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Monday, January 2, 2017

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE SUNSET_IWSG post






The movies have taught many in the entertainment field (like we writers)

that either you soar and reach the rarefied air of Super-Stardom or you are a failure.

Was Emily Dickinson a failure just because she was never recognized in her lifetime?


She tenderly crafted the words singing to her soul 

and wrote what she felt was beautiful and true even if no one else felt the same.


Do you think she felt herself a failure?  I hope not.


What will we do to our souls 

if we follow the Yellow Brick Road left by the footprints of some best-selling author?


Sean Rowe's song, TO LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND, 

heard at the end of the excellent movie, THE ACCOUNTANT, speaks to me on this.


Did it speak to you?


You may never reach Mt. Everest's top, 

but if you reach the peak of your own abilities and help others along the way ...

your pockets may be empty, but your soul will be full.



Perhaps the sun has set on your dream of best-sellerdom, 

but sunsets have their own beauty and their own quiet peace.


 And sunsets are but the promise of new dawns.  I wish you new fulfilling dawns, my friends.


Talking about helping fellow authors ...


J.H. Moncrieff has done a truly gracious and kind shout-out for me on her blog today.

Thank her by visiting and following all right?

Thanks, J.H.! 

On January 20th look for KEDI:


This Turkish documentary, the debut feature for director Ceyda Torun, 
turns the cameras on a group of stray cats 
as they amble around 
their customary haunts in Istanbul. 

While the film indeed exposes the day-to-day goings-on of felines,

 each with a distinct character, 
what ultimately ends up on screen 
appears to be 
a rich portrait of a very ancient city 
full of equally interesting and distinct individuals.

 I'm looking forward to exploring Istanbul in a different way — with some stray cats as my guides.

41 comments:

  1. Thank you, Roland. Although I don't have a best seller, my heart and soul are full knowing I helped very wounded children grow into loving, beautiful adults. That's what I'm leaving behind.

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    1. Healing wounded children is a beautiful legacy for us all, Bish. Happiest of New Years!!

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  2. Our personal peaks are what we should aim for.

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    1. They are the only ones we will remember in the end, right?

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  3. Thank you, Roland, for this post. Just what I needed.
    Happy New Year, my friend, and all the best.

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    1. I pray the Road goes smoother ahead for you ... and for us all!

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  4. I'm sure Emily suffered a lot from a perceived failure. "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" is perhaps the most heart-wrenching poem I've ever read.

    I have my own Everest and it's killing me. Want to go for a hike and keep me company? :-)

    Here's to more stories, more successes than we've ever dreamed of, more of Mark Twain's adventures, and the courage to be who we are.

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    1. I fear we are both right in that she perceived herself a failure and totally misunderstood. :-(

      I will gladly help you in your own Everest as much as it is within my power. That's what friends do as the ghost of Mark Twain keeps telling me!

      May your successes astound you this year!!

      I have finally managed to rouse myself out of my blue funk, toying with never writing again.

      Right now, my next NOT-SO-INNOCENTS is in its first baby steps. A 32 year old Samuel McCord is presently trapped within the tortured soul of a dying Goethe.

      Mark Twain is impatiently waiting for him to survive and get back to 1867 Paris!

      To have the courage to be all we can be is the heart of the excellent film, THE ACCOUNTANT.

      HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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  5. Roland,

    Inspiring post. I haven't been by in a while, but I see you are just as motivating as ever.
    I'm aiming for new peaks this year, hoping to move back into blogging and connecting with people I miss. Of course there are still my goals for writing and such, but reconnecting to people is what I'm focusing a lot of my energy one.
    I hope 2017 brings you many happy moments and peaks reached and shared.
    -Decadent
    www.decadentkane.com

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    1. Hello, again, Decadent. Thanks for dropping by. May you reconnect to all your friends and find a happy reunion with them! :-)

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  6. I've never worried about best-seller status, but I've been blessed with the results of my journey thus far. And I didn't have to compromise myself to do it.

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    1. You worked very hard in reaching out to others to help them reach their dreams and potential. See? Sometimes it works. :-)

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  7. Thanks for this, Roland. It makes me a bit sad that so many great writers had no idea how successful they would later become. Keats even refused to have his name on his tombstone because he felt so unrecognized and unimportant, and yet we still speak of him and read his work today, generations later. If he'd only known...

    I'm still shooting for my own Everest, but I'm learning to find happiness in the journey. When I gave my very first reading last year, I recognized a woman who had bought my book at my first horror con. A fan--an actual fan! I hope that, no matter what happens, I never stop being amazed when my writing is appreciated by others.

    Thanks for the kind shout-out! You didn't have to do that, but thank you. I was happy to feature you. :)

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    1. I guess we must find satisfaction in giving it all to our dreams, right?

      I have yet to spot a fan at any of my talks or author signings. But Inger Wiltz and D.G. Hudson so liked my DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE that I wrote its sequel, THE STARS BLEED AT MIDNIGHT just for them!

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  8. I cam over from the lovely J.H.'s blog. I had no idea about Emily not being known during her lifetime. I think many go unnoticed...actually most and some we find only after they are gone. Love some of these quotes as well. I have yet to see The Accountant but I heard it wasn't bad.

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    1. Wasn't J.H. wonderful for spotlighting my blog? And thanks so much for deciding to visit from her blog.

      The Accountant has heart, thrills, and mystery -- what a combination, right? Oh, and a bit of bittersweet romance, too. :-)

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  9. Hi Roland - so many are unknown through their lives - and are now recognised ... John Clare the poet I mentioned in my first post ... had a terrible life, but now rewards us with life in the 1800s - so different and so true.

    Thanks for setting out the Accountant film - I think I'd enjoy that ... so will make a plan .. cheers and all the best for 2017 - Hilary

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    1. I think you will enjoy the film, Hilary. Only happy tidings for you this 2017!

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  10. What a lovely and encouraging post! Sunsets really are the promises of new dawns.

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    1. Ellen, congratulations on the anthology win! I cannot wait to read your story in it!

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  11. Good morning, Roland. I've always found it sad that many writers and artists were never recognized in their lifetime. I don't believe that fame and fortune are necessary for a fulfilled life but as artists, we DO want our work recognized, we want it seen or heard or read. We want and need to connect to the world at large. That's why we write: to hopefully connect with another person who needs those words and worlds we conjure.

    Happy New Year!
    OH! And congrats on your story in the Anthology! That's exciting news :)

    ~ Jen

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    1. To speak our hearts and have no one listen is a lonely experience. That will not happen to you though. :-) And congrats for being chosen as the grand prize winner in the anthology contest!

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  12. Love my sunrise and begin my day, everyday greeting the sun!
    Success is all in what we believe it is!
    Congratulations on the IWSG Anthology win!
    Happy 2017!

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    1. Thank you, Yolanda. I look forward to each beautiful dawn -- even the stormy ones have some beauty to them.

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    1. Thank you, Anna. I eagerly look forward to reading the other stories!

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  14. Congratulations on placing in the anthology!!! I still remember how you told me you doubted you'd make it, but you did make it! :D

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    1. I never do well in these things. Sometimes the magic works though. :-) Thanks for being there for me.

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  15. I’ve never-ever wanted to be a best-selling author, but I used to have dreams of supporting myself as a writer. Now that the mid-list is dead, I realize that’s not a possibility. It’s sad, but I’ve always written for myself anyway. I will continue to do so just as Emily did.

    I don’t consider myself a failure, I’m doing what I love to do. How many people have that chance?

    VR Barkowski

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    1. It is hard for a writer to write as she or he wishes if she cannot support herself doing so. Ouch!

      Fame and fortune were never my goals -- just like you, I merely wanted to support myself by writing. I wish you the best of new years! :-)

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  16. Here's to new many a new day and new dawns!
    Congrats, Roland!

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    1. Same for you ... and as for slipping into the anthology while the judges were looking the other way ... it still seems unreal. :-)

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  17. It is sad to know many artists and writers never knew success until they died. It the good thing about their work now is how they have left a legacy of their own uncompromising styles behind. Happy New Year and lovely post :)

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    1. Thanks, Erica, for the nice compliment. The uncompromising authors give role models to follow. May your New Year be a happy and healing one!

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  18. Congrats on the Hero Lost acceptance Roland. May you find much success in the coming year.

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    1. Well, I have certainly felt like the Writer Lost these past years! Thanks for being happy for me. May this New Year bring you only happy surprises!

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  19. Congratulations on being chosen to published in the 2017 IWSG anthology, Roland! what an exciting achievement! "What will we do to our souls if we follow the Yellow Brick Road left by the footprints of some best-selling author?" You expressed my writing North Star better than I ever could! Happy writing in 2017 ~ May your soul be full!

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    1. Getting into the anthology certainly was a great late Christmas present!

      May success and happiness be your twin companions this new year, Fundy Blue! :-)

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  20. Congratulations on your story making it into the anthology, Roland!

    I truly believe that:
    IF I can stop one heart from breaking,
    I shall not live in vain;
    If I can ease one life the aching,
    Or cool one pain,
    Or help one fainting robin
    Unto his nest again,
    I shall not live in vain.
    ...and as a teacher, I'm faced with these opportunities on a daily basis...and my soul is overflowing.
    Thank you for a wonderful post!

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank you. Michelle. Today I have worked 13 hours straight, my power and internet went down, and one of my front teeth broke off at the gum line. I needed your support today. :-)

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  21. What a sweet heartfelt post Roland. I love my own personal sunsets. They mean a lot to me and my kids. I wish you much luck on the road to the best seller list.

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