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“Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint.” What did she mean?
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“Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint.” What did she mean?

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you might recognize this quote from her novel Love and Friendship (it’s not from Mansfield Park, despite the BBC movie using it):

“Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint.”

Funny enough, within the context of the novel it originates from, it’s pretty much literal. The character Sophia, who speaks the words, is basically telling her friend Laura to not faint so as to avoid a fatal outcome like her own (developing consumption). But the quote can very much be interpreted beyond the literal, and perhaps is even intended by Austen to be so.

When I read this quote, my mind goes to the scripture Galatians 6:9-“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” The concept of endurance is often repeated in the Bible; it is encouraged. “Keep going,” it says. That is what I interpret from this quote.

“Run mad as often as you choose…” by this I get that we should have adventures, be a little crazy, and not stop.

“…but do not faint.” don’t give up, no matter how tough things get. Don’t fall into discouragement and despair.

In other words, keep going.

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5 Inspiring Dream Followers

We all have our inspirers, the people we admire who influence us to keep going at our dreams, even when they seem impossible. These five people (four of them writers, what can I say?) inspire me from either their personal stories or what they managed to accomplish.

1. J. K. Rowling

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I have to confess, I’ve never read or watched any Harry Potter books or movies. Truth is, they have never appealed to me. Before you hate on me now, I do admire the author. I especially admire her story. The first Harry Potter being a saving grace kind of book for her (she was on the brink of poverty) is inspiring enough, but the fact that it was rejected 11 times before someone decided to say yes is an inspiring tale of its own. I like to imagine all those editors who said no kicking themselves to this day. Whenever I think about my own writing, and the fear of rejections, her story gives me courage.

2. Kathryn Stockett

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If Rowling’s story of persistence in the face of rejection is inspiring, then Kathryn Stockett’s story is even more so. Her successful novel The Help was rejected 60 times before she got representation. Within a few years it was a bestseller and a movie. And it was her debut!

3. Stephen King

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Another 60 rejections receiver, he just refused to give up on writing, despite poverty clinging to him. I’ve read his nonfiction On Writing, in which he explained how he pushed through: “By the time I was 14…the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing.” That’s how, he kept on writing.

4. Martha Stewart

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The face of cooking, crafts, and DIY, her stint in prison from a stock scandal looked like the end of her career, but she bounced back beautifully, so much so that I don’t recall remembering her absence.

5. Rachel Hartman

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I came across the book Seraphina in Barnes & Noble and looked it up to see if it was any good. Reviews were great, and when I discovered that it was this new and unknown author’s debut, I felt a deep connection and bought it. I have since now finished the second book, Shadow Scale, and I highly recommend these novels. Hartman enchanted me with her twist-on-dragons story, and it showed me that you can take old classic elements and give them new life. It was an excellent debut, and I can see this author going far.

 

Who are the influential dream followers that inspire you?

 

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What breaking my back taught me about pursuing my dream

I may have already told this story before, but it’s an interesting one, a real conversation piece.

Three years ago, I broke my back.

I am still standing. I’m still walking. I can still run and dance and climb trees (not always a good idea, but…). I’m all healed up. The only residue is some chronic back pain that hangs around like an unwanted guest. But I have to say, the process of healing from a burst vertebrae is not an easy process. A drudgery. A nuisance. An extraordinary experience.

During this time (about six months of it) I did a lot of mental and emotional battles. Most of it was spent in bed. I went crazy with boredom. I struggled with finding a silver lining in those moments. But during those six months, a lot ended up happening, and I didn’t even have to be on my feet.

I returned to taking classes at Austin Community College. I made a ton of crafts. I got a lot of reading in. I finished two drafts of my novel! I created my first resume. I started this here blog!

As I neared the end of the healing process and began to transition more and more into normal life, I kept looking back on the experience. I began to call it a “very, very odd blessing in disguise.” How can a broken spine be a blessing?

I recalled something I had said to God before the accident, right after my mom mentioned that I was starting to get stuck in the part-time job doing-nothing-with-my-life phase. It terrified me, because she was right. I was becoming very stuck. And I stated, “I feel like I need a really drastic event to shake me out of this now.” Well, God does have a sense of humor.

God takes what was meant for evil and turns it to good. He didn’t give me the broken back. It was very much myself, I can tell you that, a result of some really stupid decisions. But he took this small tragedy and made it into an incredible growing experience that I know has made me better in result. It’s made me better in so, so many places. And one of those places is the pursuit of my dream.

This event opened the door for me to finally start the blog that I had meant to start for two years. It pushed me to register for classes and return to my education. I returned to that elusive novel and wrote two whole drafts! And I know, I know with all my heart, none of this would have happened if I had not broken my back.

What did it teach me?

It taught me that sometimes we need some drastic events to shake things up and get us moving. We needn’t be afraid of them.

It taught me that events that weren’t necessarily good can have a positive impact on our lives.

It taught me that opportunities lie everywhere, in the most unlikely places, and they happen in the most unlikely ways. We should always keep our eyes open for them, even during the hard times.

What is a negative event that had a positive impact (even in the long run) on you?

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Book Review: Seraphina and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

As a writer pursuing the dream of becoming published, it’s inspiring for me to read authors’ debut novels. The debut of Rachel Hartman, Seraphina, was a true inspiration, as it was a debut that blew me away. Hartman takes the age-old typical of dragons and puts a new spin on them: they can transform into humans. With this refreshing addition to the arsenal of dragon stories, I thoroughly enjoyed a good ol’ return to my childhood favorites: fantasy. It had been a good while since I last read something genuinely and solely fantastical.

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Seraphina follows the half-human, half-dragon Seraphina, a young musician living in the world of the royal court. Naturally, in such an environment, there is dark and behind-the-corner activity about. Seraphina desperately tries to hide the draconic part of herself as she gets wrapped up in conspiracy and murder mystery that shakes the tense feud between dragons and humans.

What blew me away the most is the amount of detail that Hartman obviously put a lot of attention, research, and passion into. In particular, the detail of politics seems so well thought out that this fictional world really could operate as well as any earthly country. Characters are beautifully fleshed out, especially physically. Hartman leaves no inch of them to wonder; we know what these characters look like and how they act. The dragons are fascinating. With their lack of comprehension of human emotions, it allows for some comical misunderstandings of which Seraphina finds herself a kind of translator between the humans and dragons in her life. There’s no wondering of the settings, either. The world of Goredd, as it is called, is so clear in my mind.

Though there were moments when I got a little lost with plot, I couldn’t tell if it was the book or simply just me not paying attention. A few deeper fantastical concepts, such as Seraphina’s “mind garden” I sometimes struggled to follow, but the confusion would soon pass. I did not fault the book too much for that. The length for Seraphina is just right; not too long, not too short.

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I am currently reading the sequel to Seraphina, titled Shadow Scale, so I cannot give a full proper review on it just yet. I am approximately 3/4 through it, however, and have established a few choice opinions. It is longer than Seraphina, and thus there a moments when I feel a slight lag in the plot and action. However, the prose of both books is enchanting. Hartman knows how to spin words. Details are just as superb, if not sometimes a little unnecessary, but I would rather read too much detail than not enough. The climax is creeping slowing, but perhaps that is just me anticipating the end. For a good reason, I do hope. All in all, so far, I am not disappointed with this highly anticipated sequel. It came out around my birthday, and it was the perfect present for myself.

I highly suggest these novels to you, especially if you have as much a love for the world of fantasy and lore as I do. In the midst of this heavily populated genre, it’s easy for new members to become lost in the fray, but Seraphina and its sequel have stood strong and stood out, and I personally hope it stays that way for a good while. Well done, Ms. Hartman.