| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Virginibus Puerisque by Robert Louis Stevenson: case of books or set orations; even in making your will, or
writing an explicit letter, some difficulty is admitted by the
world. But one thing you can never make Philistine natures
understand; one thing, which yet lies on the surface, remains
as unseizable to their wits as a high flight of metaphysics -
namely, that the business of life is mainly carried on by
means of this difficult art of literature, and according to a
man's proficiency in that art shall be the freedom and the
fulness of his intercourse with other men. Anybody, it is
supposed, can say what he means; and, in spite of their
notorious experience to the contrary, people so continue to
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: gratification of her irresistible curiosity (of which he highly
disapproved) there appeared in succession, at that woman's or
girl's bridle-hand, a cavalry general in red breeches, on whom she
was smiling; a rising politician in a grey suit, who talked to her
with great animation but left her side abruptly to join a personage
in a red fez and mounted on a white horse; and then, some time
afterwards, the vexed Mr. Blunt and his indiscreet mother (though I
really couldn't see where the harm was) had one more chance of a
good stare. The third party that time was the Royal Pretender
(Allegre had been painting his portrait lately), whose hearty,
sonorous laugh was heard long before the mounted trio came riding
The Arrow of Gold |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey: branched off to reach her land, and from there it was desert rock and sand.
But eventually they made it; and Carley found herself and belongings dumped
out into the windy and sunny open. The moment was singularly thrilling and
full of transport. She was free. She had shaken off the shackles. She faced
lonely, wild, barren desert that must be made habitable by the genius of
her direction and the labor of her hands. Always a thought of Glenn hovered
tenderly, dreamily in the back of her consciousness, but she welcomed the
opportunity to have a few weeks of work and activity and solitude before
taking up her life with him. She wanted to adapt herself to the
metamorphosis that had been wrought in her.
To her amazement and delight, a very considerable progress had been made
The Call of the Canyon |
