Yesterday I did a post about John Irving's honesty and how he has guts to share so much "in spite of" his fame and success (because bearing your soul when you've built a public persona is quite risky and shows vulnerability).
But I must also mention Jon Konrath because he is also honest. It's not like he's sharing his darkest secrets and struggles, but his blog consistently shows well-written honesty that I have not found elsewhere, except at a now-defunct blog that I think was called "Themes and Variations" that I cannot find anywhere anymore.
Which makes me wonder if honesty is "worth more" when the person is famous. Does he not "matter" as much because he's not famous? Does writing only matter if it's written by a blockbuster author?
I've never met Jon and may never meet him (thus I'm not trying to gain favor), but for some reason I love reading his thoughts. I've mentioned him a few times before, but I can't help it because whenever I come across a windbag and/or pompous writer who's "taking risks" in sharing stuff, I think about Jon because he's toiling away at his day job and writes creatively on the side, sharing his unpretentious thoughts with me and lots of other people who love to read good writing.
2 comments:
Hey, all I can say is thanks. I've really been trying to use the journal and the work on my next book to find out what I really do write, so it's good to know I'm headed in the right direction.
I may eventually end up doing a reading in Chicago, because a friend of mine is trying to set up some kind of reading series similar to one we both read at in Boston. And I still sign my own books. I actually sign other peoples' books too, and I try to get other authors to sign my books, so I'm not too picky.
If you do a reading in Chicago, let me know! Good to know you're not a NYC-dwelling snob who looks down on Chicago, even though people in Chicago could care less what "New Yorkers" (non-natives) think (I'm gonna do a post about such an attitude).
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