How a Book I Never Read Changed My Life

Dad used to have this book which was a collection of gun slinging western short stories by Elmore Leonard (“3:10 To Yuma”). In the preface of the book Elmore was reflecting on being an advertising copywriter for Chevrolet in Detroit and desperately wanting to be a western fiction writer, but he needed to support his family. One simple line stuck with me...

The line was; “I realized that I was going to have to get up at five in the morning if I wanted to write fiction.” So he would get up at 5am and force himself to get a page written before he’d allow himself to put coffee on. Then he made his coffee, poured a cup and wrote a little more before getting ready for his day job.

That inspired me. The commitment to a passion and a craft. To make the time to hone it if you really want it no matter how uncomfortable it might be to make it work. I ordered that book just so I could read that one line whenever I wanted - not just when I happened to be visiting mom and dad in Saskatchewan.

I didn’t even read the book.
I tried…
But when I flipped through, randomly falling on a page to whet my appetite with it, it was a scene of a young boy watching his dad get hung. I was out. It was a very light lunch. (Literally, the quickest and easiest book exit in all my reading history.) Too sad. But that’s ok. I tried.

So now I just enjoy reading my favorite one line and flopping that big fat juicy 545 page paperback open and closed feeling the air on my face while thoroughly enjoying the sensation on my fingertips of those slightly textured wholesome brownish pages that remind me of 60% whole grain bread. There’s nothing better than having your way with a big fat juicy paperback.
I did try to read it.
But, I didn’t get it for the stories anyway.

I got it for the fire in my belly.