Month: September 2022

Categories
My Books

Reasons to Read The Boy Who Called the Foxes This Fall

“I’m trying to finish Dad’s song.”

  Sage looked up from her camera screen. “Huh?”

  “In the notebook Mom showed me. He left a song unfinished. Don’t tell anyone. Please? I haven’t written a song in a long time. I can’t even do it anymore.”

  “I won’t tell anybody. But why are you doing it? Seems like that wouldn’t be an easy way to start back up again. Seems like it would be easier to start with a clean slate and write something on your own.” She motioned for him to turn around and look out over the town. “Co-writing is really hard.”

  Co-writing. Yes, it was. Especially when your partner was dead. There was the constant overhanging question of whether the other writer’s vision was coming through at all. It was all the worse when you could never check in with him to ask. “I don’t have any other ideas.” He pushed his bangs back and glanced over at her. “It’s kind of—”

  “Sorry, do that again.”

  “Why are you taking portraits? I thought this was supposed to be a street-photography thing.”

  “You have to take the pictures you see. Anyway, I think you can do it. A lot of your stuff already sounds a lot like Dad’s stuff. It might take a little while to get back into it, but that’s understandable. Don’t give up on it.” She sauntered off away from him, apparently not seeing any more pictures there.

  “I wasn’t going to give up on it,” he said. And that was when he realized how close he had been to doing just that. “I was just thinking…it’s never going to be the song it was supposed to be.”

  “Cade, that’s okay. No song really is.”

                                             Excerpt from The Boy Who Called the Foxes

What is The Boy Who Called the Foxes?

The Boy Who Called The Foxes was born from one thing, really: my obsession with the cozy, brisk, dreamy, eerie, exhilaration of the autumn season. When the idea sparked, all I really knew was I wanted to write a story that would be the literary equivalent of a rich pumpkin-spice latte on a crisp October morning.

For a long time, that’s all I had. It was driving me a little crazy. I didn’t have any characters, no specific setting, no themes—I didn’t even know what genre it was going to be. But finally, the catalyst came in the form of a single image—a boy calling foxes.

The Boy

  I didn’t know a thing about the main character at first. The title came before I had a name for him. At last, I came up with Cadence Kim—a guy who was kind of in the same stage of life as I was. He was a college graduate wondering where his life had gotten him so far. He was on his way back to move in with his mom and siblings again, since his job-hunt in Chicago was going nowhere.

  But most importantly, Cade was an artist. He was a musician who couldn’t seem to live life the way everyone else thought he should. He was a sensitive person who saw the world through different eyes and wanted something it couldn’t seem to provide.

  And he had lost his father—a similar person who, though an incredibly quiet man, had influenced his family to its core.

The Vibes

Obviously, a major draw for any potential reader would be the autumn aesthetic. I know I’m not the only one who lives for those short months toward the end of the year. The descriptions are loaded with the roar of October wind, the migrating birds, the changing leaves, the cozy coffee houses, caramel apples, autumn festivals, etc. I tried to make it as immersive as possible.

While writing this book I was constantly surrounded by everything I thought could help me set the mood. I burned fall candles, drank a lot of chai, created a Pinterest board, and listened to ambient sound and playlists I curated for the project. So, the writing process itself was a kind of therapeutic experience. Almost like a vacation. I hope some of that comes through for the readers, too.

The Themes

Themes typically start emerging later in my planning for writing a book. They come from looking at my characters and their problems and their hopes and dreams. Cadence’s dreams have given way to disappointment in the beginning of the book. He’s disappointed in himself, and knows his old acquaintances are going to be let down as well. So, he spends a lot of time trying to hide from his situation and avoid confronting the changes that have rocked his world.

I think it’s something a lot of people can relate to. Especially if you were ever one of those people who everybody said had “so much potential.”  Yes, there’s so much you could do, but what will you do? A lot of us don’t actually have our whole lives tied up with a bow by the time we’re eighteen. Don’t let the YA novels fool you.

The Other Perks

Of course, I could go on and on about how this book is worth your cozy autumn reading time. It’s fun, it’s lyrically written, it’s loaded with healthy best-friend relationships between siblings, introvert problems, settings you’ll want to move to, journal entries, original song lyrics, and just a hint of otherworldliness to set it apart from other general contemporary fiction. But rather than keep you here any longer, reading a blog post, I’ll send you off to read a book instead. (You can decide for yourself whether or not it’s The Boy Who Called the Foxes.)

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Categories
The Artist & The Audience

How To Set Boundaries and Not Overshare Online

In the online community, there’s a lot of discussion about being honest. Being authentic. Not creating a fake idealized image of yourself to present to the world.

And yet, whether or not you straight-up lie on social media, you’re going to be faking it to some degree. Maybe not actually faking it, but you’re going to be curating  it. You are going to be presenting yourself a certain way, and you’re not going to be %100 transparent. Ever.

But is that a bad thing? If you’re a creative, you have a certain understanding that art is probably over half presentation. You choose and refine how you present your subject matter. Dumping a truckload of bricks doesn’t result in a great work of architecture. For the same reason, carefully selecting that kinds of things you share online is not just in your nature as an artist, it’s actually the smart move when you’re running a social media presence that will be connected to your work. 

Being Human Online

In case you haven’t noticed, cyberspace isn’t like the physical world. The gurus will say you need to be human on social media. What they won’t tell you is there’s a slightly different strain of humanity that rears its head there. It has the attention span of a goldfish, it gets offended like a nest of hornets, it misunderstands everything, and it needs everyone’s attention 24/7.

Nobody is human online. That’s okay, but it also means you need to think twice or three times about how you present yourself if you want to survive, keep your friends, and build your reputation on the right things.

When it comes down to it, you really don’t want to share too much of your “true self.”

Reasons why you might not want to share too much of yourself:

  • Privacy—duh

You don’t owe anyone vulnerability. That’s the hard truth. You have a right to keep certain things—anything you want—to yourself. You also don’t have to explain why. Some of it might be for your personal safety, other things could just be details you don’t feel the need to share. You might consider them unhelpful or distasteful to your audience. Or you might just be shy and reclusive. You are allowed to have those personality traits. A lot of artists do.

  • Pressure

Sometimes I feel like I have to give updates on all my projects and tell everyone approximately how soon I hope to get them done. I really want to break this habit, because it puts a lot of totally unnecessary pressure on me. Unless I’m collaborating with someone, nobody really needs that information. I’m just setting up deadlines and forcing myself to feel like my whole audience is holding me accountable, when in fact, nobody really cares that much.

Which brings me to…

  • The real risk of boring people

Okay, I know it sounds harsh, but one of the fastest ways to bore people is to talk about yourself. And the more detailed it gets, the less people ae inclined to hear you out. And you also need to pay attention to the interests of your niche. Why would anybody care what you ate today? If you’re not a health and nutrition blogger, your followers are just going to wonder what that’s got to do with anything.

I know in the age of social media, with everyone essentially making reality tv-shows out of their day-to-day existence, a lot of people have lost their sense of what should be their business only. I thought of a little test you can use that might put that in perspective.

What if the paparazzi were the ones behind the camera?

It becomes really annoying/creepy when you think about it that way. Beat it! I’m just trying to eat lunch. I’m at the gym, get off my back, would ya? I’ve had a terrible day and am literally shut in my bedroom crying—Cut. The. Cameras.

Set some hard boundaries for yourself if you ever feel pressured to overshare online. Choose some things you just won’t broadcast and stick to it. What kinds of things?

Things you might want to consider keeping to yourself:

  • Family news

Some people feel okay about updating the whole world on not just their own milestones and significant events, but also those of their family members. I draw a line here. I might not even tell Instagram if I get married—I certainly won’t be sharing endless carousels and reels of wedding pictures. It’s very standard for most people, but I’m also a little uncomfortable with the way people post pictures and updates on their babies and kids. Unless I have a private personal account, I won’t be doing that. It’s not going to happen on my author account—ever.

  • Physical and mental health

Another one I choose to avoid. It’s different if you’re a health and wellness account and the information is relevant—otherwise, that’s personal information. As an author, you won’t catch be babbling on about my latest illness, doctor’s visits, or how much weight I’ve gained or lost over the summer. My mental wellbeing is also something I prefer to keep to a very limited circle of people who care the most and could actually help me if I needed something. Though these things can affect my art and my productivity, I don’t think it’s something we should feel like we have to explain to our audience. They know we’re humans. We don’t have to prove it.

  • Travel plans

These first three points are debatable, and whether or not you share on these topics will depend on your niche. If you’re a mommy blogger it might be logical (within certain common-sense limits) to share about your kids. If you’re a health blogger, it would make sense to discuss your own health journeys. If you’re a travel-blogger, you’re probably going to talk a lot about your travels. But there is actually a practical precaution to take when you’re telling the world where you’re going to be, and when. It can become a safety issue, so use discretion.

  • Uncertain plans

Remember what I mentioned about putting unnecessary pressure on yourself? This one is hard for me, because I get very enthusiastic over newly-formed plans and if they relate to my niche—as they often do—I will be very tempted to go on Instagram and scream about them to everybody. Guys, guys, guys! I’m gonna do a thing! Read all about it! But I also change plans and timelines for plans every other day. It’s like making a promise and not being able to keep it. Even if my audience doesn’t really care, it takes the wind out of my sails and makes me feel unprofessional. I’m working on this one. Though I think a lot of creatives probably relate to my slightly manic tendencies.

  • Every little up and down

Once again—you owe it to no one to prove you’re human. If they don’t assume as much, that’s their problem, not yours. You don’t have to get on stories everyday and tell everybody exactly what you’re doing and how you feel about it every other hour. You’re having a blissful afternoon? Great. Enjoy it. You’re down in the dumps again? I actually recommend you stay as far away from social media as you can, in that case. It won’t help. Your son’s team won? Your cousin is getting engaged and you now feel like a languishing old maid, alas, alack? You’ll process all these things better without worrying about likes and comments, trust me.

  • Controversial opinions

What?! Not share controversial opinions on social media? Isn’t that what social media is for? Dividing people along ideological lines and having silent screaming matches with total strangers? Okay, so the truth is, every opinion will offend somebody, so this one can’t be completely avoided. But as an artist, I’ve prioritized being known for my work, not my opinions. If you want to be one of those artists who addresses “issues” you can do that. But choose your issues wisely, and don’t pick every possible fight. You will burn out and you will make a lot of enemies. Also, hold whatever opinions you want, but if you want to take a stand on something, make sure it’s something you don’t mind being permanently associated with. You may want to be known as an advocate for adoption, but you might not want to be too loud and outspoken on your hearty support of capital punishment, for example.  

The value of mystery and art speaking for itself

One more thing. Doesn’t anybody care about being mysterious?

Aren’t people who have their secrets, lead lives of their own, and maybe don’t voice their opinions at every opportunity automatically cooler? No?

For me, and maybe for you too, I want to be known for my work. I write books. I want people to find out about me when they read them. That way, I can share my thoughts and feelings with the world by a process that lets people experience them, not just hear about them. But most of all, I want my art to be about something bigger than me and the details of my own journey. It should be something that helps people understand themselves, the world and God.

You can make your online presence an extension of that. And as a result, you can see yourself as creating art every time you compose a new post on Instagram. And your art is whatever you want it to be.

Categories
Creativity

How I Reset My Goals for Fall

Here it comes, the unchallenged Best Season ™ in all it’s glory. If you know anything about me at all, you know I’m a fall person. My novel The Boy Who Called the Foxes is a whole testament to that fact. I love the cool clear air, the wind, the long nights, the changing leaves, the excuse to be quiet and take it all in.

But aside from simply soaking up the beauty of the season, I also like to reset my goals for fall. Actually, I like to reset my goals about quarterly. Preferably at the beginning of each new season. But with autumn being my favorite time of year, I try to go out of my way to make a particular effort to plan for it when the walnut leaves start to yellow in September.

How do I reset my goals for fall?

Typically, this involves a lot of list-making and leafing through notebooks, for me. I take a look at everything I’m currently busy with, the things I’m about to get busy with, and the things I wish I was busy with and start thinking seriously about all of it.

And by “thinking seriously” I mean I try to keep a very open mind about my possibilities. Things tend to get a little overwhelming over the summer. I don’t know why that is. Maybe I take on too much at the beginning and put it off too much due to the summer laziness that usually sets in.

Fall is a good time to make changes. And I find I’m quite ready to do that around the beginning of September. So, what are some steps I like to take?

  • Declutter my to-do list

You mean, give up on things?! Well, kind of. I keep a running list of goals for my year and around autumn, I get a strong urge to cut some nonsense out of it. I don’t like to cram at the end of the year. Often, I get a new burst of energy and a new mindset in January, so I prefer not to be hustling like crazy in November and December if I can help it.

  So, how do I decide what to cut? Usually, I’m able to find things on my list that are both unnecessary and boring to me. Busy work. Social media efforts that aren’t paying back. Projects I don’t find inspiring at all. Just shamelessly cut these things out. You’re not a quitter. You’re prioritizing.

  • Change something

You might want to switch up your main project. You may have one that you’ve been dying to focus on but have been holding back because it isn’t your official WIP. Time to make it official.

  Something I’m changing is my social media strategy. For me, Instagram used to be fun—back before I was trying to be so smart with it. Now it just feels like a lot of pressure, and I’m not seeing the ROI I want. So, I’m relaxing with IG and shifting my attention to what’s actually my favorite social media: Pinterest. (Please follow!)

  • Prioritize rest & family

Fall is the perfect time to get cozy and make a doubled effort to enjoy the people in your life. I may or may not have been working a little too much this year. Too often I find myself shut up in my room headaching at my desk when I can hear my family enjoying downtime together elsewhere in the house. That’s miserable. Why would I do that to myself?

  I’m a massively introverted person. I’m very independent and value solitude and hard work to quite an unusual extent. But too much of that can still be harmful. Humans, no matter how driven and introverted, need to connect with each other just for the sake of talking and laughing and chilling out now and then. You’ll cease to function otherwise. So, take some time for those things this autumn.

  • Find large immersive projects—minimize scattering yourself

I run in a lot of directions and lately I’ve felt like I’m losing touch with my main thing. I’m writing a six-book series right now. I’m supposed to be working on book five.

  Nothing quite beats spending a whole afternoon and evening clicking away at a keyboard, completely immersed in another world. I miss those five-thousand-word days. I miss those ten-thousand-word days. Well, those are a little crazy, but they sure feel awesome now and then. I’m going to make myself some wordcount trackers and focus on my big projects for a while. I want to make some major progress on the things that make me feel the most accomplished at the end of the day.

  • Choose one more thing to finish this year

We’ve only got a few months left at this point. Time to be realistic. What can we finish in that amount of time?

  Try to find a larger goal, but one you’re fairly close to checking off. Put it first. This is the homestretch, and I typically want to finish the year with a bang of some kind. Even if this is the only thing you finish in the next few months, you should feel proud of it. I hope to get the first draft of book five finished before the new year. If that’s all I achieve before January, I will still be pleased with myself.

All this shouldn’t be done in one sitting. Take some time to think about it, pray for direction, take a walk in the woods, etc. There’s no real rush—and that’s a key point to remember. You have to ease into new routines and reorient your mind for new goals. That’s why seasons don’t change all at once.

Take your time. Enjoy the process. Let yourself hope for the best and find the most rewarding ways to get there. Fall is a refreshing and energizing season. If you’re enthusiastic about your goals, you’re not likely to spend it burnt out.

Happy Autumn!

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