Some days, the work of a writer has nothing to do with writing at all. It’s about marketing and accounting and filing and organization or learning new technologies, among other disciplines.
Some of those days I don’t mind at all. It gives my brain a bit of a break from searching in its wrinkled and remote crannies for the best word, the unexpected phrase or the most accurate anecdote. It’s kind of like eating chocolate cake for dessert every day. I could live a lifetime on chocolate cake, ooh, or blackberry cobbler like my Grandmother used to make.
But if you had chocolate cake or blackberry cobbler every day, no matter how much you love it, just occasionally it would be nice to throw in some Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream with hot fudge and caramel sauce.
Don’t misunderstand me. It’s not like a day spent doing bookwork and preparing for taxes is like a day spent rolling around in a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. That’s not the point I’m making at all.
My point is this: I’ve got a little radio gig going for the next few weeks that promotes one of my writing projects. KMBZ Radio (980am) in Kansas City has asked me to do a little five minute bit each Thursday (7:40 a.m.) for much of the summer about quick getaways from Kansas City that won’t break the bank in paying for gasoline.
It’s based on my work with Shifra Stein and the book she originated almost 30 years ago called “Day Trips from Kansas City.” That’s when gasoline prices had sky-rocketed to an unbelievable 80-cents a gallon.
It’s a lot of fun, remembering how to communicate verbally rather than via strokes on a keyboard. The toughest part so far has been actually setting my alarm clock, something that causes many freelancers an allergic reaction.
But otherwise, I sit around in my bathrobe with no make-up and the cat on my lap, and talk about the destinations that I otherwise just write about. And try to decide what I should have for dessert: chocolate cake, blackberry cobbler or Ben & Jerry’s.
Like I said – some of these non-writing days, I don’t mind at all.
Congrats on your radio gig, Diana. And you’ll have to try some Ben and Jerry’s Creme Brulee!