I'll be honest. I enjoy visiting school kids. On Tuesday, when I went out to Barnes and Noble in Glendora, there were probably a hundred or so kids there from the local high school and junior high.
Kids ask great questions, too. One of them I'm frequently asked is, What's the best part about being a writer?
I'm not really good at "bests" and "worsts," because I don't really rank things that way. But there are a lot of really great things that go along with what I do. Here are some of them...
I enjoy talking to kids and getting them fired up about reading and writing. One high school kid recently posted something about one of my books on his blog. He said something like he had forgotten how much he enjoyed reading until he read Ghost Medicine, and how school made reading not fun anymore. He said the things he hated about reading in school were: 1) the lack of choice, and 2) the assignments that went read page xx to page xxx and then there will be a quiz.
That's exactly what I've been saying here for years. And good on him for rediscovering the freedom of reading.
I really enjoy working on revisions with my editor. Last week, a student in Glendora asked me if I thought I was a better writer now than when I wrote my first book. No brainer. I've learned so much by working with the talented pros I get to work with. And, by the way, I just read The Marbury Lens, too. I had to read it slow, to look for any typos in the galley. I know it's weird to get outside yourself and actually read your own words... I mean, how many times have I read this thing, anyway? But, I like it. I think it's really good. Now I'm not so scared about it.
And, being a writer, I've gotten to meet some of my heroes. My actual heroes, face to face. That's a cool thing, too.
What do you like about being a writer?
