Responses vary when you say you want to be a writer

Some occupations deserve and receive lots of respect and praise — like being a doctor, teacher or engineer. You will receive hugs, kisses, admiration, wows, even a bow toward the east. Telling friends and relatives and others that you want to be a writer — maybe not even a good one, but still a writer. I'm excited about the possibilities — others, on the other hand, after I tell them, will grunt and walk away shaking their heads violently. Some will start clearing their throat as if it hadn't been cleared since the Mayflower was tied to our coast. There also are those who do all the talking. I tried to tell them, but they never stopped talking.

People read in cabins, lean-tos, sheds, shops, in trees, greenhouses, fire lookouts, houses, doctor's offices, fire stations, at night, sunsets, sunrises, during snow storms, full moons, when it's raining, in trucks …

People read morning during breakfast, while commuting, on ferries, during work, after work, weekends, vacations, flying, boating, in bed, camping, in outhouses, school, on the beach, up on the mountain, in the car, at relatives' homes, cafes, barbers, dentists …

It is a big job to fill our country's reading needs. If I help fill any, I won't tell anybody.

LON LaBELLE

Noxon, Mont.