All I need is this thermos, this lamp, this ashtray, and some defective oil cans and I'll write you a story.

Hello, to all my friends, fans, and any random strangers who just happened to come across my blog. I’ve been doing a little thinking lately (those of you who know me are now scared) about different/better ways to promote my writing. If any of you are aspiring writers, or even successful ones, then you already know that everybody and their grandmother in the writing groups on-line has an opinion about the best way to get the word out. The irony to me is that they all immediately suggest what I think are three obvious things: 1.) Set up a Facebook page, 2.) Start a blog, and 3.) Get on twitter. There’s also the occasional person talking about sending out press releases, but beyond those four things there don’t seem to be a great many ideas kicking around. Now, I am not saying that those are bad ideas. You’ve got to get the word out somehow and in the age of social media you have a pre-made fan base readily at your disposal right there at the click of a mouse. Personally, I do have a Facebook page, this blog, a twitter account and I’ve done some press releases in the past. I’ve also given books away through a site called Freado and have taken advantage of the kindle free days that Amazon allows me to offer.

So, I’ve been pondering the whole self-promotion thing quite a bit lately. In fact the main questions that have been burning holes in my brain are, “How do you draw people to your sites?” (without paying for advertising) and once you’ve got them there, “How do you keep them coming back?” It seems simple enough really, you’ve got to be interesting and engaging. And it is in that spirit that I have come up with my latest idea, getting the readers involved in the blog. “How are you going to do that?” you might be asking yourself. Well, here’s how.

One of you is going to have a hand in writing my blog post and here’s how it’s going to work. Anyone interested can pick any three different things plus a genre and send me their ideas. I will then pick someone’s submission at random, write a story using the information she/he provided, and post it on my blog. At this time, the three things can be anything such as: 1.) a spoon, 2.) a house, and 3.) a person, or possibly: 1.) a location, 2.) a time period, and 3.) A character. It’s whatever you would like to list. If you have additional ideas you would like to throw in, I will consider them, but I need at least three different things and a genre. The list selected will not be announced ahead of time, in order to add to the mystery, and will only become known once I post the story to the blog. I will accept entries from now until Wednesday at midnight through my author page on Facebook or through the comments section of this blog. That should allow me sufficient time to get the story written before the following Monday (that’s the idea anyway). If this works well then it will become a regular thing.

In short: 1.) Come up with a list of any three different things and a genre. 2.) Send me your ideas through this blog or Facebook, and 3.) Read the blog next Monday to find out whose entry was selected at random and read what I created with it. I look forward to seeing what kind of craziness everyone comes up with and if anyone has any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

I've got barbecue sauce and some bears so you better buy my book!

First of all, thank you for reading this. I know there are a million other things competing for your attention in today’s world and it honestly means a lot to me that you are taking the time to read my ramblings. And now on to the fun stuff…

It’s been a little over a year since I published my first book, “Spilled” and I’ve just published my second, “Subjective Perspectives: A Short Story Collection”. “Why a short story collection?”, you may ask. Well, almost immediately after publishing “Spilled”, I wrote a short story called, “Everybody Loves Me” that got a lot of positive feedback and a few people said I should do a short story collection next. Ok, so I don’t remember who all the people were, but I do remember one of them was my wife and after almost 20 years of marriage if I’ve learned anything it’s to do what she tells me. So, that’s why a short story collection. Now quit judging me.

Anyway, this is the obligatory self-promotion blog entry that every aspiring author has to post within three days of publishing a new book. Apparently, if you don’t blog, tweet, and Facebook message constantly about your work then you risk having strange men show up at your house who will grab you, cover you in barbecue sauce, and toss you in a bear den - or something equally fun. So, if you are an aspiring author trying to promote your work what do you blog about?

Do you talk about the creative process and the suffering and the struggles you went through in writing your latest book? The problem I see with taking that approach is that if you’re a new author you don’t really have a following yet. That means there aren’t enough people who have an emotional stake in your work to care about your suffering or creative process. I’m sure that when Dan Brown, Stephen King, or any of the rest write in their blogs that people are hanging on every word, because they have achieved success and therefore there is value in what they have to say. They’re famous so they must know what they’re talking about, right? In short, you’re not famous so nobody gives a shit what you have to say.

Do you write about how great your latest work is and try to persuade everyone to buy it immediately? I have issues with that also. The main one being that I hate self-promotion and/or trying to sell anything in any way, shape, or form. I enjoy writing and I think that I craft good stories that are worth reading, but something inside me just screams that self-promotion is wrong. It is prideful, boastful, and egotistical to the extreme and yet it is a necessity, because as an aspiring anything, author, musician, painter, etc, if you don’t promote yourself then you can be damn sure that no one else is going to do it for you.

And so, here I am, reluctantly promoting my latest work and yet still full of questions. Could I have done a better job? Are there things I should have changed? Should I have kept reading and editing the thing for another six months before publishing it? I think the answer to all of those questions is a loud and thundering, “Uh, maybe?” It doesn’t matter now though, because “Subjective Perspectives” is out there and people are going to read it, or not, and they’ll think whatever they will, and I’ll keep writing. I’ve achieved a lot in life by working hard and refusing to give up and I see no reason to stop now. My goal continues to be to write something truly great someday, something that touches people’s souls, moves their hearts, and opens their minds, but if that never happens then so be it, I could have spent my time doing a lot worse things. Now flip your internet page over to amazon.com and go buy something I’ve written before they cover me in barbecue sauce and toss me to some bears.