A Really Good Hockey Player

There was this guy in my home town who was a really good hockey player. Back where I grew up, that was kind of a big deal. This guy was really good, better than anybody else in town. He was a sort of a local hero. He eventually got picked up by one of the farm team systems. He may even have played as a bench warmer in the NHL for a while. My point is that there are tons of guys playing professional and semi-professional sports who are better at what they do than you or anybody you've played with.

Lately I've come to realize that I'm not the writer for a generation. It sounds silly, but I've had this persistent voice in the back of my mind telling me over and over again that I just need that one little push, and I'll emerge as one of the great voices of my age. But I'm not.

There's nothing wrong with delusions of grandeur, as long as they help you write. They don't help me. I get all knotted up like a handkerchief wrapped around a lawnmower blade.

Writings really about sitting down and telling a story with your pen. It's a commonplace workday kind of thing that every now and then gives me a huge thrill. It's time to sit at the table. Maybe it'll be great, and maybe it'll just be done, but it'll be mine.