Just Keep Writing!

 Guest Post by Isabel Anders:

This morning I read in The New York Times that “In the E-reader era, a book a year is slacking.” 

Julie Bosman writes (5/12/12): “For years, it was a schedule as predictable as a calendar: novelists who specialized in mysteries, thrillers and romance would write one book a year, output that was considered not only sufficient, but productive.” 

But now, she informs us, authors are having to pull the literary equivalent of a “double shift”—just to keep up with the fast pace and heavy demand that reasonably priced books have led consumers to expect—all available at a click of a mouse. 

What about taking our time to allow a book to take shape naturally, doing our homework (that is, research), and honing our craft so that we can offer readers our best work? 

All of that, apparently, is having to be newly fit into the reality of 21^st-century publishing expectations, at least for top writers who want to keep themselves “out there” and not be forgotten in the time it takes to create their next saleable work. 

“It used to be that once a year was a big deal,” Bosman quotes Lisa Scottoline, best-selling author of thrillers. “You could saturate the market. But today the culture is a great big hungry maw, and you have to feed it.” 

What does this mean for those of us who are not serial producers of blockbuster titles, but for whom a lovingly produced book of a smaller scale still engenders excitement and satisfaction? 

Well, we may be catching some of the fever as well, working a little harder, setting our deadlines a little closer, thinking ahead to our next book before the ink is dry on the one we’ve just finished. 

The message seems clear: Just keep writing! After all, it will always be those with passion and industriousness who will win the day. And these new, faster times will naturally separate the not-so-serious would-be writers from those who will rise to the challenge, even if it means burning some extra late-night oil. 

If a book a year is not enough, what IS enough? Some writers are working on short stories to bridge the gap between novels, often involving the same characters and shorter plots. Others are looking to their files of unpublished manuscripts and resurrecting them to publish in E-book form. Some writers, however, will just write at their own pace regardless, and trust their inner promptings as to timing and release. When publishers are involved, much of the scheduling of publication is out of our hands, anyway. 

My sequel to Becoming Flame: Uncommon Mother-Daughter Wisdom (2010) has taken two years to emerge, but the continuity I’ve achieved and having the two books to offer as a series has been worth it. Spinning Straw, Weaving Gold: A Tapestry of Mother-Daughter Wisdom has just been released: 

And yes, the new book I’m working on for 2013 is nearly ready to go to production. At least I’ve learned that much! 

Isabel Anders is the author or co-author of 25 inspirational titles.

Government

Guest Post by Alan Cook: 

Frederic Bastiat said: “The state is the great fiction through which everyone endeavors to live at the expense of everyone else.”           

The problem with this logical fallacy is that sooner or later it collapses of its own weight. If government takes from the haves to give to the have-nots, isn’t it amazing that we eventually run out of haves because everybody becomes a have-not.           

If government takes from the workers to give to the retirees (Social Security), over time fewer workers will be available to support each retiree. A favorite pastime of analysts is betting on when Social Security will collapse.           

If government gives people “free” health care, the demand for health care will increase until it exceeds the available resources. That’s human nature. 

If we demand that every person who is a danger to society (or just a danger to himself) be thrown into jail for a long time, we get the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. This is the proud achievement of the United States, and we maintain it at great expense. Query: Who pays for the prisons when everybody is incarcerated?           

If our government wages continuous warfare against remote countries, keeping us anesthetized by claiming it’s protecting our freedom, even though these countries have no strategic importance for us, our treasury becomes depleted and our stock of productive young people diminishes (as they get killed, wounded and traumatized) without any corresponding benefit. 

A number of European countries are wallowing in debt so huge they are being forced to reduce services. (So is the United States wallowing in unmanageable debt; we just haven’t admitted it yet.) What is the reaction of the people to austerity? They don’t like it. Big surprise. They are rioting in the streets (Greece); they are throwing politicians out of office (France).           

So what happens now? Governments that can no longer borrow money get “rescued” by other governments. But this can’t go on forever, particularly if the rescued governments don’t change their spending habits. In addition, the United States is one of the rescuers, and we don’t have the money to rescue anyone.         

Raising taxes beyond a certain point results in a diminishing increase in the rate of return, and eventually a decline in total revenue, as demonstrated by the Laffer Curve. The damage can extend to lost jobs as the more productive members of society whose businesses help to create jobs, decide not to work so hard or refuse to participate in the system altogether.           

A classic response of governments to debt is to inflate the money supply, which they control by law. No non-government entity can legally issue money. That results in rising prices for us, but it allows debtors to pay off their debts with cheaper Euros or dollars. It also foments unrest as it did in Germany after World War I when hyperinflation was a factor in allowing Hitler to come to power.

Our founding parents envisioned a much smaller government than any in the world today, devoted primarily to the security of its citizens. Unless we force government to return to this concept, we are in for a rough ride.

Alan Cook is the author of mysteries, including Relatively Dead (Carol Golden). For more information about the author and his books please visit his website at: http://alancook.50megs.com/.

There's "Courage" in DisCouragement

Guest Post by Lynda Fitzgerald 

Everyone gets discouraged from time to time, but let's take a closer look at the word.

To discourage means to deprive of confidence, hope or spirit; to hamper by discouraging; to try to prevent by expressing disapproval or raising objections.

Courage, which forms a part of that word, is the power to deal with or face danger, fear, or pain; the confidence to act in accordance with one's beliefs; or bravery.

What I'm talking about here is the discouragement felt by the aspiring author, but it applies equally in all facets of life. So readers and others, take note.

For the fiction writer, it takes tremendous courage to put their work out there in the public eye. They have, in essence, bared their souls, or that's the case if they've written from deep within. No matter how they may try to disguise it, they've exposed their basic values to the world: what they revere, what they despise; who they admire and disdain. They've exposed their deepest beliefs in their choice of heroes and villains.  And when a reader or reviewer pans their work, they can (and usually do) become discouraged. They lose the confidence to argue their case, to defend their work. And that's a shame. Not that they don't defend their work. They shouldn't, and they also shouldn't feel the need to.

Our work, our best, is what we have to offer as authors or artists or whatever. If someone disdains your best, so what? There is enough diversity out there some are bound to like it and some, not. What causes the problem is that our egos are tied up in that work, and criticism feels like a personal attack on us. So how do we deal with it?

A few who came before us have managed it.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck was rejected fourteen times but went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Mary HIggins Clark was rejected forty times before she sold her first story. She was told her stories were "light, slight and trite." She now has more than thirty million copies of her books in print. And how about John Grisham? His first novel was rejected by fifteen publishers and thirty agents. Now he has more than sixty million copies of his books in print. The list goes on. Dr. Seuss, Louis L'Amour, Jack London all experienced rejections, totaling 824 of those pesky form letters between the three of them. See where I'm going with this?

Rejection and discouragement mean nothing. What matters is what you do with it.

I teach a class called "Making Rejection Work for You," and I use my own experience in becoming a published author as an intro. When I was first picked up for publication, I'd been writing thirty years and had finished seven novels. I thought my first novel was great. Publishers didn't. After sulking for a few weeks, I sent it out again and wrote another novel. And another and another. I guess I had courage. I called it determination. My mother always referred to it as "butt-headedness." Whatever. The bottom line is that the more I was rejected, the more determined I became and the harder I tried, and therein lies the key.

No, this article is not intended to be a virtual pat on my back. It's not about me, even if the premise is drawn from my personal experience. Think of how much less rich the world would be if Jack London had caved, if Pearl S. Buck had thrown away her rejected drafts. Think how much poorer the world will be if you give up because others try to discourage you, whether you're a writer or musician or accountant or…fill in the blank.

In this world, nay-sayers abound, but they only have the power we give them. No matter who you are or what you do or want to do, you'll face criticism and discouragement at some time in your life. That's where the "courage" part comes in.

Remember who you are and what you want. And every time you're tempted to give up, every time you feel discouraged, remember there's courage in that word. Chant it like a mantra. Make discouragement―like rejection―work for you.

Lynda Fitzgerald is a multi-genre author, teacher and speaker.  Her debut novel, "If Truth Be Told," was released in June, 2007. "Of Words & Music,, her second, came out in March of 2009, and her mystery series, LIVE, was launched in Spring 2010 with the release of "LIVE Ringer." "LIVE Ammo" followed in 2012, with "LIVE in Person" due out in early spring 2013. Check out her website, http://www.fitzgeraldwrites.com, for more about Lynda and her books, including excerpts from each.

Antique Carousels

Guest Post by Richard Brawer

We have all ridden a carousel either at a traveling fair or at an amusement park.  Where did the word carousel come from?  Who invented carousels?  Where did the makers get their inspiration?

From the latter part of the 1800s to the mid 1930s five thousand hand-carved wooden carousels were built in the United States.  About 170 exist today.  An operating antique carousel can bring a million dollars or more at auction depending the size and condition.

It is generally believed the English word, carousel, came from Italian words, carosello meaning ball game, and garrosello meaning little war.  Those words referred to a Renaissance game where participants rode in a circle and threw clay balls filled with perfume at each other.  A hit eliminated an opponent.

Eventually the French picked up on the Italian game.  In 1662, Louis the XIV held a tournament to impress his mistress.  Like everything Louis did―think Palace of Versailles―his tournament was extravagant.  The participants were dressed in lavish costumes and the horses outfitted in opulent splendor.  The gala event was captured by an artist who called his painting Le Grand Carrousel. (Note the two Rs in the French word where in the English word there is only one R.  You can find the picture by Googling Le Grand Carrousel and clicking image at the top of the opening web site page)

To keep the horses from getting worn out or injured during practice, someone invented a machine where newcomers would sit on a wooden log hung from a wheel atop a pole and turned by a plow horse.  When the aristocrats saw the thing they thought it was fun and had seats resembling fancy carriages attached to the wheel and an amusement ride was born.

The first carousel built in the United is credited to William Dentzel.  He emigrated from Germany in 1864 and three years later opened a factory in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.  His first carousel was installed on Smith Island in the Delaware River.

Inspired by the Le Grand Carrousel painting, Dentzel created elegant carousels.  His horses had regal poses, and the carvers who worked for him, the Muller Brothers and Salvatore Carnigliaro, were perfectionists, carving the details―muscles, lips, tongues, eyelids, ears and flying manes―that looked almost real.  Like in the painting his horses were decorated in bright colors, but he did not embellish them with glass jewels and gold leaf.    Dentzel carousels became known as The Philadelphia Style.

In contrast to Dentzel, the carousel makers in Brooklyn―Charles Looff, Marcus Illions, Charles Carmel, Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein―tended to make their machines on the gaudy side, bedecking their horses with costume jewels, gold leaf and high pommels and cantles on the saddles.  The Brooklyn makers sold their machines to amusement parks like Rye Playland and Coney Island, thus their carousels became tagged the Coney Island Style.

However, two things Dentzel and the Brooklyn manufacturers had in common were:

(1) While their horses had powerful legs, sweeping tails, flowing manes, arched necks, open mouths and large teeth; and they all used some kind of trappings such as cherubs, eagles, flowers, swords, guns, hitch-hiking trolls, foxes and parrots, the expression on the horses’ faces seemed pretty, even sweet so as not to scare the children.

(2) Carousels revolve counter clockwise.  The right side of the horses face outward.  The artists call the right the” romance side” and carved it more elaborately than the left, especially on the standers―horses that do not move up and down―which were typically on the outer ring and the first horses seen by the customers.

Carousels for traveling fairs made by Allan Herschell and Charles Parker were a total deviation from Dentzel and the Brooklyn makers.  Their horses tended to have large heads and necks so they could be seen from a distance to attract riders.  The saddles were long and flat with very little detail, maybe a star or gun.  The horse’s legs were disproportionate to the body, being long and stretched out so they could be easily stacked and transported from one fair to the next.  Thus their creations were dubbed the Country Fair Style.

There is much more to a carousel than the horses.  There are also chariots, or simply put, fancy booths, for those who do not want to sit on a horse to ride the carousel.  In the center of the carousel, hand painted panels hide the operating mechanism, called the “truck” mechanism.

Then there are the “sweeps” or beams which extend from the center pole of the carousel to the outer ring of the platform. (Think of an open umbrella with support poles extending down from the tips of the ribs to keep it from falling over if stood up by its “center pole”)  Hand carved “rounding boards” in jesters, clowns, and mirrors accented in baroque scroll work circle the ends of the “sweeps” to hide the structural framework, and thousands of light bulbs covered the “sweeps” turning them into a blaze of color.

Then of course there is the band organ which plays what today we call circus music very loud to attract riders.

And don’t forget that brass ring machine.  Catching the brass ring came from earlier Moorish tournaments in Spain where riders would try to spear a ring hanging from a cord.  Applied to the carousel, it became known as a symbol of good luck and those “spearing” a brass ring got a free ride.  Today, only a few carousels have brass ring machines because insurance companies worry about riders falling off as they leaned out for the ring thus making liability insurance costly.

Also there are other animals to ride on―tigers, elephants, dogs, pigs, zebras, lions, pandas etc.  I concentrated on the horse because it is the most common animal.

So, the next time you ride a carousel, take a closer look.  Even the steel ones with plastic animals made today copy the original makers.

If you are curious to see if there is an antique carousel near you check out these web sites:  www.americancarousel.com (American Carousel Society) and  www.nationalcarousel.org (National Carousel Association)

Richard has published five novels in mystery, suspense and historical fiction genres.  When not writing, he spends his time golfing, sailing and growing roses.  He has two married daughters and lives in New Jersey with his wife.

Read about Richard’s novels including “Murder Goes Round and Round” where an antique carousel is the motive for the murder at:  www.silklegacy.com  Click mysteries at the top of the home page.