Are Writers Special?

I was watching a music documentary yesterday, and the subject said, "The guys in my high school would say, 'Someday I want to have my own bowling alley', and I thought, 'Well, that's nice. I have higher aspirations'." (I'm paraphrasing, but that's basically the gist of what he said.)

That annoyed me. What's a "higher aspiration"? Artsy people need to get over themselves. I'm not exactly a musician, but I'm a songwriter and I record my own songs. So? If my songs were so unique, I'd be a billionaire, but even someone like Paul McCartney wrote crap from time to time. I think these people equate fame with specialness. You know, Milli Vanilli was famous for a time, too (in a good way, I mean).

We're all unique, but that doesn't make us special.  "My book is really unique." Oh.

It takes a special talent to write a great story, but it also takes a special talent to design a great suspension bridge. Guess which one people appreciate more. 

When authors (like me) don't succeed, we tend to rail against...well, everything. Buyers are stupid, "the man" is holding us down, authors with money to burn squeeze us out (yes, I basically said that in one of my posts). But in reality, why do we deserve to win? 

My mom was a great cook, and I rarely saw her consult a recipe. She just knew how to do it. Me? I'm pretty good at making about three dishes, because I've made them so many times, and I still don't trust myself enough to leave the recipe card in the box.

I never once sat down at my parents' dinner table, cast my gaze on the delicacies laid out before me and said, "Well, that's nice, but I have higher aspirations." 

We authors are a weird combination of insecurity and conceit. I guess if we didn't consider ourselves special, we likely wouldn't write in the first place. But writing isn't a necessity, like eating is. So who's more special ~ the writer or the cook?

I know very little about bowling alleys, but I've been inside a few dumpy ones. The personnel were apathetic, I'd almost trip over the bulge in the linoleum when I approached the rack to choose my ball, sometimes the pins wouldn't reset. It takes a special person to operate a successful business, a keen eye for detail. A vision, a lot of sleepless nights. "Anyone could do it" is really what the documentary subject was saying. Really?

I marvel at those who are good at what they do, and it doesn't matter what that thing is. A guy hung some window blinds for me a few weeks ago, and he was done in a snap. I'd still be up on the ladder trying to figure out where to drill the holes for the header; then I would need to figure out how to patch all my mistakes.

There are special things about writing, but they may be special only to us writers. I find it special that I've gotten so much better at it over the years. I find it special when a great plot point seems to magically pulse through my fingers and onto the screen. We need to appreciate our talent, but not go lording it over the talents of others. Because we'd lose that competition. The window blinds guy? He made more money in a few minutes than I've made from my writing in nine years.

Write the best you can. Keep improving. Throw your book out there, but don't stomp away in a pout if only one or two people buy it. 

Consider buying a bowling alley.