Stephen Drivick's Blog - Posts Tagged "amtrack"
Amtrack Residency - What I Wanted to Submit
“Here it comes,” my Dad said, as he stood up from the wooden bench.
A fuzzy yellow headlight came into view through the fog. The unmistakable noise of hard-working, diesel machinery filled the hazy Atlanta air. The walkway over the old tracks started to vibrate as the train approached. The headlight turned from fuzzy yellow to a bright white as the train got closer. Dust and other debris flew out as it hustled down the line.
My Dad and I were waiting on the Crescent from New York. On board, were my grandparents on one of their visits to Georgia. Usually they flew in, but this time decided to take the train. When my Dad asked if I wanted to go, I jumped into the front seat of Plymouth Volare station wagon with the fake wood paneling and squeak from somewhere under the orange-tan dashboard. It was a chance to see a train up close and personal. My young self couldn't pass that up. I liked trains, but had only seen them from a distance. Most of my experience was with toy train sets or movies on television. This was a great chance to be near one of the giant beasts of the rails.
The train reached the station, and started to ring its bell. The people standing and waiting on the platforms below took a step backward to let the train do its work. My Dad and I moved towards the stairs to greet our visitors from New York.
The train didn't stop. It was a freight headed south through the city.
It blew through the station, stirring up gravel dust, paper, and other assorted debris. Sixty assorted cars from all over the United States trailed behind the grimy, black engines. The horn sounded as it passed by, echoing across the landscape. The last car, a big hopper, came past and quiet returned to the station. The people on the platform went back to waiting. The Crescent was delayed.
My father sat down again. “Just a freight. I guess that wasn't them,” he said.
I stayed at the rail of the walkway. Trains had become a passion.
Some thirty years later, writing has become a passion as well. It is a new one. I've managed to string together a few words, and produce two novels. Some short stories as well. None of them are best-sellers, but with each project I try to produce the passion grows. I want to write more. Those two novels will become a series. I want to perfect my voice, and try to entertain people from all over the world.
So when a chance came to combine a love of trains and writing, I couldn't pass that up. It's a chance to write while America (or a least a portion of America) passes by the window. It's a chance to work out a critical plot point while seeing some spectacular scenery. It's a chance to meet new people, and experience a new way to travel.
It's a chance that comes once in a lifetime, and I have to take it.
This is what I wanted to submit, but Amtrack had a thousand word limit. I seem to have a hard time with thousand word limits.:)
The Amtrack Residency is a chance to write aboard a long-distance train. As a lover of all things railroad, I couldn't pass it up. It sounds like a load of fun. If you're an author you should give it a try. But be warned...there's only 24(!) spots. I have read 7000+ people have signed up for those 24 spots.
A fuzzy yellow headlight came into view through the fog. The unmistakable noise of hard-working, diesel machinery filled the hazy Atlanta air. The walkway over the old tracks started to vibrate as the train approached. The headlight turned from fuzzy yellow to a bright white as the train got closer. Dust and other debris flew out as it hustled down the line.
My Dad and I were waiting on the Crescent from New York. On board, were my grandparents on one of their visits to Georgia. Usually they flew in, but this time decided to take the train. When my Dad asked if I wanted to go, I jumped into the front seat of Plymouth Volare station wagon with the fake wood paneling and squeak from somewhere under the orange-tan dashboard. It was a chance to see a train up close and personal. My young self couldn't pass that up. I liked trains, but had only seen them from a distance. Most of my experience was with toy train sets or movies on television. This was a great chance to be near one of the giant beasts of the rails.
The train reached the station, and started to ring its bell. The people standing and waiting on the platforms below took a step backward to let the train do its work. My Dad and I moved towards the stairs to greet our visitors from New York.
The train didn't stop. It was a freight headed south through the city.
It blew through the station, stirring up gravel dust, paper, and other assorted debris. Sixty assorted cars from all over the United States trailed behind the grimy, black engines. The horn sounded as it passed by, echoing across the landscape. The last car, a big hopper, came past and quiet returned to the station. The people on the platform went back to waiting. The Crescent was delayed.
My father sat down again. “Just a freight. I guess that wasn't them,” he said.
I stayed at the rail of the walkway. Trains had become a passion.
Some thirty years later, writing has become a passion as well. It is a new one. I've managed to string together a few words, and produce two novels. Some short stories as well. None of them are best-sellers, but with each project I try to produce the passion grows. I want to write more. Those two novels will become a series. I want to perfect my voice, and try to entertain people from all over the world.
So when a chance came to combine a love of trains and writing, I couldn't pass that up. It's a chance to write while America (or a least a portion of America) passes by the window. It's a chance to work out a critical plot point while seeing some spectacular scenery. It's a chance to meet new people, and experience a new way to travel.
It's a chance that comes once in a lifetime, and I have to take it.
This is what I wanted to submit, but Amtrack had a thousand word limit. I seem to have a hard time with thousand word limits.:)
The Amtrack Residency is a chance to write aboard a long-distance train. As a lover of all things railroad, I couldn't pass it up. It sounds like a load of fun. If you're an author you should give it a try. But be warned...there's only 24(!) spots. I have read 7000+ people have signed up for those 24 spots.
Random Thoughts
"Dear Amtrak Residency Applicant,
On behalf of Amtrak, I’d like to thank you for submitting your application. The response from the literary community has been absolutely tremendous and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to read so many heartfelt applications. We had over 16,100 applications and had the difficult challenge to select only 115 semi-finalists. The quality of applications was high, which made our decisions even tougher. We evaluated each applicant based on the quality and completeness of their application package, as well as the extensiveness of their social community and ability to reach online audiences with content.
After carefully reviewing all the applicant packages, I regret to inform you that your package was not selected to move forward in this year’s residency selection process."
Well, the Amtrack thing didn't come through. This is the nice email they sent informing me of the bad news. At least they didn't complain about the format, spelling, or grammar on my application.:)
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Got a one star review for Sometimes We Ran in the NOOK bookstore. Like Amtrack, there was no mention of bad spelling or grammar. The one star doesn't make me too mad. I'm just glad someone is actually reading it on their NOOK!:)
On behalf of Amtrak, I’d like to thank you for submitting your application. The response from the literary community has been absolutely tremendous and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to read so many heartfelt applications. We had over 16,100 applications and had the difficult challenge to select only 115 semi-finalists. The quality of applications was high, which made our decisions even tougher. We evaluated each applicant based on the quality and completeness of their application package, as well as the extensiveness of their social community and ability to reach online audiences with content.
After carefully reviewing all the applicant packages, I regret to inform you that your package was not selected to move forward in this year’s residency selection process."
Well, the Amtrack thing didn't come through. This is the nice email they sent informing me of the bad news. At least they didn't complain about the format, spelling, or grammar on my application.:)
---------------------------------------
Got a one star review for Sometimes We Ran in the NOOK bookstore. Like Amtrack, there was no mention of bad spelling or grammar. The one star doesn't make me too mad. I'm just glad someone is actually reading it on their NOOK!:)
