Using Your Experiences

Okay, in addition to writers having to be “organized, committed, passionate, skilled and thick skinned” (see yesterday’s post), writers have to be able to take rejection even when the rejection isn’t about their writing. If you’ve read my recent posts Courthouse Research and Courthouse Advice, you know I was slated for jury duty today. I figured out how to ride the downtown Dillo since there was no place to park close to the courthouse without chancing getting a parking ticket. Found out where to park in order to ride the Dillo going close to the courthouse and where to get off. I allowed ample time to get downtown, park and ride the bus. Showed up about twenty minutes early and reported to the correct room. Only to find out my case had been resolved before I got there (by resolved, I assume it meant it had been plea bargained).

So I didn’t get to serve on a jury after all and won’t be called up again for two years. I was, in a roundabout way, rejected. I was rather looking forward to researching serving on a jury. Plus, while waiting for the Dillo I ran into a good friend who was slated to serve on the same jury. We got to visit on the ride over to the courthouse, but, dang, I actually wanted to serve. I wanted the experience of serving on a big jury in case I ever needed that experience for a book.

I can now tell you from first-hand experience that having a character get called up for jury duty then not getting to serve wouldn’t be at all interesting.