So since graduating last May with my BFA in Theatre, I have discovered that I don't want to act. I thought I wanted to be a Casting Director but as it turns out, not so much, then I thought I wanted to be an Event Planner (still a thought) but once again, not so much then I decided I wanted to get involved in running an art gallery, and again, not so much so I decided I should go back and get my Masters in something, probably teaching. Now I'm once again not so sure. I keep going back to the idea of running some kind of cafe that involves art, music, theatre and books but that's all I know. I have no real plan. I have no idea how I want to spent my life anymore. That is incredibly daunting.
At the same time that I am totally lost as far as what I want to do with my life, I have pretty much been non-stop writing. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a path to stay on with my writing either. One thing I'm writing is kinda sarcastic and funny and a little romantic in an awkward way (about not being able to sustain any kind of relationship blah blah blah), something else is really dark and about sexual abuse, then I'm writing a fictional historical thriller about H.H. Holmes' murder castle from the point of view of one of his female victims and the point of view of a detective trying to find a girl that went missing at the Columbian Exposition. Most writers who end up with a successful story have some kind of through line in their stories. Not just with one single story but in all of them. When you think J.K Rowling you think Harry Potter, when you think James Patterson, you think of Alex Cross. I'm passionate about everything I'm writing but everything I write has such a different tone, I feel like I'm breaking some kind of code. Haha I guess I'll just wait and see what I can finish first.
You're not breaking any code. If you wrote the same thing every time, you might bore yourself to tears and bore your readers as well. The true test of any artist is perseverance. Keep writing. Write a short story and finish it. You need a beginning, middle and end.
ReplyDeletePerhaps an MFA in creative writing is a possible option for your future. Consider taking an undergraduate class in a writing program to see if it is something that stokes your passions.
Like a door that leads to ten doors that each leads to ten more doors, ad infinitum, life becomes less certain with age. We're skating on the fringes of a great unknown. At some point, we all open our eyes and exclaim "oh god, holy fuck, no." You're apprehension is normal and understandable.
Oh, and you should also get an editor: a friend or another writer (ideally both), someone who isn't afraid to give their honest opinion.
Thank you.
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