To all my current and future
#DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my
continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I
will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing
lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the
swamps of southern Louisiana, so kick back, put your feet up, and check
out my story about TODAY'S WORD:
ACCOUNTABILITY
The saying goes that kids will be
kids, especially teenagers, no matter which generation of youngsters we might
be talking about.
With my shy, unassuming nature, I
was by no means a rebel back in my own teenager years, but there was one time I
stepped outside the boundaries of convention, leaving me with a question still
unanswered even today…
One of the first things I did, once
I moved out of my parent’s house and into a boarding house room 50 miles away,
was to find the nearest movie theater. I had just turned 18 and up to that
point in my life I’d only been to one picture show.
I was lucky enough to find one on
the bus line not far from where I lived and the 50 cent ticket price for a
Saturday matinee was within this poor girl’s budget.
But the concessions were not.
Being the resourceful gal that I
was, I decided to pack some fried chicken and a drink to take with me before
heading out. It was Halloween and I wanted to watch a scary movie, but coming
from a very secluded childhood, let’s just say it was a HUGE culture shock once
the movie began...
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
It was an enlightening education both
to my naïve young mind as well as some lessons learned on social interaction
and audience participation.
I sat there in stunned silence by
the exit door, mindlessly nibbling on the food I’d brought with me, as I
watched the chaos between screen and movie goers unfold in front of me.
It wasn’t until I’d left the theater
and was safely back on the bus for the trip home when I realized something.
I’d left my trash on the seat next
to me.
My mother had always taught me to
be ACCOUNTABLE for myself and I had rudely forgotten to clean up. But instead
of castrating myself for bad manners, all I could was laugh.
Imagine the poor employee who
uncovered what would appear to be some kind of ANIMAL SACRIFICE in the back row
of a darkened movie theater.
I bet that was one Halloween they
would never forget!
Remember, my #DCSPeeps, that we are
ACCOUNTABLE for every decision we make in our writing careers. The characters we create, the worlds we build, even the submissions we send out. If we are at the beginning of our publishing paths, we'll probably make more mistakes than we'd care to admit. If we're established writers, we have an obligation to our readers, agents, publishers, etc. to provide the most polished work we can give them. So whenever you feel like there is no rhyme or reason to your writing day, just remember one thing...
Be ACCOUNTABLE.
PLAN your next move.
TRACK your journey.
SUCCEED by remembering all the victories, big and small, along the way.
.
We can do this! YOU can do this!
I hope you have an AWESOME day
today cuz you deserve it!
Children's book author, Donna L
Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th
Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of
children’s picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult
novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest
book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book
reviewer for Harper Collins, and a member of the Society of Children's
Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate,
good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound guard kitty in
Knoxville, Tennesse
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Mmmmm...fried chicken...How could they not smell the chicken? And why didn't you invite me? How do you account for that?
ReplyDeleteLol...seems to me, Janet, you went on one or two movie adventures with me...remember the broken bathroom door? ;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!