Read, Write, and Review

I hope everyone out there celebrated their freedom today.

America celebrates its Independence every July 4th but the idea that all men (and women) are created equally does not end at our shores. Every night the news is full of peoples and nations fighting for their rights. The right to live in peace. The right to pursue their own life's goals.

Whichever part of this world you call home, may you have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July.


I wanted to use this week's post to give a few updates.

READ

I'm horribly slow at reading. Mountain chains rise from level ground faster than I finish books. But if I wish to follow the advice of successful writers, I must overcome this weakness.

One thing I've learned from the last few months of trying to reach out and promote myself is the incredibly large number of talented authors fighting for attention. So now, instead of reaching for King, Koontz, or Grisham when I browse Amazon, I've chosen Jenny Milchman (Cover of Snow), Luke Murphy (Dead Man's Hand), and Jason Crawford (Chains of Prophecy).

I'll keep reading King while learning to embrace those lesser known names who offer wonderful stories. I'll just do it very slowly.

WRITE

June started with much promise. The chaos of birthdays and family obligations that filled May came to a close. June would mark a return to writing. <Splat> That was the sound of my word count goals hitting the windshield of life.

July will be different. It has to be. In the past week I've taken a new approach. I'm spending more time on outlining, writing the chapters in more of a play like form, focusing on dialogue and stage directions. It's helped me get past some big walls while developing another tool in my writers tool shed.

Writing will have competition this month. I received edits for my second book yesterday. Editing my first book felt horrible, having all my writing limitations pointed out with squiggly lines until I realized it was maybe the best opportunity to learn I would ever have. This book doesn't have quite as many menacing marks, but I look forward to what I can learn.

REVIEW

I never knew how important this feedback was until ABSOLUTION'S CURSE became available. I don't like to review. Who am I to tell a writer if their words are right?

But that's now what reviews are about. When you receive a review, it's a measuring stick to let you know, good and bad, where you line up. When you give a review, it's a way to breakdown a literary work to find what you do and don't like about the story.

The ability to read objectively and self review your own words is invaluable.


Keep Reading. Keep Writing. Keep Reviewing.

Keep fighting for and celebrating freedom.

C.L. Blanton