I rarely speak. let alone write, about my journey through mourning over my mother's death, for this is a nation, where our mantra is, "Move on with your life". It has been almost two years since my mother's death and I still feel a little numb with life, let alone moving on.
Not that I just stay at home watching Reality TV all day. I been doing that great job search;and thanks to this Great Recession, I have been given more frustration and road blocks in my journey through mourning. Ironically, the years of being my mother's care-giver, I felt empowered and in control of my life. Now,I feel my life is being blown like a leaf in a hurricane. But, I realize I am not alone in this Titanic Recession and there is not enough life-boats of jobs to save a sinking crew. So,I still count my blessings and keep in touch with the outside world.
But there are days, weeks, I want to entomb myself like Electra and forget the outside world.
So, to venture out from the comfort of my humble home, I get on the 605 freeway to the 210 to Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena and sit in on an author event. Most of the writers are very interesting. But I just can't help but wonder, how many of these writer's published works will still be read in future years? I think of the great, passionate, American, writer John Dos Passos and who still reads him?
A few weeks ago, I was one of only five poeple who attended a writer's event at Vromnan's. I bought his book, out of pity, not out of an interest in reading his book. He was a middle-age, English/Pakistanian man, who wrote a book about being a Muslim man after 911. He boasted about all the book events he attended and seemed more interested in telling us how "you too can be a published writer", than giving any insight into his life. It was shameless self-promotion. When I asked him if he was interested in writing a novel , he said he didn't have the skill to write characters or plot. "Well" I thought,"you may be a writer but you are no author!". But he has a literary agent! The times we live in! Then, I thought, who will be reading this person's book in 20 years; or even next year?
Still, this event turned on that little light blub in my head, if this man can made his dream of being a published writer come true; what is keeping me from following my dream?
We may be in a Recession, but to take a quote from the Great Depreession from FDR:'There is nothing to fear but fear itself!"
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Electra sings the Blues
I rarely speak. let alone write, about my journey through mourning over my mother's death, for this is a nation, where our mantra is, "Move on with your life". It has been almost two years since my mother's death and I still feel a little numb with life, let alone moving on.
Not that I just stay at home watching Reality TV all day. I been doing that great job search;and thanks to this Great Recession, I have been given more frustration and road blocks in my journey through mourning. Ironically, the years of being my mother's care-giver, I felt empowered and in control of my life. Now,I feel my life is being blown like a leaf in a hurricane. But, I realize I am not alone in this Titanic Recession and there is not enough life-boats of jobs to save a sinking crew. So,I still count my blessings and keep in touch with the outside world.
But there are days, weeks, I want to entomb myself like Electra and forget the outside world.
So, to venture out from the comfort of my humble home, I get on the 605 freeway to the 210 to Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena and sit in on an author event. Most of the writers are very interesting. But I just can't help but wonder, how many of these writer's published works will still be read in future years? I think of the great, passionate, American, writer John Dos Passos and who still reads him?
A few weeks ago, I was one of only five poeple who attended a writer's event at Vromnan's. I bought his book, out of pity, not out of an interest in reading his book. He was a middle-age, English/Pakistanian man, who wrote a book about being a Muslim man after 911. He boasted about all the book events he attended and seemed more interested in telling us how "you too can be a published writer", than giving any insight into his life. It was shameless self-promotion. When I asked him if he was interested in writing a novel , he said he didn't have the skill to write characters or plot. "Well" I thought,"you may be a writer but you are no author!". But he has a literary agent! The times we live in! Then, I thought, who will be reading this person's book in 20 years; or even next year?
Still, this event turned on that little light blub in my head, if this man can made his dream of being a published writer come true; what is keeping me from following my dream?
We may be in a Recession, but to take a quote from the Great Depreession from FDR:'There is nothing to fear but fear itself!"
It's been just over six years since my mom passed away, and I still feel a bit lost some days. The day to day stuff does get easier with time though.
ReplyDeleteI just saw where about three million books are published each year worldwide, one third of them in US.
ReplyDeleteWho's reading all this stuff? How much quality can there be? I read probably four books an average year so not helping much with the quantity out there.
Of course when someone writes a book about the joys of raising his dog, someone will probably buy it.