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There’s this trick in screenwriting/storytelling called “Saving the Cat” in which you have your protagonist do something good, say on page fifteen or so of your screenplay, that way when the movie ends, and your character beats back the bad guys, the audience will be glad for him, and feel contentment about the story they just experienced. It’s true in life too. It was troubling today, then, to see Alberto Contador bashing his teammate Lance Armstrong in a press conference in Spain. Contador won the Tour de France last week, and was supported by Team Astana, which had two other overall contenders in Levi Leipheimer and Armstrong. Armstrong, perhaps the crowd favorite, did have a realistic shot at winning his 8th Tour de France, but it wasn’t that realistic. Armstrong is now 37, more than ten years older than Contador. Contador proved aggressive from the start, breaking away from his own team on the first climb and gaining 8 seconds on Armstrong. This was not a move the team supported, but Contador was in it to win, and let everybody know it from the beginning. But cycling is a team sport. You need the other men on your team to [...]

Anne Jackson, over at Flowerdust.net sat both Mike Hyatt (CEO, Thomas Nelson Publishers) and I down to talk through what Mike and I will be sharing at the upcoming Story conference in Chicago. You can find this video on her blog, but I thought it was interesting enough to feature here as well. The event will come in just about the middle of the Million Miles tour, but I will be sharing most of the same material there that I will in the other 60 cities. Looking forward to the conference. Thanks, Anne, and Mike. Donald Miller and Michael Hyatt – Exclusive Interview on Story from Anne Jackson on Vimeo.

I wanted to post another chapter before I left for Nashville. I actually posted a good chunk of this chapter a couple months ago, but seeing as I turned in all the final edits yesterday, I thought I’d post the entire thing. It’s a short chapter, but it’s gotten some good feedback. There’s a small section in the middle of the chapter that calls back to an earlier chapter in the book. I attended a Robert McKee seminar, and in one of his lectures he addresses the power of conflict as a means of changing a character.  Thanks for helping me edit this book. Earlier I posed a few chapters, and based on your feedback made some critical changes, included excluding an entire chapter that some of you felt was confusing. Here’s another sample. Best, Don P.S. While in Nashville this week, I won’t be able to moderate comments. But when I get back, I’ll post them all in a flood.   A Million Miles in a Thousand Years Chapter 26 The Thing about a Crossing   It’s like this when you live a story: The first part happens fast. You throw yourself into the narrative and you’re finally out [...]

We are nearly finished booking the Million Miles Tour. I’ll be hitting the road, speaking in 65 cities this fall. In about a month, I’ll post the names of the cities, and information about when and where I will be. I’m very much looking forward to hitting the road with this book. Susan Isaacs will be out with me and she is very funny, so it should be a good night for all. We still have several cities we want to hit but are looking for the right venue. If you happen to live in or near one of these cities, and could host an event on one of these dates, do contact my booking agency.   Sept 16         Vancover, BC 17         Spokane, WA 18         Tri-Cities, WA Oct 3         Wichita or Topeka, KS 4         Oklahoma City, OK  6         Tulsa, OK  8         Kansas City or St. Louis, MO 13         Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne or South Bend, IN 15         Nashville, TN 16         Knoxville, TN 17         Asheville, NC 27         Columbus, OH Nov 3           Louisville, KY 5           Houston, TX 7         Waco or Lubbock, TX 15        Jacksonville, FL 17        Talahassee, FL 18        Montgomery, AL 20        Chattanooga, TN 21        Atlanta, GA We are looking for churches/venues that seat 1000+, if you or your church are interested please click through to http://www.2twelveagency.com/booking.php and submit your information.

So I’m still polishing the book, even though the press is, today, receiving their copies for review. The way a book starts is crucial, and I’ve written and rewritten the first few chapters about fifty times. Still, I’d love your opinion about the way this book starts. It’s a slow start, actually. It takes about three chapters. But if you have time, would you mind taking a look at these three chapters and commenting your thoughts. I can seriously polish the thing for the next week or so. THANKS. Best, Don THREE CHAPTERS