Words, Words, Words

I WANT TO WRITE ANOTHER NOVEL, but right now I don’t have an idea what kind of story to write. I will though.

I WANT TO WRITE ANOTHER NOVEL, but right now I don’t have an idea what kind of story to write. I will though.

It’s a strange thing about ideas. They come by the millions. Some are better than others, but they all are viable to one degree or another. It just depends on the skill of the writer. There are some ideas that could easily be turned into a decent story and there are others that would take a hundred years to open up.

All of these ideas and their fate are reliant on who the person is who is trying to lay down the ink. What can come alive for me might not for the next person in line. Why that is I can’t say for sure. There are too many factors involved. One writer’s genome is in a certain pattern that makes them who they are, and then their life experiences, good or bad, fill in the rest.

All of these ideas and their fate are reliant on who the person is who is trying to lay down the ink. What can come alive for me might not for the next person in line. Why that is I can’t say for sure. There are too many factors involved. One writer’s genome is in a certain pattern that makes them who they are, and then their life experiences, good or bad, fill in the rest.

Right now in my life I am writing a lot about loss and survival. I’m sure that my life is a mystery and I’m trying to figure it out, to understand it all. How and why did I get to here from there? What have I lost along the way and what have I gained?

My writing, no matter the genre, Noir, Mysteries, Romance, Thriller, Whatever – is a reminiscence in some form. Everything on every page has happened to me – not always in a literal form of course. I have not had a physical battle with a killer holding an axe, but there have been times when it felt like that. There is more than one kind of killer. In the novel the killer goes after your body. In real life they take the axe to your heart and soul. Which is more horrifying? I don’t know.

There is an old theory about writing fiction – that there are really only seven stories that can be told and everything an author creates is a variation of one of those seven plots. That might be true, I don’t know.

There is an old theory about writing fiction – that there are really only seven stories that can be told and everything an author creates is a variation of one of those seven plots. That might be true, I don’t know.

There is another dollop of wisdom about writing that says, “There are two rules to writing a good novel. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.”

OK, I get it. It ain’t easy. It takes a lot of work, but Oh, the payoff at the end. To resurrect Dorothy Parker with her razor eyesight, “I hate writing, but I love having written.”

I keep a notebook. Whenever I get an idea that I think has promise I jot it down for further expansion. 99.99% of my ideas are DOA – Dead on Arrival. Nothing more than a waste of ink and time. The rest, that 0.01% keeps me going.

Almost all of what I write comes under the general heading of “Drama.” For a guy who can be quite funny at times and has been alone on a stage clutching a microphone more times than I can recall, you would think that I could create a “Comedy.” Nope. I’ve tried, but I can’t carry it off for more than a page or two before some character pulls a gun or dies a horrible death. I don’t care for “Science Fiction” or “Fantasy” (Send in another Dragon!). I respect those who can write “Romance,” but I get uncomfortable ripping at bodices and flexing muscles.

So, here I am wanting to jump into a pool filled with 70,000 words again and wade my way to a dramatic climax at the far end. I’ll come up with an idea, one that won’t make me cringe or yawn. It may appear while I’m in the shower or while I’m sitting outside getting some sunshine, but I’m not going to worry about it. It will show up, I just don’t know when. Until then I’ll keep busy with this blog and keeping my cup filled with coffee.

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