Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Tortoise

I’ve never been overly fond of the fable about the tortoise and the hare. While I understood the message (that arrogance can be your downfall, to always persist and do your best), I found that the tale itself was incredibly contrived. No way is the hare going to lose that race. But I suppose that isn’t the point, and I shall try to overlook that and remember that slow and steady wins the race.

Because I am the tortoise. A couple hundred words a day, eking out my novels one paragraph at a time. Building scenes slowly, putting scenes together into chapters, letting it unfold before me. It’s like a house of cards. If I despair and move too quickly, the whole thing might come tumbling down.

So I am determined to not give up the race. The hare might be prettier and faster and seem more promising at getting published, but just maybe slow and steady really can win. I am proud of what I have been able to get done. Those hundreds of words add up, over time, and time is one thing I have in plenty. Having recently passed my 25th birthday, I know that I’m not quite over the hill yet. If it takes me a year—two years!—to finish this manuscript, that’s hardly the end of the world.

Today I am lifting a glass (of tea) to all the tortoises of the world. May we plod ever onwards and win our races!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Far Off Places

Just a quick note to say I am still alive! Unfortunately it is a hazard of the job with the Navy that you can be called away for weeks at time with very little warning. And Blogger isn’t high on the list of bandwidth requirements. (It is, in fact, not on the list at all!) But I finally think I have figured out how to post via email. So I shall cook up an update, assuming this works!