Are Writers Superheroes?

Writers can be egomaniacal and only concerned about their 15 minutes of fame.  Many want to be bestselling authors just because they feel entitled to this lofty recognition.  Others write in hopes of winning the lottery and making big bank.  But most write because they feel it’s their destiny.  They write with conviction and purpose.  They write passionately because it’s entertaining or cathartic.  I also believe many writers are superheroes. 

They just aren’t like most people and their special powers are expressed in their words, crafted so perfectly that they can convince us to live and love or die and hate.

In watching the latest incarnation of Superman on the silver screen, in 3-D no less, I came to see the superhero within each writer.  Authors cannot bend steel or fight with their bodies, but they can bend minds and fight with ideas, creativity, and wit.  The writer can influence actions, policies, and the way we come to see our world and help us determine how to choose the life we live.

How appropriate that Clark Kent chooses the profession of newspaper reporter as his cover, for it’s a job that allows him to probe, ask questions, confront injustices, expose lies, and challenge powerful forces.  The journalist and the book author are truly heroic when they explore the world and uncover and reveal the truths that bond us.

Would any of us trade the pen – or keyboard – for the cape?  Or can we be a righteous force for good while merely sharing ideas and insights, one book at a time?

Superman teaches us that we choose whether to harness our powers and strengths. Further, we choose to develop and employ them for good or evil purposes.  Superman could easily lord over the Earth and enslave the planet to his will – or he could be like a god and protect the planet, even when the greatest threat seems to come from within the human race.

The world needs more superheroes.  Are you up to the task?

Interview With Children’s Picture Book Writer & Illustrator Lee Haydn Straight

What type of books do you write? I write and illustrate children's picture books.

What is your newest book about? It's called "Bob Bear's Beards" and it's about a bear who gets into a lot of mess every day at dinner time. It celebrates colors, days of the week and the joy of eating!

What inspired you to write it? Every child on the planet who eats!

What is the writing process like for you? It is very natural for me since I spend all day around children. I get ideas all the time, so all I have to do is pick up a pen and let the stories come out. I never have to "write" a story. They just arrive.

What did you do before you became an author? I was, and still am, an English teacher here in Japan. My previous teaching jobs were in small private schools but now I teach in 9 different elementary schools.

How does it feel to be a published author? Knowing that my books are reaching the people I wrote them for(the children) is a dream come true. Bringing even just a little bit of happiness to as many children as I can, is why I write.

Any advice for struggling writers? The struggle is the universe imploring you to reach deeper inside yourself and your imagination, so be grateful to the struggle because it means that you really care about what you are writing and relax in the knowledge that it will work out just fine. When you finally finish that book it will feel all the more rewarding.

Where do you see book publishing heading? It will continue to expand and open up more opportunities for people who write, to get their work out there. More and more people are starting their own publishing companies which just creates more avenues. You can't stop the flow of creativity! I'm excited by it!

For more information, please consult: http://leehaydnstraight.wix.com/leehaydnstraight

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013