We don’t become known for being; we become known for doing. Our whole lives we’re taught that if we develop a talent, then we too, can be great, thus famous.
I find this cognitive dissonance misleading. If we take historical figures and look at their lives, these individuals were not aiming for fame. In fact, people who have won their space in history books were usually extraordinary and stood out from their societies for simply being themselves and living what they believed, not because they were looking for recognition as an end in itself.
The best writers did not set out as children with the goal, “I am going to be a famous, published writer someday.”
Maybe we should remember why we write, or look to further any of our skills, for that matter.
Why do you write?
“In a world where celebrity equals talent, and where make-believe is called reality, it is most important to have real love, truth, and stability in your life” –Bernie Brillstein
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Whiti said:
I just have to write, the idea of fame hasn’t really come into it. In fact when I was invited to a writers’ event a while ago I was surprised that they knew who I was. Even more so when a few people said they had googled me.
I write because I get an itchy, uncomfortable feeling when I don’t. I write because I have something to say, an issue that worries me. I write to make myself laugh. I write because that’s what I am. A writer.
April 19, 2008 @ 10:31 pm