When
I found out that Kevin Meaney died suddenly at age 60, I emailed two friends
I’ve known for a long time and got surprising responses. One said he didn’t know who he was; the
other knew but summarized his life as “he really didn’t have a great
career.” It makes me wonder how writers
who die are viewed by others.
Meaney,
for the record, was a talented comedian who probably did better than 95% of all
comedians in his day. He just didn’t
make it into elite territory, but that’s far from being seen as an unknown or a
nobody. The truth is, we all contribute
something to this world. We impact
others along the way but sometimes we forget or remain unaware of how we
influence others.
I
remember seeing Meaney perform several times in the mid 80’s at NYC comedy
clubs. The New York Times, in its
obituary, said he was “a headliner on the stand-up comedy circuit for more than
30 years.” I would say that’s an
impressive epitaph.
Meaney
made numerous appearances on late-night TV, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He had several HBO specials, appeared in a Broadway play and starred in a failed
TV series based on a John Candy movie, Uncle
Buck. He appeared on Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, 2 Broke Girls, and other shows. He just didn’t
have a signature event, a memorable book or movie, or a singular moment that
defined his career. He was a quality
comedian who was a steady performer for decades.
My
father died earlier this year and it was hard to summarize a life that was
far less public or accomplished as the one Meaney lived, but I knew that his
life, if for anything else, meant something to me. If I could impact others and contribute to
the world, it would be in part, because of his influence on me. Perhaps that’s the best thing you can say
about another human being, that they made a difference in the lives of others –
and hopefully those people made a positive impact on others.
For
writers, their tombstone could never reflect who they were. Their own writing should do that. It speaks for itself. The lasting impact of those words on others
is what becomes the eulogy or obituary.
Writers
always wonder how others will view them and their work upon their death. What you write goes a long way to influencing
what they will say. So if you want to
help define how you’ll be seen upon your demise, work hard now at penning the
words that could define your legacy.
I
saw an advertisement for Book of the
Dead: 320 Print and 10,000 Digital
Obituaries of Extraordinary People by
William McDonald, published by The New
York Times. I don’t know that I
could read them without feeling either envy for their success or sadness that I
no longer could meet them. Besides, obituaries are written in a certain one-sided
way that make them incomplete, if not dishonest.
I
guess if you just play a numbers game, you’d say that most lives are
unimportant. In the scheme of things,
only the top 1% of the 1% really matter.
They are the powerful, successful, wealthy, talented, educated, leaders,
politicians, doctors, writers, teachers, and members of every profession who
rose above all others. But if you are the
other 999 in 1,000, did your life not matter or mean something?
Of
course it did.
The
same is true with writers. You don’t
need a best-seller, an award, or an avalanche of favorable critical reviews to
know that your books are of value, that your writings are worthwhile. If you feel differently, prove me wrong. Be a more prolific writer, an improved
writer, an activist writer whose words change things, who gives back to others,
and who strives to inform, inspire, educate, or entertain with the written
word. Look death down and rise up to
write your best book yet. Become who you
want to be, whom you hope others will see and talk about. Celebrate your life and writing today and let
your words tell your story upon your death.
Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit
2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit
2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit
Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby
http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.