I'm please to announce that, in addition to being a finalist for Romantic Times Book Reviews Reader's Choice Award and a finalist for the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference Selah Award, my novel, Stress Test, has been named one of three finalists for the Inspirational Readers Choice contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America. My thanks to everyone who made this possible.
After a great deal of debate (which still continues), most historians feel that in an 1858 debate speech, Abraham Lincoln probably said something like this: “You may fool people for a time; you can fool a part of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” That’s not exactly the way we learned it, but the gist of the sentiment is there.
After a great deal of debate (which still continues), most historians feel that in an 1858 debate speech, Abraham Lincoln probably said something like this: “You may fool people for a time; you can fool a part of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” That’s not exactly the way we learned it, but the gist of the sentiment is there.
Why is there any uncertainty? To begin with, there were no
tape recorders in those days. Reporters didn’t take down speeches word for
word, and often there were no reporters for a local paper present when speeches
were given. Candidates didn’t use Teleprompters, and frequently speeches were
extemporaneous.
Nowadays, everything is a matter of
record. No matter who is speaking or where it takes place, there’s a good
possibility that someone is there to record the words, often with accompanying
images. Frequently a speech leads to information printed in newspapers and
magazines as well as distributed via the Internet. My, how things have changed.
A writer has to recognize that when
he/she allows a book to be printed, those words will be out there for many
years to come. Some people will love the book, some will be neutral about it,
and some will criticize it. And no matter how much the author may regret his
words, they’ve become a permanent record, tied to his name. So, do you still
want to be an author?
Of course, the same holds true not
just of the printed word. It’s true of blog posts, Facebook posts, text
messages, emails. Because it’s easy for us to sit down at a computer or pull out
our smart phones, type a few lines, and hit “send” or “enter,” there’s a
tendency to forget the permanence of what we produce. I’m trying to keep that in mind, but it's tough. How about you?
Have you ever let words fly that
couldn’t be recalled? Any suggestions to prevent that? I’d like to know.