A few weeks back I suddenly stopped blogging. No one except my wife asked me why. (I'll get to that in a bit) I've never really cared if anyone read my rants, but it was nice to know there were a few of you out there.
Mostly family and friends read my unorganized ramblings, however a few other runners stumbled across my blog and would make comments. I always enjoyed hearing from people I didn't know. All writers like to be told they can write, which I have heard from time to time..... But that all changed some 3 weeks ago, which is why my other blog ended so abruptly.
What I'm about to write is for my own soul-cleansing effort to get back on the horse. I need to write this and move on to other things.
For over a year I've been working on a manuscript, some would call it a novel, but I've never been that bold. The story came to me one day during a long run and consumed me. It consumed me so much, it took 170,000 words and over 600 pages to tell. My heart and soul toiled over the fictional character, Rob Henderson.
It doesn't really matter what the plot was, but it was about a runner and his perceived failure as a man and his quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Some family members read it and thought it was a pretty good story. (at least that's what they told me) But no one in my family has an "English degree." So I hired someone who has one and I sent the first chapter away to another one for a free evaluation. The freebie was to get an idea of how an editor works and get a second opinion . The paid editor was to make grammar and spelling corrections.
I didn't hear back from the freebie editor for a long time. But the hired editor really liked the story.....at first.
These were her words to me after reading the first 10 chapters or so.
"This is not throw away fiction. It's the kind you put on your bookshelf. The kind of fiction I read in college and would write papers on."
I was a little blown away by that comment, and thought maybe I had something. Because up until then my hopes were not very high. I started thinking about self-publishing, or dare I say it, a real agent and a real publisher.... I mean I had the next great American novel right?
One day I got a e-mail from my hired editor. She said the story no longer held her interest. Things were confusing and I had lost her.
She said, "I hope I didn't mislead you".... What, mislead me? How could I possibly think that? At one time I was told how great the story was (Shakespearean were her words another time she talked about it) Now it's lame drivel..... No lady, you didn't mislead me.
About an hour after reading that e-mail, I got another.
Remember the freebie editor I sent the first chapter to? The one I didn't hear from for a long time. She happened to get back to me as I was trying to pick my ego up off the floor.
She tore the first chapter apart. Said my point of view was off and sometimes I wrote in a passive voice. (I don't even know what that means)
She concluded her evaluation by saying, "I didn't need an editor... I needed a writing class."
So in one day in just an hour apart, I finally realized I'm not a writer..... And I signed off my blog.
I moped for a few days..... Would not go near the computer...It seemed pointless. I just spent over a year in front of the keyboard and it was a complete waste of time.... But I got to thinking, okay, so I'm not a writer.... Or a writer who knows all the rules. However, I do have thoughts and opinions. So what if the spelling is a little off, or my grammar lacks what snobbish "English majors" consider educated writing. Yeah, my metaphors are mixed, but they're my metaphors.
My voice may be passive, but it's my voice.
In fact, I think some of what I wrote went over the "English major's" head. Not many people get my humor, or I don't humor many people, but definitely one of the two. But I got it, and some of you did too.
I wrote all of that to say this;
I need to get back on the horse and take another ride.
I've missed a lot of stuff over the last year, politics for starters.
I named this blog, "That's The Way Ron Sees It." I plan on writing about what's on my mind. A blog about running only has so many subjects. Plus I didn't want to give deep thought on a blog meant for running.
I might write once a week or go weeks with nothing to say. If you're interested in my commentary, essays, or short stories I'll write from time to time, it might be easier to sign up for a e-mail update when a new post is published. (that way you won't have to keep clicking back or bookmark this page.)
In the middle of writing this piece, I saw a comment from an old friend on my previous blog... It's good to hear from friends.
That's the way Ron sees it.
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