FEARLESS FRIDAY
I'm sure you'll all enjoy my guest today, Mary Kennedy Eastham. How fearless is she?
Thank you Brenda Whiteside for finally
letting me have a go at one of my favorite words! Fearlessness reminds me of a
quote I keep nearby for those times when I'm sensing I need to do something, that
nagging something that may not be easy to do.
...The day came when
the risk to remain
tight in a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took
to blossom...
How do we as writers do that with our
characters, release their fearlessness, making our stories more complex
and memorable? Since actress Jennifer Lawrence at 23 was just named one of
the most powerful women of 2013 in the latest issue of the Hollywood Reporter,
it reminded me that we all need to HUNGER GAMES up our stories. Katniss
Everdeen moves toward everything with zest and a fearless abundance of courage.
She has her downfalls before hitting her stride but she never wavers. A life
woven with threads of fearlessness doesn't come without some loss.
To give you an example from my own
life, I am separated from my husband of 20 years. My heart tells me it's time to move
on, sell my house, take my dogs someplace else, probably Southern California
where I have some friends and where I'm hoping to connect with a more
creative life than here in Silicon Valley, a place that is completely foreign
to me skill-wise. But it's comfortable. My house is beautiful. And the
mortgage is paid down to a place where it's very doable financially. But in
spite of all my design tricks and talent, to include building a beach in the
back yard, this is the house I shared with my husband. Just when I think
I'm doing so well, a memory knocks me off-center and for that moment or afternoon
I'm divorce mush. So there you have it, my occasional LACK of fearlessness!
We all look for solutions in our own
life and with our characters. I've tried to break fearlessness down into baby
steps. For me, that is making a January trip to LA to see what's what about
renting a small house maybe or finding one of those temporary Residence Inns
that takes dogs so I can see if this is a good plan
for me. The View is on in the background
as I write this post. Actress Julianne Moore who has always said acting is a
freelance gig so who knows if or where the next movie might be, shared this
story with the panel. A few years ago, vacationing with her family on the
beach, while her daughter was out playing ping-pong, she picked up
her Hunger Games book and couldn't put it down. She called her agent and said,
'Get me in one of these movies.' In 2014, Julianne Moore is going to be in the next
Hunger Games movie. Fearlessness is seeing an opportunity and just going for
it. I wish this for myself, for my wonderful characters
and for all of you.
For more info about my creative life and
books, my amazing publishers keep an updated website for me at: www.rp-author.com/MKE
Great, heartfelt post. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love this fearless post and the example of Julianne Moore. Everyday people can attain their goals just as easily as the 'Juliannes' if we have their confidence. Good luck, Mary.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Margo and Aubrey!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Margo, Aubrey and Brenda.
ReplyDeleteI put myself out there in this post.
So glad it mattered to all of you...
Mary, as one who has known you your entire life, I have always considered you one of the most fearless people I have ever known. You are a woman of great courage who has accomplished so much with self-motivation. How I love your selected poem!
ReplyDelete