Heroes

I was interviewing the author Richard Bach at a bookstore years ago. His novels Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions, and Bridge Across Forever were enormous bestsellers in the 70’s and early 80’s, and, given the spiritual nature of his work, he became a kind of accidental guru within the burgeoning New Age community. It was clear to me while talking to him that he considered himself a fiction writer first and foremost, though he was grateful for all the people he’d reached.

At one point in our conversation, he gestured to all the books on the nearby shelves. “You write something,” he said, “and it goes out there, and it reaches people. Most of the time you’ll never know the effect it has on anyone.” He shrugged. “That’s the life of the writer.”

It struck me that he’d heard from more fans than most. He described giving readings that lasted hours as he answered question after question, sometimes taking those conversations outside once the bookstore needed to close. Yet for all the attention he received, there were millions of people who’d enjoyed his novels, who’d loved them, felt changed by them, whom he never met nor received a letter from. As he pointed out, that’s the life of the writer.

Of course, I like to write stories about the people I’ve met in my life. Sometimes they’re my friends and family, or they’re authors like Bach, but often they’re people who work at the deli counter at my grocery store or were my geometry classmates in high school. Some encounter or interaction we had stayed with me long enough and clearly enough that eventually I had to write about it. Many of these people have no idea they’re in my stories. They certainly don’t know the effect they had on me.

And yet they did. Writers are perhaps not so different from anyone else in this way. Everyone is affecting everyone else, all the time, every day. I forget this, of course, as I grumble about, bored or bothered, getting things done. At those times I can feel so small, my life narrowing to whatever tiny problem has my attention. I feel a bit invisible, an extra on a movie buying coffee while the two leads fall in love at a nearby table. Fortunately, life is not viewed through a single camera lens, and every street corner and café are stages to many heroes whose stories can change with a simple hello.

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