Mar 12, 2009

Catching the "Write" Ideas

by Kari Diane Pike

I wrote the most amazing blog today. Just as I tried to post it...I lost it! (See me banging my head on the table.) Now it's 5:45 and time to take kids to soccer and I still haven't posted anything...heavy sigh...so...you will get the condensed, much less creative version.

Years ago, I wrote a story. I know, big surprise, considering this blog is written by writers. I loved my story so much, I submitted it to Deseret Book for an anthology they intended to publish. Deseret Book did not love my story. Shocking! Discouraged, I put my story away. Every couple of years I took my story out, dusted it off and tried to fix my story. I changed a word here, a comma there...and told my story how perfectly wonderful it was.

Fast forward to the 2009 ANWA conference. In a surreal moment of truth, I saw my story in all its flaws. Although friends tried to tell me how to fix my story, it took the right person in the right place, saying the right things at the right time. My heart needed to be in the "write" condition before I could find the "write" ideas to improve my story.

Today I caught a baby javelina with my bare hands (and a bath towel). Maybe I could add that to my story in a chapter called "Never Try This at Home." What do you think?

6 comments:

  1. What are you doing with javelina?? I steer clear of them at every encounter.

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  2. Ummm...yeah, that is the best idea. The little guy (less than 3 pounds) was wandering down the middle of the road near the highway. I just wanted to get him back into the desert. He was feisty!...and so ugly he was cute! He did have lots of very tiny sharp teeth. He was very brave, too. He tried to run us off when we let him go. It was quite comical.

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  3. Marielle, you asked the question I wanted to ask. Thanks for answering it, Kari. You're an awesome, caring environmentalist. Love that.

    Sorry you lost the 'amazing' blog. I've been there, done that, and got that awful burning in my middle that said to me, "You deserved that for doing something stupid. When will you ever learn?"

    Well, sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. It's all part of living--at least my way.

    The story about your story may not have been your original blog, but it hit home. Ofttimes it really does take another person to point out a thing I hate to admit, but eventually agree with. Sometimes it's like bitter medicine, hard to take, but oh, so therapeutic.

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  4. It's like the fact that my best talks are in the car on the way to or from work. It's hard to accept when you truly love your story and others think what???? Good for you for being open to it.

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  5. A good lesson we can all relate to. Thanks, Kari.

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  6. Sorry you lost the original. I enjoyed your quick, short version.

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