NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!

The odds are against us. Worse. Look at the headlines of suicide bombers, drive-by shootings, and rape.

We are against us.

There is no director to yell "Cut!" No stunt double to take our place. And no new movie to star in when death swallows our person.

We must be our own hero. Wear our own spandex.

And, if Kate Beckinsale of UNDERWORLD is to be believed, spandex pinches. And so it should.

Pinches remind us that pain befalls us all, to be kinder to someone whose pinched face shows us that the spandex of his/her life is less than comfortable.

The picture of this post comes from Cassandra.

She is a hero, a woman who could have surrendered to bitterness and defeat. But instead she has chosen to choose life, healing others, and going forward.

Though she would deny the heroism of her new life, I consider her a hero. Her trauma is hers to tell. I am just tipping my hat to her heroism.

And in a fashion, all we authors struggling to be published have to be our own heroes.

The odds are against us in this harsh market.

It seems that the motto of agents we approach is : "If I don't want your autograph, I don't want your manuscript."

Even if we self-publish, how do we get our novels to the eye of the average reader? No easy answers there.

But giving up can become an addiction, a way of life. Never surrender. Never yield to despair.

Stumble, yes. Fall, of course. But gather your strength, your wits and get up. You can do it. Others have before you.

Fling the blood and sweat from your eyes and smile wide. You can use those acid feelings searing your will and heart in your writing, becoming a deeper, more perceptive writer.

And more importantly :

if you refuse to give in to bitter hopelessness, you will become a deeper, more compassionate human being.

When you succeed, and you will succeed, you'll be able to thrust out a helping hand and word to someone, down and hurting, who needs a boost back onto the path.

You'll remember how galling the conceited bragging sounded from those who had let their success go to their heads.

If we do make it, the very least we can do is offer hope to those still in the grim trenches.

You'll be able to give them a pat on the back to lend strength to their steps. The pats lower leave to the agents and publishers.
***
And my favorite scene of all the STAR WARS films highlights my thinking {sorry about the foreign subtitles} :

NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!

The odds are against us. Worse. Look at the headlines of suicide bombers. We are against us.



There is no director to yell "Cut!" No stunt double to take our place. And no new movie to star in when death swallows our person.



We must be our own hero. Wear our own spandex. And, if Kate Beckinsale of UNDERWORLD is to be believed, spandex pinches. And so it should. Pinches remind us that pain befalls us all, to be kinder to someone whose pinched face shows us that the spandex of his/her life is less than comfortable.



The picture of this post comes from Cassandra. She is a hero, a woman who could have surrendered to bitterness and defeat. But instead she has chosen to choose life, healing others, and going forward. Though she would deny the heroism of her new life, I consider her a hero. Her trauma is hers to tell. I am just tipping my hat to her heroism.



And in a fashion, all we authors struggling to be published have to be our own heroes. The odds are against us in this harsh market. It seems that the motto of agents we approach is : "If I don't want your autograph, I don't want your manuscript."



But giving up can become an addiction, a way of life. Never surrender. Never yield to despair. Stumble, yes. Fall, of course. But gather your strength, your wits and get up. You can do it. Others have before you. Fling the blood and sweat from your eyes and smile wide. You can use those acid feelings searing your will and heart in your writing, becoming a deeper, more perceptive writer.



And more importantly : if you refuse to give in to bitter hopelessness, you will become a deeper, more compassionate human being. When you succeed, and you will succeed, you'll be able to thrust out a helping hand and word to someone, down and hurting, who needs a boost back onto the path. You'll be able to give them a pat on the back to lend strength to their steps. The pats lower leave to the agents and publishers.



And my favorite scene of all the STAR WARS films highlights my thinking {sorry about the foreign subtitles} :

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS WEEK

I think that all of us could stand being the recipient of a random act of kindness.

Sadly, it is more often that we are the recipient of a random act of cruelty. I received a "paper-cut" of one Valentine's Day. No, not from a jilted lover ... from an agent I queried. I won't give her name since she is not here to give her side of the tale.

Besides, everyone is having a harder time than they appear so it is best to be kind lest you add to the trauma of someone's already bad day. Valentine's Day is often a hard one for many to endure. Perhaps that was the case for the agent in question. And like I said, it was only a "paper-cut." They sting a bit then you move on.

Her paper-cut? Short and to the point:

"I'm going to pass on this because you can't seem to follow simple instructions. Removing the formatting on a cut-and-paste email is not difficult. Whatever formatting you've used is rending all of the text as gibberish."

Ouch. A bit terse but move on and acknowledge that learning additional computer skills would be a good thing. Odd that no other of the many agents I have queried have mentioned any formatting problem. And there are several agents impressed enough with my work to be considering it.

I feel like the prostitute who was briefly considered as a victim by Jack the Ripper then passed over as "not worthy" of his knife. Like the cat said after having romanced the skunk : "I think I have enjoyed as much of this as I can stand."

Like I said earlier, it is RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS WEEK. The Hershey Company is asking people to go to http://www.thehersheylegacy.com/ and share a virtual Hershey's bar with friends and family. Milton Hershey demonstrated the ultimate random act of kindness when he founded Milton Hershey School to help children in need, then devoted his entire fortune to ensure the school's future.

I am listening to "Chaco Canyon" by Laura Sullivan from her MYSTICAL AMERICA album. If you like Enya, Yanni, and Liz Story, you will enjoy her music, too. You can hear her on Sirius and, of course, on the wonderful http://www.pandora.com/.

May you both give and receive random acts of kindness all this week. Breathe each breath today, giving thanks for each one. Roland