My story

A fascinating question was posed to me at work today, at least fascinating as far as I am concerned. As I was bringing stuff up from the basement to stock the coolers, I was walking by the deli counter at work when Clare asked me the following; “Matt, if you were to write a book, what type of book would it be?”

Well, first, I don't consider myself much of a writer. I guess I am, but only in the broadest sense of the word, I do write, so in that regard I guess I am a writer, but calling myself a writer is akin to calling galoshes footwear. Technically they are, but I doubt anyone would mix them up with anything resembling fashionable footwear, likewise while I do write, nobody will mistake my scribblings with anything remotely close to being an actual writer.

So I guess the fact I was even posed the question to begin with was a bit startling, but as I mulled things over in ye olde cranium I realized that if I were to write a book, it would probably be non fiction, just because I don't believe I have the creative energy needed to create something out of whole cloth, I am much more equipped to relaying facts and ideas that are already in existence. Maybe providing my own unique spin or interpretation on those events, but it would be something that had some basis in reality.

The more I thought about it, the lazier I realized I actually am. I am just not one for a lot of research, I can do it if I have to, I know I have that skill set from years of doing talk radio, running down numerous leads, facts, rumors etc. and being able to get a decent enough handle on them to ascertain their relative truthiness. But it is an arduous task, and when I write I try to be as unarduous as possible. Which means whatever I write a book about, well, it would have to be a subject which I know plenty about. And really, what subject do I know more about than me? So I guess if I were to write a book, then that book would be an autobiography.

There are a couple of problems with that though. The biggest being, is there really a market for it? I admit when I blog, if people don't read that is okay, I write first for me and if people want to come along for the ride all the better. But when you get into actually writing a book, that is more like work and with work is an expectation that there is an actual market for that which is being created, otherwise why do it. And I don't know if there is a market for an autobiography of a manager at a newsstand. The other main problem I can see is that much of what I would consider “book material” is already here for free, and who really wants to pay for things that they can get for free? I know I don't. So I guess in the end, the book I would write is the book that will never be written.