TheBanyanTree: Of Authors, Writing and other things; Warning - lengthy

[Jim Miller]

Back in March of 1996, shortly after being diagnosed with heart failure,
Linda told me that she heard about a roadside diner where writers and story
tellers gathered. I dropped by and didn't leave until Wes hopped a freight,
and didn't return. Life changed after that. I didn't write so much, and at
times nearly quit altogether.


I made good friends there. Sadly some are now gone, and like myself, others
have grown nearly silent. I know you are out there listening. You still pop
in occasionally. I was pleased to once again hear Robin's voice a few
months ago, and there was Roger the other day with a Linked In invite. What
I truly miss are the stories. Well maybe the parties and Elyphants, and
kissing booth and especially my favorite bartender Dee.


Many of you know that I survived a heart transplant in 2004, and neck and
throat cancer in 2007. Some of you have seen the pictures of my hike to the
bottom of the Grand Canyon in 2008. And then cancer struck again last
winter. This time in my trachea.


All of these years I've been telling myself to write. Write Jim; write.
I've said it over and over, and life got in the way. In April of 2011 our
two oldest granddaughters (now 13 and 16) came to live with us. Both are
special needs girls and were physically abused by their mother. My how life
can suddenly grow intense, and no longer be your own.


For several years I've been preparing a professional speaking career. I was
ready to launch. Then in March my vocal cords took flight on the wings of a
silver scalpel and crash landed on the rock pile of broken dreams. (OK,
that's enough corn.) To remove the tumors in my trachea required a full
laryngectomy (read; no more vocal cords) along with half my trachea. I'm
officially a neck breather. Not so bad, but it makes talking a little more
difficult. There are ways to talk, but none of them lend themselves well to
public speaking. So here I am with stories to tell. Again, it's time to
write, and write I will.


I always believed that I would write my personal stories. I will write
those stories, but lately I've come to realize; they aren't my priority. I
desperately want to write fiction. This is interesting, because I'm a
detail person; a fanatic; nearly anal. I haven't considered myself as being
creative, yet I enjoy the creative process and find that I am, after all,
creative. I always knew that I was, but to actually discover the reality,
is awakening.


For years all my reading related to personal motivation and leadership.
Those were the growth areas I sought, and wanted to teach others. And yet,
I find that writing on those subjects, for me, is boring. In the past I've
read many books of fiction. (Never got much into the classics) I remember
asking my son, who was reading Red Storm Rising at the time, how long the
book is. Over eleven hundred pages he said, and I said I will never read a
book that long, and then I did. I was hooked on Tom Clancy. I read
everything by Robert Ludlum that I could get my hands on. Of course I
wasn't locked into those, but they were big for me.


Perhaps you have noticed how well known, and popular writers seem to quit
trying. When it took me two months to get into a new Tom Clancy thriller, I
suspected that he wasn't enjoying it so much, and then he started to
co-write and I quit reading. Has anyone read the last two Janet Evanovich
novels? Yep, I slip to chicklit occasionally. I recently read another
Robert Ludlum book and decided to swear off reading him again. The
suspension of belief was beyond acceptable. The scenarios became
unbelievable in my wildest imagination, and the protagonist, a highly
trained consular operative, conducted himself like a cowboy with complete
and utter disregard for his and the woman’s safety. Yet one by one, as the
world’s greatest assassins, sporting the world’s most sophisticated
technology, and attacking in large numbers, all died at his hand. I decided
enough Robert Ludlum. So where to go for inspiration.


I pulled out my Kindle and found a couple of books I could borrow with my
Prime Amazon membership. I found books that are fun, entertaining, and
quite well written. One author, Victor Methos; I found especially
interesting. He was entertaining, easy reading, and I liked his character
development.


A week ago, I took an all day workshop on fiction writing from a New York
Times bestselling author. I was inspired and received great information. I
downloaded his first published novel to see how a relatively unknown,
bestselling author writes. Since he invited comments, I dropped a note
telling him that I enjoyed the book, but found a sex scene gratuitous and
unnecessary. He wrote back and told me that it was gratuitous, as his agent
had told him to put it in. He said it was forced and he wasn't comfortable
with it either. Obviously it didn’t’ prevent that book from becoming a best
seller, as the publisher invited him back, and he has added three more in
that series. I was pleased that I had perceived what the author already
knew.


So now the questions are; what do I write and how do I publish. I’m friends
with several self-published authors. So far, their level of success has
only been that of hobby writer. If that satisfies your desire, good for
you. Personally, I've had my ego stroked before. I’d like to make some
money.


Victor Methos has a blog and has offered good advice to aspiring authors.
After many rejections, he went straight to Amazon Kindle publishing. He
talks about other epublishing but believes there are advantages to locking
into Amazon. It is his belief that traditional publishing is
dead. I've watched the newspapers go the same way; not recognizing that
they are beginning to stink. I've always enjoyed holding a book in my hand
and loading the book shelves, but the more I use my Kindle, the more
comfortable I am with ebooks. I no longer have stacks of books waiting to
be read. If I’m momentarily bored, or want to switch genres, I can simply
switch to another book without worrying whether my bookmark will fall out.
I never take a book on a trip anymore, and with Amazon Prime and $0.99 -
$2.99 ebooks, I don’t hesitate to try a new author. Methos says that he
started epublishing in June of 2011. In December 2011, one of his books
sold 30,000 copies that month. His caveat is simple; always be writing and
provide good content. As a businessman, I believe that motto belongs on
every wall regardless of the product.


So there you have it. Jim is writing again. Have you asked yourself, should
I be writing more? What are your thoughts?


Jim Miller