Two (Blush) Reviews

Two recent reviews of Pope Bob:

--Pope Bob is one of the most touching stories I have ever read. The author, Bill Dodds, is a fine story teller, a more than capable writer, and obviously, a man of faith. As I read the book, I clearly identified with the parts of self-destruction, of putting my faith on the back burner in order to "enjoy" life. As Bob hit his bottom, I was right there beside him. And when Father Pete showed up, I wanted to cheer. What a winner!
Thank you, Bill Dodds, for an incredible journey with your characters. I can't remember the last time I sobbed at the end of a book. A wonderful and worthy read.

--Kudos to Bill Dodds for writing this book. Pope Bob takes a nearly impossible to believe scenario--the secretly alcoholic first American Pope getting lost and waking up on skid row--and makes it plausible. But really this book is about redemption, hope, addiction, friendship, love, and surrender, with quite a bit of humor sprinkled throughout. This is a beautiful book, with a universal message of the human condition and the struggles we each face as we navigate our lives and face our fears and our weaknesses. The dialogue was crisp and believable, the characters likable and very human. I smiled a lot while reading this book, and as I read the last page I was left with a feeling of warmth, very glad Pope Bob had come my way.

Thank you "Kufans4ever" and Jim Brumm.

As Goofy would say to Mickey: "Garsh."

Just keep writing.

We're #2

This has been a free long weekend (Friday through Tuesday) for Pope Bob and My Great-grandfather Turns 12 Today.
I'm happy to report I've given away almost 5,000 copies of Pope Bob and it's in the #2 spot on the top 100 humor Kindle books.

Bad Tips for Writers 018

If your family and friends say
something you wrote is very good
then you can be sure it is very good
and should be published immediately.

Make your motto: Pointing out to the editor
"my family and friends say this is very good"
will seal the deal!

Bad Tips for Writers 017

Remember you don't have to see a publication
before submitting an article to it. Often, just
knowing its name is enough.

Make your motto: If they don't use this kind of article,
they should.

'But I only write . . . '

It's good to recall the life and work of author Ray Bradbury (who died yesterday at the age of 91) when you fall into the but-I-only-write trap.

But I only write . . . science fiction. Fantasy. Westerns. Romance. Short stories. Poems. Mysteries. And on and on and on.

When it comes to writing, when it comes to your writing, there is no "I only."

Writing is writing. No matter the genre.

I highly suspect those who write so well in one form wish they could write as well in another. The mystery writer would like to pen a fantasy. The fantasy writer wishes she could do a literary novel. The literary novelist would dearly love it if as many people read his work as looked forward to the next children's book about a wizard boy in England.

Writing isn't a one-genre-fits-all talent. The gift you've been given, and are nurturing and strengthening, is uniquely your own, just as that developing (or developed) voice is.

Little Willie and I talk about that in this clip.



Just keep writing.

Top Ten Reasons a Child Can Write a Novel

10. He's never told himself he can't.
9. She isn't slowed down by concerns about punctuation, spelling, grammar or style.
8. He has a story he wants to tell.
7. She isn't hung up on what size a "real" novel has to be.
6. He has no doubt he can finish it.
5. She thinks it sounds kind of fun to do.
4. He's blissfully clueless about publishers, agents, and such.
3. She's read some novels.
2. He's not worried about what others will think of it.
1. Instead of doing a bunch of other stuff, she can choose to sit down and write!

Just keep writing.

'No One Owes You a Reading'

Crisis Magazine has a an interesting and encouraging article titled "On Being a Catholic Writer." The author is Ralph McInerny, who's generally best known as the creator of the Father Dowling murder mysteries. (The article's a reprint of a 1995 piece. McInerny died in 2010.)

He has some solid advice and encouraging words for writers:

The difference between a serious writer and a dilettante lies in their contrasting attitudes toward technique. The dilettante writes to amuse himself, an easy task, but the serious writer seeks to interest a reader. Over my typewriter I pinned the legend: No one owes you a reading. It has to be earned. The old-fashioned way — with plot.

A good novel tells a good story.

Just keep writing.