What Makes a Writer?

What makes a writer?

Such a simple question. But the answer is anything but easy. 

I suspect if you asked ten people that question, you'd get ten different answers. And none of them would be wrong.

The question came up this past Saturday at a meeting of the Chicago Writers Association (CWA) at the Beverly Library on Chicago's South Side (yes, deep in the heart of White Sox territory). Although I joined the CWA back in the spring, this was the first meeting of the group that I'd attended. (In my defense, it was only the second meeting they've held since I joined. The group, founded by Diana Laskaris, a lawyer, author and writer's best friend, had been running along mostly as a Yahoo e-mail group but last month, as a precursor to taking on a larger role with an upcoming Web site launch, revived its writers' meetings.)

The CWA claims 162 members. Only five percent (eight people) of that membership showed for Saturday's meeting. According to Diana, in the two years since the group was founded, no meeting has ever brought in more than 15 people. She's generally okay with that. As long as some people come, it is, in her view, worth the effort.

And she's right. Now, obviously, I can't speak for the other seven who came on Saturday, but it was for me well worth the drive from the North Shore. Until you meet people face-to-face, you just don't realize how extraordinary they really are. On Saturday, I met some truly inspiring writers, like Diana, Susan Danzig, Jennifer Brown Banks, Walt, Lee, Janet, and Nona. (Note: If I don't include someone's last name, it's because that individual has not in some way put his or her name out there on the World Wide Web.) 

Those who don't attend these meetings are missing out. In some ways, I understand. We've all got busy schedules, but for anyone reading this, just know that it's worth the effort to make room in that busy schedule to attend these meetings.

Now back to the question, What makes a writer?

As I stated earlier, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. What I write are my thoughts and my thoughts only. So with that proviso, here then are my thoughts on what makes a writer.

If you want to figure out what makes a writer, I think it important to first weed out those things that do not make a writer. I'm probably going against conventional wisdom with some of my thoughts here, but I came up with three things that do not make a writer:

1. Taking classes. There are all kinds of "How to be a writer" classes out there but none of them will make you a writer. They might make you a better writer, but they won't make you a writer. Before investing in such classes, you should first decide in your own mind whether you really are a writer. Otherwise you're throwing your money away.
2. Being paid. While it's nice to get a check for your writing, getting paid for writing does not make you a writer. Some of the greatest writers the world has ever known never made a penny from their writings.
3. Saying, "I'm a writer." Saying your a doctor does not make you a doctor. So why would it be any different for a writer?

So what then does make a writer? I have an answer that will frustrate many, but please bear with me.

My answer is one word: nothing.

That's right. Nothing. There's no magic potion. There are no secrets to unlock. There's no assembly line producing writers (if there were, Doubleday would be putting out John Grishams by the truckload). There's nothing out there that can make you a writer. You either are or you aren't.

How then do you know if you're a writer? 

If you are a writer, you probably already know it. You might not have admitted it to yourself, but, deep down inside, you know. I say this as a person who for many years fought being a writer.

What made me deny being a writer for so long? I blame my father, who is a writer. You see, when I was a kid, my Dad, an agricultural journalist, would take me to his office. I'd see what he did, and, well, it seemed pretty boring. All he'd do was sit at a desk typing.

That might explain why when I went away to college I had the crazy idea that I was going to be a pilot. For two semesters, I flew Cessnas before I realized that this was a career path that was never going to get off the ground.

Four years later I stumbled into a master's program in journalism at the University of Illinois at Champaign. That's where, at the ripe age of 22, I found writing. Or maybe it found me.

I suppose I always knew that I was a writer. There is something that distinguishes writers from non-writers. When you're a writer you can't not write. There are words in your head that always seem to be pushing and shoving their way out.

That explains why in the middle of the night when you're awakened by your son's cries, you go to his bed and rub his back until he falls back to sleep. And then, rather than going back to sleep yourself, you make your way into the office next door, grab a notepad and pen and write down all the thoughts that came into your head during the hour you spent comforting your son. Only after all the words have come out are you able to go back to your bed and sleep.

The next morning all those thoughts that you had in the middle of the night become all the words that you just read.     

Another Mystery Double-Billing

The title of this entry is in reference to the title given my upcoming book-signing event in Winnetka, Illinois.

Now does that title draw you in? I suppose if the earlier mystery double-billings were good. YES, ANOTHER! WOO-HOO!

Or does it make you want to run and hide? Oh, not another one of those boring, old mystery double-billings. I'd rather watch reruns of The Simple Life.

I don't have an answer. But I certainly hope it's the former, as opposed to the alternative. I've already done the book-signing-appearance-for-an-empty-room drill (see entry titled "The Not-So-Glamorous Life"). It's not all that fun.

I've never met the author with whom I've been double-billed, John Knoerle, but he certainly sounds interesting. And his latest release, The Violin Player, sounds like something I wish I'd written. If nothing else, I get to meet a fellow genealogical buff.

Please do come out to see me. The event is FREE and kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 15 at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court. 

Face/Off in Joliet

Do I really resemble Michael Gelman? And, more importantly, who is Michael Gelman?

I pose these two questions having an answer only to the latter.

Michael Gelman is the executive producer of Live with Regis and Kelly, a TV talk show I don't watch.

Probably a year or so ago somebody (I don't remember who) told me that I look just like Michael Gelman. That was the first time I'd ever even heard the name Michael Gelman and it, of course, triggered an immediate investigation, which basically amounted to a Google search. That's how I came to know of Michael Gelman.

Jump forward about a year later, to this past Saturday, when I'm one of more than thirty-five authors signing books at the Regional Author Fair in Joliet. I'm seated at a table, surrounded by other authors. Nearby, off in the corner, a few patrons, who prior to this day I had never met, are engaged in a lively discussion -- about me. The banter, I later learned, was about how I, in their view, was the mirror image of Michael Gelman.

    Randy Richardson
      Michael GelmanNow I put the question to my blog readers to settle the score: Are Randy Richardson and Michael Gelman one and the same? Please share your comments on this most important debate topic.

With that out of the way, let me give kudos to the organizers of the Regional Author Fair, which was presented by the Joliet Public Library and co-sponsored by New Lenox Public Library and Plainfield Public Library. They really put on a terrific event.

In four hours, I sold nine books. That was nice, but much more significantly I met so many wonderful people, book lovers and authors alike. Some great friends stopped by. And what a thrill it was chatting with fellow authors like Adam Woodworth, who, like me, is also a member of the Chicago Writers Association. There were also fellow mystery writers like J.A. Konrath, Julie Hyzy and Michael Black. And there were my table neighbors Donald Lehmann and Steve Pribish. Does this make me a name-dropper now? Seriously, these are not only all wonderful writers, but they are also truly nice people. You should buy books from all of them.

My only disappointment was that I stepped away late in the day for a restroom break and missed a visit from Mr. Konrath, who earlier in the day had signed one of his mystery books for me. A library worker who was kind enough to sit at my table while I was away informed me that Mr. Konrath had come looking for me. Although I have yet to read any of his books (next up on my ever-growing To Do List), I've become a big fan of his blog "A Newbie's Guide to Publishing." If you haven't read it, you should. It's an entertaining read, especially if you're at all intrigued by what it takes to be a success in the book world. 

Perhaps the best moment of all for me, though, was when three young girls, each probably ten or eleven years old, came by my table. No, they didn't buy my book. They probably couldn't even afford it. But each of them asked me to sign for them both a business card and a bookmark. For a few moments I felt a little like a rock star.

I asked the girls why they had come, and they all said because they love to read. People generally assume that I do all this book stuff to make money. These are people who aren't authors. I can tell you the odds that I'll ever make back the money that I've invested into promoting my book are remote at best. But there are rewards that just can't be measured in dollars and cents. You never know but perhaps one day one or more of those girls will be inspired by something I've written. That's truly what makes all of this a worthwhile investment. 

Lastly I should note that at the very end of the day, as I was packing up, one of the founding members of my Michael Gelman fanclub picked up a business card. "I'm going to email Regis a link to your Web site," he said. "He'll get a kick out of this."

So if one day I am invited to appear on the Regis and Kelly show, you can trace it all back to a book fair on a sunny October day in Joliet.

Next up: the Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka on Saturday, October 15. I'll be writing a little more about this one soon.

Update on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 10:30AM by Randy Richardson

Just got word that today's blog entry got a boost from Mr. Konrath, who gives it a plug in his own blog entry today. Be sure to check out his blog entry (the link is provided above). In thanking him by e-mail, I mentioned that he was fortunate that I stopped short of posting an image of him alongside the image of the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies. I happen to think that he's a dead ringer for BNL's Steven Page.

Early returns in the Gelman-Richardson polls range from no likeness at all to half-siblings separated at birth.

The Not-So-Glamorous Life

Quick, right off the top of your head, how many current authors can you name? I came up with Stephen King, Dan Brown, John Grisham and Scott Turow.

And then there's that guy I really like, oh, what's his name...it's right on the tip of my tongue. Gosh, I just read his book and really liked it. It was...wait...I know it...I was just reading it in bed last night...I just can't remember the title. But it was really, really good--

Now how many current movie stars can you name, right off the top of you head? Let's see, there's Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman...and the list goes on and on.

The point is, few authors have achieved movie star status. Fans aren't clamoring at their feet. The paparazzi aren't trailing their every footstep.

When you go on a book tour, you realize that if you aren't J.K. Rowling, James Patterson or Patricia Cornwell, there won't be throngs of people coming to see you.

But you hope that some will come. And that some, if not fans now, will become fans.

Those were my rather modest hopes when I traveled up to Rockford, Illinois this past weekend for the first stops on my two-month book tour.

My schedule called for book signings and talks at three libraries over two days, in towns that I had never heard of prior to my publicist telling me that I was to go to them. On Saturday, it was Loves Park and Roscoe. Sunday, it was Cherry Valley.

When I first pulled in to the Loves Park library, with my wife and toddler in tow, there was one of those How-cool-is-this? moments when I saw the sign reading "Mystery Authors September 24," knowing that I was one of those mystery authors. And then it just got cooler when, upon walking in and seeing pictures of me and my book, my two-year-old son said, "Daddy's book." 

Photo couresty of Rock Valley Publishing and Margaret DowningI'd been paired for the Saturday events with fellow mystery author Libby Fischer Hellman, one of Chicagoland's more respected and successful authors. I figured that if nobody came to see me, they'd at least come to see her, right?

Wrong. A local newspaper reporter, Margaret Downing, showed -- and that was it. The good news is that Downing is a darling and writes for six (count 'em -- six) community newspapers and her story on our appearances will be appearing in three Rockford-area newspapers on Thursday.   

Being on the road is a lesson in just how hard it is to sell books. The second book-signing, in Roscoe, drew a crowd of two.  Although the turnout was low, the discussion was lively and interesting. And Deborah, a budding non-fiction writer, even bought one of my books (thank you, Deborah!). The other attendee, a writer of children's books, promised to buy my book at a later date.

On Sunday, I was on my own in Cherry Valley, thanks to a late cancellation of another mystery author. Unfortunately, not a soul came out in the dreary, rainy weather to see me.

Oh, well. The weekend wasn't a total loss. I met two wonderful library directors, Ann Powell and Eve Kirk, who went to great lengths to promote my events at their libraries. Many, many thanks to them. I also met a couple of writers who may just turn into fans. Many others will get a chance to read about my book, thanks to the work of Margaret Downing. And my little boy really enjoyed hanging out in the libraries' children's sections, picking apples in Cherry Valley and swimming in the pool at the Clocktower Resort.

They say that you got to look at the business of selling books one book at a time. Well, I sold and signed one book over two days. So that's my one book. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Next up: the 2005 Author Fair in Joliet on Saturday.

Search Inside the Book

No longer is Lost in the Ivy just a static book cover on Amazon.com. Now you have the ability to "search inside" the book.

Check it out, it's pretty cool.