The Stories End...Time to Stop Moping

May 23, 2015

In terms of keeping a diary on writing and the promotion of my books, I've discovered I'm not as diligent as I hoped I'd be. This I attribute to change...namely, a change in where I blog and setting that up (namely, here at Blogger). I also have to attribute it to the actual act of writing. In previous posting, I mentioned I was attempting to finish a novel called Barkerton, that I had started writing almost two decades ago, and which has been my own personal White Whale. For years I focused on writing screenplays, sure that the art of writing a novel was beyond my abilities.

Believe it or not, writing screenplays, and the many drafts, improvements and rewrites they required, helped me hone my writing abilities. Today, I am a far better writer than I was when Barkerton was initially written (yes, although I have finished the first draft finally, it will involve me returning to Barkerton and rewriting and polishing it to bring the entire manuscript up to snuff).

It was during the past couple of years that I discovered I had the ability and maturity as a writer to finish a book-length manuscript, and have three novels written: Tripping on Tears, The Merry Pranked, and The Marquis Mark, debuting on Amazon June 7th. With about 90,000 words of Barkerton completed, it bothered me that I hadn't brought that book's character's journey to an end. Or maybe they simply pissed me off, because they wouldn't allow me to bring their journey to an end? Was it my failure, or were they thumbing their noses at me, taunting me, and living on despite my best endeavors over the years to finish their tale? I guess you could say we had a love-hate relationship, and for the greater part of that time, they were in control.

The confidence I received in completing the other books, gave me the ability to confront them, fight through whatever writer's block voodoo they had put on me, and complete their story. Barkerton, after all this time - at least the first draft - was completed.

I thought I'd spend my time dancing a gig in celebration, but instead discovered, like with my other books, and even scripts I worked on, completing the story left me sad. You see, for the duration of writing each book or screenplay, I find myself living with those characters, even when I'm not sitting down and actually writing their story. They become a part of me - friends (even those I despise; those who provide the darkness that exists in my storytelling). Much like with the other books, other than the re-writes, I realized the story of Barkerton's characters had been told, and I didn't need to think about them, and what they do next, anymore. It was depressing and I decided to foolishly mope around, and not get down to the business of writing and blogging.

Well, I've finally snapped out of it. I'll be revisiting those characters and polishing them, and while I do feel a sense of loss, the beauty is that, deep down in the recesses of my mind, new characters, with a different story, are clawing their way to the front of my imagination, determined that their story finally be told; I'm not completely sure who they are, but something tells me, it'll be wonderful spending time with them as well.

In other words, time to get back to work.

Facing the Unknown – Facing Fears

It’s impossible to know the future. If we did, we could relax. Some would argue that it’s that unknown that makes life so exciting. It’s also that unknown that makes life both frustrating and frightening.

What does the future hold?

Presently with two books available Tripping on Tears and The Merry Pranked – on Amazon-Kindle, and a third thriller pre-ordering June 7th  The Marquis Mark – the task ahead is finding an audience.

How?

There is a way and it can be done, but as I look upon it at this moment, it feels as if I’m standing at the base of a mountain, the summit my goal, and my chances of getting there one in a billion. It’s a daunting proposition at best.

In trying to promote my books, I’m not alone. My wife, who also designed the covers, is helping, but finds herself overwhelmed with the task not only the probability of it, but the unknown can it happen and will it happen? The truth of the matter is no one can tell us about either. We’re facing the great unknown, and at the end of it is either success or failure.

That fear, however, can be crippling. We live in a competitive world, and when it comes to the arts, you’re never alone. Why should someone purchase and read my books instead of another’s? I believe I’m putting out a solid, entertaining, well-written and engaging product, but the truth of the matter is there’s no solid reason as for why they should read mine as opposed to another’s; theirs could be equally well-written and entertaining.

In trying to achieve any dream, there are hurdles, some small, and many grand in scope; in trying to achieve any dream, there are constant fears and frustrations. None of us know the outcome the future, but as I've pointed out to my wife, the only guarantee is, if we do nothing, nothing will happen.

While I don’t offer a great deal of value in this blog post, in venting and outlining these fears that exist, I’m sure many others can relate you’re not alone, and I hope like myself, you find your readers, not only now, but for years to come. Don’t give in to the fears and frustrations, persevere and hope that if your work is good enough, it will eventually find its audience.