Brett Galen Author

It’s that time again! That’s right, we are almost to March and that means I challenge you to write every day for two months. Ending on May 1st, the March Into May Writing Challenge is designed to help you get past the past and on toward the future of your writing.

The reason I started this particular challenge was for me. After NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month – in November, I found out that, low and behold, I didn’t finish my story. I figured I could finish in December, but the Holidays began to slow me down. The busyness of Christmas, then the busyness of January, then the…well, you get the picture.

So, I deliberately picked one of the busier times of the year for me to challenge myself to write. And write I did. Last year’s challenge produced two short reads. Oblivion’s Kiss and Verity’s Sunset.

Oblivion’s Kiss earned my absolute worst rating ever on Amazon. But I learned from it, went back and revised it and made a decent story from the ashes.

Verity’s Sunset became my highest reviewed book to date. My son even remarked on how much he enjoyed it.

So, authors, poets, artists, I throw down the gauntlet! March 1, take some time for your creativity. It doesn’t have to be much. But start working on it, or try to finish it, or start posting it. Share with our artistic community the gifts you are keeping to yourself. Let us encourage you and allow us to share our with you as well.

It is my tradition that, if I finish the story I am working on, I open it up for free on one platform or another for a limited time. I’ll keep you posted. Who knows? Could we see Desiree’s Chance or maybe The Mage Destinies 2 debut. Or maybe we might see Sarah Jinnson? The possibilities are endless…..

But only if we try.

Until then, Scribe On!

Good morning readers and writers. It seems that I overestimated my readership when calling for feedback on the serialization of a small romance. I guess, much like the success of Netflix binge-watching, there aren’t many people who want to wait a week to read the next chapter. This is fine.

I am still working on Desiree’s Chance and will hopefully have it out by Christmas. So don’t give up.

Also, a quick word. I am attempting to publish through Apple Books. In the next day or so, you will be able to find “Verity’s Sunset” available for download – Free – Permanently! I am also checking to see how I can donate to online library systems, so young and old can fall in love with John and Verity without having to wear a mask.

I am also considering a series of teen stories called “The Lonely Guy” or “View from the Sidewalk” or some other title that hasn’t yet walked across my mind.

I would love to hear from you guys, and Ni Hao to my Chinese visitors. Thanks for coming by.

I just recently decided that I would take Verity’s Sunset, my most reviewed book, and go back through it, closing a few gaps here and there. Because I wrote it, I see so many places that I wanted to do more or less or differently. Without messing it up, I am going to self-edit the story for better flow and consistency. Then, I am going to offer it on iBooks for free, permanently. It’s such a short read and it’s such a good story for teens, so why not, right?

Thank you all for your support and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the minor changes.

Scribe On!

Readers! I am writing a story and I need your help.

I am really considering serializing this story and letting YOU, the readers, choose the ending. That’s right. But, I need to know that there is enough interest to do this.

I need any combination of 100 likes or shares on my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015180750862 . Once we hit that number I will begin releasing one chapter a week on BrettGalen.com until we get to the last chapter. Then I will ask you, the readers, to make a choice that will affect the outcome of the story. Based on your own votes, which will happen on Facebook, I will release the chapter with the most votes on this website while the second choice gets deleted from my hard drive.

The story will be a clean Young Adult Romance with more than a few twists and turns. The final copy will be available for purchase on Amazon.

This is your chance to affect the outcome of a story. The story’s name?
Desiree’s Chance

One last question. How will I know that you are liking and sharing?

1. Either come to the original post on Facebook under the name Brett Galen and like or share it or

2. Write a post on your own Facebook page telling me “I’m IN!” using the hashtag #desireechance

To let you know, I already have four chapters ready to go. So let’s start this Sunday Sept 26th and keep posting and sharing. By Next Sunday, Oct 4th at 3 pm Central time, I will begin counting. If we make 100 likes, shares, or original posts with hashtags, I will upload the first chapter Tuesday, Oct 6th here on BrettGalen.com

So, what do you say? Want to read a story where you make the most important decision of all? Start sharing! Remember to share the original post. I look forward to releasing this story.

Today is Saturday and I am up a little before everyone so I can write. The problem is, I have grown tired of trying to write. Sitting down in front of the same words I looked deeply through yesterday and trying to lay down on paper the beautiful tapestry of plot, character development, and uniqueness that exists only in my mind, has grown tedious.

I know I can’t be the only person who absolutely wants to do much more with my life, but can’t seem to find the energy or even the will to lift a pen to inscribe that one conversation that my characters have that will burst through the reader’s heart.

You know what I did last night? I sat on the floor of my bedroom and whittled away at dowel rod, making the most ridiculous looking “Harry Potter” wand. I called it the Two Wand (all my wands get names, don’t judge me) because it looked like two different styles of carving. So I stained it two different colors with an obvious split in the middle.

I compared it to the Falcon, which has a raven claw at the end of it, and the Viper, which is carved in such a way that the wand looks like it is slithering, and saw that my heart wasn’t in the Two Wand.

Then I completely realized, I’ve lost heart. Those moments that bring me joy feel grey and bland. My arms feel heavy and I feel like I could sleep the day away. If I was by myself, I probably would today. But, instead, when the kids get up, I’ll be there watching them dance, play games, tell jokes. I’ll be present-minded. But at the end of the day – it’ll be waiting on me. The grey.

If you are reading this and it sounds too familiar, I’m with you. I know the longing for something more, the ache of emptiness. So, I’ll make a deal with you, okay? I won’t completely give up if you don’t. I won’t lose heart if you don’t. And in the darkness, remember I’m out here struggling with you. We will see the sun rise again, if we just get through the night.

Thanks for your readership. Never give up. Scribe On!

The other morning I woke up feeling unemotional and distant. I didn’t feel connected to the world, my family, or even myself. I brewed a hot cup of coffee with way too much creamer in it and sat down at my keyboard. I opened up my google docs page to peruse my many manuscript projects and clicked on the one I thought I was ready to continue.

I reread my progress thus far, as is my custom before writing, then I stopped. I decided I wasn’t into this story. Closing it, I opened another. A few paragraphs in, I realized that I wasn’t too into this one, either. Two more projects opened, then unceremoniously closed. Then I realized, something was wrong.

Immediately, I contacted my author friends and told them what had happened. Over the phone I could tell they were listening as they kept adding “yeah,” or “mm-hmm” although I thought I heard the distinct sound of keys clacking in the background. Then one of them gave me some advice, “you should try something different.”

Excited I hung up the phone and tried something different. But coffee without creamer just isn’t good, at all. And there I was, staring at that screen again. I decided it was time to take things to the next step, watching tv. I laughed, I got upset, I cried. Then back to the keyboard. The blank white screen seemed to bleed a grayness into my soul. I tried reading, but it reminded me that I wanted to work on my own stories, so I sat in front of the white screen again, desperately trying not to click on social media.

It was time to consult a professional. I went downtown to the local library and talked for an hour about my projects and where I wanted to take them. The poor mother who had only brought her child in to get a new Dr. Seuss book smiled then left quickly when the librarian was ready to see me.

After spending the next hour talking about my projects to yet another person, she told me “Sounds like you have some interesting stories. I would like to read them. When can you get me a copy?” I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I was so inspired I ran home and began typing up the stories and published them all that afternoon. But I didn’t.

I went home inspired to write, but I let distractions keep me from going forward with little more than a few more notes for each story. I had to face the facts. I had writer’s block.

Writer’s block is a terrible thing. It’s like having this incredible desire to sing “The Sound of Music” only to find out you don’t have a mouth. It’s like preparing all the ingredients for a four course meal, but not having an oven. It’s like preparing to run in the Olympics and finding out it’s a swimming competition.

There is only one cure for writer’s block. That cure is a long grueling process that can sometimes take weeks to complete. It involves sitting in front of a blank white screen, then slowly darkening the pages with letters in coherent words and paragraphs. The only cure for writer’s block is writing.

So, here I sit in the parking lot while my daughter has her braces examined, writing a nonsensical story about how I can’t write anymore. Well, I guess it’s better than singing “The Sound of Music” surrounded by other parents eagerly awaiting their children to emerge from the building with tender teeth and gums.

So, my daily medication of writing is done for the day. I guess I need to take my own advice and Scribe On!

Jerry the Coke guy, the local soft drink delivery man, stepped out of his vehicle. With a sigh, he wiped his brow and walked mechanically to the lone drink vending machine at this stop. Fumbling with his key, he unlocked the worn-down machine to reveal a number of partially empty slots.

He quickly noted which types of drinks were needed and estimated a paltry twelve cases. He smiled at himself as he walked to the truck and unloaded twelve cases of different flavored drinks onto his cart, pulling them uphill through the gravel parking lot.

“I’ll get it right this time for sure,” he quietly mentioned to himself as he began opening the cases and filling the chambers. One case, two, three, four. The machine began filling up. “This will be close,” he thought to himself.

As the cases emptied, the machine filled. Then, to his disappointment, there was one can left over. A mild sadness washed over him. “It was nearly perfect. Just one can. Just one single can,” he lamented quietly to himself. He placed the can on top of the machine to close the door. When he did, he noticed one of the slots seemed different, strange even. He looked closer and saw that one of the cans at the bottom turned slightly, preventing the slot from filling completely.

Quickly, he wriggled the can loose until it fell into position, creating a cascading effect, making the cans adjust downward until there was room for a single can at the top. Excitedly, he placed the can into the slot and filled the slot perfectly. He smiled a wide beaming smile. “Perfect,” he said out loud.

He couldn’t stop smiling. He estimated this one and got it right. It was a perfect fill. With a spring in his step he began closing the machine. The latch seemed to catch on the final panel, so he bumped it to close the panel. When he did, the heard the distinct sound of cans sliding down the slot. Quickly he opened up the door panels again to reveal two slots were now short a few cans at the top.

With a deep sigh, Jerry closed the machine. Pulling his cart behind him, he trudged to his truck, loaded his cart and secured it, then sat in the cab. Making a few notes on his clipboard, he put on his seatbelt and pulled out of the parking lot, headed to his next stop.

This is not anything other than a stray thought I had that I needed to flesh out. We know that Star Wars is really the story of the very short Skywalker lineage as it begins genetically then progresses philosophically. But one main stand-out in the history of the Skywalker family is Obi-wan Kenobi, the Jedi Master and friend of both Anakin and Luke. So, here is a ridiculous and absurd take on the Skywalker story.

Our first introduction to Obi-wan is in Phantom Menace where he begins as a Padawan (Jedi in training) with his teacher Quigon Jinn. When they walk into a waiting room, Obi-wan mentions that he feels something elusive to which Quigon mentions “I don’t sense anything.” This is important. Later we see the Master and Padawan in front of the Jedi Council telling about Darth Maul and Master Samuel L. Jackson says he doesn’t believe the Sith could return without the Council knowing about it, to which Master Yoda says, “Hard to see, the Dark Side is.” This should be our first indication that Obi-wan is familiar with the Dark Side. He sensed it on the mission as a Padawan and even the Jedi Council was blind to it, including his Master who was more of a Grey Jedi (more concerned with the Force than the rules of the Jedi, even using mind control to get a transport earlier).

Later in this same installment, Quigon is killed, and Obi-wan uses his rage to confront Darth Maul in what is arguably one of the best duels in the franchise. He is faster, stronger, and more determined to kill Maul than capture him. Palpatine eyes him at the end, but also notes the boy with incredible potential.

The next time we see him, he is working with a more experienced Anakin, but constantly seems annoyed by him (another emotion that leads to anger/rage). He allows Anakin to spend time with Padme, possibly in hopes of using their connection for his own gain, even assigning him to her personal protection, as a way of “uncovering” the breadcrumb trail that he, himself, laid down so the clone army could be “discovered.”

In addition, he was “held captive” by the trade federation and interrogated by Darth Tyrannus (Count Dooku), a direct connection to Palpatine. It is unknown what information was “leaked” to the Sith, but his “capture” led to the acquisition and common use of the clone army, a necessity for the Sith to gain information on the Jedi and an operational presence in the galaxy. Later he confronts Dooku and is sidelined by a minor injury, as Dooku does not want to lose a valuable spy/asset.

In the next installment, Obi-wan guides Anakin to the Chancellor’s ship in the middle of the space battle with the purpose of killing Darth Tyrannus in front of Palpatine to make his intentions to join the Sith clear, however, he fights valiantly only to have Palpatine give the honor to Anakin. Later Obi-wan ignores the emotional instability of his Jedi friend. Remember, the Jedi “stretch out” with their feelings to find information. And as close as Obi-wan and Anakin are as warriors, Obi-wan doesn’t confront him about his immense guilt for killing the entire band of men, women and children in the camp that held his mother captive, or even the execution of Tyrannus. Nor does he confront him about Anakin’s love for Padme. At least, not until it proves useful. He sets up Anakin to expect more from the Council and allows his friendship with Palpatine to grow, allowing the Sith Lord to twist Anakin’s mind, while Obi-wan “warns” him to be careful.

Once Anakin transitions to Darth Vader, Obi-wan realizes that his future as a Sith Lord is over, so he goes all in with the Jedi in order to exact revenge for losing his favored place at Palpatine’s side. In the final confrontation, it is anger and frustration that drive Obi-wan to fight Vader, not duty, even making up the ridiculous line, “Only Sith deal in absolutes,” as an excuse to push the fight forward. Then after winning the battle, severing limbs from his former Padawan, rather than killing him, Obi-wan leaves what’s left of Vader for Palpatine to see, believing that Palpatine will then beckon him to his side. He did not expect for Palpatine to go all-in on Vader, even creating a mechanical body to keep him around.

Out of revenge, Obi-wan takes Luke and deposits him with the same man that was careless enough to let Anakin’s mother die, believing that he would grow up to be a useless farmer. But when the droids show up again, his anger toward the emperor and Anakin rekindle and he feels the best way to get that revenge is by throwing Luke into the rebellion to either get killed, or miraculously, kill Vader himself. So he takes Luke to a place where “you’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy,” uses mind control, hires a worthless pilot, and begins Luke’s training to create a ripple in the Force that Palpatine would feel compelled to eliminate.

As he confronts Vader on the Death Star, he realizes that letting Luke die in the cargo bay would not get the attention of Palpatine. Seeing Luke, he purposely ghosts as Vader swings making Luke believe Vader killed him. Vader is distracted from the fight in the cargo bay, obviously confused, actually stepping on the robe of his former master to try to figure out what just happened. Luke, not realizing that sabers don’t vaporize people, takes the bait. Then as a ghost, Obi-wan continues to guide him toward vengeance, making Vader’s death his prime objective, and robbing Palpatine of his favorite apprentice in the process. Even going so far as to help him blow up the Death Star and getting trained by Yoda, himself.

I would imagine that, right now, both Democrat and Republican politicians are finding out what it feels like to be a self-published author. By that I simply mean they know there are people out there who support them, like them, and occasionally give them money, but when it comes to showing up and making a big presence, nothing but crickets and the sound of a proud mom in the back clapping.

So, I would like to take a moment and accept the Brett Galen Convention’s nomination for Author of the Year. Here is my speech in different styles.

AUTHOR: Thank you so much for your support and your interest in my stories. There have been some interesting bumps along the way, but I am still striving to provide new stories and, yes, I am working on that one sequel you have been expecting for far too long.

POLITICIAN: Thank you so much for your support and interest in me. I am not like the other authors that could come and take this stage and you recognize that. I pledge to work on more stories that are relevant, impactful, and meaningful to your reader lives.

BLOGGER: Wow! It has really been a long road to get to this point. Thank you for nominating me, even though my book sales don’t reflect your — (gets microphone turned off and pulled from the stage)

Evil Villain in a YA Novel: Greetings and Salutations. On this, the precipice of a new era, it is with great pleasure that I accept your nomination as Author of the Year. This is only the beginning of a grand plan I have for the world of writing. It is upon this day that writing will forever change and novels, and yes even novellas, will turn and adapt to my winning and brilliant strategy. Mwah ha ha ha ha ha. (Throws cloak across face and runs offstage cackling)

Hero in a YA Novel: (Doesn’t show because he/she is too conflicted between taking credit for a well done job and revealing his/her true identity to the world)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week. And don’t forget to accept your own convention’s nomination for Author of the Year.

Scribe On!

Here I sit on a lazy Saturday morning, feeling overwhelmed by everything I know I need to do today. I have a personality flaw that when things seem to pile up on me, I just can’t do anything. At least not until I break those chains of uselessness and do something minor, like writing my blog. See, just like in my non-writing life, I tend to flit from project to project. Even now, I have six book ideas that are currently in some stage of development, some even have covers! But I overwhelm myself with each story, sometimes preferring to start working on a new story rather than tackling the small problems I have with my existing stories.

This week has been a tough one and today, realizing that I need to go to the store to get some almond milk for my non-dairy milkshake, I feel like I am running a marathon backwards. Writing helps me when things feel insurmountable. I can create wonderful worlds and sweet situations that nearly any parent would love for their young teens to read. I can make up ideas that are challenging and adventurous.

But then, I face reality. I have no time to write. The house is always too noisy, dirty, or in need of some repair. Work needs more time and effort. Projects that are long overdue need to be done. My family needs time with me and I need them. So, writing falls away, back to the corner like a scolded child. The strange worlds creep back into the recesses of my mind.

And then the most terrible, horrible thought resurfaces. “No one reads your stories, anyway.”

Yes, I look at my sales regularly. Not the family and friend sales, the accidentally stumbled upon your book type of sales. Well, I say I look at them, what I mean is I look for them, ha ha ha. It is difficult knowing you’ve written the story of the century and no one has read it, right fellow writers?

I look at the books that I’ve written and I know I could improve them. Add a little here, clarify there, use more description there, there, and there. They aren’t up to Grisham standards. They aren’t descriptive like Rowling. They will never make the New York Times Best Seller list.

But then I stop and remember, I’m not writing stories for adults who spend their days talking about politics and the stock market. I’m not writing stories for middle-aged women who want steamy romance novels, nor for middle-aged men who want the tough, gritty battle-worn heroes with trashy language and bitter souls. I’m not writing to put agendas hidden behind the storylines. I’m not writing for things that society is angry about today.

Who am I writing for? (For whom? I know, I know Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Rimer) I am writing for parents who want their children to enjoy reading but are concerned about the content of Young Adult stories. I am writing for young teenagers who want to get involved with stories that spark their imaginations and make them fall in love with reading. I am writing for a group of people who would rather spend money on v-bucks or ro-bucks than spend money on books. I am writing for a generation who has not yet found the incredible joy of a well-written story that transports the reader to a whole new world and keeps their thoughts in that world long after the story ended.

So, I have come to terms with realizing that I will never be the author anyone really remembers. My books will not grace the shelves of prolific readers nor bookstores. But I look forward to one day being the author that sparked a new generation of readers to begin looking for their own stories.

Find your own stories today and Scribe On!