This fifteen year old had a dream as a young boy. To play the piano.
One problem though. He was born without hands.
The following two videos will show what he overcame:
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Happily Ever After
Some people wonder why genre readers want to read the same thing over and over. Well, they don’t read the same thing all the time, and they have expectations. A primary expectation? A Happily Ever After ending. If you enjoy perusing book reviews on Amazon, you’ll find that many readers (primarily outside of genres, though genre fiction can have the first three faults as well), express similar …
A Good End
So, you’ve read the wondrous first lines of a book, been immersed in the journey through the rest of the pages, been enchanted and challenged, terrified and uplifted, educated and enlightened. And then it comes. The ending. The final words on the page to sum up all that you’ve read and experienced to this point. And these words, if chosen with wisdom and care, will echo through you, reminding you …
Should I Still Have a Website?
Lately, I have read a number of articles and had a number of conversations addressing the importance or unimportance of author websites. Since social media sites are supposed to be the magic marketing-potion for every author, stodgy old websites seem to be the domain only of out-of-touch sluggards. You probably have an inkling where I stand on the issue. Should an author have a website? Yes. If …
There is Power in Possibility
The publishing industry can be a challenge for someone with artistic sensibilities. The psyche can be worn down by disappointment, bad reviews, poor sales, and rejection by agents and editors. To be resilient in the face of such disillusion is a quality to be desired. I found this quote from Søren Kierkegaard (Danish philosopher and theologian 1813-1855) in his book Either/Or: “If I were to wish …
Fun Fridays – May 6, 2016
Watch this performance by a twelve year old girl. Brilliant! I felt like giving it my own standing ovation.
Variety Is the Spice of Characters
Recently I read a general market novel where I noticed that the characters sounded the same in a way. For example, for earning money, two disparate characters said, “made scratch.” The phrase jumped out at me the first time because it’s one I simply don’t use. So when a second character used the same expression, my mind wandered out of the story and into thinking about the expression. The book …
First Lines For All!
Last week we considered some powerful first lines that we’ve read. And, as promised, here are the books they’re from: “This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.” The Princess Bride, William Goldman “It’s Nathan’s fault I became God.” The God Game, Andrew Greely “I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at …
It’s Never One Thing
Somewhat of a follow-up to last week’s post on the future being a complex mix of everything rather than one magic solution, today we will focus on authors and what it takes to make a successful writing career. Like everything else in life, it is never one thing. Success is always a result of a variety of things that came together to make it work. The same is true for something considered …
A Few Misused Words and Phrases
Three years ago Karen wrote about some “Misused Words and Phrases” but today I thought I’d add to her great list with some that I’ve found troublesome when discovered in a proposal or a book. Penultimate This is carelessly used to mean “the best” or “the greatest.” Penultimate means next to the last in a series or sequence. Not the best of the best. …