Of the 3 books that were placed on The Book Escape’s shelf at the beginning of this month, only 1 remains. That’s pretty cool. I’m hoping the other one will be gone by the end of June. Thanks to those readers who bought it.

Here I am in my new Black Writers Guild of Maryland jacket. It’s been keeping me warm on these cool May days. It’s also been getting a lot of attention. If you are interested in joining a really great support group for writers then check out the website http://www.blackwritersguild.org/. You will not be disappointed.

Water In A Broken Glass is now on the shelves of a wonderful bookstore called The Book Escape. Last Monday, the manager placed 3 copies on the shelf right below Zane and Laura Lippman. Today, there are only 2 copies left. I am very happy.
If you have a chance, go to The Book Escape, and not just to buy my book. Although, I do hope you purchase the book from there. But The Book Escape is just that. I go there on my lunch break and get totally lost. They carry new and used books. The prices are great, and you can find some real gems. The music ain’t half bad either.
They have two sites. My book is at 10 N. Calvert Street.

Most writers begin as readers. But once we start writing, we forget about reading. If you want to be a great writer, you must read. Read all types of works, including the classics you hated to read in high school. You can learn a lot about writing from the classics, and if you let yourself go, you can be thoroughly entertained by them. But if you want to be a romance writer, then you have to immerse yourself in the genre. Find out why people love reading these stories over and over again. Find out what makes a happy ending. What makes a woman irresistible? What makes a man charismatic? If you want to write horror, which I’m going to do someday, then you have to read horror to find out how plots unfold. How, when and why to have someone killed. I know it all seems at random, but there is a reason for every killing in horror. Every character must die a certain way, for a certain reason, at a certain time. That’s what makes horror scary.

In my last blog I wrote about the first thing you need to do to become a writer. Today, I’m going to talk about the second thing you need to be to become a writer. And that thing is: you have to take your writing seriously. By that I don’t mean get all stressed out and crazy about it. I mean study writing. Read as much as you can about the craft. Read books that discuss characterization, setting, motivation, emotions, description, dialogue, themes, plot, structure, grammar. I know, everyone hates grammar, but it’s really fun once you get into it. Being able to take a tired phrase and rework it so that the same old things sounds and feels like something totally new is an awesome thing to do. Read all types of works, including the classic you hated to read in high school. You can learn a lot about writing from the classic, and if you let yourself go, you can be thoroughly entertained by them. But if you want to be a romance writer, then you have to immerse yourself in the genre. Find out why people love reading these stories over and over again. Find out what makes a happy ending. What makes a woman irresistible? What makes a man charismatic? If you want to write horror, which I’m going to do someday, then you have to read horror to find out how plots unfold. How, when and why to have someone killed. I know it all seems at random, but there is a reason for every killing in horror. Every character must die a certain way, for a certain reason, at a certain time. That’s what makes horror scary.

Writing is the coolest thing. If you want to do it right, you have to learn everything there is to know about it, and understand that when you think you have it all down pact, something new will come along. Enjoy.

When I started taking writing seriously, I was hanging out with a group of poets, reading excerpts from Water In A Broken Glass at cafes. One day I made the mistake of saying that I wanted to be a writer, and a very talented poet named Juanita Jackson told me, “You are a writer.” I was confused because I believed that real writers were people like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Gloria Naylor, Paule Marshall, Ntozake Shange, Stephen King, Judy Blume etc. I believed I had to be published by a big press before I could call myself a writer. But that is not true. I was a writer then as I am a writer now. The minute I started actually writing my novel I became a writer. So if you want to be a writer, the first thing you have to do is believe that you already are, whether you’ve been published or not. Believe it when others doubt you. Believe it when it seems like you are wasting your time. Believe when you can’t get that sentence quite right. Believe it when you read one of your favorite authors and doubt that you’ll ever be as big as her/him. Believe it with everything in you. That’s how you become a writer.

For the longest time I’ve been trying to figure out how best to use my web site, and it occurred to me that what I love doing most is sharing information, helping other people achieve their dreams. I know there are a lot of writers who want to know how to write better, such as myself. I am always browsing the bookstores in search of reference books that will help me describe a character or scene in a way that it has never been described before. So, in addition to promoting my upcoming novels, I will post everything that I’ve learn through writing and reading the works of other people. I hope it helps, because ultimately, that’s what I think life is all about. Helping other people. Let me know if I’m doing a good job.

Water In A Broken Glass can now be purchased at AuthorsBookshop.com. in addition to the other online bookstores. This is pretty cool. Thanks Brad and Devlon.

As you know, I am the vice president of the Black Writers Guild of Maryland. It is a wonderful organization that was started by self-published author Louis Diggs. He has been very successful in publishing the history of African Americans in Baltimore County. His books include photographs of African Americans. His has been profiled in numerous newspapers and magazines. His work has also been exhibited in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Mr. Diggs is the reason I accepted the position as vice president. When my first novel, Water In A Broken Glass was released, Mr. Diggs allowed me and other Guild members to piggy back on his wonderful exhibits. He is a wonderful man. If you get a chance, please visit him at louisdiggs.com. And if you are a writer in need of a group that supports you and gives great information, check us out at blackwritersguild.org. We are also on facebook.

A publisher is interested in publishing Kizmic’s Journey. This is so awesome. Last years I was worried that I’d never find a publisher and was on my way to self-publishing. It’s funny how life works. But the main thing I did was believe in myself and my work. So now I’m editing Kizmic’s Journey while I wait for edits on In the Mirror. I’m going to be so busy. But it’s fun.