What's In Your Tool Belt? Plus a Bonus Blog Teaser

MacGyver was a master of being resourceful, using everyday objects to get himself out of life threatening situations. My life isn't threatened on a weekly basis, but I like to pretend I'm a flexible thinker, using whatever resources I have at hand, especially when it comes to the grueling climb towards getting noticed as an author.

Photo of metaphorical author mountain courtesy of Castlelass/Morguefile.com

Now I can thank my mother for not allowing Ken dolls in the house and refusing to buy fancy Barbie clothes. My sisters and I learned to make do with other dolls as romantic partners for our Barbies. We also got pretty good at turning old baby clothes and fabric scraps into couture for our shapely heroines, so I do have some experience with ingenuity.

I know it's not unheard of for indie authors to make it to bestseller status. Sure, I could whine about how those lucky ducks had entrepreneurial backgrounds, or friends in high places, or a budget close to my yearly salary, but that would only leave me bitter and stuck in the same place, while time ticks away.

Taking stock of my resources at hand, I find internet access, persistence, stubbornness, an ability to learn, and a willingness to put in some time and effort. Let's not forget friends and family. Valuable stuff, but not exactly out of the ordinary. Until my inner MacGyver takes over, and finds a way to use these resources in a jaw-droppingly inventive and effective way. 

I'm still working on the ultimate trick that will send my books soaring into Amazon's top 100, but I'm nowhere near ready to throw in the towel.



BONUS BLOG!
Bonnie Ferrante interviews Lucia Greene, author of A Tunnel in the Pines
https://bferrante.wordpress.com/2016/08/03/__trashed/

Ferrante: What is the most important thing you have learned about writing?

Greene: Writing as a journalist was challenging, but writing creative fiction presents the ultimate challenge. Being an author means you get to create a world, and a story, that’s your own work. At its best, your characters take control and the dialogue and story spin forth according to their direction. That’s the sweet spot. But facing a blank computer page and coming up with that first sentence? That’s the hard part.

Read more to learn cool stuff about worms and Darwin, and to get Greene's response to Three Random Questions.