What's that in his hand?
Why, it's your life story.
You're a writer and maybe you thought the value of your writing life would be written down by someone who investigated and contexted your personal history, the evolution of your feelings and ideas. Maybe you were hoping your biographer- and we all like to think someday we'll be successful enough writers to be written about- would have a little empathy and understanding for your life. That maybe he or she would actually care about your first kiss, your first love, the birth of your children.
Well, sure, but he's a little busy now. And he's a little amused that writers don't understand how their biographies are being created these days.
There are only two sources to look at to compile the meaning of a writer's life, he says.
First, your credit card receipts. They reveal what you actually do with your money, which, he believes, kind of says who you are. Every penny you spend reveals a little more of yourself and fortunately for him, it's actually accessible. Why listen to what a writer says or writes when you can actually see what they did, where they did it and how much they did it just by contacting Equifax or TRW. They have everybody's real history, including ours.
Ouch!
You're nervous now, aren't you? Writers create fiction, about themselves and their characters. But credit receipts don't lie. According to your biographer, they are you.
But wait, there's more.
You've been telling on you. Yes, blabbing your life away telling all sorts of things you shouldn't. Writing down the evidence of your attitudes, who your friends are and what you all are doing. Ouch again! You squealed on yourself.
It's all written down- that's what your biographer says. Why bother reading your fiction when he or she can read the real stuff. Where do they get it?
The picture's below is a clue. Yes, now you get it. Between your credit card receipts and this rendition of the details of your life you've provided to your future biographer, your fiction can pretty much be ignored. Your online life tells the world your real story.
