Carol and Haleigh!!!!

Congratulations, wenches.  Email your snail mail info to Anna at Anna@annacampbell.info and she’ll get those books out to you right away.

Thanks again to everyone who made Anna’s visit such fun!

Boy, oh, boy, am I glad Obama is being sworn in today. I’m so ready to have another bleeding-heart, liberal democrat leading the free world and pissing the Republicans off. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I think W was the worst president we ever had. I really don’t. I’m just tired of him; as I think most of us are, especially the bleeding heart democrats. I’m ready—and forgive if you’ve heard this one—for some change.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, with the start of the New Year and the rush for resolutions, I wasn’t ready. I was gearing up for my move and my job title reclassification; recommitting to the gym and trying not to eat entire bags of mini-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. With the New Year, resolutions are so absolute. Black and white. You do them, or you don’t. And you usually don’t, which is why people hate making resolutions. People want to see the results of their newfound commitment right away. Thirty years of eating cake, and you want to drop fifty pounds in one week. Yeah, that happens.

This is why I like Obama’s change, whatever it’s going to be, because he’s already assured us it’s probably going to be at least two years down the road before he can untangle the Gordian knot W has left him. He’s in this for the long haul. There will be days he does his job and there will be absolutely nothing that shows for it, except for some headlines that probably link him with some more corrupt governors or something similar. But he’ll keep at it. He has motive; he has a dream. He does believe the world can be a better place.

So what can a writer learn from Obama?

Well, first, the bleeding heart stuff is not completely without merit. Having empathy for your fellow man makes you a better writer. You can draw more convincing characters, richer, fuller, and clearly motivated characters. Compelling characters are why we read books and watch movies/shows.

Second, you’re going to work hard, but nothing is going to happen overnight. This is the era of technology and microwaves. I can have a hot burrito in less than a minute, but writing and publishing a book—and forgive me if you’ve heard this one—takes a bit longer. I mean, it takes like 5 million burritos. We need to harken back to an era before…well…just before. Think pencils. Think Laura Ingalls Wilder. Instead of thinking your book is like a microwaveable burrito, think of it as a field of wheat. There is a lot of work that goes into a field of wheat; and even once you get the field of wheat, there is a lot more work to getting that wheat to market (separating the wheat from the chaff, the whole bit). And guess what, then you get to do it all again when you’re done! Have you seen what farmers make for all their acres and acres of wheat, all that time they put into it? About the same as writers makes pounding out those pages, editing, critiquing, and ferrying out to editors and agents. We can just do it in air-conditioned surroundings, while eating bags of mini peanut butter cups.

Third, being calm and having a plan is probably going to get you further than just shooting from the hip all the time. I don’t mean a plan for your book. Sin, sit back down; I’m not going to make you storyboard again. Although having a plot and an outline for your book probably will get you further than not having one, many writers get by with just a one-line premise and a couple of unruly characters who won’t leave them the hell alone. But even more important than story outlines, I think, is having a plan to finish your book, to polish and promote it. I don’t know about you, but time is flying by so fast, I am waiting for the sonic boom. Obama only gets to do his gig for sure, for four years. He’s probably already got those four years mapped out. He’s finally got the opportunity to do the job he’s always wanted to do and he’s going to make the most of it in the time allotted him. We should do the same. Not everybody gets to be a writer; make the most of it. Deadlines aren’t always evil things. Sometimes they’re the necessary evil.

There are other things, but I don’t want to come off as Obama’s biggest fan. I mean, we’ve also got: be the change you want to see; be your own biggest supporter; surround yourself with other like-minded professionals; exercise your body and mind so you can work hard at your job; and remember as much as you may love your job, family always comes first. But you know all those things as well. I don’t need to spell them out for you. Besides I need to wind this up so I can start working on my own change. That’s right, I’m gonna become Laura Ingalls Wilder. I still have that dress somewhere, from when I was kid and tried to dress like her. (Gawd, that picture was hideous.)

Happy Inauguration, guys. What are you most looking forward to with this new administration? Anyone else a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan (of the books, TV show, or both)? What else do you think we could learn from Obama…or farmers? How’s the JaNaNo going for everyone? Anyone broken their New Year’s resolutions yet?