Talent is what they say br you have after the novel br is published and favorably br reviewed. Beforehand what br you have is a tedious br delusion, a hobby like knitting. br br Work is what you have done br after the play is produced br and the audience claps. br Before that friends keep asking br when you are planning to go br out and get a job. br br Genius is what they know you br had after the third volume br of remarkable poems. Earlier br they accuse you of withdrawing, br ask why you don't have a baby, br call you a bum. br br The reason people want M.F.A.'s, br take workshops with fancy names br when all you can really br learn is a few techniques, br typing instructions and some- br body else's mannerisms br br is that every artist lacks br a license to hang on the wall br like your optician, your vet br proving you may be a clumsy sadist br whose fillings fall into the stew br but you're certified a dentist. br br The real writer is one br who really writes. Talent br is an invention like phlogiston br after the fact of fire. br Work is its own cure. You have to br like it better than being loved.