Hats

I am a wearer of many hats. The one I wear the most is the teacher hat, which I talk about a lot in this blog. Another is an actress--also something I refer to quite a bit. These two hats I am comfortable wearing.

There are other hats I am less comfortable wearing, at least when I am in front of people. One of these is the artist hat. I love to paint, draw and photograph the nonsensical world that surrounds me. Do I necessarily consider myself an artist though? Not particularly. The art teacher at my school, she is a real artist. My friend, Carol, and her husband Richard--they are artists. Me? I play at art.

I feel the same way about my writing. I had a conversation at the literary festival this past weekend about how difficult it is to refer to yourself as an author. Maybe some people don't have this particular mental block, but I certainly do. Someone asked me if I was an author and I skirted the question as best I could until James interrupted me and said "Yes. Kim is a writer."

I suppose the main reason I don't call myself a writer or an author is because it isn't something I work at every day. I write when I feel like it or, more appropriately, I write when it is convenient.

If it wasn't for FRANK (my writers group) I would probably have tossed away my manuscript a long time ago. But having a weekly meeting with people who ask about my work in progress has pushed me to write more, and write more often. Sometimes when I don't write they understand me, and accept my excuses. Sometimes they kick me in the ass. Sometimes they let me teach them the lesson I have planned for the next day because that was the only thing I could accomplish and they appreciate that.

If not for them, I would not have written 20, 000 words on my current project.

Tonight is FRANK night. We are eating nachos. I actually have something to read, thanks to my leisure weekend on Galiano.

Maybe one day I'll be comfortable wearing my authors hat. Maybe one day I will tell strangers, without a hint of irony, that yes--I am an author.
Not tonight though. Tonight I'm just going to eat nachos and read some words.