cj Sez: I’ve been saying for a long time, way too long a
time, that I’m trying to learn how to write an interesting mystery or I’m
trying to learn how to write a YA story. In fact, I said it just the other day.
Then I found this meme in my archives:
It reminded me that I know better. And have done better. If I
“really’ want to learn how to do something, I have to set an achievable goal
and do what’s necessary to reach it.
I once had a wild hair thought to challenge my staid
existence and made a goal to go white-water rafting. When I was 50, I took six
weeks of swimming lessons and then spent 5-1/2 days with 12 strangers on an
Outward Bound white-water rafting trip on the undammed Yampa River flowing between
Colorado and Utah. I had a great adventure (parts of which are incorporated
into my second novel, DEATH ON THE YAMPA),
made some interesting friends, and still don’t know how to swim.
When I first wanted to learn how to write novels,
I enrolled in a creative writing class at a local community college. I flew to
San Francisco and spent three days immersed in Robert McKee’s STORY
screenwriting workshop. I grabbed a bunch of how-to books. I read novels and
read some more.
Over time, I discovered I was drawn to the books of Robert
B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, John Grisham, James Lee Burke, Robert Ludlum’s
Bourne series. You know the kind, heavy on the action and adventure with a
smattering of sex. When I relocated to Mobile, I took a continuing education
class at the University of South Alabama, wrote seven paragraphs based on a
prompt from the instructor, and, with a three- or four-line positive response written on the paper,
decided I was ready to write.
BEEP, BEEP: Writing in a vacuum doesn’t work. I thought my
premise was wonderful, the words and structure perfect. I wrote crap. There was
no brilliant beginning, middle, or end. There was only a quasi-beginning, a
sagging middle, and an unsatisfying end. And I couldn’t even edit out all the
punctuation errors because I would read right past them.
So, I joined writers’ organizations and a couple of
critique groups in order to get the kind of varied writer/reader responses I would
get should my novel be on a library shelf. I went to conferences, writer
retreats, and workshops. My first short story was published in a literary anthology
in 2008, my first suspense novel in 2013.
At first, my stories and novels were traditionally
published but understanding that the publication world is a fickle place, I took
an intensive class in self-publishing, got my rights back (from Simon & Schuster),
amended my novels enough to warrant renaming them, and then self-published. And
you know what? It felt good. I still submit my short stories for consideration in
small-press anthologies.
There is a song lyric that, paraphrased, tells me I can
spend my days living a dream or spend my days trying not to die. I don’t see
any hope or laughter in the latter. The Yoda meme reminds me that I must own
my dream. I will either do or do not.
I will either learn how to write a mystery or set a new goal—hopefully an achievable
one.
Today’s lesson: Set a goal. Put pen to paper or fingers to
keyboard and write it down. You might be surprised at how far seeing it in
writing will take you.
Okay, I’ll climb off the soap box, but think about it reader
or author: What’s your goal?
§§
Okay, that’s it for
today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising
prayers for a happy and safe Labor Day celebration for you and yours.
cj
Now some words from my sponsors:
Summer is winding
down, kids are back in school, and there is some available downtime. Having a
book to read is the perfect relaxing entertainment for those moments. THE
DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your
favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks
free from Hoopla.
And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for
links to anthologies in which I have a short story.
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