Sunday, June 24, 2018

Content and happy with my own little world.

Had a friend come in who is connected journalistically to some big name authors and so on. Talking about the realm of movies and TV shows and bestsellers and on and on.

I blurted out, "That stuff just isn't pertinent to me. It has nothing to do with what I do."

That's not the writing world as I experience it.

Nor does it need to be.

Comparing myself to Stephen King, say, is like comparing Pegasus Books to Walmart. It's ridiculous and unnecessary and misleading about what is important.

Look, I had four stores at one point and I hated it. I was no longer doing what I started out to do, or what I really liked.

I love my little store. It's my playground. I can have fun here, do what I want, buy what I want, display it the way I want, talk about it or not talk about it, just my own little world.

Content and happy.

The idea of having a hundred stores would be a nightmare. It's not what I want.

So this may sound strange, but my writing career is pretty much the same way. I'm not after fame or fortune. If it happened as a byproduct, I might or might not like the outcome. It may sound weird, but I suspect I wouldn't like it. (Sure, the money...)

But since I'm making zero effort in that direction (just as I'm not interested in duplicating or expanding Pegasus Books) that will never happen.

I love my little writing career.  I'm happy with it. It's my playground. I can have fun, do what I want, write what I want, publish it the way I want, talk about it or not talk about it, just my own little world.

Content and happy.

I try to re-read Watterson's (Calvin & Hobbes) commencement address once a year to re-orient myself to what's important. http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0025-watterson.htm

1 comment:

Dave Cline said...

Sentiment subsumed.

However, opinions abound. Especially about entertainment media. But those opinions, I surmise, should take second seat to the one inside your own head. I'm learning this myself. I don't care if anyone likes The Gribble's Eye and all the cool illustrations that I'm having created within it. It's my vision and that's all that matters to me.

So, I get you.