Guess it's my week for writing about celebrities. Did you hear the speech Hillary Clinton made in support of Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention last night? Well, my favourite part was about the importance of perseverence. Clinton was talking about politics and the future of the United States, but she could just as well have been talking about being a writer. She quoted Harriett Tubmann, a New York woman who risked her life to help slaves make their way along the Underground Railroad. Here are Tubmann's words, as delivered by Clinton: "If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going."
That's how it is for us writers, too. We've got to keep going -- despite our fears and insecuritie, the torches and the barking dogs.
So today, I raise a pen (that's instead of toasting someone by raising a glass) to Harriett Tubmann and Hillary Clinton, women who have much to teach the rest of us about perseverence.