2RHPZ
09-23-2004, 10:20 AM
Clancy urges military to tell – and sell – war tales
By JOANNE KIMBERLIN , The Virginian-Pilot
September 22, 2004
War sells.
Very well.
Just ask Tom Clancy. The best-selling author behind a string of military-heavy thrillers dangled the gold keys to his Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday at Norfolk Naval Base.
A former insurance broker, Clancy, 57, was hoping to spur an audience of military men and women to set down their stories of service and sacrifice as part of “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience.”
Along the way, he said, fame and fortune might find a gifted few.
A project of the National Endowment for the Arts, Operation Homecoming is an effort to record the nation’s military memories since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks . Servicemen and -women across the country are being encouraged to submit essays, letters, poems, journals and the like. The best will be included in a published anthology. All will be preserved as a historic archive.
To inspire the would-be writers, a line up of accomplished authors is dispensing tips at some dozen workshops being held at various military installations. The Norfolk session is the only one being held in Virginia.
It was also the only one offering Clancy, author of “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Sum of All Fears,” among other top-sellers.
Some 140 soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force personnel signed up for Clancy’s 90-minute workshop. Roughly 40 signed up for today’s session, which features award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson.
The two writers are poles apart when it comes to motivation. During a quick chat with reporters, Nelson talked about the emotionally healing nature of writing and the value of sharing one’s reflections with the world.
“For me,” she said softly, “that’s what it’s all about.”
Clancy, hard-boiled and salty-talking, wasn’t nearly so lofty. Clancy said he believes Operation Homecoming could uncover hidden literary talent among the uniform ranks – the kind that can produce a big, commercial payday. After repeated references to his wealth – and mentioning the vastness of his new garage – he scoffed at the idea of a higher purpose for writing.
“I’m not a shrink,” he said, “and I’m not a priest. Everybody tells stories, and if I can help these guys make a living at it, great.” Tonia Camp-Hyde, a medical lab tech from Bethesda who drove down for the workshop, said she appreciated Clancy’s frankness.
“Trying to get published means trying to get paid,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who gets up every day and goes to work just because it’s fun.” When it comes to war stories, Clancy said, no one is better equipped to tell them than those who served. Clancy’s novels, however, do not draw from his own experience. Poor eyesight kept him out of the military.
Instead, he relies on exhaustive research. “I probably would have made a good spy,” he said, “but this pays better.”
Link (http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75866&ran=191320)
By JOANNE KIMBERLIN , The Virginian-Pilot
September 22, 2004
War sells.
Very well.
Just ask Tom Clancy. The best-selling author behind a string of military-heavy thrillers dangled the gold keys to his Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday at Norfolk Naval Base.
A former insurance broker, Clancy, 57, was hoping to spur an audience of military men and women to set down their stories of service and sacrifice as part of “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience.”
Along the way, he said, fame and fortune might find a gifted few.
A project of the National Endowment for the Arts, Operation Homecoming is an effort to record the nation’s military memories since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks . Servicemen and -women across the country are being encouraged to submit essays, letters, poems, journals and the like. The best will be included in a published anthology. All will be preserved as a historic archive.
To inspire the would-be writers, a line up of accomplished authors is dispensing tips at some dozen workshops being held at various military installations. The Norfolk session is the only one being held in Virginia.
It was also the only one offering Clancy, author of “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Sum of All Fears,” among other top-sellers.
Some 140 soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force personnel signed up for Clancy’s 90-minute workshop. Roughly 40 signed up for today’s session, which features award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson.
The two writers are poles apart when it comes to motivation. During a quick chat with reporters, Nelson talked about the emotionally healing nature of writing and the value of sharing one’s reflections with the world.
“For me,” she said softly, “that’s what it’s all about.”
Clancy, hard-boiled and salty-talking, wasn’t nearly so lofty. Clancy said he believes Operation Homecoming could uncover hidden literary talent among the uniform ranks – the kind that can produce a big, commercial payday. After repeated references to his wealth – and mentioning the vastness of his new garage – he scoffed at the idea of a higher purpose for writing.
“I’m not a shrink,” he said, “and I’m not a priest. Everybody tells stories, and if I can help these guys make a living at it, great.” Tonia Camp-Hyde, a medical lab tech from Bethesda who drove down for the workshop, said she appreciated Clancy’s frankness.
“Trying to get published means trying to get paid,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who gets up every day and goes to work just because it’s fun.” When it comes to war stories, Clancy said, no one is better equipped to tell them than those who served. Clancy’s novels, however, do not draw from his own experience. Poor eyesight kept him out of the military.
Instead, he relies on exhaustive research. “I probably would have made a good spy,” he said, “but this pays better.”
Link (http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75866&ran=191320)