I’ve been meaning to get back to the original purpose of this blog, which is to give others an idea behind what I do, how I do it, and what path I took to self publish. It all begins with putting the pen on paper or fingers on keyboard. If that never happens, then nothing will come of the desire to write a book (or books.)
While I’m no expert, maybe by chronicling my process, someone else out there just starting out will get either some inspiration or figure out that if I can do it (Jim Devitt) then anyone can!
My two greatest influences in my beginnings of writing have been Stephen King’s On Writing and Larry Brooks Story Engineering and his blog storyfix.com. Stephen King does a great job of showing how he not only approaches the art of writing, but also the path that he took to get where he is today. Several times throughout the book, I looked up and said, “I can do this!” The feelings and frustrations that he underwent were the same things I was feeling through the process. So, thank you Stephen King for helping me realize that I could do this, too.
Larry Brooks is a different animal all together. His witty and engaging blog gets to the heart of Story Structure. He lays out a definite and specific plan that you must follow to bring together the right ingredients for a “sellable” novel. I encourage everyone to visit his blog and you will quickly become a fan of his style and candor. He pulls no punches. Thick skin is required.
The bottom line is, regardless of who your influences are, you must have a plan. You need a goal. To decide you are going to write a novel is not enough. I look forward to our next installment, where I will discuss a little about goal setting and how that comes into play with something as diverse, and from the heart, as writing. It is art, but you need a blueprint to come out on top and to finish when you want to finish, rather than when you get around to it.
