(This story was retrieved from http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.html)
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.” So they then decided they’d both walk!
Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.
The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well… Kiss your “donkey” goodbye! And even this ending won’t please everyone.
A new serialized story, Doing It Our Way, begins in Tomorrow.
Ray Bradbury describes how I feel about writing.
“If you did not write every day, the poisons would accumulate and you would begin to die, or act crazy, or both. You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
Ray Bradbury’s book, Zen in the Art of Writing, has had a profound freeing experience on my writing. I’ve read it at least a half dozen times and keep my worn out paperback copy close by. I pick it up whenever my writing spirit needs to catch fire. Here’s a bit from his book to fire you up.
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.” ~ Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
A new serialized story, Doing It Our Way, begins in 2 days
I’ve never experienced writer’s block. I enjoy writing. It is a passion. Someone asked me where do you get your ideas for a story. My answer is always the same, I watch people and when I see someone interesting, I look at the person from a distance and say, “Tell me your story, I’m interested.” My mind and the character do the rest. I move my fingers on a keyboard and get out of the character’s way.
In my forthcoming story, I was in a Mexican restaurant with friends. Across the room from us I saw a woman, alone, in a booth staring at her cell phone. She looked apprehensive. I had my story.
A new serialized story, Doing It Our Way, begins in 3 days.
A new serialized story, Doing It Our Way, begins in 4 days.
