Who doesn't want to be the best? I know I do. I want to walk through a book shop and see my name over a big display of my novels. I want to be top of the New York Times Bestseller List. I want to sit in a cinema watching the opening credits roll on a movie adaptation of one of my books.
To quote Freddie Mercury, I want it all.
Not asking for much, right? ;-p
But I'm not the best. I may never be the best.
But I still keep trying. I keep working, keep learning, keep improving. I've always believed that a writer is only as good as his next book, so if you don't give 110% every time, you'll fall behind. It's a lot of hard work. Even when reading for pleasure or sitting back to watch a movie, I'm studying the narrative techniques, learning from those who've made it ahead of me. These people are my mentors and my guides, because they've had the skill and the determination to be a success.
Unfortunately there's no easy way to get better. It's a slow process and if I'm honest, I never feel like I'm learning enough. I'm always afraid I'm still writing like that innocent 12 year-old I was when I first decided I wanted to be a writer. But I want to feel that way. I never want to feel like I've learned it all, because I never will. There'll always be someone better, something to learn from. And I take joy in that.
But, to get me through my learning journey, I do allow myself some guilty pleasures, and sometimes you just need to tell yourself that you kick ass. So for tonight, I'm doing that with the help of Mr. Joe Esposito: