Special People

I was teaching Fearless Writing the other evening, and one of the students said that when his writing is really going well, he “feels special.” He was a man about my age who, except for his thick, salt-and-pepper beard, seemed otherwise nondescript. Though I have to admit I don’t like that word. It’s a cheat. Everyone’s describable if you take the time. For instance, now that I take a moment, there was a sturdy, change-your-own-oil practicality about him, the sort of attitude that is sometimes suspicious of all the psychological, spiritual, self-helpy stuff you’re going to hear in my classes. Turns out, he was as open as anyone else there. People can surprise you.

But he definitely struck me as a fellow not eager or even interested in being the center of attention – as opposed to, say, me. If a bunch of people are in the same room, at some point one of them is likely to be the only one talking. I’m happy to be that person. Viewed from a certain angle, the one talking might be seen as special. He is, but not because he’s currently the center of attention. That’s just something he likes doing.

Though, like the bearded writer, he is also aware of something special while he speaks in this way, something that feels necessarily unique to him but also, hopefully, relatable to others. It’s why I appreciated that man’s choice of words. It seemed brave in a way, as it might be perceived as bragging. At that moment, at least, I felt he wasn’t. He was just being honest.

I know it’s not always easy to admit you feel special. If you’re like me, most of the time you just feel like you, wandering around thinking your thoughts, taking care of this and that, doing, more or less, exactly what everyone else is doing. And then you sit down to the page. Yes, thousands of others are sitting down to their pages somewhere, but as you wait with your ideas and dreams, wait for the first idea to come, you know that what arrives will have come only to you. It’s a little scary, a little humbling, and always fun when it starts. It’s fun because now you’re moving, headed in a direction only you can travel, whose destination, oddly, will lead you to everyone else.

Check out Fearless Writing with Bill Kenower on YouTube or your favorite podcast app.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com