Bargain Book Discovery!

I buy a lot of bargain books. I read very few of them, as my readers know, because usually they're not very good. Every now and then I find a new-to-me author that way and get all giddy because one can never really have enough reading material, right? Reviews on those kinds of books get me all excited because - well, come on - is it really all that shocking that best-sellers get Five Stars? Don't we all kind of root for the underdog (Phooey on you, President Snow!), especially as writers, because that could be us someday.

This is that kind of review. I wasn't familiar with Ryne Douglas Pearson when I checked All for One out of the Kindle library, and I didn't set my hopes too high. But suddenly I noticed I was thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it. Hmmm. I was missing out on important conversations going on around me while I was reading it. And I could give anyone willing to listen an accurate and detailed plot summary on demand. Holy Cow, this is a good book! Alright!!

All for One is murder mystery, but no one is really mourning the victim. The book opens over the body of the school bully, in the midst of a conspiracy among his classmates to hide the identity of the murderer. There is nothing YA about this story filled with five school children and their beloved teacher. This is a suspenseful whodunnit that grapples with difficult issues like the true nature of justice and isn't afraid to ask what if the world is a better place without the victim? The protagonist is artfully portrayed as a burnt-out cop who has given too much of himself and wrecked his life On The Job - without fading into a cliche. The different school children involved in the cover-up are well-developed characters with distinguishable personalities and lives, and they are never silly or childish. It is no small feat for an adult to write believably from the point of view of a child.

The icing on the cake is that Pearson has seven more novels available on Amazon, each for less than $5 on Kindle. And I intend to make my way through them all. Nicely played, Smuck & Underwood, whoever you are. You've netted Pearson a new fan. 4.5 stars!

The Business Book Every Writer Should Read

As I got serious about my writing, I started taking on all the requisite writing rituals. Minimum daily word quotas, designated writing times, specific writing exercises, and 30-day novel competitions. And I fell out of love with writing. Hated it, in fact, and began avoiding it at all costs, going more than a year without writing a single thing other than my grocery list. Something that used to be a natural high suddenly filled me with dread and self-loathing. All the other writers I knew could write thousands of words per day, why couldn't I? Worse still, the stuff they produced wasn't irredeemable crap that wasn't even worthy of the back of a shampoo bottle. What was I doing wrong?

Then I read Drive by Dan Pink, and the upside-down pieces of my writing world flopped back into place. Pink examines the science of motivation and shows that so much of what we consider standard-issue Motivation 101 guidelines don't work. The standard rewards and punishment motivation systems are based on an unfounded view of human nature: that we don't want to work and must be forced to do what needs to be done through bribes or pain avoidance. Pink looks primarily at the standard 9-to-5 workplace and traces the roots of this ideology back through the industrial age, then shows how innovative workplaces are revolutionizing their work models based on what does motivate people.

How does this relate to writing? Word quotas, for one, are the snarky boss in Office Space saying, "Yeah, I'm gonna need you to come in on Saturday, too." Not meeting your quota feels like not putting the cover on the TPS reports--what kind of writer are you if you let yourself get away with that? Slacker. Shame is your punishment. If, however, you do write your entire novel-in-a-month, then hey - put a badge on your fb page! You win bragging rights!

Think about it--all this assumes that writing is something you must do, something you don't want to do, and therefore you must be forced, or force yourself to do it. Is that how your writing career started? Not mine. I fell in love with writing because I loved great stories, and I found the world disappeared in the same way--more, even--when I was writing a great story as when I was reading one.

It turns out that the standard rules for motivation (which Pink refers to as "Motivation 2.0") are particularly destructive to creative processes. I think that as an industry, we've fought so hard against the idea that writing is a magical process where pixies will come and guide your hands to write The Next Great American Novel that we've distorted the reality that there is magic in the writing process. Writing is hard. Yes. It's time-consuming and takes a lot of practice, time, and study. Don't expect to skip your way to the Pulitzer or a Newbery. But it's not all drudgery, either. And if it is, you're doing it wrong.

We write to satisfy that inner drive. The drive to create and to do it well. The drive to produce something that is completely our own that other people will want to read. We write for the fulfillment that comes from realizing the end result is something greater than ourselves. Pink writes that what really drives people are Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. That's exactly what writing is. The satisfaction of writing whatever you want, however you want, and doing it freakin' well. Not just well--Freakin' Well, baby. That's why I write. Screw word counts. I'm going for my daily dose of Kicking Literary Butt.

Get your hands on Catch Me - Five Stars

One of the two most delightful author discoveries I've made in the last five years has to be Lisa Gardner. Like most Good Reads, this one was recommended by a fellow Reader (with a capital R) - my good friend over at The Painted Turtle. Better yet, Gardner is prolific, with four different protagonists that each have their own series.

Catch Me, released last month, is a great place to jump in if you've never read Gardner. While the protagonist of the story is the new character Rosalind Carter, a police dispatch officer, all of Gardner's existing characters appears in some role. Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren plays the largest role, tasked with solving Rosalind's murder before it happens. Almost two years prior to the story opening, one of Rosalind's best friends was found murdered in her own home, with no signs of forced entry and not a mark on her body. Exactly one year later, Rosalind's other best friend was found murdered in the same way. As the date creeps nearer once again, Rosalind is convinced she's next. D.D. Warren is working to solve two very cold cases in order to prevent a third while juggling a very new and demanding position (further details omitted to avoid spoilers) and a not-entirely-welcome visit from her parents. Meanwhile, Rosalind is in training to win the fight of her life.

Gardner's trademark technique is to completely freak me out without ever resorting to graphic violence or gross-out details. She has a way of tapping into my deepest fears and weaving them into fantastical plots. She also hosts her annual Kill a Buddy, Maim a Friend contest, where you can enter a friend (or not) to be a character, and subsequently be killed off, in a future Gardner novel. Feel free to nominate me, friends; I nominated The Painted Turtle!