Writers are nice people

There are lots of stereotypes of writers--particularly romance writers I suppose--and the more writers I meet, the more I think these stereotypes aren't based on any kind of reality.

Not for genre or mainstream fiction writers, anyway.

This year, between serving on the board of my local RWA chapter and attending way too many conferences for my own good, I've had the pleasure to meet many authors including several big-time bestselling authors. I have to tell you, they just couldn't be a nicer, smarter more generous group of women.

Maybe it's because in romance and women's fiction we're writing about human relationships, so the writers who are good at showing these relationships to readers via their words, are also good at human relationships in "the real world". Maybe it's because writers understand what makes people tick?

Don't know... But what inspired this post was a lovely dinner Saturday night with Mary Jo Putney who kindly came up to Toronto to speak to our TRW members. While answering our questions in the afternoon, she was frank and open and honest and encouraging,and then was gracious and really good fun when the board took her and her husband out for dinner in the evening.

I'm wondering, if all stereotypes exist because they're true... where are the nasty diva's eating bon bons? Where are the sad introverts who live only through their characters? I've never met any writers like that. Have you?

(Not that being an introvert is a bad thing . I'm a bit of one myself. By sad introvert, I just mean that stereotype of a lonely romance writer with absolutely no life or friends besides her cat. The Joan Wilder before she goes to Columbia stereotype.)