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

[Theta Brentnall]

Well, of course you should be writing! You have a way of making a 
"warning - lengthy" just the right length and fascinating.  I think 
you'll do very well at fiction, given that you have such a good grip on 
reality.  Write the next good thriller, or a science fiction, heavy on 
the science, please.  Just no teenage angst stories.  I see too many of 
those on the Pixel of Ink and Bookbub offerings.  Whatever you choose, I 
look forward to seeing excerpts here.  We've all been lurking in the 
ferns too much.  Time to get back to the story telling party here.

Theta

On 11/19/2012 7:08 PM, Jim Miller wrote:
> 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
>