I must preface this post with the fact that I love, love the Google! They definitely market to women - the iGoogle homepage that can be decorated and personalized and redecorated (as many times a day as I wish) is a girly-goodie I thoroughly enjoy each time I power up the laptop.
Tonight, my husband decided he wanted to find and read what I had been writing. So, I told him to Google the name of my blog thinking it would pop right up.
I mean, I just pulled this title straight from the inner recesses of my brain late one night and, thinking myself to be rather clever and quite imaginative, used it as the title for my blog (as you can clearly see). All he had to do was type the title, and *poof* my blog would miraculously appear.
No-brainer, right?
Wrong.
(This is where the 'dangerous' part comes in.)
My blog did NOT come up. At all. Someone else's did from a different blog site. I was stunned.
Although this other blogger's title was the name of her post (and it was spelled differently), I couldn't help but feel this stabbing pain of failure in the pit of my stomach.
This nasty little tidbit came right after finding out (just lastnight) that the stories I've written over the past seven years and kept hidden in this ratty spiral-bound notebook were all published last year. By other people. This devastating news produced a blackish, soul-sucking cloud - similar to the one that follows Eeyore - over my head that riddled my brain with endless ponderings, which subsequently led to the following line of philosophical questioning:
- Why didn't I do something with these stories seven years ago? (stupid, stupid, stupid)
- Were my ideas that unoriginal that random people from Randomville, USA could write the same stories?
- Do I scratch these stories and start over?
- Had I not an original idea left in my head?
- Were there any original thoughts left . . . anywhere?
After that last question, I found my answer.
According to most literarians, there are only seven basic plots. Seven. Out of the millions of published books, each contains one of seven possible plots. Considering those small odds, I guess it's only natural for story ideas to have similar odds. In fact, my students can read the same novel and write completely different essays about it - some good, some bad, some really, really bad. The differences come in the diction and syntax and style and voice - those elements of writing that are unique to each.
With that in mind, I am compelled to continue writing, setting myself apart from others with my choice of diction, syntax, style, and voice. As Commander Peter Quincy Taggart used to say: "Never give up, never surrender!"
A little side note that sparked giggles, then outright guffaws:
Upon further investigation of my Google search, I discovered that Magnolia's Moonpie is also the name of a miniature "Dream Donkey" sired by, none other than, R.C. Cola in 1998. (I am not making this up!) And here she is . . . in all her equine, trough-slurping glory!
2 comments:
Rachel Hawkins said... May 29, 2008 at 9:57 AM
You know, I had the same thing happen to me when my book was on submission. I walked into B&N and saw a cool end cap display of new YA fanstasy books. When I picked on up and began to read the back, my heart sank because it was SO like MY book! I was so bbummed that I left the store, thinking, "Great, no one will want to buy my book now because, um, IT ALREADY EXISTS!"
But it turns out I was wrong. The book sold, literally, three days later. Sure, the plots were similar, but what I brought to the party was, like you said, voice. Plots and story ideas are a dime a dozen. It's voice and style that count. So keep on truckin' friend!
Anonymous said... May 29, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Chuskey! I didn't know you blogged! Awesome. Don't be discouraged though. Like Rachel said, it's your VOICE that will shine through all of the other stuff.
Thanks for commenting on muh blog! I can't wait for the BEACH!!!
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