Standing Out
May 29, 2021:
I do a lot of things reasonably well, except for maybe golf. I really suck at golf, but…I digress. The point is, I don’t think I do anything to the kind of level that would make me stand out from the crowd. I’m like 'Jack of all trades' Stan. You know, from the Trooper song, The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car. Okay, maybe he stands out because his car is a bright white, but from what I’ve been told, it’s also probably stolen.
Sure, I suppose I can now say I’ve written a book. MISTY LAKE, a fiction novel, suspense thriller. You can get more information, or purchase it online if you’re interested, by just clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/3tjuvw9t. By all accounts it’s a well written story that is hard to put down.
It’s been accepted into the Surrey library system and is now sitting on the shelves at the Indigo and Coles bookstores in Langley and White Rock. But, when you consider that over six thousand novels get published every week in North America and that there are millions of titles Worldwide to choose from in just the thriller genre alone, standing out is exactly what one needs to do. Hey, wait a minute, I just realized…I’m Worldwide.
Donald Trump was right about one thing though when everyone was writing books about how much of a shyster/grifter/loser he was while sitting as President of America. He said, “Everybody’s got a book”. He wasn’t wrong.
The difference being that most anyone who is selling serious copies came from a position of some sort of notoriety, fame or money to begin with. Oh well, maybe I need to stop wearing gray colours and flash my bikini body a little more on Instagram (yeah, I got one).
Okay, that's not really me (felt I needed to get that out there)
Speaking of notoriety, Anthony Bourdain apparently has a documentary coming out in theatres in July. Yes, I know, he’s dead, but that’s the whole thing, isn’t it? Dead artists seem to make more money and are sometimes better known than live ones. I read his book Kitchen Confidential. It was very interesting, and a well written insight into the undercurrent of the New York culinary industry from back in the eighties and nineties.
Not only was Mr. Bourdain a fearless cook and consumer of the kinds of foods that would make a Billy Goat puke, but he was an exquisite writer as well.
One of his shows, Parts Unknown, which aired on CNN was both very astute in its handling of the various gastronomic delights of the regions he visited, but also amazingly perceptive in the way in which he portrayed the people and their lifestyles. It was a shame that he took his own life, which like Kate Spade, just goes to show you how much mental health doesn’t care about your own personal status in the world.
Myself, well…my wife tells me I’m never happy, which is a total exaggeration, because the other night for example, I only yelled at the television when my hockey team blew a 2-0 lead in the third period and then went on to lose in overtime, it’s not like I actually got up and put my foot through the T.V. screen or anything. I thought I exhibited great restraint.
What can I tell you though? It’s not easy trying to re-invent oneself. Especially under these trying times. Covid has turned what should have been a journey down the path to creativity into a journey down the path to exploring one’s own mental health (maybe, they’re one in the same). The question that probably should be asked though is, “What can we do about it?”
I think for starters, and this is no-doubt totally counter-intuitive to my shameless self-promotion mantra, but one needs to get the hell off of social media, or at the very least treat it like it should be treated. As fodder.
Because the reality is that one’s success in life shouldn’t be measured against the entitled and advantaged who seem to be plastered all over the internet in one form or another, but more so against one’s own starting position.
Standing on the edge of some grand precipice and shouting out “I’m here!” and expecting to be royally received is really no different than buying a lottery ticket and expecting you will win. Sure…it could happen, but…
Okay, I’ve got to get going to the driving range. My game sucks, and I’ve got a tee off time coming up with Jerry, you know, the garbage man (see above). He’s friends with Stan and they’re always waving their arms (or something) in the air. Just who do they think they are, anyways? And where did they get that car?
Until next time.
If you like this blog please press the like button.
If you want to be notified when I post a blog, or wish to leave a comment please subscribe to my site.
If you want to check out my author page, or purchase a copy of my recently published suspense novel MISTY LAKE, click here www.BrianRMartinAuthor.com for options.
Cheers.