Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartFrancoeur Syndrome
by Linsey Lanier
I’m not a big baseball fan, but one name I know is former Atlanta Brave Jeff Francoeur. My husband got to see this young man play his last two games in high school. A double header in the state playoff finals for 5-A baseball.
Francoeur was both an amazing pitcher and hitter.
He saved both games, pitching the last inning in both of them with a fast ball around 90 mph. In the second game, after hitting a three-run homer, Francoeur came up again (in the same inning) and hit a Grand Slam that flew through the pine trees and into the apartment houses behind the field.
Hubby came home as breathless and excited as a little boy who just made Little League. He still says it was the greatest day of baseball he has ever seen on any level.
Jeff Francoeur was a star. Destined for greatness. The Braves drafted him in the first round that year.
At first, he did well. He advanced rapidly through the minor leagues. According to wikipedia, “In 2004, Francoeur was named the top prospect in the Braves organization by Baseball America.” When he got to the majors in 2005, he hit a 3-run homer in his first game. He was a rising star.
He did well his first year, but the next three years saw a decline in his performance. In 2008, he hit a bad slump and was sent back to the minors to work with a hitting coach. Ouch. In 2009, the Braves traded Francoeur to the New York Mets. Double ouch.
* * *
So why am I telling you this when I’m not even a baseball fan?
How many of us once were rising stars as writers? The best student in a Creative Writing class? The editor of a high school or college newspaper? The person others came to because we knew how to say things? Because we had a way with words? When it came to writing, we were All-That.
And now we’re in the big leagues where the competition is stiffer than an over starched shirt and the air is more rarified than on top of Mount Everest. These are lofty heights. In this world, top dollar contracts happen only to a miserly handful. Here, most of us are happy to get a rejection letter with a compliment.
Francoeur will make it, I predict. If he’s humble, takes some direction, and learns who he is as a ballplayer, he’ll find his niche and come back. He’s already started to. He could still be one of the best in the major leagues. And so can we. If we learn our craft, bide our time, and keep getting better, one day, we’ll hit our very own grand slam.
I can hear the roar of the crowd already.
* * *
This pattern doesn’t happen only in baseball and writing. It can be applied to any area of life. We start out full of hope and promise, but when things get hard, it isn’t so glamorous any more. What keeps you going when the going gets tough? What’s your grand slam dream?
About the author
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Linsey Lanier | http://linseylanier.com Writer of romantic mystery-suspense, romantic fantasy, and romance – with a dash of sass.
I'd like to say growing up on the tough streets of Chicago inspired my feisty heroines, but actually I was raised in a cozy little suburb, by parents who sheltered me. Guess it was other things along the way that gave me my attitude.
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July 15th, 2010 at 5:13 am
Good post, Linsey. I’m always surprised by the writers who let go of their dream when things get tough and I’m not talking about just the not-yet-published. I’ve seen authors get one or two books out and disappear because they did not go right back to contract.
When you put it in perspective of other occupations it makes no sense. This is like anything else you do in life – it takes work, there will be ups and downs and signing a contract does not solve all problems.
I agree with you that someone who had Francoeur’s talent can fight his way back into the major leagues…if he has the passion to try and the humility to learn by past mistakes. I certainly hope he does as it would be shame for him to abandon his dream.
July 15th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Linsey,
Great post! What keeps me going when it gets tough is doing something different, getting out of my comfort zone. If I hadn’t tried new genres and subgenres when the historicals I loved writing didn’t sell, I probably wouldn’t be published. My grand slam dream is to one day be on the NYT list.
July 15th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Great post You’re right. Sometines people move so fast that they forget it takes hard work and being knocked down to stay where they are or to move on. Picking yourself up and trying again is an important lesson to learn.Thanks for remaining us of that.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:01 am
Thanks, Dianna. I suspected there were writers like that, who gave up after one or two books. That’s probably the most vulnerable time for a writer. It would be so easy to think, “I’ve accomplished my goal, so why keep trying?” But like you said, you have to be ready for the ups and downs. It can be a bumpy ride.
Hi Maureen. That’s some sage advice. Switching genres worked out well for you. I can see you on that list.
Thanks, Susan. Yes, sometimes I feel like all I’m doing is picking myself up, LOL. On the other hand, the slow, steady rise might be the best way to go.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Part way through the post I was remembering sitting in one of Dianna and Mary’s Break Into Fiction workshops. Inevitably some one would say “This is hard” during one of the exercises. Dianna usually pounced first, but they were both waiting for the first person to say it.
Yes, it is hard. We have to work to find ourselves as writers when, at times, only our spouses or cp’s think our writing is worth a damn. But, anything worth having is worth working for. And yes, it’s hard, LOL!
July 15th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Hi Linsey! I hadn’t heard about Francoeur. I really hope he doesn’t give up with this setback. That would be a shame.
I can really relate to this post. I had a huge setback when I lost my job and went back to school. Not only did I not have the time to write, but I also didn’t have the motivation or desire. While I was in this slump, I put my time into classes, workshops, blogging, networking. I don’t know if it was a productive thing yet, but at least I felt like I had my hand still in the writing world.
Tami
July 15th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Hi Linsey,
Great piece. We constantly need to be reminded that our dream is still our dream and when we get close to our goal, or actually achieve it, we need to set a new one.
Without goals we tread water…never accomplishing our potential, never having the joy of winning again and again in life.
What motivates me? Blank space on the walls of my office where framed pictures of book covers will one day hang.
Sandy
July 15th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
My inspiration comes from reading another great book, maybe a book I wished I had written. Whether it’s just for entertainment or it’s great literature, it gives you something to strive for. My dream is to one day see my book on a bookstore shelf and a library shelf.
Marilyn
July 15th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I love this post.
And how fitting for me that it falls on today.
I’m a quitter.
Yes, I said it…a shameless quitter.
When something gets a little difficult (and I mean a little) when a task or test or day for that matter gets a little tough, I give up.
I always have.
In writing, so far, I haven’t given up.
But…and this is a huge but, my perseverence has nothing to do with me.
My critique partners are my motivation. They keep me in the game. They urge me on and pick me up when I’m down.
Still, there are many days, weeks, even months, when I write nothing at all. I so want to give up.
But today, I spoke with Connie Gillam, one of my beloved critique partners. She pulled me aside after our meeting and…and well, she made me cry.
She has so much faith in me, so much beleif in the talent she says I have. And she’s sad that I’m wasting it.
That makes me sad too.
But it also makes me want to do something about it. And your words today urged on that desire.
Thank you for this post Linsey.
I got more out of it than you know.
Have a lovley afternoon,
Tamara
July 15th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Good, thought-provoking post, Linsey. Even during times when I’ve been discouraged, gotten a rejection, or been dismayed by the odds of getting published, I have only to remember how much pleasure, how much sheer FUN writing is for me to pull myself out of the doldrums and keep going. My passion for writing is what fuels my perseverance.
July 15th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Linsey,
I enjoyed the post! I AM a Braves Baseball fan! Here in Macon, we had the Macon Braves for years. They were one of the “sub” teams for Atlanta. We saw so many of the young men go on to become Atlanta stars. It was fun when some of the players’ parents and friends would be there to cheer them on–Chipper Jones was just one!
Yes, I did get singled out in high school. The English teacher read a story to the class anonymously. It was mine. I turned so red I thought everyone could guess. That one memory has often helped me keep going.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Tami, you may have been in a slump, but you are still a dynamo! Thanks so much for the opportunity you’ve given all of us with PF&HT. All that work will pay off when you get back in full swing, I promise.
Thanks, Sandy. Some good advice. I love that image of your office wall. It motivates me, too.
Me too, Marilyn. Great books make me want to write – more and better. I know we’ll see your book on those shelves one day.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Oh, Tamara. I’m so glad I could provide you with some inspiration. We have all quit at one time or another. I’m one of those who often gave up. I think it was because I hadn’t found writing at the time. I think you need a daily quota, even if it’s just one page. One trick to writing every day is just to get yourself started. Once you start, you don’t want to leave it.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Carol, you hit the nail on the head. That’s what we all need to remember. Not the pain and frustration of rejections and revisions, but the pleasure and the fun of writing.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Hi Maxine. Cheering for the Macon Braves sounds like a blast. Chipper Jones? Way cool.
What a nice memory. Embarrassing at the time, but now cherished. Funny how life is like that.
Thanks everyone for your comments. And don’t forget to keep slugging.
July 15th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
This is a great post! Thank you.
July 15th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Hi ladies, I’m late.
But I just tuned into a chat at Knight Agency and found out that Cherry Adair SHREDDED her first 17 manuscripts when she got her first big sale! There had been lots of almost’s before that but she hung in and made it happen!
Wish I was going to nationals so I could take her Career Planning workshop!
Me? I had a two year slump, without a single new ms because I got caught up in rewriting one over and over and Well, you get it… I was so sure that was the one. But it wasn’t. And I’d grown tired of writing it.
I finally put it away. quit querying it, quit writing a new synopsis. Stuffed it in the bottom drawer and said to myself that NOW I would simply write a new one for the pleasure of it…
and what a relief to enjoy writing again. I dont’ care if anyone but my beta readers ever turn a page because I know they are looking forward to it!
Of course, now that it’s written, I think it might be THE ONE!
If not? I’ve already started a new one to love.
July 16th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Linsey,
I read this yesterday and then got taken away from my computer and just got back to it this morning! I loved this post…! I was one of those stars in school…and then it took me years before I got the nerve up to write for publication. Always wrote for my “job”…but to write a “book”…wow.
Now I need another kick in the patooty…and this just might have done it!
Thanks!
Anna
July 16th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Linsey, you have some great reminders here. Like Maxine, I’m a baseball fan, too. I’m hoping for the best for Frenchie. And we can all use the reminder to get the nose to the grindstone and to not give up.