I got caught today. I couldn't believe it. I was attempting to log into my bank account when, before entering my code, I was distracted by something online. I forgot what I was doing. A trap? Did a clever writer rope me in? Did I get duped?

I was aiming to write about John Strelecky's book, The Café on the Edge of the World for this reason: his blurb writer described his book as: "When your heart, soul, and story link up in perfect harmony."

That's the sort of book I want to write.

Strelecky's subtitle is "A Story About the Meaning of Life," and in the lower right-hand corner of his book cover is a circle with these words inside: "OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLD."

Well, well, well, Strelecky, you did it. Congratulations. I contributed. I bought your book, read it, and liked it. I was searching for small books with a spiritual bent and a splash of magic, and wanted to see if others were writing that sort.

Not everyone has the time or inclination to read novels, so a short book would give people a boost without causing them to mortgage their house in order to buy them.

The meaning of life—we all want to know about that. You writers know your meaning. You know because that's what you do. You put your heart and soul into a story, all the while trying to master the art of telling one.

We, humans, love stories. Except that now, our reading is more like sound bites, and pictures are a must. Hey, I like pictures. However, that's what a novel does: it describes a picture, and you, lucky person that you are, get to paint it. Where can you find a description, scene, thoughts, and actions of the protagonist, including what they look like, their personality, and voice, all wrapped up in one paragraph? You are inside their head, hearing their thoughts, and you are outside watching their actions.

Imagine the campfire of Aboriginal tribes in their early days. After the hunters brought home the bacon, the tribe sat around the campfire listening to a tale of how they did it.

Sometimes the hunter is a great storyteller, (Ohs, and ahhs) but other times the teller, while he was an excellent hunter, was used to silence, pointing and grunting, and he put his audience to sleep.

Enter a bystander (a narrator) who describes the action. He can weave the tale into description, dialogue, excitement, and wild gestures. A stage play was born.

Or a different storyteller would soften his voice. The people would lean forward, straining to hear. They would sit stone still and silent. They would anxiously wait, like the puppy waiting for his bone, for what happens next.

A novel was born. (After written words were created, that is.)

The people around the camp fire knew what was real and what was not real. But when a liar entered the village who mixed enough real and unreal together that the people were confused, and when the teller added fear, he made his story stick. Propaganda entered the picture.

A lot was accomplished around a campfire.

Issac Asimov said he writes to think, and thinking is what he likes most.

Steven King said If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write.

Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist) said a good artist knows that nothing comes from nowhere.

The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz sang, "I could while away the hours conferring with the flowers... if I only had a brain."

The Scarecrow felt he didn't have what it takes. And people often feel the same way. We think we aren't good enough, talented enough, young enough, pretty enough, handsome enough, are too fat, too poor, or too scared to achieve our heart's desire.

What are you thinkin'?! You are good enough! ❤️You are a magnificent creation. You are a child of The Source. ❤️❤️❤️ Live your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it. If you have a dream, there must be a way to accomplish it. Declare it to be so and aim for it. ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Nothing is a failure if you learn from it, and it’s not over until you quit. 🛑