She Thinks She's a Chicken

Poor little thing. I have this parakeet. Actually, my son has this parakeet. She lives in a small cage and squawks frequently. She also eats butter cookies, bananas, mango, glazed donuts (a bit not the whole thing) and she lays eggs. It's true. The bird lays a fresh egg every time I remove the old one. Adam has counted twenty so far. It's really pretty pathetic if you think about it. I mean it's not like the eggs are viable or anything. But she is so proud. She goes to the bottom of the cage and lays it and then climbs back up and tells me all about it. She's so proud. And then she scurries back down, tucks the little white egg close to her breast and sits there keeping it warm. Makes you want to cry doesn't it? So I remove the empty egg and wait for the next. Maybe it's the mango, all those B Vitamins. Writing is like that sometimes. But we keep going because our nature won't let us do anything else. What's in your egg?

A Confession

I like American Idle. At first I thought I was weird but when Rachelle Gardner started saying similar things I felt exonerated in my weirdness. As she says, AI is a metaphor for what writers go through. I see so many parallels between the AI process and the road to publication. But the other thing I appreciate is the critiques themselves. Okay, some times it sounds harsh but let's face it, necessary. I enjoy being involved in critique groups but often stumble at giving sound criticism because I truly do not want to hurt anyone. But AI has taught me how to say things in a way that is honest. When Randy tells a contestant that he's "Just not feeling it." I understand.  As writers it is our responsibility to make the reader feel the story. When Simon says, "It's cliched." I understand. I'm not referring exclusively to word choices but to the whole persona of a written piece. Some times the whole story can feel cliched. While it is true that there really is nothing new under the sun there are many, many ways to tell a story so that it won't sound like a cliche. When Paula tells a singer that they haven't worked hard enough and that it takes lots of blood, sweat and tears to make in in the music industry. I understand. Writing is hard. Becoming successful at it is even harder. But hang on to this--great things come from suffering and struggle. I'm convinced that the best writers are the ones that struggle. And when one of the judges sends a hopeful on to the next round I understand. The next round is simply that--the next round. I equate it with getting past the acquisitions editor and onto the editorial board. You still have a ways to go. I don't sing--you wouldn't want me to--trust me--but every so often when one of those young people auditioning sings, I see and hear what the judges d0--a voice with potential. That's what I look for in a writer--voice, song, potential. Talent comes in many varieties but it is all art and, as one of the judges said last night, either you're born with it or not. So here's to AI and all the hopefuls. Here's to all the new writers--may you find your voice.

Glad Tidings for The New Year

Um. Ever wonder what exactly Tidings are? I thought I knew, being the literary type and all. But I was wrong. I thought tidings were simply greetings. You know as in, "Glad Tidings for the new year." Which my brain translated as, "Happy greetings to you in this new year." Wrong! Tidings are way more than greetings. Here's the scoop: the definition of tidings: news; information, dispatches, communication. Um. It all sounds so official and Tom Clancy like.  I think when we wish someone glad tidings we are actually asking them, "Hey what's the good news, or bad news as the case may be. Or, "Have you  any juicy rumors for the new year?" Or, "I'm glad to see you back from your latest spy mission (you know who your are). What information have you brought about Moose and Squirrel?" Oh, and you can never have one tiding, otherwise you are asking someone to have a happy alternate rising and falling of the sea. You get the notion. I say all of this to say: I have glad tidings for this new year. My first novel, The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, will be releasing from Abingdon Press this fall. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. That's the cover over there on the right. Pretty sweet, huh. So please keep an eye out for it and buy a copy or six and tell your friends. I'll be posting more about my long and treacherous road to publication over the coming months along with other stuff. So stay tuned, do good and avoid the radar my friends.