Wednesday, April 20, 2011

What I am

You can’t always start a timed writing with no subject and expect to find one. Although I do that often – as you can probably tell – and more often than not, a subject will appear. I’ve always depended on my creativity to come up with something more times than I should. It wasn’t until Murder by Dewey Decimal that I even thought about outlining and not until Murder by the Acre that I had one. MBTA required an outline because so much happened in the book and so many secondary plots had to be resolved by book’s end. You would have thought I learned my lesson.

But I didn’t.

So I started Murder by the Mile with no outline. Since I wrote the majority of it during National Novel Writing Month, there was a pleasing sense of spontaneity and chaos that helped me keep writing and make the 50,000 word goal by the end of November. But when I read it back over ... yikes. Plots sprang up, wandered off, appeared, and disappeared with the consistency and logic of the Cheshire Cat. As a result, I’ve had to lose nearly 15,000 words from the first draft. Sigh. And they’re not words that I can save and use in another book as the events they describe are now impossible with the current timeline.

Oh well. I’ve read many times about authors who had to toss more words than that before they found the story. Perhaps it’s one of those rites a writer has to go through. But as rites go, it’s sure not much fun. Perhaps instead of rites, I should call it one of the trials.

Another trial I face – this one self-inflicted – is my inability to identify myself as a writer. Of course, I’m currently unemployed (and need a job should you have one or know of one) but I decided a couple of months ago to tell people I was a writer when they asked what I do. Instead, I stammer and launch into this long story about my old job and how my boss passed away while their eyes glaze over. I listen to myself with embarrassment each time I do it, but I seem unable to stop.

Perhaps I should announce my vocation. Here goes:

I am a writer.

I am a writer.

I am a writer.

And I’ll be writing more to you tomorrow. Have a great night.

Buy Floozy and Other Stories in paperback at Lulu.com
Buy Floozy and Other Stories in hardcover at Lulu.com
Buy Murder by Dewey Decimal at Amazon.com
Buy Murder by Dewey Decimal at Barnes&Noble.com
Buy Murder by Dewey Decimal at BooksAMillion.com
Buy Murder by Dewey Decimal at Lulu.com
Buy Murder by the Acre at Amazon.com
Buy Murder by the Acre at Barnes&Noble.com
Buy Murder by the Acre at BooksAMillion.com
Buy Murder by the Acre in soft cover at Lulu.com
Buy Murder by the Acre in hardcover at Lulu.com
Buy Floozy, MBTA & MBDD items and more at Oakleaf Harbor

4 comments:

Wendy said...

Actually, you are an author. You have books in print and available. It will go something like this:

"Hi, Stephen, what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, I'm an author."

"You are? That's so cool! What do you write?"

"Murder mysteries. I have two out currently and the third will be out soon at Lulu.com. Here's the web address." Hand over a card with the pertinent information as well as the contact info you're comfortable with releasing so they can contact you to get their books signed.

SBB said...

I really like the idea of a contact card, Wendy. Thanks!

And your script is what I intend to do every time. Execution is my problem. :(

Unknown said...

What EJ said. And a very specific form of writer just like I'm a blogger and, now, auto reporter.

We're still writers.

SBB said...

I'm working on it, Joel.