Not Giving Up
- At March 03, 2009
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Not Giving Up
You know who’s not giving up? Inspector Banks novelist Peter Robinson. I read an article recently in which he talks about his process, the arc of the novels, (18 novels in this series, over 21 years)what fresh hell he’s put Banks into most recently, and at the end, his work teaching creative writing. He doesn’t teach much anymore because producing a new book every year doesn’t leave a lot of free time (go figure.) He remembers, though, being struck by how few promising writers hung in there long enough to achieve success. “I came across a lot of people who I thought were talented as writers, but they didn’t do it, they gave up on it, for various reasons. It’s often difficult to find the time if you have family or a demanding job. I’ve been through all that, I’m lucky I don’t have to do any other job now, but I’ve been there and it’s tough.”
Every year at the Surrey writers’ conference, I hear a variation on this theme: If you want to be a successful writer, just keep at it, because everyone else will quit and eventually, you’ll be the only writer left and they’ll *have* to publish you. But you have to be disciplined and you have to get through that “million words of crap” to reach the gem that is your particular wisdom to share. Some writers get up at 4:30 in the morning, to get their word count in before work. (I am not in this group.) Others stay up late, with dark chocolate. Some write on their lunch hour. Or while the baby’s sleeping. On the bus. On the train… in a boat….with a goat.
I love seeing the same faces at the conference, pitching new manuscripts, or showing off brand new books. I might only see them once each year, but I count them as my friends and I’m thrilled to buy their books and read their work. Pam, Susan, Kathy, Rose, Nick, Donna, kc, Carmen, so many people who keep on writing, year after year, getting better – and finding more success – with each completed project. But each year there are a few faces I look for but don’t see, which makes me sad. Have they stopped writing? Have they given up? Maybe their lives have moved in different directions. No shame in that.
But those who want it bad enough, who truly believe we have something to say that’s worth saying, hang in there. We get up early (like 8 am) or we stay up late. We write despite headaches or surgery or teething puppies or three kids with chicken pox. We write about the death of a friend, the birth of a child, the color of a leaf on the surface of the lake. We dare to talk about depression, about wanting to run away from home, about whether or not chocolate is better than sex. (The answer… seriously??)
And wherever our words appear, in a book, blog, magazine, newspaper, billboard or a note in a lunchbox, if they reach into the reader’s heart and remind them that they are not alone, or make them laugh, or cry or wonder, magic happens.
And that, dear reader, is why I keep on writing.
Travel days
- At March 03, 2009
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Travel Days
Sunday – Fairmont Hotel, YVR. Dave and Cheryl drove us to the airport so we wouldn’t have to leave our car there. Had a wonderful dinner that night, sable-fish and some kind of awesome hot potato salad. Grainy mustard, white wine vinegar and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember right now. Yum. And sable-fish, oh what a treat.
Monday – 4:30 am is not friendly to anyone. Had gross hotel room coffee until we got to the secured area where we inhaled a couple of Starbucks lattes. We both slept on the plane, until we got to LAX, where we considered getting lunc during our “layover”. Ha. Good thing we decided to find our terminal first, instead. We barely made it in time to buy a sandwich before boarding for the next leg. Oh, and there was an exciting bit where I got on a down esclator that wasn’t going where I expected. Picture me dashing up against the current while Ray yells “Rox, Rox!” from the parallel escalator. Good thing no one was behind me.
Napped again on the plane, then arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (yeah, right) in Maui, where our cabbie gave us an entertaining explanation for various things, some of which might have even been right. We had enough energy after checking in to get a bite and sup at the bar-and-grill before crashing.
Fresh meat, lightly seared
- At March 03, 2009
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Fresh meat, lightly seared
End of our first full vacation day on Maui, and we’re both suffering from a sun overdose… it NEVER looks like a burn until it’s way too late. But we took a dip in the ocean outside our hotel, swam around in the pool, then lay in the sun at what was in BC time early afternoon. In fact, it was high-noon and we’ve got the skin to prove it. Dumb. Then we took the shuttle to Lahaina town and did a bit of shopping. Had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise – yum! Then walked to the shopping center at Hilo Hattie’s (or, as Ray calls it High-Lo Hooties) and caught our shuttle back. Now we’re ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow we’re taking the new snorkel gear into the water around Black Rock. Turtles, here we come!