Dogs Know How to Be Famous, Do You? How to handle being popular

So this dog caught a ball in his mouth and the video of it became viral. His name is Stanley the Collie and he has his own Instagram account. Of course he does.

But then an Australian newsman interviewed Stanley and Stanley promptly took the microphone cover and ran off with it. Of course he did.

Stanley wasn’t media savvy. Or was he? Either way. He wasn’t going to change his essential Stanley-ness for fame. Writers shouldn’t either. Popularity comes and goes and it’s a hard guess whether what your doing is going to make you famous or popular. But the thing is you have to write your story – your essential truths – anyways. No matter what. Or else you’re selling out.

If you get famous, still be real. Okay? Never lose the essential you.

WRITING TIP OF THE POD

Sometimes your book does well and you suddenly have people crying when they meet you. Don’t blow off your old friends, mentors and colleagues because that fame? You didn’t get there alone. Support the people who supported you. Don’t trade them in for shiny new friends.

And that’s true the other way, too. Don’t be a passive aggressive jerk because one of your friends is doing well. If every time you see them post or hear them comment about good things makes you cringe? Maybe you need to reassess. It’s cool to support each other, not try to tear each other down.

DOG TIP FOR LIFE

Don’t change who you are just because you’re famous. Eat all the things. Fall down. Love everybody as much as you love yourself.

SHOUT OUT!

The music we’ve clipped and shortened in this podcast is awesome and is made available through the Creative Commons License. Here’s a link to that and the artist’s website. Who is this artist and what is this song? It’s “Night Owl” by Broke For Free.

WRITING AND OTHER NEWS IN THE WOODS – READ AN EXCERPT, PREORDER NOW!

My next book, IN THE WOODS, appears in July with Steve Wedel. It’s scary and one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Buzz Books for Summer 2019. There’s an excerpt of it there and everything! But even cooler (for me) they’ve deemed it buzz worthy! Buzz worthy seems like an awesome thing to be deemed!

You can preorder this bad boy, which might make it have a sequel. The sequel would be amazing. Believe me, I know. It features caves and monsters and love. Because doesn’t every story?

HEAR MY BOOK BABY (AND MORE) ON PATREON

On February first, I launched my Patreon site where I’m reading chapters (in order) of a never-published teen fantasy novel, releasing deleted scenes and art from some of my more popular books. And so much more. Come hang out with me! Get cool things!

HELP US AND DO AN AWESOME GOOD DEED

Thanks to all of you who keep listening to our weirdness on the DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN PEOPLE podcast as we talk about random thoughts, writing advice and life tips. We’re sorry we laugh so much… sort of. Please share it and subscribe if you can. Please rate and like us if you are feeling kind, because it matters somehow. There’s a new episode every Tuesday!