Now, if I couldn’t get my work done, I don’t get paid overtime, but the fine women and men of our esteemed legislature do. They threatened to cut funding to Human Services by 50% at a time when people need us most. It is still unresolved as of today. So I have been staging marches and protests, gathering signatures, and rallying the troops to make sure we are heard.

On top of that we moved our main office which has been in the same location for the last 23 years. To say that it was a monumental undertaking, would be an understatement. But, we were able to get it all done.

Needless to say, I have had very little time to focus on my writing.

However, it is life’s events that give my writing meaning. It is the need to describe these things I see, feel, hear, taste, and smell through writing that makes it so………….. exciting. Not only can I share the experience with the reader, but maybe, just maybe, it will inspire the reader to have his or her own experiences.

I remember when I was young reading about faraway places and people doing remarkable things. We never traveled far from home, never more than a days drive and an overnight stay. One place I read about was Yellowstone National Park in an old National Geographics Magazine my Da picked up at one of the local flea markets. I read every word and stared at the pictures in wonderment. Of course, there aren’t any mountains in Illinois. I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to go there.

It wasn’t until many years later, when I was 27 that I finally got my wish. It was my first trip outside the Midwest. I wish I could describe to you what it felt like to lay eyes on mountains for the very first time, but I don’t have the words. All that I can tell you is that it was a joyful feeling, but so much more than that.

The destination was Yellowstone National Park. Everything I saw in that magazine so many years ago paled in comparison to the real thing. My favorite place was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The brilliant shear golden canyon walls touched with warm oranges and reds, took my breath away. At the bottom of the valley was the river contrasting beautifully with it’s blues, greens, and frothy white rapids. The waterfalls with their deafening roars reminded me of just how small I am in comparison.

Would I have ever journeyed to Yellowstone had I not read that article? Would it have meant as much to me? Would I have taken that journey? Would I have been simply content to read about it and not experience it for myself? Anyone who knows me, knows better.

I think that is one of many reasons why I write. I want to take people on a journey to places here on earth, in another world, or sometimes within themselves.

Rambles are random thoughts. I start with one thing and end up with a totally unrelated topic, or what appears to unrelated.

Rambles may seem to serve no purpose, but they do. There is no need to impose structure, no point that must be made. It is pure unadulterated explosion of thought and emotion. I think it is necessary for the creative process. The most brilliant ideas come from the most unstructured and unconvential means. It is taking that leap not knowing where you may land.

I have this driving need, a compulsion, if you will, to constantly push the envelope of thoughts and ideas. I like presenting old wisdoms in new ways, and challenging people to dare greatly. I see an injustice and I have to do something about it. I can’t just walk by and decide that it is not my problem. Apathy is not an option. Everyone is changing the world, they just don’t realize it. I like to change it on purpose.

For me, I choose to write. It is my hope that my words will have a positive impact, that my writing will serve as a catalyst for people to dare greatly.

I am not special. I grew up in very humble beginnings. If I can change the world in my own small way, what can others do who had more than I? The potential is mindboggling. But it is unrealized potential so long as the person is unwilling to take that leap into the unknown.

My writing is like a flowing river taking you on a journey to the unknown. Sometimes it hits rough waters, and sometimes it is a gently flowing stream. Eventually you will arrive at the end into the beautifully vast ocean of possibilities.

So what will you do? Remain in that cold gray place that knows neither victory or defeat? Or will you dare greatly? That’s from Teddy by the way. Words to live by, my friends.

I have expressed before how helpful this group has been to me. It was no different this time. Of course, reading your work is so nervewracking. I’m not sure if I will every get used to it. I’m nervous up until I hear people scratching away for more than two minutes after I’ve uttered the last word. If they are doing that then I know there are going to be some very good comments. Then I relax. Somewhat.

The comments were varied and appreciated. One person apologized for being nitpicky, but it was exactly what I wanted. Formatting has also been challenging to me. How to I properly format my work so that the Reader understands what is happening? Also some very good suggestions.

The group has a very balanced approach to critiquing. They let you know what they like and what they don’t like. There is always a suggestion for making it better. I also like when they ask questions about the characters motivations. Then I can debate whether it is appropriate to reveal that particular piece of information now or allow it to be revealed later. Revealing too much upfront is not good either.

As hard as it can be to hear a critique of my work, I try to absorb what they are saying, take copious notes, and clarify what I don’t understand. Then I go home. I set it aside for a few days and then I take a look at the comments and my notes. I decide what requires immediate change. These are things that absolutely without a doubt should be changed. This usually includes, grammer, punctuation, formatting and general word usage.

Then I analyze the more complex suggestions and decide if this is something I want to change or not. Only I know the overall arc of my book. If the suggestion moves the story forward in a satisfactory way and still leaves the Reader intrigued, then I take the suggestion. If not, then I leave it. That is not to say that it was a bad suggestion. It just wasn’t what I had envisioned for the story.

The best piece of advice that I received is making sure that I’m not too inside the head of the character. I need to be more demonstrative of the concepts and not staying in the realm of concept. Does that make sense? It makes sense to me.

I’ll give you an example. (I’m demonstrating what I learned.) “Felana was always aware of the passage of time and what she had not accomplished. She rarely looked back at what they had done, but rather what they had not done.” Now, here would be a fine opportunity to demonstrate this concept. I could go down a list of tasks instead. It could read something like this. “Finally, I finished cleaning the fish. She sighed. But then I haven’t even touched the clothes that need washed, or the roots that need chopped, or the firewood that needs gathering. There simply isn’t enough time to get it all done in one day. She thought in exasperation.” It still needs more work, but now you are picturing all the things she hasn’t gotten done. Much better than the first sentence, don’t you think?

Critiques are not something to fear. Having a supportive writing group helps tremendously. It doesn’t help me if everyone says how great the writing is. I am suspicious of that. I always think there is room to improve. Well placed praise and honest critique help to push you to the next level. I think that’s why I love it so much. It’s a journey. And I’m all about the journey.

My first book, “Echoes of the Gidat”, is not perfect. Far from it. If you remember, I hadn’t intended to publish it at first. So I did not take the care required to edit as I went. Going back and trying to edit something after so long is a very daunting task. Writing something is far different than editing. Editing requires an entirely different mindset. You have to look at the work as a reader and not as a writer.

As I’m working on my second book, I have the support of an excellent writing group. At any given time I have fifteen pairs of eyes looking over a section of my book at a time. I make the necessary corrections and my work is the better for it. I am much too close to my work to ever be objective enough to edit it. Consequently, my second book is much more polished than my first.

I highly recommend that you join a writing group. The input they give is always constructive. They understand what you are going through like no one else can. They will make you a better writer. And most importantly, they will give you the confidence you need to dare greatly.

I wish that I had found this group sooner. I know my first book would have been better as a result. But that’s the beauty of self publishing, I can make corrections anytime I want. So I can still fix those little errors that I missed the first thousand times I read it.

It took me a long time to allow someone to read what I had written. It started with friends and family, but very few of them are readers. So you can see how that did not work well.

Then I attended a small writing group. They met at a local Barnes and Noble Cafe. Our voices competed with the whir of expresso machines and the constant buzz of activity within the store.

Each group is different. This one focused on the mechanics of writing; dialog, atmosphere, description, narrative, etc. For example, the moderator would start with a sentence and then we were to write dialog for fifteen minutes. To an outside observer all that could be heard during this fifteen minutes were pens scratching furiously on paper. I didn’t hear any of that. I was completely immersed in whatever world I was creating. I was “there”, and it was my job to bring the reader with me.

After the alotted time, we would read what we wrote. Everytime I read, people always complemented my use of colour, the authenticity of my dialog and the thoroughness of my descriptions. I am always thinking about the five senses when I’m writing. If there is wind in my story, I want you to feel, taste, smell, hear, and see the effects of that wind. Does that make sense? (no pun intended lol)

I was skeptical at first. I thought they were being nice and that it would stop after a couple of months. It didn’t. So then I thought, “Why not try? What is the worst that can happen? And what if I succeeded?”

I had looked at traditional publishers because that was what you did. However, for a new author it is nearly impossible to be published through that channel. Most of the time they never even glance at your work. They reject it outright.

As I did more research, I found that many authors had their work changed to fit a specific formula. Traditional publishers think that if it doesn’t follow this formula, it won’t sell. I definitely didn’t want my work changed. Those are my words, if I wanted to follow a formula I would have written it that way in the first place.

They also take control of the cover art. Some of the artwork wasn’t interesting to me. It was too……. traditional. I wanted to stand out.

I tend to rebel against the system. I knew I was different growing up and I knew that no matter what I did, I would never be accepted. So I embraced it. I didn’t want to work for someone, so I don’t. I didn’t want to work for a traditional company, so I became an advocate at a grassroots organization. I don’t like working within the box, so I lit the box and fire and decided to create my own way.

The thing is no one defines who I am. If anyone is going to define me, it is me.

Knowing this about myself and knowing how rigid traditional publishers are, the Indie Author Movement seemed to compliment my beliefs perfectly. My work is my work, unaltered and pure. The cover art is my art. I have creative control over all aspects of my work.

The downside, of course, is that it takes that much more effort to market your book. Because I don’t have access to the mass marketing outlets that the traditional publshers have it takes some creativity, time and capital on my part.

But the world is changing and these huge monoliths are not able to adapt quickly enough. The more nimble self publishing outlets have mastered the web in such a way that the traditional publishers are quickly falling behind. Self publishing has made it easier to enter the fray and the competition has increased exponentially ending the monopoly that had gripped the publishing world for so long.

Traditional publishers previously underestimated the impact these Indies would have on their profits. The fact that they are spreading information to discredit self publishing is telling. Would they even bother if self publishing wasn’t a threat?

I encourage you to try an Indie. There are some very good stories out there written by wonderful authors. And if you like the book, write a review. Reviews are very important to an Indie author. They help set their books apart and could make all the difference.

So I started thinking about why people write. What inspires a person to create a story? And more specifically, why do people write fantasy?

I can tell you why I write. It is a way for me to create. There is no finer thing in life than creation whether it is creating a life, building something, writing, or developing an organization, all of these things require an act of creation.

Of course the second best thing is destroying that we created. That can be quite satisfying, as well.

When I was a child, there was very little I had control over. I think the Fantasy genre provided a way for me to create a world that I could control. I was the master of what was or was not acceptable. I could mold the world in my own image. The real world was harsh, flawed, and made little sense to me.

As I have gotten older, the stories were not of an idealized world as I think it should be, but a reflection of the real world in a fantastical setting. The characters are very real and would be true no matter what setting they would find themselves in. But in the fantasy genre, you are able to bend the rules of the physical world and use that as a tool to tell the tale.

So what inspires you? Why do you read what you read? If you are a writer, why do you write? What is your act of creation?

I grew up in a rural community in Central Illinois. There isn’t much diversity there. Most people are of German descent. They are either farmers or factory workers for the most part. Everyone is very similar. If someone is different it stands out and not in a good way.

But in more urbanized settings, everyone is different. Different cultures, different backgrounds, different interests. There are worlds within worlds. I found myself imagining what their lives were like and what they saw.

My profession allowed me to have contact with a variety of people and in order to build rapport I would ask them about their lives. Ask the right question and most everyone is eager to tell their story. Sometimes I would get too much information. For example, one gentleman described in excrutiating detail his colonoscopy.

However, there were many times when I was riveted by the individual stories. Like the woman who worked at the Elgin Watch Factory, or the gentleman who owned a sailboat and described his trips out on Lake Michigan. Or how about the woman who lives on the North shore describing her latest cosmetic surgery procedure as I valiently tried not to stare. All the while I’m wondering what motivates a person to do such a thing and when did growing old graciously become such a horrible thing.

People are layered. They show what they want the world to see, but it is what I see underneath that interests me more. That is the person I want to know. But my quest to know the real person beneath the mask is sometimes met with rejection and even hostility.

I’ve never been able to master the art of small talk. I don’t have much patience with it, which is probably why I get the reactions I do. There is something tedious about discussing the weather. It usually ends up becoming a lesson in meteorology, an interest of mine. Because heaven forefend if I can have an ordinary conversation about on oncoming storm. I end up talking about CAPE, helicity, and the formation of supercells. So what should have been a simple conversation ends up with the other person wondering what I’m talking about, eyes glazed, stiffling a yawn, and resigned to the fact that there is no way they can contribute to the conversation.

Isn’t that what small talk is: The common ground, the lowest common denominator, a place where everyone can participate and no one has to reveal what lies behind the mask.

Occasionally, I find my conversational match. It is a rare treat to have a lively discussion about everything under the sun, and still have more to say.

Interesting.

I’m not an extrovert. I don’t talk just to hear myself talk. I like being productive with what I say. Perhaps that is why I don’t see that much value in small talk. Why waste words on the weather when there are so many more interesting things to say.