Inspiration | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Since I shared Queen Cathy’s Conference What Not to Do’s, I thought it only fair to share what a writing conference does best. It makes you do. (Hmmm. That sounded better in my head, too.)

What I’m thinking about is that line from Jedi Master Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

When you attend a writing conference, you talk to other writers, mostly about writing. You hear about their ups and downs, but mostly, you hear the success stories. And you listen to presenters tell their tales, and let’s face it. They wouldn’t be presenting if they hadn’t succeeded in something writerly. Maybe you’ll hear a long, winding tale of success. Or perhaps a tale of serendipitous success. But the moral of the story is the same: if you keep writing and working, you will succeed.

So, today I mailed a manuscript that I’ve been intending to send to an editor for months. Because when I stepped in to hear the conference presentation by Michelle Poploff (Random House Children’s Books), I knew right then, the whole conference was worth those forty minutes or so. When I heard her tell her stories, of how other writers had found success, I thought that could be me. But only if I stopped thinking in terms of “try.”

This Friday, I found something freeing, and a little scary. I found that it was time to do. So, I did.

I love alliteration, especially in my blog posts titles. I also love books. And I’m really quite fond of old tombstones and epitaphs. So, I suppose today is all about “Things I Love.” I love the Fourth of July, too. But I’ll get to that in just a tick.

I found Susan K. Hom’s delightfully edited little book, R.I.P. Here Lie the Last Words, Morbid Musings, Epitaphs & Fond Farewells of the Famous and Not-So-Famous, in a local bookstore, on the “Ridiculously Marked Down” table. I also love a good deal, so I can never pass by this table without finding something. And since this ever-so-cheap little book combined several things I love (a good deal, books, and cemetery stuff), I plunked out my pennies and dug in for some deep reading (Okay, I’m kinda fond of puns, too).

Did you know that writer Noel Coward’s epitaph reads, “A Talent to Amuse”? Or that writer George S. Kaufman’s tombstone is inscribed, “Over My Dead Body”? My favorite writer epitaph, though, belongs to Billy Wilder: “I’m a Writer but then Nobody’s Perfect.”

Funny stuff, true, but poignant entries, too. In the Famous Leaders and Historical Figures section, I came across the inscription on the Lincoln Memorial: IN THIS TEMPLE, AS IN THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION, THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.

I also found Samuel Adam’s epitaph. For those of you who think of beer when his name is mentioned, you might be interested to know that he was, first and foremost, a political leader in Boston, leading up to the American Revolution. He wrote newspaper articles and essays, rallying the colonists against the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. You remember that “no taxation without representation” line? Old Samuel was all about that sentiment. Here’s his epitaph: “Here Lies Buried Samuel Adams, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of this Commonwealth, A Leader of Men and an ardent Patriot.”

So, when you celebrate this weekend, think of Samuel Adams and all the patriots through the ages, who gave of themselves so that you could enjoy this fine, freedom-ringing, flag-waving, fireworks-glowing nation I love.