Saturday, April 7, 2018
7/ Soulless
She is the most openly unpleasant person I've ever met. A new writing group folded after its first meeting because she joined. We were unprepared for someone so completely cold—prudish, negative and critical in the extreme. At a poetry workshop years ago, I flatly refused to read my poem aloud in her presence. There was silence, and then she said, "Well! I guess I should leave." After that, more silence. Until she did.
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Oh, good for you! (Though I reiterate - I think I'm a bit scared of you now.)
ReplyDeleteAlso - the new writing group should re-establish under a different name, without her knowing.
Not to worry, Mali! I surprised myself. I'd never said anything like that before, nor since, but I'd developed such an aversion to her. Writing is often like opening a vein, and there was no way I wanted to expose even a small part of myself to her. Fortunately, I haven't seen her in years, though I hear she's still around, stirring up animosity.
DeleteHmmm, maybe you should try and get to know her better and incorporate her as a character in a novel or short story. (Or, for my benefit, do a podcast.)
ReplyDeleteHow do people go through life like that? I want to know her backstory.
ReplyDeleteI try to be cautious about revealing information because this is a public blog, but her backstory is interesting. She's a retired nun--a Lutheran nun! I didn't know Lutherans had nuns, and I was raised Lutheran. Now a professed atheist, she has no problem at all collecting a pension from the Lutheran church.
DeleteI was part of a book group that folded for a similar reason.
ReplyDeleteWow. It always surprises me when I hear about people like this, but I suppose it shouldn't.
ReplyDelete