In Praise of Obscurity
I saw the Burger King/New Moon cross-marketing TV ad the other day. It reminded me how happy I am to live in obscurity (no sarcasm).
I can’t even imagine a commercial like that, complete with the creepy King (which is probably scarier than anything in the entire Twilight series), using my characters and stories to sell hamburgers. Even the idea of the commercial — ordinary people arguing over which character is better — is inconceivable to me.
Obscurity is the fate of most writers, though. Someone like Stephanie Meyer, who has an enormous hit and becomes a household name, is the exception. And even in the case of Meyer, I imagine most people don’t even recognize her when she goes out.
Obscurity is what I like about being a writer. I can express myself creatively, but I don’t have to worry about “fame”. I value my privacy and anonymity. Meyer can have the Burger King ads. I’ll keep my sanity and peace of mind.
