Louisa was going to be a great writer someday. That’s what she told everyone.
“I’m working on my novel,” she said to when out to dinner with friends.
“It’s such hard work. I spent nearly an hour yesterday writing a couple hundred words,” she told her sister.
“The characters keep talking to me in my head. I can’t even sleep!” she said to her mom when she called.
“I feel like I’m halfway through the introduction now, the end is almost in sight!” she said to her friend Naomi. After chattering on for another half hour about her book, what it was about, and how alternatively excited and exasperated she was to write it, Louisa remembered something. “Hey Naomi, aren’t you also working on a book? How is that going?”
“It’s fine,” Naomi said.
“That’s great. Oh, by the way, did I tell you about the new supporting character I came up with the other day?” And off Louisa went again, reciting the history of each character and how she came up with them.
Three years later, Louisa’s friends were still asking her about the book every time they met up for lunch or drinks at the local pub or at holiday parties. “How is the book going, Lou?” they would say. “When are we going to get to read it?”
“Well,” Louisa said, with a sigh. “I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock these last few months.”
“So where are you with it now?” Cady asked.
“The end of the introduction, I think,” Louisa said. “It’s a little hard to tell, you know, ,because my ideas keep changing, and I don’t work off a blueprint or anything like that, no outlines–that inhibits my creativity. Books take a long time to write. Years and years. Ask me in another couple years, by then maybe I’ll have the first draft ready.”
“Oh,” the friends nodded. Then Cady turned to Naomi.
“Noomi, didn’t you say that you recently quit your job? What are you doing now?”
“I’m writing,” Naomi said, calmly taking a bite of her curry.
“REALLY?” Tabitha said. “I don’t think you’ve ever heard you say anything about it. What do you write?”
“Books,” Naomi replied.
“When did you start? How many have you written?”
“Three years ago,” Naomi said. “I write fiction…I’ve written a standalone and a trilogy so far and I’m working on another series.”
“Wait, what? You mean you started the same time as Louisa and you’ve written and published four books?”
Naomi nodded and Louisa looked embarrassed. “Well, you know,” she said. “Some people are faster than others.”
“Right, but the thing is, we never knew you were writing, Naomi!” Cady said.
“Well, I think we did hear her mention it once in a while,” Tabby said thoughtfully. “But we never paid attention because we were all busy listening to Lou…” she trailed off, then cleared her throat. “Anyway. Anyone up for more curry?”