One of the most fascinating places to visit in NYC is the majestic building that is the terminus for the rail transportation known as Grand Central. For me it is where stories live.
The space was renovated in the 1990s to celebrate its centennial, and it reclaimed its former majestic beauty. For years, I traversed the concourse twice a day as a commuter and I often stopped to look up at the barrel ceiling speckled with lights to mark the constellations. But the true stories of the terminal can be heard in the fragments of the conversations among the people who spend some portion of their day or evening within the walls of the grand space. Like dancers in an expansive ballroom, the commuters and shoppers glide over the marble floor barely noticing each other as they head toward the stairs and passageways that lead them out into the day or night.
It was this concept of total anonymity in a public space that inspired me to write my first thriller, Random Acts, about a mystery writer who culled her fictional victims from the faces in the crowd, only to discover that someone else had more sinister intentions.
With smartphones and tablets a standard accessory in most wardrobes, business and personal, capturing stories, both real and fictional, have become commonplace. Everyone is a voyeur and equally, an object in someone's lens, so it is becoming harder and harder to remain anonymous. That could be a blessing for some who see is as an opportunity to gain exposure in an extremely competitive world, but unlike advertisements and marketing campaigns, flash fame, that instantaneous, unrehearsed moment of viral interest can be difficult to control and contain.
Horace Greeley is credited with this quote: "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character."
One thing I know for certain is that people will quickly see a difference between what I say and what I do. That is important to remember. I can spend a fortune on a marketing campaign, on news releases and videos, but if my walk doesn't match my talk, what value does any of it have? If, on the other hand, I do my best to deliver for my existing clients, they will willingly share their experiences with others, and my business and reputation will grow. Then, maybe, that flash fame we all hope for won't be something that causes me to cringe, but something I can wear in public with a smile.