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The Opposite of Zen?

Opposite of meditation?
~ davidbiddle ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness and the sound of writing in your head.

What is it they say about meditation and the search for Enlightenment?

“The Master shall appear when you are ready.”

But what if the Master never shows up? Does that mean you still aren’t ready? That you may never be worthy? Maybe the Master knows you’re operating on a different plane. What if you’re an artist, particularly a poet or someone who writes fiction? Perhaps some of us aren’t meant to be ready.

Yogis and cognitive psychologists tell us that the benefits of meditation and mindfulness come from turning off the verbal mind. Writers, of course, tend to have a hard time quieting their thoughts, even when they aren’t sitting with their keyboard and screen or pencil and paper. I’ve wondered for years, then, whether writing is the opposite of Zen and maybe an impediment to my chance at ever attaining Enlightenment.

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2013…(The Merman Turns Again): My Undercover Soundtrack

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DCBiddle HeadShot MedRez
New headshot. Woo Hoo!

I’ve got a guest post called “Sex, Drugs, Metaphysics, and Rock ‘n’ Roll” over at Roz Morris’s website My Memories of a Future Life. It’s a quick-read, but provides a tour of some of the recordings that influenced me as I worked directly on my novel Beyond the Will of God.

Roz runs a great shop and offers a feature setup weekly for authors to highlight their musical influences called “The Undercover Soundtrack.” You really ought to subscribe and check out some of the past features. Check out the link list at the beginning of each post. It’s a quick resource of all the links in a post that allows you to quickly follow each track the author refers to in their text. Also, one of the coolest things about Roz’s music site is the list of all the previous references you will find at the very bottom of the page. She’s posted so many great pieces on authors’ musical influences, if you just think of a musician or composer, you’ll likely find multiple links to their work in this massive database.

Roz is also the author of the “how to” book Nail Your Novel. It’s a fabulous resource if you’re struggling through writing a novel or if you know someone else who is (hint: give books by independently published authors for the holidays). I bought Nail Your Novel, first because I thought it was a manual on how to make love to an e-book, but also because the notes Continue reading →

The Loneliness of the Self-Published Author

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I just found a short Huffington Post ditty attached to a video rant by media phenom John Green sort of seeming to trash the idea of self-publishing and going it alone as an author. The link to it is: John Green on Self Publishing.

Green makes some good points, but he’s also sort of fizzling out of both assholes at once. On the one hand, he’s pushing back on those who have been using him as an example of an author who can “flip the paradigm” because he’s got such major social media cred and a pot full of fans and readers, and shouldn’t need the support of publishers.

On the other hand he is presenting thoroughly drenching sputum (watch him) that has insulted a number of indie authors I am in contact with throughout the Universe.

But what he makes me think about (I’ve watched the video 3 times now) is how lonely it is Continue reading →

What Can Bookstores Do for Writers? Indie + Indie = LOVE?

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bookselling-cover
bookselling-cover (Photo credit: DaveBleasdale)

My most recent “Talking Indies” column is about independent bookstores and whether their interests mesh with promoting indie authors. The piece is called “Why Bookstores Aren’t Helping Indie Authors—Yet.” You can read it in the Spring Edition of Talking Writing (find the column link at the end of this entry).

I wanted to post an addendum to my column here because a number of indie authors I heard from after the piece was published  have gone on record saying they really don’t care about their book being shelved in bookstores. The basic argument is the rather facile one I began my first draft with: “Why put effort into interacting with small businesses that may see a few score of customers a day when posting to Internet books sites provides you with an entre to billions of potential readers?”

The obvious answer, since most writers have limited time to market and sell their work, is “Yes, why?”

If you think short-term, that’s probably a good answer. But bookstores really are, as Continue reading →

Talking Indie Addendum: More On Making it Through the Indie Slush World

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“DOH” © HOBVIAS SUDONEIGHM

My first “Talking Indie” column, “Sorry, Your Buddies Won’t Buy Your Book,” was published today at the online magazine Talking Writing. If you haven’t read it, you can check it out HERE. It’s all about getting over the friends and family hump when you first step into the dark and stormy night of marketing in the book world.

Very quickly, I want to add a couple major items that this article implies for anyone looking for nuggets of wisdom on independent publishing in this new frontier.

1. Do Your Homework

There are some incredibly informative blogs and websites out there written by experienced and insightful Indie Authors and book marketing professionals. You really need to spend a few months Continue reading →