Common Courtesy

This has been on my mind for a few months so I thought I would go ahead and vent. 

There are times when I'm asked to donate a book for a fundraiser or some other event. I generally put a signed copy of one of my books in a mailer, drive to the post office, purchase the postage and hand the package to the postal clerk.

I don't ask anything in return but it would be nice once in a while to at least receive a "thank you" from the recipient. I know some folks believe that authors have unlimited resources, but like in society, that's probably the top 1 percent. 

So a "thank you" or at least an acknowledgement of receiving the book would be nice. A simple common courtesy. 

Another pet peeve is to be invited to speak to a group, school classroom, or some other event -- even to the point of setting a date and time -- and not be notified that it has been cancelled.

That's happened to me. I don't get angry, but I am a bit disappointed that the person didn't have the common courtesy to let me know. I suppose they don't realize that authors have calendars and they have to make plans for speaking engagements.

Or sometimes even dealing with other writers. I'll be queried about writing, editing, publishing or something similar, and take the time to respond, but they don't have the common courtesy of saying, "thanks."

Before closing, let me say "thank you" for reading my rant.

Until the next time... 

Keeping the Writing Fun

While perusing some blogs I found an item I thought was pertinent to my life as a writer, and perhaps you may feel it as well.

Beth Fantaskey, an author of four young adult novels, wrote that her mantra for writing is that it has to be fun. She has to enjoy the creative process.

"These days, I write where my heart takes me, and if it ever starts to not be fun again, that’s the day I’ll walk away, knowing I've done my best and proud of the books on my shelf that bear my name," she wrote as a guest blogger in Adventures in YA Publishing (which, by the way, is one of my favorite websites for writers).

Unless you enjoy believing the weight of the world is on your shoulders as you painfully create your masterpiece to share with millions of readers, then maybe it's time to move on to something that you truly enjoy. Life is too short to dwell on pursuits that aren't satisfying or make us unhappy.

Being a writer can be unpleasant because it often involves solitude during the creative process, finding the time to write, and dealing with criticism and rejection. I'm sure we could come with a sizable list of things to add to the writer's woes.

And "fun" for a writer probably isn't something most folks would consider a barrel of laughs, such as finding just the right words to express a thought, making dialogue ring true, vividly describe settings, creating characters that come to life, and in the end, putting all the pieces (and much more) together to make a story.

I still enjoy doing those "fun" things. It's my creative escape from the everyday world that can be mundane, stifling, and oppressive.

Like Beth Fantaskey, I'll move on to other things when writing stops being fun.

Until the next time...

Writing Words of Wisdom

While reading a few blogs today I came across some words of wisdom from bestselling author Jennifer McMahon:  "Everyone’s got advice and theories; people want to pigeonhole you, put you in a genre with its own rules and conventions. I think the work comes out better when we leave all that behind; when the only thing to be true to is the writing."

Her comment came in a guest blog on the Writer's Digest website on "How to Write a Novel: 7 Tips Everyone Can Use." 

Her other words of advice are excellent, but the last one on "the only thing to be true to is the writing" is something we all must remember. For me, it's being true to myself, and letting my words emerge in the story. Being original.

That's not to mean they're aren't rules to follow when writing, such as point of view, but to let it be your story and not trying -- or pretending -- to be someone else. I can only be me, not Angelou, Hemingway, Faulkner, Grisham, King, Updike, McMahon or anyone else. 

No doubt when I am reading a novel that I'm being influenced to some extent by the words and message, but when I sit down to write, it should be true words that flow through me than artificially from trying to imitate another writer.

Until the next time... 

Story Songs: The Best Things in Life

Recently I rediscovered Mike Pinder, the former keyboardist extraordinaire (especially with the mellotron) for The Moody Blues. 

I downloaded "The Promise/Among the Stars," recordings from the mid-1970s ("The Promise") and "Among the Stars" (mid-'90s).

Pinder penned Moodies' classics such as "Melancholy Man," "(Thinking is) the Best Way (to Travel)," "Lost in a Lost World," and "A Simple Game." 

One of my favorites from the recent download is the upbeat "The Best Things in Life," a wonderful feel-good tune about the the joys in life that money can't buy.

It opens:

"Each time you see your baby smile

Each time you hear that someone is a mother to be

The best things in life are free.

"Each time you hear a waterfall

Each time you see the sunset or the fruit on a tree

The best things in life are free"

And then he sings about the special person in his life:

"The world turns around and around

The moon moves the sea

I'm thinking of you in my life

Getting closer to me"

And it closes:

"Next time you take a breath of air

Remember people everywhere will agree

The best things in life are free"

I believe most of us would agree with Pinder that the best things don't carry a price tag. 

Mike Pinder 

Pinder, who is now 72, left the Moody Blues in 1978 after their "Octave" release. The download also includes two songs by The Pinder Brothers (Michael Lee and Matt), Mike's two sons, accompanied by retired Moody co-founder Ray Thomas on the flute. 

You'll also find some ballads, uptempo songs, and three instrumentals on this two-album release that rekindles some sounds from the "core seven" Moodies' releases while showcasing Pinder's distinctive voice, musicianship, and songwriting.

"The Best Things in Life" lyrics

And a bonus by The Pinder Brothers (Dear Diane):

Until the next time...

Keeping It Clean in Young Adult Novels

Sometimes I'm a bit perplexed when critics or reviewers knock a young adult novel because the language is considered too clean. In other words, simply not realistic.

I'm certainly not naive to believe that some young adults don't have potty mouth. It's almost like an act of rebelliousness. After they mature, many of them clean up their acts. 

But I know plenty of kids who don't cuss or use language that many would consider insulting or abusive toward others. Maybe they are mature for their age.

Or maybe they have been raised in a home where the parents and other family members set an example by refraining to use questionable words. 

As an aside, Vice President Joe Biden regretted saying, "This is a BFD" at the signing of the Affordable Care Act, adding that his mother would have totally disapproved! Hey Joe, my mom would have reacted the same way.

And that can be the same in the fictional world. Not all kids cuss and talk dirty. Many, if not most, are well-mannered and considerate. 

I wouldn't expect to find questionable language in a Christian novel (or any other religious-based novel) unless it was totally relevant to the story.

And I believe some authors -- perhaps acting as de facto family members -- try to set an example for their young readers by showing that you can keep it clean when talking to others, expressing anger or happiness, or any other verbal emotion.

I've been reading reviews of some books where folks thought the language was too adult. I don't have a problem with language if it pertinent, rather than gratuitous, to the story.  

I also think that kids may hear enough foul language in their lives from music, movies and from their peers that reading a clean novel might be somewhat of an escape for them as well.

Before I wrote "Shooting Star," I told several friends that I planned to write a novel that would be clean and inspirational to young people, much like the books I read when growing up by authors I admired such as Clair Bee and John R. Tunis. I thought their novels influenced me a great deal in terms sportsmanship and how to treat others, and I considered my novel as sort of a tribute to them.



And I took the same approach with "The Bully List," even though it would have been easy throwing in a few expletives here and there because of the subject matter.

I'm not being critical of authors who have used "realistic" dialogue in their novels. Whatever works for them is what they should write.

Your thoughts?

Until the next time...






  

As Good as Your Last Shot

   One of the best lessons I ever learned from some of my photographer friends is: “You’re only as good as your last shot.”

    I try to keep that in mind when I go out and take photographs, be it of nature, family, travel, or random shots when I’m out and about. What that means to me is to try to make every click of the shutter count because that could be the last photograph.

   Now that doesn't mean every photograph I take is going to be good. I’m not a professional by any means, but I try to frame potential images in the viewfinder to get the best possible result. In other words, the initial cropping comes before I even snap a photo. 

   One of the great things about digital cameras is that you can delete those embarrassingly bad photographs before you download them on a computer. Or, if they do make it to the computer, they can be zapped into cyberspace.

   I've been fortunate to have friends who are professional photographers, mostly from news organizations. I've enjoyed listening to them talk about craft and figuring out what makes a good photograph.

  And I’m sure most, if not all, would agree that the last shot counts. And when you give it some more thought, perhaps the saying can apply to other things in our lives as well.

  Until the next time…

Spotlight on Kenny Loggins

One of the most talented singer-songwriters in rock music has to be Kenny Loggins. 

From his days as part of Loggins & Messina in the 1970s to his solo years to his collaborations with others, Loggins has accomplished quite a bit in music.

His first song to gain notice was "House on Pooh Corner," recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in the early '70s.

Then came his years with Jim Messina, the former member of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, when they formed one of the top duos with songs such as "Your Mama Don't Dance," "Thinking of You," and  "My Music." During their four-year run, they sold 16 million albums. 

After they parted ways in 1976 (but with reunion tours in 2005 and 2009), Loggins found success as a solo artist with such hits as "Whenever I Call You Friend" (a duet with Stevie Nicks) and "This Is It." 

He co-wrote "This Is It" and "What A Fool Believes" with Michael McDonald and "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Melissa Manchester. "What A Fool Believes" earned a Grammy for "Song of the Year" in 1980 and Loggins won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance the following year for "This Is It." 

And then came the memorable movie songs that Loggins penned in the 1980s including "I'm Alright" (Caddyshack), "Footloose" (Footloose), "Meet Me Halfway" (Over the Top), and "Danger Zone" (Top Gun).

Blue Sky Riders

Loggins, who is 66, still tours as a solo performer and with the Blue Sky Riders. He also is writing a children's book.

Although he has recorded 12 platinum albums and has songwriting credits for nearly all popular genres, Loggins has never been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite being eligible since 2001. Shame on you, voters!!!

Here are some of Loggins's great songs:

Until the next time...