A Southern Missive

I just read a very thoughtful article by Jacob Sullum on the Reason Online website. The article is entitled, Latter-Day Taint: Who will rescue the children of Yearning for Zion Ranch from their rescuers? The author articulated some of the concerns I’ve felt ever since I heard the news of our government taking all the children away from the parents of this religious group. And it’s not because I like to watch Big Love on HBO. I was encouraged that so many lawyers perceived there was a problem and offered their services to the group for free. Regardless of whether one agrees with the group’s practices, polygamy does have a Biblical precedent. However, if you believe Big Brother Government can do no wrong or that the Church of Big Government has a right to determine societal mores, then you probably shouldn’t bother reading the article because you won’t like it. Here’s the link: http://www.reason.com/news/show/126240.html

Young Author’s Event:

In just a few minutes, I’ll be driving to Alexandria, Louisiana to speak and perform music for the winners of the Northeast Louisiana Young Authors’ Contest. Entries are judged at the school level in grades K-8 (regular ed. & special ed.) and in three categories – poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. This year the district is honoring 77 district winners at a reception. I want to encourage young authors of any age. That’s why part of my program always involve telling them how to write and submit and answering any questions they have about writing. Here is some advice I’d give any young author today.

A. You must write every day. The first rule of writing is to sit your butt down and write. The 2nd rule is edit your work. (This must be done constantly and ruthlessly)
B. Read voraciously. Good writers are good readers. You be the bookworm, the one who finds a corner during recess and reads or writes in your little notebook/journal.
C. Build your library and network. Develop your people skills. Read the biographies of writers you admire. You’ll get ideas and inspiration.
D. Enter every contest you can. The right contest can be a good break for your career. There are hundreds of contests that award money, prizes and publication. You have a much better chance of publication by entering contests than you would by blindly sending it into the slush pile of a publishing company or agent.
Pittman Road:

I’m going to start collecting place names with “Pittman.” Here is the first one that a friend just sent me.

Sometimes, in this brutal mad-house writer’s life I’ve chosen, I need motivation.  I happened upon some motivating notes today, notes I took during a phone call with my best male friend, Michael Senn, who is one of the most creative and driven people I know. He has successfully created and initiated at least three businesses. Yes, I take notes when I’m on the phone, and in this case I’m glad I did. The phone call took place about a year ago just as I was thinking of cutting loose from teaching and plunging into the writing business I’m in now. Here are a few of the thoughts  and words of my friend that I wrote down. I think he found these ideas in a book by Jim Britt, entitled, Do This, Get Rich. My friend’s words are in italics:

1. Do a road map of your life, a money biography, looking especially at your last 12 years as a teacher. What has it done for you and what is it likely to do? Trying harder, working more is not the answer. You only have so much time and energy.  This was a jolt. All teaching had done was get me more in debt and NOTHING would change if I stayed the way I was. I learned that nothing changed unless I did.

2. Get ready for a wild ride. If it’s not scary, it’s not a challenge.  Boy, has this proved true!

3.  Conventional methods don’t work. It’s time to take massive action to change. However, know your mission of you will be spending time on what doesn’t matter.

4. Don’t be discouraged. Everything looks like a failure in the middle of it.

5. Imagine you had plenty of money. How would your day be different? 

6.  The person you become determines what you are handed next. Shape the plan of your life and create order out of the chaos.

You can see an interview of me taken at the Texas Library Association Conference in Dallas at this address: www.youtube.com/pelicanpublishing

In the interview I talk of my published books and of my upcoming Scottish Alphabet Book (children’s picture book) coming out next August or September.  Here is the book’s cover:

If you’d like to pre-order this book, drop me a note at rickeyp@bayou.com and I’ll give you the details.