((hug)) an (unpublished) Writer Saturday

by Elizabeth

Okay, I know it's not Saturday. Hump day, so not even close, and for a lot of us, the slog of the week is still ahead. But come tonight, we are over halfway to the weekend, and for a lot of us (again), that means fun, relief, a change of routine. Good things all. And I'm going to propose we all add one more good thing, piggybacking on the wonderful idea Pamela proposed a couple days ago.

On Saturday, hug an unpublished writer. Someone without a published book, maybe without a contract, maybe without an agent. Heck, maybe without a single completed manuscript. Or anywhere in between. You can write the snail mail Pamela suggested (what a great idea!), or send an email, or make a phone call. I know weekends can be a slam what with household projects and/or soccer games and groceries and maybe even a party--send a text, even. Just take a minute or two to pat the back of a writer you know who may or may not actually need it. Even if they don't "need" it, I'm willing to gamble an ice cream sandwich (those familiar with my pathetic Skinny Cow habit know that means two) they'll appreciate it.

Me This Week*

I'm unpublished. I have two completed manuscripts that are lounging under my bed, two half-written manuscripts lounging in notebooks and on my computer, and a couple new ideas lounging in the conscious and subconscious regions of my brain. This week is a tough one. I could use a hug on Saturday. But really, what would be even tighter than a hug is the idea that other writers out there are getting one because someone read this and stretched their arms.

I already know who will be getting my hug. (Who says hugs must be in person?) You have three more days to decide. It doesn't have to be me--in fact, I almost want to insist it's not me. You can send out two or three hugs if you want, but do try to send one.

As for hugging a writer Monday through Friday, I mixed up the days just a little. I already had tickets to see an author on Tuesday, so come Friday, I'll take Tuesday's task, and I already have the writer in mind. Later today, I'll hit the bookstore and shell out the money for a new book. Tomorrow I'll reach into my stationery drawer and maybe even grab my fancy fountain pen and do one of my favorite things: hand write a letter to an author with sincere praise for their work. I'm still deciding between a well-established author I've loved for a couple decades and a new author who has perhaps not yet gotten as many props. Don't they both deserve it? Maybe I'll write two. As for Monday: I've been enchanted by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie lately, just finished one of her novels last week, and now must wait for her next because I've read everything she's published. I left left this note at Amazon:

"This novel was brilliantly written, warm and heartbreaking and true. Adiche captured a moment in history in a way that wanted me to learn more about it. Her characters were real, heroic, flawed, and perfectly drawn. I've never been to Nigeria, but she made me see it--the country, the people, the struggles, the triumphs.

I read her book of stories That Thing Around Your Neck upon picking it up in the library, and rushed out for her other work. I just finished Purple Hibiscus, which was also a wonderful read, and I anxiously await every new word this wonderful writer produces."

Thanks, Pamela. Looking forward to the rest of the week.


*Okay, really that's zombie makeup from the school haunted house a few days ago, but it's a pretty good representation of how I feel this week.