tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094755423851462869.post6166090972550730918..comments2018-02-06T11:22:39.769-05:00Comments on The Writers of Chantilly: Achieving Success and Fulfillment as a Writer—Without Being Published Nicholas Brunerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13965455854218171999noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094755423851462869.post-32980894459395774762014-01-26T18:01:58.744-05:002014-01-26T18:01:58.744-05:00Once, a group of us were traveling through a remot...Once, a group of us were traveling through a remote Himalayan terrain when the vehicle broke down. The driver managed to flag down a truck and went to get help. We wandered around a bit to enjoy the landscape when we heard the faint notes from a flute. Curious, we went in the direction of the sound and found a lonely shepherd playing the flute. The nearest human settlement might have been several miles away and there was no one to hear his music.<br />“For whom are you singing?” my friend asked him.<br />“For myself, for my cattle, and for the mountains around,” the man said. “At home I sing for my woman also. My soul suffocates if I cannot sing.”<br />I think the essence of what he said is what Denice has said here – finding fulfillment without expecting the world to acknowledge your talent. I hope I have expressed it the right way. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094755423851462869.post-7740389308190710262013-12-20T17:28:37.264-05:002013-12-20T17:28:37.264-05:00"Writing serves a need in each of us. Do you ..."Writing serves a need in each of us. Do you write to express yourself? To leave a legacy?" <br /><br />Well said. <br /><br />My father was a stone mason by trade and built the fireplace in every house in a neighborhood I drove through to go to high school. Its 35 yrs later and they are still standing and burning strong. I write for the intrinsic value because every fireplace, every short story, every novel leaves a legacy. John C. Stipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15222787023120282611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094755423851462869.post-9545077048387031242013-12-20T12:15:25.814-05:002013-12-20T12:15:25.814-05:00Eloquently put. Success can only truly be measured...Eloquently put. Success can only truly be measured against one's own expectations. I became a much happier person--and, I believe, a better writer--when I understood that and stopped trying to meet "expected" expectations. The funny thing is, once I did that, and stopped worrying about getting published, I got a contract. Some things can't be made to happen; you have to let them.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.com