Since my last post I’ve submitted my first article to The Good Men Project. I stuck to my guns and stayed on this topic of musing. That’s not so easy, given that the only gun I own is the one under my cap!
The Unexpected . . .
It was a hard article to write, but with some fine editorial advice I think it came out pretty good. How do I know it’s good? Some might call it by “gut check” or intuition, but for me it has become more than that . . . it’s what I sometimes refer to as, “unexpected pleasant surprises”. They happen often enough in normal life, but when they show up in the creative process, it’s different.
Each surprise is a unique, though what’s common is this “just knowing” feeling . . . it’s a selfless kind of self-confidence. There is a personal trust in the musing that happens . . . like a little jazz? Sometimes there is this kind of a “wow” reaction, sometimes it’s more of, “Geez, that’s really nice!”
I’ve come to the point where I’ll seldom publish anything without doing that kind of check. Sometimes though, with complex or abstract issues, I’m guilty of being less focused than I need to be, for the benefit of others. One issue ties into many others, becoming complex, hence the need for more focus.
The Excruciating . . .
Strangely, the most difficult kind of writing for me is what I’ll call the promotional kind, and yet I spent the majority of my corporate life in that very activity.
There really are no “ah ha” moments in that kind of writing, except maybe with one recent exception. Like most writers, describing one’s work in a book description – the blurb – can be excruciating. It never seems to come out right. However, about a week ago a book reviewer offered to take a look at Dawn at Last. First she wanted me to answer one simple question, “What makes your book different than the rest?”
The answer flowed out with almost no effort. It took me longer to type it than to think it, which is always a good sign. Here’s how I answered her:
- It’s the way the lives (and stories) of six quirky characters interweave.
- It’s about love more than a love story – by the end you may wonder whether Love herself is the unsung hero.
- It’s excruciatingly difficult to peg the book into one or even two genres – it’s erotic but not erotica; it’s a mystery, though the crime is perhaps debatable; the underlying issues are really quite serious, yet dealt with in a playful & humorous way.
- When you read it for the second or third time, after waiting awhile, most likely you will read it slightly differently, and discover something new.
- Other than that, to finish the question, it has a great cover!
lawrence grodecki 
Writing the blurbs have certainly been excruciating for me. I must redo them all. It’s the same with the bios – terrified of sounding arrogant. You should rewrite it and add those points though – they are all true and very much what makes the book so delicious. 🙂
Thank you Jo. I’ve never been very comfortable with any of my book descriptions (blurbs). It’s a lot of hard work to write them, and I don’t mind putting in that effort, only mind the outcome. I’ll definitely be doing a rewrite, just as you say, but in doing so, I’ll be going against all the ‘rules’ I’ve come across on writing blurbs. So I’ll pretend I’m that pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, and I’ll think of those rules as merely guidelines. Off to the seven seas once more, and with nine muses . . . oye, now I need some rum!
Yes! Have the rum first, then write. Worked for Hemingway after all. 😉 I want rum too now…..
I’m not sure the rum would do anything for my writing, but I am sure it does wonders for my dancing . . . shall we dance?
http://bit.ly/1inAnF9
If you can do the stomp like Captain Jack then bring it on! Love that crazy guy! 😀
It’s not whether I can stomp, but where I stomp . . . by any chance do your dancing shoes have steel toes?
Only the six inch heels. 😉
Steel heels? Ouch! My guess is if your dance partners step on your toes, it only happens once. 😉
Ha haa! Toe piercings.. 😉
Sadist!