A long overdue rant

My teenage daughter has a look that sometimes graces her face, and that she fondly refers to as "the double chin what-the-fuck look."  It's genius.  She should trademark it.

Internally, I often have moments where my mind's eye gives me this look.  One such moment happened awhile ago, but today it has been on my mind and it will likely stay there unless I get it out on paper, so to speak.

Many months ago, hell, it might have even been a year ago, someone told me they were going to write a book because they felt they could do better than the authors of the books they've read recently.  My first thought (after my internal "double chin what-the-fuck look") was, "Seriously?"  I never forgot that comment and to be completely frank, it really pissed me off.  There's actually a list as to why that is.

1. Write because you love it, not just because you think you can do better than someone else.
2. Writing is not easy.  It's a long, complicated process that can really drain you.  You read your material over and over again and then once the editor gets a hold of it, you do it all over again.  You might even start to tire of your own work with the desire of tucking it away into a drawer so you don't have to see it again.
3. What if this person who doesn't seem genuinely in love with the idea of telling a story ends up being good at it and their book sells ... a lot ... more than my book(s)?
4. Serious (and very talented) writers get looked over all the time, meanwhile some celebrities get book deals just because they're famous, not because the material is good.  That leads me to believe that there is some inherent flaw to the whole "send only a miniscule portion of my works to a bunch of publishers who will reject it anyway because they're either too busy to read it or I'm not a household name (although this one isn't directly related to the above comment, it makes the list because it's somewhat related and it pisses me off).
5. Another one that makes the list that's not directly related, but I'll parlay into my rant is the ghostwriter.  Okay, I get that some people have ideas and they might have trouble putting it into a book format.  We can't all be gifted at putting words to paper.  However, why not just say a book is written by the ghostwriter and the author as a joint effort?  In my opinion, it feels like false advertising to say a book is written by one person when really it's not.  It's just their basic idea that someone more talented took and made it into a work of art (or work of crap, as it may be).

Okay, so there it is.  My rant where two items on the list aren't directly connected, but what the hey.  Those two have been on my mind and I had to throw them in there regardless of the whole idea that a list of items must relate to the main subject.  I call bullshit.  At least, today I do.  Plus, it's my blog.

Alright, so now that I've bitched and taken a deep breath, I do have some words of wisdom.  If I didn't, I wouldn't be a very good writer or human being as I'd be perpetually stuck in the valley of the pessimists. 

• Whatever you choose to do, make sure it's something you love or even enjoy.  Don't do it just because you want to prove a point that you're better than others.  You're putting time into it that you will never get back, so why not make it something meaningful?
• Don't give up on what you love just because you've been rejected or have setbacks.  
• Look for another way to move forward if you've become stuck.  There is always another way to solve the problem.
• Try to get over the fact that less talented people out there get more than you do in life.  Focus on you and what you want/can accomplish and stop comparing yourself to others.  Nothing good really comes of this.  Trust me, I know.
• Lastly, come up with your own version of a "what-the-fuck face" and use it.  Often. Then laugh and get back to work.