Thursday, January 26, 2012

Headline points to writing career

     I often see my life in headlines.  For example, this morning it was:  MOTHER'S HEAD EXPLODES WHEN CHILD'S FAKE CRYING GOES ON TOO LONG.
     Often, the headlines I read in my head relate to my little daily anxieties and neuroses, such as things involving premature death, fiery crashes, and cruel irony (think, MOTHER PLUNGES TO DEATH WHILE CLIMBING UP STEEP PRECIPICE TO GET PERFECT CHRISTMAS PICTURE OF KIDS).
    These headlines often pop into my head unexpectedly, and they are always welcome.  For one, they often help me realize when I'm being nutty and can put a positive spin on my real worries by making me laugh.  They have also helped guide me in what is important in my life.  In the example above, I would have stopped climbing and thought, the quality of the picture is not what matters - friends want to hear from you at the holidays, that's it.
     When I began seeing and hearing headlines related to a writing career, I first brushed them aside as grandiose and self-centered.  (After all, they were headlines such as FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED SELLS MILLIONS, and the like).  Then they began to pop into my head, over and over, and took a more realistic bent:  WOMAN FINDS SANITY IN WRITING, and SIMPLE STORY BRINGS JOY TO CHILDREN.
     I also began to see me quoted in interviews, saying things like, "I wasn't sure I could do this, but I'm glad I tried.  Look where it has taken me!"
    In this case, the headlines have guided me to a little writing nook, where the morning sun comes in, and where I am happy to go each day and peck away, playing with words and stories and hearing the headline:  WOMAN FOLLOWS HER DREAM, ONE SMALL STORY AT A TIME.


What is your HEADLINE today?



3 comments:

  1. Aw, I love your headlines! The last one is especially poignant. Today my headline is WOMAN PREPARES FOR SCBWI, PACKS ADVENTURE BOOTS TO CALM NERVES.

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    Replies
    1. Fantastic headline; and even more fantastic is the fact that you own a pair of "adventure boots"! Love it! Have fun in NY - maybe we'll run into one another. I'll look for the boots.

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  2. First edition: Teen oversleeps- World Ends!
    Second edition: World safe: Woman in Lobster PJs gets Teen to school on time

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