You could be the NEXT Published Author!

Its the start of another season of American Idol. Sarcastically Delicious (aka boyfriend) hates watching the show. But, I know there are a ton of people out there who love it. I suppose people enjoy watching American Idol because they want to see who the next greatest singing sensation will be. Others watch it because they think Simon is hot and they swoon over his smart ass comments. Others just want to check out Randy's latest glasses, Kara's perfect cheek bones, or Paula's ditsy comments. Unfortunately, 2010 will not have any Paula-isms as she is being replaced by Ellen DeGeneres. Now, that will be interesting.

I like watching American Idol because it reminds me of two things:
1. To never stop dreaming.
2. To not be self deluded.

If Kris Allen or David Cook or Daughtry had given up on their dreams of singing. They would still be doing their day jobs. But they had the nerve to put it out there, refine their craft, and refused to give up.

When I see other people achieve their dreams, I can't help but cry tears of happiness. Because I know what it's like to have a dream and I commend anyone out there who is brave enough to even have a dream. And I commend you even more if you're putting your self out there in the trenches and working towards making that dream a reality.

And now the self delusion part....
It surprises me every year how many people out there actually believe that they can sing. Some of the self-deluded have trained with a voice coach and publicly performed, while others think they innately have what it takes to be a star. No practice needed. But then when Simon says their voice is worse than the dying warble of aged rooster, the self deluded become angry and rude. Each time I see a contestant act this way, words like immature and ungrateful echo in my head. When an industry profeessional tells you that you need practice or should consider a different career, the self-deluded contestant will often lash out rather than learn from the experience.

The same goes for writers. Just because I blog. And just because I've written a novel or two doesn't mean that I have what it takes to be a published writer. I know I've got a long road ahead of me and I'm willing to learn and work hard. But at the same time, I'm not deluded into thinking that I'm the next J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyers either. But, there are people out there that think their writing is hotter than habanero. They believe they have what it takes. And they don't have the goods to back it up. I'm not one to judge any writer's ability. But I will judge you if you rant and rave over constructive criticism or cry woe is me all the time because the agent's dont understand that you're the greatest literary find in all of history. I haven't encountered this at all in the blogging community, but I have crossed a deluded writer or two in person.

So, yeah, I watch American Idol because I like watching other people reach for their dreams. And when Ryan Seacrest comes on the air, my mind dubbs over the words he's actually saying: Hey! You sitting on the coach! You could be the next Published Author!