Joseph Whitson's Blog

Kindle Edition Giveaway!

Currently, there is a Kindle Edition Giveaway of my book, As Glaciers Move, at this site:

https://readersfavorite.com/book-give...

If you do not have a Kindle, you can view the book on your computer with a free app from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Glaciers-Move-...

Amazon has apps for PCs running any Windows platform, the Windows Surface, and all Mac computers. The link to all the computer apps is on the Amazon page for my book directly under the [Kindle $9.99] selection box.

You can also get a Kindle app for your iPhone and Android phones. However, I do not recommend viewing my book or any book of poetry on your phone, because the lines wrap on the smaller screens, disrupting the intended rhythm of the majority of the poems.

Title and Subtitle Challenge Extended Two Weeks!

No one has yet accepted the challenge and presented ideas for the title and subtitle of my current book project about the first year of living with terminal cancer. The motivation for this contest and the description of the book are in this earlier post, "Challenge to Help Me with a Title and Subtitle for my Next Book." The guidelines for the contest are below.

I extended the contest two more weeks.

Contest (Challenge) Guidelines

Please send your suggestion or suggestions to jcwhitson@icloud.com or present them in a comment to this post.

This contest will close on December 16.

Your unique, original idea has to be at least 51% different (character count, excluding spaces) from my examples below to qualify. But, please, don't let this rule prevent you from sending all your ideas.

After December 16, my team and I will choose one or two winners if a title and subtitle, regardless of the 51% rule above, are clearly better than any of mine below!

Here are my title ideas:

> Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!
> Terminal Cancer Changed My Life
> That Damn (or Darn) "C" Word
> Living with Terminal Cancer
> Living Beautifully with Terminal Cancer

Here are my subtitle ideas:

> Finding Solace During the First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer
> The Journey This Year Was All About Finding a New Way to Live
> The diagnosis of terminal, incurable, inoperable cancer is not an excuse to stop living (This subtitle is one of my favorites)

The winner will be acknowledged for his or her contribution in the book and receive a signed copy before its release to the public. If one person comes up with a great title and another with a great subtitle, there will be two winners, each receiving credit as promised and a signed copy of the book. To sweeten the deal, the winner or winners will also receive a signed copy of my current book, As Glaciers Move.

Follow-up to "Challenge to Help Me with a Title and Subtitle for my Next Book"

Please send your suggestion or suggestions to jcwhitson@icloud.com.

This contest will close on November 30, and I will announce the winner on December 2.

NOTE: Your idea has to be at least 51% different (character count, excluding spaces) from my examples below to qualify as a unique, original idea. But, please, don't let this rule prevent you from sending all your ideas. On November 30, my team will still choose one or two winners, regardless of this rule!

Here are some of my ideas, so far:

> Title: Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!
> Title: Terminal Cancer Changed My Life
> Title: That Damn "C" Word
> Title: Living with Terminal Cancer

> Subtitle: Finding Solace During the First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer
> Subtitle: The Journey This Year Was All About Finding a New Way to Live
> Subtitle: The diagnosis of terminal, incurable cancer is not an excuse to stop living

For additional details, see the post below, "Challenge to Help Me with a Title and Subtitle for my Next Book.."

Thank you,
Joseph Whitson

Book Title Challenge

UPDATE: Rules Clarification

NOTE: Your idea has to be at least 51% different (character count, excluding spaces) from my examples below to qualify as a unique, original idea.

Here are some of my ideas so far:

> Title: Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!
> Title: Terminal Cancer Changed My Life
> Title: That Damn "C" Word
> Title: Living with Terminal Cancer

> Subtitle: Finding Solace During the First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer
> Subtitle: The Journey This Year Was All About Finding a New Way to Live
> Subtitle: The diagnosis of terminal, incurable cancer is not an excuse to stop living

Challenge to Help Me with a Title and Subtitle for my Next Book

This morning, I listened to an excellent talk about book cover design. The key points: the title must be the hook and the subtitle must be the offer (that is, what the book has to offer the readers).

On most bookseller sites, the shopper will not be able to read the subtitle in the one-inch image--that's a given, so the title must be the hook to get the reader to click on it; then they'll see the subtitle on the book description page.

So, with this in mind, I quickly realized that the title, Finding Solace, of the book I'm going to publish next year says nothing about its subject matter. The subtitle, The First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer, does reveal the book's topic, but it'll disappear in the small image on Amazon and other bookseller sites. I always had a feeling that the title, Finding Solace, was not going to make it to the finished product (and now I know why), and recently I have been referring to it as just the "code" name.

I am proposing a contest. Help me! If I use your idea for the title, the subtitle, or both, I will acknowledge your contribution in the book and send you a free, signed copy before its release to the public. If one person comes up with a great title and another with a great subtitle, there will be two winners, each receiving credit as promised and a free, signed copy of the book.

Again, the title must be the hook and must tell the potential buyer about the book in as few words as possible, because it has to be visible in the one-inch image. If the potential buyer then clicks on the image and reads the subtitle, the subtitle, then, must tell the reader what the book has to offer them and my promise to them about the content.

The book is about my first year of living with a terminal disease. It’s about the prognosis (the label) of incurable and inoperable. It's about all the tests, procedures, treatments, and side effects, and about navigating all the obstacles (stages of grief, extremely persistent quack cure recommendations, and the pain of side effects). It includes all the conversations with friends, family, and strangers. Also, it highlights all the joys of reconnecting with friends and family, resurrecting my hobbies, and slowing down and trying to enjoy each moment and life overall.

Here are some of my ideas so far:

> Title: Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!
> Title: Terminal Cancer Changed My Life
> Title: That Damn "C" Word
> Title: Living with Terminal Cancer

> Subtitle: Finding Solace During the First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer
> Subtitle: The Journey This Year Was All About Finding a New Way to Live
> Subtitle: The diagnosis of terminal, incurable cancer is not an excuse to stop living

First Chapter of Finding Solace

Here is, as promised, the first chapter of Finding Solace. Because this is a massive rewrite of a CaringBridge post from 2015, and because the goal of this month is to create a first draft, not an edited, finished product, please keep this in mind as you read it, and be kind! :-) It's a relatively short chapter, but it sets the stage and tone for the entire book. Indeed, I wanted it to be just a quick preview of my new life, especially since it is the first chapter of Part 1: My Previous Life.

Chapter 1 – The Stranger Who Changed my Life

On January 29, 2015, Dr. Andrew Chae Kim, M.D., Radiologist, a person I have never met and never even knew existed before seeing his name on a medical document, reviewed a series of images. He included the following sentence in his CT scan report: “In the left lower lobe there is a heterogeneously enhancing mass-like consolidation measuring 3.9 x 3.3 cm, which abuts branches of the pulmonary veins in the left lower lobe.”

I read this sentence in 15 heartbeats and in that short span of time, this stranger destroyed all my plans and aspirations.

Throughout my life, I have experienced several medical conditions—some minor nuisances, some serious—and aches ranging from mild to severe. In retrospect, none of these were worthy of complaint because I survived every one of them. They were merely manifestations of the human condition. That is, just to be human is to experience illness, disease, and pain. However, also, to be human is to die. Sometimes death is sudden; sometimes death is deferred, if not just briefly, as life clings on in desperation right up to the final breath. Sometimes death comes early in life; sometimes late. And sometimes you know that you are dying long before your last breath. This type of prognosis is my fate and where this story begins with somewhere between six months and three years remaining.

Regarding the current terminal illness alluded to but not specified above (and for which I will provide greater detail in time), I have yet to experience severe pain or even a feeling that a disease is on the offensive within my body. In fact, some days I must force myself, feeling so well, so immortal, to believe the reality that I am now dying. This kind of death is different from the end I had in mind for myself. I had imagined it as a fading away at the end of a very long life—the graying and shriveling of old age.

The kind of death that now seems to be my reality is one that I can see coming quickly—it’s at the end of the block running toward me. I have time, though, unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately), to think about how the disease will overtake my body and mind in the last few weeks, and especially in the last few moments. But I also have time, if I wish, to plan every moment, or just to live every moment unplanned, from this point forward, with the forethought of an imminent, premature death. I used to ask myself at the beginning of each day: “What do I need to complete today?” My kind of death shouldn’t allow me to think this way, and I especially shouldn’t schedule as I have been most of my life. I mean, much of my tedious planning up to this point in my life, I now realize, in the end, will have been pointless. And, then, even with a prognosis of six months to three years, a metastatic tumor may arise in a primary organ, such as the liver, brain, bone, heart, etc., and death may take me even sooner than expected, negating any plans. Remember the doctor’s note above about the growth in my lung: “a heterogeneously enhancing mass-like consolidation . . . which abuts branches of the pulmonary veins.” The growth, regardless of its location within the lungs, is going to abut pulmonary veins, providing cancer cells with an efficient mode of transportation.

Considering my new death, what do I do each day? If I don’t make plans (short-term or long-term) because the future now seems so uncertain and, yet, the end so concrete and imminent, what am I to do? If I could even define what “living in the moment” means, what immediate living should I embrace? How do I focus on each moment and not worry about the future? And what thoughts, actions, and passions are indeed worthy of each moment?

Consequently, because of this one stranger, my story begins with the knowledge of a terminal illness and an urgency to find a way of living that will make these last months or years worthwhile. And even more important, I now feel compelled to prove that I have deserved to be in this life; to show that I have contributed positively in some way to my family and community, and to demonstrate the worthiness of my entire existence.

DAY 3 and I'm still on target!

I'm not sure if I want to brag or cry because it has been a lot of work, but I'm still on target to write a 90,000-word first-draft manuscript this month. Day 1 = 3116 words; Day 2 = 3206; Day 3 = 3208. I even have some words in the "bank." I had decided, prepared my mind in advance of this month, to just write and not focus on creating perfect sentences and paragraphs. I had decided that I need to write freely and to write as quickly as the thoughts arise. And . . . to write what I want to write, not what I think people want to read. Yesterday, I told an acquaintance that I had taken on this challenge. She asked me what type of book I'm writing. I barely got a few words out of my mouth when she began listing all the books (relating, closely or barely) to my topic and how great they are. I said, "Well, hopefully, you'll speak kindly of my book when I publish it." She snapped back with, "Well, we'll see." LOL. So, back to, I write for myself--I have to--and then hopefully there will be an audience who will appreciate the finished project. I believe this is the challenge for all writers, to believe in themselves and their talents and to silence the static (e.g., the acquaintance's remarks yesterday) so that they can succeed.

If you read my blog yesterday, I promised I would post my first chapter (as a teaser), and I will keep my promise. I promise! I'll probably post it this afternoon.

My Personal Goal

The challenge to writers for November, "National Novel Writing Month," is to write a 50,000-word first-draft novel, My personal goal is a 90,000-word first draft. I wrote 3116 words the first day; 3206 the second. So far, I'm 322 words over my target for the first two days; however, I'm confident that will change over time. Tomorrow, as a teaser, I'll post the first chapter ("The Stranger Who Changed My Life") of the book I'm writing this month, Finding Solace: The First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer. Remember, it is the first draft, so please be kind!

National Novel Writing Month: Finding Solace

Warning: since this blog mostly regards my next project, Finding Solace, I have written (although cautiously and carefully) about an unpleasant topic, terminal cancer.

November is National Novel Writing Month. The challenge to writers is to complete a 50,000-word first draft novel in one month. My personal goal is a 90,000-word manuscript. I'm going to write a book that at this time I'm calling Finding Solace: the First Year of Living with Terminal Cancer. I've already written many scenes, have a detailed outline, and have completed most of the research required. Indeed, I have an entire file cabinet of notes. Therefore, a 90,000-word first draft for me, especially since I'm writing full-time now, may not be a challenge at all. The real problem for me is to focus on just this one project for an entire month. Technically, though, the challenge is to write a novel, a term that dictionaries and, perhaps, some writers and scholars use to discuss works of fiction. My book is non-fiction. However, a book is a book is a book. And I'm still accepting the challenge. I'm sure that no one is going to argue the point with me, and I may be the only one who is so detail-oriented that I must worry about the definition of the word. For me, then, November is National Book Writing Month. And since I have a terminal disease, I'm not going to mess around. I'm going to finish the first draft of this book this month. Then, another book (collection of short stories) in January, and another one (of fiction) in February. But these three aren't the only projects. Not counting the book, As Glaciers Move, I'd just published this year, I have a total of five books I desire to write before I succumb to the disease. And, I have convinced myself I’ll reach this goal, a goal I've announced to several friends, which prompted one of them to say, “Pace yourself, take time off between projects, and don’t be in a rush to finish them!”

My terminal disease, lung cancer (although I'm a non-smoker) is the unfortunate inspiration for Finding Solace. This year, the third year since my diagnosis, we learned that I have widespread metastatic bone cancer to nearly my entire skeleton. However, because of lingering and rare, permanent side-effects of some of the chemo drugs administered the first year, I chose not to have any treatments last year. This year, I tried one treatment, and it failed. So, now, I'm only accepting palliative treatments (minor surgeries and radiation to treat some of the larger tumors) to help reduce pain and improve my quality of life. Finding Solace, however, is not about this entire journey. The story is only about the first year of living with terminal cancer, a year in which I faced tests, procedures, confusion, speculation, and all sorts of obstacles of which I had to figure out how to navigate on my own. I will discuss Finding Solace in more detail in future blogs as I progress with the story.

Last week, I began another series (10 total) of radiation treatments for my primary tumor in an attempt to keep the left lung open as long as possible. These treatments this time have not been as kind to me, so far, as the previous radiation treatments. I’m sure it has to do with the location of the tumor that we're going after this time. However, I have endured all these treatments (chemotherapy and radiation) and surgeries with a smile, because I do it all for my family (my wife, daughter, granddaughters, and other close family members). Especially for the granddaughters!

And I have a great team to help me. I have an excellent primary care physician (Samuel Applebaum, M.D.), medical oncologist (Corey Schwartz, M.D.), and palliative doctor (Elizabeth Durkin, M.D.). I have a new radiation oncologist (James Knister, M.D.) and, so far, I'm very honored to be in his care. Also, Ric, Beth, and Brittany, the radiation technicians this time around, are exceptional (professional, kind and respectful)! And, then, there are my friends, Bob, Mitch, Marcie, and Ski who frequently drive me to treatments and appointments when my wife is unable to do so. Over the past three years, there have been so many friends who have helped me in so many ways; I could generate a very, very long list. And, then, there's my family whose love and support cannot be understated. This incredible group of doctors, technicians, friends, and family must be why I’m still around with as much cancer as I have. Must be why I’ve exceeded all expectations! And why I know I'll be able to complete all my writing projects.

My Mandalay Bay Poem and The Nansen Effect

Last week, I discovered (or rediscovered) the Norwegian pioneer, innovator, explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Fridtjof Nansen, just by clicking on a Google doodle. The doodle redirected me to the Wikipedia article about him. I read the entire page without hesitation—not sure why but I did. Perhaps I'd heard of him before—I can't recall—and if I had, at that time, I wasn't interested enough to commit his name to memory because of one reason or another. There's always one reason or another! So, now, I soak in all that Nansen accomplished in his life. He passed away at the age of 68 and yet his lifetime achievements are monumental and even still may be understated. Not surprisingly, in studying his life, he bolstered, posthumously, my will to accomplish things, even if my achievements, in the end, will be tiny in comparison. I need to stop and notice people like Nansen more often. And not just stop and say, "Oh, how great he was," or "she was," but stop and refresh my knowledge of the person or read about him or her for the first time. I can't speak for you, but I spend too much time looking at images of and reading about those who embody the absolute opposite of people like Nansen, such as mass murderers, "great criminals," or those who have committed abhorrent acts of hate in clear sight. I need to spend more time admiring those who have been great. Especially, I need to admire those of us who are great now. But, first, I must reflect on the poem I started working on two weeks ago about the tragedy on October 1 in Las Vegas. I must be careful not to memorialize the mass murderer. Now I think, How can I bring to life all the acts of kindness and bravery that night? Years from now, will I only remember the details of the massacre by first recalling the name of the mass murderer? Will we, collectively, remember the heroes and the victims too? Going forward, at least, this is what I'll attempt to do, to admire or memorialize, to only remember, the brave, the great, the fallen and the heroes throughout the remainder of my life, and I'll refer to it as the "Nansen Effect!"