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Beware the Proclaimed Genius

If genius is born in collective ciphers then we need to be wary of those who proclaim their solitary and self-important Genius.

The Self-Indulgent Genius is a warning sign that kowtowing and deference are expected in any exchange of memes or communicative dyads — and to not show deference is to be scorned and mocked and wanted smaller.

When Genius is dealt to you — respect it and honor it and keep it quiet unless and until it is discovered by others — and always run from those who foretell their own place in history by trumpeting a quiet gift.

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No Bad News

Janna is fond of replying to the question — “Do you want the bad news first or the good news first?” — by saying “There is no bad or good, you have to deal with it all.”

That’s an incredibly mature way of dealing with life.

I am not quite so mature. 

I always prefer the Bad News first because that is obviously the most conditional and powerful cudgel the teller of the news hopes use to influence your behavior:  Get the chit out of the way so you can enjoy the cream.

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When Words Go Wrong

Is a writer an author or just a fixer?

Is it possible words can go wrong?

Or is only the one who fixes words against each other to blame if context and meaning are skewed in understanding?

How can we possibly begin to comprehend each other in the language of a common tongue if words can have different meanings based on position in a sentence and the character of the fixer?

Do words ever have a proper ending?  Or do they just eternally float in space waiting for new interpretations, inspirations and analysis by boring minds?

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Word Calluses and the 9/11 Death Pit

Today is the sixth anniversary of the crowning of the Ground Zero Death Pit where the World Trade Center used to stand.

I have written about that life-changing, world-modifying, event every year since the attack and I have come to gruesomely realize there are some dark pits that no words can ever begin to fill.

Continue reading → Word Calluses and the 9/11 Death Pit

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How Much Did You Get Paid?

Publishers and agents hate it when authors share the specifics of our contracts with each other and that is precisely why we can, and must, share all the details of our deals.

Continue reading → How Much Did You Get Paid?

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Deal Memos and Contracts

I like Deal Memos because they’re just as binding as a real contract and they can save a lot of time and heartache.

If time is of the essence — and the tar pit of approvals is bearing down on you and a project that needs to completed fast — use a Deal Memo to trick out the most important details that both parties have agreed to, and you can make it binding via email and with replies of agreement.

Deal Memos can codify and express and protect both sides until a formal paper contract can be drawn — and quartered! — for official signatures and all the unnecessary and punishing boilerplate.

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Saying No Means Yes

Turning down work can be a good thing if the price and terms aren’t right.

You, as an author, must know your value in the marketplace even if those around you — like agents and friends and publishers and managers — do not.

If you get a dollar a word for writing an article, do not allow yourself to be lowballed at a dime a word.

You know your bottom line.  You know your ability.  Trust the faith in yourself.  Demand the wages and royalties and stipends you deserve. 

To back down from the needs of the self is to damage the needs and wants of others who hope to walk along down the path of success with you.

Saying “No” to a bad deal can mean a “Yes” to own well-being.