That neighbor turned out to be a great neighbor. She moved away about eight years ago and I still miss our chats.

Anne, I remember an encounter with a border/customs agent when we arrived back in the states. He asked each of us what we did for a living and I said I was a business writer. He said, “Oh, do you write anything creative?”

My answer brought a smile to his face: “It’s ALL creative!” He got it, and I suspect he’ll never read an article again without thinking about that.

Paula, may I just bottle you and pull out these fantastic comebacks whenever I need them? You seriously made me laugh out loud! It’s the perfect response to “Are you still freelancing”!

Aspiring? Yep, sounds like the relayed info to her wasn’t quite accurate. I guess you can forgive that as she was either told something incorrect or was putting her own implication on what “writer” means. Glad you straightened her out. 🙂

Mostly I have to shift their thinking from fiction to non fiction, although lord knows we non-fiction writers often tell stories.

When I get the “Are you still freelancing?” question, I usually say something flip like, “Yes. Thank goodness I haven’t had to stoop to taking a corporate job. That would be horrible.”

I still remember when a new neighbor moved in and introduced herself. I don’t know who she spoke to first, but after telling me her name and that she was a math teacher at a nearby private high school, she said, “I hear you’re the aspiring writer.” This was a long time ago, and in her defense, I tend look younger than I am. I said something like, “No. I AM a writer,” then listed off a few clients.