Richard wanted to go to the bookstore yesterday. He likes to sit and read the magazines. Today however he wanted to look at travel books on Florida to plan a trip to see his favorite baseball team, the Tampa Bay Rays. It took all of a nano second for me to say "Let's go. I'll drive."
I know that I'm an easy target for marketers. I want to buy every get rich quick system and amazing time saving cooker I see on television. I have over time learned to show some restraint. Same is true for the bookstore. I'm learning how to show some restraint.
I decided that I should look at the books on the bottom shelf. I never seem to browse below eye level for my reading treasures. I know I'm the marketers dream. There must be something down there worth reading that I've missed. I crouched down. No covers here grab me. I moved to another shelf.
John Steinbeck. I breathed a sigh of relief. He's my favorite. The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men. All favorites. All classics. I didn't need to buy them though. I have them already. His son did write a book recently. That might be worth reading but it wasn't on the shelf. I moved along.
Carl Hiassen. His titles filled an entire shelf. He's the master of character development. His stories are funny and quirky and I love to write in a similar sarcastic fashion. But I'm not much of a serial reader. I've read a few. That's enough for me for now.
What did I learn about the bottom shelf? Unless you're an author who's been around the block a few times, it's a curse. If you're established with a following, readers will come looking for you regardless of where you are. But I think I'll spend more time at the bottom shelf. As a writer I should aspire to be on the bottom shelf. There's alot of good company down there. And for the record. I left the store empty handed.
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