Laura Yeager has been writing for most of her life. Yes, I am a chorus girl writer, and it’s just enough for me. He said, “Yeah, I’ve written novels, but I’ve never been published in the Paris Review.” The Paris Review published my story, “How to Write a Story” back in 1992, when I was just getting started. He’d written several well-received novels. But I don’t make this my goal. My dream is to work, to keep pounding out new knowledge, to touch people’s minds and hearts, to understand the world.īy the way: Once I complimented a fellow writer I’d studied with at The Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa for his prolific writing abilities. Who knows? I may (one day) become a star and leave the chorus behind. And it was magnificent.Īs a dancing chorus girl, and as a writing chorus girl, I’ve done my share of hamming it up and of upstaging the leads, and I’m not ashamed of it.
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Years ago, when I wrote essays as a parent with bipolar illness about adopting our child, people came out of the woodwork and asked me for guidance for how they too could adopt a baby despite their mental illness issues. I have a following because of this writing school.
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Once when I was visiting my editor, his cousin’s daughter said, “My mother says you’re a brilliant writer.” The word “brilliant” rang in my ears and is stilling ringing. Apparently she’d read several of the cancer blog posts I’d written for, and some of the autism and bipolar illness posts I’d created for .Īt Gotham Writers’ Workshop, where I teach writing, my stories, blogs and articles are mentioned monthly in a section about what Gotham teachers are writing. Whenever I saw her, she’d tell me how much she enjoyed reading my stories one that she particularly liked was “Encountering Grace in the Thrift Store.” The sister of one of my best friends never missed reading religious articles I wrote for . A fellow Catholic, she felt my take on Catholicism was on point. And, again, readers will be captivated by you.Īs a chorus girl writer, I’ve had my share of fans. You will still reach the readers you’re supposed to reach. As a writer with a modest writing career, you are still valuable. Writers, this is a note of encouragement from someone who has been writing a long time (over 40 years). Readers will fall in love with you because of your ability to communicate well with them, just like that chorus girl touched my heart with her little bit of razzle dazzle. You don’t have to be the one with the most lines and solos, and the biggest salary, to win over an audience. I can pick out the communicative chorus member. I also danced in a children’s youth ballet company, in Peter and The Wolf. I danced in the chorus of Anything Goes, tapping away in high school I know what it’s like to make love to an audience – to make bawdy faces to the crowd as if I know and love them all. I know a little about being a dancing chorus girl, because I was one when I was a teenager. Even more than the stars of the show, I remember this chorus girl. Those arched eyebrows the pursed lips the sparkling, goofy eyes and that flirty smile. She stole the show with her gorgeous face making love to the audience, to me. There was one musical in particular – The Will Rogers Follies – and there was one chorus dancer whose expressions I’ll never forget. I’d fly to New York and take in a show with my long-time friend and editor, Noah. I am not a “star” writer, but I am a member of the “chorus.”īack when Broadway was open (will it ever return?), I used to love to see musicals. I never became a bestselling novelist, but I am a prolific blogger and writer for several websites, magazines and literary journals.
#The chorus line prmary writer skin
(I didn’t have the tough skin I have now.) Long story short, I moved back to Ohio and put the book away in a box that now sits in our garage. DUCK got around to and was rejected by three agents, and at that point, I got discouraged. Manuscript tucked away in my suitcase, I moved to New York City in search of an agent for said book. With these two accomplishments, I thought I was set for publishing success for life.
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I’d also won a prize in a Cosmopolitan magazine fiction contest. At this young age, I’d written a novel, and the novelist Mary Robison had mentioned my book, DUCK, in an article she wrote for The New York Times Book Review. Back in 1985 when I was 22 and had just graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in creative writing, I thought I was going to become rich and famous publishing novels.