The Shower – From an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: shower of pain]I looked up as the shower needled my I suppose lower chest would be correct though not necessarily medically or anatomically accurate (I apologize in advance to those who know what things are called for being fairly loose in my terminology — but just this once). As I say, I looked up and noticed that the mini-blind wand (see previous apology) was inside the shower as was I.

At first it seemed as though the blinds had been installed a bit too wide at the top and cut to width around the shower. Further reflection during my aqueous impalement suggested another answer for the strange inverted L shape. It appeared that the almost human-sized glass box I was in had been installed after the window and blinds already existed.

Since the bathroom was only just larger than many showers I have used in the past, perhaps originally the entire room was used for bathing with, perhaps, a drain in the center of the floor. … more … “The Shower – From an Unpublished Work”

Rewriting: Head and Heart

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: mystery author Elizabeth Spann Craig]Elizabeth Spann Craig shares an excellent outline of her method for rewriting. It’s short, but involves a lot. While writing should be done straight from the heart, rewrites and revisions will involve a bit more of the structural orderly stuff done best by other parts of your brain.

I’ll soon be doing the rewrite for the sequel to Through the Fog. Once I finish it.

Bookmark this. You’ll want it when you reach this point.

Ali Luke describes her method. Parallels and differences.

Success and Failure: 2 Ways of Doing Each

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

This was originally a post on my Business Heretics website.

[image: Business Heretics]There are two ways to succeed:

  1. things turn out the way we expected; or,
  2. they don’t, and we learn something from it

There are two ways to fail:

  1. we don’t learn the lesson from Success #2 above; or
  2. we quit before we have a chance to fail and achieve Success #2 above

Continuing the Theme of Two, here are two ways for Fail #1:

  1. we can’t find the lesson to be learned; we looked, honest, and we can’t find it; or
  2. we think Success #2 is actually failure, so we don’t even look for the lesson

If you’re doing it right, here’s how your business will look, from most frequent to least frequent:

  1. Success #2: it didn’t turn out, but we learned a lesson
  2. Success #1: it worked!
  3. Fail #1a: the lesson is impossible to discern

You’ll note that Fail #1b and Fail #2 aren’t even on the list. Eliminate Fail #2 by quitting after you’ve learned the lesson to be learned.

Eliminate Fail #1b by changing your perception of how the universe functions and realising that life is something you create, not something that happens to you.

Stopping to Speak as We Travel

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

The first week of March and the first week of April we’ll be traveling this route:

[image: Rice Lake to KC to ABQ to PHX to SAC] Click for a larger map

If you live anywhere along the way and have a group who’d like to hear my presentation Taking the Pain and Mystery Out of Becoming an Author please let me know.

We’ll be spending time in Phoenix and Sacramento, so those windows of opportunity are a bit wider.

You Need a Writing Habit

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Hey, before we start, I don’t want you to miss this opportunity because today, Friday January 31st 2014 is the last day to register free for Publishing Bones, a support site for writers. Go register at http://publishingbones.com/free-registration.

Willpower will not keep you writing. The most powerful tool to keep you writing when writing gets hard is a habit.

A writing habit is the single most important thing you can do for your writing.

[image: photo http://www.sxc.hu/photo/673861 by Maria Luisa Gutierrez http://www.sxc.hu/profile/cornnius” width=”200″ height=”263″ class=”size-full wp-image-3379] habits: they’re where it’s atHabit.

Not schedule.

Not support.

Not tools.

Not free time.

Not passion.

Not a contract.

Habit.

Here are the best books I know which explain why, and tell you how to create habits. … more … “You Need a Writing Habit”

Funds for Writers

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Hope Clark]Tom Bentley mentioned Hope Clark in a recent post. I thought I’d share his comments. Her site and newsletter are intriguing.

Hope Clark has long sent out a writing newsletter that’s been chockablock filled with writing tips, grants and other publishing opportunities for writers. I’ve subscribed for years, and am always delighted, particularly with her thoughtful editorials. She’s also a mystery novelist of some acclaim.

Ginger and the Captain – An Excerpt From an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Ginger]The following is an excerpt from an unpublished children’s story. It’s transcribed from the recording of me telling the story to our Little One. Completely unedited at this point. The illustration is a sketch by Davina Kinney, who just might illustrate the series of 30 Ginger stories I’ve written.

The first Ginger story was about Ginger the Captain’s cat. Ginger lives on a sailing ship and he belongs to the Captain of the ship.

Ginger went everywhere with the Captain of the ship. When they would stop at a port Ginger always rode with the sailors when they went into town and Ginger would always find something interesting to do. He liked meeting new cats and seeing people and looking at what was going on. He enjoyed traveling the world.

… more … “Ginger and the Captain – An Excerpt From an Unpublished Work”

A Special Arrogance for Writers

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: image http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1436210 by Billy Alexander http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ba1969″ width=”222″ height=”280″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3358]Thinking your fan base is “everyone” is the wrong kind of arrogance.

Knowing that some people won’t get you, but that your fans will be even more delighted to be insiders because of it . . . I guess that’s not arrogance, is it?

The Farm, the Wilderness, and the Beautiful City

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: The Farm, The Wilderness, And The Beautiful City]This post originally appeared on my philosophy blog.

Smart by anyone’s standards and strong by most, the young lad thought he’d find a better use for his talents than the family farm. As is often the case, he set out for the city.

Not just any city would do. He’d heard of a beautiful city whose smile would fill his soul, whose touch would inspire his dreams, whose breath would take his own away. Trusting that this ethereal place was the proper milieu for his own good judgment and drive, he set out.

Knowing the journey would be long and hard, he prepared well. He packed efficiently, found the best maps, and ate a hearty breakfast of whole grains and strong tea before stepping across his parents’ threshold.

… more … “The Farm, the Wilderness, and the Beautiful City”

You Are What You Measure

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Reading Callie’s thoughts at Steven Pressfield’s blog a while back raised some marketing questions in my head.

[image: photo http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1261292 by Miguel Saavedra http://www.sxc.hu/profile/saavem” width=”222″ height=”259″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3343]Which are you more interested in:

  • number of books sold or number of new fans?
  • number of words written or percentage of days you write something rather than nothing?
  • page views for your blog, or posts you’re proud of?

It’s good business to keep track of statistics.

It’s human nature to pay more attention to what’s easy to count instead of what’s hard to count.

It’s not always obvious that what matters to your business (you know, selling books as your own publisher?) is hard to count.

… more … “You Are What You Measure”