Anyone here recognize the name Ray Buduick? If I add a small clue (Dec. 7, 1941) does that help?
How about if I add Honolulu and pilot as keywords?
Yes. Absolutely. He’s the guy who did what he always did on a Sunday. He flew his small aircraft out over the beautiful Pacific Ocean and right into a sky filled with Japanese Zeroes. I can hear him now, “Golly gee whiz!”
What about George Mason? Does that ring some bells? No?
He’s the guy that wrote this: “All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights, of which. . . they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity: among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring the possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” Virginia Declaration C. 1770
Familiar?
Here’s Jefferson’s version written a tad later.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Granted, Jefferson’s has a much better cadence, but even his “Pursuit of happiness” came from John Locke.
Plagarism? No. It wasn’t that. It was synergism. Minds spinning ideas from other minds and making those ideas better.
So why this post on a blog that dedicates most of it’s time to new books and writing and grammarness?
Stories are everywhere, that’s why. Not only stories, but characters and moments that make for amazing scenes. I keep stumbling on stories about lives and incidents that I crave to write about. How about you? Do you have any people or any incidents that you’ve tucked away, hoping to write about someday?
Hope you’ll check in at J. L. Campbell’s for a super giveaway starting Wednesday the 27th.
This will be my last post for the week. I have to pull back and take care of some things that need attention. I’ll try to come around and say hello to my readers because I enjoy seeing what they have to share.
Have a great week. See you in April and Happy Easter.
M. J. Joachim says
Hope you had a great Easter, Lee! Here's to a fabulous month of April in Blog Land!
Jemi Fraser says
It's interesting how our perceptions of history are so often skewed by the way it's been reported. Often makes me wonder if we know the 'true' story of anything!
Susan Oloier says
Nice trivia for the day!
I've been seeing a lot of J.L.'s work around the blog, which is awesome!
michelle says
Some great thoughts CLee.
I like synergism. It has a certain ring to it!
Have a wonderful Easter.
S.K. Anthony says
I hope you are enjoying your break!
Love that you can always find a new way of touching people with words even if the story is something we might all know. Great post 🙂
nutschell says
ideas abound! what an interesting post, lee. 🙂 never heard of those guys til now. Happy easter!
Nutschell
http://www.thewritingnut.com
Ciara says
Enjoy the rest of your week off. Happy Easter!!
Empty Nest Insider says
This is such an interesting way to look at how great ideas are born. Enjoy your break, and Happy Easter!
Julie
klahanie says
Greetings C. Lee,
Yes, finally I've arrived! A much cherished comment from me, yes me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star! Speaking of grammar, I'm forever telling my human, Gary, to stop using the conjunction word "and" because the use of "and" invariably leads to a run-on sentence with too much information and perhaps a lack of commas. Indeed, the type of sentence that would make Stephen King proud!
I've been thinking about writing about my human. A book that discusses how much I've tried to teach him to be a better writer.
Enjoy a bit of a break, my friend.
Pawsitive wishes,
Penny 🙂
C. Lee McKenzie says
Welcome to the Write Game, Penny. You're pawsitively welcome.
J.L. Campbell says
Hope you get through all the stuff you need to do, Lee. Things, can and do get ever so busy for us writers. Ever wonder how come these men from so long ago came up with such profound statements? I wonder if that's because they were not in a rush like we are today so they had time to actually think.
Samantha May says
I remember learning about where Jefferson got his ideas from when I was in high school. I was, and still am, totally intrigued by it all.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I'm afraid 2013 is going to vanish before I write the great American Novel.
Kelly Polark says
Definitely great when you can take someone else's idea and improve upon it!
Happy April and Easter, Lee! I cannot believe both are around the corner. March is a blur.
Tyrean Martinson says
Synergism is a wonderful thing. And yes, I have several ideas tucked away, and sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by real life heroes . . .someday I'll get their stories on paper, and not just the imaginative ones running around in my head.
Lexa Cain says
Thanks for the uniquely thought-provoking post and have a wonderful break – Happy Easter! 🙂
Beverly Stowe McClure says
Yes, I have stories waiting in the sidelines from genealogy research. History, like you said, is loaded with stories.
DMS says
A great reminder that stories are everywhere!
Enjoy your time away from your blog and Happy Easter to you, too!
~Jess
Nick Wilford says
Oh yeah, I'm always filing things away. You can talk to anyone for a while and they'll have countless stories. Just make sure to change the names! It's nice to have a bank of ideas even if most never see the light of day. And yes, good ideas have a habit of doing the rounds!
Jennifer R. Hubbard says
There was a guy who worked for the Manhattan Project who used to manipulate plutonium with a screwdriver, inching ever closer to critical mass. One day he slipped, and received a fatal radiation dose. He's always discussed as a footnote to history, but I have always wondered about his life. Frankly, I wonder about most of the pioneers in the early studies of nuclear power and radiation.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Now he would be on a list of people whose stories I'd love to tell.
M Pax says
Have a great week, Lee. I agree that stories are everywhere. Isn't it great? And it's great to be reminded.
LynNerdKelley says
Seems like ideas are coming out of the woodwork. Just not enough time to write them all! Enjoy your time off, Lee. Happy Easter to you and yours.
Maryann Miller says
Enjoy the rest of your week off. Most of my stories stem from some real person or real incident, so this is no surprise to me. 🙂
Christine Rains says
Fantastic post! Hope you have a lovely Easter too. 🙂
Nas says
Great post, C.Lee!
Stories do build on stories to keep the cycle going.
Have a happy easter!
Kelly Hashway says
Enjoy your week, Lee, and happy Easter!
Elizabeth Seckman says
Wonderful! Happy Easter to you too!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thanks, Elizabeth. Our weather is perfect for an egg hunt! Kids are getting ready.
Hilary Melton-Butcher says
Hi Lee .. like Alex said "synergy" sounds good .. 'plagiarism' is bad and is a modern 'thing' when it can be straight copied via the copy button.
Stories are everywhere aren't they .. and yes I have rather more than available to me than I care to think about ..
Have a peaceful and happy Easter .. cheers Hilary
Bish Denham says
There is nothing new under the sun. We simply tell the same story in new and different ways. And yes, there are lots of stories I'd like to write. So many I can become kind of frozen not be able to write any.
Barbara Watson says
Enjoy your time away! Sometimes it's simply necessary.
Natalie Aguirre says
Yes, stories are everywhere. Have a good week, Lee.
Catherine Stine says
Yes, stories build on stories, build on stories. There can be endless new twists and adaptions and pieces of things sewn together.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I love those story trails. I guess that's one reason I'm fascinated by retellings of old nursery rhymes or fairy tales.
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
Synergism – I like that idea.
SA Larsenッ says
Oh, yes. I do have incidents tucked away. Some personal and I hope to give them public life someday.