I like metaphors. I like everything about them. Analogies and similes are cool too.

Today’s post extinguishes the notion that writer’s block is actually a thing. Every day, topics to write about are screaming at you. Writer’s block is simply a failure to pay attention to them.

Almost everything makes me think about something else. In fact, baseball and driving a car in traffic are two general areas of life rich in spiritual and practical lessons, making me think of life and my faith in new ways.

Conversely, golf and anything related to home plumbing are two areas which remind me we live in a fallen world where evil reigns.

Traffic roundabouts are filled with general life lessons, and to prove my point, I am going to use traffic intersection roundabouts to explain how best to write a book proposal. Roundabouts are placed at intersections of roads, creating confusion, chaos, and a lot of driver anxiety.

You know, just like developing a book proposal.

Regardless of your opinion of them, roundabouts are proven to dramatically reduce fatal intersection crashes, save money on traffic signals and eliminate traffic backups during peak hours.  From multiple sources, here’s how to navigate them:

• When you approach a roundabout, yield to other traffic and watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
• Look to the left (or right if you live somewhere who drives on the other side) and yield to traffic already in the circle.
• Once you see a gap in traffic, enter the circle and proceed to your exit. Look for pedestrians and make sure you stay in your lane. (In a multi-lane roundabout, choose a lane before entering)
• Choose either the left lane as you enter the roundabout or choose the right lane if you want to make a right turn.

The process is intended to make you pay attention.

Now, to book proposals. (This is just too easy)

• Be aware of traffic. When you start doing a proposal, keep in mind publishing is competitive and develop it with that in mind. Your proposal will be viewed in context with hundreds of other proposals.
• Finding comparable titles is easy. Have an idea how you compare with titles already in the market and ready yourself for the competition.
• Use some guidelines for creating a proposal. (This agency has a page of guidelines here with a substantial amount of information, so there should be little mystery.)
• “Pick a lane” is not only a term in safe driving through roundabouts, but also in effective book proposal development. If you approach a proposal with no idea where you want to go, it will be confusing and filled with anxiety. You’ll just go around and around in a circle with no end. Know who you are as a writer and what direction you want to go.

Maybe next time I’ll use whitewater rafting as a basis to write about getting published. That would be another easy post to write, except I’ve never been white-water rafting. Maybe I’ll use installing a kitchen sink instead.

I am already not looking forward to it.