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Week 10 – Fame

I chose to become a writer in 1969 because I felt compelled to write a novel–A Class of Leaders. I wanted to share it with the world and thought the world, without a doubt, would embrace it and make me famous. Well, as things turned out, A Class of Leaders has yet to be published, and fame, although I’ve had other books published, has never come to pass.

So the question arises: What motivates me, after 40 years, to keep on writing? And my answer is: To be the best writer I can possibly be.

I don’t compare my writing to anyone else’s, nor should anyone compare their writing to mine. I just try to write what I know, what I think, what I feel, what I imagine and then try to get it published.That’s it. It doesn’t bother me that I’ve never achieved notoriety in my profession. My quest for fame isn’t what makes me tick nowadays. I take it philosophically that it’s never going to come my way. And that’s OK. What’s important to me now is to start a project and finish it.

Oh, I wouldn’t mind being famous like Garrison Keillor, Philip Roth, J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. I wouldn’t mind having that kind of prestige, but let’s face it, folks, only a very small percentage of those who take up writing reach that pinnacle of success. If fame ever results at this stage in my life, I would be a very happy man. If it doesn’t, I will still be just as happy.