Two years from now I can hear people saying: Your play is extraordinary. And my answer: It took me ten years to perfect my craftsmanship. I am wrestling with giants here. Every morning I wake up in a sweat, ready for the struggle. The impact is great, but I am never defeated. It is the rehearsals I miss, to attend them and see the progress the actors make. My being there is an absolute necessity. My eye and ear criticize every move and every intonation. I listen to the “commas” of the play as if they were drops falling from a fountain. Dis moi comment vont tout tes affaires. I am alone.
~ James Salter, Light Years
Notes:
- Photograph: Rob Woodcox with “When Colors Run”
- Related Posts: James Salter
lovely. our path is never as easy as it may appear to others.
Well put Beth. We are wrestle with something…
Like the duck gliding effortlessly on the water, his little legs going ‘ten to the dozen’ hidden beneath! Are we all like this?
We ARE!
The solitude of creativity.
I think he would be hard to please.
Smiling…
Passion for our gift is the fuel of success.
-Alan
Amazing…