Acrobats, they get safety nets. So that, in the event that they can’t do the thing that they do, acrobatics, they don’t fall to a painful death.
Writers, we have the opposite. We have danger nets. In the event that we can’t do the thing that we do, writing, we’ve got a nice tight mesh of rusty nails and exasperated editors to fall on.
You’re a professional acrobat, you want that safety net, but sometimes you’ve got to work without it. To impress people, mostly. I’m a commercial writer. I want that danger net, because if the danger net’s there then I know I will not fail. The nails, the editor, the lack of a paycheck. They’re waiting for me. They’re comforting.
Scary to take that jump without a net.
This is both beautiful and accurate. Thank you.
Thank you, Amber.