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CHEATERS INC. & DUMB LUCK LTD. Part 44 From The Chapter – The Reality End of the Pen

Thirty years ago, while conversing with my friend about a mutual acquaintance who fancied himself a writer, I said, “There is something about Joe’s writing that is bland. It is not to say it is bad writing but that it lacks some important ingredient.”

My friend responded, “Joe’s never worked a day in his life. Every time he has a problem, his parents cut him a check. He has no idea how real people live. What could Joe possibly write that is meaningful or inspirational to anyone?”

His statement remained with me, not so much as a patent truth but as an insight into writing’s nature. If everyone needed to experience problems to understand them, social advancement would not occur. However, you must have some substantive topic whether the genre is fiction or fact. Meshed in my friend’s statement, a strange, disturbing cultural pollution undergirding authorship emerged.