Hi, I’m Molly. I’m 28. I grew up in Michigan and I’ve been living in Montana the last year and a half, getting an MFA degree in fiction from the University of Montana. I’m on winter break in the suburbs of Detroit in a cold, dead house with my mother. It’s the worst.
Being “home” and away from my writing community makes me realize how important it is to have that – never mind why you’ve chosen this miserable profession, (or why it chose you, more likely) – you’re here now, and if you’re going to do it, you better go all the way. I imagine the target market for this blog/magazine will run the gamut of students, rebels who write outside of the school system, graduates, Franz Kafka types suffering away in offices, dreaming of a different life, and everyone in between. Maybe you just like reading. God knows we need people like you.
Today’s message/lesson is to find a community of writers, or run out of the room screaming and go hug and love the community you already have. Surround yourself with people who have decided that words and stories matter. Read good books and talk about them. It’s really fun and rewarding. It’s more fun than watching my mom look up recipes for dinner online. If you don’t have a community in real life, find one on the Internet. Read this blog and other blogs like it. Leave comments and I’ll respond. Struggling fucking sucks, but complaining about the struggling is intensely satisfying.
I read and write and teach. I have the opportunity often to meet a lot of great writers and/or interesting characters. I try to find time to submit my work places, meaning I send things in the mail and try to forget about them. I’ll be applying for writing residencies, fellowships, etc. pretty soon. It is the life, man. This is more or less what I plan on talking about. If you’re reading, say hello. Tell me what you want me to talk about. I choose to believe that we are in this thing together. The tone might suggest otherwise, but I assure you, I’m exhilarated.
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MOLLY LAICH lives and writes in Missoula where she is completing an MFA at The University of Montana. She also teaches, walks dogs, and rides a bike.
