Develop a Winning Attitude for Successful Writing

What does it take in our everyday writing lives to be successful? In order to evaluate this question it is first necessary to understand what "success" is and what all successful writers have in common. It is probably safe to assume that anyone continuing after the first sentence wants to be successful as a writer.

However, only five percent of the population will ever reach their potential for all activities, ninety-five percent will never truly be successful. It may be worse for writers. There's a common statistic that says eighty percent of the people wish to write a novel and only one percent do. That's not very encouraging if looking at the whole.

Let's assume you will be in the one percent. If you're dedicated to writing, that's not unreasonable for there is no time frame that you have to complete your project in thirty days, six months, or a year.

There are five characteristics you must have in common with successful novelists. Think Stephen King, Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Jan Burke, Patricia Cromwell, and you can add all those authors on the New York Times Best Seller list. And, yours, too, if not now, in the future.

Let's get back to the five characteristics.

One, goals. Goals are the single most important factor in achieving success. They must be realistic. You wouldn't want to say you have a goal of writing 20,000 words in a day. Sure, you could do it. But it's not realistic. Instead, bite off those 20,000 words in smaller portions to make the achievement of the eventual goal of 20,000 easier and manageable. All successful people set goals, reevaluate their goals and scale them upward to even greater achievements.

I will digress a moment. I was trying to work on three novels at once. Wasn't getting me anywhere. You can guess why. Overload. I diverted my mind with writing a one-act play on a topic of local news interest. A local community theatre ensemble offered to perform it. I sat in the audience. What I gauged from the audience reaction (positive for the most part) re-energized me. Not to rewrite the play, but which novel to focus on. My novel writing goal was now clear. (Read Adolph's Gold sample at http://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/398225 )

Two, positive attitude. Having a positive attitude is the second factor that successful writers have in common.  Say hello to a successful writer and you'll come away with a "can do" attitude. They believe and communicate in terms of the reality of their initial goal. Grab onto it. A positive attitude is contagious.

Third, truth. The truth, expressed in your writing, and everyday activities is always best for several reasons. The least may be that it's always easiest to remember. People kid about that, but it's true. If you are going to be a successful writer, and I believe you will be, you will not have time, energy, or ability to remember the untruths or lies told. Furthermore, true winners face the truth, learn from it, and triumph in the end because they never have to backtrack to cover up problem areas created by lies.

Fourth, research. Successful writers are always on the prowl for improvement. It's not only research to keep the elements of their stories faithful to reality, it's also a constant striving for improvement through seminars, reading, and listening to the ideas of others. While this may incur a cost in time and effort, not to do will bring about a return on investment (to use a banking term) that equates to zero. And the lack of effort always results in zero.

Fifth, think. A writer's ability to think is a talent to be exploited. With the ability to think, writers not only embellish plots or story lines, but they engage readers. Readers latch on to the power writers possess. This power of writing is awesome and, at times, frightening. Writers make readers believe.
Why? Because writer's already believe because they have goals, a positive attitude, speak truth, research and think.

As a writer, it's your task and opportunity to unleash that which is in you. You know you can do it.


Donan Berg's newest novel mystery/thriller Adolph's Gold comes out March 13, 2014. Read major preview sample at www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/398225 or at Barnes and Noble, Sony, or Kobo online. E-book priced at $2.99. Special pricing for libraries. Ask Amazon.com to upload for Kindle.

Free Christmas Gifts

Why shop? Oh, I know you must. It's tradition. There are loved ones you care for. They care for you. But during this busy season take a moment to ponder that you can put free gifts on your Christmas list and, in the spirit of recycling, keep giving each and every day, week, month, and year.

While others may think of many more, for this Christmas season I've compiled the following seven free gifts. And, for those of you who are not conversant in the Bible, there are added references you must check out to fulfill your experience. Let's start:

1.  The gift of LISTENING. This gift is especially prized by those individuals you know who live alone. Offer to listen face-to-face. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no pre-planning your responses. Just sit or stand there and listen with, not only, your ears but your accepting heart. (Proverbs 18:13)

2.  The gift of AFFECTIONS. If not listening, be generous to others with your hugs, kisses, and gentle squeezes of the hand. Let these tiny, often not received, actions of gentle affection be the true indicators of the love that dwells inside you. (Proverbs 15:30)

3.  The gift of a NOTE. No, not musical, but that would be okay, too. This gift is of written words on a piece of paper and could only say three words: "I love you."  If so inspired, be Shakespearean and compose a sonnet that expresses love and more. Mail or, better yet, hand-deliver your heart-felt creative expression. (Proverbs 15:30)

4.  The gift of LAUGHTER. Remember that cartoon that moved you to laugh. Cut it out; share it. Spend time and money to find a humorous card. You'll share yourself and generate a common bond that could say to the recipient that there's an uplifting side to life. (Proverbs 17:22)

5.  The gift of a COMPLIMENT. Be honest and say what comes to mind. "You look good in that outfit." "Great meal, honey." "I'm happy to see you in church." (Proverbs 15:33)

6.  The gift of a FAVOR. Help with any task. Clear the dinner dishes. Open a door. Offer to run an errand for a shut-in or an at-home recent hospital patient. There is no requirement that you know the person. Be anonymous, it's okay; but personal contact is best. (2 Samuel 2:6)

7.  The gift of a GAME. Offer a child, a shut-in, a senior, or a loved one an opportunity to play their favorite game. Be sincere, but even if you lose, you'll be a winner. For this is a great opportunity for everyone to be a winner when quality TIME is shared. (Proverbs 21:21)

Please enjoy. It's not a simple request. Experience says you, whether giver and receiver, will find a glow of happiness within. And, isn't that the Christmas miracle? 

(Please note:  Voting closed January 3, 2014. Thank you all who participated.)
If you've a mind, you can vote, no obligation, for the author's book cover during the December Cover Wars. There'll be no blood spilled, nor spears thrown, but stealth and two clicks are required. 1) Click on the following: http://masqueradecrew.blogspot.com/2013/12/17-covers-to-choose-from-in-Decembers.html , and 2) Click on the Cover Wars logo. (Ignore warning that page does not exist. It was likely put there to dissuade errant reindeer and mischievous elves.)

These two blogs are not related. Donan Berg in 2012 wrote them a guest post entitled "Q is for Quack." Other than to say it was a writing tip, it's hard to explain without repeating the entire
article. Taking a gander at 17 book covers in one easy look could be fun.

Happy Thanksgiving

To all who celebrate Thanksgiving, we wish you a glorious family holiday with bountiful blessings coming your way in return for the thanks expressed and the helping hand you've given to others.

Forget Flattery; Be Yourself

Imitation may be flattery and many a budding writer envies Herman Melville, William Faulkner, or fill in the blank ________ without a complete understanding of what made that writer's prose great. Far be it from me to invade the minds of great writers, but their writings give wannabe and striving writers more than enough to think about.

(While I think, you, the reader, should know that this author, me, Donan Berg, has just been informed that he landed three times in the 2013 winner's circle at the 8th Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Writing Contest. When the official results are announced, look for them here.)

Let's start with Mr. Melville. A previous blog teased you with his opening line of "Call me ______." If you didn't correctly fill in the blank, no matter. Beginning writers have often tried, unsuccessfully, to imitate the style or voice of past writing masters. What is not grasped is that the greats changed over time. Or, more accurately, they adapted their voice or style to the nature of their story.

Mr. Melville wrote a novel entitled Omoo, which often ends up as a crossword answer. Those crossword geeks love words with multiple vowels. Anyway, the story starts very simply:

"It was the middle of a bright tropical afternoon that we made good our escape from the bay. The vessel we sought lay with her main-topsail aback about a league from the land and was the only object that broke the broad expanse of the ocean."

Please note, no big dictionary words. Yet, there are questions. Escape from what? Or whom? Why the referenced vessel? If this was a bay, why only one vessel? Are we near a town or marooned? The hook for reading more is deeply planted.

Later in his writing life, Melville began his classic Moby-Dick as follows: (You can repeat out loud this often-quoted verbiage.)

"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago-never mind how long precisely-having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world."

Had Melville changed? Some would say yes. But it's more than that. It's voice. Moby-Dick is arguably more authoritative in style and voice. Omoo didn't require the Moby-Dick voice, at least, Mr. Melville didn't believe so.

I attended a reading by Alice Sebold a few years ago and she read the first chapter of her well-received and engaging novel entitled The Lovely Bones. It begins:

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

Does that harken back? Maybe yes, but not as straightforward as J.D. Salinger's A Catcher in the Rye reference to Charles Dickens and David Copperfield.

My goal is not to flog masterful writing, but to point out different stories require serious thinking to match the character with the voice presented.

William Faulkner developed his style in service to his stories as other great writers have done. Compare his daring point of view and tense that serves the Bundrens well in As I Lay Dying with the simpler, more straightforward style in his The Reivers.

However you try to style your story, the goal is to not overwhelm your reader and bury the story in an avalanche of stylistic voice copied from a person that doesn't inhabit your skin. If the voice becomes the end all, all your characters will begin to sound alike, spouting diction so similar the reader glosses over the points you wish to make. Sure, I can envision an urban street corner where everyone begins a sentence with "yo dude." Would that enhance my story or distract? Probably distract.

If you give high tension to every character, none will stand out as major or memorable. You may think of all your friends as major influences in your life, but aren't they all slightly, maybe even markedly, different. Treating them as different is not a snub. They're not robots who attended the same Star Wars training school. Come to think of it. Is R2-D2 the same as Hal the computer or that other annoying robot. I think you know the one I'm referring to. No, it's not named Ishmael or Salmon. Think of beginning with the letter C.

The main point is to be yourself. There's nothing wrong with the following in the right circumstances:

"Oh no," the pizza man shouted. "He's been fighting wid his old lady. I ain't gonna get no tip outta this pie."

Nor the following:

"Don't call me Jacob."

Think of yourself, your story. Now, go to it.

Profit in the Whimsy Market

With all the New Year attention focused on the rising stock market, perhaps now is a good time to evaluate stocks that should be on the Big Board. To be specifically clear, what follows is not investing advice. No brokers were hurt or are expected to be hurt in the creation of the following whimsy related to the United States Stock Market. If a chord is struck, i.e., you wagered on the New York Giants at 100-1 before they became the Super Bowl Champs, definitely don't rely on the material herein. You have your own ground game to destiny.

Here's the past and present stock movements worth considering:

Recreational boats dipped after new wave surge.

Prunes declined after the grape market dried up.

Escalators climbed steadily up.

Pencils lost a few points.

Snow shovels scrapped bottom.

Writing paper last month was stationary; toilet paper touched bottom.

Cola slipped into a bear market.

Helium soared; balloon prices remained inflated.

Rubberbands stretched to reach new limits, then snapped.

Light switches were off.

Axes cut into tree futures.

Sun stocks entered day low, then peaked at midday.

Arrows pierced expected target.

Weights in heavy trading were up; feathers down.

Mining equipment hit rock bottom; diapers remained unchanged..


Author Donan Berg has four published novels: A Body To Bones, First Skeleton Series Mystery; The Bones Dance Foxtrot, Second Skeleton Series Mystery; Baby Bones, Third Skeleton Series Mystery, and Abbey Burning Love. Visit him here or at http://www.abodytobones.com/ . May your personal fortunes be increasing, not only in terms of money, but in love, family, and cherished values. Check out previous Author Donan Berg blog posts that include quotes, book reviews, and writing advice. Southwest Georgia Regional Library System (Bainbridge, Colquitt, Donalsonville, GA) became the latest known library to shelve Donan Berg's debut mystery novel A Body To Bones.





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Life's Hidden Secret

Each day made Samuel crazy. His constricted way of life. He wanted to be wasteful: eat half a sandwich and throw the rest away, rip to shreds T-shirts when one hole appeared or trash paper clips still capable of holding multiple paper sheets together without leaving rust marks. Those were simple thoughts to distract from what really bothered him: meal leftovers. Tallied bread crusts saved to fill a measuring cup for pudding, hamburger crumbs glued together with ketchup three days after grilling, and limp celery stalks, oh, how he hated celery.

Samuel's best friend Ernie commented one day while both jammed sandwiches into mouths like squirrels reacting to the first blast of cold winter air that life had been good to them since automobiles still broke down even in an economy hurting from recession and they were there to fix them. Samuel had to agree, but he recognized Ernie only perceived the upside of a seesaw destined to bump the ground again.

Samuel recalled a decade prior when he'd been eighteen and Dad would be in blue jeans, green flannel shirt and baseball cap bending next to a hot sputtering hard-starting lawn mower. Mom would be in a house dress, mixer blades whirling and a raggedy, threadbare dish towel posed at the ready. With the immediate chores accomplished, both would turn to fixing things. Mom held nails while Dad pounded, a repaired curtain rod securely attached. Next came the screen door, the radio batteries, the hem on a dress shortened to be stylish in length even if the material faded and old-fashioned. Nothing discarded  We were keepers, Dad said. Waste not, want not, chipped in Mom.

Samuel gulped the last dry bread crust and bore his eyes into Ernie's gaze. "I want to be wasteful," Samuel said. Forget saving. The envisioned trumpet announcing affluence meant Samuel could be wasteful. Things could be thrown away for a hefty bank balance meant more could be obtained when needed. He dreamed of life with buldging pockets straining to retain wads of folded C-notes. An unending line of credit always paid off without interest. Neighbors envious of a new car each fall.

Reality intruded upon Samuel the day an ambulance whisked his Mom to the hospital. The doctor's notification finally received that he could visit her room; Dad, teary-eyed, disheveled next to the bed. When Dad moved to allow Samuel to squeeze next to Mom's bedrail, the room's window allowed the heavenly sun to explode its warmth upon Samuel. Mom's lips formed words of love before her chest became still. A green line ran across the bedside monitor screen. Dad pulled the monitor's plug from the wall socket.

The pain of learning that life is not infinite, but finite, overwhelmed Samuel. While he may have known of the inevitability of human fraility in the deep recesses of his mind, it never choked him as hard as it did in Mom's hospital room. Mom would never again be a help to her family, or him especially. The extended usefulness of material things would slowly ebb away with Mom not there to add sustaining life.

Dad said one thing to Samuel that reverberated like a Christmas bell. Mom was happy, he said, because the family provided meaning and emotional nourishment.

Samuel knew that wasn't Mom talking about the wash machine she complained of frequently, nor the socks that needed constant darning, nor the stretching of meals with pasta the last week of each month. Those were not heading her list of importance. The smile across Mom's face the brightest when she reminisced about reading Samuel a story when an infant, the hugs from Dad each time he left for work or family holiday celebrations and the handmade ornaments.

The love expressed through human acts that didn't require expensive payment were the currency that required keeping. Samuel made a mental list of family and friends to be thankful for. He'd keep them front and center in his life. The material things no longer cluttered his dreams or longings.