FREEBIE!!!

Looking to score a free read? Or if you've already enjoyed A HEART DECEIVED, want to share the love and let someone else know they can score it? Today only, you can download a free ebook version of this:

at AMAZON or BARNES & NOBLE

Now you know. Share the love.

Prophet Appreciation

My kids don't read my books. Shouldn't that be somewhere in the fine print of the offspring contract? My husband's only read two. Is that grounds for divorce? I know a prophet is not without honor except in his own town, but sheesh...gimme something to work with here, people.

Of course, authors aren't the only ones who are under appreciated. What about the lowly barista who has to haul his heinie out of bed to open the shop and make sure the java is brewed by 6:00 a.m.? Or how about the widget maker who works third shift and doesn't remember what the sun even looks like? And let's not forget about the monkey cage cleaner at the zoo. They're small, but powerful stinky. Is a simple thank you too much to ask?

Nope, it's not. So today, make it a point to value someone in your life. This doesn't have to be a big deal or hit you hard in the pocketbook. Just a simple, "Hey, thanks for all that you do. I appreciate you."

Let's start an appreciation revolution. That is your assignment. Share the love in the comment section by telling us who you valued.

Writer's Talk with Alton Gansky. . . and Me!

Today I put on my writerly grown-up pants, which I admit do chafe a bit in the tender part of the netherland region. But even so, I persevered and finished a for-real, legit, make-sure-there's-no-broccoli-in-my-teeth kind of interview with publishing big name ALTON GANSKY.

Tidbit: Editing

For me, editing is like taking a trip to Happy Town. I love cutting redundant words. Stabbing adverbs in the eyeballs and flicking them into the gutter. Buffing up a secondary character's nails while spit-shining the opening scene. Editing isn't work at all. I could do it all day.

Which is a problem for my family.

Personally, I don't see what's wrong with eating leftovers for meals on end. Wait a minute. That might be the problem. I haven't cooked anything for the past week. Hmm. Note to self: stop editing for 15 minutes, run down to the corner store and grab some Tombstones. There. Problem solved.

**settles into big butt chair, laptop fully charged, brain in the editing zone, then spazzes when shrieky voice of Miss Nineteen hollers from the bathroom**

"Mom! There's no toilet paper in here!"

Grr. Guess I should've picked up some paper goods on my pizza run. Why is the world around me such a gaping sucky hole of neediness?

And that, my friends, is exactly how I feel when I sit down with a finished manuscript to read through it from beginning to end. Do you ever wish life had a pause button?

The Secret of a Prolific Writer

In junior high, I was the nerd in the back of the school bus reading Ray Bradbury or Isaac Asimov, sans plastic-framed glasses duct-taped together. I didn't wear those until later in my teen years.

While I admire Bradbury's writing, it's Asimov's productivity that leaves me slack-jawed, with a tiny bit of drool oozing out the side. Shut up and pass me a paper towel, please.

Here's why. The man published or edited over 500 books and an estimated 90,000+ letters and postcards. What? Seriously? Did the man have no life? No socks to wash? Hedges to trim? Frozen pizza to heat up in the oven for dinner?

Apparently not. He is one of the most prolific writers. Ever. When he was asked by Writer's Digest magazine about the secret of his crazy writing skills, he said:

"I guess I'm prolific because I have a simple and straightforward style."

And therein lies the secret, friends. The man knew his voice. He didn't try to write like Bradbury. He didn't recreate his style with each new novel. He plugged away, story after story, putting down words as he heard them in his head. He didn't waste time listening to the usual I'm-not-good-enough or I-have-nothing-to-say doubts. He parked his butt in a chair and wrote.

Go, therefore, and do likewise.

Writing vs. Storytelling?

Besides the obvious syllabic difference, writing and storytelling are two completely different animals. Just because you can attract a small crowd at a party with a sweet story about the time you bellydanced at a restaurant and you weren't even drunk does not mean you're qualified to write a novel. . . though admittedly, I've done both.

On the flip side, simply because you know the difference between a modal and a gerund -- yes, I am speaking English thank-you-very-much -- doesn't mean you have the ability to pen a bestseller either.

Think of storytelling and writing as two sides of the same coin. They are not at all like fat-jiggling sumo wrestlers facing off on a gym mat fighting against one another. As an author, you need to nurture both. You need to know the art of story and the craft of communicating that story. It's not an either or.

Craft books abound, as do writing workshops and how-to seminars, or even blogs such as this one (sorry...couldn't resist that little pat on the back even if it did cramp my arm a little to reach so far). These resources are in abundance to help you with the writing part of the equation, so I won't be beating that dead horse.

Storytelling is a little trickier. You won't find stockpiles of kick-butt storytelling wisdom on every street corner. Never fear, though. I found an interesting Ted talk that imparts a fair amount of storytelling wisdom. Grab a cup of java and take a quick 18 minute lesson on The Mystery of Storytelling by agent Julian Friedmann.

Of Eggs and Baskets

You know that theory going around that it only takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything? Yeah. As I suspected, it's a big bunch of preservative-laden baloney.

The idea was popularized recently in Outliers, a book by Malcolm Gladwell, that says 10,000 hours of practice can turn anyone into an expert. Somehow, way down deep in my gastric region (oops...sorry for the visual), I just knew that if I cracked open some rocket science books and read for 10k hours, that I wouldn't become one of NASA's top dogs. It's not that simple.

This is not to say, however, that putting time and effort into a skill won't improve your aptitude. I'm just saying it takes more than reading about writing to master the craft. Things like:

• Take workshops
• Go to conferences
• Interact in face-to-face critique groups
• Branch out into different kinds of writing to broaden your range (poetry, for example)
• Try teaching writing techniques to kids

Reading craft books is a valid way to grow as a writer, but it's not the only way.