writing

Writing

WRITING A NOVEL? PART 5

Chuck
January 8, 2018
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WRITING A NOVEL? PART 5

BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS, SWEAT . . . EDITING Editing, blech! You’ve finished your novel? If so, you know only too well the blood, toil, and tears needed to reach the finish line. That’s the time to put our feet up, pour a glass, sit back, and smile. That’s when the plot bunny on the shoulder whispers the dreaded word . . . “edit.” Editing . . . Blech! Editing is the sweaty part of fictioneering, be it short story or novel. I’m the first to admit to the perils of rushing to print, relying on MS word to correct my spelling and grammar. Winston Churchill’s great speech referring to blood, toils, tears, and sweat was his call-to-arms when Britain faced an imminent threat of invasion and war. It also serves as a call-to-editing. In fact, Churchill was no stranger to editing. He rehearsed and edited his famous speeches up to the last moment. As a writer, he was a relentless self-editor. I’m still learning the craft of self-editing. That said, our writing must be subjected to a third party. A friend, if need be. A professional, if possible. Having a novel in print with CHAPTER THIRTEER serves as my reminder.…

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Uncategorized

Sharing imaginary friends since 1985

Chuck
January 1, 2018
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Sharing imaginary friends since 1985

My name is Chuck Waldron, and I’m a writer. I love to write. Previously, a professional mountain climber, if you view work as climbing mountains, I now spend most of my time trying to make sense of what to do when the plot bunny bites with story ideas. Luckily, when the plot bunny bites, I have many imaginary friends, and yours truly is not afraid to use them. They allow me to tell their stories, on many occasions, even demanding it. Who can ignore their shouting? Not me. My imaginary friends whisper stories that turn into thrillers mixed with mystery and action, character-driven stories spiced with plot twists. I want to share my imaginary friends. That’s a tall order. I must keep them. It’s a crime to cheat readers out of their precious reading time. I’m in awe of readers. They can give a story five stars. What writer doesn’t want that? What about thumbs down. Oh no, you say? Smart writers learn from mistakes. The reader is the ultimate judge. Credentials? Does one need a license to get creative? When I found out I didn’t need a government-issued permit to write a story, it was simple. I just started.…

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Writing

WRITING A NOVEL? PART 4

Chuck
December 11, 2017
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WRITING A NOVEL? PART 4

Ready, Fire, Aim: Getting it wrong When I asked someone in a writing group what her story was about, she said she didn’t know. Said, “I simply start writing. Eventually, I find out the direction the story is taking.” Huh? I think that’s wrong. What about you? Do you know what your story’s about? Have you ever started a road trip, route planned, map ready, car fueled, only to find a detour along the way? What if we never make it to the destination? I’ve had some happy memories visiting unplanned places. But to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never started the car, heading down the road with absolutely no clue where I’m going. Okay, that one time might be blamed to too much . . . I think writing’s like that. That first sentence is pointing to the last, the finale. My characters take detours, often ending up in unplanned places, but they always seem headed toward that last sentence. If the story-line takes a detour and doesn’t get back to the map, it may require taking an editorial knife to it. Skip the editing, and you’re sure to get it wrong Informed that Beat leader Jack Kerouac never rewrote…

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Writing

WRITING A NOVEL? Part 3

Chuck
December 4, 2017
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WRITING A NOVEL? Part 3

If you read part one, aren’t intimidated by the sheer volume of competition, and still writing, congratulations. Telling stories is what writers do. Set aside dreams of fame and fortune. Those are byproducts for the lucky few. They’re lucky because they kept writing, improving, writing, improving, writing . . . Well, you get my drift. Part two was the starting point. “I never metaphor I didn’t like,” said Mardy Grothe. I agree. So, here’s mine for today. Writing is like swimming naked in a crowded pool. It takes madness or courage to strip naked like that. Yet, writers do that metaphorically. Some have the self-confidence to do it. If you don’t, the criticism will be embarrassing. Part three is about commitment and perseverance. How many times have I had some tell me they would love to write a book or story, but they don’t have the time. Balderdash. We make time for the important things. When I hear someone say that, I know they’re wannabe writers. It sounds glamorous to say, “I’m an author.” Hah, the dirty secret is . . .  Drumroll please, time commitment and sweaty work. Do I mean ignoring family and friends? Do you skip your…

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Writing

WRITING A NOVEL? PART 2

Chuck
November 29, 2017
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WRITING A NOVEL? PART 2

Part Two in the series. In part one, I wrote about the million books that will be published in 2018, seven-hundred and fifty thousand of them self-published. The bad news? Competition, going up against the sheer volume of new novels. The good news? We can get a slim toe-hold in the marketplace. There are three things we can do: have a good story, have a worthy cover, and make sure the interior supports your work. This part of the series is about step one in getting the story right. We’re told to follow the rules. After all, writers spend years getting degrees in the fine art of writing literature, learning the arcane terms describing what a novel must have. They should have the following eight components: concept, plot, story spine, character arc, protagonist fatal flaw, antagonist fatal flaw, setting, and voice. I’m not saying we should ignore the rules of writing, most are well tested. In addition to the eight mentioned above, we’re advised to know the end before we create a beginning. Each sentence should entice the reader to read the next, and so on. It still comes down to you writing your story. How do you want to…

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Writing

WRITING A NOVEL? DO THE MATH

Chuck
November 20, 2017
2 Comments
WRITING A NOVEL? DO THE MATH

Part one in a series One million books will be published next year in the U.S. Seven hundred and fifty thousand will be self-published. The average length of a novel is estimated to be 60,000 and 70,000. I decided to thread the needle and use 65K, coming up with 48,750,000,000 words self-published each year. That’s 48 in billions. My 89,342 words face a daunting challenge. Who wants to be a writer? Justine Goldberg, writing in Publishing Perspectives, claims 200 million Americans say they want to publish a book. Wow. Talk about competition. I sometimes feel like Forrest Gump when he decided to stop running. Is it time to stop writing? No, it can’t be That can’t be. I can’t stop. Writing is hard-wired into my DNA. It’s nothing to do with competition. It’s not about how many words I’m up against. I’m not finished telling stories! Get it right Even if 750,000 books are published next year, most will be third-rate, at best, according to Joseph Epstein in The New York Times. In the Publishing Perspective article, Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks said, “Self-published books are uniformly badly published.” Tom Dever, TLC Graphics and Narrow Gate Books, added, “If a book…

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Opinion, Personal, Writing

Ready, Fire and then Aim? Huh?

Chuck
May 3, 2017
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Is it even possible to break through the algorithm barrier and make your book discoverable? I’m still on a learning curve, but I wanted to share something you don’t want to do, fire without aiming. Ready? Writer’s write, it’s what we love doing. Editing is sweaty, the part most writers would like to skip. Fire? That’s rushing a book into print without a marketing plan. Aim? What happens if we are ready and fire before we aim? What’s wrong with that order? Book marketing strategy begins by asking your inner writer a simple question.  Why do you write?  What feeds your writing journey?  Are you looking for fame, awards, and accolades?  How about the money?  Are you looking for a way to finance an order for your new Lexus with your royalties? I remember a conversation. “I’m not making any money.  In business school, they teach about return on investment, ROI.  I do not see a return on my writing investment.  Why should I continue writing?” There is nothing wrong with earning money, don’t get me wrong.  I would love a large royalty check, and I have just the luxury car in mind.  But I ask myself why I write?.…

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Personal

A MAN AND A WRITER GO INTO A BAR

Chuck
May 1, 2017
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    A man walked into a bar. “Writing a novel is easy, right?”  he asked. “I have this story I want to write. Tell me where to start?” Okay, maybe it wasn’t a bar, but a table at a book fair. I gave him the advice I heard from someone once.  “The beginning is easy. What comes next is hard,” I said. “Huh,” he said. “First, you need to get a license. Do you have one?” “I had no idea,” he said. “Where do I get one.” “The Department of Creative Writing,” I told him. “Each state capital has one, or province if you live in Canada. You have to pass a test. The written part is the hardest,” I added. “I had no idea,” he said again, starting to sound repetitious. I’m sure he didn’t get my joke about the written part. OK, the conversation didn’t go exactly like that. Still, we’ve all had one close to that. We’ve been asked where we get our ideas. Is it hard? How long does it take to write a novel? I did have a woman tell me she would like to write but didn’t have an imagination. I would be…

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humor, Writing

A GOOD WRITING/WINE PAIRING

Chuck
February 11, 2017
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Wine Paring for writers?Countless times, Authors are asked what wine makes an excellent pairing with writing. After all, a master of the craft, Ernest Hemingway, said to write drunk and edit sober. Okay, writing and wine is a pairing rarely explored. So, let’s start. Some robust reds pair well while writing action. I suggest one of Italian Big B wines, Barolo, Brunello & Barbaresco. The flavors of the juicy ripe black and red fruit blended with savory herbs are complex, just what we want in an action scene. A problem for many struggling writers is cost. The Big B wines can be a tad on the pricey side. White wines? And yes, real men also drink white wine. They pair well with the contemplative writing moments. This is the time when a writer steps back from the keyboard, thinking about the next chapter or scene. Is Chardonnay to your taste? I personally lean to the dry whites like that, my fav being a Pinot Grigio. Romance writers may want some sweetness in their pairing. A Riesling or Moscato might serve you well. For the writers who just can’t kick into gear, you might try chugging a bottle of Old Swill…

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Opinion

OUR UNRAVELLING MORAL FABRIC

Chuck
January 13, 2017
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One way to describe Moral Fabric is to view us, as a society, sharing a standard dignity through high principles making the moral fabric a keystone; keeping the social order maintained and the standards it holds high-together. Now think about ours as a sweater, woven by that great moral fabric, now three hundred and forty-one years old now. In the time since it was knitted by our founders, there have been loose threads, even rips, some people even attempting to tear it apart. Still, the sweater has remained intact. Now, I wonder if that sweater knitted with moral fabric is finally beginning to unravel, along with it, our democracy as we know it. Little did I realize that when I started The CleanSweep Conspiracy, gathering my thoughts, and notes that would eventually lead to the novel, that it was a cautionary tale. When the canary in a coal mine died from deadly gasses and stopped singing, the miners knew it was a warning. Today, with the emergence of an American oligarch tweeting us into a coma, complete with Alt Right support, can we still hear the canary of our democracy? Growing up, my parents and teachers stressed the high value…

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