Lumberjacks are like Writers

My hometown is known for trees and lakes. To this day, trees are more abundant than people. Naturally, with all the nature and waterways, the town was settled by lumberjacks - plaid wearing, bushy-bearded lumberjacks. They could make money by clearing the land for settlement and selling the wood at the same time. For them, it was a win-win.

Today, some lumberjacking (is that a verb?) still happens, but not in my area. However, the city has preserved our lumber culture in a summer Lumberjack Show that is popular with the tourists. To be in the Lumberjack Show, the men must be both actors and know how to deal with wood. There are wood carving contests, log rolling contests, and a lot of yodeling. There are also (of course) a lot of plaid clothes and bushy beards to go around.

The first time I went to this show, I was a young child. I won a yodeling contest with my lung capacity and young age that made the crowd coo. My prize was a chair Lumberjack Mike carved on-spot. The next time I went, I was with friends, we were all bored, and the show was about to start, so that sounded like a good plan. Recently, I went to the Lumberjack Show again. This time, I was showing my city-dwelling cousins of ages 8 and 5 how cool lumberjacks could be. They loved the yodeling, and they adjusted to the sound of chainsaws, but I learned something there, too. I learned it during the tree climb.

In this activity, the two competing lumberjacks had to scale side-by-side logs that were erected vertically. They were dozens of feet tall, and the challenge was to get to the top the fastest.

Like the lumberjacks, writers often feel this pressure to succeed. Our families, our friends, our societies tell us that we cannot call ourselves writers unless we can follow up the question, "What have you published?" with a real answer.

Like lumberjacks, writers have to endure the uphill battle of climbing that massive tree and looking like we're totally okay in the process. And just like the lumberjacks, we don't have wires or a safety net to catch us if we fall. We have to rely solely upon our own effort and our own dedication.

But it's okay if everyday you aren't the one who makes it to the top of the tree. If you write one sentence, if you write nothing but gain an experience, if you write nothing and gain no experiences - it's all okay. Tomorrow you get another chance to be the one to make it. Tomorrow, your writing will be there waiting for you. Tomorrow maybe your sanity will be a little more intact. Just because you fail once, it doesn't mean that will dictate the rest of your career or your life. Take a deep breath, come back tomorrow, and try again. No plaid or bushy beards required.