Ideas In Reality

If my life were a boxing match, as I sometimes believe it to be, between the grandiose, idealistic, dreamer in my head and that side of myself that is firmly rooted in the logical, heart-breaking reality that is day to day life out in the world, I would have to say that reality has been winning the last few rounds.

It was brought to my attention that I haven't posted anything in awhile now, and to be perfectly honest it's because I haven't felt anything but intense disappointment since I finished writing back in February. Writing...real writing...good writing that inspires thought and conversation is a lost art. No one even knows what good writing is anymore because the only books anyone ever hears about are the ones that make it on the Oprah Book Club list. And to get angry about Oprah is ridiculous because at least she's getting people to read at all.

My beef is this: A good book should not only be an interesting story, well crafted and well written, but should also inspire a person to think and consider alternate realities to the one they live in. Today's best-selling stories are neither thought-provoking or well written (which means the majority of us aren't reading the good stuff. Which means the majority of us writers can't write the good stuff that won't sell). Today's books are crap. And no one even knows they're crap because after reading big pieces of crap for the last fifteen years or so to read a slightly smaller piece of crap seems revolutionary. Yes, I'm talking about the Da Vinci Code and other books of this nature. For Christ sake! If this is what passes for an intellectual conversation in America I'm leaving. My grandmother told me about the Knights of Templar when I was maybe ten--not a new idea. Fifteen years later some asshole writes a fictional story--a FICTIONAL STORY--about it and this whole Bible-thumpin' country loses their minds. Here's the first hint to reading a good book, if your Christian book group endorses it, it probably isn't going to get your synapses all a firin'. You might have to journey out past your cookie-cutter version of an all powerful being who helps your favorite basketball team win to learn something new. I promise He won't get HIS feelings hurt (even if HE is a SHE--huh? Back up! My mind's gonna explode. Someone pray for this lost soul.).

Anyway, I apologize--but only slightly--for this fanatical outlashing. I'm mostly frustrated with myself, because instead of sticking to my ideals of what good art is and isn't I went and wrote a serial-killer suspense novel in the hopes that this conservative (but mass killer loving) nation might read it. It won't happen again. From here on in my stories will have more depth and quality, even if I am the only one who ever reads them.