The Gift, by Lewis Hyde

The Gift starts with an anthropological overview of giftgiving, and proceeds to argue that works of art - which are treated as commodities in modern western culture - ought to be seen, first and foremost, as gifts. This book is a call to suspend concern for the wallet in order to tend to the soul, the culture, the community. It is also readable, compelling, and highly recommended for storytellers and audience members alike.

Resolution: Create a story or work of art, no matter how modest, and give it away anonymously. For example, write a short story on a postcard and leave it in a public place. Is it easier/harder/more enjoyable to create the work when you know you will receive neither credit nor payment?

Click on the cover image to purchase this book from an indie bookseller near you.

Spotlight On: The Lace Reader

This is a winner, folks. The Lace Reader is the best-crafted modern adult novel I've read in the last five years. It's not out yet, so I'm not going to include any spoilers in this post, but the book is a great study in character development in relationship to plot and environment. The book is sometimes startling, but is never misleading. It's got all the psychological intrigue common to the modern novel or play, with enough of a sense of magic (grounded in the environment) and physical threat to satisfy a fan of Camelot and Robin Hood. The sense of place is remarkable. The characters are as vivid as the imagery. This is the type of book that you should just read: don't bother to read the back or find out what it's about; just get ahold of it and read it.

Stream-of-Consciousness Writing

The book The Artist's Way recommends completing three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing each morning to clear your head for the day.

Try writing those three pages, but focusing on your story. Remember, this is not writing that anyone is ever going to read. You're just letting the pen flow and seeing what associations come up. Think of it as a totally informal reaction paper to your story.

This exercise can bring to light central themes in the story, as well as why telling this story may be vital and/or challenging for you.