The Power of Storytelling

How many of you know this joke:

 Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence, Pete fell off and who was left. Repeat.

It's funny and annoying at the same time. Especially, when it takes the person a while to get it.

I'm restating this:

Think and Rethink were sitting on fence, Think fell off and who was left. Rethink.

Rethink. That's what I've been doing about my blog and my writing career. In the cross stitch community, when someone has loses their passion for stitching, we say they lost their "Stitchy Bug" and they ask for help to get it back. Especially when you have a BAP (Big A$$ Project) to get done. I have one of those affectionately known as the Damn Dog.

I don't feel blocked exactly. I just feel "bleh." I want to do another Philippa Marlowmellow mystery, because they're fun. I know how the antagonist is going to kill mallows, but I don't know why. The why is pretty important. I finished the first draft of my young adult novel, "The Insignificant Amy Dodd," and was excited about starting the edits and revisions. It's sitting on my desk staring at me.

There is so much more to a writing career than sitting and writing. You have to market, sell, sell, sell. I am not good at that part. I'm trying, but there is not enough time in my day to do it all. It's so overwhelming. If I had a million bucks, I would hire a publicists. 

So back to "rethink."  Printed stories have their roots in the oral tradition of storytelling. Information was passed from one person to another. Histories were kept, and some were just plain fun. 

I come from a background of storytelling. I fell in love with the art when I was on a business trip in Johnson City, Tennessee. I saw flyers about the festival and asked a co-worker. I was intrigued by what he told me and I went to the festival that year. I was mesmerized. Three storytellers stood out to me that trip, Jay O'Callahan, Sid Lieberman and Barbara McBride-Smith. Barbara McBride-Smith told Greek myths with a twist that would have you laughing. She is from Oklahoma and telling those tales with a southern accent had you laughing so hard you would pee in your pants. Sid Lieberman told Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" that had shivers going down my spine, But my favorite is Jay O'Callahan. His stories take you to his world, entertains you, and brings you back. It's amazing.

From: Sladen, Douglas. "Oriental Cairo: the city of the 'Arabian Nights'". J.B. Lippincott Company: Philadelphia and Hurst & Blackett, Ltd.: London, 1911. p 28.

I tried to be a storyteller, but my anxiety would get the best of me. I once did a story telling gig at a festival. I had an hour. I was done in thirty minutes.

In storytelling, you don't exactly memorize the story, but you know the story inside and out. You practice, practice and practice with recording your voice and in front of a mirror. I hated the sound of my recorded voice, and standing in front of a mirror- forget that. In that moment I knew I wanted to a story creator, not a storyteller.

I know we have to market to get our names out there. I know I have to Tweet, Facebook, and all the other stuff, but I want to do more than push my books. I want to engage with my readers. I want to get to know them. I want them to get to know me. I want to have a relationship. I'm going to do my best at marketing, but I am not going to worry about that anymore. My focus is going to be creating a good story.

I have included a couple of links about Jay O'Callahan. One talks about the power of storytelling, and the other is one of stories. It's from the Pill Hill collection, which is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them.
#storytelling #writing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehYhlYY3Lw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvpoRKy3Y4U&index=9&list=PLNpKL37TBwvC2dGZbBWZiiZRM88q4Xaz7

Evolution of a Writer - Part 3 Balance

I've learned a valuable lesson in these past few weeks. I need to take time out to relax. Many of you may say, "ookay" like it's the most normal thing in the world. For those that know me well, are aware of my tendency not to say "no."

Friend: "Lisa can you do this for me?" I have fifteen other things I need to do. "Sure!" I say and I really mean it. I want to do this for my friend. They need help. I love helping people. My problem is I don't ask for help in return and I know my friends would do that for me. I get overscheduled and overwhelmed, stressed and freaked out. Not good for anyone.

I'm a wife, mom, writer, have a regular job, musician, housekeeper, laundress, cook, and book keeper, and whatever anyone else needs me to be and do. I over scheduled myself and sometimes over book. Guess what? It doesn't work.

I got myself into a situation where I was running full out on all burners and guess what? I ran out of fuel and ended up in the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack.  The doctors monitored my heart rate, and did a nuclear stress test. (I'm still waiting on my super powers). I was so stressed out. My daughter's sleepover birthday party was the next evening and we had been planning it for a while. My husband and son had plans that had been in place for a month. I seriously didn't have time for this. I was over scheduled. Thank God it wasn't a heart attack., but instead of resting like I probably should have, I did the party (simplified) and I made my husband keep his plans. The girls were great  and well behaved so it was all good.

While I was in the hospital I had a lot of time to think. I  have a lot on my plate. I overschedule myself thinking, "I'm superwoman. I can do anything. I can write, work, take care of my family, practice my bass, volunteer. I can do it all. I learned the hard way I can't. I have to take that time to de-stress. To decompress. I believe my writing suffers if I don't.

My sister took a class on how to learn. She was telling me when we wind down, our brains rest and go into that diffuse thinking mode where ideas abound. I was in the shower the other day, and so relaxed, I figured out how my antagonist is going to be killing off mallows in the next Philippa Marlowmellow adventure. It's going to be fun.

So, as I learn to decompress and de-stress, what are some of the ways you balance your career and family? Let me know. I could use a few ideas. :-)

Mallow Mayhem...Not a children's story

You know how you put your heart and soul into a story and it turns better than expected than you expected? That is the birth story of Mallow Mayhem. The story started out as a writing exercise that got away from me. I've told this story before, so I'm not going to bore you with the details. I was excited when I got the cover art. It was beautiful. Exactly what I wanted. The silhouette payed homage to Alfred Hitchcock, just like I wanted. I got it back from the editor, made my corrections and I was ready to send my little chick out into the world. 

It's a fun story written in the noir genre with strippers, prostitutes, kidnappings, drugs, and mob bosses who live in the bad part of Mallowtown named the "Pink." It's as fun to read as it was to write. 

I'm planning on more adventures with Philippa. I love writing her stories. I hope you will love her too. You can read an excerpt on my webiste at Lisahaman.com  http://amzn.to/1DVH8rG 

#notapeep, #peepnoir, #humor, #parody 

It's done! Mallow Mayhem Available For Pre-order!

I'm nervous and excited about the release of Mallow Mayhem. It's available for Pre-order as of today.  It's different from anything I've ever written, but it was so fun to write. I do plan on more Philippa Marlowmellow mysteries. An excerpt is available on my website, LisaHaman.com.

See you in Mallowtown!

The Mallows Are Coming! Cover Release! Philippa Marlowmellow in Mallow Mayhem!

The Mallows are coming! February 28, 2015! I am so excited! Philippa Marlowmellow in Mallow Mayhem is almost ready! This is a fun short story inspired by a diorama of the Peeps candy. It was so fun to write. This piece started as a writing exercise that got away from me. Five hundred words turned into 3000. The story literally came pouring out. My writing group loved it, and encouraged me to publish it. So after some cleaning up and editing, I have a fun short story. Philippa has more adventures to come.

An excerpt is available on my website, Lisahaman.com. Here is a link to  http://bit.ly/1MxvNAt

Philippa Marlowmellow, a private chick working the seedy underbelly of Mallowtown known as the Pink, takes on a missing mallow case of one Jenny Bunny. With her mallow senses tingling, Philippa finds more that the missing mallow. To save her city and rescue Jenny, Phillipa must take on the mobster, Big Bunny, and solve the most notorious case in Mallowtown history.

You can't trust anyone in the Pink.

Kayelle Allen of The Author's Secret did the cover and it is amazing. Just what I had in mind. Here is a link to their site.  https://theauthorssecret.com/

Inspiration: Weird and Wonderful

Story ideas come from all over the place. With me, it can come from the strangest places. Several years ago I  entered a contest with a local book store with several of my poems. One of my poems won. The prize, a place in the anthology, and a book signing. It was so much fun. I felt like a "real" poet. The inspiration for that winning piece - a toilet paper commercial. Maybe I'll share the poem one day.

Peeps are the inspiration for my new short story. My writing group does writing exercises every other week. One week, and I know I've told this story before, we had to write 500 words on a picture we posted on our Facebook page. I chose this picture.

This picture just cracked me up You would not believe the dioramas people do with peeps.(I saw one about Soylent Green and it said they eat Peeple.) and I was inspired to write my 500 words. The 500 grew to be 3000, and a short story was born. I apologized for the length when I submitted the piece, but the story just kept flowing out of my head and onto the paper. I was blown away when everyone in the group loved it. They encouraged me to clean it up and publish. The original title was "The Case of the Missing Peep," but after doing some research, I found out I couldn't use "Peep," because of the trademark, so I made some changes. The changes worked and "Mallow Mayhem" was born. 

I'm in the process of having the story edited, and my cover is being created. The reveal will be coming soon.  In February look for "Philippa Marlowmellow in Mallow Mayhem." You can't trust anyone in The Pink. I'm very excited about it. 

I never know where my next idea may come from. Another toilet commercial? A picture posted on my Facebook page or Twitter account? Or maybe something my children say. You just never know. Keep your eyes and ears open because there are stories everywhere.

What is your weirdest inspiration for a story. Let me know. Post on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Haman-Author/522681927846776. It will be interesting to see what everyone says.

New Logo! New Website! Yippee!

Meet the phoenix - my new logo. Isn't it pretty! I have always been fascinated by the mythology of the phoenix. A bird that resurrects from its ashes, being reborn time and time again. That's how I feel throughout different phases of my life. I grow and am reborn- hopefully into a much better person. That's my goal. 

Writing is the same way. As we figure out who we want to be as a writer, we go through that rebirth. We build the nest and are comfortable in who we are, only to find out we have to burn it and become something new. Something better. And we rise from the ashes. 

How many have you done that in life. Rose from the ashes of something less to be stronger. A better person than you were before? 

Yes, this is a short post today. I wanted to introduce you to my new logo, and invite you to visit my website LisaHaman.com to see its new look. I want to thank Kayelle Allen of the Author's Secret, theauthorssecret.com for my lovely new logo.

I found this great video on YouTube. I love the images and the music.  The title is The Mythology of the Phoenix? I hope you enjoy.