Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

When you do something, someone will ask you how. Sometimes the explanation works, often it doesn’t.

It seems that once I wrote a book or two and a few dozen magazine articles, I was approached by persons who wanted to write a book or two and a few dozen articles. They wanted to know how I had done that. They wanted to write a book, too.

Well, why not ask me? I must know something from having done something.

Go through just about any list of writers who have succeeded in one of the many ways writers define “succeeding.” At some point these “successful” writers talk about writing or write about writing.

Some writers are good at both writing and writing about writing. Other writers have no interest in the second practice.

And this happens with just about anything. ACME Inc. succeeds in business. After a while, everyone wants Mr. Bigshot from ACME to talk and write about succeeding in business. Same with football, Hollywood, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers. You do something. Please tell me how.

It is flattering to be asked. Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t.