Too Much--Or Not Enough?
Change--blech! There's almost always too much or not enough. Right now it's looking like there's not enough--directly on the heels of Way Too Much--and that means I'm starting to get that itch. That make-it-happen-make-it-happen-NOW itch. And THAT means I'm darting into corners and down corridors and generally spreading myself too thin as I attempt to explore everything at once: revising one MG novel, brainstorming a chapter book, querying educational publishers, job-hunting, start-up planning...
And THAT means that I'm starting to get that dry, dusty feeling, as though I've spent all my energy spinning wheels instead of spinning yarns.
So it was super refreshing to attend the "Catholic Oscars" yesterday. Even though it was a freelance gig (and, as usual in a dimly lit hotel ballroom, my camera refuse to do anything even remotely close to excellent), I found myself listening to the honorees' speeches in more of a conference-going mode--feeling inspired by their enthusiasm, and soothed by the presence of so many creative people who know firsthand what the struggle is all about.
Screenwriter Brian Oppenheimer confessed that he dreaded presenting an award to his close friend and business partner, Barbara Gangi, because--quite naturally--he's a writer; if he were the kind of person who enjoyed public speaking, he would have gone into a different line of work. He also noted that he used to believe he could "sit in [his] cubbyhole, writing [his] scripts, and people would come knocking on [his] door saying, 'Hey, got any scripts for sale?'" (Big laugh for that one.) Gangi is the one who assured him he was quite, quite wrong, he quipped.
It was nice to put the brakes on those spinning wheels for the day--and get back to my desk feeling ready to write.
And THAT means that I'm starting to get that dry, dusty feeling, as though I've spent all my energy spinning wheels instead of spinning yarns.
So it was super refreshing to attend the "Catholic Oscars" yesterday. Even though it was a freelance gig (and, as usual in a dimly lit hotel ballroom, my camera refuse to do anything even remotely close to excellent), I found myself listening to the honorees' speeches in more of a conference-going mode--feeling inspired by their enthusiasm, and soothed by the presence of so many creative people who know firsthand what the struggle is all about.
Screenwriter Brian Oppenheimer confessed that he dreaded presenting an award to his close friend and business partner, Barbara Gangi, because--quite naturally--he's a writer; if he were the kind of person who enjoyed public speaking, he would have gone into a different line of work. He also noted that he used to believe he could "sit in [his] cubbyhole, writing [his] scripts, and people would come knocking on [his] door saying, 'Hey, got any scripts for sale?'" (Big laugh for that one.) Gangi is the one who assured him he was quite, quite wrong, he quipped.
It was nice to put the brakes on those spinning wheels for the day--and get back to my desk feeling ready to write.