Simply a matter of delayed discipline

cj Sez: It used to be that I thought if I gave myself a deadline, I’d have the incentive to keep working hard on the WIPs I have on my computer. Found out that’s not true.

  I manage to bury any deadlines under weeks of what I have called “research.” It seems that the more I research, the less creativity I have. I’m getting bogged down in discovering fascinating facts, and the stories are suffering.
 
  I suppose some of you might call that procrastinating…I’m calling it delayed discipline.
 
  How about you? How do you kick research to the curb and stay on track?

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  Speaking of research, I came across the word "bildungsroman" while I was spiraling down a research rabbit hole looking for more information on coming-of-age stories. In literary criticism, a bildungsroman is a literary genre.

  Bildungsroman is the combination of two German words: Bildung,  meaning "education," and Roman, meaning "novel." Fittingly, a "bildungsroman" is a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character, but takes a slightly different tack than modern coming-of-age stories. The bildungsroman usually ends on a positive note with the hero's foolish mistakes and painful disappointments over and a life of usefulness ahead. 
 

(Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bildungsroman)

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Buy Nigel Now 

  And speaking of bildungsroman: “The Apprenticeship of Nigel Blackthorn” is a Western historical fiction coming-of-age story from author Frank Kelso, a friend of mine.

 

  In 1853 Texas, thirteen-year-old Nigel Blackthorn is the spoiled son of a Protestant preacher. When his missionary family fall victims to a Comanche attack, his easy childhood crumbles in an instant. How will he find the grit to survive?

   It’s 4.5-star novel with more than a thousand ratings.      

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Writers take note:

  Jane Friedman takes issue with a recent article at Vox that said: “With any book, but especially nonfiction ones, publishers want a guarantee that a writer comes with a built-in audience of people who already read and support their work.” Ms. Friedman says it doesn’t hurt to have a platform, but it isn’t the all-end-all.
 
  Read more here:
https://janefriedman.com/author-platform-is-not-a-requirement-to-sell-your-novel-or-childrens-book/
 

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Mobile and near-Mobile readers and writers: Save the Date

  The Mobile Literary Festival at the Ben May Main Library is the place to be on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Come on down to see what’s going on at this FREE event.

  Here’s a copy of the schedule so you can pre-plan your day. 

  Check out the names of the prestigious presenters on the schedule—everyone from a NYT best-selling author to a Harper Lee Award winner to a State of Alabama former Poet Laureate.  

  And it’s an open-house kind of event, so come and go as you please.
 
  P.S. The Haunted Book Shop will have a pop-up sales store (including some of my stories), and some local authors will be in attendance to sign your purchase.
 
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  You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.
cj
 
Now some words from my sponsors:

  For your to-be-read stack: My novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a touch of romance. The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.
 
  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER on line, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  .
 
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