Chris Dietzel's Blog - Posts Tagged "passion"
Bucket Lists and the Great American Novel
Everyone has a point in his life when he analyzes what he might have done differently over the years. Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream of writing the Great American Novel.
Would my life be spent going to a job that paid well but required no creativity or imagination? Or would I spend my time doing something because it was my passion, even if it didn’t pay the bills? Well, passions don’t often make people rich, so the office job would have to remain a part of my life. But I knew I also needed to write that book, even if it wouldn’t land me on the bestseller’s list. After all, that’s what passions are: the things we are compelled to do, regardless of whether they are practical or not. The thing I feared most wasn’t whether or not I would end up rich or poor, but if I would get to the end of my life and regret never having pursued my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: My fears are the same as the protagonist’s in the novel I ended up writing and publishing last year.
I’ve never regretted dedicating all of my free time to writing and publishing that book. And even though it didn’t become a best seller, for me at least, it really was the Great American Novel. It was featured on a popular radio show, was voted as one of GoodReads Top 10 Most Interesting Books of 2013, and has been read by people in six continents!
I still have many more books I want to write, but I’m happy that I crossed off the top item on my bucket list. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man who, at the end of his life, is plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. After writing the book, I’ve come to an important realization: It’s okay if the world fades away, as it does for the man in my story. As long as I still have the few things that are truly important to me—the people I love, the pursuit of my dreams—life will be okay.
I occasionally still get stuck in rush-hour traffic, but knowing I’ve achieved the top item on my bucket list helps make the time spent among Washington’s clogged streets seem not so bad anymore.
Originally published in the Washington Post Magazine.
Would my life be spent going to a job that paid well but required no creativity or imagination? Or would I spend my time doing something because it was my passion, even if it didn’t pay the bills? Well, passions don’t often make people rich, so the office job would have to remain a part of my life. But I knew I also needed to write that book, even if it wouldn’t land me on the bestseller’s list. After all, that’s what passions are: the things we are compelled to do, regardless of whether they are practical or not. The thing I feared most wasn’t whether or not I would end up rich or poor, but if I would get to the end of my life and regret never having pursued my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: My fears are the same as the protagonist’s in the novel I ended up writing and publishing last year.
I’ve never regretted dedicating all of my free time to writing and publishing that book. And even though it didn’t become a best seller, for me at least, it really was the Great American Novel. It was featured on a popular radio show, was voted as one of GoodReads Top 10 Most Interesting Books of 2013, and has been read by people in six continents!
I still have many more books I want to write, but I’m happy that I crossed off the top item on my bucket list. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man who, at the end of his life, is plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. After writing the book, I’ve come to an important realization: It’s okay if the world fades away, as it does for the man in my story. As long as I still have the few things that are truly important to me—the people I love, the pursuit of my dreams—life will be okay.
I occasionally still get stuck in rush-hour traffic, but knowing I’ve achieved the top item on my bucket list helps make the time spent among Washington’s clogged streets seem not so bad anymore.
Originally published in the Washington Post Magazine.
