Turning Pages

Just the other day, I posed a question to my wife: are there times when you feel compelled to go out in the shop to create not because of some looming deadline but because of a driving, inner need to create? She said yes. I, too, say yes, but it’s mainly in the past tense.

There was a moment when I was in the middle of writing the Truman story that I realized that Treason at Hanford was the ONLY book I wanted to read…and I was the one writing it. To date, with my second novel (RiHT), that has not occurred. Part of it stems from my brain freeze on how the story is to be shaped and my insane desire to write this book just like the Truman book. That is, with a set outline, set in stone, largely unmoving. RiHT has been anything but set. I have vacillated back and forth, back and forth, never seeming to hone in on the subject of the book. Now, ironically as I decided to throw out the pre-existing outline style of writing and just go (always drawing images and scenes and dialogue from the huge cloud of ideas about this book), I think I’m on to it. At least my wife and my critique group think so.

So why am I not compelled to just dive in and see where this thing goes? I can’t answer that yet. But part of it is my compulsion to read. I’m kind of in a reading mode now. Back when I was writing the Truman book, I wasn’t. In fact, when I realized that whatever I was reading began to influence my writing, I slowed down my reading. Almost all of it was audiobooks. Yes, I listened to all of the Narnia books by C. S. Lewis and a few non-fiction works but my reading pace slowed incredibly.

Nowadays, as my desire to read more and more pulp fiction increases, I am captured by the numbers. Most of what I’m reading is Hard Case Crime novels. They are all about 200 pages and, with my slow reading rate, I get intoxicated when I blow through one or more of these books in a week. I start wanting more and more to read more and more. It’s a bad spiral.

There are signs that the end of this cycle is nigh. Stephen King just published a new book, Duma Key, and it’s a 22-hour book. His son wrote Heart-shaped Box and it’s on my list and it’s over 10 hours. Even with my 40-minute, one-way commute every day, it’s going to take time to read these books. But that’s okay. Not every book should be dispatched quickly. And there is a new work of non-fiction, This Republic of Suffering, that I really want to read. (Part of the reason, I'll admit, is story ideas...but that's another blog.) In addition to these books on my reading list, I am writing book reviews that I intend to submit to contests. While I used to write book reviews back in grad school, I do actually have to pay attention to what I’m reading and not gloss over details. That is slowing me down, too.

And then there is my current book-in-progress, RiHT. I can't help but wonder if this is the sophomore slump. I finished my first novel in June 2006. I have yet to complete my second. Is this on par with other writers? I wonder. On one level, I can see the next three chapters, including the current, half-written one. And I have a heroine that I enjoy and who I have placed in a rather large hole, so to speak. And I keep piling on, from various places and things that happen to me. I am actually quite curious to see how she deals with them.

But then I hit the inevitable roadblock of all writers in the first draft: it ain’t art that which I type. Take my chapter 7. I know what I wanted to say and wrote it thus. I printed it out and re-read it…and it was garbage. So, my natural inclination to want to know what happens next is trumped by the bumps in the road and the text. And then there is the natural reaction to the printed page as opposed to one’s own imagination. Wow, a writer says, it seems much more vivid in my head.

And isn’t that the true crux of a writer’s responsibility? To convey the world in one’s head in as best light possible to a reader, so much so that the reader is compelled to turn the page? Yes, that is the writer’s responsibility. And, for a writer, he is the book’s first reader. If he doesn’t care about turning the page, how can he expect others to? It’s interesting but not really a conundrum. If I can’t make myself want to turn the page, why bother writing the book?

Because I do want to know what happens. That’s it in a nutshell. I basically know my entire book in my head. I am now the transcriber. I believe that I have a good story to tell. Only time will tell if I do a good job and the transcription.

Chicago and the 1986-1994 Era

Over at one of the boards devoted to the band Chicago, there was a question regarding eras in the band. The question was whether or not the years 1986-1994 constitute and era. Here is my response.

I actually do consider 86-94 a distinct era...and here's why.

86-92 (with Jason and Dawayne in the band, keep the *rock* aspect of CHI alive) saw the band continuing in the vein started by Foster/Cetera: less horns, more ballads, culminating in the Arsenio performance of "You Come to My Senses." I think after that (and the zero performances of any tune from 21 in concert) that the band decided to go to the studio and make a record they wanted to make, not a record (a la 21) that the suits wanted them to make. Granted, 21 has some signs of what SOS was to be (If It Were You, God Save the Queen, Who Do You Love) but way too many songs that was the "typical Chicago sound" of the 1980s.

So they all get in a studio with a producer and create something from their heart and soul. Songs that rocked (SOS, The Pull); songs with heart (BTE, HWM); songs with rap (SITMOTBA); songs with funk (Mah-Jong); songs with a message (CFTL, ATY); songs as close to hard rock/metal that they'll ever get (GOT); and even a now traditional ballad (LTAL). Chicago 22 had it all. They loved it, they were proud of it. It was, to me, the most personal album Chicago had made since VII (when they basically made an LP for themselves [1st] and an LP for the radio [2nd]). SOS was the most adventurous CD since VII. They were ready to redefine themselves as a rock band.

Then, the suits knocked CHI to their knees. The suits shelved the CD because 'it didn't sound like Chicago.' I bet these were the suits who thought 16 was CHI's first album. The band's reaction was where we are now. Dawayne left CHI and, to me, Chicago ceased to become a ROCK band with horns. CHI then became, I hate to admit it, an oldies act. Their soul was gone. Now, they just went through the motions.

Granted that N&D and 25 showed incredible talent in arranging and performing (N&D tour was awesome, especially the unplugged part) but the band's heart was not in it. Even the '2 New Songs' from the HOC and XXVI CDs (good songs, mind you) were cut from the 'now traditional Chicago sound' mold. And then, with XXX, you did get some decent songs (tracks 7-12) that harken back to the good old days. But you can tell where the focus was: the new, traditional Chicago sound (tracks 1-7). I mean, serious, why would you *even* create a single by *Chicago* without horns?

These guys are immensely talented. Just witness the various solo CDs. But as far as Chicago goes, they are taking it easy. And, shoot, why not? They are in their 60s and make a great living playing great songs to great fans.

So, yeah, to me, 86-94 was an era. And now we're in another era: 95-end. But no matter what, this band is, and will forever remain, my favorite band.

Novel Update

Since my last entry, I've only written about 400+ new words. As of today, I'm stopping the old/new words list. It's now just total words. No, that's not the way NNWM's supposed to be but there it is.

Why? Because I now know my entire book in my head! I have mapped it all out, scene-by-scene, with Acts I, II, III. I've got the grand finale and, I think, a fantastic ending. It's full speed ahead from now on. Who knows? I might even finish this puppy by 30 November.

For the sake of numbers, I'm up to 14,247 words.

NaNoWriMo - Update 2

I got some great feedback from my writing group last night. I gave them my new Chapter 2.

NNWM Word count = 3500
Total word count = 11,400

NaNoWriMo - Word Count Update

During my lunch hour, I banged out my new chapter 2 and revised my old chapter 3. Remember: I am only counting *new* words for the sake of the NNWM month.

New words = 2810.
Total words (including previous material) = 6400.

The beauty of my storyboarding technique is that I never have to ponder what to write when I have a chance to sit down and write. I look at the next scene in line, visualize it, and write it down. And, to be honest, when I'm in the process of writing a book, I'm rarely not thinking about it. As a result, I visualize many scenes in advance. So my writing time is merely recording of the details of the scenes already in my head. I have 38+ scenes mapped out that will take me to the 90% mark of the book. I know the ending (I think) but I'm leaving the last 10% open to chance.

This is the first time since I finished my first novel in June 2006 where all the cylinders are firing and writing--the actual business of typing words on a page, not just the conceptualizing--is fun again.

Cheers.

NaNoWriMo - Update

Okay, so I did not get off to a good *writing* start. I have yet to write a *new* word. (I say "New word" because, as I mentioned, I have already started portions of this book. I just plan to finish it in this month.)

However, I did get off to a great structural start. As of today, I finally have the entire book mapped out, scene-by-scene, from the beginning to the end. So I think the weekend was a success. I ran the overview by my wife and got the thumbs up. So, today, I start writing new words.

This is very exciting.

NaNoWriMo and That Previously-mentioned Rut

Well, it turns out that the rut was deeper than I expected. No sooner than I had two great ideas and a method for my approach to the writing of both projects that I began to second guess myself. Not a good things for a writer to do.

My biggest obstacle was doubting the connection in my main story, the Houston crime story with my female detective. There were scenes and events that, to *me*, seemed coincidental. When I brought that up with my author friend, Victoria Graydale (see links), she commented that come of the things I deemed coincidental or too easy were not. Wonderful encouragement. Makes my original story ideas seem okay.

So, how to start again? Well, why not join NaNoWriMo? Two of my friends are signing up and I guess I got swept up in their enthusiasm. Granted, I have already started writing my second novel so I won't be starting from the proverbial blank page. But I will be complying with the spirit of the game if not the letter of the law. Whatever word count number I come up with, I'll basically write 50,000 words beyond that. So, I'll end up with a 50,000+ book but I will have written 50,000 new words this month.

I expect NaNoWriMo to accomplish two things for me. One, I expect to complete my second novel in 30 days. Then, I can begin editing it. Two, I expect to get back in the habit of writing something, anything, every day. This blog will be part of that. That will make this blog more fun to visit as I'll be blogging about the NaNoWriMo experience.

Then there is this other thing. I fancy myself as a wanna-be crime novelist and that does include the pulp fiction aspect. I just picked up the latest Hard Case Crime novel, Mickey Spillane's last novel, "Dead Street." (There's a nice review here at Entertainment Weekly). Back in the day, writers churned out short stories in days and novels in weeks. And they kept doing it over and over. It enabled their job to be writer rather than something else. Even modern writers such as Charlie Huston have commented that the pace of their writing enables their career. I finished my first novel in June 2006 and I have yet to write my second. It's infuriating because the only person to blame is myself.

Now, I'm taking charge again. I want to be a professional writer. To do so, I need to write. To date, I have not. That changes. Today.

And I'm off...

I *Was* Stuck in a Rut

There seem to be two main enemies that writers face: Writer’s Block and Motivation. I have never had a problem with the former. In fact, I have so many ideas running around in my head that I know I could make some of them into coherent stories with little trouble. I struggle with the latter more often than not. And it’s never one of “What should I write” because, like I just mentioned, I *know* what I want to write about. It’s usually the *how*.

I am writing my second novel, a Crime Story set here in Houston. On paper, I started working on it in early fall 2006. In fact, over the 2007 Labor Day weekend, as my family and I did our new tradition of going to Camp Allen, I read my journal entry from 2006. I then noted that I had made a breakthrough on the new story. And the story is still not finished. I am on my fourth attempt at getting these character to act and talk. I know, flat-out, what this story is about. It’s how to tell it and whom should tell it.

Where I am now (female detective is the lead POV) is the best way of telling this story. Once I made that realization, the entire book fell into place. What I next struggled with is style. Elmore Leonard once commented that he developed his unique style only after writing a million words. I look at my first draft of my first novel (114,000 words) and realize I have about 10 more books to write until I reach that mark. So, I better get moving, hadn’t I?

I also decided to make this new story a multiple-POV story. You see, I have my female detective, an ex-con trying to make a life for himself out of the slammer, and an evacuee (among other) who are trying to cope with the loss of their city (NOLA) while living in a new city (Houston). I mean, some of the scenes just write themselves. But I fret over my style. Is it edgy enough? Does it flow right? Does it feel right? Is the reader going to care about these people? I am the first reader and, well, I care for them. And its my job to make the other readers care, too. That’s where I am on that.

Then, just this past Sunday, the theme of that morning’s sermon awoke my original inclination on how I saw this story, that is, the ex-con as the lead POV character and his struggle to stay out of jail and out of police stations. And the sermon quoted Micah 6:8 (change the translation selection to get different takes on the words). I mean, is that not a life’s mission statement in a few simple words? The end result? I started writing the ex-con’s ‘origin story’…and I’m up to chapter 3 already.

Originally, the crime story was the ex-con’s origin story but that did not feel right. Now, it’s after his ‘origin.’ But the new story I just started? That’s the new origin story.

So, I am now writing *two* novels. Granted, as one takes off, I’m likely to let the other one slip. But the Origin Story I’m writing long-hand and the Crime Story I’m writing straight on the Mac. Helps keep them straight.

That’s the update…

Treason at Hanford: Now an Award-winning Manuscript

Over the weekend, I attended the Ft. Bend Writer's Conference. It was a wonderful day and I met some great folks (Hey Dawn and Joe!). The subject of the conference was screen writing. Granted, I'm still working on my novels but most of the tips can apply to novels as well as screenplays.

Anyway, I entered Treason at Hanford into the Novel-Writing Contest...and won third place. There were others who tied for 3rd with me but the simple fact is I Won Third Place. Yippee!

Nostalgia Triggers

I don’t know about y’all but almost anything can trigger a nostalgia trip for me. It can be a smell, a song, seeing and holding something from my past, etc. It doesn’t matter. And there are two seasons of the year that trigger the greatest nostalgia: summer and Christmas. I’m probably not alone with that.

Lately, since my 5-year-old is growing up, my trips have been back to my own childhood. This summer has two very different trips. One, of course, is the 30^th anniversary of Star Wars. That shot me back to the summer of 1977 (and 1978, a year early). The other is the realization that 20 years ago, I was preparing to go to college at The University of Texas at Austin. Hook’em.

There are times where I aim to trigger the nostalgia myself. In trying to figure out what to eat for lunch, I settled on McDonald’s and its wonderful sandwich, the Big Mac. Why is this an important milestone for me? Well, as I was a growing boy, Mickey D’s was the closest fast food restaurant to our house so we’d go there a lot. It was also on the way to our church. Back then, ordering a Big Mac and actually eating it was a goal I had. I can remember the first time I did it. My dad and I were going to an astronomy club meeting at the local high school. I was not yet a high schooler. I ordered a Big Mac, complete with its environmentally UN-friendly Styrofoam container, and I ate the whole thing. I even went home and told my mom. It was that big a deal.

Nowadays, of course, with the expanding waistline problem and the lack of physical activity to rival my childhood, I eat Big Mac rarely. But when I do go to Mickey D’s, I almost always order a Big Mac. And today’s Big Mac is especially tasty. And I'm ten-years-old again. And it's summer. And I'm smiling.

What are y’all’s favorite nostalgia triggers?

The Return to the Comic Book Store

Over this past weekend, for the first time in years—I think I calculated it to before my five-and-a-half year old son was born—I went into a comic store. And not just any store but the one I used to go to every Saturday: Third Planet here in Houston. Every Saturday, I would have breakfast with my grandfather and we’d talk. Then, I’d mow his lawn and he’d overpay me for the work, as grandfathers are wont to do. With fresh cash in hand, I’d go to Third Planet and buy the latest issues of all my favorite books.

I’m a DC man, always have been. I like Marvel characters but I always gravitate toward the DCU. So, on Friday last, as my son looked at all the Star Wars memorabilia (see, I trained him well), I talked with one of the guys who worked there about the state of Marvel and DC. His only comment on Marvel was “This is not the time to get into Marvel.” Okay, I thought, done. And then he proceeded to tell me what’s what in the DCU. Quite interesting, stuff.

What got me in there in the first place was a link from some website about a new version of The Brave and the Bold. That book was my favorite book when I was growing up. I have at least 125 of the 200 issues. And, since Batman was (and is) my favorite character, having him team up with various members of the DCU was cool The old DC Comics Presents (where Superman teamed up with other characters) was fine but BatB was better.

I ended up buying issue #1 of the new BatB and read it that night. It was like going back in time. I blazed through it, enjoying the George Perez art (he’s still one of the best) and the mere fact I was reading an actual comic book. I have kept somewhat current with DC Comics through the trade paperbacks issued every year. Honestly, that’s the best way to read an entire story: when all the issues are collected and there’s new front and back matter by the artists and writers. In fact, I liked the new issue so much that I went back to the comic store and bought issues 2-6, the current one. And, at the current cover price of $2.95, I don’t’ know how modern kids keep it up. Back when I was buying comics, the special Annuals were $1.00 and the books were $0.25 to $0.75 cents. It was a travesty when comics went to $1.00 for a regular issue and the Annuals were even more.

It’s neat to be reading comics again. It’s another link to my childhood that still exists for me. Star Wars will always be there and, I think, comics will, too. I think now to those young’uns for whom Harry Potter represents childhood. I wonder if, in the future, when they read the adventures of Harry Potter to their children, if the feelings of childhood will return for them. I think so.