This is a guest post from James S. Fell There once was a great man who was a plagiarist. In fact, this man was so great – he did so much to advance the human cause – history has largely glossed over his indiscretion. His contributions to society overwhelm his plagiarism to such a degree that I will not mention his name. If someone plagiarizes, I do not believe it means they are a bad person. They could be a good person who just made a mistake. So I was …
Withdrawing Back to Real Life
One of the problems with writing is that it’s a solitary event. I bring the kids to school, work out, shower, write a blog post, delete 300 emails and read a dozen that are actually important. This is what I do every single day. It’s not a satisfactory way for me to spend my life. I need more people around me, but I’ve become so accustomed to the quiet that I find I don’t actually want people around, I just think I do. The folks who understand my work life …
Writing Our Own Obituaries
This morning I went hiking with another blogger and we both lamented the amount of time blogging takes from life. I have no great need to write. I could walk away from writing at any time, or so I tell myself. She has a need to connect and to create. I have a need for solitude, blogging is good for solitude. I want to be with my friends and my family. I don’t necessarily want new friends, I’m cautious that way. Then this morning Drew shared this link with me. …
About that Book
A few weeks ago I got an email from a publisher who had a book project for me. It was a good project, and I really wanted to do it. I took the phone calls, I saw the other works they’d published, and I really wanted to jump on board. The publisher talked to my agent, and then I talked to my agent. I passed on the book, not because there’s anything wrong with That Book, but because it’s not My Book. My Book is 16 chapters and the first …