Does the World Need Another Writer?

Easy answer: nope. There are already too many good novels and stories out there we won't be able to read before we die. Why make it even more difficult for readers with so many books, so little time?

Does the world need another artist? Musician? Plumber? Teacher? 

When I discovered the band mewithoutYou thirteen years ago, I became a fan for life. But does the world really need mewithoutYou? I have no idea. I enjoy their music and thought-provoking lyrics, and I can't wait for Pale Horses next week. 

Do we need more teachers? I strive to be the best I can be, and I feel needed at my school. I just finished my 16th year there, and I've tried to improve my pedagogy (so seldom get to sling that word around) every year. Am I replaceable? Sure. Another teacher with a degree and credential could take my classes in the fall.

But the Fowler flavor would be gone.

As far as my writing goes, I don't write for the world. I don’t even write for my readers. I write for me, selfish wretch that I am. Maybe my stories aren't epically earth-shattering, but I enjoy writing them. And I've attracted a few readers in the process. Do they need me? Nope. But I like to think they'd miss the Fowler flavor if I quit writing and took up underwater basket-weaving instead. Or painting. Or plumbing. Gotta fill those summer months with something productive, right?

Over the past five years, social media has exploded across the Interwebs, and it's easy to feel lost in the shuffle of authors vying for attention. That hasn’t stopped me. The world may not need what I write, but I do. Maybe someday I'll figure out why; but for now, look forward to plenty more fiction from this Fowler guy. Who knows, you might even enjoy some of it.