Story Building Part One - Beginnings

If you've ever lived anywhere that freezes over, like New England or Minnesota or Siberia, you've probably had this experience (and if you've only ever been in warm places, lucky you.) Sitting behind the wheel, needing to get somewhere, but the windows are iced over. The heater is on full blast, the dashboard light shows the rear defroster is active, but for the moment you're going nowhere. You're keenly aware of the slowly warming rush of air from the vents, the cold seat on which you sit wrapped in layers, and you really start to notice how much the car needs a good cleaning. There's a gum wrapper on the floor, an empty plastic bottle in a cup holder, and a bit of dust gathering in every nook and cranny of the dashboard. But before long, a small piece of the windshield becomes translucent and you start to see the outside world. You notice the garage door first, not too exciting except that the fact you can see it means you're almost ready to hit the road; things are about to start happening. The clear spot widens and you can see more of your house. The dog is watching you from the front window, no doubt wishing he could come along for the ride even as you wish you could go back inside with him where it's warm. A single bird flies by, and you wonder how long it will be until spring fills the air with them. Neighbors emerge from their houses to get their mail or newspaper or start defrosting their own vehicles. Little by little, you can see more of the world around you, and as that happens you pay less and less attention to the gum wrapper and the plastic bottle and the dust. When enough of the windows are clear, you drop the car into gear and you're off on the day's adventure, your mind on the road and the traffic, all thoughts of cleaning forgotten.

Beginning to write is like that. Not just the start of a new project, but the start of each new session. I often write at night, after the rest of the house is asleep. The dog, laid out on the floor near my wife's side of the bed, snores and occasionally taps the footboard with his restless legs as he chases something in his dreams. The furnace or the air conditioner (depending on the season) kicks on and blows for a bit and shuts off. Somewhere in the distance a truck passes or a siren wails, and in front of me is a blank white screen, the digital equivalent of an empty page, featureless as a frozen windshield. But then a window slowly starts to open and in my mind I can see and hear and smell ... someplace else. If I'm patient, the window widens and bit by bit I can see a story unfold, and when I do, I write it down. I can still look around and see the room I'm writing in, of course, just as I can look around the inside of the car while I'm driving, but most of my attention is on the other side of the window, until it fogs over again and I'm done for the day.

I don't start with an outline. Over the years I've read a lot of articles about the process of writing, and I've paid a lot of attention to how other writers (especially the successful ones) go about it. I'm always curious about how they decorate their writing space, what music they listen to, whether they prefer pen and paper to computers, whether they research first or just wing it. What I've learned is that their processes are theirs. There is no right way, and the only wrong way to be a writer is to not write anything. Long story short, if anyone wants my advice about beginnings, it is simply this: begin today. If you want to be a writer, write something. If you're the kind of writer who needs an outline, start with that. If you're the kind who starts with the ending and works backward, then do that. If you don't know what kind you are yet, try ... everything. Trust that you will figure out what works for you, and what doesn't, along the way. But get started, because you can't know until you try.

I prefer a quiet setting. When I listen to music, it's usually instrumental only, at a fairly low volume. Lyrics get in the way; it can be hard to find the words to describe what I'm seeing through that window to another world when someone else's words are flowing into my ears. Sometimes I'll write longhand but mostly I prefer the laptop because I can type faster than I can write, and I can (and occasionally will) type with my eyes closed. But the rules aren't hard and fast. Sometimes I'll write during the day, and other nights I'll put on my headphones and crank up the tunes while banging out a page or two. Even for this one writer, there's not one right way.

So what do I start with? Whatever comes first. If the fog clears and the action has already started, I try to follow along. If not then I'll concentrate on the characters (who's here? why? what are they waiting for?) or the setting (where are we? what's the weather like? how do I feel about being in this particular place at this particular time?) I go into it knowing -- and more importantly, not caring -- that some of the words I put down at the very start are going to be thrown away later, replaced by something better. I get started with whatever I see first, but that isn't always the best starting point, if that makes sense. Like I said, my advice on beginnings is to just begin. See where it goes, and fix it later. Let the window clear a bit, watch what unfolds on the other side, write it down. That's what works for me. Use the comments below to let me know what works for you. As I said, I'm always curious.

Excerpt from McStretchy Posted

The next book in the Red Cloak Island series is titled McStretchy, and it should be available for purchase in the next few weeks, once the cover art is finished. Click on the Books link above for a synopsis and a link to read the first chapter here for free.  The Books page also contains synopses and excerpt links for the other great Red Cloak Island titles, Captain Kissy-Face and Invisible Max. Check them out, and stay tuned for the announcement when McStretchy becomes available for purchase.

What Just Happened? Also, What's Next?

My last post here was pre-NaNoWriMo. Today is January 18th. That's a long, quiet stretch. Too quiet, for a blog. So this post will be a quick recap of the last couple of months, and a peek ahead at what I think is going to be a pretty exciting year.

To start with, no I didn't hit my NaNoWriMo goal. Congrats to everyone out there who did, and I'll give it another go when November rolls around again. I did get a lot of writing done, however, and this week I will be posting the first-chapter excerpt of McStretchy, which is the title of the next Red Cloak Island book. The book itself is complete, just waiting for cover art, and will be available in the next couple of weeks.

I write slowly, which is part of the reason I didn't hit the 50K mark for NaNoWriMo. But there's a method to the snail-paced madness, and I've decided to dedicate the next few blog posts to my process for storytelling. Call them New Year's resolutions or writing goals or just good intentions, but I plan to try and stick to a more regular posting schedule here.  And I'm already at work on the fourth Red Cloak book, tentatively titled Little Miss Thunderhead.

Apart from the writing, I've also been doing quite a bit of reading. Throughout the year, I'll also be posting more reviews here, as well as those I post on GoodReads and Amazon and other places online.  Reviews (especially good reviews) are an author's best friend.  Hint, hint.

So ... writing, reading, the holidays, work, family, volunteering (PAWS for my wife and daughters, Toys for Tots for my son and I) and not blogging. I think that covers November and December.  Goodbye, 2015, hello 2016, and here's to a new year. Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned -- there's so much more to come, I promise.

Uh-oh, oh no, NaNoWriMo!

It's mid-October. The weather is turning cold in my neck of the woods, which I'm not excited about but my dog loves it. This is also one of those points on the calendar when time seems to accelerate, as all of a sudden a lot of big things feel like they're about to happen all at once. This includes three of my family's favorite holidays, each of which presents various challenges. Are the kids too old yet for trick-or-treat? Do we stay home and host Thanksgiving (which can be stressful) or travel to spend it with relatives out of state (which can be a whole different kind of stressful)? Why, oh why, have we not yet started Christmas shopping? Add to that the end of this school year's first marking period, the annual swap of warm-weather gear for winter duds, and, oh yeah ... NaNoWriMo.

If that sounds like gibberish to you, let me explain. November is "National Novel Writing Month," for which NaNoWriMo is the not-quite-acronym. It's an annual self-challenge for writers to produce 50,000 words within a single month. Web sites abound for writers to discuss their projects, track and share their progress, tout their successes and lament falling short. It's a big deal. It's an annual tradition. And it's not easy.

I've tried it several times, and never quite pulled it off. But along the way I've learned some lessons to apply all year long. For example, I started out thinking that taking vacation the week of Thanksgiving meant I would have a solid seven days of writing to make up for missed daily goals in the first half of the month. Not so. More than almost any other, that's a family-oriented week. There's the feast itself, of course, but before that lots of shopping and prep to help with, and the weekend following it we spend putting up the tree and decorating the whole house for Christmas. And if we're not hosting then there are also hours of travel time. Can't write and drive; I think there's a law or something. So, first tip: hit the ground running on November first, and try to get ahead of daily goals and stay ahead if possible. Things will inevitably happen, and it may be tougher to get back up to speed than it was to get started in the first place.

Second tip: go in with a plan. If you're starting a fresh project for NaNoWriMo, use October to think it through a bit, maybe create at least a basic outline. A blank page can be an exciting world of possibilities, but it can also be an intimidating void if the words to fill it don't spring to mind. And the pressure of the ticking clock doesn't help.

Last, best tip: don't stop at the end of November. If you write 50,000 words, good for you! Celebrate, then finish up the story, go back and edit and polish, and then start the next one. And if, like me, you don't get to 50K? Don't despair, whatever you got done in November puts you further along with that project than you were in October, and now you have December to continue working on it, and if need be also January and onward. Just make progress, and keep at it until the work is done. I haven't yet hit my NaNoWriMo goal, but I have finished several books, and eventually you can, too. Let's go!

Heroes, Super and Otherwise

What if you could fly? What if you were bulletproof? What if you could become invisible? As kids, my friends and I asked each other these questions. Most kids do, I would guess. I'm in my forties now, and these questions still come up from time to time. I'm still a kid at heart, I still read comics and go to movies, and I still love a good superhero story. And that's the ultimate answer, isn't it? Depending on your age, you might say you'd fly off to Hawaii and save a bundle on airfare, or get even with a certain high school bully, or sneak into the next Avengers movie without paying. But then you think about it a bit, and eventually you decide you would probably become a superhero. Wouldn't you? I know I would.

But I can't fly, and I'm not bulletproof, and I'm pretty much the opposite of invisible. I have no superpowers whatsoever. Bummer.

But if comics and superhero movies have taught me anything, it's that if you take away the "super", you usually still have a hero. Not always, but often. For example, Tony Stark did not become a hero when he put on the Iron Man suit; he became one when he said "I want to protect the people I put in harm's way." Kal-el had powers from the moment he arrived on earth, but it was the lessons learned from his adoptive human parents, and his own choices, that made him worthy of the name Superman. Perhaps the best example is Steve Rodgers, who had the heart and soul of a hero long before he became Captain America. He would have been a hero with or without the powers he gained. In each of these stories, the superpower is cool and provides the "wow" factor (especially in movies, where special effects wizardry has pretty much become a superpower itself.) But the best superheroes, in my opinion, are those who are heroes first, and super second.

In real life, we don't (yet) have any superheroes. But we do have heroes. Those who serve in the armed forces, for example. Firefighters, EMTs, and police officers. Teachers. Doctors and nurses. Parents. Volunteers. They are not hard to find. Most of them are not hiding their identities. They're just out there, getting the job done. Right here in this house are a volunteer firefighter and Young Marine, an educator and several animal shelter volunteers. I'm proud of all of them. Take a few minutes today, look around you, and figure out who the heroes are in your life. Thank them. And if you are one (even if you don't realize it) then thank you.

As for me, I'll keep dreaming about being super, but even if that never happens then I'll still try my best to be someone's hero, in whatever way I can.

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Five nights a week, our family closes the day by reading aloud together. My wife and I (or occasionally, one of the kids) read one or two chapters per night, so we average perhaps two full books per month. Often we'll discuss what we've read for a few minutes afterward before everyone heads for their own room, conversations which can be just as entertaining as the books. It's a terrific tradition, a habit we got into early, and I'm extremely pleased that the kids still enjoy it even now that they've started the journey through their teens. As they get older, though, it gets trickier to find books that please the whole crowd. All of us are avid readers, but like every family we all have our own tastes and interests. Max the Minnow and Goodnight Moon had universal appeal, once upon a time, but are there books that my junior firefighter will love as much as my aspiring veterinarian and my budding cake decorator? The answer is yes, and one of those is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

The Graveyard Book is the story of Bod (short for "Nobody") Owens, an orphan who grows up in a cemetery, raised by ghosts and assorted creatures of the night, after his family is murdered. Yes, that setup sounds dark and scary, but no more so than the setup of Cinderella, Snow White, and a lot of other children's classics, and no more so than Harry Potter or other more recent favorites. What follows that setup is a childhood unlike any other, but still quite relatable. Bod has trouble making friends (didn't we all?) but the friendships he does forge are strong and true. Old-fashioned wisdom is passed to him from those who died centuries ago, and it still applies today. And when Bod ignores that wisdom, as children tend to do, he finds trouble and adventure in equal measure. The core of the book, in my opinion, is the difference between shape and definition of a life. Gaiman paints a portrait of childhood with both dark and light strokes, and deftly illustrates that the events that happen to us -- good or bad -- can shape the course of our lives, but only the choices we make -- good and bad -- truly define who we are and who we eventually become. Bod could choose to cower in the graveyard, the only place he is truly safe, giving in to fear, and that would be understandable given the events of his earliest childhood. But he chooses a braver path. He wants to learn, and to explore, and to be a part of the world instead of hiding from it.

My favorite section of this book was the chapter entitled Danse Macabre, a scene of perfect enchantment where the worlds of the living and the dead overlap in a manner both surreal and magical, told from exactly the right point of view. The conversation about it afterward, between Bod and his mentor / guardian Silas, will make you want to hug a vampire. How often does that happen?

Obviously I'm not the only one recommending this book. It won a Newberry Medal, after all. Nor is this the only fine book by this author (Coraline is also great, and so is The Ocean at the End of the Lane.) All I'm saying is that I loved The Graveyard Book, as did my wife and all three of my children, so if you're looking for a book to appeal to your whole family, this is one I would recommend. Feel free to comment below to share your thoughts on this book, this author, or anything else, including any books you'd recommend for a family reading.

Release Day: Invisible Max

It was all fun and games, until lightning struck the lasagna.

So begins the second book in the Red Cloak Island series. The young superheroes-in-training from Captain Kissy-Face are back, facing threats both old (boring classes, disappointing cafeteria food) and new (conspirators plotting to destroy the island and everyone on it.) Hunter Maximus – a.k.a. Invisible Max – pulls a prank on his friends with unexpected and disastrous consequences. His friends are annoyed, he’s given a month’s worth of detention, and he’s temporarily not allowed to use his invisibility power. Hunter decides the punishments are tough but fair, and tries to learn from his mistake. When he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and overhears a plot that threatens everyone, he sees a chance to be the hero he knows he should be and redeem himself in the process. But he can’t save the day on his own, and he has no proof, and his friends think his story is yet another prank. Worst of all, time is running out: in fact it may already be too late to set things right.

Invisible Max is available as an eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books and other retailers. Check it out, then come back here and tell me what you think, or post a review on your favorite book site like GoodReads. As an added bonus, Invisible Max includes the first chapter of McStretchy, the next Red Cloak Island book. Enjoy!