Back on Track Tuesdays

This day will now be dedicated to promoting getting back on track. Right off the bat I need to deal with some spiritual issues. So let's dive in.

A word to the wise. If you aren't down for Jesus, keep your comments to yourself and keep it moving. You can sling hate on your own blog.


Dear Lord,
Thank you for putting up with me while I took your grace for granted. Thank you for covering me in my sin even when I didn't deserve it. Thank you for forgiving me so that I'm reminded to forgive those who I have an offense with. Thank you for allowing me another day to get it right. Thank you for not removing your hand from my life while I disregarded your voice. You are truly worthy to be praised. You are the one true and mighty God. Your love is everlasting. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains. Your judgments are a great deep. Lord I love you, and I thank you for choosing me before the foundation of the earth and I thank you for accepting me as your own. This day I will sing praises to your holy name for you are a good God. Lord, I send up these praises and thanksgiving in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.


I'm amped. I've been desiring a closer walk with the Lord and this past Sunday, I heeded the voice of the Lord and went to church (hadn't been in about 2 months). Just as luck would have it, the message was a blessing to me. So, I'm on a journey to build a closer relationship. I'm not proclaiming I'll be perfect. I'm just saying I'm going to make a concerted effort to read my word and pray as regularly as possible. I'm sure I'll miss it from time to time, so I'm letting all the haters who sit on the sideline know right off the top, you can keep your comments to yourself and when you think about pointing the finger, do me a favor and kick rocks.

Now that thats out of the way -- the topic for today:

Let's face it. There are many days that we just decide to "take a day off". I've surely taken my share, but here we are mid year and I still have quite a few goals that I would like to accomplish. Since I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I'm going to call on his help. So, let it be written, let it be said, I'm going for mine and with God on my side I'm certain I will successfully complete all my goals. As of late, I've been working on my novel (haven't touched it in a year) and I'm taking a novel writing workshop so I'm learning a thing or three. Needless to say, I'm trying to get my writing back on track. So far this year, I have only completed one short story and started a second. I need to do better.

So what about you. What area of your life is off track and needs a push in the right direction?

** Last thing, I'm still updating bloggers by region -- did Chicago last night, if I missed anybody, throw the link out.



About the host:
Rich Fitzgerald is the author of the short story "One to Remember" featured in Love and Redemption (Bloggers' Delight Vol. 1), a collection of short stories by authors who blog. To read excerpts or to order a copy of the title, visit i-Lit. The book is also available on Amazon.

A Lesson Before Writing

Have you ever said you were going to do something only to later regret it? I’m sure most people can relate to being in that position at one time or another. Well, I find myself there yet again, and like most times it’s because of my desire to help someone. I was hoping to turn you on to a good book when I promised the author, a local sister who boasts "best seller" status, that I would definitely read her story and to boot, I would promote it here. At the time, I was excited because this author has written nine novels and according to the word of a local bookstore owner, one of her self published titles sold over 60,000 copies. She's been on the Essence best seller list, so I just knew class was going to be in session when I cracked the book open. Never mind the fact that it was urban fiction -- not my favorite genre -- because I was sure with all those accolades that I was going to enjoy the book anyway. However, I'm sorry to say, that was not the case. I didn't make it past page thirty.

If you follow my blog regularly, you will remember in my 365 day challenge (I'm behind on my writing projects by the way - but not for long) that I also promised to read and review some writers. So that is what brings me here today. I'm keeping my word to the author, who will remain nameless for now, and I'm keeping my word to you, the viewer of my humble pages.

Before I get into this, let me first say the premise of the story was good. While I didn't read the entire book, my college age daughter and a co-worker that I let borrow the book did read it in it's entirety. My daughter said it was "typical" urban fiction, but I'm not sure what that meant since I don't read it and my co-workers said she liked the story (she said it was a good little nasty book) but she also agreed to some of the reasons why I didn't like it. So, why didn't I take to it? It's simple; It was poorly written. I know someone might be thinking, Rich is hating. Truthfully, I'm not. I'm actually disappointed that the book wasn't an all around treat as I expected, but it is a good model for some of the things I've been wanting to discuss about writing. So, before anyone gives me “the business” let me explain.

In the pages that I read, I realized that the author was prone to writing paragraphs that are mechanical in nature. As a reader, it was hard to engage in the story while accepting the delivery. Here’s an example of what I mean. In this excerpt, the female character is speaking; I have altered the names to maintain the anonymity of the book.

I turned on some soft music and went over to the small sofa in the far corner of the room. After taking a seat, I removed my peach linen stilettos and propped my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. I unbuttoned my white silk blouse and leaned back. Thinking deeply about what Marcus was up to, I put the bottle up to my lips and tilted it. I gulped down a few sips of Martel and put the bottle on the table in front of me. I then reached for my cell phone clipped to my skirt and dialed his number. Surprisingly, he answered.

Surprisingly, I made it to page thirty! I will say that the entire book is not written in this way, I skimmed some of the other sections, but there are enough instances that it would irritate the crap out of me. As a writer, you shouldn't have to describe every little thing to get your point across. That's my beef with the passage above and similar passages in the book.

The other thing that bothered me in the story was the poor use of descriptive language. There are times in the story when the author could simply use a different choice of words and it would have made for a world of difference. Alright, I know what you are thinking, “Maybe that is just her style. Writers should be free to have their own style, right?” Most definitely, but there should be some standards that we all should live by if we are going to call ourselves writers, let alone authors. Stephen King gives great tips in his book On Writing, if you decide you want to hear it from someone who's been in the game longer. The second half of his book deals exclusively with how to be a better writer.



But since he's not here, you can take it from me. Check out these sentences from the book.

As I got ready to hit the busy streets of St. Louis, I stood in the bathroom’s doorway with my white T-shirt and blue police officer pants on.

This is the sentence that revealed to the readers that the leading male character was a cop. It was also the sentence that made me realize this read was going to take a lot of energy. If you don’t know what’s wrong with the sentence I’ll just pray now that you are a reader and not a writer. In the meantime, try this next one on for size.

Thomas handcuffed him and read him his rights. After he lifted him from the floor, Thomas searched his pockets and shoved him in my direction.

“Marcus, take this bastard to the police car. I’m gon’ stay and talk to the young lady to see what happened.” (without reading the book, you probably wouldn't get this one, but the author kept referring to their patrol car or squad car as a police car and that just didn't bode well with me since it was two cops in the scene).

And this one:

I changed clothes, and since I didn’t want to drive my police (there it is again) car to Gabrielle’s house, I drove my white Dodge Ram truck with major horsepower that was already parked on the lot.

I don't think I need to speak to these examples more than I already have. Again, in the thirty pages I read, I kept encountering sentences like these so I just gave up on the book.

Now on the positive side, the author does at times find her stride and narrates well and creates good dialogue. However, on a whole, I think she may have rushed this effort out of the gate a bit too soon.

Needless to say, I toiled with whether I should write this review, but I ended up compromising by not exposing the author or the title. At worst, reviews are pompous outpourings of our own self indulgent opinions about a particular work, but at best it is a pure objective examination of the work in question. You’ll never please everyone. In fact, by merely writing, you will offend someone. With that said, I still hope my comments will encourage those that write to push themselves to be the best they can. As far as the writer who is the beneficiary of this review, she is a real nice sister and it's likely that we'll run into each other again so I wanted to be kind. I’m not in her inner circle, but if by chance she reads this, I hope that she sees that my main goal is to inspire her to higher heights. Although, this may be a bitter pill for her to swallow since it is her ninth title. I suspect that when a writer manages to garner sales and attract a publisher who is able to broaden that writer’s distribution that it is hard to hear from those of us who have yet to fully walk in their shoes. But I would challenge any writer to never stop developing their talent in the craft. Take some writing classes; try a different editor – one that will push you. And read other good writers, which I'm sure would help this writer immensely since I read an interview posted on her website that stated she didn't read any of the well known writers. Instead she read a lot of the authors that are up and coming, writers that she have become acquainted with I'm sure. I know she was trying to cast a little light on her friends, but I think she should reconsider her position on which writers to read.

In the end, the bottom line is that writing takes work. It is one of those things that I have found that you truly have to love enough to do for free. It can’t be about some perceived fame or big paycheck that comes as a result of writing a book. If you think that way, you will learn, sooner or later, that it just doesn’t work that way.

Now that I've given my views, I'd like to hear from you, what are some of the things that draw you to a particular writer?

About the host:
Rich Fitzgerald is the author of the short story "One to Remember" featured in Love and Redemption (Bloggers' Delight Vol. 1), a collection of short stories by authors who blog. To read excerpts or to order a copy of the title, visit i-Lit. The book is also available on Amazon.

Off To a Good Start

In November I started my 365 Day Challenge, partly because I was thinking forward and I didn't want to get caught up with all the usual "do nothing" New Years Resolutions.

Since that time I have been focusing on my list and I have needed to make some adjustments. If you all decide to do a list of some sort, my best advice is make it as realistic as possible and write the steps on how you will reach those goals, otherwise, they will be just words on a paper. Good luck.

1. Stop drinking soda - period - my bladder is out of control and I know drinking all that soda can't be helping -- but I like the taste and the caffeine. I'm having some success, but I'm not totally off soda yet.

2. Commit to a five day workout plan by my birthday in December - no matter what comes up in my schedule, commit to five days. The daily minimum is 1 mile (walked or ran), 36 situps (3 sets of 12), and 36 push-ups (3 sets of 12) -- this way, equipment doesn't come in to play. I can do this workout anywhere. I have had to modify this because I have resisted going to the gym. So, I have a rule that if I leave my desk, which I do often, then I have to do the 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups in one of the conference rooms before returning to my desk. I'm averaging 60 of each a day. I'm also going to look into getting a personal trainer for about a month. Just to get me started.

3. Finish the complete first draft to "Chance Encounters" by December 16th. This date was unrealistic to begin with, especially with the holidays. I'm changing it to January 31st. I have been working on the story though, thanks to this list.

4. Finish the complete first draft to "Closure" by January 31st. Change to Begin working on first draft of "Closure" by March 1st.


6. Take my wife Christmas shopping in Chicago this year. Didn't make it. Too much going on. Change it to a surprise get away.

8. Call Grandma Ruby (my late Grandfather's second wife) over Thanksgiving and for her birthday on December 17th. COMPLETED!

9. Help my wife complete the rehab of our house by Spring, so we can either rent or sell this property and move on to the house we have been waiting to purchase. Working on this now.

13. Complete "Seminar" by January 1st. Actually started working on a book that will be used as the basis for the "Seminar". My goal is to work on this as much as possible, because it is more of a knowledge based project than creative.

14. Put invitations in the mail for PowerCell by January 1st. Delayed

15. Take my wife out at least once a month without the kids. Ongoing

16. Do something with the kids away from home at least once a month. Ongoing

19. Read at least one book a month (I know I could read more, but I'm serious about this list).
Must read John Edgar Wideman, James Patterson, re-read Black Boy (Richard Wright), James Baldwin, Langston Hughes (complete The Best of Simple). Reading several right now, need to finish one of them.

22. Support GOOD musicians by purchasing their albums. Bootleg is for busters! You'd want people to buy your work, wouldn't you? I bought a few CD's since this post (Jay Z, Jill Scott, and Peabo Bryson -- all very good). I also got an IPOD classic for Christmas, and I plan to load that thing down. So, I can mark this as complete, because it is a foregone conclusion.

365 Day Challenge

It doesn't come along everyday

(Taken from my 365 Day Challenge Post)

22. Support GOOD musicians by purchasing their albums. Bootleg is for busters! You'd want people to buy your work, wouldn't you?

It's easier said than done to find GOOD music. You definitely won't hear it on the radio. Well...every now and again you might, but I haven't found much that I want to spend money on.

However, in my search I came across these Cats who go by the name, MOJOE. Their album, Classic.Ghetto.Soul came out in 2006, but the music doesn't sound dated at all. They mix Soul/Jazz/Hip-Hop into their style. I think you will like them. I provided a sample below and you can also find them on Amazon.

[click "play" (the arrow button) to watch]

Hold Me Accountable

You know, I have a lot of stuff I want to do in this life, but sometimes getting around to it all can be quite challenging. So, since you all come by and kick it with me on the regular. I thought I'd let you get in my business and hold me accountable on a few things.

One thing I've noticed about myself is that I don't like to disappoint. Maybe it's the little boy in me that likes acceptance, maybe I'm just better at getting things down when people are counting on me to do it, whatever it is, I've realized that when I create the right environment for myself, I'm more productive.

So here's the deal -- I was thinking about doing the 101 in 1001 , but decided I needed to put a bit more pressure on myself by shortening the period. I know the people at "101" think the 1001 days is realistic, but I know what works for me. So, I'm going to do a 365 Day Challenge and trim the list down to my top 40, that is, if I can come up with 40 things. We'll see. So in no particular order, here's my list -- I'll update periodically, because I probably can't think of 40 things for this year tonight.

1. Stop drinking soda - period - my bladder is out of control and I know drinking all that soda can't be helping -- but I like the taste and the caffeine.

2. Commit to a five day workout plan by my birthday in December - no matter what comes up in my schedule, commit to five days. The daily minimum is 1 mile (walked or ran), 36 situps (3 sets of 12), and 36 push-ups (3 sets of 12) -- this way, equipment doesn't come in to play. I can do this workout anywhere.

3. Finish the complete first draft to "Chance Encounters" by December 16th.

4. Finish the complete first draft to "Closure" by January 31st.

5. Visit my cousins in California by Summer 2008. Possibly tie that in with a visit to Cabos San Lucas Mexico (Oh yeah, I'm going back!)

6. Take my wife Christmas shopping in Chicago this year.

7. Visit my relatives in Florida in April 2008 (My Granny's birthday month).

8. Call Grandma Ruby (my late Grandfather's second wife) over Thanksgiving and for her birthday on December 17th.

9. Help my wife complete the rehab of our house by Spring, so we can either rent or sell this property and move on to the house we have been waiting to purchase.

10. Do everything in my power to have 5000 sold for Bloggers' Delight (Have you ordered your copy yet?).

11. Devote serious attention to my novel by March 1st 2008

12. Attend Book Club Convention in Atlanta, August 2008

13. Complete "Seminar" by January 1st.

14. Put invitations in the mail for PowerCell by January 1st.

15. Take my wife out at least once a month without the kids.

16. Do something with the kids away from home at least once a month.

17. Start studying Spanish using Rosetta Stone beginning no later than April 1st 2008.

18. Create a 4 yr. scholarship for a minority student who wishes to attend college.

19. Read at least one book a month (I know I could read more, but I'm serious about this list).
Must read John Edgar Wideman, James Patterson, re-read Black Boy (Richard Wright), James Baldwin, Langston Hughes (complete The Best of Simple).

20. Keep the irons sharp - take a writing class to continually improve in the craft.

21. Seriously consider membership with 100 Black Men St. Louis Chapter.

22. Support GOOD musicians by purchasing their albums. Bootleg is for busters! You'd want people to buy your work, wouldn't you?

23 - 40. ?


So, tell me, what would be on your list? Maybe you'll trigger my mind to remember something else I want to do.