For years, I thought that the only way to get published was to be represented by a literary agent. The publishing industry perpetuates this myth – just look at how much Writer’s Digest talks about finding and keeping agents if you don’t believe me. But the truth is: it is not necessary to be represented by a literary agent to get published. I’m living proof.
There are many ways to get books published. One option is self-publishing, although that option has the most difficult path to financial success for an author and puts 100% of the marketing and sales efforts squarely on the back of the author. Another option is small press publishing, which typically uses a business model where the publisher and the author are partners in getting the book published and into the hands of potential readers. The third option is large press publishing. Unless you’re already a…
I speak. “Thank you. It means deliverance and life.”
***
“Is that your real hair?” a man asks me on the street. I used to be confused before I went back to Chicago and discovered loc extensions were a thing.
I speak. “Yes. This is my real hair.”
“I like your dreads,” says someone else.
I speak. “Thank you, but I like to call them locs, not dreads.”
She looks confused. I speak.
Photo By National Library of Jamaica
“The term Dread Locs came from the war between British Colonists and the Jamaican Maroons, descendants of blacks who fought and escaped from slavery and established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica. The Britain’s “dreaded” to see them coming down from the mountain because of their physical appearance. They wore their beards thick and their hair kinky. This hairstyle then became known as dread locs.”
“Oh”, she says, “I’m sorry.”
I speak. “Its OK. I’m not offended. This is just why I like to call them locs.”
“Are you Jamaican?” she says.
I speak. “I have been there but no, I am not Jamaican.”
***
My husband and I are at Denny’s. Sometimes we are just in the mood for breakfast we don’t have to cook ourselves. Its not a special occasion, its just our thing. And yes, we got tired of IHOP; we decided to switch it up. I order a delicious looking skillet meal. It comes back with melted cheese, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, egg, the works! It looks delicious but there’s bacon in it too. I call the waiter over.
I speak.
“This has bacon in it but I don’t eat pork.”
“We can fix that,” he says taking my plate back. “We have chicken sausage,” he says.
I love meat but somehow pork always finds its way in the meal. I play it safe with a vegetarian version of the plate.
“OK,” he says and takes my plate.
I really hate sending plates back but I’m not in a mood to be sick today. I have not eaten pork in seven years.
***
I’m visiting Chicago and I’m at my cousin’s house. We are about to eat. I say a prayer. I always pray before I eat. It is something my mom taught me when I was little and I have always done it. My cousin looks at me funny. He’s a Jehovah Witness.
“Ain’t no Allah up in here.”
My hands are outspread, palms facing the ceiling. My head is bowed. I finish my prayer.
I speak. “That’s good because I’m not a Muslim and I do not pray to Allah.”
He is silent. I eat.
***
For today’s assignment I wanted to expose the quality of speaking. I talk a lot about the importance of being silent but if we are silent when we are to speak it can be just as damaging. In some cases, silence is not enough. We must speak.
First, I want to thank Colleen of Silver Threading for featuring me in her Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I am so very humbled. Now, for this week’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday I draw inspiration from John Grossman. I came across this quote earlier this week and it stuck out to me:
Silence is no easy task. But when done in its time, silence speaks to self-control. It speaks to discipline. It speaks to discernment. Silence speaks to the presence of humility and wisdom when used appropriately. It is just as damaging to be silent in the time to speak as it is to speak in a time of silence. Words are so fragile, and so vulnerable that they can easily become corrupt. They can abuse or be abused; be misunderstood or cause misunderstanding; they can hurt, tear down, and the list goes on. Words can also heal and build-up but they are like newborns, delicate and completely dependent on its owner. We, the owners of our words, have a responsibility to make sure they are properly cared for. That said, when used in its time silence is not, for instance, the absence of innocence. It is the presence of understanding.
I relinquish the mic
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Click the photo below (or any of the highlighted links) to see how you can join Writer’s Quote Wednesday!
For today’s segment of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, I draw inspiration from Agatha Christine. But first.
Guess whose back???
When you see Colleen posting again
LOL, I had to do it. Now, back to you Agatha:
Other than being funny, I like the meaning behind this quote, which can vary but here is how I interpreted it:
Good books do not come from a focus on making money, being a best seller, or sitting down and saying to yourself “I’m going to write the best book ever.” The best inventions were not built from a desire for prestige or esteem; they were built because there was a need. Good writing does not come from a focus on writing; it comes from a focus on living. Inspiration to write is drawn by washing dishes, cooking meals, reading books, and watching movies. It can be the way the lady on the bus winked her eye at the man beside her. The way a little girl sang her favorite song or that one time your two year old stood up on his seat and yelled at the top of his lungs. They way your mother dips her hand in the flour before she bakes or the fact that your granddad has to have his Newspaper before breakfast each morning. These are all inspirations to write and all we have to do is pay attention. Everyone has a little of themselves in their writing. Characters are not made up of invisible people but many of their names and characteristics are derived from people you knew or know. What I’ve come to learn with writing and also with blogging, is that the success of either comes from simply being you and sharing that part of yourself with the world.
About the Author:
Agatha Mary Christie was an English crime novelist, short story writer and playwright. She also wrote six romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best known for the 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that she wrote under her own name.
But wait, there’s more…Happy Anniversary Writer’s Quote Wednesday!
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And finally, in honor of Writer’s Quote Wednesday Anniversary and her Collabo. with Ronovan, Colleen has introduced a new badge!
Mrs. Labno was a small woman. Short and petite with a splash of hip. It would not have occurred to me that she was mid-wife to my third eye. That this little lady would lend it to me all small and delicate and black, and I cherished the way it hung from my neck like a giant eye engraved in my chest. I wasn’t an alien but I had transformed. One minute I was in class and the next I was at an assembly. I could record twice as much information and move between space like the wind. No one saw me coming. It wasn’t until later that they saw how I invaded their privacy, catching their mouths in the middle of conversations and freezing basketballs mid-air before they reached the hoop. Cheerleaders died when I separated their teeth and caught the gum underneath their tongues. No one was safe. The optical controls were far more attentive than my other two and the vibration reduction kept the images still that wished to crawl away. I was a junior in High School when I joined the yearbook team and Mrs. Labno introduced me to photography. I would forever uphold passion for the third eye.
This week has been great so far in the writing world. It’s my first week in Blogging U’s Writing 101 course! I’ve met a lot of new bloggers, followed a lot of them, and am really enjoying the process of networking the blogosphere overall.
I like this quote because there’s a duality about it. On the one hand its just funny and yall know how silly I am. I also like it because it’s real. It does not sugar coat the truth. Writing is hard work and without the motivation, the discipline, or the drive to keep at it, it can easily fall by the way side. The other side to this quote, for me, is that it’s a subtle reminder not to allow these things, TV, and social media, to become such a distraction that it prohibits us from writing. When it does, it becomes time to cut off or separate that distraction until the work is done. I do not believe it is an option, but separation is mandatory when something becomes a hindrance if we are serious about staying focused on our writing endeavors. Speaking of life, Chintakunta is also an Indie Author! You can find out more about her book at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s more about her.
“I’m a stay at home Mom, a former IT professional, a writer, a toastmaster, a book worm and an Indian who moved to the United states. Above all, I am an eternal optimist who wants to spread good cheer”
Jahnavi Chintakunta is a stay at home mom with a wide range of expertise. Electrical Engineer turned Software Professional turned Author, Jahnavi Chintakunta, believes in simple solutions for problems, small or big.
Gold medalist in Electrical engineering – Postgraduate degree holder from a prestigious university – Manager in an IT bellwether- Chintakunta is a Techie who traveled around the world. While trying to connect the dots of her life, she found that the one thing which encompasses all her diverse credentials is the vast experience she gained fighting against all odds to achieve her dreams. A bibliophile with a flair for writing, she sought out to share her knowledge with the world. Thus her first book ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ is born where she shares a simple remedy to all the maladies of life.
About Ctrl+Alt+Delete
When a computer is not responding, what do we do? We press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Similarly when your life is going nowhere, then do a Ctrl+Alt+Del. It is a 3 step process where you move from Controlling your emotions to Altering your perception to Deleting the problem.
This book contains the details of the Ctrl+Alt+Del process with simple practical tips to deal with any tough situation in life. It alters your perception of life and motivates you to get the best out of your life. You can thrive in your life irrespective of your current situation. However tough your situations may be, as you begin looking at the positive aspects of your life, you will not only begin to appreciate your life, but you will also find a way to emerge as a winner.
Created to choose good
we traded our crown for the right to understand evil
And stand now as soldiers in a time of war
load me down with breastplates and helmets
for we shackle ourselves to the decisions we make
There are many paths before us,
a starlight fantasy for our dreams
a playground for our games
and truths
and falsehoods
all candy coated to look alike
these paths unfold like red carpet occasions
judgment spreads its arms like a mother
beckoning for her children
inviting us into its chest
and there we feed on the free will
to choose our own verdicts
what kind of life will we live
and what will we trail behind
choices
we live on them
desperately
like the very breath we breathe
inhale and exhaling ourselves to the next step
what will become of this poem
will I dare to save a life
is it possible
that one can live on these words
desperately
nourished simply by the right
to choose
to read them
The PBS Blog 