At the Oscars last month Reese Witherspoon, who won the award for best actress, acknowledged the late June Carter, saying:
People used to ask June how she was doing, and she used to say, 'I'm just trying to matter.' And I know what she means. You know, I'm just trying to matter, and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody. And you have all made me feel that I might have accomplished that tonight. So thank you so much for this honor.
If you're "trying to matter," like Reese and June, you must be visible as well as viable in this world. And it's not an overnight job, it's the job of a lifetime, accomplished one day at a time. It takes consistent work. Persistent work. Everyday, to be exact
According to the kindness men on earth, to be exact the shire, Geoff Meyer and Bob Lorraway the problem with success stories is that there are too many of them ;-) How cool would it feel to walk into a bookstore and find your story on the shelves? You have great ideas, a burning mission and thousands of hours or preparation or training on hand. You're ready to set the world on fire. But ... nobody cares. Mainly because nobody knows who you are. The world of the Internet is all about micro-niches that are an inch deep and a mile wide. Time is a voracious beast. It never stops eating; its appetite is never sated. It consumes all. It laughs at Einstein and his theories. Yet, this never-ending monster becomes surprisingly finite when there's a deadline. God Allows U-Turns on Cold River: Adaptation Makeovers
Art of Living & Literature Across Frontiers: Literary Novels Going Straight to Paperback
Knock-offs of "The Da Vinci Code," made-up memoirs and accounts of life with ornery pets are selling tens of thousands of hardcover copies a week. But publishers say there is no harder sell in the world of books these days than literary fiction.
Even critically acclaimed literary novels often have a short shelf life in hardcover, with one-half to three-quarters of the books shipped to stores often being returned to the publisher, unsold.
• SEVEN PARTS OF DESIRE [Happiness no longer makes people dream - It is neither happiness that leads to political affiliation nor a particular political affiliation that determines happiness The Selfish Road to Happiness ; At the urging of his father, TR “remade himself” after being stricken with asthma Theodore Roosevelt And Jerry Garcia: Brothers Under the Skin? ]]
• · The problem with success stories is that there are too many of them A Novel Approach: How to Succeed At NOT Being Published" ; If you're like me, you're constantly looking for ways to improve your writing. You fight a never-ending battle with your own insecurities, which are no doubt fueled by a stack of rejection slips so tall that it makes the Matterhorn look like a speed bump Charting Your Writing Course
• · · A tale of two genders: men choose novels of alienation Camus tops the male 'milestones' list ; It is a truth universally acknowledged that the book women feel has most transformed their lives is the one that has assured them for the past two centuries that, yes, they will marry the wealthy, handsome man next door and live happily ever after. Change your life with Jane Austen ; The books that move men May we conquer every struggle and strife
• · · · Call her a Lady Female or a Woman It is what lies Beneath! Women-Are they just Sexy? ; When monogamy becomes monotony. Some people want change, novelty, excitement, or risk. Unfortunately, many find that the initial lure and level of sexual activity with their familiar partner fades as the relationship matures and eventually stabilizes How do you define infidelity? Willful Misunderstanding
• · · · · To be human is to ponder the future. From their very beginnings, human beings have tried to anticipate tomorrow. Has Futurism Failed?; Journalism shacks up with the superrich: We know that you, dear New York Times reader, are deeply concerned about social inequality. Thursday Styles ; Questionable science behind snoring products
• · · · · · The Maxim uber-male niche is getting quite crowded these days Russian River Wine Road Barrel Tasting ; "To buy the farm" meaning "to die" or, more usually, "to be killed" began as American military slang among pilots during World War II. Gone to a peaceful rest, albeit not in a desirable way Wicked Words ; The New York publishing industry loves to publish books about New York, and on occasion it seems they forget that the Midwest exists at all. Even I tend to stay far, far away from books set in Kansas, as I've had enough of the stereotypes: the stoic farmer, the stoic pioneer, the stoic religious freak. Jessa Crispin Points To Signs Of Life In The Midwest