Does Everyone Have A Book In Them?

[MeiLin]

Yes, and to paraphrase a quotation about journalists, sometimes it should stay there.

ETA: Which doesn't mean people shouldn't try; if I hadn't, I wouldn't be writing, and I'm sure there are those who might think my books should've stayed there as well...

[orlok]

Originally Posted by MeiLin

Yes, and to paraphrase a quotation about journalists, sometimes it should stay there.

Thank you for that - it was the bit of my Dad's (borrowed) quote that I forgot to mention.

[JDK1962]

Originally Posted by apbschmitz

Flannery O'Connor aside, why discourage anyone?

I would never try to discourage anyone from writing (see the first sentence of my post). Everyone should write.

Far fewer (IMHO) should publish, and that was what I was trying to get at.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by apbschmitz

Nobody worries about the number of bad golfers out there. It's just accepted that they love the game, play it, it drives them a little nuts sometimes but they're not harming anyone. I think writing will become more like that. You'll accept the fact that there are a number of hobbyists who enjoy sharing stories with their friends. Some of them, maybe to their own surprise, will be artists. Most of them won't be. But I don't imagine they will make the world any worse by writing an eBook. Flannery O'Connor aside, why discourage anyone?

Yeah, that was sort of my reaction too.

Personal tastes being what they are, not everyone even likes Flannery O'Connor, for that matter, so perhaps she shouldn't have been too quick to throw stones at the kids on her lawn.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Hmmm.... I think everyone has a story in them worth telling, whether it be fact or fiction. However, that doesn't mean that they, themselves, are the right person to be writing it.

I think that's almost right. I think a lot more people have stories worth telling than have the ability or inclination to write them. However, I'm not sure all of those people lead lives that would be interesting to read about.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I think that's almost right. I think a lot more people have stories worth telling than have the ability or inclination to write them. However, I'm not sure all of those people lead lives that would be interesting to read about.

I don't know. I don't think it has to be their life story, per se. Everyone I've ever talked to at length has had something in their life that I've found interesting enough to want to know more. And it doesn't have to be universally interesting -- in reality, how many books are?

People are fascinating to me. I believe there really is a story in everyone. You may have to dig deep, get uncomfortable even, but I think it's there.

Have you ever looked at old family photos and came across one that made you think, "Woah, what the heck is going on there??" It's like that - you stumble across something about a person that opens the door to a view of their experience. It's unique to them, a snapshot of a life, something that can be shared but not recreated. It's the closest any of us will ever get to knowing what it's like to be someone else.

Unfortunately, many biographies are far too dry to capture the essence of the person they are about, and many autobiographies are sensationalist hooey. I'm far more interested in people like Bill, an older gentleman I used to work with. He was full of stories once prodded in the right direction. Train rides across the country, road trips with questionable folks he'd just met, women who turned his life upside down, activities I can't mention in polite company... Were they all true? I don't think it matters, because they were still his stories, they still came from him, and even if he didn't experience them, his real experiences shaped the man who created those stories.