The Blog, The Trust

In some divine way, it is perhaps no coincidence that, as I sit down to write my two-hundredth blog in two-hundred days, my college friend, Norb Vonnegut, is releasing his third novel, The Trust.  To the average observer, it may seem that a guy whose family name is associated with prolific and imaginative writing should be able to pump out books in his sleep.  But to those of us who know the truth--that the namesake is a distant one and that Norb gave up a successful career on Wall Street for the unglamorous and lonely life of a full-time novelist—we are cheering his success.  In fact, the three exciting financial thrillers that Norb has produced so far come from a big heart, a great mind, and endless hours of hard work.  It is the kind of success that we ordinary people hope for.  It makes us believe that even we can do it.

Norb does not realize how much his journey inspired my own.  He stood up at our last class reunion and told the story of his mid-life career change.  For over a year, he got up early every morning in order to write, layering this difficult task on top of a challenging career in a volatile industry.  His commitment paid off when he inked his first book deal just as Wall Street was beginning to crumble. 

 

Like many people, I enjoy writing and have had a couple of ideas for novels bouncing around in the back of my head for years.  And, not surprisingly, I have not been able to make much more out of these ideas than a few isolated narratives.  Writing is hard work, but not for the reason most people think.  The words come easy enough.  As Norb emphasized, the discipline to write EVERY SINGLE DAY is what trips up most wannabe writers.  This is why I decided to focus on this challenge of the craft rather than on the books themselves.  After the first 120 days of producing daily blogs, I began to writhe with uncertainty and exasperation.  I was tired, discouraged, and creatively bankrupt.  Then I remembered what Thomas Edison said: “Many of life’s failures are [people] who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”  I am committed to making good on this promise.  This is why I pushed myself out on a limb and committed myself in full view, threatening myself with the specter of public humiliation.  

This 200-blog milestone feels more important to me than the half-way point a few weeks ago.  Finally the task ahead feels smaller than the one behind.  I see a mountain of unscripted days shrinking before my eyes.  What remains seems finite.  This is a good place to be on the hottest day of the summer, with an exciting new book tempting me on my Kindle.

Before I bury myself for the rest of the day in the exploits of Grove O’Rourke, I want to pause to thank the friends who have stood by and cheered me on.  You are my co-conspirators, enduring the silly sonnets, tasting the recipes, and excusing the days when my editing was not as thorough as it should have been.  You, the readers, give me the strength to write another day.  Without you, I would have no voice.

Author’s note:  Read The Trust, by Norb Vonnegut, at bookstores today.  After you have read it, go online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble and register your review.  We are working to get Norb on the New York Times Bestsellers’ List.

Tomorrow's blog:  Once Upon a Bakery