thoughtfulHi! How are you? It's mid-December as I'm writing this, so you're probably sitting in your third grade classroom with Mr. D, wondering whether you're going to be able to get home in time to watch The Munsters on TV 20. The odds are good that you will. Just so we can get that out of the way early.
You know how on Career Day every year you say you're going to grow up to become a writer? Well, congratulations: you will. It's going to take a long time and a lot of work, and you're going to feel like giving up a whole bunch of times, but if you can make yourself keep going, you'll be me someday. You're going to write a lot of crap. I mean a lot of crap. It's necessary crap. (Well, maybe not all of it. There's going to be this novella in seventh grade that you'll be totally proud of and let a lot of people read, and trust me, you're wrong, it's terrible, and if you want to not do that, I promise I'll understand.)
Being a writer is a lot more complicated than it looks. You don't have the Internet yet, but let me tell you, it's going to change everything. You're going to wind up being friends, or at least acquaintances, with some of the people whose books you're reading right now. (Sorry, I still don't know Stephen King.) Learn to take criticism. Learn to shrug off insults. It'll all be okay.
Leela is going to live for a really long time, but not forever; be good to your cat while you have her. I still miss her. You're not going to be friends with the same people for your entire life, but you have them for now, and that's worth a lot. Hug Stacy and Natasha for me, okay? They're going to bring My Little Ponies back in 2004. That isn't as far away as it sounds. Trust me.
You're going to be okay. You're going to tell stories, and you're going to see the world, and you're going to meet amazing people, and you're going to be okay. Just wanted to drop a note and let you know that.
But I really mean it about that novella. Yuck.
Love,
You.
December 14 2008, 05:27:35 UTC 8 years ago
When I was nine we only had 4 channels in the Bay Area. Hey, hey, we did have electricity back then.
(My dad can remember their first TV and indeed their first home radio.)
December 14 2008, 07:52:37 UTC 8 years ago
December 14 2008, 17:58:24 UTC 8 years ago
I became more of a 44 guy.
(Oh yeah, we had *5* channels. Did watch 9 sometimes. Masterpiece Theater, and we liked Sesame Street.)