Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tennis Anyone?



When I was a teenager, my friends and I attempted to play tennis.  Honestly, we were pathetic.  We didn't know how to hold the racket properly, and we couldn't hit the ball to save our lives, but if enthusiasm counted for anything, then we were winners!  It would have been better for us if we would have taken the time to hone up on our skills and become more serious about what we were attempting to do whenever we walked around calling ourselves champions.



Writers should do the same thing.  It's easy enough to surround ourselves with the tools of the trade, but if we don't actually learn how to use them, then not only do we fail our readers, we fail ourselves.  The game of writing great stories is not won by the occasional contest where we dress to impress and "talk" about the craft of writing.  The writing game is won by doing one simple thing...writing.  Daily.  About anything.  Everything.  Until we have sharpened our skills to a razor's edge.  Until our characters are as sharp as the sword we use to cut through the meaningless words which prevent our stories from reaching the winner's circle.




Only then do we have the power to do exceptional things.  Only then can we create rich stories which inspire and impress our readers.  And if we are truly lucky and have practiced writing daily until we are the best we can be, then maybe one day we will even get to take home the prize...





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14 comments:

  1. Leigh CovingtonMarch 20, 2012 at 10:49 PM

    Love this. Very true and inspirational.

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    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 20, 2012 at 11:30 PM

      Thank you, Leigh...I try...:-)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  2. janetMarch 20, 2012 at 11:31 PM

    I'd rather play games with someone who is better at it than I am. I only get better that way.

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    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 21, 2012 at 5:09 AM

      That's how I feel about my martial arts training.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  3. monaMarch 21, 2012 at 5:47 AM

    Donna,
    Great post again. We have so many tools between us. I posted just one that someone else posted!
    I knew it, but had to have it reinforced and I started doing it all over again!!!! Not such a mystery. Go near the end of my Blog
    and click on the link, or go over to Alison K Hert's and find a piece to the puzzle that might be helpful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 21, 2012 at 8:45 AM

      Hey, Mona, really great re-post from Alison. I'm going to have to print off those outline sheets for future reference!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  4. Jarm Del BoccioMarch 21, 2012 at 12:20 PM

    Yes, Donna...daily writing is the key. Thanks for the reminder!

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    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 21, 2012 at 5:19 PM

      I wonder if anyone has figured it out yet that I basically say the same thing...just in one hundred different ways...lol...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  5. Kelley LynnMarch 22, 2012 at 12:26 AM

    Very well said.

    I played tennis for a while. Its finally getting nice out. Perhaps I'll dust my racket off ;)

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    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 22, 2012 at 8:16 AM

      I envy you, Kelley, your ability to be able to play. I truly was pathetic but I attacked that game with gusto...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  6. jpMarch 23, 2012 at 9:13 PM

    This happened recently during the Australian Open watch the ball-boy on the left http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Iw3ehhZAs

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  7. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 23, 2012 at 11:41 PM

    That video is amazing, JP! On a different note, i started reading your blog from the first post in January and couldn't stop reading until I started to nod off due to exhaustion from a long work day. YOU have a beautiful writing spirit and I find myself hanging on every word as I am drawn into your story. There are some similarities between that world and the world I was brought up in...maybe this is the connection I am feeling when I read your posts? I bow to your superior writing talent...maybe one day I will create such beauty in art...

    I am honored that you have visited my blog...thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. jpMarch 25, 2012 at 6:20 AM

      I have only just noticed your reply or I would have replied sooner. I am flattered by your comment but feel you do yourself an injustice and perhaps overestimate me. Whenever I read my posts back I constantly find grammatical errors and typos. It is rare I am actually satisfied with what I write.

      Thank you for your kind words they gave me a boost.

      Delete
    2. Think Positive, Be PositiveMarch 25, 2012 at 8:14 AM

      No, JP, I do not overestimate your talents. I do not sit down with a red pen when I read your posts. I do not profess to be an expert in grammar or punctuation...but I DO know powerful writing when I read it and YOUR words speak volumes to me! You may think my words kind, but there is truth to them as well. Just remember what I say about your talent whenever your fingers falter over the keyboard and doubts attempt to sneak into your writing...I find the beauty in your writing amongst the harshness of your story and THAT is what makes it shine! Take care...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete

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