February 29, 2008 | Quirky notions

I went shopping today at lunch. (Okay, so this is NOT the world’s most startling news but, please, stay with me. LOL)

While cruising through the mall, I happened to stroll past a display at that most splendid storehouse of delights, the meganormous bookstore. They were showing off books written by presidential candidates still in the running:

John McCain’s Faith of My Fathers and Hard Call,

Hillary Clinton’s It Takes A Village and Living History and An Invitation to the White House

The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

as well as

Quit Digging Your Grave with A Knife and Fork, Living Beyond Your Lifetime, and more by Mike Huckabee.

Wow, all the major parties’ remaining candidates were there, while the ones who’d dropped out just didn’t have multiple titles listed in the catalogue. Maybe writing books really does teach people how to communicate - or gives them the stamina to hang on and keep talking, even when everybody around them thinks they’re crazy. Or at least hopelessly delusional for attempting this project, in the first place.

Who’d have thought running for president and being an author had so much in common?

Go, Team Author, go!

February 18, 2008 | Me, myself, Quirky notions

For the past two weeks, I’ve been enjoying the life of a full-time writer. I finished working at one ordinary day job and found myself with a two week gap before I started the next day job. So I happily trotted out into the wide world, calling myself a full-time author, and armed with a long to-do list. Number one, of course, was to write three-four hours every day.

Hah!

I really should have known better. The last time I tried being a full-time author, real life smacked me hard in the face and I wound up working ferociously, just to keep my head above water and finish all my deadlines on time. How do full-time authors keep away all the people who believe they stay home to be social? Or run errands? Or keep an eye on their project?

I think successful full-time authors must have a hidden ninja warrior inside them, who leaps out yelling, “Aiiieeeee!” and chops through all the ridiculous odds and ends, in order to protect their writing time. I’ll try cultivating mine harder next time.

But tomorrow it’s back to the grindstone at a new day job. I’m so used to that kind of tight schedule, it already feels like coming home.

Diane