Comments on: cold commitment; warm smiles

By: Deanna

Deanna — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:58:19 +0000

Deb, you’re doing amazing things with writing at your blog, as far as I’ve seen. Are there other projects during your finger-burning, wee-hours sessions? You connect better with people than I do, and I can tell it’s part of your nature, or has become so (it seems kids will do that to people, at least they helped me come out of the shell a bit).

I haven’t yet watched Rudy. I’m sure my dad has – he’s an athlete whose favorite movies are those types, and I like them, too (especially watching with him).

By: deb

deb — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:20:38 +0000

First I was excited to see that you’d posted.

And then so see the writer athlete analogy. I am a writer wanna be in a house with 5 athletes , and a coach/athlete . Our life is all about discipline and leavin’ it on the field and doing it because it’s a certain kind of beauty. It has taught me more about myself than I would have imagined, and sometimes when I’m sitting in the cold dark, I think of the movie Rudy. It makes our whole family cry every time. And it makes me want to want something in spite of .

and I wrote with my fingers burning last night btw.

By: Deanna

Deanna — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:27:32 +0000

So true, Fresca, about failure, repetitive practice, etc., along the road to gratification (which must be an inborn thing – we’re wired somehow to strive to use our skills significantly, otherwise, why??).

And I laughed about the difference between watching a writer write and football practice. Yeah, there was a movie not long ago, about a girl living on an island with her father, and she connects via email with a reclusive writer (Jodi Foster?). The writer-at-work is shown rearranging her desk, jogging on her treadmill, fleeing from a spider – so exciting (and so close to home for me!).

By: fresca

fresca — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:23:18 +0000

Last night I watched “We Are Marshall, a movie about a town rebuilding a football team after theirs is killed in a plane crash. The special features included interviews with real top college athletic coaches, talking about what it takes to be a good coach. They all said that learning to deal with failure is key.
They also said that unlike many modern pursuits, athletic pursuits do not provide instant gratification–it’s all about learning the basics and doing them over and over and over again.
I am not a sports fan, but I watch these movies because they apply equally well to writing. (It’s just that watching a writer write is like watching paint dry, while watching football practice is dynamic.)
So, your post fits perfectly with my thoughts today.

By: Deanna

Deanna — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:07:16 +0000

Congratulations, Beth!! This is the process we’re in – some days it feels very worthwhile. When my friends find acceptance, I do the victory dance, too. I hope to read your story.

By: Beth W.

Beth W. — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:25:00 +0000

This so resonated with me! I wrote a story a while back that was rejected in more than one place. Cleaning out my study recently, I ran across that particular reject and decided to read it once more before putting it in the back of the file cabinet along with some others. Suddenly, an incarnation of Lisa Ohlen Harris was in my head. “It’s an okay story, but you’re losing your reader in the third paragraph. Why don’t you try this? Here’s a pair of scissors. Go ahead, now. I know, I know, the first cut is the hardest.” Anyway. I cut, rearranged, changed the tense, etc. It got exciting, because I felt the momentum of the story change. Actually, there was some momentum for the first time!

I sent it out one more time in a “what the heck” gesture. The note that came back from the editor was “I would love to publish your story. . .” It will appear later this month at Prick of the Spindle, Vol. 3.4.

Guess it’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks after all. :)