Following The Trail

 

I had a story idea very recently. Just an idea. One simple line. Unlike most of my story ideas, it did not come replete with supporting details.

Of course I wrote it down. Well, to be honest, it did come with one more notion. That was to compose another tale involving my favourite Integrated Investigator Nick Bannister, and of course his two cohorts.

Now when a decision is made like this, to revive old friends you have more than a story line. You have your characters already assembled and ready for whatever action you send them. This is huge, because good characters are hard to find, and voila, you have them.

Now I've mentioned before, that my characters are living breathing people to me. And I know them well enough to realize that soon enough they will start to tell me where they want to go.

No I am not looney. Most people have favourite heroes on screen or in literature and fantasize about their next adventure. Why, because you are so close to them, it's only a small step to putting them to work.

Surely enough, a time and place came to me. It was London in the time of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. It was going to include my boys merging their twentieth century know how and gadgets with the late 1800's. So perhaps I was looking at my first attempt at Steampunk, a brand of fiction which does exactly that. 

Then I needed a premise. Well that was easy. They were transported back there. Remember when you have an idea, it's not necessary to explain it right away, just take it for what it is. You'll figure it out later.

Then I needed a reason they were whisked so far away. Obviously they were there to present some manner of disaster. 

At that time there were two reprehensible characters kicking around, one real by the name of Jack the Ripper. The other fictional, none other than that most sinister of evil geniuses, Professor James Moriarty, foil to Detective Sherlock Holmes. Either of them would fit the bill of maker of mayhem.

I would never presume as some have. However, to compose a new Sherlock Holmes yarn. But what about if his partner Doctor John H. Watson became part of the fun? 

This all fit together nicely. And i will say no more, because that would be a monumental spoiler of a story I plan to include in my next book.

The point here is that this meal did not come with a side dish of suggestions. It came one course at a time and from there, blossomed a ripping good yarn which I have enjoyed written immensely. If you are lucky, and alert, this may happen to you.

More details to follow.

Don't Fight, Write

 

When I thought of the title for this entry, I have to admit I cringed a bit. It seems very cheesy and contrived, that, along with simplistic, corny, low brow and somewhat tawdry. Well  you get them point. And besides I have preached that message several time before in my posts. But one of the other things I have been a proponent of it coming straight to the point and not smothering a message with unnecessary verbiage.

Kind of like I just did I the last sentence.

In the near future I am going to take my posts and make a few basis renovations, and add some thoughts, change the illustrations and pass it off as my new book. 

Of course it will be fresh, but based on my own past observations.

The idea will be to make this a book for people that are unsure of their ability to write, or go through the process of getting their work published.

Now who am I to write such a book. I did not even take language in University. I took Poli Sci if you must know. That does qualify me to offer a course in bullshitting your way through exams, but not to teach writing.

Ah, but there's the difference. I am not even pretending to teach writing. I am instead hoping to guide potential writers through my own experiences in the hope it might get the fence sitters off the fence and behind their laptops, tablets, or even old school writing pads. 

My credentials then are simply, experience and I think a knack of putting a good yarn together. The satisfaction of finishing something, whether it be short story, novel, or non fiction and realizing it's really quite good, cannot be measured. 

If you fancy being a writer I don't want that to go unexperienced, and yes i do mean "un" and not "in"

Every idea you have is worth considering. When I have an idea, but no idea what to do with it, I write it on a sticky and put it in a plastic case with the title "BIG IDEAS". There are no small ideas in writing.

Once in awhile I fish around in there and find some hidden gold. A story I can run with.

When I have one of those "Eureka" ideas, as i mentioned in a previous post, I immediately write it down and then everything else that comes to me about it, and i just get started.

That way nothing is wasted.

These are all notions I have touched upon before. But they bare repeating just to emphasize the point. No matter where you end up with your writing, you won't accomplish anything unless you start.

Cliche maybe, but that doesn't make it not true.

So don't think of reasons for not writing, if you want to write, then just get started.

Now my title doesn't seem so lame after all, does it? 

No Offence Intended. No offence taken.

  

                                                       No Offence Intended

fff                                            

Di                PS I used the British spelling of the word offence. I hope nobody is offended.

     What is offencive? Here’s the dictionary definition.

“causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset, or angry”

That’s fair enough. But then the question of what causes those feelings comes up. Personally, I’m not offended if someone curses. However, if a group of people are letting the expletives fly at the beach when I have family there. Then that’s a different matter.

Oh dear, then we have the question about what a curse word is. And there is intent. If someone drops a casserole on their foot and let’s the “f” word fly, is anyone going to take offense. If someone uses the word as every third word, that’s another matter.

What about subject matter. Someone once said you should never discuss religion or politics. And indeed there are people that are offended if you say anything that goes against their own beliefs. So then it comes down to the actual content of your book. If what your are saying integral to your story, then by all means say it. If you are just on a personal mission or vendetta to piss people off, then maybe you can leave it out. And even the word piss off was extremely offencive 40 years ago. Now you can hear it on the 11 0’clock news.

Then there’s sex. Yikes. Some more gentile folk bristle at the mere mention   of the word. Others wouldn’t bat an eye if a bus load of tourists disembarked and started fornication in their hotel lobby.

Being offended is very subjective. So when you are writing what do you avoid; or do you?

Simple answer for me is nothing. If you have something to say, say it. But there is a caveat. Well, several. If your book is deemed to have the potential to offend two-thirds of the people who read it, then perhaps you need a few tweaks. You also don’t want a reputation as an abusive, intolerant pratt. You want people to read your book not squirm in their seats because of your comments.

The fact is, there are people who are offended if the sun comes up. They take offense like it was their day job. To those folks, I can only say no one is forcing them to read the book, so why worry?

But on the other hand, I see no purpose in deliberately setting out to say hurtful things, or to be disrespectful to the average person. You can be critical without being completely nasty. You can call out someone without resorting to childish insults.

You might have a sex scene, a violent altercation in your story, but there is a point where is just becomes gratuitous, rather than descriptive.

I could go on about this with a dozen more examples but I think you get the point. Don’t let fear of offending someone stand in the way of what you need to say. On the other hand, don’t feel you have a mission to shock or outrage people. Leave that to the shock jocks.

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing The Good Word

 

After writing this blog for some time, I really had to ask myself what would be the next step. I mean I have been sharing my take on how to write and I think I have managed to cover most of the angles.

Now you have to remember I am not a language PHD. Aside from teaching grade school students, I never shared my own thoughts on writing until I published my first book and did some workshops that led to this blog..

Here's a hint by the way, I have used the same term twice in the above paragraph. That's a bit of no no. Can you find them?

Moving on. The purpose of writing this has been to give people who want to write, but don't really know how to start, some pointers that might help them fulfill their dream.

I've tried to write it in basic terms, and not to preach the virtues of perfect grammar, or promote any writing style. My message has always been, "Just write." 

The next logical course of action seemed obvious. Why not put my blog posts into a short book for the aspiring writer?

Writing instruction books are a dime a dozen so I wanted mine to be more, shall we say accessible.

It would have to be amusing, to the point, and more important, be something that anyone with the inclination could follow.

I do remember the language books we had to read in high school. Most were so dry it's a wonder they didn't spontaneously combust. I am sure there are those who were so turned off, that they were reluctant to even write their own name after being forced to read those books.

So while I may not be the most academically qualified to write a book about writing, I have a pretty good idea of what works for me, and I am sure it will work for others who are dying to try their hand at the craft.

I am sure I have mentioned in a couple of posts that being too wordy is a failing in many writers. I think I have made my own point here. But hey, I needed to fill the page.

So over the next few months, I am going to go through the old posts, do some tweaking and transform them into book material, whatever that is.

I am also going to incorporate new images. 

Here's a teachable moment. The images in my blog are just google stock photos. If you are going to publish, they must be free domain. So you need a site that specializes in that. You'll have to pay a bit, but their selections are awesome.

When it's all done I will let you know and you can do what your want. Although of course I would prefer you buy the book. Believe me I will let you know where it's available.

In the meantime I would love some feedback, any feedback on my idea. Not that's it's going to change my mind, but I do like input. Please don't be shy about making a comment.

Believe me getting people to make comments on blogs is like getting a mule to go up a ladder. See how I had to sneak a funny simile in there?

I'm excited about this new project, and I'll let you know how it's going on my future posts. 

It's Got To Be Interesting

 

What Makes a Page Turner?

 

Here's a huge secret about writing.

Are you ready?

Writing needs to be interesting to the reader.

And yes some things that are obvious still need to be said.

In fact I'll say it again.

Writing needs to be interesting.

Of course not everyone is interested in everything. I personally am not likely to pick up a book about the Russian Royal family prior to 1917.

But there are people who will.

Others may read a book about souffles.

 However, there is a big caveat. They will only keep reading if the writing is engaging. 

Or in the case of the souffle book, if guests are arriving and they have been promised a souffle.

I love rock music biographies. 

I have begun to read several but only finished a few. Why? Because the writer had nothing that grabbed me and brought me in. It was same old, same old and we've all had enough of that in our lives.

But the ones that pulled me in and kept me there had a few things going for them.

Now in case you are curious the autobiographies of Marianne Faithful, Keith Richards, and Brian Wilson I loved and I would read them again.

Why, because they were just so fascinating. Great stories of wonderful characters, humour, drama, irreverence. All the things you would expect from a music icon.

There are writer's who have studied the craft for years, who have impeccable use of words, and perfect syntax. But their books are a snore. 

Many other authors who have never studied writing have penned enthralling work by following a few simple guidelines.

Write something people will care about.

Pack it with interesting characters. 

Embellish if you need to. Sometimes the soup needs just a bit more spice than the recipe calls for.

Don't get tangled in a web of rhetoric.

Read it over and see if it grabs you.

If it bores you, then you haven't much hope of alluring readers who likely don't have the same passion you have for the subject.

If it's a story, use lots of interesting dialogue.

If it's non fiction, pepper it with captivating anecdotes.

Stay sharp and to the point.

Long winded passages and descriptions may stoke your ego as a writer, but they will likely turn people off.

You may not be the most experienced spinner of words. Perhaps you never even took one writer's course. 

But if you really have something to say, and you say it in a way that makes people care and keep turning the pages, then you will have a winner.

This may not be the kind of academic advice you might be used to so here's one more tip.

Read. See what makes a page turner, or a book closer.

Think of the books you loved. Why was that?

Put that into your own writing.

You know what makes a great read.

So whatever you write, remember that and use the examples you have on your bookshelf right now.

    

What? There are rules?

I did warn you this day would come. If you don't believe me, you can go back to my earliest posts and you will see I am not gaslighting. While I was encouraging you to just write and forget about rules and to thumb your nose at your red marker toting grade eight language teacher, I did tell you there was a caveat. One which cannot be ignored. Yes, there are rules for writing.

Now of course you can site me dozens of successful authors, even acclaimed ones who have flauted the conventions of writing and yet have ended up on the New York Times best sellers list.

Yet the vast majority of those who disregard the same rules, even if they get to publishing, have books languishing in the bargain boxes at dollar stores.

Why is that? It is in the quality of the writing. Someone like a Ray Bradbury who wrote in incomplete fragments, run on sentences which ran on for miles, byzantine descriptions, is still considered an international treasure.

An author who has real talent and inspiration is able to circumvent the usual linguistic canons because they know exactly how to disregard the traditions when they want to, and do it in such a way that people not only overlook their lawless behaviour, but also become totally bewitched by the story telling. Do you see what I did with the run-on sentence here?

Now I not going to turn this into a grammar lesson, but suffice it to say, there are literary conventions which should be regarded. Unless it is deliberately done, if you expect to have a successful writing career, it will not happen if you sound like you are a refugee from elementary school

So you're thinking, that's a fat lot of good, how do I know when I can bend the rules, and when I need to adhere more rigidly.

My answer to that is: read. Search out the successful and maybe more important acclaimed and popular authors. Examine their style. See where they stray from what Miss Spinster told you was the gospel truth in elementary school. But more important, is how they do it? Does it sound amateurish? Probably not. More likely it is seemless, so much so that if you weren't searching for the places where they meander from the accepted ordinances of the pen, you would never even notice.

They have mastered the art of straddling the line between good writing and amateurish drivel. That can make for some magical story telling. I will try to expand on this in the future.

A picture just might be worth a lot of words

      A picture just might be worth a lot of                         words

A friend of mine who follows my blog, suggested that perhaps a visual of what it looks like when I first get an idea, and then what follows as more ideas come to me.

I kind of liked that, but the only issue was i didn't have any new ideas. And the old sticky notes had long been put into recycling.

THen this afternoon it came to me, an idea for a new story, one that i know i will have no problem writing. So i came back home, got out the pile of sticky notes. Picked Green, and jotted down the ideas i had so far. I reckon i am only about half way through, but it's essential to get it all down while it's fresh.

I then jotted the ideas down on a separate piece of paper and expanded it a bit.

So there it is, the beginning of a story, and i can hardly wait to get started on my first draft.

From Seed to Tree

                                                        From Seed to Tree

Kind of hit the motherload of story ideas recently. Had three in the space of a couple of days. One was a very short noir bit that almost wrote itself. The second was more problematic. I wrote down the idea, and honestly thought it was a great idea for a good sci-fi tale. 

I took my own advice, wrote down everything I could think on the subject. Put them on bits of paper. Got off to a roaring great start, and then sputtered and stalled.

It just wasn't going anywhere. So guess what I did? Took a little time out and followed my own guidance again, and just wrote. And it was still rubbish. It was dull, confusing, and I didn't particularly like the main character.

The thing was, I knew I had something, and I was damned if I was going to abandon ship before I was sure it was going to sink.

Over the next few days I had a few ideas. I wrote them down as usual and then started fitting them in.

Suddenly my story was spinning off in new directions. I was slashing and burning and rebuilding until it finally started to take shape. The next thing was to go through and check for continuity as I had made so many changes. 

When I read through for my next re-write I thought, "I like this".

I still needed to do the final edits but it's definitely something I'd be happy to put in my next collection.

The point is, if you have an idea you really like and you are sure it's going to make a good story in the end, don't abort. Put it aside if need be, add in ideas you really may not be sure of, renovate to your hearts content, but don't give up on it. Your first instinct is always right, just give it a chance and it will unfold and finally make you smile. After all, you are a writer.

As for the third idea, I need to marinate in it for awhile, but I know I am on to something.

Why do Writers Write

A while I did a post on the reasons that you might want to write. I thought I'd go to the experts now and find out what motivated them to devote their life to the craft. Of course I would have needed a separate book just to capture all their thoughts. So I did the next best thing, encapsulated their answers into single words, and then made it into a word art picture. I tried to find the best combination of fonts and colours to make it easy to read. But if you have to squint a bit and put on the drug store reading glasses to decode the smaller print, that's okay because it's means you are engaged.

These ideas come from the great minds of such diverse writers as Stephen King, to Scotts Fitzgerald, Judy Blume, Lord Byron and Ernest Hemingway. But as you wade your way through I'm sure you'll find some common threads. Enjoy and see what maybe is a fit for you.

Now it Begins

 

I'm going to qualify this right off the bat.

There are many routes to getting your book on shelves or online.

They first of all involve completing a book that merits being published. By that I mean a polished, interesting or informative work that will be in demand. It doesn't have to be mainstream or particularly unique. Just something that there is an appetite for. 

It may be only one percent of the population that's interested in the history of archery. But if your offering is engaging, well written and easily accessible, you will still reach enough people to be successful.

How you get there may vary.

It may involve paying editors, formatters, a team of evaluators, researchers, experts.

If you have the resources or contacts, you may go through literary agents, various publishers and connections and eventually find your way in the public eye.

Nice for the few that can manage that.

It will more likely just be you tied to your computer, writing, rewriting, editing, re-editing, having friends give their input.

And then figuring out what to do with your manuscript.

Unless you are already a best selling author, you likely will do the latter.

 

Don't be discouraged. There are many self-publishing houses that are professional, honest, and helpful.

If you do your homework and network with those who have been there, you will be able to find one that takes you where you want to go.

Here are a few caveats. 

Aside from a basic publishing fee, which should be minimal, and of course the price of ordering hard copies, they should not be asking for any fees. If they are, run away, there are other fish in the sea. 

Once you are published and ready to start promoting, you are going to be deluged with people who offer to promote your book. 

My personal advice is to stay clear. You will pay more than you want, and not always be happy with the results.

They aren't all the same, but the ones I replied to very quickly showed they are not what I was looking for.

That being said, there are many routes to getting word out there. 

Join writer's groups. Many will network with each other's social media sites, promoting each others books.

Using the author's page on Amazon.

Using your publisher's promotions.

Blogging, vlogging.

Making your own YouTube videos.

Most cities have book festivals, such as Word on the Street in Toronto.

In short, if you look you will find it.

It won't cost an arm and a leg and you'll likely be happy with the results.

And yeah, it'll involve a lot of work, but then again you just finished an entire book so this is small potatoes.

You Are A Writer, So Write Already

 

Well it seems i've been at this for just over a year now. 

Huzzah!

A note of thanks to those who have followed me faithfully or even not so faithfully. My hope is that you have gotten something of value from it.

And to repeat my beginning posts, remember this is just one dude's take on writing; what has worked for me. It may not be your cup of tea. 

But there is one irrefutable fact in my messages.

If you want to write, if something in there wants to get on to paper, or screen, then you need to write.

Yes that is a no brainer.

Yet so many people say they want to write something and when i ask them what they've written, they look like they've been caught pilfering the coffee fund.

And if I were to probe, which I no longer do, they would have a litany of reasons, such as time constraints, lack of confidence, they don't know where to go with the idea.

Well here's another no brainer. If you don't write it down, one thing is sure, you will never know how it ends.

So I am going back to my earliest messages. If you have an idea, and you really want to do something with it, write it down.

Open up a word document, slap a title on it, and then put down all your ideas. Use sticky notes. Jot in on the hydro bill. But please, put it down.

Guess what, it may be a load of rubbish and you may go nowhere with it, but you have made a start.

After that you may have more ideas to add to that first one, or for a new direction. 

Doesn't matter. Write it down.

So what's next?

Nothing? Maybe. Something? That's more likely.

Somewhere, something you have jotted down will simmer in your brain. Maybe you'll get a boost from life around you.

But if you really want to write, you'll come back to it and add.

New ideas will start to come out of the blue. 

Before you know it you will have given birth to your own baby story.

Just remember, as long as it has all it's nouns and verbs you'll be happy.

Soon you'll take that baby and dress it all up in sentences and paragraphs, until you have a fully developed piece.

It may not be pretty, and it may need a lot of work, but the most important things is you're on your way.

 Remember you don't have to be a "Writer" to write. All you need to do is put down your thoughts. 

There's lots of time to hone the craft later. 

Yes you can take courses. By all means share what you've done with friends. Join some online writer's groups and ask for advice. 

But to coin the cliche, just do it.

There is no fearsome Grade Eleven language teacher going to scar your page with red ink.

There is no critic waiting to ridicule you in print.

You are free to write what you want.

And for every one idea you really get intimate with, there may be four you abandon. 

But if you really want to write, you will be hooked. The rest will take care of itself.