Dolt Book-Writing Course Continued

So, let's continue with getting you to start writing a novel. Remember, the mountain you are contemplating climbing is only as high as you make it. The first day I started writing Evil in the Mirror, I could have sworn I was climbing Everest, but it turned out to only be a mole hill.

I. How can I remember all the names, places and events in my book? That's an easy one. Set up a storyboard using a spreadsheet. I place all the characters, chapters, page numbers and events in the spreadsheet as I am writing the book. I can review it at any time and believe me, I review it constantly.

J. Research is way too hard. Not! Today's writers have the world at their fingertips. It's called the Internet. I use Google to find anything and everything! Do what I did; my first book is centered in 1968 Tucson, Arizona. No cell phones, personal computers or high-tech to deal with. I was born in Tucson, which made research that much easier. Working smart does not mean you're lazy. Make your first book easy! I like fiction personally. My books can be anything I want them to be.

K. Where do I get an idea for a book? Fire up your computer and Google any subject you can think of. Past experiences and people you have met give you a base to start from. Our heads are full of experiences that can be used for a book. So you have to tweak them a little or a lot, who cares? People who know me can't believe the horrible murders I have come up with. They think I should be in prison or on death row. Truth? I just used past experiences for settings and characters, and the killings were embelished from what I had seen on TV, the movies, and read in books. Use your imagination; that's what it's there for.

L. I'm not educated enough to write a book. Give me a break, I barely graduated from high school. All I have is a P.h.D in the school of hard knocks, but during that process, I taught myself how to touch-type and read everything I could get my hands on. I'm glad my education is from the streets. Have you ever tried to read something written by an over-educated twit? Boring!

M. I can't imagine spending years writing a book. Me either. The actual writing of Evil in the Mirror took three months and Day Stalker four months. I guess I slacked off on Day Stalker.

N. How many words should my book have? For fiction, the minimum is 60,000 and the maximum is 100,000. Historical novels go on, and on, and on.... I personally don't like long, drawn out books. When the story is over, it's over. Don't beat a dead horse.

To be continued....

Write on,

Mittster