I am a picky reader. A picky reader is not unlike a picky eater. Because I am a picky reader, on my last visit to the library I confidently checked out a biography of William Faulkner. Harmless, right? Page thirty had a graphic description of a man being burned alive. In the past, I considered looking in the Young Adult section for books to fit my picky palette. “Lordy” (to quote a friend from Georgia) witches, ghouls, the occult. What’s left? I love children’s books, but I want something that takes longer than five minutes to read.
I noticed that the library staff looked lonely and bored. Unfortunately, videos are ‘in’ and books are ‘out’. Reading has become a thing of the past. Hmmm, maybe I should write novels. Defying all odds, I will switch from a short blog to writing novels. How about Readers of the Lost Art ? Armed with my catchy title, I will start. I will be inspired by the great novelists of the past. Did Tolstoy write War and Peace in long hand, or did he use a typewriter?
Because I like to keep things simple, I use only one or two cliches to guide me through the hills and valleys of life. A daughter of the sixties, I have always liked the expression Different Strokes for Different Folks. Different Strokes for Different Folks is at the top of a short list that enables me to justify all kinds of behavior, personal and otherwise. When confronted with people and situations that could be labeled weird or radical instead of responding with a shocked “Why are you doing that?” I am able to say, “Oh. You ride a cheetah to town? Well, different strokes for different folks. I take the bus.”
Writers have varying approaches to the craft of writing. I like to apply the Different Stokes mantra to my writing style. Although others may start with an idea, a cause, a heartfelt need to deliver a timely word for the moment, I like to start with the cover. Browsing aimlessly online, I recently came upon an outstanding picture of a gorilla. I sent my editor an email and said, “I have found the cover for my next book.”
For years I believed the wicked lie that, “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” Very false. I will now explain the reasons why the whole world should tell a book by its cover. Consider houses. Would a mansion have an interior that was decorated in Contemporary Shack Noveau? Not likely. Let me offer another example to prove my newly named Theory of Interior/Exterior Compatibility. Would you wrap a diamond ring in a paper bag? Next, consider the bruised banana, what do you expect to find inside?
Once I have my cover, I begin the writing process. The ape, oops, I mean the gorilla book will have a Daily Devotional format. A Daily Devotional format has the text perfectly divided into 365 Daily readings. A word to the wise, please do not wait for January to begin reading. No, no, no. You can start reading on any calendar date. I bought my first Daily Devotional in May and waited eight months to start. You may begin reading Gorilla Lies on any given day of the year.
Ah yes, the title, Gorilla Lies. Another Different Strokes for Different Folks approach to writing. My advice is to begin with a catchy title and then write the text. Understanding the need for an irrefutable justification for this approach, I offer an academic reference. I humbly justify my writing style and declare that it is not backwards, instead it is forward thinking. If you are unsure if ‘forward-thinking’ applies, here is one dictionary’s definition and application of the term. “Forward-thinking companies use a combination of order to invoice quality and collections automation technologies to arrest the growing source of profit erosion." I agree.
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