I am in Deep Writing Mode, and it's hard to describe to someone who isn't a writer. It's a state of perfect happiness and profound weirdness. I am filled with impatience when I am not at the computer. I find myself turning off the TV or putting down a book I'm reading and just staring into space for a while, thinking.
You see, when I write, my characters come alive. It's like they are trying to get my attention so I can tell their stories, which is what I want to do, in the best way possible.
Ten years ago I wanted to write novels but I feared I would never have the talent or the patience to even finish a novel, about anything. All I had ever written were a ton of poems and maybe three short stories, plus a few screenplays that stank.
Poetry is easier because nobody expects a poem to make sense. Most poems can be read in under 5 minutes. In contrast, most novels are 60-90,000 words and take a few hours to read.
I wrote my first novel about 5 years ago. I was so thrilled when I finished it and typed The End. I immediately e-mailed it to everyone I knew. Only much later did I cringe, thinking how bad it was and how all my friends and relatives who tried to read it must have been appalled by how bad it was.
Oh well.
I've read a lot of books by famous writers about how to write. For me, about 90% of their advice was useless. I am not going to spend years studying Greek and Roman classical texts, and I am not going to get up at 4 a.m. and start writing, or blast ear-splitting heavy metal while I write. I even took one of those online Master Classes where I watched famous writers on videos talking about how to write. Only one of those writers told me anything worth remembering, Dan Brown. I loved The DaVinci Code, but I've not liked any of his other books half as much. I hated The Lost Symbol because it had some unkind things to say about freemasonry, and since my father and both grandfathers were masons, I got ticked.
The only way to really learn how to write fiction is to just write. Every writer has to figure out for themself what works and what doesn't. You can take classes and read books and go to writer's groups with boundless dedication and enthusiasm, but in the end, you just have to sit and write.
The good thing about my first novel is that it was bad. I was forced to re-read it and cringe and that was really great because I could see where I had gone wrong. If it had been awesome I wouldn't have learned anything.
With my most recent novel, Return to Marietta, I have had a number of people -- some of them not even my friends or relatives -- reach out and tell me how much they enjoyed reading it. That was very encouraging. See below for some random comments by different folks.
"I just finished Return to Marietta. It was wonderful! I can't stress enough just how good this book was. I wish you would consider making it a little series, I know you could get at least 3 books out of it following the family in today's world. If you don't do that, keep writing, don't ever quit! love, love, loved the book!"
"This book has it all! I laughed aloud, cried, prayed, was touched, angered, terrified, and ecstatic. It is AWESOME."
"I thoroughly enjoyed “Return to Marietta.” I loved that the story was based on your grandparents."
Some folks may think it's childish and immature to post words of praise like that but so be it. I sit alone in my room for hours every day and write, and getting feedback is so important to my mental health. Even constructive criticism is fine, as long as the person isn't just a jerk about it. My BFF since infancy, Joanne, is brilliant at reading my manuscripts and pointing out the flaws without being mean. I always take her advice to heart, and I usually follow it.
If you love to read, I urge you to go to the author's website and contact them and let them know how much you like their work. It will mean a lot to the author, even if they are famous.
left, the cover of the hardback book
right, my grandparents on their wedding day in 1923
