The Writing Hurdle

In the beginning, all I wanted to do was write.  However, as a child it wasn’t quite put into words that way – I wasn’t aware it was something that I wanted to do, I just did it. I wrote really bad lyrics with no music  for songs that would absolutely never get made.  Sadly, they did get sung from time to time much to the chagrin of my dog – the only one I would ever allow to hear me sing them.  My musical ability is and always has been completely null and void since I had no interest in practicing the guitar, the drums or the trumpet.  All of which I attempted at some point and time.  I made it through my one and only recital playing my drum by watching the child next to me and following along.  I was told I did really well, somehow I doubt any of us were truly on-beat anyway.

When I reached sixth grade, I wrote a poem which received a wonderful reception when I read it in front of the class.  It may have been the only time in my middle school years that a wonderful reception was given to me about anything at all.

In the years following I wrote several movie scripts but, again, nothing worth pursuing in even the slightest way.  There was also a poem for which I won an Honorable Mention by the New Jersey Poetry Society. 

After that, my writing fell off the map.  It became nothing more than wishful thinking and for a time it barely registered in my thinking at all.  For nearly a decade, it took a backseat besides the minor one night attempts here and there.  The attempts were so “here and there” that I would venture to say that the space in between those attempts was probably years.  There were many reasons for this, none worth mentioning right now.

The only accomplishment I had during those years was the publication (online) on an opinion page of the Philadelphia Inquirer, which can be seen online at philly.com.  Other than that, I tried my hand at restaurant reviews with no success at all, mostly because I needed to have a following for that.  I was spending WAY more than I would have ever brought in just trying the places out.

There was also my last blog, in which I spent many, many hours producing all sorts of different posts, mostly about me, myself and I.  Some were good, some were bad.  Some were planned out and carefully written, many of them were very stream of consciousness. 

Oh – and did I mention the book I turned out in 4 or 5 months?  Yeah, I’m reworking that now.  I put it down for nearly two years and decided to pull it out from the bottom of a drawer just recently to start the editing process all over again.  There was also that short story that I loved but now when I read it I feel pretty disappointed.  A few of my friends loved it but when I read it, I think there’s something good there but I don’t think the story itself is well-written, I think it just sounds bland.

Meanwhile, I’ve written several papers for school, which have made me happy enough since they involved both reading and writing. Meanwhile, I’m simply working on a few ideas, none of which I feel confident enough in as of yet.  And so, this leads me to the point I’m working on getting to.

If Malcolm Gladwell’s assertion that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to reach mastery in a particular subject is true then I still have a long way to go.  Yet, for the first time in my adult life I feel truly up to the challenge.  I’ve started reading more again and I’m working toward putting more time into actually working on my writing overall.  I’ve scaled back my going out time and started spending more time at home.  I let Mio Amante know that I’ll need more time to read and write.  He’s happy to comply – especially since he’s hoping I’ll have a bestseller somewhere along the way.  (Though he was a little unsure of why reading is a necessary ingredient to a writer’s success – oh how I love thee.)

I’m working on it.  That’s all I can do.  With any luck I’ll have something worth reading in the next year or so.  Right now I’m struggling with the feeling that my writing is even halfway decent but from what I understand this is a very important mental step in a writer’s success.  The trouble is breaking through it and continuing on anyway… we’ll just have to see about that one but I am pretty sure I’m up for jumping the hurdle.

All-Season Grilled Chicken

So - I haven't posted anything in just about forever so here it goes... another recipe.  Tomorrow I intend (or will try, at least) to post a real post.  Something about my writing.

All-Season Grilled Chicken

12 oz chili sauce

¾ cup red wine vinegar

1 & ½ tbsp prepared horseradish

1 & 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

4 chicken breasts (or chicken of your choice, of course)

Mix together all ingredients besides the chicken in a bowl then add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 5 minutes.  Grill or broil the chicken, basting frequently with the remaining marinade until chicken is done, about 30 minutes.  Heat remaining marinade in a small saucepan and serve hot along with the chicken.

Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 cup tomato sauce

1½ cups shredded mozzarella

½ cup sour cream

1 container crescent rolls

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown ground beef and chopped onion, drain and place back in pan.

Add tomato sauce to ground beef and mix.  Heat through.

Meanwhile, mix cheese and sour cream together in bowl.

In an ungreased 13x7 (or deep pie dish) baking pan, pour ground beef.

Coat with cheese and sour cream mixture.

On top of that, spread out crescent rolls to make a crust on top of the casserole.

Melt butter in small pan.  Once melted, add parm cheese to butter.

Spread butter and parm cheese over top of crust and bake for 17 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Honey Mustard Chicken

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tbsp dried)

1 tsp grated orange peel

Chicken of your choice (chicken breasts, thighs, etc.)

Heat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Lay chicken out on baking sheet.  Mix mustard, honey, dill and orange peel in small bowl.  Brush chicken with mixture.  Flip chicken over and brush the other side.  (If you're using chicken with skin on it, you'll want to do this underneath the skin.)  Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

If I Should Have a Daughter by Sarah Kay

I really do love this... and with weeks that are tough and strange and everything in between, these are the kinds of talks that will keep the head up, on and moving along.

Sober Sam

It's honestly one of the best businesses around and I recommend it to anyone.  I hope they are eventually able to expand... we used them last night to get everyone home safely.

http://sobersam.com/

Put their number in your phone, if you're in the South Jersey area.  You never know when you may or may not need them.  Unless, of course, you really don't drink.

856-520-5679

Christianity and Literature: As It is Understood

Throughout history, religion has been a strong force in the world.  The works of “Beowulf”, “Inferno” and “Everyman” reflect the importance of Christian values in the times in which they were written.  “Beowulf” is a particularly interesting piece in light of this being that the story is actually based around pagans yet it is flavored with a Christian world-view as it was passed down and then formerly written.  “Inferno” and “Everyman” would simply not exist if it were not for the religious beliefs that were held in high regard at the time in which they were created.  Throughout all three of these works, religious belief is not so much reflected upon or explained as it is understood to be common knowledge and is expected to be accepted as such. 

            In “Beowulf”, the first of the three monsters that Beowulf encounters in Grendel.  He is described as a “fiend out of hell” (Beowulf 1634) and we are told that he had lived “among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan”. (Beowulf 1634).  While this portion does give a little explanation as to who Cain is “For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price”, there is still a lack of explanation as to who Abel is to the “Eternal Lord”.  It is expected, of the reader, to understand the context of the murder without further explanation.  Throughout the rest of the epic, references to the Christian God are made as they were common at that time.  In Beowulf, in particular, it appears that God ultimately makes the decisions as to what occurs “Almighty God rules over mankind and always has” (Beowulf 1647).  The story has been so strewn with these types of references that it becomes increasingly obvious that the writer did not want to misstep in the work and speak of the pagan gods in a way that would give them credit, regardless of context or placement of the story. 

            The literary masterpiece “Inferno” draws heavily and exclusively on Christian belief.  Dante provides the reader with a vivid picture of hell.  While the idea of hell is not an exclusively Christian belief in and of itself, in the context of a place of never-ending torment and punishment, Christianity, especially at the time of this writing, overwhelmingly holds it in high esteem of something to fear and avoid.  Dante paints us a landscape that no one would truly like to look upon.  “Abandon every hope, who enter here” (Alighieri 1843)  As Dante travels through the many levels, he addresses many of the issues and political beliefs that he holds in disdain.  His Christian beliefs as well as his political beliefs coincide on a grand scale, making his arguments of how they both compliment one another within his mind.  Throughout each Canto, sins are mentioned by name.  Not all of the sins are common knowledge unless the reader is schooled in Christianity.  For example, “the Simonists”, by secular standards, is not something the average Joe would know about.  The selling of sacred items means nothing without the knowledge of what a “sacred item” is.  Why this would lead to such a punishment “who take the things of God, that ought to be the brides of Righteousness, and make them fornicate for gold and silver!” (Alighieri 1891) would be of an even greater mystery. 

            “Everyman” is a lesson for those who believe in Christianity and the beliefs that come with it. “You think sin in the beginning full sweet, Which in the end causeth the soul to weep” (Everyman 2121). While this can be looked upon as an explanation of Christian belief, the story itself resides and thrives on the fact that people already held Christianity as their belief system.  This story goes on to explain, to those who agree, why some things are bad for you and some things are not.  In the end, all the soul truly has is God.  Death comes first to explain what’s going on to Everyman.  As Everyman begins to ponder his own impending death and what it really means, he does an inventory of his life’s worth.  All aspects of the life he has lived eventually abandon him except for Good Deeds “All fleeth save Good Deeds” (Everyman 2140).  In the Christian belief system, good deeds are part of the soul.  Goods, strength, beauty, discretion, friends and even family can disregard a person as easily as they came to be a part of his (or her) life.  When the time comes to meet one’s maker, there will be little to speak of without the good deeds that have been done.  “And he that hath his account whole and sound, High in heaven he shall be crowned” (Everyman 2141)

            Christianity is still a very powerful force in the world today.  While it has since split many, many times over since the time that these writings took place, there is still a wide-held though not necessarily dominant following of the central teachings.  For many of the followers of this religion, these tenets are still alive and well, making the reading of these works comparably easier to understand.  At the time of these writings, however, the Christian religion was the dominant force on the planet.  It had, at the time, held an influence that not only concerned itself with the soul but also for the concerns of politics and power.  Dante addresses this continually and almost flawlessly when he mentions his well-known political enemies repeatedly.  These men are of little renown now but at the time it was important, it was necessary to align religious belief with political belief in order to be understood.  In “Beowulf”, the dominant influence of Christianity is seen when the author adds in Christian phrases in order to make the story an ultimately Christian tale.  In “Everyman” there is simply an assumption, well placed due to the audience who would have seen it, that everyone is on the same page in their belief system.  The profound influence that the Christian church had on not these writings is overwhelming once it is understood.  Since the time of these works the theme of Christianity has been largely understood.  It is a curious thing to wonder if in future generations these works will continue to be understood as clearly as they were then and still are today.  Or, if like many of the works in times before these, the Christian God’s many names will begin to be understood as something else.    

    

Works Cited

Beowulf.  Lawall, Sarah and Maynard Mack, eds. The Norton Anthology of World Literature.

Second Edition. Volumes A, B and C. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002. 1632-1702.  Print.

Alighieri, Dante.  “Inferno”. Lawall, Sarah and Maynard Mack, eds. The Norton Anthology of

World Literature. Second Edition. Volumes A, B and C. New York: W. W. Norton &

Company, 2002. 1836-1942. Print.

Everyman. Lawall, Sarah and Maynard Mack, eds. The Norton Anthology of World Literature.

Second Edition. Volumes A, B and C. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002.  2121-41. Print.