People Always Tell Me I Should Write a Book...

"You've been to so many places." "You've done so many things!"
"You need to write a book."

Well, I have been to a few places and I have done a couple things that might be mildly interesting. From time to time I come up with a pithy observation. With a lot of effort I most likely could whip out some kind of novel.

But, I read a good deal and am constantly amazed at how good some of these guys are. Just finished another collection of Charles Bukowski last night. "What matters most is how well you walk through the fire," he wrote. How could I have the nerve to think I could write something worthwhile in light of that?

And of course there's Cavafy's "Ithaca" which I posted some time back. Whole lives are guided by that poem including mine. I could write for the next bazillion years and not come up with words as meaningful as his.

On the other hand I read "Honeymoon With My Brother," by Franz Wisner. That I could have written. But I didn't. He did.

So there is a possibility albeit slim. It could be done. If I had the creativity. And therein lies the rub. I am just about the least creative guy I know. I can tell when someone has a good idea. But, to come up with my own is a tough call.

For example a few months back I posted a screed here about limiting people to driving no faster than their age. If you are 17 that's your speed limit. If you are 70 you HAVE to drive 70. I thought it was pretty clever. Then one night I'm watching a Seinfeld rerun and Jerry was doing a bit about that very thing! Here I was thinking I'm original and I was just writing about something I had subconsciously adapted from Seinfeld.

I do have a basic plan. Thanks to the internet and access to information a person can publish a book based upon their blog. I heard of some lady who published a book based upon her recipe blog. I KNOW I could write something THAT boring!

So for now that is my plan. I intend to continue this blog for at least a total of five years. After that I'll cherry pick my best posts (with the help of some of my loyal readers. Hani). Then I'll publish that. The title will be "The Best of The Best of What's Left."

This blog is almost two years old now. So only three years to go. I should be able to put a book's worth together by then. Insh'Allah!

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of this stuff.

It ain't easy being me.