The TV or a DVD is always on while I’m working because I work best in noise. Actually, if truth be told, in chaos. And this was Rocky weekend. The sweating, the repetitious training, the hard work…
THE FIGHT(S)
Right from the beginning of Rocky’s “rocky” start, he kept at it. Never quitting, never allowing the other guy a chance to see his fear. Confidence, courage, David and Goliath in action. And isn’t that what writing is all about? We start at the bottom, and with the exception of a handful of extraordinarily lucky folks, we sweat, we train, we punch and sock our way to the top. Always, like Rocky, starting with prayer, never imagining defeat as our lot. More than an occasional sneak peek at the TV, the heart of the champion spoke to me this weekend. The heart of one who carried his confidence to his last fight in his sixties.
And what was the message? Perseverance. Never give up, never say die.
You never know when the win, or the publishing contract, is just around the corner.
You never know when the win, or the publishing contract, is just around the corner.
5 comments:
I love this--just rewatched Rocky 2, when he fights Apollo Creed, and I'm shocked time and again at how LOW Rocky has to go before he can come up swinging. You find yourself shouting at the screen, "Just HIT HIM, Rocky! C'mon!" What a classic underdog movie series.
And yes, perseverance is a must for a writer. And I just realized I've been spelling "perseverance" wrong all my life.
Persevering - and learning more and more.
What an inspiring post. Thanks for sharing this. I never thought of Rocky and writing in the same sentence before.
I laughed at your mention of chaos, Linda. Sometimes it's like a wall around us, insulating our brains with white noise (or not) so we can create. The comment reminds me of something Randy Ingermanson once said: "Creation is disorderly and chaotic. Editing is not."
Thanks for the encouragement to never quit, never give up. Remember the old Sunday school song, "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus"? We could add a verse: "I have decided to keep on writing." And fighting, and learning, and revising .... Even if my work is never read, I can't quit. Writing is what I do. If I die in the process, without publication, I will have died doing what I love.
Perseverance -- great advice, Linda. With the accountability help of ACFW's NovelTrack, that's what I'm doing these days.
I lost most of January to a serious illness (am well now) but just finished the rough draft to my second novel and started the rough draft to a third novel.
During March, it's back to the first novel, editing with your suggestion to add deep POV.
Thanks for cheering us on with "never give up, never say die."
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