Posted on

Van Gogh and Me

I recently blogged about Steve Jobs’ influence on my life. Now how about Vincent Van Gogh?

J.D. Salinger is famous for publishing four books, then disappearing for forty-some years. Can I do that? Or do I have to become famous first? Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, and that was to his brother. Hell, I could sell a hundred books to family members if that counts.

There’s a famous adage that everyone wants to have written a book, but few want to actually write it. Well I’m the opposite. I mean, sure I’d like to sell a novel, but I LOVE the writing part. Creating people and problems and scenes so vivid that you feel like you’re there with the characters—that’s my favorite part. In four years I’ve completed three novels, and my next is well underway. At this rate, I will fill my bookshelf in a couple more years. Who wants to slow down for the publishing process?

Full disclosure: Today I emailed several query letters to carefully chosen agents. I know the percentage of being chosen from a “slush pile” is about one in a million, but hey, I have 4 sons. What are the odds of that? Four of a kind is a pretty good hand. In any case, my novel Honorable Lies is complete, polished, and ready to go.

Now on to A Reasonable Price.

Posted on

The Trouble With Blogging

Do you know me? If you’ve been following along over the past year, year and a half, two years that I’ve been blogging, you probably know me better than some of my friends (can they really be called friends if they’re not reading my blogs?). I tend to reveal too much. I don’t have many secrets or evil thoughts—and the ones I do have I save for my novels (which you haven’t read yet because I’m too much like Salinger: I like to write too much to stop long enough for publication)(yep, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it). But back to my point. If you know me, then you know my trouble with blogging.

I talk too much!

Especially after my coffee, which I call Truth Serum. Which I have just drank drunk consumed.

Take for instance my last post, below, How To Write A Bad Review. It’s not a bad post, but I could have gone on for hours about how it might apply to, for instance, bosses: How to give a bad review to an employee. Or to parents: How to straighten your kids out without alienating them. Or even to friends or spouses: How to tell someone you love something they’re doing wrong and still have them walk away from your conversation knowing you love them and making them think they’re good people who can do better. But then I just stopped writing because…

When I get deep into a really good thought for a blog post, it makes me crazy that I’m not working on my novel! It’s the same with reading a good book. I want to read, but more importantly, I want to write! I know the experts say we’re supposed to blog 3x/week, but I’d usually rather spend that time writing.

Allison Scotch Winn wrote an excellent post about how she does it all: writer, blogger, mom, wife. She is whom I aspire to be. But for now, I’m going to go work on my novel which I love and can’t stop writing.

Does anyone out there feel they have found a good balance with all the activities they like to do? Please tell me your secrets!