No Shame in Being Ordinary

Many years ago I read Lord of the Rings and I stopped writing fiction because I knew I could never be the writer that Tolkien was. So I switched to poetry, but after reading the Iliad I knew I could never be the poet that Homer was. And so most of what I wrote never left the safety of its shelf. It's because I didn't just want to be a writer, I wanted to be a great writer. But there is no shame in being ordinary. We do not all strive to be great men or great women. For if we are all leaders who then will be our followers? If we are all great writers who then will be our readers? The man or woman who cannot see passion in being who they already are has missed the point entirely. These days I do not strive to be a great writer. I simply strive to be the writer that I am.