Writer's Tears — Write it Wrong

Writer’s Tears (400 words)

Back in University I purchased a bottle of Writer’s Tears Irish Whiskey. I had to psych myself up to do it. As a student, my criteria for booze had always been the cheapest option with the highest proof. $40 for a bottle seemed like a lot of money. I knew nothing about whiskey, but I really liked the name.

I put the Writer’s Tears on a shelf in my parent’s kitchen and promised myself I wouldn’t open it. Not until I was a professionally published author.

I graduated, got a job in tech, and moved away from home, changing cities in the process. The bottle came with me, nestled in the trunk of my good ol’ Hyundai Elantra. A few years passed and I changed cities again this time going international. The moving company didn’t want to take liquids across the border. I sleeved the whiskey in an old soccer sock, wrapped it in a towel, and hid it in a box of laundry.

The Writer’s Tears now sits on top of my fridge beside a few bottles of spirits from local distilleries (it turns out I actually do like whiskey--and not just Fireball). I notice the bottle from time to time. It causes me to reflect on the years I’ve spent chasing this dream. I remember how I devoured the first ten seasons of Writing Excuses in six months. How I gradually bumped up my writing routine from thirty minutes every other day to an hour five times a week, to three hours a night. I think about how much my writing has improved, about the conventions I’ve attended and all the writers I’ve met. Sometimes I stare at the Writer’s Tears and laugh at how naive I was. The bottle has stayed closed much longer than expected.

Every six months or so I Google ‘how long until whiskey goes bad’, but I don’t open it. The bottle has become a symbol of my commitment and of my perseverance. It’s helped me maintain my focus and keep my goals in sight (writing, not alcoholism, Mom, I promise!). Over the years the bottle has come to mean a lot more to me than $40. And I know when I finally do open it--and I will open it--it’s going to be one hell of a drink.