Snoopy is on top of his doghouse writing the next literary gem when Lucy appears.
“This is a pretty good story,” she tells Snoopy.
“But how does it feel to know that no matter what you write, it will never be as good as War and Peace?”
As depressing as it may be for a writer like myself, Snoopy has the perfect answer.
“Don’t tell my mom!”
Indeed, no matter what we do, parents will encourage their children. It’s all part of learning: to encourage and to nurture. Many fathers take the hard-line approach whereas mothers are far more forgiving.
As we age and mature, we get a fair idea on what is good and what is bad. Speaking for myself, I have a pretty good idea when I’ve written what I will call a subpar story. Others call it something not fit for publication in a family newspaper!
The hard fact is, no matter what job or task a person takes on there will be good and bad days. A bad day is not unlike a baseball player who gets knocked down by a pitch. Get up, dust yourself off, and keep on slugging!
The best employees and likely the most successful entrepreneurs are the are the ones who keep on slugging. If they make a mistake, they plunge back into the pool and vow to keep on going. The real crime is making the same mistake twice.
Take Snoopy. He keeps on trying to churn out the next great novel, even after being told by a publisher they are going to do dastardly things to his beloved doghouse if he keeps writing.
“We regret to inform you that your manuscript does not meet our present needs,” one letter to Snoopy cites.
“Actually, we don’t regret it at all!” the letter adds.
Well, that just hurts! Snoopy soldiers, on, however, never being deterred by one publisher’s opinion.
Georgia Fooks was my college instructor at Lethbridge. A great lady and an author herself. The first day of class she told her eager beaver, wide-eyed students something like this, “No matter what you write, someone is going to hate it. If you can’t deal with it there are two doors in this room. Leave now!”
I wonder if Fooks ever read one of Snoopy’s novels?
In the news business, especially after many years of experience, reporters and editors know when they’ve written a good story. Verification comes from awards received, views on website pages, phone calls and emails, or general feedback. Years ago, I knew the Charles King murder story feature was well done and a strong entry. It won Best Historical Story in the Canadian Community Newspaper Association in the Circulation up to 9,999 Category in 2020.
It is difficult to churn out excellent editorials and columns week after week after week. The best writers manage to do so whereas others like to take a break now and then, even after their mothers tell them it is the best darn thing ever written, War and Peace be damned!
Things a parent should never know? They know. As children, what our parents said was the gospel. Only as we age, do children realize how much their parents really do know.
In another comic, Jughead and Archie are talking at Archie’s house.
“Arch, your dad is really cool but he doesn’t know everything,” he tells Archie.
The problem is, Mr. Andrews is listening.
“No, I don’t,” he tells Judghead.
“But when I was your age, I did!”
You must admit, parents are sneaky intelligent creatures! Things a parent should never know? Turns out they actually already knew!
Chris Clegg