The time has come to culminate my 300celebration with the selection of a couple of prizewinners. We’ll do this quickly…don’t want to cause any undue tension. :)
First, thanks to all of you who took the time to throw your name into the hat, and a special thanks to those who advertised my little celebration on your own blog. You gals (and guys) are truly special.
I ended up with 253 virtual slips in the hat. I used my iPhones random number generator to select two numbers and the first selection, winner of the 200 picture video from my wife, is…..Talli Roland.
I only ended up with 17 new followers during the run of the celebration, so I’ll only be giving away one $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble. And that winner is…. Kristin Rae.
Congratulations to the chosen! Onward and upward we go! My next celebration will come when I reach 500…so I’ll have plenty of time to think of something new and special for you guys.
I love sports movies! Really, I’m fanatical about movies in general, love them almost as much as books, but movies that revolve around sports stand apart as my favorite. The Natural, The Miracle, Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, Mystery Alaska, Sandlot, Angels in the Outfield, Raging Bull, Brian’s Song, The Cinderella Man, The Champ, Rocky, A League of Their Own, Major League, Jerry Maguire, Remember the Titans, Seabiscuit. I can go on and on and on. I think what I love most about these movies is the inspirational undertone that they all have in common. But today’s diatribe isn’t about movies, rather just two films in particular and how their message serves as a backdrop to what each of us struggle with.
The first one is The Rookie, a 2002 movie starring Dennis Quaid as an aging high school baseball coach who comes to realize his dream of pitching in the major leagues. The other, Rudy, is a 1993 classic depicting the struggles of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (played by Sean Astin) to play football for the university of Notre Dame. Both of these films are based on true stories.
I bet you can already see where I’m going with this. You’d be mistaken.
Both of these characters, although from opposite ends of life experiences, had to overcome steep odds to realize their dreams. For Jim Morrison (the actual rookie), it was the fact he was thirty-five years old and been out of baseball for many years. For Rudy, it was both his physical limitations combined with the lack of money and grades to gain entrance to the school he idolized.
As writers, aren’t we in the same position? Each of us faces crushing odds that tell us our chances of actually breaking into the publishing world are slim. Yet we show up to practice every day, running the laps, doing the drills, studying the first stringers, perfecting our technique, preparing, doing everything we can to prove our readiness. Each query letter we send out is a plea, “Put me in coach. I know I can play! Let me prove it to you”
Both of the men in these movies I mention ultimately realized their dream…although in dramatically different fashions. Jim Morrison actually made it into the MLB and spent two seasons pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Rudy played for the University of Notre Dame football team fortwo plays.
In the end, the key difference between the two stories…skill. Jim Morrison threw a 98 mph fastball (with control), Rudy was only 5’6” and weighed 165 pounds with average speed. Rudy was immortalized for the grit and determination it took to overcome his shortcomings and simply make the roster of one of the premiere college teams in the country. Almost as a by-product, he obtained a valuable college education and became a role model for underdogs everywhere.
I ask myself a question everyday…and I believe that same question tortures a lot of us. Which am I? Rookie or Rudy? Do I have the talent to make it in this industry, or am I merely demonstrating my unstoppable drive and desire. Of course we’re all pursuing the dream of becoming the next Rookie, but what if you’re a Rudy? Would you be satisfied knowing your only accomplishment was making the players around you better? Just brushing against your publishing dream and settling into a comfortable life on the fringe of that world…like say…a popular blogger.
What if my writing legacy turns out to be only a mention in a critique partner’s book dedication?
Can’t worry about that now…I have a game to prepare for! Maybe…just maybe…the coach will have noticed my potential and take a chance on me today. I’ll be ready…whatever happens!
Phew! I finally fought through all of the technical issues to make it here (and it wasn’t pretty). You’ll have to excuse my bumbling; this is my first adventure into posting video. :)
On March 26th I reached the 200 follower landmark and decided to forgo a celebration for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to focus my attention on the interaction I had with those already watching my blog. It’s pretty easy to amass a large number of followers, just link yourself to other blogs as fast as you can point and click, and most will return the gesture. But getting them to come back, choosing to visit your site amongst the plethora of blogs to choose from, over and over again, that’s the really hard part. And it is there I wanted to focus my energy. I was determined to come up with insightful, informative, thought provoking, and most importantly, entertaining posts that continued to expose bits and pieces of myself. I’ve been moderately successful so far, but there is still quite a ways to go.
The second reason to wait until I reached 300 to have a celebration is the prize I had in mind. You see, the jury is still out on whether I possess the talent to be published in this literary business, but my wife has already demonstrated a talent many times over. Months ago, when I was brainstorming ideas for prizes, she told me she wanted to help. She has been 100% behind me in my quest to see my words on the printed page, but forced to watch on the side-lines most of the time. Eager to help out in any way she can, she offered one of her videos as a prize. Below are just a couple of samples of her talent.
As you can see, her gift is the ability to make pictures dance. She takes the photos and music that her customers provide and creates what you see above. She makes these DVD’s for sports teams, weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, travel, memorials, etc etc. That is what she is offering as a prize for you.One lucky winner will be given a gift certificate for a 200 picture show (with some restrictions) using personal pictures of their own choosing. These are creations that sell for more than $250! Do you see now why this is so special?
But that’s not all! I’m also going to be giving away gift cards to Barnes & Noble. How many and in what amount, you ask? That’s the kicker…you will determine that. As of this morning I was blessed with 310 followers. The 300 celebration will run for two weeks (until May 30th). The difference between the number of followers I have then, and now, will decide the # and quantity of gift certificates. So, if I have 335 followers on May 30th, I will give away a gift card worth $25 (335-310=25). I’ll do this in $25 increments up to a maximum of $100. Your efforts in spreading the word about my celebration will translate into the value of the reward. :)
Wait a minute…isn’t that contradictory to my quality vs quantity message? I don’t see it that way…I’m asking you to point new followers in my direction…it’s my responsibility to keep them coming back.
Now for some guidelines…and this will be easy. To be included in the drawing, you must be one of the ‘Like Minded’ and comment on this post. If you’re one of the original 310, that comment will represent five chances to win…new followers just one. If a new member mentions an existing follower by name (in their original post), the recruiter will have earned yet another chance. That’s it. No blog mention, no sidebars, no Twitter or Facebook references necessary…unless of course you want to increase the amount of the gift card.
In wrapping things up, I have two huge THANK YOU’s to pass along. First to my wife, for recognizing how much this community means to me and helping make this a truly unique celebration. The second is reserved for you…the 300! I am grateful to you for allowing me to sit by your side…and cheat off your papers. For propping me up when I slouch and reeling me in when I’m full of myself. You got my back…just as I have yours.
Hey gang...just a quick note to let you know I'm having issues with my THIS IS SPARTA - A300 Celebration post. I know I promised to have it ready for you today, but misbehaving electrons say otherwise. I hope to have it ready for you tomorrow.
See this…*pointing to mouth*…it’s a big broad smile. Know what it’s for? Because I’m so proud of myself! I received some awards last week and instead of shoving them under the bed, letting them pile up until my guilty conscience started giving me stomach ulcers, here I am to give them their due before too much dust settles. Hey…don’t laugh…it’s a big deal for me. :)
First up is the One Lovely Blog Award from Jemi Fraser at Just Jemi. I know most of you have probably already visited her blog (it’s awesome), but those who haven’t really need to give her a look-see. She generates a ton of comments for all of her posts. There are no specific instructions for this award, so I’m simply tapping the shoulder of three lovely bloggerswho I admire. They are:
Next up, Shannon @ Book Dreaming and T.J. @ T.J. Carson’s Writing Endeavor both awarded me the Happy 101 Award. This award makes me drool with hunger every time I see it.:) These two ladies are on opposite sides of the spectrum, Shannon has been around the block a few times and is a staple here in our little community, and T.J. is a freshman in college just getting her legs underneath her in the blogosphere, but the thing is the energy pulsating from each of their blogs is equally impressive. In that light, I’m going to pass this award onto three more bloggerswho exhibit that same level of energy in their blogs. Please check out:
Lydia over at The Word is My Oyster bestowed the Sunshine Award on me despite my track record of keeping plants alive in my office. :) Along with being an insightful blogger, she happens to be a full-time doctor! Which reminds me…Lydia, I have this itch…..(just kidding). You can imagine what it’s like trying to find time to write with everything going on in her life! I’m choosing to pass this award onto three bloggerswho bring a little bit of sunshine into my life. They are:
And finally, I’ve been tagged…literally. Julie at Silver Lining and Tara at Feel of Something New both hit me with the five answers to five questions survey. Here goes.
Question 1: Where were you five years ago?
1.Probably sitting at this very same desk
2.Preparing for my oldest son’s high school graduation & celebratory cruise.
3.Wondering who would be the cleanup hitter for my youngest sons little league baseball team.
4.Content in my job.
5.Trying to decide how to channel my creative impulses into something constructive and experimenting with blogging.
Question 2: Where would you like to be five years from now?
1.Still sitting at this very same desk.
2.Published! Multiple times! (Funny how common this theme is)
3.Rejoicing over two college graduate children with careers of their own.
4.Looking forward to driving down to yet another one of my father’s family get-togethers.
5.Replying to each comment from my nearly 5,000 blog followers.
Question 3: What is (was) on your to do list today?
1.Finish this blog post as well as the one for my 300 followers celebration.
2.Play with my family.
3.Revisions!
4.Revisions!
5.Revisions!
Question 4: What five snacks do you enjoy?
1.Coffee (I actually include it in every food group/category)
2.Heath Bars
3.Mixed Nuts
4.Bagel with Peanut Butter
5.Dark Chocolate Kisses
Question 5: What would you do if you were a billionaire?
1.I’d start my own publishing house. That way everybody would be sending their queries to me. Muuuuhaaahaaa!!
2.Every year I would sponsor a week long get-together for each of my wonderful followers at Disney World, all expenses paid. Why Disney World? Because for me, it’s the center of the imagination universe.
3.Change my phone number so the relatives I’ve never heard of couldn’t call begging for a handout.
4.Ensure that my family’s future was secure, but with incentives. Having money should never be a reason to coast through life!
5.Donate to many worthy charities. The child of one of my blogging buddies has Cystic Fibrosis…that seems like a good place to start!
