Brave Little Basset's Diligence

Brave little basset had an eventful day last week. Stalking through the back yard with his investigative nose, he had a run it with a SUO (snake of unknown origin).


I call it a SUO because I didn’t see the darn critter, but brave little basset came trotting in the house with a swollen snout and two tiny pricks on the side of his nostrils. He seemed utterly unconcerned about the incident. Didn’t know what the fuss was about. Only wanted to go back outside and hunt for whatever he could find. Lizards and frogs. Butterflies and dragonflies. He’s not picky. He’ll chase them all with abandon.

After a trip to the vet, a day of observation, and antibiotics, brave little basset was eager to return to his backyard adventure zone. He zipped through the grass, around the hedges, and along the fence until he was convinced no SUO remained in his territory.

And still, he hunts. Ever watchful. Ever diligent.

As aspiring writers, we face many challenges. The sting of rejections and critiques that point out our flaws, our weaknesses, and all the other nit-picky stuff in between, is enough to send us dashing behind any obstacle that puts a barrier between us and our critics. Sometimes we become afraid to go back out and try again.

Watching brave little basset patrol the yard I realized that writers must be fearless in their endeavors. Nothing should slow us down or deter us from our paths. We will get stung along the way, probably many times over, but it doesn’t have to deter us.

~Kristal Lee