Oct 1, 2008 | Inspiration, Movies, Writing |
I've wanted to see The Rookie for a long time — six years, in fact, since it came out in 2002. Dennis Quaid plays Jim Morris, the real life guy who tried out for major league baseball at the age of 35, long after he should have been through and long after he'd bombed out in baseball in his 20s due to injuries. But the guy threw a mean fastball as he got older; in fact, it was even better than when he was younger. And the high school baseball team he coached made a bet with him:
In 1999, Coach Morris made a fateful bet with his perpetually losing team. If they won the district championship, Morris — who threw a 98 mph fastball — would try out for the majors. The team went from worst to first, and Jim, living up to his end of the bargain, threw caution to the wind and was on the road to becoming the oldest rookie in the major leagues.
I love stories like this, because that's what writing is about too. Not giving up. We don't have to contend with aging bodies making our dreams physically impossible. We have only to contend with the doubt demons in our heads, the rotten contest scores, the rejections from our dream agent, or the editor who loved our concept but hated the execution. It's tough and it can be brutal.
But you have to keep trying. That's why I love movies like this. Because they remind me that someone had a dream and suffered to make it happen. That someone took all the hard knocks and managed to make it anyway.
What are your favorite inspirational movies? Do you like baseball movies? I don't care for the actual sport, but I love baseball movies. (Bull Durham is my all time FAVORITE baseball movie — Kevin Costner and the “long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last for three days” speech — how can you go wrong?)
Sep 30, 2008 | Promotion, Television, Websites, Writing |
Things I've done recently:
1. Redesigned the website again. It was no longer an accurate reflection of all I'm writing. It is now more generic, though I warn you it will likely change again as I contemplate hiring a designer.
2. Started a Newsletter. You can sign up for it here:
Click to join lynnrayeharrisnews
Or scroll down and look for it on the sidebar (or at the newly revamped website…).
3. Did anyone else watch the premiere of Life last night? I loooove that show! So happy to see it come back on again. I was ticked that they canceled Moonlight, but at least they kept Life — and Pushing Daisies. That's on tomorrow night.
Any shows you're looking forward to? Any website redesigns? Anything?
Sep 29, 2008 | Life, Writing |
Oops, didn't get around to writing a new post until now. The anniversary graphic, while nice, is no longer relevant. 🙂 We did have a nice time, though. Nice dinner out the first day, home cooked meal at Mom's house the next. Pleasant times.
Finally, it's starting to cool down a bit in Alabama. There's a Fall nip to the air in the early mornings. I like that. You can still wear shorts or capris during the day, though. I like Fall. When I lived in Hawaii, I loved the weather. Summer all the time. But I realized when I moved that I did miss the seasons. I could do without Winter, of course. But Fall has that feeling of new beginnings, doesn't it? Maybe it's conditioned into us from the school years, but Fall is when you embark on something new. More so, I think, than New Year's.
I love fresh start feelings. I think of new projects, or get into the mood to revitalize old projects. I have a new manuscript planned, and I'm having fun thinking about it. And yes, this pantser is trying very hard to write a synopsis and character backgrounds FIRST. It's tough, but I think it'll make the writing easier. But I won't be committed to a definite path, so I can still change things as I write.
Any fresh starts for you this Fall? Busy weekends? Anniversaries?
Sep 26, 2008 | Life |
Today is my anniversary! Not saying how many years, but it's more than I can believe. When you spend enough time with a person, you get to a point where you're amazed it worked out and positive you couldn't live without each other.
Tomorrow is our anniversary too. We were married in Germany, so one day was the Burgermeister wedding, where we had to get married in the town hall, and the next was the church wedding for family and friends.
And we're going to spend the day with both sets of parents. Kind of cool since we are all quite a bit older than we were then…..
Sep 25, 2008 | Writing |
I found this story inspiring!! An idea, thirty years, umpteen rejections, and finally published to acclaim.
And not only is it my debut novel, but it is my first piece of commercial fiction ever, and after an entire adult life of trying.
Would you give up if it took you 30 years? We are always told not to keep rewriting the same book. I happen to agree with that advice. But obviously it worked for this man. Fascinating story. What do you think?
