Michael--Fantastic and fun. There's a psychological side to the conversation that takes years and experience to understand. You've been conditioned to be polite and answer mother's questions or the teacher's questions. Grown up, you learn to ask questions.
That "What do you do?" question is someone else's monkey brain trying to put you in a category.
Usually I say "I know the answer to that question -- would you care to guess, first?" 100% of the time, their brain can't resist, and they want to look smart, so they say something like "lawyer" or something else. My reward for them leaning closer to me to hear what comes next is, "Good guess! I'm a journalist." Then, yes, Michael, they go to the do you get paid for doing that kind of question, with "Where do you publish" or "What do you write about?" That's my opening for the final question before they take over the conversation. I ask, "Can you tell me what you read, and I'll tell you if I've published in anything you mention?" The rest of the conversation is what they wanted to talk about anyway.
Love this. Truly.
Michael--Fantastic and fun. There's a psychological side to the conversation that takes years and experience to understand. You've been conditioned to be polite and answer mother's questions or the teacher's questions. Grown up, you learn to ask questions.
That "What do you do?" question is someone else's monkey brain trying to put you in a category.
Usually I say "I know the answer to that question -- would you care to guess, first?" 100% of the time, their brain can't resist, and they want to look smart, so they say something like "lawyer" or something else. My reward for them leaning closer to me to hear what comes next is, "Good guess! I'm a journalist." Then, yes, Michael, they go to the do you get paid for doing that kind of question, with "Where do you publish" or "What do you write about?" That's my opening for the final question before they take over the conversation. I ask, "Can you tell me what you read, and I'll tell you if I've published in anything you mention?" The rest of the conversation is what they wanted to talk about anyway.
Yes and
What about those people who say, “so are you still writing”
Any time this kind of situation presents,I think really they’re opening up the possibility of a conversation. And those openings are precious.
As a writers, we have so much to offer - let’s not keep it hidden between the lines.