IN TWO WEEKS Available now and Warrior Writer Wanna Be

I just received copies of my second book IN TWO WEEKS. In honor of this great day, I will be giving away a free PDF file of REKINDLED to anyone who purchases IN TWO WEEKS and vice verse. Just click on the buy links.

OK, so not really a wanna be, although I have yet to take Bob Mayer's Warrior-Writer workshop. It sounds fabulous and I do plan on taking it in the near future. I have had the pleasure of taking many of Bob's workshops over the years, including his writing retreat which focuses on the writing more than the writer. I'm still trying to put all his excellent teachings into my current WIP. I actually have some sticky notes I made of questions he had asked me regarding a manuscript taped to my screen. Questions I should be asking myself every time I write.

I have spent the last two years of my writing career focusing on the craft of writing. I have learned that there will always be something new for me to learn. I have learned that I have mastered little. I have also learned that I write, therefore I am a writer. I think sometimes it's the writer that gets in their own way. We seek validation, except the only validation we need is from ourselves. No one else is going to give it to us.

I have gone through a lot of changes in my professional life. A breakup with my agent. A publisher that went bankrupt. Along with changes in what I'm writing as well as my writing style. I have also had some changes in my personal life, which can sometimes affect the professional one. They are never as separate as we would like them.

I seem to have come to a point where it's my approach to the writing that needs to change. Which brings me to Bob's Warrior-Writer workshop. I have been a fan of Bob's books since the early 90's. I have been a fan of his teaching since I started writing back in 2004. Every time I have heard him speak, I have learned something new about writing, about publishing, and about myself as a writer.

One thing that just clicked recently, but I've heard him say it at least a dozen times, is that many writers never change their writing. I think he said something like they just move their chairs around on the Titanic. Kind of defeats the purpose. In order to reach a goal, you need to move toward that goal. You need to take action and part of that action is a willingness to change. If I don't change, I will continue to make the same mistake over and over again. Some people say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. If I want to get to the next level in my writing, I need to change something. I need to take action.

So, what does that mean for me right now? Well, I am writing in 1st person, which I think is my voice, though I have fought it for years, but it does seem to be a natural tendency for me. The majority of ideas I have come up with lend themselves to 1st person, or omniscient POV, which Bob tells me are very close. I'm still struggling with that concept, but I will take his word for it. Actually, I'm starting to fall into that line of thinking since I have started to take a good hard look at POV. Something I had thought I understood. Actually, understanding the types of POV is not mastering them. Not even close. There is a blood lesson for you.

Change is hard. I think we all fight it. The old saying, "if it works, don't fix it" comes to mind, but what if what you think is working, isn't really working, it's an illusion? I've always considered myself an open-minded person. Lately, I am realizing I'm not as open-minded as I thought. I need to make some hard changes in my writing. While I still need to learn and study the craft. I need to study myself as a writer. Where am I failing? What is my blind spot? What is it that keeps me from getting past the point where I am right now? The only way I am going to write a better book is if I continue to study the craft and learn to change the way I write. Open my mind to all the possibilities. Knowing craft, and applying craft to oneself are two different things. I need to focus on the later.

If you want to learn more about Bob Mayer's unique workshops, check out his website. I can tell you from experience, it will change your life. Also, Kristen Lamb has a whole blog set up regarding the Warrior-Writer experience. She is one incredibly smart lady. Read her blog. Very informative.