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Excerpt from TJ Sloane
I have finished my latest novel, TJ Sloane, about a black man who continues to struggle amid his many triumphs. This man’s life is a storybook of many chapters. Each is filled with unexplained loss, conflict, secret visions that shelter hidden fears and love as it suits him. His tale begins with the back story; circumstances of birth that challenge his self-determination.…
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Resources
As you advance your literary efforts, harness the resources available to you. One of the most valuable resources is time. It is a gift. Respect its limitations and opportunities. Protect your time by budgeting it wisely. Time is with you at the start of your journey. It will walk beside you every step of the way if you give it…
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Your Journey
Your soul stirring goal to live a full and bountiful life is a journey of change. As with any journey, in addition to the smooth stretches, expect bumpy patches, potholes and hills that often seem more like mountains. You can minimize these potholes and bumps by developing reliable skills. Your journey of change begins when your goal walks out to meet…
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Foot Prints
There are dreams that thrive and grow, others wither and die. Still there are those that survive only on the whims of luck or chance. I implore you; write your story because time will erase the footprints you leave behind.
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Change
When change knockson the front doorFear leaves by the back doorOld habits jump throughthe bedroom windowTired thoughts hide in the closetThen change comes in, takes its placeandSits in the big chair
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Can I See Him?
As I tell my story I have a picture of the character in my head. I see him move about his home or job or making a point during a conversation with a friend. I melt at his smile and feel his displeasure. But, is my reader seeing him as I do? Does the reader see his closely cut hair?…
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Introducing Characters
Since beginning my literary career, it has become more difficult to just sit and enjoy a book with a box of cheezits or bowl of nuts. I, now, constantly examine the techniques authors use in telling their stories: character development, time passage, plot development, scene description, etc. After reading Toni Morrison’s JAZZ for the third time, I discovered more of her brilliance. The…
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Have You Started?
How’s that writing project going? You remember, the one you resolved to begin: the essay, poem, song, novel, biography, picture book. Are you following your plan? Do you even have a plan? I cannot overstate the importance of planning. A plan tells the story of your goal. Each step of the plan is a chapter filled with purpose and action.…
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Your History (cont’d)
as continued from THIS POST As you record your family’s history, remember to tell the stories of the institutions that enriched your journey and how they affected your life. If you don’t provide the historical record of these institutions, then others may attempt to do so without complete and authentic information. For my people it was necessary for our survival…
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Bookstore
All of you know how much I love perusing bookstores. Recently, I ran across another one I like, Books With A Past, a new and used independent bookstore located in Historic Savage Mill, Savage, Maryland. Savage Mill is a quaint old cotton mill full of small shops. The store is cozy and welcoming with comfortable seating spaces that invite you…
