Stephen King's book, On Writing -- A Memoir of the Craft, is a link between writing and living. Not a "how-to" necessarily, more an account of his struggles, successes and the drive to write. Often it is very funny, always it's useful and revealing.
Steve had a teaching certificate and two kids, but he couldn't find a teaching job. So he went to work at a commercial laundry. He found little extras in hospital laundry like boxes of Cracker Jacks with weird prizes in them. He found a steel bedpan in one load and a pair of surgical scissors in another. Once he heard a strange clicking from inside of one washer and hit the emergency stop button. In a pocket of surgical scrubs he found a complete set of human teeth.
What's more interesting than that? When someone tells me about their so-called boring life, I don't believe them. Whether you've worked in a laundry or on the 21st floor of a skyscraper, it's all grist to the mill. Write that story and share it with me, please.
catherine@catherinealexander.net
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