Ask the Author: Eric J. Moran
Answered Questions (5)
Eric J. Moran
The hardest part of writing Welcome to Mintland was actually getting up the courage to start putting the story into words. I was hesitant at first, I was terrified I would unintentionally offend someone or leave something out of the story that was critical. With a sport as competitive and high octane as Allstar cheerleading emotions run high, and things can be taken out of context in print. I did not want to say anything that would in any way damage the Stingray Allstars brand or any other team Peppermint competed against.
I stopped writing the story many times out of fear. First of all, from what I could tell, this had never been done before in the Cheer community. Secondly, I am not an official writer and have never done anything like this. Editing the book down to a respectable level required taking a few parts of the story out. Looking back, I am glad I took the emotional moments out. Some of the more emotional moments between the team the coaches and I are some that we will keep between each other. At first, I was just going to write the book as a gift to the team. Somewhere that changed. This team will always be incredibly special to me along with the parents. I did not want to make a mess of things by not doing the story justice, as from my perspective (living it in real time) it was an absolutely incredible story and it needed to be shared.
The best part, hands down, was watching the children's face as I handed them the book to read for the first time. For the most part it was a surprise to everyone. People knew I was writing a book, but I think a few thought it was going to be a "Shutterfly type" picture documentary. The kids jaws hit the floor when they found out it was actually a "chapter book" and the story was about them.
As the team was going through this journey they had no idea the magnitude of what they accomplished. I needed to capture the moment so they could remember this for the rest of their lives. I also needed to capture the culture of our gym and the influence the senior teams play in developing the younger kids. The Orange Rays and the Peach Rays had such a huge influence on this team. They needed to know that as well.
I stopped writing the story many times out of fear. First of all, from what I could tell, this had never been done before in the Cheer community. Secondly, I am not an official writer and have never done anything like this. Editing the book down to a respectable level required taking a few parts of the story out. Looking back, I am glad I took the emotional moments out. Some of the more emotional moments between the team the coaches and I are some that we will keep between each other. At first, I was just going to write the book as a gift to the team. Somewhere that changed. This team will always be incredibly special to me along with the parents. I did not want to make a mess of things by not doing the story justice, as from my perspective (living it in real time) it was an absolutely incredible story and it needed to be shared.
The best part, hands down, was watching the children's face as I handed them the book to read for the first time. For the most part it was a surprise to everyone. People knew I was writing a book, but I think a few thought it was going to be a "Shutterfly type" picture documentary. The kids jaws hit the floor when they found out it was actually a "chapter book" and the story was about them.
As the team was going through this journey they had no idea the magnitude of what they accomplished. I needed to capture the moment so they could remember this for the rest of their lives. I also needed to capture the culture of our gym and the influence the senior teams play in developing the younger kids. The Orange Rays and the Peach Rays had such a huge influence on this team. They needed to know that as well.
Eric J. Moran
That one is simple. When speaking, I may have a reputation of talking way too much when I try to tell a story :). I seem to dwell on details most people miss or take for granted. To me, the details are what make the story so special. The best thing for me is being able to go to my little corner of the world and share the story as I see it and accentuate things most people miss. I firmly believe that if you gloss over the special moments in life, you end up saying "Where did the time go?" My biggest fear as a parent is asking that very question. So I will take my time, document the details and hopefully speed up my stories when talking to folks.
See, I could have just answered the question by saying, "The best thing about being a writer is including the details," but you would have missed the entire previous paragraph.
See, I could have just answered the question by saying, "The best thing about being a writer is including the details," but you would have missed the entire previous paragraph.
Eric J. Moran
That is a great question. I have been piecing together a moving story about how high school age athletes affect and shape the lives of unsuspecting tiny athletes. It is a story of mentorship and how passive interactions and the aura of success, hard work, and culture can trickle down and impact lives and success without truly interacting with each other on a daily basis. The project is also going to focus on the importance of translating the life skills learned in sports to everyday life and capitalizing from the experience as adults. It is in the early stages but should be fun.
I am also currently following the progress of the original Peppermints from Welcome to Mintland. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that you will see a "Return to Mintland" in the next few years. I think that could be a pretty cool story to do a where are they now :).
I am also currently following the progress of the original Peppermints from Welcome to Mintland. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that you will see a "Return to Mintland" in the next few years. I think that could be a pretty cool story to do a where are they now :).
Eric J. Moran
Being surrounded by writers most of my professional career in media, I have always been fascinated by the internal mental struggle faced by writers. While I am not a full-time writer, my advice would to just let it flow and keep pushing. The mental struggle of "is it going to be good enough" "am I going to offend someone" "does the writing do the story justice?" all of these are valid concerns, and the struggle can be very real, but they can also be crippling.
Internally, I had to say "get over yourself" and just tell the story. Hopefully, your audience will connect with the passion you are trying to convey. If your heart is in the right place you should be in good shape.
Internally, I had to say "get over yourself" and just tell the story. Hopefully, your audience will connect with the passion you are trying to convey. If your heart is in the right place you should be in good shape.
Eric J. Moran
The inspiration for Welcome to Mintland came from a team of Mini AllStar cheerleaders. I was given the opportunity to be "Team Rep" for this team. Over the 11 month journey of watching the team grow both personally and athletically as a group, I was moved to capture this story.
The magic of the relationships both on and around the team was very moving. The team bonded slowly and methodically through struggle and success. The determination this group of 6-8-year-olds demonstrated was awe inspiring.
As adults hopefully, all of us can reference a time in our early youth that becomes a point of reflection that changes our life. There is nothing more important than a time where someone believed in you and gave you an opportunity to shine. Sometimes that is a teacher, sometimes a parent, relative or a coach. I felt compelled to capture this moment for the entire team, as it is a representation of an entire industry which is Allstar cheer. I wanted Mintland to represent a thank you to parents and athletes who sacrifice so much to be a part of something very special. All to often you hear the negative and drama that can be Youth Sports. I wanted to share this inspiring story to share the positive.
After going back and forth and over analyzing things for weeks starting and stopping. I continued to hear from many how special this story was. They had no idea I was contemplating writing this story. They unintentionally pushed me to complete this project.
I approached the story to capture for the team and the coaches. The story essentially wrote itself. It was really hard to explain, but I felt determined to capture this special moment in time. I only hope the life lessons in the story ring true as my biggest fear was not doing the story justice.
I also hoped to use the book as a reference point for the team. In life challenges arrive. I wanted them to be able to reflect upon this time and remember they can do anything they set their minds to do. Especially when they surround themselves with people who believe in each other.
The magic of the relationships both on and around the team was very moving. The team bonded slowly and methodically through struggle and success. The determination this group of 6-8-year-olds demonstrated was awe inspiring.
As adults hopefully, all of us can reference a time in our early youth that becomes a point of reflection that changes our life. There is nothing more important than a time where someone believed in you and gave you an opportunity to shine. Sometimes that is a teacher, sometimes a parent, relative or a coach. I felt compelled to capture this moment for the entire team, as it is a representation of an entire industry which is Allstar cheer. I wanted Mintland to represent a thank you to parents and athletes who sacrifice so much to be a part of something very special. All to often you hear the negative and drama that can be Youth Sports. I wanted to share this inspiring story to share the positive.
After going back and forth and over analyzing things for weeks starting and stopping. I continued to hear from many how special this story was. They had no idea I was contemplating writing this story. They unintentionally pushed me to complete this project.
I approached the story to capture for the team and the coaches. The story essentially wrote itself. It was really hard to explain, but I felt determined to capture this special moment in time. I only hope the life lessons in the story ring true as my biggest fear was not doing the story justice.
I also hoped to use the book as a reference point for the team. In life challenges arrive. I wanted them to be able to reflect upon this time and remember they can do anything they set their minds to do. Especially when they surround themselves with people who believe in each other.
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