A Right Place...To Write

I think every writer dreams of a couple of things. They dream of seeing their book on a bookstore shelf. They dream of having the title of their book listed on a NYT bestseller list. They dream of receiving a notice from a fan telling them how much they loved their story. And they would love to see the story turned into a major motion picture.

Okay, maybe not every writer dreams of these things, but I can imagine they dream of some of those things. I personally know a few authors who have done so well, they've upgraded their homes, and when they do, they create--as best they can--a perfect place to write. They build these rooms where the muse is always invited and will hopefully, reside in the space full-time.

When we designed and built our home in 2003, I had no aspirations of being a writer. So, I didn't think about having a home office. But the other day, I think I found a good spot to write.

Normally, I do most of my writing in bedroom. It's a good place to write for me, when the cat isn't climbing on my computer. Of course, the cat could climb on my computer wherever I ended up writing. The room is good, but there could be better locations. The place I found was our loft.

The loft in our house was built as a place to homeschool our kids. For six years, before we moved in, we lived in a basement apartment. One thing we wanted when we built our house was a homeschool room with windows. We definitely got that.

That morning was the only morning I wrote up there. I'd like to think I'll do it again someday. And who knows, if I ever see my book on a bookstore shelf, or see the title on the NYT bestseller list, or see my story be made into a movie, maybe I'll build that perfect writing space. I'd like to think it would be in a loft.

Fan Letters...From Big And Small

Yesterday I received an e-mail from an author. I asked for a quote on my book Chaser. It was something she didn't have to do, considering how busy she is and how, as far as authors go, she's at one end of the success spectrum and I'm at the other. It was very kind of her to do.



Today in the mail I received a letter of thanks. When the book came out, I had a request to send a copy to my niece's twin girls. They were kind enough to write my family a personal note. It was adorable.

If you want to be an author and continue to be an author, you need to be as much a marketer as you are a writer. I've noticed this holds true for those just starting out and for those who have several books on bestseller lists. So when I consider these two items, one from a world-famous author, the other from a couple of kids, I can use the first for marketing purposes, put it on websites and social media and it might turn a few heads which--in turn--may sell a few books. The second, it may not turn any heads, but it melts my heart.



When you're a new writer, you get to know other writers and you take notice when things happen to them like book launches, writing conference invites, and even getting fan mail. You wonder what it's like. I'm hoping this writing adventure will continue for me. And if I continue writing in the middle-grade genre, there may be more thank you letters like the one I received today. Because, after all, isn't that what writing is suppose to be all about?

Thank you Sherrilyn for the kind words! Thank you kids for the beautiful letter. I've had a great couple of days!

Capital Vs Capitol...Thank You Grammar Girl!

I subscribe to a lot of podcasts. I used to listen to all of them, religiously. It was too the point that I was spending time I could have spent listening to books, or writing stories my own stories (or, participating in activities others associate with life...). My wife told me that I "didn't have to listen to every one of them."

You know what?

She's right.

Since then, I've been more selective about the podcasts I listen to. There are some--the ones shorter in duration--that I hardly ever miss. Listening to them on double speed makes it easy to hear a five-minute or ten-minute long podcast. It's the ones that are an hour or two long that I tend to skip.

It's not just podcast length that dictates whether or not I listen, topic makes a big difference. I subscribe to many podcasts to assist my writing habit. I almost never pass them up. The good news is, they're mostly short, between ten and twenty minutes. One of my favorites is Mignon Fogarty's Grammar Girl Podcast. If you haven't heard it before, give it a try. Her upbeat voice, timely topics, and humorous examples make the time listening very enjoyable.

Which brings me to Mignon's latest edition, entitled Capital vs Capitol. Even though I write daily, I have trouble with many of the little things of language. I try to think of ways to remember the rules, but it's difficult sometimes. There's so many little quirks associated with languages.

One of those quirks that had plagued me over the years is capital vs capitol. It wasn't until to day that I learned that capitol with an "O" deals with buildings, and that's it. My way of remembering the rule with these two words was capitol with an "O" dealt with government, and capital with an "A" dealt with money. Thanks to Mignon, I now know the difference.

Of course, I could have done a little research on the subject. The problem was/is, I would forget after being faced with the O vs A dilemma and I wouldn't think about it until it happened again.

I will most likely continuing listening to those writing podcasts. They are usually entertaining and by the end, you've learned something. Thanks Grammar Girl--what a capital podcast!

Hey, Aren't You...?

I bought my sons's train tickets and we all loaded up the elevator. When the door opened a fellow elevator rider looked at me and said, "You going to Comic Con?"

I guess I expected that. The train drops us off three blocks from the convention hall and if you catch another train, it drops us off half a block from the hall. Almost everyone on that train was going to the Salt Lake Comic Con FanX, 2016 edition.

Then the guy asked a follow up question, "Hey, aren't you a writer?"

I was not expecting that.

Back in college I worked as a stuntman at the local amusement park in our town. I did that job for four years. I distinctly remember the one time I was recognized as a stuntman. I stopped and filled up my car with gas and when I went in to pay (we did that in those days...), the worker asked if did the stuntman shows at Lagoon. It was kind of a cool thing. I believe that was the one and only time it happened, that someone I didn't know knew me because of something I did that put me in the public eye.

Then came this morning. This fellow commuter knew me from previous Comic Cons. He had been to our booth and bought a book and in that book I had a story. And he--Chad--remembered it and remembered me. That was a special experience. It's never happened before. And who knows? It may never happen again. But, for a brief moment as we waited for a train to arrive on a crisp spring morning in Utah, that simple question made me feel good.

"Hey, I know you..." My friend asked a man who, with his son, passed our booth. He looked at her, smiled and simply nodded his head.

Obviously, others had told him that exact same thing. You could tell by his reaction. Then more of us looked at him and we felt the same way--we knew him, too. It turns out, the man is well known in our community and basically everywhere else. He's an actor and he was in some of the most popular TV movies that have ever been made. He's also the older brother of a dear friend of mine. He stopped and we all got pictures with him and his brother--who is also a celebrity.

As I took the train home from today's activities, I recalled the events of the morning and those that happened at the convention. This famous person was gracious, and completely charming as he accepted the attention, the accolades from fans. I'm sure it's something he's probably done hundreds if not thousands of times before.

But there was one time--maybe on a cool spring morning--when someone came up to him and said, "Hey, aren't you...?" And he said, "Yes, I am."