MESSAGE #878 - HOW TO BE THE NEXT IRVING SHAW

Writing
is like
a contact sport,
like football.
Why do kids
play football?
They can get hurt
on any play,
can’t they?
Yet
they can’t wait
until
Saturday comes around
so they can play
on the high school team,
or the college team,
and get smashed around.
Writing
is like
that.
You can get hurt,
but you enjoy it!

Irwin Shaw (1913-1984)
writer