Tag: optimism

Just My Luck*

Unlucky for some? Come on writers, you know the feeling: Your book has been rejected with nary a hint of what you can do about it before the next submission. – One of your writer friends, who’s been at it less time than you have, telephones to share news of her latest contract / publication date …

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Turn that frown upside down!

It used to be that people defined themselves as being either glass-half-full or glass-half-empty. That, of course, was back in the days when we could afford our own glass. The debate about the relative merits of being optimistic (motivated and aspirational) versus pessimistic (rarely disappointed) will continue long after I’m gone. And we could even …

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A little perspective please

You’d be forgiven for thinking that life is just a series of trials and tribulations, followed by an inevitable decline and death. And thanks so much for coming. It’s not difficult to find reasons to be despondent – the weather, the recession, climate change, the list goes on. But… let’s not also forget that people …

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Why Failure is the Writer’s Friend

I’ve had a lot of writing failures. The stories that don’t sell, the articles on perpetual circulation. The novels that amble around like docile sauropods. The topical gags and sketches that live and die without an audience. Sometimes I get despondent, more often just peeved. But part of me takes a secret delight in it. …

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