I was reading the book "Blink" yesterday morning while on the metro and came across an idea that really struck me. This idea was that in order to have something worth staging or filming think of something that you would not want to happen to you or to someone you love, then you would have thought of something worth staging or filming. The media certainly subscribes to this notion. Often the news you read or hear is of the tragic variety. I have a feeling that this idea also carries over to the written word. The advice from writer's coaching is "write what you know".
When my life took its recent unexpected turn, one of the thoughts I had was that my perfect life, the one that I was so proud of and the one that was going to be the basis of my "lifestyle" business where I would give to the world all those pretty examples of how to live an elegant and gracious life went out the window, over my curvy iron balcony and smashed to bits on the cobbled rue below.
And I probably now have something worth writing about...Isn't this life ironic?
That tired but true old adage - we learn more from our struggles and failures than from our successes - is now my mantra. And one of my first lessons learned has been that I still can have that gracious life, it just has taken on a different shade. Sort of exciting, and scary.
Bises Mary...we are on the same path to who knows where but looking rather good!
Posted by: Claudia | February 11, 2008 at 04:22 PM