THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Being Accountable For Your Accountability

 

 
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The saying goes that kids will be kids, especially teenagers, no matter which generation of youngsters we might be talking about.

With my shy, unassuming nature, I was by no means a rebel back in my own teenager years, but there was one time I stepped outside the boundaries of convention, leaving me with a question still unanswered even today…

One of the first things I did, once I moved out of my parent’s house and into a boarding house room 50 miles away, was to find the nearest movie theater. I had just turned 18 and up to that point in my life I’d only been to one picture show.

I was lucky enough to find one on the bus line not far from where I lived and the 50 cent ticket price for a Saturday matinee was within this poor girl’s budget.

But the concessions were not.

Being the resourceful gal that I was, I decided to pack some fried chicken and a drink to take with me before heading out. It was Halloween and I wanted to watch a scary movie, but coming from a very secluded childhood, let’s just say it was a HUGE culture shock once the movie began…

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

It was an enlightening education both to my naïve young mind as well as some lessons learned on social interaction and audience participation.

I sat there in stunned silence by the exit door, mindlessly nibbling on the food I’d brought with me, as I watched the chaos between screen and movie goers unfold in front of me.

It wasn’t until I’d left the theater and was safely back on the bus for the trip home when I realized something.

I’d left my trash on the seat next to me.

My mother had always taught me to be ACCOUNTABLE for myself and I had rudely forgotten to clean up. But instead of castrating myself for bad manners, all I could was laugh.

Imagine the poor employee who uncovered what would appear to be some kind of ANIMAL SACRIFICE in the back row of a darkened movie theater.

I bet that was one Halloween they would never forget!

Remember, guys, we are ACCOUNTABLE for every decision we make in our writing careers. The characters we create, the worlds we build, even the submissions we send out. If we are at the beginning of our publishing paths, we’ll probably make more mistakes than we’d care to admit. If we’re established writers, we have an obligation to our readers, agents, publishers, etc. to provide the most polished work we can give them. So whenever you feel like there is no rhyme or reason to your writing day, just remember one thing…

Be ACCOUNTABLE.

PLAN your next move.

TRACK your journey.

SUCCEED by remembering all the victories, big and small, along the way.
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We can do this! YOU can do this!

I hope you have an AWESOME day today cuz you deserve it!

 

Donna L

Hybrid award winning author; aspiring sketch artist; and 4th Degree Senior Certified Taekwondo Instructor. Host of BOOK NOOK REVIEWS. Member of SCBWI. Mom to fabulous son and adventurer delving into the tricky world of indie-publishing.

2 thoughts on “THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Being Accountable For Your Accountability

  • June 10, 2019 at 3:36 pm
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    Oh you messy girl. I bet you never did that again!

    Reply

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