The Inquisitive Inkpot
Exploring Tales and the Art of Telling
New Discoveries this National Reading Month
Although National Reading Month is nearly over, I wanted to share with you a gem I’ve discovered.
While kids and adults all over find their noses stuck in picture books and novels during National Reading Month, my nose has been stuck in something different: a stageplay script.
I give you A Man for All Seasons.
Written by Robert Bolt and originally performed in 1960, A Man for All Seasons tells the story of Sir Thomas More, the English Lord Chancellor who stood up to King Henry VIII—and died for it. As the famous story goes, Henry wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Spain, in order to marry another woman whom he felt convinced could bear him sons (little did he know that’s not how biology works). After breaking with the Church of Rome, Henry was quickly able to obtain his divorce and marry Anne Boelyn, making her the new queen and demanding that everyone acknowledge her as his rightful wife. Pretty much everyone did… except for Sir Thomas More. He stood by the church’s authority to declare marriages valid or invalid, thereby rejecting Henry’s self-proclaimed supremacy. After trying relentlessly to gain More’s approval, Henry finally had him executed.
The play was eventually made into a movie in 1966, starring Paul Scofield and Robert Shaw, although Scofield continued to play the role of Sir Thomas More on stage for years to come.
I actually grew up on the movie since it was my father’s favorite—although as a youngster, I could never understand why he loved it so much. It was just a bunch of people in fancy costumes talking, right?
Now, years after my dad’s passing, I stumbled across the play script in his basement. I opened it up and started reading. And now, years after those family movie nights, I can see why it was his favorite.
The story is not just about one man’s stubborn resolve.
It’s about jealousy. It’s about insecurity. It’s about manipulation. It’s about power. It’s about fear. It’s about courage. It’s about betrayal. But most of all, it’s about conscience.
I find it noteworthy that the Martin Luther (the father of the Protestant Reformation) shared More’s level of conviction about conscience: “…to act against conscience is neither right nor safe.”
The ethical questions raised in this story are beautifully explored in Bolt’s script, and they are just as relevant today. As a writer, I especially relish the way the dialogue resembles a chess game. Every piece on the board is working to corner More, and you can only wonder how long the game can continue before someone falls. So if you are looking for a thought-provoking, historically based read to finish out National Reading Month, I highly recommend this one. You will not be disappointed. And if you can’t get to it this March… well, the title suggests it should do for any time of year. 😉
What have you been reading this March?
Do you ever read stageplays for fun?
How familiar are you with the story of Sir Thomas More? What are some historically based works that you think raise pertinent questions?
Also, if you or your youngsters are looking for a new read to close out the month…
Dive into the Norse wilderness where a princess and a clan warrior find themselves in the same struggle for survival, against the forces of brutal captors, clan warfare, and untold fears.
Discover where this ambitious sock goes and why in this thrilling tale. Where will the perils Melvin meets outside the drawer take him?
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases and inside material)
Career Advice that Transformed my Thinking
Writers need career advice too. The problem is that there are too many sources out there that trumpet the same theory—regardless of how many times that theory fails.
How many of us have heard career advice that goes like this?
“Follow your passion and success will follow.”
“Just follow your heart.”
“Your passion will lead you where you need to be.”
“Pursue your dreams first.”
How nice that sounds… but what does it look like in real life?
Often this kind of chuck-everything-to-the-wind career advice leads people with otherwise stable situations to hastily sacrifice their current job and location in order to chase their dream. For many of us creative types, this means moving to L.A. or New York. It means trading a steady source of income for an audition slot. It means aborting whatever skills you were learning at your current job because you think you can make enough money off of a different set of skills—even if those skills aren’t exactly in demand.
“Follow your passion.”
How often does it work out as poetically as they make it sound? Well, there’s a reason we have the term “starving artist.” Not to say that success never happens this way, but those cases tend to be the exception. Although you wouldn’t know it based on how often you hear the mantra.
As a creative type, I can’t count the number of times people have echoed this advice. So when I picked up Cal Newport’s book So Good They Can’t Ignore You, I was in for a shock.
Newport first gives this mantra about passion a name: he calls it “the passion hypothesis.” The hypothesis, as he explains it, is the idea that unlocking your one true passion is the key to finding meaningful work. As soon as you identify what you’re passionate about, all you have to do is chase that dream—even if that means giving everything up in the meantime. Oh yeah, and you’ll be miserable until you acquire that dream job.
Here’s what Newport has to say about this idea:
“The passion hypothesis is not just wrong, it’s also dangerous. Telling someone to ‘follow their passion’ is not just an act of innocent optimism, but potentially the foundation for a career riddled with confusion and angst.”
So Good They Can’t Ignore You, p. 24
Even though I had subscribed to the passion hypothesis for many years, this statement resonated with me deeply.
How often do I question whether my current job is valuable? How often do I assume that every hour spent outside of my creative projects is an hour wasted? How often do I lament the fact that I’m not yet living my “dream?”
The fact is, believing your job satisfaction rides on your ability to achieve that one dream job that satisfies your one true passion is a recipe for frustration when either
- a) you haven’t gotten that job yet, or
- b) you landed the job and it’s not as fulfilling as you expected.
While there’s so much more career advice in Newport’s book that I can’t go into now, the main takeaway I want to share with my fellow creators is this:
Rather than suddenly chucking my current position and “going for the gold,” I should learn as many relevant skills as possible from my current job—skills that can take me to the next stepping stone, and eventually toward my dream.
As much as I sometimes want to give everything else up and be a full-time freelance writer, that will not pay bills. What’s more, is it will deprive me of the kind of resume-worthy experiences that might someday impress a gatekeeper in my desired industry. As glamorous as it sounds, the expression “going for the gold” often means entering a competitive environment for which you are unprepared—because your inventory of skills is not yet thoroughly developed. Cal Newport does not suggest you forget about your existing passions and just stay complacent wherever you are now. Instead, he suggests that the best thing you can do to advance your passion is to invest in acquiring relevant skills wherever you are now—skills that will help get you closer to where you want to be. Then, when you strike out for something new, you have fine-tuned skills that will make you an asset to the folks you want to impress.
Think about it: in the world of networking, no one is just out looking to do free favors. Everyone wants something in return—especially gatekeepers. It logically follows that if you have a set of well-developed skills from one of your previous jobs, you have a chance to cash those skills in when you find someone in your field of interest who needs those skills. In other words, you should focus on becoming so good at something that no gatekeeper can ignore you.
I’ll use myself as an example:
Right now I work in marketing/communications.
Where I want to work is in the film industry—specifically as a screenwriter.
So my approach, following Newport’s advice, is to grow my communications skills to the point where someone in the film industry might actually have use for me. And that is exactly what I am working on.
In the meantime, I highly recommend that everyone looking for direction in their careers pick up a copy of So Good they Can’t Ignore You. I was blown away by how practical and relatable the material in this book was, and I’m sure you will be too.
What do you think?
Do you have one specific passion that you’re looking to fulfill in a dream job?
What is that dream job for you? What are you doing now to work towards it?
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases and inside material)
The Secret Character Arc
Every good story needs a character arc.
Plot arc and character arc—those are the two essential ingredients in any story. Without those two, you have something less than quality storytelling.
What I’ve noticed, though, is that not all characters see their own arc. Now there’s a difference between character development and a character arc, although you can’t have the second without the first. Character development, at the very least, is “the process of building a unique, three-dimensional character with depth, personality, and clear motivations.” This can include the changes the character undergoes, but it more strictly refers to the process of making the audience familiar with the character as he or she is.
A character arc, on the other hand, traces the inner journey of the character’s mind, heart, and will as he or she responds to the events that unfold in the story.
If the audience gleans nothing else from the story, they will at least see how the events have impacted the lead character and altered him/her in some way.
That being said, every well-developed character resembles a real person. He or she has believable human thoughts, feelings, desires, fears, and motives. But here’s the catch: many people in the real world are not self-aware. I bet you can think of some.
Things get interesting here because real people in the real world often do not know when they have changed.
Sometimes we do know when we’ve changed. Take for example:
- Kicking a habit
- A religious conversion
- A change of heart toward another person
Other times, though, changes can fly under our own radars:
- Developing a habit
- Religious backsliding
- A general change in perspective toward the world/other people
No doubt some people are more perceptive than others too, which means that some of us would notice all of these changes in ourselves, whereas others would notice none of them. And no doubt some of these changes are more life-altering than others. In short, some of these give us more of a character arc than others.
The question I want to pose to you is this: Does every good character arc require that the character notice how he/she has changed?
Looking at classic stories, I see a mix. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck has moments of incredible self-awareness and revelation, but by the end he still sounds in many ways like the same old vagabond boy bent on his own idea of freedom. By the end of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s encounters have undoubtedly deepened his perspective on life, but he keeps his flippant tone through the very last page.
This lack of self-awareness doesn’t mean a lack of character arc—if anything, I think it sorts out perceptive audience members from less perceptive ones, because the less perceptive ones will always take the main character at his word. A perceptive reader or viewer, however, can see things that the lead character may not see in himself, or things that he flat-out denies.
But do you think that the power of a character arc depends on the character’s awareness of it?
Do you think that a truly powerful story requires the character to recognize his own growth (or decline)?
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Check out the illustrator interview I conducted with Lauren Fisher, the illustrator of my children’s books
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases and inside material)
An Upcoming Illustrator Interview!
It is my pleasure to announce an upcoming illustrator interview with my very own illustrator, Lauren Fisher.
Lauren was the mind behind the memorable drawings in The Misadventures of Melvin the Missing Sock, and she will fill the same role in my next children’s book Bertrand the Bashful Bumblebee. For those of you who have worked with a great illustrator, you know the feeling when you find someone whose art “clicks” with your vision—from then on, you can’t imagine anyone else doing the job.
While I won’t steal the thunder of this illustrator interview, I will share with you how Lauren and I connected.
It was funny in a way, because working with someone I personally knew was rather important to me—and at this point in my quest for an illustrator, I thought I had exhausted my list of contacts. Everyone I asked either had too many projects on their plate or was not suited to the style of art Melvin needed. But during the dark winter of 2019-2020, I received a message from one of my favorite English teachers from high school. Have you ever had a teacher who opened your eyes to a whole world of learning? Who radically changed your understanding of your own talents? Who, in a word, changed your life?
This was that teacher. We had kept in touch over the years, and I even dedicated The Exile to her, since she was the first teacher who took a personal interest in developing my writing abilities. Well, when she heard years later that I had written a children’s book and was looking for an illustrator, she told me she had just the person in mind: Lauren Fisher, a recent graduate from my old high school who had just begun an art program in college that fall. The teacher wrote us both an email, giving us a virtual introduction, and away we went!
The first exchange I had with Lauren involved me sending her the manuscript of Melvin and her asking what styles of art I envisioned for the story.
What other children’s books did I like for their illustrations? Not entirely sure I could find an exact artistic match for Melvin, I told her something along the lines of Calvin and Hobbes and Dr. Seuss—cartoon-like, energetic, whatever it would take to bring a sock to life.
And did she ever deliver!
I’ll let Lauren tell you the rest of the story herself in the official illustrator interview next week. She’ll also share her own creative process and explain to the rest of us how on earth she comes up with the quirky, humorous characters that kids adore.
The interview will be in video form, published on March 6 on my YouTube channel, so you can either head there right now to subscribe or check back later for when it’s posted.
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases)
A Writer Interview by Pooja
Every writer interview is a unique opportunity to field interesting questions.
Recently, Pooja from Lifesfinewhine interviewed me about my work as a writer and blogger. What I love about the experience of every writer interview is that each interviewer brings their own flavor of questions to the table. As the master of her own blogging metropolis, however, Pooja didn’t just bombard me with questions about blogging. Her questions opened the discussion to include two of my favorite things to talk about: children’s books and historical fiction! (Surprise, surprise!)
Without further ado, I would like to thank Pooja for this splendid opportunity, and share with you some excerpts from the interview:
When did you create your blog and what pushed you to start blogging?
Creating a blog was something I had long avoided, because in my heart of hearts, I am a storyteller and not a conventional blogger. What I didn’t realize, though, was that author blogs are actually some of the most interesting ones out there, and that blogging and storytelling are quite compatible (case in point, Pooja’s “six word stories”). The Inquisitive Inkpot began in the summer of 2019 as my platform for sharing bits of historical research and background information about my historical fiction novel, The Exile. It didn’t take long to realize that there was so much more I wanted to write about, so it quickly became the online hub for sharing all things related to my creative projects, lessons I’ve learned in the writing/publishing process, and commentaries on the connections between life and storytelling.
What is the most difficult part about writing for children?
This is a great question. As a writer who usually prefers to imply things, I have to remind myself that children are not able to make sophisticated inferences in the same way adults can. This means I have to work to make the themes of the story more obvious than I normally would– and yet if they are too obvious, then the book feels preachy and overwritten. It’s about finding balance. I want to challenge kids by strengthening their reading and critical thinking skills, without important elements of the story going straight over their heads.
I would add that one of the most rewarding parts of writing for children is seeing them learn. A recurring pattern in my first series of children’s books is the use of alliteration (i.e. using consecutive words that begin with the same letter). I use this particular literary device to introduce new words to kids in a fun way, which means they are more likely to remember the word and use it themselves. For example, in The Misadventures of Melvin the Missing Sock, the story begins with Melvin the sock feeling “mediocre” because he is just a plain, white sock who lives in the middle drawer. Later on, when he is separated from his match, he feels “melancholy.” It’s always a blast seeing kids light up when they realize what these words mean, and then hearing them use the words later on!
What is one thing you love about blogging?
Stumbling across a perspective I haven’t encountered before! In the blogosphere, you encounter plenty of people who echo the same concepts and principles– which can be a helpful reminder that what they’re saying is true, but it can also grow monotonous. I like running across an article or blogger who evaluates something from an unconventional angle– not for the purpose of being nonconformist, but for the purpose of raising important questions that many of us overlook. Two bloggers who consistently do this well are Sam Kirk and Saania Saxena.
What is your favourite food?
This is probably the easiest question: Italian. I’m probably biased because I am Italian, but it is a core belief of mine that garlic can improve just about anything (except for desserts).
As a historical fiction writer what is one century/period of time you wish you could experience?
Although none of my stories (yet) have taken place in this setting, I would love to have experienced the golden age of Rome. The level of technological advancement, art, and education this society reached is truly astounding, when you think of how long ago this was. Granted, you would only have benefited from these aspects if you were of some means. Slaves didn’t have the best of lives, but the standard of living for the common man was still much higher than it was for peasants of subsequent centuries. For all the attention that the Middle Ages and the more “rugged” time periods receive, I think we forget that life back then would have been very harsh, dangerous, and full of disease. We are still dealing with the effects of a pandemic today– imagine what it was like for those trapped inside cities during the Bubonic Plague! The plunge from Rome’s pinnacle also fascinates me because it reminds me how civilizations are capable of regressing as well as progressing.
The full writer interview can be read on Pooja’s blog— which is worth stopping by anyways. 🙂
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases)
Empowering a Young Author
It’s not every day an author contacts you asking you to write a commentary for the inside of their book.
It’s even less frequent that the author is sixteen.
Well, I have the privilege of introducing to you a young author whose book is going to hit the international presses this July: I give you Saania Saxena.
Saania first reached out to me back in the spring of 2020, just before the lockdown. Her inquiry was simple: how do you submit a book to publishers? She had seen my own profile as an author and taken the vital step of seeking input before contacting the “gatekeepers.” Now, let it be known: I published my books independently. In fact, beyond preparing materials to send publishers and agents, I have no experience in the publishing negotiation process. But have I written dozens of queries and synopses? You betcha.
After Saania contacted me, I was naturally intrigued. I paid a prolonged visit to her blog and, upon reading the numerous thought-provoking pieces, promptly subscribed. It was no surprise that when she sent me some sample chapters of her manuscript, the content showcased a dynamic approach to an almost exhausted topic: teenage angst and insecurities.
When I first heard the premise of the book, I frankly wondered, “What else could be said about this topic that hasn’t been said already?”
A lot, it turns out.
To be sure, there are more than enough hormone-saturated novels, targeted toward teenagers, that illustrate (and celebrate) the adolescent mindset. And there are plenty of books out there targeted towards parents trying to understand what the heck is happening inside their child’s brain.
But for some reason you don’t hear about informational books written for teens who want to better understand themselves and their mood swings.
I have a feeling you’ll be hearing about this one.
The fact that Saania is a young author gives her a leg up on the competition.
These struggles are still fresh—if not ongoing—for her and her peers. Most teens avoid nonfiction because they perceive it as either boring, irrelevant, or preachy. The Teenage Chronicles defies all of these labels.
There are still five months before the book is released, so I will avoid giving away too much. Suffice to say, though, I am very excited to see this one roll off the press.
Interacting with Saania (and other young writers) has reminded me of the unique power of self-starters. Granted, few sixteen-year-olds receive a publishing deal. But Saania is an example of a young person who has leveraged her extra time, energy, and creativity to create something of value for people in her shoes. She is an example of someone who has the motivation to develop her ideas, the courage to ask for help, and the drive to continue honing her craft. From my standpoint, it has been an absolute privilege and joy to see a young author shape and perfect her work for the public—and it’s also a privilege to have a place on the inside of the book. 🙂
Some might find the success of such a young author intimidating. I find it inspiring. And I can’t wait to get my signed copy in the mail.
Are there any young people in your life whose creativity you could support?
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases)
The Power of the Pitch
Have you ever had to pitch an idea to someone?
Of course you have. We pitch ideas to other people all the time, whether we realize it or not. Whether you get what you want out of it is a whole separate question.
Authors know this as the “querying” process. You write up a compelling cover letter, a synopsis of your book, perhaps even a marketing plan, and you hope that whoever reads it will give you the time of day. And then you hit “send.”
I know the drill very well by now. So well that the adrenaline rush of hitting “send” has quite worn off. No doubt part of my calm is because of familiarity with the process—but another part of it has to do with the safe nature of written submissions. The agent, publisher, or general big-wig does not know how apprehensive I may feel. They cannot see my face. They cannot hear my voice or see the pre-submission jitters in me. There is no way for me to feel intimidated by my judge’s presence, because the judge is simply not present.
The world of the pitch is a much more dangerous place, but one worth dipping your toes in as a writer.
In the film-making world, screenwriters have to physically sit down across from the producer and unpack the story in a handful of minutes (at least they did before covid). A query letter accomplishes basically the same thing, but the difference is that your demeanor becomes part of the pitch itself. Your level of confidence in your own story will come through in the way you talk about the plot. Your understanding of your own story (or lack thereof) is suddenly laid bare.
I recently submitted a video pitch for a short film contest, which meant I had to record myself explaining the script in 60 seconds. Actually, it meant I first had to condense my story to one sentence (a.k.a. the logline) and use that sentence as the foundation for my synopsis. I found this a challenging and revealing exercise as a writer.
You don’t have to be a phenomenal public speaker in order to make a clear pitch—but you do have to be precise and concise.
This means you have to shave off the extra layers of flab that surround the muscle of your idea. In short, you have to tone your story up. Writing a one or two-page synopsis of a novel is hard work. Orally summing it up in a couple of minutes is even harder.
Depending on your writing niche, you may never have to explain your story face-to-face with a publisher—but the very act of condensing the plotline forces you to rethink what is crucial to your story and what is not.
If you find you are comfortably able to summarize the main points of your 500-page novel in under sixty seconds, you are either really good at summarizing or you might want to do some manuscript trimming.
This doesn’t mean that every non-crucial part should be cut. Some elements, while not essential to the plot, add a depth and richness to the story’s development. But if you find that the nonessential elements are taking up more pages than the essential ones, you might want to rethink your page distribution.
Regardless, honing your ability to cut to the chase on your story is always a good idea. Just like everyone looking to advance their careers should have an elevator pitch prepared, I suggest that every writer who plans to publish practice boiling their stories down to a couple of minutes’ oral explanation. You may never have to present this pitch to a publisher, but at the very least it will give you a better understanding of your own creation—and it prepares you for selling your book later down the road!
Have you ever had to present an idea to a decision-maker? What helped prepare you for that moment?
Do you find it difficult to explain your creative ideas to other people? What do you find most challenging about it?
Before you go, I invite you to do the following:
- Visit and subscribe to my new YouTube Channel for creative writing insights
- Sign up below for my author newsletter (infrequent updates about upcoming releases)
YouTube and Inkpots: what they have in common
Starting a YouTube channel can be one of the most motivating or deflating experiences in a writer’s career.
Just like writing your first couple of blog posts and waiting for things to happen, you can post your first YouTube video and then… why doesn’t anyone watch it? Your audience’s response (or lack thereof) can give you either a hot boost of creative caffeine or a cold dish of despair.
I’m more used to the latter. As a creative type, I find there will always be more things I try for than things I will succeed in. Does this sound familiar? If you’re like me, you can either let these inevitable let-downs discourage you from putting your content out there again, or… you can step back, regroup, and do the homework necessary to make progress. The wind isn’t always going to be with us—which is why we should always be pulling the oars.
I say this as someone who has just now, today, this very moment, launched my first on-brand YouTube channel.
I say “on-brand” because there exists, somewhere in the nebulous world of YouTube, a channel that holds videos of me singing and doing other random things like falling into bathtubs while trying to kill spiders (yes, this one actually made America’s Funniest Videos). This is not the channel that I recommend anyone look up. Nope. Don’t do it.
Why did I do this? (Start the on-brand channel, not fall into bathtubs.)
I took The Inquisitive Inkpot to YouTube because I realized that, in order to be an effective resource for other writers and readers, I needed to be where my audience is.
There are writers who, like me, benefit every time an author shares his or her “inside story.” I don’t mean the story of “my book is awesome, so please go buy it.” I mean the story of “here are some obstacles I encountered and how I overcame them,” or the story of “here’s a trick I learned that made my creative process more efficient.” Or even the story of “don’t accept paid reviews from everyone who offers you them.”
I also realized there are parents who want something they can put in front of their kids to entertain them for a few minutes. Why not make read-alouds of my children’s books available to them? I mean, better that than some of the other stuff kids get into on the internet.
And then, of course, there will be some sneak peeks at upcoming projects and an inside look into some of the background details of each story. My hope is that, whether you are a reader, writer, or both, you will glean something useful and enjoyable for your own road ahead.
With that, I invite you to check out this 8 minute video I put together about the most important lesson I learned about writing children’s books. No, this is not a 10 minute long introductory video telling you why I started this channel, my favorite color, and my pet’s middle name. That’s the point of this article. Well, I didn’t answer those last two, but if curious minds must know, feel free to ask.
In the meantime, thanks for reading, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the video!
Have you ever tried something new and then pulled back because the results weren’t what you’d hoped?
What are some of your ideas that have been brewing for a while in the back of your mind?
Do you have your own YouTube channel? If so, please share in the comments below!
Before you go, I invite you to sign up for my author newsletter! Here’s why:
- You’ll receive inside sneak-peeks at upcoming publications and fun tid-bits
- Emails are infrequent (once every 2 months or so). I don’t like spam, do you?
Developing New Skills and Defeating Demons
Before developing new skills this year, it’s helpful to take stock of your existing inventory.
Basically, before moving forward, you need to know where you are now.
Taking a personal inventory is helpful for more than just skill development. Examining our minds and hearts is just as important as examining our habits—in fact, our habits express what goes on inside of us. But in terms of setting realistic goals for ourselves in a new year, it’s a good idea to step back and think about where we stand right now.
Many writers decide that this is going to be the year they complete their first book. Or publish their first book. Or market their existing books.
Many non-writers decide that this is going to be the year they get off social media. Or start an exercise routine. Or look for a new job.
Regardless of whether you fit under the writer or non-writer category, you probably have some skill you either want to develop or improve this year—or perhaps even something you simply want to do more consistently.
I’m in no position to advise you over which new skills you need or which existing ones need honing. Everyone’s life requires different things and presents different opportunities.
For the sake of stimulating thought, however, I’ll take a minute to share with you some of the skills I have strengthened over the past year as an author, and some that I know need more work.
1. New skills in Innovation/problem solving
The way in which I saw this tested most was the intense amount of learning that went into publishing my first children’s book, The Misadventures of Melvin the Missing Sock. Aside from the grind of revision, storyboarding, and manuscript preparation, I also had to learn how to make this book available to the rest of the world. This meant digging into some more technical aspects of the modern-day author’s life. Not only are authors expected to write their books, but we have to create the marketing and distribution plans as well. For someone like me, who frankly loathes staring at a screen and wrangling technology, this was a real challenge. I also had to find the most cost-effective way of shipping my books, which took some number-crunching and out-of-the-box thinking. Did I enjoy the process? Not always. But having gone through it successfully has given me greater confidence in my ability to solve problems and untangle knots.
2. New skills that enable Independence
An author should always involve other people in their work, but there are several skills that are handy to have on your own. For instance, I have never been fantastic at bringing words to life through physical pictures. Translating images into words is my forte, not vice versa. This means that I relied heavily on others’ visual imaginations for the creation of the storyboard for my first children’s book. Thankfully, as I worked through the same process for Bertrand the Bashful Bumblebee, I found my mind’s eye keeping up with the words. Although I solicited the help of my spunky creative team, my own visual imagination was actively working much more this time around than it had with my first children’s book. A large part of that was no doubt influenced by a familiarity with my illustrator’s style, which helped me predict how she might work with the scenes in the story. But overall, I found the storyboarding process less stressful and more fun this time, as my creative skills flexed and grew.
3. The battle for Focus
The skill of focusing is severely underrated in our world. We pride ourselves on multi-tasking. We embrace the constant interruption of electronics or the newest train of thought that offers a distraction. I didn’t realize how detrimental this rhythm of life is until I noticed myself struggling to remember things that I used to never struggle with. My short-term memory and attention span has grown alarmingly brief, which causes all sorts of problems in productivity and creativity. Although focusing is not a new skill, I feel that I have had to re-learn it all over again. Putting my phone out of sight and listening to music without ads while writing has helped. So has limiting the number of times I check emails and other notifications each day. Still, it is an uphill battle, as I fear it is for many.
4. The goal of Consistent Marketing
It’s hard to market effectively unless
a) you know what works (which requires research)
b) you have a plan
c) you do it consistently.
This is perhaps the facet of my writing career that needs the most work. If I could simply write my books, I feel I could focus much more and create much more. But alas, the burden (and opportunity) of the modern-day author is that promotion rests on his/her shoulders. I am learning, but the learning process has gone slowly. What with a full-time job and other obligations, I often let either my writing or my marketing fall by the wayside while I devote time to the other. It is an unfortunate trade-off that I don’t know how to avoid, but I trust that it will even out with time as my books gain traction and I gain experience in marketing them. One of my favorite bloggers, New Lune, has written a stellar article on the struggles of consistent marketing/writing, which I encourage you to read if any of this sounds familiar.
What are some new skills you have set out to develop this year?
What are some existing ones you need to sharpen?
Before you go, I invite you to sign up for my author newsletter! Here’s why:
- You’ll receive inside sneak-peeks at upcoming publications and fun tid-bits
- Emails are infrequent (once every 2 months or so). I don’t like spam, do you?
An Unexpected Children’s Book Series
It’s official: what I had thought would be a one-off project has turned into a franchise. I am creating a children’s book series!
No, this is not a continuation of Melvin the Missing Sock—it’s a collection of stories dedicated to teaching kids vocabulary and valuable lessons from the quirky perspectives of critters and inanimate objects. I can’t wait to introduce to you our newest friend, Bertrand the Bashful Bumblebee!
Now, if you’ve been following The Inquisitive Inkpot, you might be thinking, “Wait… I thought you were writing a sequel to The Exile?”
The answer is “yes.”
Well, more precisely, I’m planning the sequel. The actual writing will likely not begin for another month, as I keep prodding Bertrand toward publication.
In any case, both projects are underway. Their side-by-side progress has, in fact, helped me avoid burning out on either one of them over the last couple of months.
Although there are many reasons to celebrate the beginning of a children’s book series, I must say one of parts I cherish most is how unexpected this all was.
Never did I foresee myself writing a children’s book in the first place. Much less did I foresee myself liking it. Even less did I foresee myself deciding that one wasn’t enough, two wasn’t enough, and three probably isn’t enough either!
Beyond the surprise of it all, though, is the knowledge that the same children (and more!) who read Melvin and couldn’t get enough will soon have another book to laugh over and learn from, with more beautiful illustrations from Lauren Fisher.
Some logistics remain to be determined, but one thing is for sure: things are falling into place. I plan to share some pictures from the storyboarding session for Bertrand and even a video of the process—accompanied by my creative team. Who is my creative team, you ask? You’ll find out in a couple of weeks, but you’ve already met one of its members. 😉
It has been less than peachy juggling the revision of Bertrand, the planning of my next historical fiction novel, and the continued marketing of Melvin—who is hopefully about to make his debut in a major bookstore soon here! (More on that to follow.) But one bonus of these dreary winter months is that there are fewer activities to distract me from those necessary hours laboring in front of a computer or notebook. If you are an author, you know exactly what I am talking about. And if you’re not an author, well, maybe use your extra time to try something new. Try writing a story. Who knows? You might like it as much as I did. 🙂
Before you go, I invite you to sign up for my author newsletter! Here’s why:
- You’ll receive inside sneak-peeks at upcoming publications and fun tid-bits
- You’ll be notified once my YouTube channel launches
- Emails are infrequent (once every 2 months or so). I don’t like spam, do you?
