One of my favorite places to be when it comes to thinking out loud is New York City. Will spend more time later to bring you up to speed about the years I spent working in NYC. For now, this post is about today after an eventful weekend filming, writing and thinking out loud.
As writers, there is some truth to the notion that we live in the past. When a filmmaker expressed this opinion recently in a TV interview, it got me thinking. Are my stories about the past? Guess what. He was right. Not only that, but one of my college professors from many years ago posted a question for me on Facebook. Of course, I answered him. That got me thinking further back by at least another ten years.
Now I’m remembering details about my life as a college student in northern New Jersey. That’s well and good, but these events have very little to do with my current writing project. It may just be another distraction. For writers, each day is filled with distractions from commuting to and from work or working at home with ever conceivable distraction from home maintenance and walking the dog to keeping phone conversations short and to the point.
This is a writer’s site. It is intended to clear out the cobwebs, weed out unnecessary events and do whatever is necessary to tell a good story without being sued for defamation of character. Writers also face the dilemma of hurting people’s feelings if our writing is non-fiction. How can we write stories based on actual events if the events haven’t occurred yet? What’s wrong with this timeline?
Fiction writers seems to have all the fun with more freedom than non-fiction writers, am I right? Case in point: your boss is a jerk or worse used your best ideas to fill his coffers after letting you go. Let’s not get carried away. Most streets are two way so let’s not blame the boss entirely for this twist of fate. Doubtless the boss gave you and your feelings a second thought and everyone else he ran and continues to run roughshod over.
Clearly, episodes like this one is here as a precaution for writers. There’s a saying: don’t cry over spilled milk. This is one of those times. So, either get over it or get a good lawyer. When you portray “rich people” in a bad light, there will be consequences. You have learned this life lesson already. The question is how FAR BACK should writers go to feel vindicated?
We’re the writer. We should be able to decide what’s best or in the best interest of all parties concerned. If writing doesn’t bring us pleasure or relief in some form, perhaps we should find another way to amuse ourselves. How about cooking or just thinking out loud in our favorite city or wherever we happen to be? We might even read he Bible!
Darlene Dranda, Publisher
Wine Arts Press 