Play On!

By Marcia Thornton Jones

In Central Kentucky, March means one thing: basketball. All eyes focus on the road to the NCAA Tournament. This year, fan expectations were high from the get-go because the Wildcats were ranked #1 before a basketball even bounced on the court to start the season. But the Big Blue Nation became frustrated, disappointed, mad, and lost confidence when <gasp> tallies added up in the losses column.  Good thing our team doesn’t pay much attention to the critics. Instead, they put in hours of practice to improve their skills. They listened to the coach and made adjustments. Most importantly, they NEVER stopped competing. Now, the wins far out-number those pesky losses so whether they walk away with the tournament trophy or not, they still had a winning season.

The same is true with my writing. I’ve been trying to start a new novel for way too long. But after a couple of false starts, I’m disappointed, frustrated, mad, and depleted of confidence because my early attempts fall way short of expectations. I need to stop thinking like a rabid basketball fan expecting perfection at the beginning of the season. Winning at writing is like basketball or any other endeavor. It involves practice, coaching, and continuing on in spite of setbacks, false starts, and even <gasp> losses. It’s time to play on.

So, let’s hear it…give me a W…give me an R…Give me an I-T-E…What’s that spell????