Friends and Relatives

Around whom do we seek to be? How does that influence our abilities as a writer?

Recently I’ve gone out more. I’ve noticed that the people I go out with, whatever the group is, are all very similar to each other. Yesterday at a luncheon I attended, I felt like I could exchange anyone else in the room for my table members and have the exact same experience.

I do believe writers are people watchers. One suggestion made by a writing teacher long ago was to go to the mall, sit on a bench in the middle of the mall and watch the people go by. Then play the “what if” game in your head. Why is that couple arguing? Did one of them cheat on the other one or did one of them want to buy something the other one objected to? What if the argument was about something else? What could it be? How about that smartly dressed woman clicking her heels rapidly as she almost races across the mall. What is her hurry? What’s her story?

We tend to watch those who are different from us. Somehow it helps us reassure ourselves that although they may not be ok, we are. Or it might give us goals. Many children I taught, when I was teaching, had the goal of growing up to become professional sports players. It didn’t matter that others would point out how few children actually reach that goal. Those children were sure they would. (I’m afraid I exploited that goal by telling them they needed to learn to read so they could read and understand the contract they’d need to sign (so also they needed to learn to write).

Yesterday I thought about all the friends, relatives, and strangers I have known or met over the years. The memorable ones were the most colorful ones.

My mother ran a rooming house. Although I didn’t really like the parade of strangers who would stay in the upstairs part of our home, I did meet many different kinds of people, or hear about them from my step-father, as folks moved in and out. One stayed for a couple years. Others were usually just there while the job they came to town to do lasted. I would say my two favorites were two Native Americans who had strong family ties and went home every weekend. They often brought back stories that I loved to hear. My mother trusted those two and even let them use the kitchen. For most of the rest, the door to our part of the house stayed locked. But there again, it proves we seek out those like us. There is Native American heritage in my family.

I’m not suggesting you run out and befriend a murderer so you can write about one better. Criminals are very guarded with their true feelings and thoughts. But you can certainly think about how the couple arguing in the mall might have been doing so over an item one of them considered shoplifting. What was it? What would have happened if they’d been caught? Or if they hadn’t been caught?

I tried to play the “what if” game at the luncheon yesterday (in my head), but I always came up with the same story.

 

 

Now There’s Two of Them

I had started filling in the formatted form for my poetry book on Createspace. I thought I had almost finished getting all the poems in. It’s a chapbook, so it’s not too long.

My middle son came by for Mother’s Day. He sat at my computer and I had the poetry book minimized. He clicked on it and was reading my poems when I came in. He was very interested in the book. I told him I need a sketch of a tombstone and he said he could do that. (He didn’t do it yet.) But then he asked if I’d thought about using some of the pet photographs that I’ve taken over the years? He thought it would make the book more interesting. He added 2 or 3 of them for me. They did look nice.

After he left, I tried to work on my pet poetry book again. I do not understand how to put the rest of the poems in the book like I was doing. I don’t know if he changed something or if the pictures changed something or what. I ended up starting a new pet poetry formatted book and adding my poems again. I had a question about how I did something at the beginning of the format, so I tried inserting a chapter from my “Blindman” book into a different formatted book. That showed me what I was doing wrong.

Then I decided I could not add all those poems again in one sitting, so I am pacing myself. I add five pages to the poetry book daily and one chapter to the Blindman book. Now I am working on two books at once.

I have most of the books I’ve worked on for years finished. I think when I get one of these – and it will probably be the poetry book, since it’s the shortest – published, that I was start one of the other ones and always work on setting up two books at the same time.

I think I’ve mentioned my mind skips around like a grasshopper sometimes . . . maybe “jumps around” is a better statement. Moving between two books works better for me for now.

When one of them is published, I’ll let you know. I plan to use Createspace on Amazon.com. I’ve studied it for years and it fits how I want to publish the best of any self-publishing company I’ve considered.

I’ve had a couple people – one an author friend, who is published, and one a Creative Writing teacher at a university – tell me I need to find an agent. That seems easier said than done. I’ve approached a couple agents and been rejected, and if they want a percentage of my earnings, they need to at least accept me as a client. But since I can’t find one easily, I’ll try self-publishing and see where that leads.

Followers

I am beginning to get more followers for my blogs and I don’t know what to do about it. I definitely notice when an email appears telling me someone liked a blog or someone is now following my blog.

What is the etiquette for blogs? Do I acknowledge each new follower and thank them? I always try to respond to comments. Should I respond with a “Thank you for following my blog” as well?

What do other bloggers do? Do you thank others for liking your blog?

I know the comments and the likes and the followers warm my heart. Should I mention that?

I appreciate each and every reader. For anyone reading this, I thank you.

Pet Poetry Book

I have all the poems uploaded to the Createspace Formatted Manuscript in Microsoft. Now I need to “clean up” the pages and make sure the Table of Contents and all other inside pages are accurate.

Next, I think I design the cover and hopefully after that I can publish the book.

The thing I like about Createspace is they print on demand, which means I don’t have to print out a bunch of them and try to sell them myself. They’ll be listed on Amazon.com’s website.

Today my 17 year old dog is sick and I’m taking her to the vet this morning. Hopefully I’ll work on my poetry book some more today. It’s time consuming, but if I get this one completed, I have 3 or 4 more books written that I also plan to publish on Createspace.

It looks like Createspace gives you a website . . . an Author Page . . . to display your publications. I guess they’ll do that when this first book is published? I’ll let you know.