A few weeks ago I received a phone call about noon. The caller ID read it as unlisted. Now, let me tell you, my phone doesn’t normally ring in the day time, unless it’s my mother, who has an this weird obsession to vent about my siblings, or my husband, who swears he just wants to make sure I’m alright. I also talk to Maurice a couple of times a week, but by noon he always home, napping. I kid you not.
All of their names show up on caller ID.
I work from home, writing and editing. I’ve worked with wonderful writers, such as Associate Professor Gwen Bolton, Deatri King-Bey and Essence contributor Pamela McBride. But most of these authors have day jobs, and I knew none of them would be calling me either.
But I answered, against my better judgment.
“Chesya?” the guy asked me. Most people don’t know how to say my name correctly, and this guy was no different. But he butchered it so badly that I felt sorry for him. This usually means some kind of solicitor, which I avoid like the plague, but for some reason, I knew this guy was different.
“This is Chesya,” I said.
Then out of the blue: “Can you tell me ‘bout you writing?”
I was floored. This was the LAST thing I expected to hear. I wish I could tell you that I thought this guy was someone important—like a movie person—and he just wanted me to pitch my book to him. But if you’ve been reading my blog at all, then you know quite well that I don’t have that kind of luck. Besides, this guy didn’t come off that way. It was probably his broken English.
“My writing? Who are you?”
“Oh…huh?” he honestly sounded surprised that I’d be asking him this. It wasn’t like, oh, I don’t know, calling someone up unexpectedly and asking them strange questions. “Oh, I’m gonna write, myself. My brother got your business card and book and gave ‘em to me. He know I wanna write.” He went on to tell me that he planned to write the Great American Novel one day, and he KNEW that it would be BIG. You see, he hadn’t started writing this work of genius yet, he had never even written a single thing in his life, but he KNEW it would be a great writer.
Then he said, “I hope it’s OK to call.”
Well, hell no, it’s most certainly not OK to call someone this way. Just in case you didn’t know. But at that moment, I had a choice: I could lay into him for having the gall to call my home when my email address is on the card and he could have used that instead, or I could calmly tell him about my writing, as he’d asked.
Well, what do you think I did? What would you have done?
5 comments:
tri...flin'.
I too probably would have had mixed emotions, but... when you are a writer, poet, actor, etc. You put yourself out there to the public, and if your card had your number on it, then one would think you would enjoy phone calls from fans.
I also, probably would have been a tad delighted that this person, {well educated or not} bothered to think "I" had something to offer him. For a fan to show praise for ones work, is what most artist strive for, isn't it?
I would have listened and given advice, as I saw fit, probably recommended other writers whose work might help guide him to the right path. I may have even suggested a small writing class offered through most community colleges. For a moment, look back at some of the more famous writers, Sam Clemens; this man had very little education when he began to write and tell his tales, yet look how far he went. Being around different groups of people and, obtaining more social skills, are usually what most people need to become more affluent in English and proper grammar.
I have a very southern accent, when I am in public, I tend to have better grammar than I do with friends and family, it is learning to be socially correct, but at home, I am just me, and the southern slang comes through in large bites. That does not mean I am ill educated, it means, I am more comfortable in my native tongue.
I too am interested in how you handled this acquiring person and his questions.
Thanks for asking. Lynn
Girl... unh, unh... I hope you told him where he could go buy copies of your work and told him to e-mail you with questions after he'd read them. :-)
Gwyneth
Chesya,
That is too funny. You said that he hadn't written anything. When was he planning on doing so? Talking about writing, ain't writing...
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