I just watched the most amazing thing. A fifty-two year old man just pushed his was to the end of the American Ninja Warrior extended course. He's on his way to the finals. He's the oldest contestant in the history of American Nina Warriors to make it this far.
As Jon Stewart fought to the end of the course, the announcers gave the play by play. He competed last year, but he tore his calf muscle and couldn't finish. This year, he watched every competitor before him fail. He got to the warped wall--an obstacle he had never been able to pass--and used all three tries to get over it. The announcers reported every bit of fatigue the guy must be feeling. Yet, Jon kept going. He fought his past, his mind, his body, and everyone's expectations, and he just kept going. In the writing world, I've heard over and over again that the ones who succeed are the ones who don't quit. I've heard it said that perserverance can be more important than talent sometimes. (Let's face it. We have all read books that suck.) Yet, sometimes it's so hard to keep going. Why is that? What is so hard about putting butt in chair and hands on keys? What is so hard about spending time doing the exact thing we all say we can't NOT do? I mean, it's not like we are trying to run up a warped wall and we only have three chance to get to the top. We have all the chances we want. We also have no age requirement and no time limit. There is no announcer reminding everyone of our past failures. There isn't a limited number of authors who get to qualify for publication. That prize is waiting for every single one of us who is brave enough to just keep going. So let's be Ninja Writers. Let's just keep going.
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AuthorDee Linn loves words. When she was in the third grade, her exasperated teacher told her she'd probably talk to a pole, if she happen to be sitting beside it. Not much has changed except that now she says it in writing. She is a single mom of four, a teacher of teens, a cheater at board games, and a lover of life. She's a Kansas girl, but travels to all kinds of places in her head with characters living there, some of which she's sure she's created. Some, she's not sure how they got there. But they are way more interesting to talk to than a pole. Archives
November 2017
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