Writers Workshop

One of the first things you notice is how autobiographical most of the material is. I guess people write about the things that matter to them. One time this guy brought a fairly long manuscript, we are only supposed to read a few pages; he started at the beginning and read all the way to the end. It was about child molestation. At first I was surprised by his imagination, and then it occurred to me that he might actually know his subject. My stomach turned. No one interrupted him or asked him to cut it short. Perhaps the material was gripping or perhaps like me they had all shut down. I don’t remember what he said. At the end he shoved his manuscript back into its manila envelope and awaited our comments. A woman across from me took out a small pistol and shot the man through his forehead. The man next to me said:
-Mine is really short.