The Winner IS...

I was right, this was a hard one to call. I read and reread the comments a number of times. I thought about them and came to the conclusion that all of the comments are worthy of winning. Unfortunately I have to pick one. Let's take a look at some of the comments. To start I must say that Small Footprints gave the best answer for what thanksgiving meant with this description:

"We come together, appreciating each other and the bonds we've created. We enjoy a meal ... the bounty of the year's harvest which the earth provided. And ... we take stock in our lives and recognize all the "good" that is there. It's a day that reminds us to be grateful, not just on the last Thursday in November, but for all the other 364 days of the year."


Many, like the following comment is the sentiment of many in our nation today:

"I am thankful that my husband goes to work every day."


These are excellent examples of being thankful and why we are thankful but one comment wins the prize. I selected this comment because of one statement. This statement captured the essence of thanksgiving and the reason we celebrate the holiday. I think you will agree after reading it:

"My heart is so full on this Thanksgiving that I hardly know how to express it."


Being so blessed, recognizing those blessings and being so moved that you can't express it is truly a remarkable thing to behold.

Congratulations Michelle McLean! You have won the New Author Thanksgiving contest!!

I thank all of you for entering and have no fear, I have another contest planned for the Christmas holiday so stayed tuned.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

Last year I wrote an article about the joys and memories of past Thanksgivings. Not this year, this year has been too good to overlook. My family has been blessed tremendously the past eleven months. I look back at what was accomplished and it is impressive.

What am I thankful for this year? The list is long but the ability to purchase our house, witnessing my son get saved, finishing my first novel and getting it to a publisher, and having one of my poems published would be at the top of the list. There are others but those stick out.

What does Thanksgiving mean to me? Thanksgiving provides a time to reflect on the year and acknowledge both the good and bad that has impacted our life. Yes, I said good and bad because when we journey through both, we come out stronger, happier and more appreciative of the things around us. The current economic situation is a perfect example of this. We see on the news every day the negative impact this economy is having on the country but what of the positives? Through this tough time families are playing more board games, eating at the kitchen table and enjoying the company of loved ones. Sound familiar? This tough time has caused us to reflect on what is really important to us and hold those things close. For that I am thankful.

Now it's your turn. What are you thankful for this year and what does Thanksgiving mean to you? 

To sweeten the pot I'm making things interesting, I have a $20.00 gift card to Amazon.com for the person who leaves the best answer for the above question. I will be taking only one comment per person and I will pick the winner on Friday.

My Guest Blog Is Up!

I dodged a bullet today because my guest article was posted while I worked to get things done here. As you may have noticed the New Author is a little under the weather right now. Don't worry though, I'm in the process of finding the cure to the problem and hope to have it fixed soon.

With that said, lets head over to Writerhood and have a read of my guest article. It might just bring back some fogotten memories of an exciting time. Have fun.

Meeting a Stranger

Before I get to today's article I wanted to share with you that soon a guest article prepared by me will be posted on a blog operated by a fellow member of the New Author community. More details about this will be coming soon.

Have you ever met a stranger? Most of the time when we meet a stranger we're polite and keep going about our business; but there are those very rare moments when a connection is made. That recently happened to me. Has it happened to you? It was very strange how it came about; she started out as a no name waitress, just someone to add to my victims list. Then a crazy thing happened, she took over the scene, picked out her name and flashed her entire story in my head. To top it all off she even showed me how she would impact my previously outlined story and the change she would have on one of the other characters. How dare her come in and mess with my project.

Yes, I'm talking about my second novel. I recently eclipsed the 10,000 word mark but it was around the 9,000 mark when my story was invaded by this character. It was so fascinating to watch the scene and her character start to develop. Am I mad about her intrusion? Not at all, to be honest I'm thankful she did. Even though I have a good start on this project it has not been smooth sailing, in fact it has been pretty rough with lots of bumps in the road. I was having real problems getting the ball rolling. That all changed after this new character appeared. Maybe it's because I didn't plan for this character or that I don't really know where the story will go now that she has been added. What I can say is that a she added the grease to the wheels and now things are rolling again.

If you have ever experienced this you can probably agree with what I'm saying. If you haven't, don't hesitate to see where a scene might lead. The scene in my book contained a waitress who in turned stole the show.
Yet another reason to really enjoy writing.

They Are What We Teach

Before I begin I want all the teachers in the public school system to know that I mean no offense with this article. What you do is needed, appreciated and important.

Last night at the Cub Scout meeting my eyes were opened to a shocking revelation that really made me think about the world we live in and the generation coming up to run it. One of the requirements for the boys to gain their wolf patch is to learn how to fold the United States flag properly. Being one of two Cub Scout leaders for this pack we decided to have them learn last night. Everything was going very well until we discovered the boys had no idea what the flag really meant. Sure, they have seen it and know that it is our flag but beyond that they were utterly clueless. This surprised, shocked and saddened me. Granted, these boys are in second grade but to have no knowledge of the flag, the Revolutionary War, or the freedoms that flag represents is a little disturbing in my opinion. It was simply amazing to see their jaws drop to the table when we told them about the war and what it meant to win it. How, because of the sacrifice made to obtain that flag, we have freedoms that people in other countries today don't have.

My questions are: if children are not taught about the history of this nation how will they know the meaning of being an American? What will they have pride in? More importantly, will they repeat history because they don't know it?

Just this morning I heard my son talking to his mom, after being asked he informed her that he didn't know what Thanksgiving meant other then eating a lot of food and getting out of school. He may know who Columbus is but I'm not sure. This is simply amazing to me. How can children of today not know about Thanksgiving? I wonder if these things are being taught in other parts of the country. I bet there are things not being taught in other countries around the world that have their citizens wondering why.

What does this have to do with writing? What are the chances that children in grade school, middle and high school are reading the classics or having the classic children's books read to them when the school systems omit lessons about the country and how holidays came into being? I remember in grade school listening to the teacher read the classic fairy tales with their morals at the end. Then in middle and high school we read William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway. As far as I can tell that doesn't happen anymore. I really don't know what they read now.

In my opinion this is having an impact on the quality of books being read by teenagers and those about to become teenagers and possibly those in their early twenty's. Is it possible that a connection exist between the quality of books and the lack of exposure to our school students? If you don't know the history of a country why would you read some of its most prolific writers? If you don't know the history of literature why would you read books written by the greats? Who knows, our children may think that the popular titles of today are examples of high quality writing because they were never exposed to the classics.

In the end, when the dust settles, I believe it is up to use to educate our children and children around us about the things omitted from the school system. Read the classics to them, tell them the stories of history, holidays and how life was when we were little. The one thing I know for sure is that they want to learn. Once you get their attention they are like a sponge and your knowledge is water.

Yes, this post is more of a rant and at times it could be a stretch but think about it and draw your own conclusions. Look at what kids are learning today and, more importantly, what they're not learning and judge for yourself. Take note of what kids are reading today and wonder if they know who else is out there.

Three Words We Want To Hear

One of the tips we always hear when writing is to keep our sentences sharp and concise, eliminate all the unnecessary words and get to the point. Well, this post will do just that. What are the three words we all want to hear as writers? I know you know the answer to this one.

Last night, after I posted my article, I was blown away with some really good news. It was really hard not to come on here and write about it but I promised to wait until today. Patience is indeed a virtue that's hard to hold on to. Anyway, about a month and a half ago I was talking with the owner of the magazine Dream Chaser's which focuses on the arts, writing, and the publishing world. After a few conversations and checking out their website I decided to submit a poem I wrote based on a photo. I received confirmation that they did get my submission but nothing else after that. Everything changed last night when I was chatting with a friend and I found out I had a full page spread in the November issue of Dream Chaser's magazine. There it was, in messenger, the three words an author loves to see - YOU ARE PUBLISHED.

I couldn't believe it! I flew to the website and clicked on the issue for a preview and there it was, my name in the table of contents. After a few more clicks I came to the page with my poem and my name in large print across the top. The feeling of being published is amazing and it drives me even harder to get my books published. I can only imagine what it feels like to have a book published.

I invite you all to check it out by following this link: http://magcloud.com/browse/Issue/41778
If you are interested you can also purchase the magazine through the link.

A War Story

Today is Veteran's Day and I hope everyone (in the States) took a moment to thank a member of our armed forces. As we have seen through the restrictions of both Twitter and Blogger in other countries this year, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Veteran's Day always reminds me of the opportunity I had a few years back. I was a contractor working at Camp Lejuene Marine Corps Base in North Carolina. It just so happens that one week while I was there the 82nd Airborne unit from World War II was having a reunion. I was fortunate enough to run in to these gentlemen at the nearby sports bar and grill. Knowing they served from the banner on the wall I offered to buy them a drink (which turned into many but that's another story) and in return they shared their stories and memories from the war.

Many people would think that these gentlemen in their late 70's early 80's, I believe, would be withdrawn or despondent when talking about such a horrible time in our history but you would be mistaken. Their shoulders squared up, a fire lit in their eyes and proud, passionate words poured from their mouth. If only I could write with the passion and feeling in which they spoke. I asked questions between their stories and they held nothing back which made the experience even more vivid. The atmosphere in the room changed from these men.

They stormed beaches under heavy fire and they were outnumbered by the enemy most of the time but what impressed me the most was their sheer will to survive no matter what. I asked them how they could move through the ocean water under enemy fire. I figured they would be too scared to move at all. Their response was simple, they knew safety was on the beach and not until then did they truly know fear. They refused to focus on anything else...just the beach and the safety it offered. They saw their friends killed in action and they took whatever measure necessary to defend their position but the persevered, got the job done and came home safely. If only I got capture in writing what they experienced in life.

These men of WWII left a lasting impression on me. I owe to them more then the freedom of this country. I owe them for the lesson and example of pride, that will to survive and keep moving forward, to persevere no matter what the odds. To them and the many others I say thank you.

Politically Incorrect

I was surprised today as I monitored the Internet. A subject popped up a number of times and it is one I believe many shy away from. Maybe today is the day to tackle such a topic and see how it goes. Allow me to start with a question - must we be politically correct when writing?

In this day and age it seems to be very easy to offend a person or group. Is it possible that a novel can suffer from being politically incorrect? In regards to my writing this is the first time I have even considered this aspect of the world we live in but it is a topic that everyone will eventually have to deal with. I believe that being politically incorrect is different from the boundaries we set for our writing. In my opinion the vast majority of us will not write about subjects such as: animal cruelty, child abuse, pedophilia, highly explicit sex, or over the top gore to name a few.

This case of being politically correct is a little more subtle and oftentimes will sneak up on us. For example, we are all familiar with the book 'Roots.' We know this book is set during the era of slavery and includes many (if not all) the atrocities that took place during that time. The great thing about 'Roots' is the realism within the novel. The author included the dialog of the time; the slang used then and depicted the treatment of not only African Americans but also women during that time period. It is safe to say that the majority of the book would be considered politically incorrect. With that said, would an author be able to write a book similar to 'Roots' in this age and be true to the setting, time period and, more importantly, the dialog? Most likely a book like that would be labeled controversial but if it is strongly written that may actually help it fly off the book shelves.

I truly believe that if writers and authors were actually worried about political correctness then many books would not be written. We cannot hold ourselves to what society thinks we should say or how we should say it because that would simply cut us off from the deep pool of ideas, directions, and words. Yes, some words are not exactly appropriate; however, depending on the story there may be a use for them. The great thing about writing is that we must keep our minds wide open to every possible scenario. We must hold true to the time period and setting in which we base our stories no matter if we disagree with how a group is treated. Are we able to do that? Can we write a story that has the woman barefoot in the kitchen and taking care of babies while the man works, drinks and does what he wants like the status quo back in the 40's, 50's, and 60's?

Sometimes the human condition can really throw us a curve ball. Life is not fair and sometimes neither is our writing but we must get through it and we must be prepared to handle what the story brings our way. Keep writing from your heart and write what you believe you can because what is politically correct today may not be so tomorrow but the words you put on the page will last for a lifetime.

Writing Without Words

The creative juices were flowing last night! This has been one heck of a week for writing, first I struggle to get even a thousand words on paper and last night the story ideas, plot development and introduction of new characters hit me like a mental tsunami. My mind was working so fast I could not actually write but instead had to take notes as fast as I could just to keep up. It was amazing and it lasted for maybe thirty minutes.

When I was done I went back and read all those thoughts and ideas again, where did it come from I remember thinking. From those notes my novel took on a different dimension, it was elevated to a new level. After my read through the most entertaining part of writing began...brainstorming. In my opinion this is when we, as writers, are kids again because  our imagination can go crazy while we brainstorm an idea or topic.

Where did my brainstorming lead? Straight to a place I did not expect, thats where. While brainstorming these ideas I could see tentacles, in my mind, grow from the notes and attach to the ideas I previously generated before I started writing. The brainstorming and thoughts fleshed out certain parts of the story so well all I could do was stare and wonder.

What is truly interesting about this whole experience is it started with one question. I had one small, but important, aspect of the story to develop and from there my mind took off like a rocket. I think what really gave it full to cook was the idea that I wanted something unique for this aspect. It started simply with a thought that was generic and, to be honest, very cliché but after asking "what can I do to put a twist on this and make it original" then everything moved at the speed of light.

What's the point in all of this? For one, you can write without words as long as you are moving your project forward. The more you develop with thoughts, ideas and notes the easier it will be to sit down and really write freely. The other thing that I thought was really inspiring was the fact that one little thought or question could build so quickly into a torrent of notes and completely flesh out story lines with characters included. This truly is the perfect example of a snowflake building to an avalanche.

Have you ever completed a novel only to start a new one that is completely different in every way? That is the move I'm making from novel one to novel two. It's almost like learning to ride a bike all over again. The main difference between the two is research and brainstorming. The first novel developed for years in my head so when it came time to write that's exactly what I did. This second novel is based on a topic I have always been interested in and have a passion to write about but it has not had the time to develop as thoroughly. To top it off I plan to use facts found during my research to give it just enough truth to make the reader wonder.

To be honest, I enjoy researching and brainstorming more then allowing the story to slowly develop on its own. The opportunity to write and learn at the same time is a great feeling and one I hope to experience many times over.

Vision for the future

I received an e-mail today from Sarah over at the Fresh Air Fund about a new partnership they have established with Onesight. The Fresh Air Fund is an organization that helps children from low income families do something most of us take for granted...enjoy a summer vacation. I support this group by having their button on the New Author for followers and visitors to click over and donate. I believe children have the right and deserve the opportunity to be kids and make fun memories.

As I looked into this partnership between the Fresh Air Fund and Onesight I discovered some interesting facts. Here are a few:

One out of four school children in the U.S. has vision problems, and 86% do not get their vision checked before age 12.


This summer at Fresh Air camp, OneSight's staff screened 3,295 children and counselors, gave 1,757 eye exams, and made 1,629 pairs of glasses, with 1,458 of them on-site and 171 specially driven in. The team stayed at Camp Hayden-Marks for two camp sessions, to make sure every child who needed the gift of sight was screened.


Although you might think some children would be reluctant to be prescribed glasses, most of them are delighted. They've been missing out on the world around them for too long. (Being able to pick out their own frames helps, too.)


One out of every four school children in the United States has vision problems! How is that possible? This is just one group and look at the number of children they helped with the gift of sight. What does that say for the millions of children who are out there with no one to help them? As you can see from the last fact I included, these children love that they can now see the world around them better and are able to learn more at school.

Why is this so important? I can't write enough reasons why this is important. We are talking about the next generation of the American work force. These are the readers of tomorrow and it would be a real shame if they were neglected the opportunity to read books. Who knows, the next great writer could be born from this act of kindness and gift of better vision.

I encourage all of you to click over to their sites and read about all the things they do for children. These are regional groups but who knows - maybe, with our help, they will extend their reach to a national level. Just think of the millions of children that could one day read what they want and write with their passion.

Never thought a pair of glasses could have such an impact on someone did you?

The Path to Balance

It could be the weather, it could be the time change, it could even be all the thoughts rolling around in my head colliding into nothingness - I don't really know what it is. I do know that I haven't felt very inspired lately when it comes to writing. Yes, that is a serious statement and not one I thought I would make but there it is.

Last night I sat down to write, about half way through I just knew it would be easier to pull teeth out of an alligator then to reach my goal of two thousand words. I regret to say that I only made it to about twelve hundred words when I shut down the computer for the night. Amazingly enough, I was drained! I mean I felt rung out like a wash clothe after the shower was done.

As I sit here in front of this computer today to work I thought about what I would post for the New Author community. Even now, as I write this article I have no clue where I'm going with it. The great thing about blogging is the opportunity it gives you to think about multiple topics even while writing. For example, I truly struggled with my writing last night but I still enjoyed it very much and felt productive; however, on the flip side of this coin I simply could not find it in me to really hang out on Twitter, Facebook or any of those social networking sites. We know these things are important as we need to develop our platforms and continue to increase our presence but the more I did spend time on these sites today the less productive I felt. Please don't get me wrong, I really enjoy meeting new people on these sites and talking with my peers and friends, it's just that something felt missing today. You know what I mean?

The further I journey down the path to publishing the more I realize that this is not a path at all but instead a set of scales. I believe each person has different things on each side of their scales at different times during their journey and sometimes we have more then one thing on each side. What's on my scale? Right now I feel like I have more then one scale (which is probably not a good thing). On one side of my scale I have writing my second novel, running the New Author, and spending time with my family. The other side consists of my job, building my platform, and running my business. There are other things in my life but this is an example of the big ones.

At first look it would seem that I am balanced but the tricky part is this - for these scales time is weight. The items that take more of your time are the heaviest on the scales. With that in mind I think it is obvious which side of the scale has the most weight. Are your scales out of balance? Are you way to heavy on one side or are you balanced?

How do you get balanced? We need to prioritize. A platform is great but it is your writing that will land that agent or publisher. It is your writing that will draw attention in due time. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap (as I think I have) of spending more time building a platform then writing a novel. Some of you may not have this problem but maybe, instead of working social networks, there is something else taking a large chunk of your time. We must work, unless we win the lottery, so that item is always opposite writing. This is perhaps the hardest aspect of writing and there isn't a foolproof answer. We each have unique situations and therefore we must strike our own balance.

Is your scale out of balance?