How the Novel Grows--Short Story and Music Edition

My very first writing teacher said that I was a novelist hiding behind the short story. She's right--I'm a reluctant novelist. I'm always looking to compress everything into a short story, finding the essence, that kernel that expresses everything. I like poetry for the same reason. 

Anyway, this whole novel-writing is spawning other ideas (and I'm not even in the middle of the book, which is where the ideas come fast and furious). My brain cannot just sit with the slow unfolding of events but wants to make a short story, a science-fiction one at that. So I turned to Jeff Tanyard's wonderful short story, Mr. Wilson, and I loved re-reading it. But this time I read like a student, paying attention to how he moves back and forth in time, how he handles emotions. But I discovered it has a reference to Sittin' on Top of the World, which we sang at our barbershop competition. Here's a clip of that song and a poster that a very talented lady in our chorus made using pictures from the contest: https://www.facebook.com/reel/730296856233855

My goodness, we are all so excited to be singing at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival this coming Saturday. We have so much fun together singing and to perform in our hometown is something special. Local friends, come join us. So yeah, busy reading, writing, and singing!

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

I learned about this beautiful Cross of Snow in Colorado and the poem that Longfellow wrote upon the death of his wife through a homily by Fr. Joseph Mary on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I especially loved the quote from Fulton Sheen about the Cross without Jesus making it a burden, whereas, with our Savior, it becomes redemptive. 

It reminded me of another quote of his from his book Life of Christ: “The Western post-Christian civilization has picked up the Christ without His Cross. But a Christ without a sacrifice that reconciles the world to God is a cheap, colorless, itinerant preacher who deserves to be popular for His great Sermon on the Mount, but also merits unpopularity for what He said about His Divinity on the one hand, and divorce, judgment, and hell on the other. This sentimental Christ... Without His Cross, He becomes nothing more than a sultry precursor of democracy or a humanitarian who taught brotherhood without tears.” All this reminded me of another beautiful quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer on cheap grace. I can only hope and pray that Longfellow, at the end of his life received all the necessary graces to reach heaven. 

  

The Cross of Snow

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,

   A gentle face — the face of one long dead —

   Looks at me from the wall, where round its head

   The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.

Here in this room she died; and soul more white

   Never through martyrdom of fire was led

   To its repose; nor can in books be read

   The legend of a life more benedight.

There is a mountain in the distant West

   That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines

   Displays a cross of snow upon its side.

Such is the cross I wear upon my breast

   These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes

   And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

Poetry

A friend sent me this poem by William Wordsworth because she knows how much I love cats and kittens and the way they play. And what a delight to be immersed in such a beautiful poem. It sings! I feel we've lost that in many contemporary poems. I picked up a recent book of cat poems because it was displayed at the library and I'm irresistibly drawn to anything with a cat. I read all the poems--they were funny, a couple were crass--but they didn't move me. The pictures did, however. So I wonder if we are becoming too visual to the detriment of developing our ear for beautiful prose and poetry. What do you think?

 

Summer Memories

What a summer! What a life of leisure! I've been reading, singing and playing so much, I've not taken the time to do much else, even write. But here I am on my poor, neglected blog. 

Dagny has moved farther away from her work and church and us but she's enjoying living closer to the beach with her new friends. I just love that her new home has a little stairway just for fun--just like in the song, If I Were a Rich Man in Fiddler on the Roof! I believe it must be a school project; both new housemates study here: Trades — American College of the Building Arts (acba.edu). My heart is at peace knowing she's in a good place with young women who share not only many interests, but also faith in Christ. It's been lovely to watch her grow in love and friendships and virtues.

I'm learning all kinds of new things at the library. We meet for "crafternoons" once a month and it's so fun. I get to be a kid again. I'd collected lots of pretty shells on the beach and learned to decoupage them; next, some painting! We're also learning to play the recorder in a group and purchased a tenor recorder for Michael--its tone is lovely, same range as the human voice. Luckily the fingering is the same as with the soprano, only it's twice as big, so he's getting used to having the fingers separated more--it helps to have big hands :) We continue to sing at both Stella Maris and Sacred Heart--it is our joy! I also got an invitation (from one of the ladies in the recorder group) to come listen to her women's acapella group, Charleston Sound Chorus, and since our church choir was on a summer hiatus, I thought it'd be fun. Barbershop has a unique sound. Melody (how aptly named) gave me a folder of music to sing along and I struggled my way through. But such fun! Challenging! I prayed to God that if it were His will for me to sing with CSC, He'd have to make it happen. And He did! All the details. I promised to do my part, which was to practice faithfully. Singing in three choirs is making me grow in musicianship. What's funny is that sometimes I wish I had my recorder at barbershop so that I could play the parts that I'm having trouble singing. But isn't it incredible that we're born with a musical instrument! 

Now that I'm mostly caught up with all the talented ladies in barbershop, I want to see whether I can write more productively (as in publishable material). I'm still only scribbling ideas (they just keep on coming) but I put away my historical novel...so pray that I can do it all. I want everything, yes, it's true. Sometimes I talk to St. Therese, the Little Flower, about it because she, too, wanted everything! But she also gave everything, her very self, completely to God. Do I? I try. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Max and his friends from American Moment came for a visit in Sept. and it was such a joy to spend some time with them celebrating birthdays, solving puzzles, discussing politics and religion, making music, and of course, eating good food and drink! It reminds me of the poem by Hilaire Belloc: 

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!  

We all enjoyed some homebrew. Michael got some art from Tridentine Brewing Co. and it fits so perfectly with why we do what we do--for the greater glory of God. My motto is that of the Knights Templar: non nobis Domine (and we sing it often). Michael planted a fall garden and it's doing well (the bunnies haven't been able to get at it). 

Hard to believe that we're already in the last days (of the liturgical year, but also considering the chaos and evil in this world). All we can do is pray. So I leave you with a picture of the Source of my peace and joy along with some Lowcountry beauty captured by Dagny and Max. Pax Christi.   

A Conversation with Andrew Barton

Today I'm so happy to have Andrew Barton of Heyward the Horse series to talk about his writing journey, the business of self-publishing, and what sustains him. I met him through SCBWI when we started our picture book critique group in Dec. 2018. He brought his first book and I was immediately struck by how bright and engaging it was. How FUN! The Heyward books are in rhyme and this is the hardest to write well, but Andrew delivers. The books are beautiful and I hear that little kids ask for it over and over. And these books aren't just for kids. They make wonderful gifts for grown-ups who love Charleston. Over these past four years, it's been a joy and delight for me to get to know Andrew better. He's never without a sketchpad and a pencil and is always doodling something and I'm always impressed with how much he captures with a few deft strokes. And it's been great to see how he develops a book from scratch. So without further ado, you can hear it all from the horse's mouth yourself.  

Please tell us the path you took to get that first book published, the challenges and obstacles you faced, and how you overcame them.

First – thank you so much, Vijaya, for the opportunity! I want everyone to know that you are a wonderful person, an admirable writer and a fantastic critique partner. One of the most frequent compliments I receive about my second book was an idea that came from you. You suggested that I call my backmatter “hoofnotes” instead of “footnotes” (the main character is a horse) and it has made a lot of readers chuckle. Thank you!

[Vijaya curtsies] My pleasure, Andrew. I’m delighted about hoofnotes.

To your question, a very successful serial entrepreneur once told me that he would never ever try and make money in publishing. He said something like, “It’s almost impossible to make it in that industry”. He was two years too late! I was already heavily invested in changing the world with my first children’s book, Heyward the Horse Loves Charleston, Of Course.

Flashback two years earlier – my first child, Lucy, was just learning to walk. My wife and I were acquiring (and reading) children’s books to her at a rate that would surely set her on a path to straight A’s and a guaranteed full ride at an ivy league school. To the upper-class, and beyond!

But as I read, I quickly realized that all children’s books are not equal and would occasionally say to myself, “I could make this”. About that same time, I began looking for ways to increase my income to pay for that ivy league education just in case Plan A fell through. I’m a self-employed graphic designer and the thought of hiring employees to grow a big company sounded horrid. I’m an artist – not a manager! With a little encouragement from some mentor types, I decided to take a stab at producing my own intellectual property.

I hear you. As much as I love the idea of having a team of people at Bodach Books, I don’t really want to manage it all. I can barely manage myself, lol. Last year I got two books that really resonated with me since we've been pondering the beauty of the small family business, whether it's growing bok-choy, baking bread, or making books, and I think you’d enjoy them too. Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis. And small is still beautiful: economics as if families mattered by Joseph Pearce.

I reached out to a successful local author, Jonathan Miller, and he gave me a great piece of advice. Before you start your book, write a business plan. So I did. As I wrote my first book, I was laser-focused on who would read it and how it would get into their hands. Two years later – about the time I received that great advice from the entrepreneur – my book was selling in a dozen local stores. It was a start.

I don’t mean to make it sound easy. It wasn’t. Could I write? Barely. Rhyme? Kinda. Draw? Yes. But I was not overly confident in any of these skills. I had no notion that such a thing as a professional critique group existed. I tend to be a learn-or-fail-on-the-job type of person so I worked intuitively while heavily relying on feedback from family and friends. The feedback, to my great delight, was overwhelmingly positive.

It's how I've learned most things too, Andrew. And how wonderful it is to finally find your tribe.

Birthing a children’s picture book requires a zillion little decisions and I stuck to my mantra – Keep It Simple Stupid. My other mantra – Don’t Reinvent the Wheel – pulled its weight too. In fact, without my friend Jonathan’s advice (and contacts), I might still be working on that first book.

The biggest mental obstacle for me was financially investing in my own business plan. Sweat equity is all well and good, but eventually, you have to pay someone cold hard cash to print your book. That was way out of my comfort zone. I bit the bullet, got a loan, and ordered 1500 copies. To get me through that decision, I relied on the positive feedback I’d received, encouragement from my wife, and a little bit of desperation.

Such good advice. And it’s great that you trusted yourself in publishing Heyward. I see that you've sold over 3,000 copies! That's fantastic! I love that you are NOT a starving artist. You make a living through your art.

As a graphic designer, my job is to create stuff that promotes my client’s message. My goal with Heyward was to make stuff to promote MY message for a change. Equally important, Heyward needed to be profitable. And after an astonishingly short amount of research, it became apparent that self-publishing would be the path of least resistance – particularly for a hyper-local subject like Charleston, S.C.

That said, I’d love to work with my “soul-publisher” one day if the opportunity presents itself. The opportunity should present itself to my email address here. ;)

I still feel like a newbie when it comes to self-publishing and marketing has been my nemesis. I admire how you've cultivated relationships with local vendors who sell your books. What advice do you have for those who'd like to do what you are doing?

Marketing is the big behemoth for nearly all of us, isn’t it? The truth is, I’m no expert marketer. As a graphic designer, I am well equipped to create all the visual assets and content. I created my website, email newsletters, social media posts, flyers, and business cards. I am particularly proud of the book trailer I made with my daughter’s help for my most recent book.

So I’m blessed to have the advantage of creating marketing fodder, but knowing how and when to use those assets to drive sales is the tricky part. That’s where the expert marketer shines. I’m still figuring that out and I ask for help when I need it. For example, I hired a PR consultant, Fisher Creative, to help me with press releases, copywriting, and strategy.

For Heyward, marketing is only part of the story. My main focus has been Wholesale Distribution. From the beginning, I’ve tried to get my books into local shops. It can be intimidating to walk into a store and ask for “the buyer”, but it works! Stores are always seeking new and exclusive items to stock the shelves. In that sense, the retailer and author are working together in a partnership to make the end consumer happy.

There are a few drawbacks though. For one, I have to be able to sell my books at a low enough price for the retailer to make a profit. The margins are much slimmer than selling a book directly from my website. Volume is key.

Bottomline - marketing (and distribution) is hard work. There’s no way around it.

Thanks, Andrew. It's so great to see your kids involved in the creative process. You have a young family. Can you give us a glimpse into a typical day?

Make beds, dress kids, scramble eggs, brush teeth.

Make beds, dress kids, scramble eggs, brush teeth.

Make beds, dress kids, scramble eggs, brush teeth.

What was the question again? Sorry, I’m exhausted.

For my wife and I, the typical day starts between 4:30 - 6:30 AM. Several times a week we take turns getting up early to work out. Then begins the Whirlwind of Monotony to get the kids off to school. Then begins the workday followed by another Whirlwind getting the children fed and in bed. The sameness of every day can be excruciating.

On the plus side, I believe there is no duty on earth that can surpass the beauty and gravity of raising children. The rewards of parenthood are beyond words and reach deep into the heart. Parenthood requires a near-complete sacrifice of self and it is terrible and worth it. In full transparency, as I type these high-sounding words my kids are banging on the other side of a locked door demanding my attention. I’m doing my best to ignore them.

Life with young kids is a short season and I’m very grateful for it. My wife, Erin, is a wonderful mother and partner. She’s also very supportive of my children’s book business. The days aren’t easy, but I feel very blessed.

Blessings upon blessings, indeed. And what a beautiful family picture--we don't often get snow so it's lovely to play in it. You bring back both the sweet and sour memories. I love everything you said, especially the essence of parenting. Your life itself is a work of art. Please give us some advice on how to create and maintain an artful life.

If my life is a work of art, it must be an abstract impressionist piece composed of dirty diapers, existential anxiety, sleep deprivation, coffee, and Disney+. I like abstract artwork so I’m cool with it.

Regarding your question, here are three things that have made a real difference in my life:

Prayer. In my twenties, God became a reality in my life primarily through earnestly seeking answers at church and in the Bible. The God that met me there was, to my great surprise and relief, a Loving Father. Ever since I have continued seeking Him and praying for wisdom in my decisions. Prayer is not typically a quick fix from my experience, but as I look back, I see God’s guidance at work. I love Proverbs 3:6. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Routine: For Erin and me, routine is paramount. We’ve been married nearly 14 years and have learned, though we possess very different personality types, to work well as a team. We communicate frequently about all the wants and needs in our house. We even have a recurring Monday night meeting where we go over the business of the week. A routine does not come naturally to me, but it has contributed immeasurably to our lives.

Journaling: I highly recommend journaling with the aim of goal tracking. In 2019 I listened to an audiobook that changed my life. In a way, it’s just another goal-setting self-help book. But for some reason, Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt spoke clearly to me and, more than that, it felt achievable. Goal setting can be extremely overwhelming, but Hyatt’s approach and writing style inspired me. I’ve been journaling and tracking my goals ever since. At this point, I can’t live without it. I wrote a blog post about this topic if you’d like to know more.

This is amazing: these are three of my favorite things too, though I came to the faith much, much later in life (13 years this Easter Vigil). Michael and I often wonder what it would’ve been like had we had this beautiful faith God has given us in our 20s (we're pushing 60). But thank God He never stopped chasing us. And thank God for bringing you into our lives.

Thank you, Vijaya for the opportunity to speak with you. You are one of the most interesting and enjoyable people I’ve encountered on my author/illustrator journey.

Thank YOU for taking the time, my friend, to share so generously. I've enjoyed it very much and maybe one day, the right story will present itself to us to make together. Here we are in our matching tees and your books! I think children's book creators have the best time ever. 

Readers, over to you. If you have questions or comments, I'm sure Andrew will be happy to respond.

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday. I know it's not always easy being with family members who are difficult or demanding but as our pastor reminds us, even Jesus came amongst us through a family, thus sanctifying ordinary family life. And speaking of family, I read two books, both featuring tightly knit families. I'm so glad I saved Behind These Hands by Linda Vigen Phillips for the holidays. I'd picked it up in Sept. at the Write 2 Ignite Conference and Linda kindly signed it for me. She writes so beautifully, lyrically, and does she know how to weave plot threads tightly together, just like a Bach fugue. The story begins with Claire's pressing concern the upcoming music competition and how it might change her friendship with Juan, another musical prodigy. Then we learn about her younger brothers, Davy and Trent, and what they're battling and what it means for the whole family. The disease is Batten, which I'd never heard of before, but just as Claire learns, so do we. It's a terminal disease; there is no cure but progressive neurological impairment. It's a genetic abnormality of the lysosomes, which are responsible for cleaning up and recycling wastes in cells. Just think, if your cells cannot process waste products, they will be poisoned by them. 

Claire calls it a monster. G. K. Chesterton wrote about dragons being real, but what happens to a person when he cannot defeat the dragon? This book shows how to live courageously with a monster breathing down your neck. I recommend this book highly.

I'm not a poet but I do find free verse too...too breathy at times, the line breaks too random. When we read, we pause naturally. Line breaks force you to slow down. I think a mix of prose and poems would be more powerful because not all aspects of Claire's life demand the same level of introspection and attention. Still, it's a well-crafted story about a family navigating one of the most difficult circumstances in life--the knowledge that your child will die young. 

Burnt Bread and Chutney by Carmit Delman is a fascinating look into how the culture of Jewish Indians (Bene Israel) shaped the author, how she didn't fit in the Indian community nor the Jewish community in America because the first is mostly Hindu and the latter is mostly white. Talk about being a minority within a minority. She includes bits and pieces of her grandmother's diary. It reminded me of my mother's tall notebook where she had copied some sayings and facts from Mother Teresa and other saints. But I also wish she'd written some of her thoughts about the ordinary, every day. Perhaps she did and threw them away, like I do :)

 

Midnight Mass was lovely. Note the four small red candles below the Altar flowers--these contain the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine, St. Cecelia, and Blessed Seelos. They are not usually displayed, just during High Mass. I wonder now if this has anything to do with relic stealing from the olden days. I didn't know about this until I read The Miracle Thief by Iris Anthony. She's woven a wonderful story of three women during 10th century France--a penitent nun who guards a relic of St. Catherine, a pilgrim who has no one, nothing, only her faith that St. Catherine will pray for her to be cured of her deformity, and a princess who wants to believe St. Catherine will give her a sign, protect her somehow from marriage to a pagan. I love historical fiction like this that's meticulously researched and masterfully written. But I digress...     

Our pastor gave a much-needed catechesis on the Eucharist recognizing that all present aren't believers, that all aren't here voluntarily. What's happening in the Mass? God comes to us! He comes to us in Spirit, in Word, and in His very Self. Christ transforms bread into His Body, the wine into His Precious Blood. Why? Transformation is the key. He comes to be with us, to transform us--hate into love, fear into hope, sinners into saints.

He gave another beautiful reflection for New Year's Day and on the word happy. The Greek root has to do with "pining" and happiness is to be without pining. We try to satisfy all our wants and needs and we live in a world of addiction but even the addict knows he doesn't get pleasure from his ever-increasing needs. So how does one get happy? Pursue goodness. We are made for truth, goodness, and beauty. I love our lowcountry Christmas with seashells and starfish, palmettos and Spanish moss! Happy New Year!