Creatures can give us insight. Show us characteristics that are an integral part of us but we tend not to acknowledge.
Introspection is good.
Cross species introspection is even better.
71 degrees and 6:30 am
Writers...pick your animal.
New writers. A bit ridiculous. Goofy. Nitwits abound. You think you are special.Unique. Until you look up and see that you are surrounded by other nitwits just like yourself. You have two choices: Be like everyone else or try to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
What do you do?
Do you put your hands (paws) over your ears , a bag over your head go,La La La La?
When finally asked for a partial, do you run scared. Rework the first twenty pages until the agent dies a natural death. Or shoot yourself in the foot by forgetting to put your contact information in the cover letter?
Do you just dream of being a writer? Dream of writing a book? Dream of being published?
Or do you take writers' clinics? Aggressively focus and go after every last bit of knowledge working shoulder to shoulder with other writers.
ARE YOU RIDING THE DREAM?
OR IS THE DREAM RIDING YOU?
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18 comments:
I'm riding the dream.
Definitely.
I think.
I spent the first 50 years of my life lying on the beach like a monk seal dreaming...
I spent 60 seconds staring at the "run away" image wondering what it was. I have to admit I was pretty relieved to click through and find out it was an octopus.
I'm trying to get off the beach. :)
I spent a long time with the bag over my head and fingers firmly in my ear cnals, but I think I can safely say I'm riding the dream now.:)
Maprilynne
Okay. I came up for air from writing to blog for 30 mins...
I'm running - hard - looking back over my shoulder every now and then with a HUGE smile on my face as I link arms with the dream and live it full force!!! Such fun.
I'm definitely riding the dream, Pat!
I'm occassionally pulling my head out of the bag, looking around - and diving straight back in where I can't see all the scary stuff.
What a great post!
I am a ridiculous nitwit!!!
I don't have to dream of writing a book because I've done it four times. Now my dream is to write an excellent book! I do dream of being published but sometimes fear that if I make that my only dream it will fail me.
I'm putting a lot of effort into this though, because without effort and education and work I think it stays a dream and never becomes a goal or eventually a reality.
I don't know who's riding who here quite yet but I do know that I've been riding a beautiful chestnut QH mare once a week and that's been really good for my mental health!
Yeah Heidi, riding really helps my mental health for sure.
Diving back with the bag over head-
Ha ha ha ha ha
I love that.
Some people never really quite finish reaching their dream because they like the idea of HAVING the dream. They never quite finish that book, they never quite get their college degree, they never quite finish plans to open that restaurant. As for me, I LOVE riding the dream and barreling down on the finish line because there's ALWAYS SOMETHING ELSE. What will I do after I publish a book? Start another one! And finish it! And publish it! Lather, rinse, repeat.
Riding hell-for-leather!
I am such a strong believer in that saying, "the harder I work, the luckier I get.
Kimber An the Basset Hound lifts her head.
Woof.
I know a man (used to be a high school teacher of mine way back in the day) and he is writing a book. He has been writing this book for as long as I have known him (more than 20 years) and he won't let any one see it or know what it is about. It is his really big dream, and god forbid any one see it because if they did they might not LOVE it as much as he needs it to be loved. So he will keep on writing and keep on keepin' it a secret because that it what he needs to do.
I on the other hand...Let EVERYONE read my stuff even if I know they will hate it. It is his 'gift' to me. I will always let people in because I don't want to end up 70 years old and not have my stuff out there...
I am a sloth. I hang out and observe a lot, but my actual production speed is really slow. This is partly because I'm trying to ride a few too many dreams at the same time. I do try to make sure I keep some forward momentum with my writing, but I definitely have my bag over my head some days.
Oh I needed a photo of a sloth! That's a great idea.
Of course I have been told to slow down, so I guess there is a limit.
Yeah I think you can perfect your pages forever. I personally think you learn more by writing novel after novel.
speaking of anthropomorphosizing....
I once read a draft where the writer was "a-ing" inanimate objects:
"The cart squeeked like a mouse."
"The teakettle trilled like a bird."
"The car groaned like a tired cow."
Hey we can combine those with overused metaphors and similes...
My cat is flat as a pancake.
I was a monk seal for a long time, too. Got some of my best ideas lying on that beach...
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