UNCHAIN MY HEART!!!

In his book,The Dynamic Path, author James Citrin asserts that people do not achieve their goals by trying to win. He says, “You do not win by trying to win.” Sound funny? It did to me too. But, let’s take a closer look.

He means, it turns out, that winners don’t win matches–if you hit a shot that you will make one out of five times, it is an exception, not a long term game plan–and winners don’t build long term plans around exceptions. They play steadily, moving the ball around, looking for openings, and then seize them. It means being consistent.  Consistency, dependability and solid performance arising from long term practice sessions  “let it happen.”

But, as any writer knows, “Consistent” and “Long term plan” are listed under “No Fun” in the Writers’ Mental Reference. Add to this the “10-year rule,” the case that even the most talented need those years of hard work before achieving top performance, no matter what the endeavor, and the answer still remains the same: winning means hard work on a sustained basis. And, of course, competitions, like life in general, offer no guarantees.  Only the opportunity to give it your best shot.

Yesterday, the mail was kind. I received a contract for The Nearness of You, a suspenseful romantic satire. Projected release date: April, 2010.  The results of the international creative writing competition, the 2009 Faulkner Words and Music Competition, released its results–Unchain My Heart, my romantic suspense novel, was on the list. Please see www.wordsandmusic.org for details of the competition and the November festival in New Orleans. This year, the festival will be celebrating the Noir Novel, which is, pardon the pun, right up my alley.  Take a look and consider a weekend in the Hotel Monteleone. Noir in New Orleans–unchain your heart!!

Cheers,

Claire

— Claire Applewhite