Seriously, the thing I'm most envious of the people in Orlando is how they'll all come home inspired and eager to get to work. I remember that rush. It's very cool! But thanks to the magic of cyberworld - FB and Twitter - I'm coming away with that same inspiration.
That's a good thing because envy can make us crazy.
In the opening passage of the chapter entitled Myths, Fairy Tales and Woody Allen, Palumbo shows that envy with a description of the opening scene in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories.
A glum Woody Allen sits in a dark, dingy car with other lost souls. Looking out the window he sees another train car - shining, brightly lit. Inside, beautiful men and women laugh and drink champagne...Woody despairs. Why isn't he in the sparkling car with all the sparkling people?
I'll link the Youtube clip for anyone who wants to watch it themselves, but I also wanted to talk about what it means for writers. It's easy to make the comparison between all the sparkly people at conferences and those of us left behind. But is it all sparkly at conferences? Be honest, have you ever felt just a little less sparkly even when there because either you weren't published yet or you are but you're midlist so your sparkly people are the NYTimes bestsellers? Is sparkly relative?
I think in the end, we're all in charge of our own sparkly feelings. I sparkle when my story is flowing, when I know that writing gives me a high like nothing else. So rather than think about the sparkly people at RWA, let's talk about us.
How do you sparkle?
From Stardust Memories
I think its a bit easier to sparkle if you use your own expectatons and not external comparisons. If a "midlist" author is trying to stand up against Nora Roberts, it's going to be tough to sparkle. Same with an aspiring writer next to a published author. But if that aspiting writer was simply looking forward to mingling with those published authors, learning what she could, and maybe making a contact or two, then she may very well have her sparkle.
ReplyDeleteI'm still at the point where finding a couple comments on my blog is enough for a sparkle.
LOL Linda. Me too. So you made me sparkle.
ReplyDeleteComparisons are my downfall! I have to let go and write for the Audience of One or else I flounder and am paralyzed with fear. May we all sparkle with the sweet dust of Him who gave us our creative juices! :)
ReplyDeleteTurning my focus from myself to something beautiful and becoming completely absorbed in enjoying it makes me sparkle. At least, that's what my husband says, and he is the one who looks at me the most. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have the problem of never quite being satisfied. No matter where I am, there's something bigger out there, you know? I suppose it makes me keep working, but just once I'd like to stop, sit and just .... smile.
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