Daniel is neither a writer nor an aspiring writer. Daniel is writing. If he stops, kick him. You have his permission. Just not in the knees. Daniel favors:
- reading (a lot) as the ultimate writers class, workshop, seminar, conference, group, and means of receiving advice
- attending independent film (a lot) for the inspiration that comes from other artists experimenting with ideas
- traveling (as much as possible) for the sense of freedom and open-endedness about the world that he considers necessary to writing
- thinking (a lot), which he does primarily when walking and after reading
Daniel reads anywhere, learns and thinks mostly in solitude, travels alone easily, writes mostly in solitude, and then goes out and talks prodigiously and with enthusiasm of his exploits. If no one wants to hear it, he goes back to reading. Being stuck somewhere without his Kindle is painful to him.
As for writing: “I’m interested in urban fantasy, interstitial writing using elements of sci-fi and horror, magical realism, new wave fabulist fiction, and the city. On the other hand, none of that seems to get at it exactly. I don’t know what I’m interested in. I’ll let you know when I’ve written it.”
- Daniel is extremely goal driven (people who are moving more slowly tend to get overwhelmed).
- He is extremely achievement driven and likes to share achievements with an audience (some people call it showing off).
- He thrives on his own person confidence, is not easily shamed or embarrassed, treats everything he does as work – due to a strong interest in vocation, and takes all his work seriously (people who are less sure of who they are, what the world is, and what they’re meant to do, can consider it arrogance).
- He tends to say exactly what he thinks, in direct terms, and expects others to be just as straightforward, with no pretense (people who are uncomfortable with honesty, candor, or directness tend to find him rude).
Lastly, Daniel makes no excuses for any of this stuff, but knows it, lives it intentionally – deliberately, as Thoreau would say – and figures if you don’t like it, you should probably get back to work, which is what he’ll be doing. “Writing isn’t being – it’s doing.”