Archive for July 2009
One More Time
There are these great moments in movies. The ones where the characters have a defining moment – a capsule in time where everything has gone wrong and there seems to be no hope, but suddenly, they have an epiphany. They realise that they can fix their lives. That nothing is truly broken. That it’s never too late to start again. That bravery is simply the refusal to give up. And you see them picking up the pieces, one step at a time, not allowing doubt to creep in long enough for them to hesitate. In the end, they always triumph. Is life really that different?
People have been known to do extraordinary things. Often, these people are no more remarkable than those around them. The difference between them, and those of us who go about our lives as usual, is that they have never stayed beaten long. Failure is not in their vocabulary. It simply isn’t an option for them. Without any other options, they choose to get up and do it all over again, until it works. Are these people born this way? Or have they spent time and effort training themselves to push harder, move faster and rise above the mundane?
I think we can all live our lives the way we want to, if only we want it enough and are willing to move toward our goal, never taking our eyes off it, never allowing any obstacle to be too big. I think that those great moments in movies can be replicated in real life. I think that no matter how low we are, there is always the chance to rise again, to start from the beginning and try something different, having faith that even if we don’t end up where we originally planned, it’ll be a learning experience for the next time round.
1 comment July 19, 2009
Writing Tricks And Tips
So I was wondering if any of you budding writers, or those of you who already have published works, have any words of wisdom to share with the rest of us?
Finding time every day to write is sometimes a low priority for me. Sometimes nothing will come to mind, no matter how much I wrack my brain. Sometimes everything I write seems completely unreadable. I’ve tried to stick to a specific schedule – but you know how the saying goes – man makes plans & God sits back & laughs… I happen to agree with this. As big a planner as I am, sometimes you just can’t factor in everything.
Is it better to set a certain time frame aside? Or to decide to write a certain amount of words each day? I’ve found that sticking to a certain number of words a day does help to get the job done, but it doesn’t always guarantee the best writing.
Writing a novel takes more discipline than anything I’ve ever done. It’s also a total learning curve – you have to try things without knowing if they will work. I’ve tried writing a novel based only on a basic idea and vague characters – which didn’t work out well. For some people, this is the only way for them to write – to simply do it, without stopping to think too much. Definitely didn’t work for me. I’ve discovered that I need to plan absolutely everything, from finish to end, before I can write anything half-decent; but then I get impatient with the planning and usually dive head-first into writing – and then hit a brick wall because I haven’t planned beyond a certain point.
Any thoughts, anyone?
Add comment July 15, 2009
Move To The Music
I just had to put up this quick post. Had a great day of writing the other day so decided to celebrate with a few tunes. Which made me think – what would humanity be without music? What would move us, make us want to dance around the lounge (rhetorical question, of course), make us want to conquer the world? In my humble opinion nothing moves people like music – so go ahead: draw those blinds or curtains and take a jiving tour of your kitchen/lounge/bedroom. May the tunes be with you!
2 comments July 3, 2009
Judgement
The Bible was the first to say that we have no right to judge others. That to see clearly, we first have to remove the log from our own eye – only then can we see the speck in someone else’s. In theory, I agree with this. But what about accouting for human nature?
Judgement is part of our human makeup. Looking at someone from the outside leaves us with little to go on as far as the person inside is concerned. So we judge based on the outside package. I think that this is fairly understandable. But what happens when we judge people we know, the people we care about?
Obviously we’re not always going to agree with every choice a friend, sibling, partner or parent makes. The same thing can be looked at by dozens of different people which will inevitably result in dozens of different interpretations. We are entitled to our beliefs and our opinions – but at what point should we draw the line between supporting a loved one in their decisions and sticking to our moral code? At what point are we standing by what we believe in, or simply judging the actions of those whose shoes we can’t place ourselves in?
None of us want to be judged. We want to be supported, even celebrated, in the choices we make. But sometimes it’s really difficult to see a situation objectively when you’re right in the middle of it. Sometimes it’s an outsider who has no emotions invested in the situation that has to point out the cracks and problems. In my experience, seldom do these people get thanked for their honesty. It’s really tough to point out something to a loved one that they clearly don’t want to see or even acknowledge. Often, we just end up alienating those we love by pointing out the obvious.
I feel that it’s my duty to be honest with the people I love. If I see a friend stumbling into a situation that can only end badly, I can’t just stand back and watch him or her fall into the pit. It will weigh heavily on my conscience if I just leave them to their own devices. At the same time, they are adults and perfectly capable of making their own choices, whether they are good or bad. Who am I to tell them that they’re doing it wrong?
All I know is that I need people to be honest with me. I may not take it well right from the beginning, but you can be sure that I’ll think about it afterwards, and consider if they were right.
1 comment July 1, 2009
