I'm a Little Minnow, and It Sure Is Fun

HP Writers Retreat friends

          So, I think I’m a writer. I do write. In the local newspaper and a regional magazine, I’m published. I once enjoyed good grades in my small high school but I got my comeuppance within a few weeks in college English. Asking the professor, “Why did I get a C on this paper?  There’s not a mark on it!”  Her reply, “Though your paper is grammatically correct, it is barely worth the paper it’s written on. You did not say anything.” Maybe then, I had nothing to say. Times change.

           

I’m a little bitty fish swimming in a pond, thinking I’m fabulously crafty Nemo or even Dory whose claim to fame is short term memory loss. Accolades are much appreciated and they affirm what I love to do: write. 

Emily Hill

    Today, though, I heard a young woman named Emily Hill read her award-winning short story at the Hemingway Writers’ Retreat and I’m blown away. She has talent, the mental wherewithal, skill in expression. She confessed the story had been under workshop in class. Her word choice, sentence variety, plot and back-story are terrific. She’s a sophomore psychology major, English minor at Hendrix College.The contest was judged by Naomi Wood, author of the newly released novel Mrs. Hemingway. 

         

 What on earth do I think I’m doing? I'm not writing the great American novel and I'm not part of the Fitzgeralds and Hemingways in Paris. Frankly, My Dear, I’m enjoying friends and taking pleasure in writing, telling stories and sharing insights with a craft that has become an enjoyable hobby. And, I'm laughing.

           The day I take myself too seriously is the day I see myself for the minnow I am.