December 1st. The first day you can officially open your advent calendar!
Enjoy this video from the UK!
A Writer’s Hope Springs Eternal
Writers can be quietly optimistic amidst their seasons of doubt. It is that hope of success that helps make the daily slog a little easier. I reflected on hope by finding a few inspirational quotes: Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. ― Desmond Tutu Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops …
Fun Fridays – November 24, 2017
The day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. has been tagged as the biggest shopping day of the year. But yesterday was a day to remind ourselves what we should be thankful for. This brilliant video from a church in Charlotte, NC embodies that reminder. Enjoy! You may have already seen this because it went viral a couple weeks ago. I figured you wouldn’t mind watching it again.
The Curse of the Writer
Speaking from an agent's perspective...
I have more conversations with clients about their feelings of anxiety, apprehension or insecurity than almost any other topic. Almost every writer I have ever worked with as an editor or an agent severely doubts themselves at some point in the process.
Doubts occur in the midst of creation.
Doubts occur when the disappointing royalty statement …
Fun Fridays – November 17, 2017
Dance! So many different styles. For any age. For any culture. Sort of like writing isn’t it? The arts are a wonderful thing to behold. Enjoy! Wait. Is that me at the 1:31 mark? Maybe not…
Our Rapidly Changing Culture
Every year Beloit College creates a "Mindset List" which reflects the culture that the incoming Freshman class have grown up experiencing. It helps their faculty know how to relate to these incoming students. Click here for this year's Mindset List.
I download this list every year and read it with increasing wonder at the speed of our cultural changes.
The college graduating class of 2014 …
Fun Fridays – November 10, 2017
Today’s video can be seen as a visual metaphor of the writing and publishing experience. Can you tell me what is being represented?
Retail is Dead! Or is it?
You’ve read the news. This calendar year bankruptcies or total closures were announced by Toys R Us, Gymboree, Bebe, American Apparel, Guess, Rue 21, The Limited, Gander Mountain, Vitamin World, and Family Christian Stores. Sears and Kmart announced last Friday that they were closing another 63 stores in January, on top of the 358 they closed already this year. And the watchful vultures are …
Fun Fridays – November 3, 2017
With the U.S. baseball season finally complete and a new World Series champion crowned, I thought it fitting to post this story of a 99-year-old usher who works the Pittsburgh Pirates games. Think about it for a second. If he retired at the 65-year mark he has been enjoying his post-career years since 1983. I started my career in this industry in 1981 as a young college student. In other words, he …
Rumor Control
I was talking with an editor this week who asked me, "How are things going? I hear that your agency is barely making ends meet and that you've had to take on other type of work to survive."
I must admit that I was so startled by this rumor that words nearly failed me.
"Where did you hear that?" I exclaimed.
"Oh it was at a recent writers conference and folks were talking, and your name …