I had an interesting day.

Got to work at 6am this morning, copy of Herald-Sun in hand. I did a few odd jobs, had a meeting with my staff, and settled down at 7am to read my paper and have a cold drink. I almost spat it all over the paper.

Page 67, Thursday's Herald-Sun... An advertisement in the bottom right corner (taking up nearly 1/2 the page). In it... a letter, addressed to the Hawthorn Football Club from me.

Let me tell you, I've never been so blown away in all my life.

I won't reveal the details of how and why, because there might be some pending legal action... hehehe... but it was a very freaky experience. And at least I can say I've been published now... even if it was in an ad... and even if it's sort of anonymous.

The world works in very mysterious ways...

Congratulations Mick.

Sk.

Mick, this means more than you think it does.  When you're wishing and dreaming about something, the universe wants to make it come true for you, but it will only do as much as you'll open yourself up to allow.

The fact that this letter of yours was published, proves that it was either very well written or it struck a chord - or both.  So in the 'real world' that's a wonderful accomplishment and one you should feel very proud of.

In the 'behind the scenes' world where the universe does it's work, I think the fact that it was published anonymously is a wake-up call for you.  At the risk of pscyhoanalysing (which I'm really trying to stop) I wonder if this is telling you that a part of you doesn't want to be associated with what you write. 

A lot of us are afraid of how our lives would change if we were successful, and you'd be surprised at the number of writers who shoot themselves in the foot because subconsciously they're afraid to step out of their comfort zone of anonymity.  The money, of course, is a wonderful thing to anticipate, but the fact that you're no longer an anonymous person, you're 'an author' with expectations placed on you, can be unsettling for some people and they might not think they can live up to it.

I could be completely off base here, Mick, but I believe the universe if making itself ready to give you your dreams - but first you have to face your fear of achieving achieving.

The same goes for all our aspiring authors here.  I want you guys to think about how your lives would change if your dreams came true, and try to pinpoint the areas where you feel apprehensive.  Are those fears realistic?  If you think that you'd be no good at public speaking, then try to think of ways you could overcome that.  Maybe you could join Toastmasters, or consider the idea that some authors don't do any publicity at all.  It's not unheard of.  Do you imagine that if you had a lot of money, your friends would all come asking for some and that would be awkward?  Do you imagine that people would read your work and think you were weird, or make judgements about you.

All these things can be standing in your way and if you want to be successful, at some point you have to move past them.  No time like the present, I say!

P.S.  If you have lots of fears, don't feel alone.  There are many multi-published authors I know who have all these fears and more!  Recognising them is half the battle.

P.P.S.  I am really chuffed for you, Mick and I hope you get heaps of copies of that and frame one!  Your first published work deserves celebration, anonymous or not

Lou, your wise words are always appreciated. Thank you.

I'm not sure if you're able to see the paper, or find a copy (I have 3!), but the anonymous nature was done to protect me from the press. The ad was placed by someone connected with the Hawthorn Football Club, costing almost $9000! There was an article (written by Bruce Matthews) about the letter which stated that I paid for the ad and that the club had nothing to do with it.

Sport 927 and 3AW (AM radio stations) were talking about it all through the day and Ian Dicker (the president of the Hawks) was being phoned all day to reveal my identity. He gave me the option of speaking up, but I declined.

The only reason the press wanted to talk to me was because they believed I paid $9000 to put it in. Once I explain I don't know where the money came from, there's no story and the letter loses the impact. So I've let it go...

I'm just blown away that someone would pay $9000 to print something that I've written. It was very hard for me to digest after the initial shock. The great thing about the letter though, is how well received it has become. Family and Friends think it is awesome and some still don't believe I'm capable of writing like that.


As for fears and such: yep, got lots of them, but some are now put to rest. Being able to produce something of a publishable standard. Someone else (other than me) enjoying the fruits of my labour. Getting a break. Hopefully making an impact (I'll have a big smile if the boys get over the line this week!).

I did have a fear of people not understanding that I write, especially my family. They are seeing me in a different light now.


The universe is definitely pushing me towards my dream. Oh, and it wasn't totally anonymous. I did sign the letter 'Mick' and Kevin Bartlett on Sport 927 was so funny when he was going... 'Who's Mick? Mick, if you're listening... Give us a call!'

Mick, I am so pleased that this is a psychological stepping stone for you and that someone thought enough of a single letter to pay $9000 to ensure others would read it.  Publishers often pay less than that for a whole novel [and they're (usually) going to get their money back!].  Not to mention that you got more radio coverage than most authors dream of in a lifetime. 

What a fabulous validation of your talents.  If ever you start to feel the muddly glasses sliding onto your nose while you're writing, do remember how much this letter moved people.  You have the skill, and now your friends and family know.  I wasn't taken completely seriously by my group until I'd won the International PRISM award for a short story.  I think every writer has a breakthrough moment when their clan realises, "Oh, okay, they can do this," and after that you have their total support.  I am SO glad for you that this has come now.  It will undoubtedly lift your writing time out of the "hobby" category and into "possible career" in their minds.  Which is such a help.  Most of us can do it alone if we have to, but I know how much the heartfelt support of my family has meant to me.

Congratulations again.  Bask, bask, bask in glory this weekend.  You deserve it.

I just got paid out big time on 'After the Game', a tv show on Channel 10 fronted by Peter Helliar (from Rove Live). They were saying I was drunk, they laughed at my quote at the bottom (which is attached to all my e-mails) and generally had a ball of a time taking the piss out of what I wrote...

It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Talk about notoriety!  I hope you taped it

You must be blown away by all this!! How amazing that such a thing could happen to you. Why don't you go back to the newspaper that printed your letter and ask for a job as a regular football columnist-controversy being the name of the game?? They might just say yes, and you'd probably enjoy it if footy's a great passion of yours. You'd become a celebrity over night! Or request that you remain annonymous, which sounds safer.

We have a local newspaper in Yanchep and one of the columnists is called the Whisperer. It's online, not sure of the address but something to do with Suncity News, if you want to see a sample. He/she? prints license plates of reckless drivers and everything!! Juicy stuff and so popular. Something to think about...

Mick! I desparately want to read that letter of yours. Would you be so kind as to email a version to me. I've searched the web and begged for back issues of the Sun from friends but to no avail.

tremontstreet@yahoo.com

I am soooooooooooo proud of you! You must realise what a talent you are to have moved someone so much that they just had to get your message out. You are a wonder! Enjoy every second of this amazing experience.

Alyson

Subject: Don't Lose Heart

Sent: Saturday 17th May 2003 - 2.38am

This is addressed to Ian Dicker, Peter Schwab, members of the board, players, and anyone who still wears their heart on their sleeve and calls themselves a Hawthorn supporter.

I am a proud, passionate and paid up member for the 2003 season.

I'm the guy sitting in the outer, cheering for every goal, screaming for every free kick and applauding every selfless act. I'm singing when we're winning and I'm a king when we're on song. I worship the Crawfords, the Thommos, and the Hays. I revere the faithful servants like the Grahams and the Harfords. I admire the man named Schwab and I respect the man named Dicker.

I'm sure, almost certain, that the backlash from Friday night's loss will be hard to bear. I have seen some drafts of scathing letters, already circulating the internet, that are sure to find the Hawthorn mailbag by the morning.

They, like the media, will be calling for Peter Schwab to be sacked or to step aside. For Crawford to give up the captaincy. For Daniel Harford and Mark Graham to hang up the boots. For John Hay, Nick Holland... actually most of the team... to go and play for Box Hill and see how real football is played. For Hawthorn to pluy up to its potential and stop breaking supporters hearts (and wallets).

Watching tonights game, out of rage, I would agree with all of it.

But let's clear our heads. Let's listen to our hearts.

Peter Schwab. You took a group of kids who were afraid to play under Ken Judge and turned them into men who could make decisions, play footy, win games and make finals! You have proven yourself to be a coach capable of making it in the highest form of the game. The current plight you face is nothing but a write-up. The media NEED to put coaches in the gun every week. They NEED that headline that might sell one extra paper. You are a victim of that need. Don't lose heart.

Mark Graham and Daniel Harford: The boots stay on. Go back to Box Hill if you have to and rekindle the passion you both have for the game. You both still have plenty to offer to the senior line-up and the new kids coming through the system need your guidance. Have a little faith in yourselves and find that spark. I will be very disappointed if I don't see 'Mark Graham: 200 games' on a banner this year. Don't lose heart.

Shane Crawford. You are the captain, the Brownlow Medalist and the most dashing leading man in Australian soap opera television. I can't believe your leadership has come into question over the past few weeks! If you ever needed affirmation of what you mean to this club, ask Ian Dicker for a copy of his interview with Sam Newman. He nailed it. Don't lose heart.

The rest of the players who trudged off the field tonight feeling the intense disappointment from supporters, sponsors and indeed, from you own team-mates... Don't... Lose... Heart .. It's one game. It's over... BUT THE SEASON IS NOT.

And that's the final note I'll leave this on... especially for the supporters out there. The season is not over... 3-5 and still a long road ahead in September.

Mick

Hawthorn Member since 1997

'Fullness is a fine thing, but emptiness is the secret of it.'




I've just retyped this from the ad before finding my original copy. They've altered a few words (I said still a long road ahead 'TO' September, not 'in'). Not sure why they did that. They also deleted about 4 lines which I praised Ian Dicker. He took that out because he was quite embarrassed about what I said.

PLEA OF A HAWK FAN
by Bruce Matthews

A mystery Hawthorn supporter has paid almost $9000 to implore the team to keep the faith under intense criticism this week.

The proud, passionate - and obviously cashed up - benefactor staunchly backed the Hawks in an oopen letter in today's Herald Sun

Signed simply from Mick, a member since 1997, the fan headed the letter "Don't Lose Heart" and sent it to the club in the early hours on Saturday morning following the crushing loss to Essendon at the MCG.

No one in Hawthorn's membership, marketing or media departments could identify the origin of the impassioned message addressed to president Ian Dicker, coach Peter Schwab, board members and players.

Dicker last night confirmed he had been handed a typed copy of the letter.

"Yes, I was aware it (advertisement) was going in and I'll be interested to see it. I know his name, but I haven't spoken to him. I don't know him." he said.

"Every letter that's personally addressed to me, I answer. So I will answer his letter. I think it was a really nice message after a lot of the messages that have been about. In fact, there has been some good, , positive e-mails and letters into the club this week."

Mick told of his initial dismay at the embarrassing loss to the Bombers, before urging everyone to 'clear our heads... let's listen to our hearts'.

His message to Schwab included "you have proven yourself to be a coach capable of making it in the highest form of the game".

Urging dumped seniors Mark Graham and Daniel Harford to "go back to Box Hill and rekindle the passsion you both have for the game", Mick said both were vital to help younger players through the crisis.

And he urged Hawks captain Shane Crawford not to lose heart, adding, "I can't believe your leadership has come into question over the past few weeks".

Dicker said Hawthorn Football Club would not be paying for the personal message.





This was the article above the ad. The ad was between 1/2 and 1/3 of a page in size.

My five minutes is officially over now.

I kept out of the media circus that surrounded Hawthorn last week. The only media person I've spoken to is Arthur Higgins (Sport 927) and I backed away from going on air with him. I also posted a reply to some praise and criticism I got on hawkheadquarters.com.au so that the record would be set straight in their minds. Chat boards can be vicious places.

I'm happy with the letter. It was a little shorter than I would have liked (because I got pretty tired towards the end) and I didn't really revise it before posting (the club slashed it anyway). My main sticking point, and the argument I presented to hawkheadquarters.com.au was it wasn't meant to be on page 67 of the Herald Sun. It was a letter from me to the club and I really didn't think it was newspaper material (especially $9000 worth).

Someone at the club thought differently, so yeah... My only wish is that someone could have told me about it on Monday and give me a chance to revise it or at least frame it a little better (and get rid of my quote at the bottom). I also wanted a chance to talk to the press before the article above the ad was done. It just made me uncomfortable that they implied I paid for the ad.

Other than that, I'm over the moon!
(oh, the Hawks disgraced themselves and lost by 34 points on Sunday, so the letter didn't really impact the way I would have liked.)

Mick, thanks so much for posting that.  For those of us who have been following this, it's great to be able to read the letter and the aftermath.  As you are a writer, it's easy to understand that you'd want to edit your letter, but just imagine how self-conscious you may have been if you'd known in advance how widely it would be read.  You might have become more circumspect in what you said and the lovely passion  that comes through so clearly might have been curbed. 

As you said, it's a whirlwind, but as the dust settles, it must still be leaving you with a warm glow, knowing how much your words meant to the players and the coach, and how your opinion would have swayed many other fans to reconsider, instead of just soaking up what the media says.  I know I'd be pretty proud of myself if it was me.

Yes, well, I am fashionably late as always.

Congratulations, Mick. What a wonderful moment to have in your life.
I agree, if you had known what was going to become of your letter, you would have edited it, drained some of that raw 'footy blood and passion' flavour from it.
Sometimes the best stuff comes right from the gut.

deb

Thanks heaps for all of that Mick. I feel a sense of closure now. The letter was great. Heartfelt and passionate and moving. Good for you! Don't worry about the 34 point loss, it will get better from here. You must know that the phrase 'don't lose heart' is reverberating around a lot of the players' and officials' minds right now which is fabulous.

Sigh..........

I think you've hit the main point on the head, Alyson.  Mick has touched a lot of people's hearts, and not in a way he expected to while he was busy writing novels he hoped to publish one day.  Just goes to show that you never know how far your passion will spread.

Maybe that's a good lesson to us all to widen our scope a little and let the universe work through us, rather than always trying to control our lives and 'the outcome'.  In the back of my mind I've always felt that the process of writing is the important part - which seems silly because the focus is so much on 'getting published' - so I'd kind of dismissed that idea.  But what happened to Mick's letter is a good example of just how important it is to be passionate about what we do while we're actually doing it, in whatever form. 

I feel like a little Padawan, and this time Mick is the Master.  Looks like the ripples from your letter haven't stilled completely, Mick