May 26, 2007
Rabbit Run
We decided it was time for Luka, our rabbit, to have a buddy. So, we spoke with a rabbit adoption group, and found Rosemary.
This is her first night at home, and we haven't formally introduced the two of them yet -- but so far, so good. Here's a picture of her, sleeping in her fresh and clean litterbox:
May 17, 2007
Ebooks & Book Trailers
For those who subscribe to my newsletter, go to a recent newsletter and get to that secret page -- there are a couple of ebooks that I just posted there that you may want to read.
In other news, Circle of Seven Productions is taping scenes for the upcoming full-length book trailer (tm) for the paperback of The Lady of Serpents, and also a mini-teaser for The Queen of Wolves. With luck, those will be done before midsummer, and I'll post them here at the website, of course! Newsletter subscribers get the first peek at them (so go subscribe now, if you haven't yet done so.)
And that's it for now. I'm buried in the writing of a novel, of course, but I'm keeping this one secret until it's done and in to a publisher.
Best,
Douglas Clegg
May 06, 2007
Ordaining
I've been preoccupied with research and writing since turning in The Queen of Wolves to its publisher, Berkley/Ace. But the various ideas I've been mulling over include one that I see too often in people -- including writers. So, I'm just going to mention it here:
Do not wait for someone to ordain you to a position. Claim who you are, find that path, and get on it as soon as you can. If you find what is uniquely yours to be and to do and to seek, somehow this will work out.
This is one of the few things I've learned in life. Money does not ordain people, neither do other people, neither does inheritance, neither does success. You ordain yourself on your own path, which is yours alone.
Sometimes it's a thorny path, but clearing underbrush is not the worst task the world can offer.
In other notes, I want to thank everybody who offered the one word answer regarding the most important element in a novel. Character, story, suspense, plot, engagement, etc., are all vital elements to a good or great novel.
But there's one word no one mentioned, and I'm going to explore this a bit in the near-future here:
Truth.
A novel is a fiction, but at its core, I believe there must be a truth that supports it for it to be a good novel. I believe this is the hardest part of writing any novel -- finding truth within the creation of the fiction.