Love Flash Mobs, The Big Easy, and a Giveaway Just For You

Pull up a chair, newcomers!

A lot of you have joined this list in the last month. Welcome! Let me tell you why I'm here: Lately, I'm less interested in spending time on social media and more interested in making tangible connections with real people.  That includes invitations to get together in the real world--and if you read on, you'll see what I mean. Thanks for being here!
 

There's No Such Thing As Other People's Children

First things first: it's the season of giving, and this morning I gave to the latest Love Flash Mob created by a group of authors and public figures I admire very much: Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, Cheryl Strayed, Laverne Cox, Brené Brown, Valarie Kaur, Marie Forleo, and Glennon Doyle Melton. Over the years, these flash mobs have funded direct assistance for refugees, help for homeless youth, and other critically important causes.  100% of your donation goes directly to people in need.

This year, they're turning their attention to mothers and children in the opioid crisis. Read the story here, and consider donating five, ten, or twenty-five bucks if you can. The whole idea of the flash mob is that we all come together, give a small donation, and make a huge difference for one very special project. 

I Come Bearing Gifts!

This fall, I stood in my publisher's trade show booth and handed out free copies of my book to booksellers. It was outrageously fun. If I could just give books away all day long, I'd have a wonderful life.

But that's not how the book business works--usually! Today's the exception. Now that I've unpacked and settled into my new home, I realize that I have way too many books. The solution is to send some of them to you!

In addition to paperbacks, audiobooks, coloring books, paper dolls, cocktail recipes, and the like, you'll also get a beautiful new edition of a book I've loved since childhood, The Princess Bride.  This new edition is storybook-level gorgeous, with color illustrations and a new forward by the author. It's just been released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and they were nice enough to send me a copy for this giveaway.

To enter, just fill in an entry form here. All contests have rules, so here are mine: US only (sorry, Australian friends!), only one entry per person, winner announced December 16.

This particular round is only open to people on this email list, but I'm giving another box of goodies away on my Facebook page, so go over there if you'd like another shot at it.

Let's Hang Out in New Orleans!

Hey, do you live in New Orleans? I'm going to be there in January to help some good friends celebrate a couple of major birthdays. While I'm in town, I was thinking--maybe we could get together!

I've set up two events, and I'd love to see you there. Please tell your friends! 

Tuesday, January 9, 6 PM:  Octavia Books

Thursday, January 11, 6:30 PM:  St. Charles Parish Library in Destrehan

But that's not all! If you subscribe to this newsletter, I think we ought to hang out in real life. Round up your book club or your BFFs and let's get together for coffee or cocktails, and conversation about books, art, and everything else we have in common. If we can manage to get a group together the week of January 7, we'll schedule it. Go here to let me know if you're interested in a little informal New Orleans get-together.

 

Creative Questions: Do You Believe in Writer's Block?

I was chatting with a book club on Skype a few days ago, and this question came up: Is there even such a thing as writer's block?

My answer is short and simple: No. Do you see those buttons on the keyboard? The ones with the letters on them? If you push those buttons, letters appear on the screen. Push them in the right combination, and they form words. Anybody can do it.

The problem is that sometimes, the words just don't seem clever enough, so there doesn't seem to be any point in putting them down at all. That's not writer's block, that's just a case of an artist applying the impossibly high standard of polished, finished work to a rough draft.

Here's how I get past it:

1. Open up any book--whatever's nearby--and copy a paragraph or a page. The physical sensation of writing (or typing) someone else's beautiful sentences is often enough to get me going.

2. Make a list of all the things that definitely shouldn't happen next in the story you're writing. Put down all the craziest, worst ideas: Alien abduction, zombie apocalypse, a tornado that carries your protagonist away to a magical land. Once you get all those terrible ideas out of the way, you'll probably land on something that might actually work.

3. Skip ahead, or go back, and write any moment in the story that you ARE sure about.

4. Description! Put your character in a room and describe her surroundings in as much detail as you can possibly muster. This will most likely bore you enough that you will be inspired to make something--anything--happen next.

5. My favorite: Just write down what's in your head, no matter how horrible you think it is. Then write down the next thing that's in your head, and the thing after that. It sounds simple, but it actually takes practice to listen to the words in your head and put them down without judgment or editing. You'll be surprised at where that can take you.

The bottom line: Just keep typing. It won't all work. I've cut hundreds of pages from books. But if you show up, and write your pages, you'll get somewhere. I promise.
 

Have a Peaceful & Joyous Holiday. See you in 2018.