No matter what the odds, a man does not pin his last hope for survival on something and then expect that it will fail.

In that instant they felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Though they had failed dismally even to come close to the expedition's original objective, they knew now that somehow they had done much, much more than ever they set out to do.

it's been my experience that most writers don't talk about their craft--they just do it

I have a great many opinions about writing, but I'm afraid that all of them are unprintable

No matter what the odds, a man does not pin his last hope for survival on something and then expect that it will fail.