Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Another Two Thousand Words and a Serindipidous Brush with Moonlight Graham



TWO THOUSAND MORE WORDS

I banged out my two thousand words this morning. A new major character appeared in the story. I sure didn’t see him coming. That’s the magic of writing. I have a basic plot in my head, but it could change if that’s what the story wants…

A SERINDIPIDOUS EVENT

Yesterday I posted the following Burt Lancaster quote from Field of Dreams.

Well, you know I... I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. A chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella. That's my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?

This morning I was channel surfing and came upon Field of Dreams just in time for Burt Lancaster to deliver the same lines I posted yesterday. Is the universe trying to tell me something? My back yard is definitely too small to build a baseball diamond. And I never really dreamt of pursuing a career in the major leagues. Archie “Moonlight” Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, is a minor league ball player who gave up his baseball dream to become a doctor. He realizes that he made the right choice, that saving lives is more important than playing a game. As a teacher who always dreamt of doing something more exciting, I can relate Archie “Moonlight” Graham. Or not…

If nothing else, I finally found the occasion to use the word “serendipitous” – three times.


6 comments:

Blues said...

Yep, I believe it's definitely telling you something (law of attraction and all that jazz). The question is - as is the case for any of us -, however, do you understand the gist of what you're being told? Lol...

Unknown said...

This is an example of what Julia Cameron, in her book, The Artist's Way, calls synchronicity, a term she got from Carl Jung. Deep in my skeptic's heart, I think such events are examples of apophenia--the ability of the human mind to find meaning and significance where there is none. Still, if it helps with creativity, why not indulge in a little apophenia? And who knows--maybe Jung was right.

Kudos for cranking out those words!

#167 Dad said...

Bluesfrau,
Yes. I'm supposed to say serindipidous as much as I can.

#167 Dad said...

David,

Thanks.

Synchronicity or apophenia? Synchronicity seems to be a much more exciting concept, but apophenia is much more fun to say out loud.

But seriously, thanks for the thought provoking take...

Anonymous said...

Lol... and a fantastic word it is. You know, I connect this word with my friend Sally (a real close friend) because she, too, likes writing, and she, too, loves that word...

BeFrank said...

As your #1 fan/cheerleader, let me just say, "GO BUZZ!"