Working in PJs

. .
.
One of my mother's (many) wisdoms was: "Choose your vocation according to the outfit." As silly as that sounds, I think she had a point. One of the (many) reasons I love writing is that I can go to work in my PJs.

Publishing, however: that's another story. When my first novel was published, and before my first public reading, I went to the Clinique counter. I needed to know more about the mysterious art of make-up. Even now, part of my emotional prepping for a reading involves a number of appointments with the "beauty" professionals. It's just part of the process, along with printing out the talk and practicing it in front of a mirror. Henry Fonda, I've read, threw up before every public event, so I don't feel too bad about my own anxieties.

I'm still reading The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters — which I'm appreciating more and more (more on that later). I'm finding that novel writers and screenwriters share much of the same process, but for one thing: screenwriters, as a rule, do not give readings or go on tour. (They do have to go to meetings, however.) The promotion part of publishing is something I get anxious thinking about, but I invariably love doing it.

Meanwhile, there is a bit of thought to be given to the outfit. PJs simply won't do.