I didn't hesitate. "Orson Scott Card!"
"Knew it." He smiled. "Thought I might let you know that if you ever want to write a letter, I can almost guarantee you a genuine interaction with the guy."
My mouth dropped open. Like, a real reply? Like, not from his secretary? I wasn't expecting such a grand finale from our conversation about networking.
Everywhere I turn on the internet, writers are saying, "get connected! Grow your network!" And I think that is a very legitimate concept. Every friend you make is another person who you can help and who can help you - a sort of authorly symbiosis.
Now, sitting on the edge of confidence, letter composed, I'm not so sure that my dad's connection will be enough to earn a thoughtful note. Nonetheless, I would love to fine-tune what I have so far:
Dear Mr. Card,
My name is Drew, and I am an aspiring teenage author who has
long respected your books, Ender’s Game and Pathfinder. Both stand out to me as
incredibly unique and inspiring stories. Given your talent and success, I felt
you were the best person to approach with a couple questions I have about
English class:
What do you think is the value in analyzing archaic
literature, if anything?
What can be gained in conforming to a professor’s writing
guidelines when you’d rather use your own stylistic structuring (again, if anything)?
I would be interested in hearing your thoughts!
Thank you for your time,
Drew
What do you think? Too short? Too many colors? Too anything?
Ooh, how about this: what questions would you ask a prolific writer like Orson Scott Card?
My plan is to send this off after a few days on the blog and after my dad reviews it. So if you have anything to ask, speak up! :)
