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dmswriter

Monthly Archives: February 2014

When the Stars Align, You Need to Shine

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by dmswriter in Updates

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

college, cooking, editing, fear, opportunities, overcoming fear, shining, Steve Forbes, writing

Recently, I’ve been thinking about fear and hesitation and how they’re not only a part of life, but a part of writing, too.

Fear wants us to think small, to feel that what we have to say isn’t worth it. It wants us to play safe, to stay still and stagnate. This is especially tempting when we experience setbacks, but that’s exactly when we need to move forward in faith.

For years now, I’ve written for a local magazine, and my first assignment for them was to interview the executive chef of a five-star resort in a nearby town. This guy graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in London, and worked at luxury restaurants around the world. As first assignments go, it was intimidating to say the least.

I drove with fear in the driver’s seat, expecting a serious and to-the-point expert, wondering how I’d ever be good enough to interview someone this accomplished. But he was relaxed, charming, and made me feel entirely welcome in his kitchen. I left, buoyed by the experience and ready to write.

A few years later, Steve Forbes, chairman of Forbes Media, came to a local college for their “Distinguished Business Lecture” series. My editor called me, in a pinch: seems the reporter who they would normally have sent was unavailable. Would I take the story?

Sometimes we let fear run our lives, when we should make the most of our opportunities

About how I felt!

Under normal circumstances, we’d review the angle the editor wanted, and I’d ride off into the sunset from there. In this case, the editor had a short deadline for other work, and didn’t have time to guide me. I’d have 15 minutes with Forbes, and needed to get as much out of him as I could.

I was on my own. With Steve Forbes. And no information to start with.

I spent the afternoon poring the internet, reading Forbes’s older speeches, writings, anything to give me a sense of his viewpoint and platform. It took hours, but I knew it was worth it.

Forbes’s talk was entertaining, informative, and I took notes as he spoke. Afterwards, I waited in a hall for my time to talk with him. I was ushered into a dimly lit room, where Forbes sat in an armchair. It reminded me of a scene from The Godfather, only he certainly wasn’t going to make me any offers I couldn’t refuse!!

Long story short, the interview went well, and I drove home in a much different mindset than my previous interview. I had been given a chance to shine, to use my talents the best way I could. And strangely enough, going into it, I knew it would be over in a flash, and I wanted to make the most of my opportunity.

Sometimes we forget this when we let fear sneak in. We have plenty of opportunities to shine – whether we write, paint, or take care of small children, the opportunity is ours to make the most of.

When life gives you an opportunity, make sure you sparkle

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The Sartorial Splendor of WWW

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by dmswriter in Updates

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Coco Chanel, creative writing, dressing, fashion, grandma, humor, Paris France, snogly geared, weird word, well-dressed people

My grandma used to say that the older she got, the faster time went. I’m not ready for a rocking chair yet, but I’m starting to know what she means. Every two weeks, I stop at the credit union to get money for grocery shopping. The days between paydays seem to buzz by at lightning speed, two weeks passing by like two hours.

There I was again, waiting my turn in line. This time, people watching kept me occupied, particularly a couple ahead of me. What surprised me was the woman’s feet – she wore pink bedroom slippers, the kind with fuzzy fringe around the top. Really? Really? 

Yes, there they were – an article of clothing that shouldn’t have left the house. (I admit – I have issues with this, which you can read more about here.) It made me think of a word that perfectly describes how one should be attired when leaving the house, an 18th-century doozy:

Snogly geared

snogly geared refers to someone who is neatly dressed

Courtesy Google books

Dippity-do was used to set hair in rollers

Remember this stuff?

My grandma usually wore a dress, sensible shoes with square heels, and carried a purse with those bitsy metal nibs on the bottom. Her “unmentionables” consisted of a girdle, complete with stockings that clipped to its legs. If it rained, she donned a plastic bonnet to protect her hair, set with rollers and Dippety-do.

Grandma was snogly geared.

It’s easy to find people who are snogly geared, because they stand out. Today I saw a man wearing a handsome plaid coat, cuffed wool slacks and polished black leather dress shoes. He caught my eye, and I appreciated the time and effort he put into his appearance.

Last year, we went to Paris, France, where I saw snogly geared taken to an extreme. We were the last in line to buy subway tickets, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a transvestite, waving a champagne bottle in one hand, a glass in the other.

Her long black hair swished across her red satin dress, and a feather boa wound itself flimsily across her shoulders. I noticed strappy sandals on some rather large feet, but had to give her credit – her toenails were lacquered the exact shade of her dress.

She asked me something in French, and when I shrugged, she smiled and tottered away, ankles wobbling as she headed up the steps.

Indeed, she was snogly geared, dressed for whatever her day had in store. No slippers here!

I leave you with a thought from fashion designer Coco Chanel, who said “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”

Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel, from biography.com

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Flash Fiction Friday and the HeSo Project

07 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by dmswriter in Updates

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Beethoven, Flash Fiction Friday, history, Moonlight Sonata, The HeSo Project, writing

I have to give a shout-out to Tracy at The HeSo Project. She’s been hosting Flash Fiction Friday for a while now, which she explains here. Tracy asks readers to share one sentence that she wittily crafts into a compelling short story.

I took a stab at it earlier this week, and she chose my line for this week’s Flash Fiction Friday. It all started with the Kohler Moxie shower head that we recently installed. That thing is cool – it pairs wirelessly with a Bluetooth-enabled device to play music, news, whatever, for up to seven hours. (We’d run out of hot water long before then!)

Beethoven wrote "Moonlight Sonata" and I shared it on The HeSo Project's blog

Beethoven

Earlier this week, one of the kids was using the Moxie in the shower, playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, a reflective, moving piece. Composed in 1801, it’s thought that Beethoven wrote it for Countess Giulietta Gucciardi, his 17-year-old pupil.

It just so happens I was reading Tracy’s prompt for Flash Fiction Friday when the water was running, and it inspired my line:

“The shower water hissed down, echoing as it splashed in the tub. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata poured from the Kohler shower head, filling the bathroom with brooding tones.”

Tracy turned it into a well-done short piece that left readers wondering what happened next. Read it here.

Check out The HeSo Project when you get a chance – Tracy’s always up to something interesting!

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