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.