Sunday 1/19/14

 It is so easy to have doubts about one’s writing, whether it is good enough.  It is so easy to feel fraudulent.  And then the inertia sinks in, oh so easily, leading to less energy to keep at it, less effort to market what has already been written. 

All it took the other day to jump start the needed hope was to see a picture.  I was looking at a review in the NPR arts section of their website.  It was the book cover for  “All Standing: the remarkable story of the Jeanie Johnston The Legendary Irish Famine Ship”.  A tall wooden ship with its masts and rigging, sailing as if in the evening, a storm  threatening. 

I immediately felt a renewed passion for the whole Irish migration story, and for the novel “Paddy O’Neil’s Trunk”.  The work needed to be kissed a few more times and then sent on its way, again, to see if some publisher would take a liking to it.

“Yes”, said the spirits, “don’t stop now, someone may enjoy it, someone may find it to be of value.” 

Staying hidden in the thumb drive will not do.