Ken Mogren

For over 100 years, fans of READER’S DIGEST magazine have enjoyed the jokes in the magazine’s regular feature, LAUGHTER, THE BEST MEDICINE, but is there any truth to that claim? Well, if you need a tumor removed, you’d probably rather be treated by a surgeon than a comedian, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s truly the “best” treatment option.

But there’s been a lot of research showing humor has a very positive effect on our health and well being. My new book, HUMOR, THE WONDER DRUG, was written with the hope it will find its way into the hands of people who might be dealing with or recovering from illness or injury. Humor can brighten otherwise difficult days, and this book would be a good gift for folks who need their spirits lifted.

Back in March, I was so sure HUMOR THE WONDER DRUG was ready to go, that I bundled up all the contents and took what I thought was the finished manuscript to Insty Prints and had several copies made. I like to send hard copies to not only the publisher, but to folks who might provide back cover comments and to news sources, with the hope of getting reviews in advance of publication.

But I’m always writing new stuff, and I liked a few of my newer creations better than some that were in the manuscript. I also had several ideas for new sonnets that I wanted to work on, so I hit the pause button. Every time I thought it was ready, I’d write something new that I wanted to include. Finally, in July, I decided to stop writing for a while so I could finally say it was ready to publish.

I’m glad I waited. With some great new Joella Goyette illustrations, and a bunch of new sonnets (and limericks) I know readers are going to enjoy, we think this will be the best of the three books we’ve worked on together.

As an author, when I look at AI, it’s hard to see it as anything but a threat. I have played around with AI and been impressed with how fast (just seconds) it can spit out a sonnet when given a topic to write about. Of course I’m biased, but I haven’t been nearly as impressed with the quality of the handful of items I’ve asked it to produce. But AI is still pretty new, and it’s likely to get better and better as time passes.

It makes me wonder about many things. Will there still be a need for authors in the future? Or composers? Or artists? I also wonder if something created in the past by by Shakespeare or Mark Twain or even me that’s out there swimming around in all the information AI can sift through, will someday emerge in substantial part as a “new” work credited to some undeserving, AI-assisted source. And what happens then?

And what about readers? Many have a favorite author and eagerly await their next book. Will that still be the case if it’s not the real deal? Or if AI produces new works by famous, long dead authors, will people want to read them?

All questions and no answers. But what I do know is that I don’t want any help from AI. I would miss out on the fun and satisfaction of creating something myself. Fame and fortune come to very few authors. The reward for most of us is the joy of seeing something that came from our own brain.

A new book, “By Any Other Name,” written by Jodi Picoult, throws new gasoline on this long, slow burning controversy. A well researched and interesting work of fiction, it speculates that a woman, Emilia Bassano, authored many of Shakespeare’s works. Picoult is far from the first to say Shakespeare has gotten credit for the work of others. Mark Twain and Sigmund Freud are among the doubters. Many of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan contemporaries have been suggested as the real author, and some say multiple authors may have been involved. But there’s little or no evidence to support any of these theories. So Shakespeare’s fame doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy, whether it’s deserved or not.

Do you think it might be fun to have the author of the book you’re discussing present at your gathering? I have never appeared at a book club meeting, but I think it would be very enjoyable for everyone, especially the author. There are some very interesting stories behind the stories that would be fun to share, like where the inspiration came from or who the characters might be based on. I am available at no cost to appear at book clubs in the Winona,MN area, and can be reached at kjmogren@hbci.com.

My creation of new works varies from year to year. Inspiration and motivation are the determining factors. As I wrote in a previous post, inspiration comes from a variety of places, but the more I go looking for it, the more sonnet ideas pop into my head. I went looking for it this year because I was motivated to complete another book. Keeping in mind my writing is pretty much a part time thing, I typically write one or two a month, so 15 or 20 new ones is a normal year. In 2017, I wrote 31. That was the record until this year when I wrote 41. Most of these, along with about 50 written in prior years, will be included in my next book.

I am often asked where I get the ideas for my sonnets. The ideas seem to come from no place in particular, and there is no pattern to the sources. It might be a story in the news, a song on the radio, a comic strip, or some person’s behavior I observe. I’ve had friends and readers suggest topics I’ve turned into sonnets. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head for no apparent reason. I’ve learned the hard way to quickly write down any idea I think might be good. Otherwise, those ideas seem to quickly escape.

It’s late January and so far I’m keeping a resolution to write more new sonnets in 2023 than in 2022. My production slowed to a trickle last February when MSI Press offered to publish SPUNKY GRANDMAS….And Other Amusing Characters. Suddenly my efforts went in a different direction.

Turning a manuscript into a book involves more work for an author than most people realize. Manuscripts are really just a draft, so there is still an opportunity to make improvements.I went back and looked at every word and made quite a few tweaks. Then comes a final editing process which involves quite a bit of back and forth communication with the publisher.

While publishers take the lead in publicizing and distributing a book, they expect authors to be active in book promotion, as well. That meant creating and maintaining a website, harnessing social media, and calling on area book stores and gift shops to set up consignment sales arrangements. It also meant finding opportunities to share excerpts with live audiences.

Those promotional activities for Spunky Grandmas will continue in 2023, but if another book is in my future, there’s work to be done.