Another Book is Brewing

That's right, another book is brewing...or perhaps I should say gestating. The life cycle of a book in some ways mirrors the life cycle of other living things. It begins with a seed - a thought. It grows organically, based on the genetics or outline created for it at the start. Even though there's a general plan, the growth of each individual organism or book is never the same as any other.

When you write a book you may know how it will end, but you don't always know how it will get there. If it's fiction you may find that your characters take over at some point. They surprise you with what they say, or they become stubborn and refuse to go where you send them. The plot that you thought was carefully constructed can take a twist you never saw coming.

In non-fiction such as my newest project - The Dog Lover's Book of Days - even with a good framework already in place, you cannot know for sure what the book will be until it's done. Just today I received an email from a woman who took the time to tell me about how her first dog died tragically young, and yet how that young life lead to another dog who is still with her. Better yet, she discovered a passion for rescuing and caring for dogs that has led her to a whole new phase of her life that gives her great satisfaction. That's a great story and I'll find a way to include it even though I had not intended to focus on pet rescues for this book.

And there's the secret whether you are writing a book or selling a house or simply taking a walk: Have a plan but be open to taking advantage of surprising changes as they come. See the opportunity and beauty that can come from something you didn't expect.

Now please pardon me while I go find a dog to interview. Think I'll start with my new neighbor, an adorable little West Highland Terrier who is all energy and wiggles. It should be fun to see the world through puppy eyes that are about 8" above the ground!

An Antidote to What's-His-Name

I have an antidote to the Imuses and Sharptons and Coulters and other sewage-spewers of the world. For every spotlight seeker going for the cheap quick headline, there are dozens of beautiful examples of writers and speakers who caress words into glowing images.

I commend to you Julie Zickefoose. With an 80-acre back yard in the Appalachians, and an encyclopedic knowledge of nature, she writes about her world and paints it with appreciation for the company of birds and bullfrogs. Her lyrical style first caught me in a brief article in the Nature Conservancy magazine, and that same day her new book went on my Amazon wish list. Fortunately, my birthday was just weeks away. As my day arrived, so did Zickefoose's Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods.

It's clear from the Preface that a treat awaits. She talks about her "…neighbors: coyotes, copperheads, gnatcatchers, and bluebirds. I walk through their woods, and I'm lucky enough to come to know some of them." She sees the goings on in her bit of forest as nothing much extraordinary. Creatures go about their affairs. "Bullfrogs leap from the water to snap up birds. Bluebirds and Carolina wrens sometimes have threesomes. These things are extraordinary only if we know they happen. My work is to notice them."

She is a master of her craft. Enjoy.