New Ventures in the Writing World

I am starting to put together a Writers group at the Library. The first meeting is tonight, and I'm hoping that it will go well. This meeting is more of a meet-up than a meeting. I will be setting up the basic rules and explaining why I started the group (people asking if we have writing groups.) I am not teaching people how to write, but encouraging them to either start or keep going on their current projects. These are the basic rules: Rules - Open minds - Constructive Criticism - Non-judgmental - unbiased opinions - Share time with others This is what I would want from a writers group. We'll be closing with an exercise from The Amazing Story Generator by Jason Sacher. It looks like a child's flip it book.

Does that sound like a fun book to write, or what? The combinations are endless and occasionally ridiculous. We will be ending with a fun prompt and a five minute writing session.

Ad Astra | Events

Just a little blurb about my favorite convention. No, I don't write SF/Fantasy, but authors are authors and they all have words of advice and encouragement. Best of all, it's inexpensive and I can drive to Toronto. There's always great cosplay, gaming, and much fun. Including special tastings of wine, cheese, beer or chocolate run by people who really know their subjects well. I had to put in a good word for this great con.
Update on my writing
Word count: 88,543. I'm getting there.

Ad Astra | Events

Food for thought ...

Some consolation for writers currently writing their first draft...😅#writerslife #amwriting pic.twitter.com/ojxHJpbcUN

— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) May 5, 2019

But I don't have time to write!

Is this your problem, or your favorite excuse, like it is mine? Here's a great link from Career Authors; one of my favorite sites. This has excellent advice for those of us who are time-challenged.

How to find time to write

I've learned several strategies from this article that I've never thought of. I particularly like the sticky note idea, because when I have to stop writing, or am interrupted, leaving a note as to where you want this scene/chapter to go seems so, so helpful!

I'm a bad blogger, but a great reader!

I've done a lot of reading these last few weeks, some for pleasure, some for work. I've managed to write a few more pages on THE BOOK, too. I'm at 273 pages and 88,434 words. 

Honestly, I don't know how prolific writers do it! But read the latest The Real Book Spy blog and interview with John Sandford, to find out. 

https://therealbookspy.com/2019/04/15/neon-prey-five-questions-with-john-sandford/

Review: The Border

It's almost impossible to do a review of a nearly perfect book. Or the third book of a trilogy without spoilers!

The Border by Don Winslow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. It is truly epic. I have no doubt that it will be my #1 book at the end of 2019.

The Border concludes the trilogy that began with the Power of the Dog, and The Cartel, while reading the trilogy is helpful, it is not absolutely necessary, as much of the previous history of the characters and the drug trade is deftly included. At the end, it is a fitting wrap-up of the narrative.

This book is intense, as in I couldn't read it at night as the characters stayed with me. There were times I wanted to cry, and at the end, I did cry. Winslow's writing is clean and clear, even when dealing with multiple characters, a timeline that moves back and forth, and enough action to keep you turning pages.

The only warning I can give is that The Border is not for the faint of heart, or language sensitive. It is violent, profane, and uncomfortable, at times. But it is also magnificent.


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Update and Words of Wisdom

Well, February has been a month, I tell you. I've been ill for most of it with a virus that decided it liked me and overstayed its welcome. Not much writing was done. Then we had a horrible windstorm that took out my cable and internet. You never realize how helpful Google is until it's not available for research. Finally, February, despite being the shortest month seems like the longest! Between brutal weather, illness, and general exhaustion from 40 hour work weeks, I wish the month would just go away.

So, lovely followers, I'm sorry for being away for so long. Have a quote to encourage you.

“We’re all there trying to make the story, novel, or chapter as good as it can be. It’s a constant struggle to get it down, get it clear, and understand that your intentions are the same, whether you’re an undergraduate writing a short story or a writer with seven published novels. The continually reassuring thing is that we’re all novices when we start a new work.”

- Alice McDermott

P.S. I might have an update on my progress later this week. 

Recommendation

Hi,

I am posting an interview from The Big Thrill of author John A.Vanek. His first book Deros (Date of expected return from overseas), begins the series featuring Jake Austin. a priest who was a medic in the army, then a physician, then a priest. He's a fascinating, complex character and I'm looking forward to reading Miracles.

I had the pleasure of hosting John at the library. Miracles by John A. Vanek https://t.co/UJcIioLiDv via @anteksiler

— DresdenRose🌹📚 (@DresdenRose) February 1, 2019

Update tomorrow, a cartoon today!

pic.twitter.com/SfIhkOH0Mt

— Riz Sabir Thrillers (@rizthrillers) January 31, 2019

Review: Tear It Down by Nick Petrie

Tear It Down by Nick Petrie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I've been a huge fan of Nick Petrie's Peter Ash series since I read The Drifter. Each succeeding book has seen the former soldier meet challenges not only from a variety of villains, but from his own inner struggles with severe claustrophobia and the "white noise" of his PTSD. Each book has also seen him defeat evil, but also win ground back from his own difficulties.

Tear It Down finds Peter in a stable, if unusual relationship with June - a tough as nails reporter who recognizes that Peter needs to keep busy, physically and mentally, to hold on to his hard won gains emotionally. When she thinks Peter is getting too restless, she asks him to go to Memphis to help a photo-journalist friend, Wanda, with the "fixer upper" she purchased.

Peter arrives at Wanda's house to find that somebody has driven a dump truck into her house. The next day, Peter's truck is stolen by a homeless teenager who was reluctantly involved in a jewelry store robbery gone wrong.

Things go downhill rapidly when Wanda's house is shot up by a man who is described as the Devil. All Peter really wants is to find his truck, save the boy who is a talented musician, discover who wants Wanda out of her house, and do his job. What follows is a high octane plot involving drug kingpins, white supremacists, a treasure hunt and a car chase that makes Bullit look like a walk in the park.

What sets Tear It Down apart from a lot of thrillers is the heart in this book. Peter and his partner, Lewis, are a classic duo hearkening back to Spenser and Hawk, and Joe Pike and Elvis Cole. Peter and June compliment each other, and she understands him better than he understands himself at times. The book throbs with the life of Memphis and Music, the smell of hot asphalt and rain, and the music of the Blues.

This is the thriller of the year for me. I'm sure it will lead my top 10 at the end of 2019. Don't miss this book, but do read Nick Petrie's other books, too.



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Always go for the Books

I know I already posted for the day, but this was too good not to share it.

Never risk it. Always go for the books! pic.twitter.com/ymmsH7TLjN

— #BookLovers 📚 (@BookChat_) January 21, 2019

Book Review: Scrublands by Chris Hammer

Scrublands by Chris  Hammer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is Chris Hammer's first novel, but not his first book. It's more of a "Why dunnit?" than a "Who Dunnit? but intriguing enough to keep me reading. When his editor sends Martin Scarsden to write about the effects of a mass shooting in a small Australian town, he is more intrigued by the shooter than the aftermath. The shooter was a Catholic priest who seemed to go from sane and lucid to a killer in less than five minutes. He is also deeply intrigued by the owner of the dying town's only bookstore, a lovely and mysterious single mother named Mandalay, or Mandy. The more he investigates the tragedy, the darker the secrets are he uncovers, imperiling his job, his emotional stability and his very life.

There are plots and subplots that take a bit too long to interweave into the fabric of the novel, which is about 40 pages too long, but that is my only quibble. However, when all is revealed, and all the dark secrets brought to light, the ending is the reward for the patient reader.


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Snow Day?

We're expecting 6-12 inches of snow here in the CLE over the next few days. I'm off work and plan to spend the weekend writing and reading. I've got some great books to read.

1. The Scrublands by Chris Hammer
2. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
3. The Witch Elm by Tana French

I'm halfway through The Scrublands, and it just proves that you can write a mystery/thriller in the present tense. It works well in this novel where the protagonist is out to find the truth about a shocking mass murder. We already know that the killer is also dead, that the events took place a year in the past, and that nobody can explain why it happened. It's also effective because the narrator is unreliable. First, he is suffering from PTSD, he's falling in love with a woman in the town, he's a reporter hanging on to his job. It's fascinating and involving.

As for writing? It's hard to write about hot, humid, stormy weather when it's going to be extremely cold! I hope to get at least a few words completed, though.

It's definitely a weekend to stay inside, stay safe and curl up with a good book.

Reading and Writing

"Before you become a writer you must first become a reader. Every hour spent reading is an hour spent learning to write; this continues to be true throughout a writer's life." --@RobGMacfarlane, Landmarks

I found this quote in my Twitter feed, quoted by perhaps the best known reader in the United States, the amazing Nancy Pearl.

Rob G. Macfarlane isn't the first person to say it. Just about every writer started out by being a voracious reader, myself included. I think everything we read leaves a footprint in our memory. I remember reading A Little Princess and falling in love with London; the fog and the attic with the view of chimney pots and rooftops, the gaslights, and the scenes Sara Crewe glimpsed through lighted windows.

I read Alistair McLean's The Guns of Navaronne, before I saw the movie, and wanted to know more about WWII. I learned about heroism, courage and strength against impossible odds. He also left an impression in my appreciation of a good thriller.

Nancy Drew and later, Agatha Christie, started me on a love of mysteries, which continues to this day.

My mother instilled him me a love of reading, encouraged my writing, and even when she was in her nineties and Alzheimers and old age left her unable to read, she still liked to be read to. The last book I read to her was A Little Princess, the first book she gave to me, and one her mother had given her as a child.

So, I read, and I write, and I learn something new every day.

Back to the Writing Life

After taking too much time to prepare for my presentation - which went swimmingly - thank you very much, I'm back to being just a librarian/writer at least for the weekend. Progress on my book? Coming along.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking about this entry from Career Authors:

Are You Making One of These Risky Moves

Apparently, yes, I am. Writing in the present tense. What are my feelings about this? I'm coming from a background of writing Fanfic, much of which is written in the present tense. It seems appropriate for mysteries and thrillers, when the action is so immediate to the protagonists. I don't believe it is for writers on literary fiction only, and as more younger readers take to the present tense both in fanfiction and in their current fiction, I believe they won't make that distinction, either.

I could be wrong, and I could be taking a risk, but why not? It couldn't be any riskier than daring to write to begin with and then putting your work out there, which is far more daunting than a mere grammatical format.

How to Start a Blog on Blogger.com for Beginners

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I will be teaching a blogging class at the library. Am I qualified to do this? As a librarian, I have my doubts, but as a blogger, I can say, "Of course!"

As part of the class, here's an experiment. Adding a link to a blog from Masterfile Premiere.

Blogging for beginners

Okay, here we go. This will be part of the class.

New Year's Resolutions and Other Deceptions

New Year's resolutions are not for the faint of heart. Every year we make them and break them, and tell lies about them, knowing full well that that we're lying to ourselves about them. Once broken, we think, what's the use?

Suppose a runner resolves to win a marathon in the next year, but of the hundreds of runners who enter a marathon, there can be only one winner. Their resolution is kaput and they may feel they have failed.

Suppose, instead, their goal is to run a personal best, even by one-tenth of a second? Chances are they will be able to do that.

My goal is to finish my novel, but I may only finish the first draft. I'll still have done something I've never done before. I'll have exceeded my personal best. If I don't finish, then my goal is still out there waiting for me to catch up.

My resolution is to write when I can, and not to obsess about what I haven't done. My goal is set, but I've been kinder to myself. Take a page from business and try to set SMART goals.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

When I sit down to write, I'll keep those in mind. 

• Specific: I will write when I have an hour to myself (30 minutes if that's all I have)
• Measurable: I will write at least 200 words
• Attainable: Even if those 200 words are dreck, they will still be there. 
• Relevant: If I only write 200 words a week, I will have at least 10,000 words that are new.
• Time-bound: One year to finish my first draft. 

Think I can do it?