Writing in the Tiny House

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is an imperfect transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show's webpage.

[00:00:00] last week, we talked about act two with writing structure. And today we are going to wrap it up with act three on writing in the tiny house. Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome to the show. Welcome to writing in the tiny house. I am your host Devin D. And I am the guy in a tiny house in Northern Utah, who is here to show you the tips and tricks on how to get that work of fiction in your brain and put it on paper, which sounds really gross.

[00:00:57] But I think we all know what I'm talking about. So today we are discussing act three. We are discussing the three act structure of most plot lines the way that we structure our stories, most stories, especially nowadays follow a three act structure. And if you look back on the big mythology stories of ancient times, especially like Greek and Roman mythology and stuff, all of those allegories or stories or tales, or even fairytales.

[00:01:34] From all cultures, a lot of them follow a three act structure and next week we're actually going to delve into a thing another writing structure or a pattern or a guideline or whatever called the hero's journey that. So many of those classic old fictional things follow just the formula for all of those things.

[00:02:01] We'll delve into that next week. But right now we need to talk about act three. And a lot of us think that acts three is where the climax happens. And so a lot of us are right. A lot of us are also not right. The thing is with act two, act two is the rising action of the book. It is where the stakes and the tension and the stakes and the tension build on each other until there is a certain breaking point.

[00:02:31] And then you get the climax of the story that ends with the resolution. All of that is act three, but let's discuss what actually makes the climax just because sometimes the climax has specific parts and some of those parts fall in act two, and the rest of them are the beginning of act three.

[00:02:53] So act three starts at the highest energetic point of your book and then the energy tapers off from there. But let's talk about what. Plays into the climax. So with act two, it is where we start breaking our main characters legs. We provide them with obstacles. We provide them with, mind games, moments for them to grow and learn and discover things about themselves and about the world around them.

[00:03:25] And it is usually obstacle after obstacle after obstacle, but then at the end of act two, it usually goes obstacle disaster and then crisis. And at the crisis, there comes a point of no return the point of no return is what wraps up act two. And that is where we jump in to act three.

[00:03:54] So everything comes to this big head. And then all of that needs to resolve in a big way. So sometimes it's big violence. Sometimes it's a war. Sometimes it's fireworks. Sometimes it is a final competition. It can show up in a matter of different things, but all of this energy has built up and now all of that energy needs to dissipate.

[00:04:17] So. Act three begins with the other side of the climax, when the climax itself ends and then things start to resolve. So thinking of the resolution. Sometimes that resolution is super straight forward because you have a hero who is fighting a bad guy, and then the bad guy dies and the bad guy's plan is foiled.

[00:04:46] And then. The story ends and we all understand that maybe the bad guy had a plan to take over the tri-state area. And now because he's dead or arrested and thrown in jail, he can no longer take over the tri-state area. And everybody is safe. Once again, sometimes it can take a different approach, not always in a work of fiction. Not always, is it one person battling another person or a group of people against another group of people? Sometimes it can be a person in a way battling themselves, especially if they're dealing with an illness and sometimes the stakes can get so high and whatever.

[00:05:32] And at the end with the climax, they can either be cured or they can reach a pivotal moment where they are terminal. And we still experience a feeling of relief. that is a way that things can be resolved. Sometimes that is unexpected. Sometimes it's tragic. Sometimes it is celebrated some time. I mean, it can, it can be colored a number of different ways, but that resolution is what happens in act three.

[00:06:01] That's what act three is all about. depending on what you are doing, Resolution can actually look a number of ways. If you are writing a trilogy, or if you are writing a series act three of your book still needs to keep your reader interested in reading the next book. So you can either end with a cliffhanger.

[00:06:28] If you have read six of crows by Les BARR, Dugo by Lee bar. Dugo you know that the ending of six of crows ends on. The worst cliffhanger in the whole world. And the sequel to that crooked kingdom starts like a week later and just jumps right in. And that is the biggest hook to get somebody to move immediately into the next book.

[00:06:58] And to be perfectly honest, when I read those two books, I read them back to back For me, if I didn't have the second book already, if I didn't have it already loaded onto my device, I would have been super bent out of shape about it. Just because the cliffhanger in book one was so big, there was such a lack of resolution for me that I simply had to start the next book immediately.

[00:07:28] That's something that you get to pay attention to. If you end your book with a monster cliffhanger and absolutely no resolution in any way, because it is meant to spring the reader immediately into the next book. But you're not releasing the next book for another two years. It's something to think about It is worth it to think about the relationship you have with your readers. And if you're just going to be jerking them around, or if you're going to make them mad, or if you're going to make them excited, or maybe you can just pay attention to how all of that will play out and have booked two. More ready so that you can release book too, a little bit more closely to book one.

[00:08:15] Maybe you can release book one in the spring and then release book two in the fall. And then people won't be so mad. I mean, the thing is when a person is reading your book, they are quite literally spending hours. One-on-one with you. And that is a very special relationship. They are 100% in your head or at least in your world.

[00:08:42] And you are 100% in their head., that is a very special relationship that you get to consider when you are releasing things. And when you are formulating your act three, However, there are some other books where it was simply in the formulation of the story itself, where not everything would be resolved.

[00:09:04] There is no next book and that's the whole point. The biggest book that I can think of right now, that was a big example of that was the book little fires everywhere by Celeste Inga. with that, the whole story was a really big head scratcher. At least for me, it was a very introspective, it was simply meant to showcase different struggles that people have in life without being preachy about any of them and to showcase both sides of the matter.

[00:09:40] And to simply. Bring a very rounded and a very holistic approach to some really big social issues or some fundamental arguments related to some of these topics that eating presents in her book, little fires everywhere. that's what the whole book does. And in my mind it did a great however, at the end As far as every little thing being wrapped up and delivered with a bow and buttoned up completely that isn't what happened.

[00:10:18] That wasn't the style of the book. Anyway. So even though there was a sense of the book ending, there were so many things in the book that were left. Untied that were left unresolved. So there was a big thing that happened with a family between a family and a lady and her daughter who were renting from the family and is simply N.

[00:10:44] With the family, kind of losing everything, losing some of the relationships in the family and with this other lady and her daughter leaving. And so it was not necessarily a happy ending. It was not a cheesy ending. It was a very heartfelt, meaningful. Moment of teaching, which was perfect, but there was no promise of a second book and there was no promise of answers.

[00:11:15] So the thing about act three is it is the answers to all of the promises that you have made in act one and act two all throughout the book, you have set up your reader to expect certain things and. Act three is largely the time where you deliver on all of those things and you can deliver in an unexpected way, but you need to deliver, if you set up your reader to think or feel specific things all throughout the book, and then don't address them in act three.

[00:11:49] And then the book stops, you're going to have some dissatisfied readers. Even if your book ends with a cliffhanger, because another book is coming out there still gets to be a feeling of this chunk of the overall story is complete. It's ready. Like all the ingredients have been mixed in act two, those things have been baked and now that thing is ready for the next big part.

[00:12:18] Of the series. And so even if things are left unresolved, that chunk of the story still has a feeling of being complete. So even if there is a big cliffhanger at the end, a lot of times it is okay to review the stakes and review some of the obstacles. I mean, if you choose to, this is really big in suspense, thrillers, where you get to kind of sit back and the author through some device or another.

[00:12:52] Just goes through and shows you all of the little steps of the mystery and how they all happened and how like the detective reviewing the case made a mistakes or missed things. And the killer was like one step ahead. That can be really satisfying. That can make a thing more enjoyable, especially if your audience is not a very meticulous.

[00:13:19] Group of readers. So that can be a good thing. It can show a certain amount of responsibility that you have in your storytelling, and it can wrap up the things in a satisfactory way for your reader. So with all of that, there is one thing that absolutely matters, and that is the energy level.

[00:13:45] And I hope that it is okay if I use that terminology, the energy level with act one, the energy is very introductory. It starts out slow. There aren't any stakes yet. There isn't any conflict yet to probably, or very little. And we go through all this builds. Huge climax. Nice resolution, but we need to understand that when act three is over the energy levels still needs to be higher than it was when the book began.

[00:14:20] So if you have a conflict and then the energy level, absolutely tanks back to how things were in, act one, you didn't do it. Right. So. If everything is 100% back to normal, if everything is exactly as it was before any of the story happened, I mean, it's, it's that really big cop out where the main character wakes up and the whole story was a dream.

[00:14:48] So none of it happened. And now our energy levels suddenly just dropped and dive bombed back down to the energy level of. So, what I'm saying is you need to end the story on a higher note than you started it. And that is one of the good things of a successful act three.

[00:15:13]

[00:15:13] And that is it for today. Just a reminder that "Brigitte,"Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor is available on Amazon as an ebook and on Audible and Apple Books as an audio book. And I provide advanced reader copies of these short stories as I release them to my patrons. So become a patron today by visiting patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse to support both my writing and this podcast. And lastly, be sure to follow me on social media. My Instagram is @authordevindavis and my Twitter handle is@authordevind. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and have fun writing. We will see you next time.

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show's webpage.

[00:00:00] Last week we talked about act one And this week, we are going to have a lot to say about act two, as we continue talking about writing structure today on writing in the tiny house. Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome back to writing in the tiny house. I am your host Devin Davis, and I am the guy in a tiny house.

[00:00:46] Living in Northern Utah, who is here to share with you the different ways that you can get that work of fiction out of your brain and onto paper, no matter how busy you believe that you are, as far as housekeeping stuff goes, you should notice that the graphic to writing and the tiny house should be back to normal.

[00:01:08] If it is not for you, please let me know so that I can manage some different things. On my end. I changed the graphic for last week. We are back to what it should be, and I will have last week's graphic back up when we go through our episodes in June, when we celebrate pride month. So today.

[00:01:30] We are going to be talking about act two. We are covering structure with writing fiction. And last week we talked about act one. And so what happens after act one? I said, act one is filled with a lot of introduction. The character needs to be introduced the setting the world.

[00:01:51] And then there needs to be that decision that carries the reader and the story into act two it can be a decision to act. It can be a decision to decide a plan. It can be a lot of different things, but there is a certain turning point to get to act two with act two. A lot of fun things can happen. Act two is about the same length as the other two acts combined.

[00:02:23] Very roughly speaking it is. Half the length of your entire novel, or at least it should be, this is where the adventure happens. This is where your main character goes out into the world and makes mistakes and learns things either about the world itself or about the sinister plot that gradually unfolds or about different ways to overcome an obstacle.

[00:02:50] All of this self discovery stuff is what happens in act two. And it can be super fun. It can also be a disaster. So I think that I said previously with act one that all of this stuff is scalable, which means that in a book you can have act one, act two, an act three, and you also have the same structure in a trilogy.

[00:03:15] Which means the first book counts as act one, the second book act two, and the third book act three. And with all of these, it is really easy to lose track of what happens in act two. With a trilogy, it is usually the second book that gets kind of. Just because the second book usually doesn't have the climax of the entire trilogy.

[00:03:43] Narrowing the scope back down to just one book and the three acts within a book act two, doesn't have the climax act two is all of the rising action to the climax. So that means all of the fun things happen. And basically this is where you get to step in and start breaking your character's legs.

[00:04:07] There is a huge problem with act two called saggy middle syndrome. That is, when the middle of the book is boring. It is sluggish. It doesn't develop anything. It can be filled with plot holes. It can be filled with plot conveniences. It can also be filled with like segues With the different directions that the story is pulled into, that don't really progress a story arc. It can be the side quests. It can be the piddly little sub characters that don't really play into the overall story, but the author decided to take us there. And you get to ask yourself why?

[00:04:56] So a lot of times with act two and with the saggy middle syndrome, we start breaking our characters legs, but we need to have the big picture in mind so that each of the steps and each of the obstacles and each of the self discovery moment. Come up to the very end of act two, which is another turning point.

[00:05:22] And then in act three, we get the climax and the resolution. So with act two, you fill it with a bunch of things that are exciting to. That are fun to read that, develop your characters and make them more believable. And that enhance the story arc that you are creating. It enhances the overall point of what you're doing with your story.

[00:05:50] So there are a couple little devices that you can put in there. Some of them are called the anticlimax. It's when tension builds and the plot goes in a very easy to understand direction. And then. Twist happens now. Twists are fun. If you have twists all over the place in act two your reader is going to have whiplash from that.

[00:06:15] And so I recommend like one or two super good twists and they all need to tie into the resolution at the end. It's really fun to have a twist that unless you get to the. You think the twist was just kind of a tacky thing to do. And then the author brings up that twist and why it was a thing just because in the resolution, sometimes we revisit all of those things.

[00:06:42] We revisit the reasons for the twists, and then you see that it ties together in a really intelligent way and in like a really clever, cool. And so that is what act two is all about. It is the hell ride of your story. And so if you are writing fantasy fiction, it gets to be super exciting. If you are writing contemporary fiction, it can be just as exciting, but you need to make sure that the story arc is building that the stakes are also building.

[00:07:15] You need to make sure that there is something at risk and you need to make sure that there is a damn good reason. For the climax enact three. And you need to make sure that the stakes are very high in order to get there, make sure that the characters are struggling, make sure that they are learning and growing.

[00:07:39] If you take it easy on your characters and you avoid all those things, first of all, Your story will be very easy to write because it's not going to require a lot of brainwork from you at the same time. It will be a drag to read for the very same reason. So go ahead and think about what act two is for your work in progress in act one.

[00:08:09] Think about that turning point, that decision, that choice. Move on with the story. That's where act two starts. And then think of the ways that you in your work in progress are building the story arc along are building the characters themselves and making sure that the stakes are super high. And then when we get to act three, which we will talk about next week, make sure that you deliver on all of that in your climax and in your resolution.

[00:08:48] So with act two saggy, middle syndrome, like I mentioned earlier is a very real thing. It is also completely avoidable. If you are a pantser. Like me, I'm going to tell you that it's okay to outline, but if you don't know where things are headed in act two, it's okay to brainstorm with a friend.

[00:09:12] Even if you don't write things down, it's okay to have that clarity so that all of these major points can be hit on or can be touched on. During act two so that you don't get saggy middle syndrome with your book.

[00:09:29] And that is it for today. Just a reminder that "Brigitte,"Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor is available on Amazon as an ebook and on Audible and Apple Books as an audio book. And I provide advanced reader copies of these short stories as I release them to my patrons. So become a patron today by visiting patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse to support both my writing and this podcast. And lastly, be sure to follow me on social media. My Instagram is @authordevindavis and my Twitter handle is@authordevind. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and have fun writing. We will see you next time.

RELAX! It's still a creative writing podcast.

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show's webpage.

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show's webpage.

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

A special thanks to Crystal Brown, for doing this guided meditation with us!

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

"Brigitte," Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show's webpage.

[00:00:00] We are taking things a little bit differently today, guys, today on Writing in the Tiny House. Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome to this kind of different episode of Writing in the Tiny House.

[00:00:39] So this episode. We're going to slow down a little bit. Friends. This month has already been a huge roller coaster for me, especially with the recent time change that has messed me up. And I'm sure that I'm not the only person here or the only person in the room with you who feels that way. And. In light of NaNoWriMo, in light of some of the more recent changes in my personal life and at work, there has been a lot, there has been a lot to reflect on. There has been a lot to consider. And guys, I want to take a moment today. I was going to talk a lot about NaNoWriMo and I still might, but not in this episode. My goals with NaNoWriMo have been modified just because they need to be. With some of the different things that happened with work. So let's, let's describe what happened with work. This is not excuses, but this is something that I am very excited about. That work, I got asked to host a private podcast, and so I am now the host of two podcasts and getting that underway and getting that up and running and figuring it all out just because I am the only person in my work setting who knows how to podcast, who has ever done that before.

[00:02:15] Who knows how to record. Spoken word and do interviews. And so it's not like someone was there to give feedback and guidance as to what this private show that I am doing for my work needs to be like, and it's been fun to see it grow, and it's been fun to see it take shape. And it was really fun to present that to my coworkers and watch it go live. It's been a fun thing. It's been a fun project, but that has taken time more than anything that has taken mental energy that I was planning once upon a time to pour into NaNoWriMo. And so if you are following me on NaNoWriMo, you will see that my word count is low. As of the publishing date of this episode.

[00:03:04] And I would stand here and say that I'm sorry, but I'm not a NaNoWriMo is a really big project. And if you make it to 50,000 words, that is wonderful. And that is a huge feat and that is something to celebrate. If you don't make it to 50,000 words, if you write anything at all, it is absolutely worth celebrating.

[00:03:28] So that's where I am. I understand that this episode is airing November 17th. And I am going to tell you that it is not very likely that I am going to be accomplishing that 50,000 word count for NaNoWriMo, but it is because of very good reasons that have happened otherwise in my life.

[00:03:52] The thing that I wanted to talk about most, and this is a little bit of a different episode like I mentioned earlier. This is November friends. This is where we give things. I talked about giving things last week, I talked about the importance of voicing what you are grateful for as a way to manage stress and as a way to bring, focus into what you're doing.

[00:04:18] And I still believe that is true. And that is something that I will always. Practice my gratitude and bringing attention and focused to the things that I'm grateful for as a way to lift spirits and as a way to bring motivation. All of that is real to me. All of that works. Today I want to talk about why I love books so much.

[00:04:47] I've talked about why I love writing. I've talked about the importance of writing all throughout all of these episodes of Writing in the Tiny House. And some of that stuff I might repeat, but there is something that I want to focus on today. I have found that I can know a person more. I can know a person better.

[00:05:09] If I know what they read. I have friends at work specifically one friend and another friend that starting to perk up and join in the fun a little bit, that many times a week, we stand around and we talk about fantasy fiction. We talk about magic. We talk about stories. We talk about narrators just because this other friend is also a big audio book person, just like me.

[00:05:39] And we talk about stories. We talk about things that trigger our imaginations and we talk about how fun it is to be completely. Surrounded and engrossed into these fun fantastical worlds. The, the book that has been brought up recently is the book Sabri L by Garth nix. It's About a little necromancer of all things.

[00:06:09] The world is wonderful. The magic is creative and this book is narrated by Tim Curry. It's not a new book. It came out a long time ago. I remember reading Sabri L when I was in high school and this friend. Recently picked it up either for the first time or picked it up again. And so we've had a lot of things to talk about.

[00:06:34] And the thing is I love reading books that other people have read because it brings me closer to those people. It makes me know my friend better when I know what she reads. And it helps me know how her mind works and it lets me know where she's been or at least the thoughts and the wonder and the fun moments of these stories.

[00:07:04] She has been in those moments. And it's fun for me to be in those moments too. I have a friend that I met very recently who. Recommended the book, the life of PI, and he also recommended the book, eat, pray love, and I have never read the life of PI before, and I am so excited to dive into this wonderful work of literary fiction.

[00:07:33] A movie was made with this book and I've heard nothing but good things about the movie, but to read a book and to experience these things in the same way or experience similar feelings and reactions and emotions, and to see some of the similar pictures. Possibly. To read this beautiful prose and come to know these characters as this friend has done, makes me come to know my friend better.

[00:08:06] And so this episode is releasing November 17th and that is one week and before Thanksgiving, I don't know. My dear listeners, how many people in your lives are readers, but I encourage you over this holiday season to talk about what people have read and to add that to your, to be read. And I invite you to read these different works of fiction, or maybe nonfiction through that specific lens that your loved one, your friend, your mom, your dad, your family member has kind of been on this path already and pay attention to how it affects your relationship with.

[00:09:02] Pay attention to how it can bring you to understand that person better. I don't know if this is a practice that you do already, but it is something that I practice with all of the people that I hold dearly. If I were to line up all of my reader, friends and all of my reader, family, and present them to you and in a line,

[00:09:28] odds are very high, that I will have read something that they recommended and odds are very high that because I did that, I understand and appreciate and love them more deeply than I would had. I not read those books first. So even if you're not a writer, there is a lot to say about who you are based on the things that you read.

[00:09:56] And so I invite you over the next six weeks to do that. One thing that I usually do in November, and that I have chosen over the past two years to kind of forget to do this. There is a practice in November of doing new year's resolutions. It's not really an American practice or something that I was ever raised.

[00:10:20] doing. But the spirit of November and October is the spirit of the harvest, which just the energy of ripping the plants from the soil and preparing the ground so that the ground is ready to plant in the spring is a common practice for farmers and whatever. You don't always have to wait until the spring to prepare the ground.

[00:10:47] And so there is just a cultural thing of doing new year's resolutions in November. And the friend who recommended the life of PI has a resolution to read 12 books this next year. And I have not sat down to see how many books I intend to read next year. I'm a pretty big reader. At least I'm a pretty big audio book listener, but what are you going to do?

[00:11:18] How are you going to expand your mind? Maybe in these next six weeks, maybe in the next year for 2022. So that you can explore a different book, explore a different point of view and see things as a writer saw those things, experience a story that a writer brings to you. But, and I've said this before, and I will say it one last time.

[00:11:45] I invite you to read a recommendation. From one of your closest friends or family members, and I invite you to see how that affects your relationship with them. So again, this is a different type of episode. I don't do episodes like this all the time. But otherwise this episode is very, it's very much from the heart. It is very under produced. I mean, we're pretty raw and honest right now. And we're going to kind of keep it like this. So I hope that you are celebrating your holidays with loved ones. I pray for nothing but good things to come your way.

[00:12:31] And I hope that you are reflecting on the things that you are grateful for this month. So thank you for your support. Thank you for spending some time with me today, and we will see you next time on Writing and the Tiny House.