Last Chapter of Sundance Book – In Progress – Nearly Finished

buckeye2 said:

I can't wait for this book.
I can't wait for this book. If your book writing is as good as your posts, it will be a hit for so many people. Being an educator I am curious as to how you acquired your writing skills. Have you always known you had this talent or something more recent. Congrats on the clear scan. Lisa

Lisa:) Have I Got a Story for You...
Hiya, Lisa

Thank you for your support and the kind words. Writing has always seemed to come natural to me. I always marked high in English and Spelling class. And for reasons that are beyond my comprehension, I am able to take a subject and articulate it in such a fashion that it reaches people. Some people call it a gift - many folks have told me in the past that I missed 'my calling.'

I wish I had been smart enough to believe in myself and had someone important to push me and encourage me to pursue writing at a much earlier age. But there was no one...

You know your response had me laughing - I was thinking that Lisa is so good - she'll do anything to get another excerpt out of me:) LOL! LOL!

But, it's funny you asked that question and since you are an educator - guess what? I just wrote a piece about one of my educators and my writing....so, what the hey, read this and you'll understand.

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER XVII - "Epilogue"

This reminds me of another story that a lady sent me on the board when I first joined. She told me that in my writings that “I Paint With Words.”

And I always liked that analogy; because in effect, that is what I’m doing when I sit down to write. My word document is my blank canvas and I use our rich vocabulary as the brushstrokes for the portrait that is inside my head, which I’m trying to bring to life.

I’ve always liked the work of the painter, Thomas Kinkade. His moniker is “Thomas Kinkade – Painter of Light.”

Well, maybe, just maybe, one day they will call me, “Craig Harrison – Painter With Words.”

I like that moniker – it gently rolls off your tongue and sounds sort of distinguished, don’t you think? Hey, it doesn’t hurt to dream, does it?

Thinking about that story takes me back in time about thirty-years ago. I was a young man of twenty-one, who was taking a second- year creative writing course in college. I had submitted a paper for an assignment to the professor and he had called me into his office after class to discuss it.

His critique of my work was particularly harsh and his style was not very motivating or inspiring. He basically skewered me and sent me on my way. Being the sensitive soul that I am, I was crushed that my work had not met someone else’s expectations. I thought what I had written was pretty good and his words ended up dashing my hopes for good.

My voice fell silent and my pen was stilled and I never wrote anything again.

That was until a year after my first cancer diagnosis, when I wrote a piece for my family and friends and was a reflective piece about what had changed in me that past year. I ended up writing a couple more pieces similar to that, but my audience was limited and how much can your relatives really say after so long?

A couple of years after that, I found the cancer board and after meeting the folks and building relationships, I began to feel the creative juices flowing once more and I had topics that I wanted to discuss, so I began writing there and the folks were very accepting of my writings and validated my thoughts and feelings on cancer.

That process took twenty-six years from the day the professor slammed the door in my face until I felt comfortable enough to share my thoughts and feelings to my friends in the cyber-world. That’s a lot of water under the bridge, if you know what I mean.

From my friend’s love, support, and encouragement, they gave me the sorely needed confidence that I needed to step out on the ledge and write this book, so that we would have the opportunity to try and reach the multitudes and offer help to them.

Otherwise, this book may never have gotten written. Having confidence in one’s abilities is a lot different than experiencing validation and acceptance of one’s work through another person’s eyes. Even though I thought I might be able to do it – I needed to hear it from the group, before I could possibly believe it for myself and more importantly, believe in myself once more.

This has recently led me to wonder where I could have gone had someone taken an interest in me and helped guide me during that critical stage in my development? What if someone had recognized my raw potential and got behind me and encouraged me? Where could I have gone? What could I have become?

As Marlon Brando once said, “I coulda’ been a contender.”

I know there are a lot of teachers out there and bless you one and all. I feel teaching and mentoring is a good calling and maybe more beneficial than we realize when we are actually doing it.

This part of my story lends credence to the fact that lives can be changed by a negative word from someone in authority. The results can be devastating and that person could end up never realizing their full potential from that type of encounter between student and teacher.

So, please remember to be encouraging and nurturing to your students – don’t admonish them – just be there and support them - their lives can be greatly influenced by you, for either good or bad, so let’s make it a positive experience. Believe me when I tell you, that people never really forget those kinds of hurts – they stay with you in some form for life.

That memory is thirty-years old, but reliving it while I wrote this, I can honestly tell you that it’s just as fresh today, as it was three decades ago. It was a crucial juncture for me then and I got derailed as my life slid right off the tracks from a few callous words.

But, that was then – and this is now. I’ve been given another chance to give my writing a try to see if it has any kind of merit to the public and see if I can reach some of the potential that I was born with and use this gift that I was given to reach out and touch as many lives as I can.

It’s taken me fifty-years to reach this point in my life. I’m a ‘late bloomer’ as it turns out, but I feel like those words from the Carpenter’s song, “We’ve Only Just Begun…”

BREAK-BREAK-BREAK-BREAK

And to answer your original question, I always felt like there was something there, but it's been my friends here new and old, who finally gave me the confidence to believe in myself, because so many have believed in me. And I so hate to disappoint anybody:)

Thanks for your continued support - almost there!

-Craig

Thank You - Thank You - Thank You !!!
It's so nice to see all of your lovely faces on this post. Thank you for your continued support. It means so much to me. There's going to be alot to talk about - you know me, never at a loss for words:)

I can't wait to talk some more with you about this - I'm very close now to finishing....just a couple more small stories and then wrapping it up and tying a bow around it.

It's amazing really - I suppose I still can't believe that I nearly have done this. There's just gotta' be someone out there willing to take a chance with me - with the right support, we could go straight to the top:)

The chance is there to help and support other people and we know there is a large audience.

Please continue to believe in me, so that when I waver and have those moments of self-doubt, you can pick me back up with your kind words. No one has ever believed in me before until I met you....and what a difference it has made for me.

Best wishes 'till we talk - very, very soon.

-Craig