Clay Quinn, a former mover, and shaker in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Bodybuilding division, once said to me “How many times can you write an article about increasing the size of your biceps?”
The fact is even though he was a bit cynical about the sport, he was right. Yes, there are a variety of exercises one can do to increase the size of your muscles. But in the end, it’s simply a matter of going beyond what is considered ordinary stress on the body via heavier weights, varying positions, and the number of sets. Of course, diet makes a huge difference, especially increasing the amount of protein eaten and adding more amino acids to the diet to replace what was lost during the workout. Consistency and desire are key components to engorging the muscles with blood to force them to grow to outrageous proportions. Think of the former Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman. He had a system of super-heavy weights coupled with short sets and then take the day off.
It’s the same scenario with the cigar industry. Quinn might say, “How many times can a person read about a cigar?” It’s a conical bunch of leaves, and when the tobacco is put to a flame, the cigar gives off smoke, an aroma, and whether or not the construction (the exercise) is near perfect, and the proper maturation of the fermented leaves are on point, the end result is the same depending upon the consistency and desire of the torcedor who will make the blend a success.
And so I’ve asked myself, why write articles that are redundant in content and style? I had a brief conversation with the editor of Cigar Journal as to why he was so hesitant to publish my articles in his magazine. And he basically told me that my writing is not the norm. It’s excellent writing (his words) but just doesn’t fit into his idea of what the reader wants. To paraphrase him, “Why not write pieces that the cigar smoker can relate to, maybe articles that offer the reader tips, or profiles, or the explanation of the process.” I held back a yawn, I hope at least my eyes didn’t roll to the back of my head revealing my dissatisfaction with his suggestions.
Even so, I’ve decided to continue to write my cigar blog articles in my style and combine them with subjects that may not be “the norm” but actually add interest to the excitement of how cigars infiltrate our cultural influences – be they published or not.
I’ve also chosen to flap my writing wings in another direction.
Art.
You all may read or see the site because I will publish it on FB, but I’m going to concentrate on drawing my readers to my website, Word Press and LinkedIn. Those three seem to be where I get the most activity. Odd considering FB has a plethora of cigar groups. But this way I won’t clutter my mind by thinking of likes, swallowing whole foolish comments, and breathing in vacuous verbal vapor.
When I complete the new site (http://www.theartanvil.com) it will be a story to tell. Of course, other art groups will be invited to read it. Will they show their true colors – perhaps. But for the time being, I see this as a positive seismic shift; a work in progress with a publishing date in the near future.
Why am I telling my cigar friends about a site that they may never bother to read? Well, maybe there will be fewer cigar posts. I don’t know for sure. But I do know this – I gotta grow – just like Ronnie Coleman, and start building a new readership.
I have a passion to write about subjects in such a way that doesn’t conform to the norm such as James Joyce, Charles Bukowski, Beryl Bainbridge, Pinter, Beckett, Burroughs, and Eugène Ionesco. And they made it work. Why can’t I?
IrvCigarBroker 