12 June 2005

Claiming Fame

Someone asked me once why I thought I might never acheive status as a writer. I replied as follows:

"I'm not eccentric enough, don't do enough drugs, and too scared to break the law."

In short, I'm too conservative. I don't live on the edge, generally taking the path that will assure my safe and timely arrival. Then there's the whole "it's not what you know, but who you know" deal. I used to think this view was bogus, but quickly discovered the truth of the matter. The published/respected writers I know made themselves through those who came before, riding shirttails so to speak.

Sure, those writers might have deviated from their comrade's style, but they relied on their comrade's names as credential. They may disagree. They may assert their hard work and years of studies as the basis for their limited fame. They may even say I'm jealous, which I kind of agree with. But, how good is there work if removed from the context of their particular communities. And, how important is community?

The phrase "forging community" comes to mind, and illustrates the "hard work" aspect some established writers might cite as the key to their success. It's no coincidence "forging" and "forcing" differ by only one letter. Community is made, not naturally, but synthetically. I hope to forge some community myself. I hope to collect up all these local "smut" writers in the Rogue Valley and create a scene. Am I proposing some Kinseyan "Inner Circle"? Not initially, but deviants will be deviants.

In the meantime, I shall continue to write my Body Erotic stories and to post them on my blog on occassion. Here's the opening line for one possible short story:

"I know they say you're body's a temple, but if someone's willing to pay, why not charge admission?"

2 comments:

Theresa said...

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. It lead to the happy discovery of yours. Your style is lovely. I look forward to making the time to read backward a bit or more.

Fame and fortune in the arts are scarce. I wouldn't even know how to categorize my own brand of creativity ... I'm certainly not a writer. I'm more of an idea generator who occassionally captures one or two into a form of communication. So far no fame and fortune have come of it.

However, even without the eccentricity, drugs and criminality, I wish you luck!

Kyle Stich said...

Thanks for checking out my blog, Theresa. I know I've certainly enjoyed reading the posts on yours and plan to continue enjoying them.

Your frank and honest style reflects the rogue attitude I hope to one day publicly display.