Feel'n Like a Number, or What Defines a Writer

I remember the day I walked through my college campus for the first time.  I was one of thousands, a speck among the masses, just a number.  The huge campus swallowed me up, but somehow I rose from its depths a survivor packed with knowledge and a drive that hasn't faltered yet.  The memories I took with me, and the lessons I learned have taught me never to give in.

Or, give up.

Being a writer has its glory.  It's great when someone actually reads what you write and LIKES it.  It's even better when the story gets published and you see your work in print, wondering how many sets of eyes will read it.  I am one of thousands of writers out there waiting to be read, understood, or seen as something more than a number.  Yes, there are thousands of us.

Sounds familiar, just like the old days.

When friend and fellow writer, George Appelt Jr., came to critique announcing the upcoming publication of his first novel, we were all very happy for him having read his humorous work through the years.  It was about time.   Kismet and Company, a new small press publishing company, will do the honors.  Seems to be the way to go these days since the big publishing companies slam the door in your face far too often.  They just won't let you play the game.  I wonder who let them make the rules in the first place.

Hum now.  Think about that.  There's something unique among artists.   Regardless if you are a writer, musician, painter or dancer, we as artists are steered by our own visions.  Since when did we ever follow somebody else's rules?  If there was a rule to be broken, I always found a way to break it, or bend it according to how it better suited my brain.

We writers might just be a number, a speck among the thousands, another name on your bookshelf, but we are all unique, because we are artists who never fall flat on ideas, imagination or rules to break.

So, what defines a writer, or any artist for that matter?  The desire to create our own rules to the game with the talent, imagination and drive that's embedded so deeply within us that our numbers are irrelevant.

I've come to know many local writers through the years, and their talents are a testimony of just how diverse the artist can be.  Find out for yourself by supporting the local writer.  Books by Cate Masters,  Susan Gourley, Mike Silvestri, Jon Sprunk, Dennis Royer, Don Helin fill my bookshelves.  What authors fill yours?  If you haven't read their work, check them out.  And don't forget about George's upcoming novel, Shepherd's Fall, coming out soon!

And don't forget to get a copy of SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS, an anthology of my previously published short stories.
 --Support your local writer.