Well, quite a week for intimations of mortality - a strained back, a recovering shoulder (from a fall on the ice) and part of a silicone ear plug (for swimming) stuck in the ear! Without even trying, I got myself in trouble. :)
Which reminds me of an old writing precept. I can't remember the author but it goes something like this: "Put your protagonist in trouble and then triple that trouble." (Believe me, I hadn't planned on doing it to myself.)
As those of you who've read my "Fragger Sparks" science fiction series know, I've followed that precept with a vengeance. There's no sort of trouble Fragger hasn't been in!
I continue to follow the precept for two reasons. One is, obviously, that trouble creates a great story - everyone wants to see what fix Fragger will get into next and how the devil he's going to work his way out of it.
The second reason is personal. It may sound odd, but it keeps me writing! By that I mean that I need to pose myself a problem and then get an adrenaline rush from solving it.
I'll have to admit that this is not a very noble or literary reason for writing, but then I've always been a practical person at many levels, and my attitude is, "If it works, use it!"
Actually, I spent a large part of my life not writing for various reasons (even though I wanted to) and am grateful for any spur that allows me to put words on the page.
Besides, it's enabled me to write four novels (and four non-fiction books) in about 10 years! So, here's to practicality and the acceptance of one's inadvertent gifts!
Hey, find out how much trouble I've gotten Fragger Sparks into by reading one in the series (and, remember, I'm working on the latest one)!...
The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Leads the Way
The Second Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Loses His Way
The Third Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Paves the Way
Also, try American Job if you enjoy comedy, satire and tragedy all rolled into one epic tale!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Real Hero - Not a Science Fiction One!
My "Fragger Sparks" books have an imaginary hero who fights his battles in the far future. Today, I heard a real hero at church.
His name is Dr. Charlie Clements, and he's Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
He's a hero for two reasons. One, as a pilot during Vietnam, he flew 50 missions before deciding that the war was immoral and refused to fly any more. Two, he became a doctor and devoted his effort to saving lives and preventing genocide in Latin America and other countries. He's been at it ever since the 70's. Now, there's a life of devotion and heroism!
Well, back to the badass side of town - I'm close to 14,000 words on the first draft of the next book in the "Fragger Sparks" science fiction series - The Blood of Fragger Sparks.
I'm often asked how I plot out my novels. My answer is, as always, I don't. I'm what's called an "intuitive" writer; that is, I have no idea where I'm going when I start a book. That's both terrifying and exhilarating!
You have to trust that you'll find the way in the end - and, I imagine, it's a lot more fun than fully plotting a book. I don't know because as hard as I've tried, I simply can't write a plot out! It seems to me that it would save me a lot of time and heartache, but, hey, you have to accept the gift you've been given and make the most of it.
Sometimes, the intuitive approach doesn't work out. I once threw out 90,000 words of a novel because I realized it was 90,000 words of crap. It was painful, but it was also the best move I ever made as a writer.
As a matter of fact, it made me a writer! I received a strange sense of freedom, knowing that I wasn't chained to whatever I put on the page! As W. Somerset Maugham said, a writer has to have a "piece of ice" in his heart toward his writing; in other words, sooner or later, you have to be able to cast an objective eye on what you've put on the page!
Hey, if you'd like some free ebooks this month, you can go to one of my publishers, Synergebooks.com at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.synergebooks.com%2F&h=aa3b797646535a5e4f077e70a12a6baf.
As always, if you'd like to get in on the Fragger Sparks action, you can find the print versions at Amazon and at Booklocker.com. Ebook versions can be found on Fictionwise.com and similar epublishers. The titles are:
The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Leads the Way
The Second Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Loses His Way
The Third Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Paves the Way
And don't forget the first book I ever wrote - American Job (as in the Biblical character). It's also called The Relentless Pursuit of Everett Pick).
His name is Dr. Charlie Clements, and he's Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
He's a hero for two reasons. One, as a pilot during Vietnam, he flew 50 missions before deciding that the war was immoral and refused to fly any more. Two, he became a doctor and devoted his effort to saving lives and preventing genocide in Latin America and other countries. He's been at it ever since the 70's. Now, there's a life of devotion and heroism!
Well, back to the badass side of town - I'm close to 14,000 words on the first draft of the next book in the "Fragger Sparks" science fiction series - The Blood of Fragger Sparks.
I'm often asked how I plot out my novels. My answer is, as always, I don't. I'm what's called an "intuitive" writer; that is, I have no idea where I'm going when I start a book. That's both terrifying and exhilarating!
You have to trust that you'll find the way in the end - and, I imagine, it's a lot more fun than fully plotting a book. I don't know because as hard as I've tried, I simply can't write a plot out! It seems to me that it would save me a lot of time and heartache, but, hey, you have to accept the gift you've been given and make the most of it.
Sometimes, the intuitive approach doesn't work out. I once threw out 90,000 words of a novel because I realized it was 90,000 words of crap. It was painful, but it was also the best move I ever made as a writer.
As a matter of fact, it made me a writer! I received a strange sense of freedom, knowing that I wasn't chained to whatever I put on the page! As W. Somerset Maugham said, a writer has to have a "piece of ice" in his heart toward his writing; in other words, sooner or later, you have to be able to cast an objective eye on what you've put on the page!
Hey, if you'd like some free ebooks this month, you can go to one of my publishers, Synergebooks.com at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.synergebooks.com%2F&h=aa3b797646535a5e4f077e70a12a6baf.
As always, if you'd like to get in on the Fragger Sparks action, you can find the print versions at Amazon and at Booklocker.com. Ebook versions can be found on Fictionwise.com and similar epublishers. The titles are:
The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Leads the Way
The Second Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Loses His Way
The Third Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Paves the Way
And don't forget the first book I ever wrote - American Job (as in the Biblical character). It's also called The Relentless Pursuit of Everett Pick).
Monday, March 1, 2010
Banging My Head Against a Science Fiction Blank Wall!
As a writer and a cartoonist, I can't count the number of times the same responses I get from people when I inform them of my occupation.
When I tell them I'm a writer, the usual response is, "I've always wanted to write, but I don't have time." (The second most common response is: "Will you look at some of my writing?"
When I tell them I'm a cartoonist, their response is, "I can't even draw a stick figure."
These responses frustrate me because most people possess talent at one level or another, and they waste it with such remarks.
Because they don't lack talent! What they lack is will...determination...perseverance...or whatever you'd like to call it.
On a bad day, I'm tempted to scream at them, "Well, just sit down and do it...and do it over and over again until you get it right! That's all there is to it!"
So, what's my point? None, really...it's early March and cabin fever is definitely getting to me!...Writing on my fifth fiction book, I've escaped into a future where assassinations are common...people bully each other...and love sometimes seems like a dim spark in a black and pitiless cosmos.
But it'll all pass as soon as I figure out the next turn in the plot. How do I know? Because it's a pattern. Everytime I run into a fiction blank wall, I despair and despair...until suddenly a solution pops into my head!
Then, I realize that all that worrying was for nothing...and then repeat the process over and over again until the book is done!
It's all very silly, really, but in the end quite wonderful - a small price to pay for creativity.
Hey, if you want a sample of my science fiction creativity, try one of the following (in print and ebook form) at Amazon and elsewhere:
The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Leads the Way
The Second Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Loses His Way
The Third Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Paves the Way
If you don't like science fiction, try American Job (also called The Relentless Pursuit of Everett Pick). It's satire and a comic-tragedy set primarily in the Black Hills of South Dakota!
When I tell them I'm a writer, the usual response is, "I've always wanted to write, but I don't have time." (The second most common response is: "Will you look at some of my writing?"
When I tell them I'm a cartoonist, their response is, "I can't even draw a stick figure."
These responses frustrate me because most people possess talent at one level or another, and they waste it with such remarks.
Because they don't lack talent! What they lack is will...determination...perseverance...or whatever you'd like to call it.
On a bad day, I'm tempted to scream at them, "Well, just sit down and do it...and do it over and over again until you get it right! That's all there is to it!"
So, what's my point? None, really...it's early March and cabin fever is definitely getting to me!...Writing on my fifth fiction book, I've escaped into a future where assassinations are common...people bully each other...and love sometimes seems like a dim spark in a black and pitiless cosmos.
But it'll all pass as soon as I figure out the next turn in the plot. How do I know? Because it's a pattern. Everytime I run into a fiction blank wall, I despair and despair...until suddenly a solution pops into my head!
Then, I realize that all that worrying was for nothing...and then repeat the process over and over again until the book is done!
It's all very silly, really, but in the end quite wonderful - a small price to pay for creativity.
Hey, if you want a sample of my science fiction creativity, try one of the following (in print and ebook form) at Amazon and elsewhere:
The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Leads the Way
The Second Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Loses His Way
The Third Misadventure of Fragger Sparks, A Ranger Paves the Way
If you don't like science fiction, try American Job (also called The Relentless Pursuit of Everett Pick). It's satire and a comic-tragedy set primarily in the Black Hills of South Dakota!
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