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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Why WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS?

Why the title

WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS?

All writers I believe write in the crosshairs.

If you have beta readers and have submitted to agents/editors,


you know the feeling of being in the crosshairs of their evaluations.

Ouch. But no pain, no gain.

But I am thinking of the imagry of the hunter.


He fixes his aim at his target, looking through his scope.

The image is hardly crisp at the beginning. He must adjust the lens to achieve crisp clarity and the best chance of hitting his target.


Writers are like that hunter.
 

At first the image of our tale is blurry.


We tighten the focus with revealing dialogue, vibrant characters, engaging crises, and creative descriptions.

Pacing and plot tighten the image even more. Sometimes we get it with dead-on clarity. Most times we don't.

No one but Shakespeare is perfect. If you don't believe me, ask Harold Bloom or any university English professor.



It is a tricky endeavor writing in the crosshairs.


How do we focus quicksilver humans into concrete mental images?


Take flames. They look like objects but are really processes.

Humans are like that as well. No human actually is complete. He or she is in the process of becoming.



But becoming what? We answer that question with our choices.

But there is more to my title than that.


We all write the movie of our lives in the crosshairs.


That endeavor is more tricky. We don't get the luxury of time to reflect, muse, or ponder at leisure.


Life is a harsh mistress. As we struggle, she flashes us that "beauty-queen" smile:

all sharp teeth and no heart. And in her games of chance, the House ultimately wins.


Like Indiana Jones we must make it up as we go along.
 


We plan and prepare.

Life gleefully throws her monkey wrench into our preparations.

We must write our lives in the crosshairs of illness, accidents, dysfunctional humans, and our own inner demons.

We are all in Life's crosshairs, and none of us know when she will pull the trigger. We just know that she will.


This is what my blog is all about:


How to maintain a measure of grace and peace in the crosshairs of Life.


I haven't figured it out yet.

Let me know what helps with you.

I am currently listening to "Follow Me" from the anime Innocence.

The romance of my haunted, undead Texas Ranger, Samuel McCord, and his immortal love, Meilori Shinseen, seem to linger among those lyrics like the ghost traces of a moonbeam.

Here is a music video I think you may like:

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Please consider pre-ordering my HIBBS THE CUB WITH NO CLUE:
http://www.amazon.com/HIBBS-CUB-CLUE-Roland-Yeomans-ebook/dp/B00MT8DNLY/

Chris Pratt showed up at Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Wednesday night in full Ravager garb.  Notice Hibbs in the painting behind Chris and the young boy!

9 comments:

  1. The crosshairs always remind me of the sighting on a rifle. Not that I've had much to do with rifles.

    I like hearing what's behind the blog's name AND, I know exactly what you mean by 'Life is a harsh mistress.' She must have a bit of Valkyrie in her.

    Keep healing, Roland. Wishing you many sales of

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  2. the new Hibbs story. Fickle fingers strike again. . .

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  3. D.G.:
    Hibbs suspects that it was really Ratatoskr's invisible fingers that fouled you up!

    Today was my first day back to work. I drove 300 miles, most of it in the pouring rain! Welcome back, Roland!!! :-)

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  4. Should you be back at work yet? Silly question. You are going to do what you are going to do.

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  5. Hi Roland - I'm glad you're out and about again .. and have come through that trial ... now to heal properly and look after yourself ...

    Crosshairs - a good analogy of life itself, let alone books trying to reach audiences ...

    Now I'll be thinking around this subject ... all the best and I guess you thrive while out and about helping others ... with thoughts - Hilary

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  6. You haven't figured it out yet? Well, I haven't either.
    In the process of becoming. I like that. And the person who stops becoming is in a really sad place.

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  7. Elephant's Child:
    I wish I could take more time off, but I have to pay those medical bills! My wallet is limping. Thanks for caring.

    Hilary:
    It does make me feel as I am contributing something healing to someone ill and in pain when I am out and about on my blood runs.

    Thanks for being my friend!

    Alex:
    What was that line in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION: Get busy living, or get busy dying.

    We'll try to figure this out together, right? :-)

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  8. I was wondering what 'Writing in the Crosshairs' was all about. Good explanation, and one I can really relate to.

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  9. I'm allergic to cross-hairs. Just kidding. Great post describing our continual journey into the unknown.

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