you published anything?
Sarah: Well, no, I...
Dana: Ok, when you publish something, THEN you can ask me if I've published for real yet. In the meantime, I'll just keep writing and editing 4,000-6,000 words -- that's approximately 15 pages -- a week (try it sometime -- it isn't as easy as it sounds) and getting them out in front of thousands of people each week, including on an international news outlet.
Announcer: And here's Nathan from Detroit --
Nathan: Do you date younger guys?
Dana: Next.
Announcer: Becky from Orange County --
Becky: Like, I know having kids can be, like, real hard sometimes, but like, er mehr gerd, you're like really hard on your son sometimes! What has he, like, ever done to you?
Dana: Well, Becky, it's like this: Most days I really, really love him and know he's the best thing that ever happened to me. Other days, I'm ready to ship him to Timbuktu, still knowing he's the best thing that ever happened to me. Being a Mom is funny like that. He can drive now, so I can send him out on errands when I don't feel like going out, so his stock has gone up there. I was in labor with him for four days, so he still owes me for that. Listen, the long and the short of it is, if I didn't write about him, I'd have to work a lot harder at coming up with ideas for my blog.
Announcer: Hello, Peter, from Schenectady, New York --
Peter: Why do you only use first initials for the people you write about?
Dana: Would you want to be identified in the columns I write?
Announcer: Hi there, Sharlene, from Bloomington, Indiana --
Sharlene: Your biography says you grew up in the theater. Is that true?
Dana: Absolutely! At 6-weeks old, I was tagging along to the high school theater where my Dad taught and directed students. Later we moved where I was SO fortunate to attend school where the arts are encouraged and supported, and is also home to a fantastic community theater facility that had equally fantastic talent to draw upon. I was onstage there from age 9 until I left at 29, as well as performing in high school. Summer stock productions (3 each summer) were mentored by the adult talent in the community with students doing everything from performing onstage, to playing in the orchestras, to lighting and set design, costuming, stage crew -- everything. My family was never into sports, we did theater; so that's where I learned how to be part of a team and work towards a goal together. It was also where all my friends were, so it was an ideal way to grow up.
Sharlene: I thought it meant you got to see lots of movies. Nevermind.
Announcer: This is Letitia from Boise, Idaho --
Letitia: So what do you do all day?
Dana: Well, write and edit mostly. There are some business aspects to attend to with a blog and social media. And "real life" still happens in that occasionally there is a dentist appointment, or one of the pets needs to go to the vet, or I need to go out and buy a birthday gift for someone, or run to the store. I am lucky in that my time is my own to schedule. But, if I take time off during the day, I need to work into the evening or through weekends to catch up.
Letitia: But you get paid weekends off, right? And holidays? Sick time? Lunch hours?
Dana: Um, no.
Letitia: Well you work for yourself, right?
Dana: Yes...
Letitia: Then what's the problem?
Dana: -- eye blink -- My boss is a real slave driver.
Announcer: Dylan from Tempe, Arizona --
Dylan: Is there much money in writing?
Dana: TONS! Millions! More than I can count! Yes, indeedy. Unfortunately, my name isn't Stephen King or Diana Gabaldon.
Announcer: Here's Candy from Portland, Maine --
Candy: Do you know J.K. Rowling?
Dana: We're tight as thieves. We get together every week. Wonderful guy.
Announcer: Mikey from Baltimore --
Mikey: So you want to get paid for sleeping in til noon, rolling outta bed and sitting at your computer for a coupla hours and then going out shopping?
Dana: Yes! Absolutely! Where do I sign up???
Announcer: We have time for one more question! How about Jerry from Toledo, Ohio --
Jerry: So how do I break into this writing gig? It sounds like a sweet and easy way to go!
Dana: Oh Jerry, sweetie, it is so easy: first, you agonize over whether or not you have anything of substance to say. Then you make the terrifying decision of whether to keep your day job and stay up all night and spend all weekend hours to write; or, quit your job with benefits and focus entirely on writing all day and all weekend. Then you need to set impossible goals for each week of how many pages you need to churn out in order to meet deadlines. Then it's off to an editor where you just need to withstand pages upon pages of red ink slashing through your heart's work, reading page after page of edits that totally run counter to the earth-shattering words you wanted to impart to the public. Then breeze through rewrites trying to make everyone happy. Finally comes publication and you can start the process all over again in order to make a living at it! Easy as pie!
Announcer: Delightful, delightful. Well folks, that's all the time we have for today! Let's give Dana a big hand (just to humor her)!
Dana: Thank you, Nigel. Thank you, readers. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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