What Writers Can Learn From a High School Dance!
Let’s talk prom. Yes, the rite-of-passage high school dance portrayed a million times in a million different ways. Did your school have one? Did you go? Did it look anything like the ones portrayed in TV shows, movies or books?
Mine didn’t. Starting with the fact that I went to four of them. Back in the day, Ontario had Grade 13 but some students could “fast-track” and graduate in Grade 12, so prom was open to both grades. In Grade 11, my Grade 12 boyfriend invited me to his prom. I went to my Grade 12 and Grade 13 proms. The next year, I was my Grade 12 friend ‘s prom date. Each was a crazy, fun, different experience. None was anywhere close to the way I’d imagined from pop culture.
What’s this got to do with writing, Jen?
Assumptions. What we think we know from what we’ve heard or seen or read but haven’t yet experienced. Have you imagined what the life of a bestseller would be like? Media interviews, book tours, accolades—awards, even!
By all means, dream big! But dream your own big. Your experience, should you live that life, may look nothing like what we’ve heard from other people.
Just like prom.
Which, for me, is a reassuring reminder that my own writing journey is unique—crazy, fun and different.
So next time you find yourself daydreaming about the life of your favourite author and all they’ve accomplished?
Remember prom.
And enjoy your own path.