all about autumn

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Covet Conference

For a wanna-be, that's what a writer's conference is. Lol. Well is past weekend I spent two days on my butt listening to authors instructing me how to write. The first day was a thirteen hour day. I left my home at five a.m. so I could attend "boot camp." This is where you sit at a table and read ten pages of your stuff for comment. It had its good with its bad.
The most inspiring was the video they showed: it was football practice. Some players complained about the upcoming season so the coach had one of the players come forward. He asked him if he would be willing to do his best at the task he was going to have him perform. The kid agreed. He then blindfolded the player and told him to get in the man crawl position--an exercise where the man crawled with his hands and feet while carrying another player on his back. It was intense and hard. Once the other player was on this blindfolded football players back, the coach said he wanted his best. And wanted him to make it all the way to the end zone.(ten yards was usually all they did) Well with this impossible task the player moved forward.
Being blindfolded actually helped him push further than he would have with sight. (profound) The coach yelled, "you can do it," harder and harder as he trudged forward in pain. A few times he was about to give up, but with the help of the coach he endured the strain of moving on. Finally he couldn't move any more and fell to the ground. By then he had made it into the end zone.
I had a lump in my throat. Isn't that life? Aren't there times when we feel like we can't go on any more? As I watched this simple video, I was inspired. Why not push foward even though you are in pain, disappointment, blinded? As long as we do our very best, it's worth it.
That was definitely the highlight.
Writing is a craft that takes all you've got, but I'm going to try my best and not give up.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Good for you, Danette, nothing was ever achieved by giving up when it seemed impossible. I think you have a lot of talent. I have been impressed with the things that I have read.

Kent said...

I enjoy reading what you've written.

Curtis Moser said...

It was an interesting conference, wasn't it? Good times, good times.

Our Crazy Life said...

Scotcheroos are so yummy, and so easy! In a small sauce pan, bring to boil...1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of karo syrup, and 1 cup of peanut butter! Then in a large bowl, pour that onto 6 cups of rice krispie's...mix, then pour that into a cake dish...(greased) Once all in the pan, pack down. Then melt 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of butterscotch chips, then spread on top of the rice krispies...let it cool, then serve into small squares! It is so yummy...really sweet! Try it, and let me know what you think!