Things I Believe #1 (original post from March 4th)
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog – I know you’re busy, so this shows a wonderful commitment on your part in sacrificing some valuable time…..time that can be better spent watching reality shows or catching up on the latest episodes of Charlie Sheen and The Porn Stars. So while I have your attention, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my personal beliefs. I believe that everyone thinks they can write. This is not true (there is some kind of prevailing thought that a bunch of monkeys locked in a room with laptops can bang out the equivalent of War and Peace). This is not possible – what is possible is that they could ghost-write the latest books attributed to the cast of Jersey Shore. It is also true that everyone can criticize and they often do, especially when it comes to the efforts of writers. Good writing is a craft and the best ones take the time to work at their craft, honing their skills, and fine-tuning their abilities. On the other hand, it takes no skill whatsoever to be a critic, and there are no shortage of critics ready to offer an opinion, no matter how blatantly ill-informed, mis-guided, or erroneous their facts. I believe that the Laws of Karma do not apply to writers, where talent-less hacks get book deals from large publishing companies while other more skilled writers toil away in anonymity, praying for one big break or one good review in a magazine or online literary journal. I believe that Johnny Unitas was the greatest football player ever. I believe that I’ve spent my life expecting people to behave in a certain way. I believe that when they didn’t behave according to my expectations, I became angry, sad, confused and occasionally violent. As a result, I now believe my expectations are the real problem. I believe that everyone has this very same problem, and each of us needs to change our expectations. And I believe that every guy who came of age in the 1970’s still rolls down the windows and cranks up the car radio when “Radar Love” by Golden Earring comes on one of the classic rock stations. Once again, thanks for reading. Please be sure to come back again for more….
