Imus's comments

I agree with Al Sharpton, Imus should be fired. His comments were reprehensible. Those words are ugly and show a level of insensitivity unimagined. I grew up at a time when they were used in conversation and even at ten years old I found them disgusting. It is time to delete them from our language. We cannot heal wounds if words continue to reopen them. There is no humor in demeaning words. They are just not funny. Words are my tools and I understand that in using them I have a certain responsibility to use them carefully, like any other tool. Imus needs to learn this lesson.

Slow down and think

It's a strange world we live in, sometimes violent, sometimes kind, and all the time a moving target. In the world I grew up in things seemed different. Day after day brought more of the same. My dad went to work, sometimes my mom worked, we went out to play or to school and the cycle repeated itself. There were few options and people seemed to like it that way. In contrast, our world today, moves quickly and changes in a moments notice. It's like a tornado with little warning. Like the war in Iraq, we woke up one day and our commander in chief had tossed the middle east into chaos on a psychotic whim. No preparation, no forethought - just bam! What happened to careful deliberation? Has the pace of our lives so overrode our ability to make careful judgements? Is our instant gratification world pushing us to ever impulsive behavior? Is the world gone ADD? I think it's time to slowdown and consider our actions whether we are writing a book or invading a country - just slow down and let things happen instead of forcing things to happen. Let your characters reveal who they are rather than arbitrarily shaping them to some preconceived notion. Read the Tao te Ching - it makes sense. Practice "not being". Make no decisions until your mud settles. Retreat 2 steps rather than advance one in anger. Slow down.

Authors and Thick Skin

First off, I heard Anne Lamott read and discuss her latest book, Grace (Eventually) last night at the Tattered Cover in Denver. She was fantastic - very witty, raw and honest just like her books. I drove 4 hours across the mountains to see her. I am indebted to her because without Bird by Bird I would not be a published author. I am glad I did - it was well worth the cost of gas and my nervousness in driving in Denver.

On to thick skin - boy you better develop it if you step foot into the book industry. Having had a successful career in research, I am unaccustomed to rejection but am becoming more and more familiar with it each day. I am trying real hard to not have it reduce me to a puddle on the kitchen floor but some days I lose the battle. I spent most of the 4 hour drive yesterday fighting back tears from having had my book event rejected by a major bookstore. It seems since my book has not sold at this store they do not want to do a promotion to achieve that end. Its a catch 22 - I am just expanding my marketing plans to include this area so that the book will sell however since it hasn't, I can't. My marketing has been local until now due to the fact that I am a small press with limited funds. My book has been well received locally and so I thought it was time to expand - the catch is that since I don't have a regional or national appeal yet, so I can't get anyone interested in hosting an event. But if I don't host events, people won't hear about my book. I guess I will look to new venues to host my events. Anyone with some suggestions is welcome to reply.

Flying a Kite

The downs came for a visit today. Usually, I act like there's a religious affiliated person at my door and duck and cover, pretending I'm not home but today they caught me off guard. I not only answered the door, I invited them in. There they were sitting on my couch, drinking my coffee and reading my newspaper - quite comfy, I might add - too comfy. Had my dog not barked, I might not have noticed their tentacles slipping about my ankles. Just in time, I jumped and dislodged them. I quickly put on my sneakers and hurried out the door just ahead of their grasp. "So where to?" I asked myself. The answer came and I busied myself in the garage. Within ten minutes I was on the road. As I turned into Canyon View Park, I noticed the wind picking up nicely - good, I thought. I parked and opened up the back of my Highlander. I grabbed my spirit attached it to the string and sent it soaring into the rapturous gusts. After a few slams into the ground, a minor adjustment and a piece of torn sheet, I was flying again and this time I stayed up. My kite danced and played amongst the slivered clouds and last falls final leaves. The sun warmed and the wind cooled, such a nice balance and so it was that I was rebalanced. Moral of the story: when the downs come for a visit, go fly a kite.

Tips for overriding the inner critic

I think we are all familiar with the editor/critic lounging on the chaise in our gray matter. Oh, it's all comfy and relaxed until we pick up a pen or seat ourselves at the keyboard and then... Whammy! - it's all fangs and claws ready to rip into our soft underbellies. I am all too familiar with this creature and we have done battle. Here are a few things that I have found which have sent the vulture scurrying for the horizon or ducking behind tangles of neurons.

1. Go to a new location - somehow this confuses it and it cannot get its bearings
2. Make a date with a friend who writes - a little competition might clear your mind
3. Let the torrent of thoughts flow without stopping - don't worry if they don't make sense somewhere in the middle of your ramblings they will and that is what you will use.
4. Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones recommends you use the phrase "I remember..." and then if you get stuck, start over with a new "I remember..."
5. Write about the creature until you exhaust all its juices - take all your insecurities and lay them all over the page. Then put it away and get on with your story.

I hope some of this is useful. If you have some good tips, please send them my way.
Thanks

Words, words, words

They're just words or are they? A certain grouping of letters results in a word but how it is received and with what power it is imbued is totally dependent on the receiver. What we bring to the gathering of letters is based on our prior experiences, our outlook on life, even our DNA - all of these things bring color and texture to words. Without them it's sort of like the proverbial tree falling in the forest - would they make a sound? The children's game, telegraph, aptly demonstrates this principle - each receiver runs the statement through their editor and what comes out is rarely what went in. So as you go through your day, pay special attention to how you receive and interpret words.

Torn Between Two Covers

Here is my dilemma: I am writing two books; one fiction; one nonfiction. It's hard to decide which one to work on and then to get the pen moving. Not only that but I am trying to figure out marketing ideas for the novel I have already published. Some days I get nothing done flitting about between the three competing energies. I would welcome any suggestions for managing my time. I love writing but sometimes it carries a stress of its own. Some days it's easy because a new idea for one of the books has crept in over night so my direction for the day is taken care of but some days I have no direction. Maybe I should just flip a coin but with three choices I would have to create the coin first. Oh, one more complication; I thought about publishing a book of poetry since I have around 50-60 poems I could use. It would serve as a giveaway - since the marketing gurus recommend having them on your website. So the question is how to prioritize and stay focused.