To all my current and future #DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the swamps of southern Louisiana, so kick back, put your feet up, and check out my story about TODAY'S WORD:
INCHES
An incremental way of judging our successes, INCHES can also be a way to measure the thin line between life and death…
When I was 17, I moved out of my parent’s home and started a new life 50 miles away from my hometown. I was still dealing with my social anxiety issues, but managed to become friends with the assistant manager of the Taco Bell where I was working.
It was the holidays and I was riding in her little Pinto Hatchback to her apartment to set up for a Christmas party. Time has blurred some of the details, but I remember we were waiting to turn left off a very busy road that had no protected turn lane. Cars were racing by just INCHES from our stopped car.
Then it happened.
I heard her yell out just seconds before the impact.
A truck in our lane going 50 miles an hour slammed into a car behind us, shoving that car into the back of ours.
The police later told us we were lucky to be alive. If the car behind us wouldn’t have turned its wheel INCHES to the left before the impact, the Pinto’s gas tank would have exploded with us trapped inside.
INCHES between life and death.
INCHES also helps us measure our publishing journey. Sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps back on the road to seeing our name on the cover of our book. Other times it’s a giant leap forward in signing book contracts and launching book birthday parties. And sometimes it’s the INCHES we fight for every day as we tighten and shine our stories into being the very best version of themselves they can be…
Never give up the fight for those precious INCHES my #DCSPeeps, for it can be the difference between a dream of one day becoming a published author and actually being one!
I hope you have an AWESOME day today cuz you deserve it!
Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a
4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of
children’s picture
books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna
is a BOOK
NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of
children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins,
and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna
is a lover of dark chocolate, good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound
guard
kitty in Knoxville, Tennesse
What an impactful and scary story. I love this concept of musing on a single word and applying it to the writing life. Looking forward to hearing more!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda and welcome to my blog! If you are interested in reading more of my posts, just plug in DCSPeeps in my SEARCH THIS BLOG tab on the right and it should pull up my other "word" posts I began for the new year...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
Whoa - That's an amazing true story. I'm glad you and your assistant manager were okay. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Erik! Yes, we were lucky to be alive. I've dealt with health issues the rest of my life because of that crash but I'm made of pretty tough stuff so at least I'm still alive and kicking...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!