It's Been A Long Road

   Four years ago, unable to work because of health reasons, and running out of books to read, I decided to write my own stories. It was just something to pass the time. I had a couple stories in my head I thought would be fun to put down on paper, and just started writing. My daughter came over one day, and of course she wanted to know what I was doing. (nosy kids! lol) Anyway, she really liked what I had written and pressured me into entering a contest.
   I picked up a writing magazine from the library and found an ad for a short story contest. The story had to be less than three thousand words. I sat down, wrote the first thing that came to mind, ran it through Word to check for errors, and sent it off. Several months later, I received an e-mail congratulating me on finishing in the top ten.
   The story had been brewing in the back of my head the whole time. It needed to be longer. I looked through another magazine and found a contest with a word limit of six thousand . Again, I sat down, wrote what was in my head, put it in the computer and off it went. Months later, a nice Certificate of Honorable Mention arrived in the mail. I later learned I'd finished in the top eight out of over eight thousand entries. I was hooked.
   That short story blossomed into the idea of a trilogy, and I began to write in earnest. It hasn't been a steady or smooth road to this point. Sometimes, I'm just not able to write because of pain, or my depression rears its ugly head and mocks my efforts to complete a story of that length. In desperation, I set aside the large project and wrote a much shorter novella. A number of short stories also appeared along the way
   By that time, I had joined a local critique group, and eventually found three writing partners who encouraged me to finish the first novel in the series. They were over last night and helped me put the finishing touches on the final scene. I completed one more final edit and sent it off to be formatted. In a couple of days, I will submit it to createspace and Amazon for publication.
   It's a really good feeling to have completed the book, but my mind is now drifting. For years, scenes from this story have always been in the back of my mind. Will I be able to focus on the second book like I did the first? I don't know, but for now, it's nice to let my mind think about other things.
   Did I mention I have a honey-do list pages long? Hopefully, my brain will be refreshed after completing most of the other projects I've been neglecting around the house. I hope to continue with the intensity I had while finishing the first novel.
   Of course, I will let everyone know when the book is available, and maybe I can even convince a few to read it.
   Thanks for reading!

Involve the Reader

   I try to write stories in the way I enjoy reading. I'm also a very visual reader and have a vivid imagination. Books that go into extreme detail and long explanations of what is happening, bore me. When something unexpected happens to a character and they are puzzled, wondering why, I want to be puzzled and wonder also. It gives me the incentive to keep reading and hopefully find out why along with the character.
   It irritates me when an author introduces a character, and then several paragraphs, or even chapters later, provides a detailed description of that character. Based on the situation, setting, etc, my imagination has already formed a complete picture of that character. If the author describes them differently, it makes it hard for me to connect with the character. Unless it's critical to the story that the character has long blond hair, always in a ponytail, let the reader use their imagination. If it is important, then mention it as soon as the character appears.
   My writing partners and critique group enjoy it when I leave things to their imagination and present happenings without explanation. They look for that 'ah ha' moment later in the story when the reasons become clear. They feel involved in the story, not just reading about it. Of course, I have to remember those moments and make sure I answer the questions before the end.
   I know my writing style will not appeal to everyone because some readers aren't able to visualize that well and need the extra detail and explanations. Sorry, but I can't write that way. If I don't enjoy writing it, I doubt others will enjoy reading it.
   That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Ha ha!
   Thanks for reading.

Attached is a picture of my new book that should be published by the end of the month.