by Rix Quinn
These little columns are mostly silly. But today I’m asking a serious question.
This is something an editor told me many years ago. Do you agree with it?
“A major minute is one that can change the course of a life almost immediately.”
For instance, one minute you’re standing outside a kindergarten class. The child standing next to you smiles, you greet him, and 40 years later, you’re still best friends.
Or, you sign up for a random history class in high school. The teacher’s first lecture makes you decide you want to teach history too.
Seconds. Moments. Minutes. Charles Lindbergh takes his plane down the runway and across the ocean in a world-changing adventure.
In the third game of the 1932 World Series, it takes Babe Ruth only seconds to point to the grandstands in center field where he will hit the next pitch. And he does it.
My job is interviewing people. One of the first questions I ask nearly everybody is this: ”What major minutes – or decisions — completely changed the course of your life?”
I write a semi-regular column for Substack. It’s free, and offers information about short stories and short writing. To sign up for the mailing list, just go to this link: https://rixquinn.substack.com/
