What have you got to lose?

You hear people say, "I'm going to write that book someday." But no book ever appears. They honestly want to write the book but somehow don't get around to it.

This seems like a tragedy to me. If you have the urge to write -- and especially if you have the talent (or think you do) -- you should do it. What have you got to lose? I say write that book or story or play right now. It's simple: just begin.

Think about it. You could close this browser right now and open your word processing program and start that book. What's to stop you? You have an idea in the back of your mind; you know you do. It's been there forever. So why not take your idea out for a test drive?  Give it a shot: write a part of your book, any part at all. It all begins with a sentence and you know you can do that.

If you never take a chance, if you never write that first line, your idea will remain just an idea. I'm serious when I suggest that you start your book right now. Just think of an angle to approach the story and visualize the first scene that occurs to you. You don't have to know everything about the scene. If you can see its beginning, go for it. Write that first sentence and once you've put a few words down, keep going. Write as much as you can without stopping. 

Just think -- no matter how the writing session goes, when you're done you'll have something to look over, to consider. And you know what? You're already on your way. That's a bit of your book that you're holding in your hand (supposing you printed it). Already your idea has entered the real world. It exists. And if it went well, you may have just written your first scene. (And if you didn't, don't worry. Your writing will improve with practice.)

Sure, you may toss it away in the end, but so what? Once you've written a scene (or even part of one) and stepped into your fictional world, you'll find it soon becomes familiar. You'll feel more comfortable the next time you return to it because it won't be alien territory. You've been there and have something to build on.

Of course, you'll need to think through your book at some point. I don't mean to minimize the work you'll have to put into into it. Everything won't happen in a flash the way this scene will (if you take my advice and try it now). I suggest this method only to jar your mind into seeing your book as a real possibility in your life. If you take my suggestion you may end up saying, "I really can do this. I can write this book!"

That's all it takes: that first step and right away you're doing it. You're writing and it's not just a dream anymore. If you've been fearful about starting your novel, getting through the first day of writing will help to drive away the willies. And I think you'll find that as your fear diminishes, your view of your book will change. You will become more comfortable with your fictional world, and more willing to return to it.

The transition from fearful non-writer to excited writer can happen in a flash. All you have to do is take that first step. I'll say it again: what do you have to lose?

How to write a novel

There are writing guides all over the internet.  Do this, don't do that -- and oh, don't forget to create your brand and tout it on the web!  I read a few of these articles and tossed them all aside.  As with all things in life, I learned how to do it myself.

This is surely not how others came to write a novel, but it's how I did it.  First I sat down and asked myself what I liked about books, and more importantly, what I didn't.  Fiction today seems to be created through "agreed upon" formulas, and heaven forbid you leave out a required item.  You need this component, and that.  And don't forget the backstory! 

Thing is, I always hate those formulaic intrusions into fiction.  Why is the government always en evil, bad guy?  Why, when someone does something good, does there always have to be another character obsessively dedicated to destroying that character's hopes?  And why oh why do I have to know every little thing about each character?  I don't like these things, so I tossed them all.

Note: This was my thinking then and I'm recording it the way it happened.  I've matured through writing the three books, and I've got conflicts going on all over the place in Xmas Carol.  But in the first book, I tried to avoid it -- successfully, I think.  The conflict in "The Worlds" is between humans and their nature.  No need for a bad guy.

I decided I would only write the interesting parts and leave everything else out.  My goal was to have a book where every single page is compelling, where there are no dead spaces, no waiting, no boredom.  That was my formula.  It seemed like a good idea and that's how I played it.  Knowing I wouldn't have to tend to all these useless bits that are in other stories, I was free to plow ahead.

Ah, but then I remembered that there are these things called characters.  I've learned a lot by writing three books, and most of it was about how to create characters.  I resisted characters at first.  In truth, I didn't even want to have any but I realized that was not a functional concept.  So I made up a character, and what a surprising adventure that turned out to be.

They live.  That's what I've learned about characters.  They have a life of their own, to the point where they even do stuff you don't want them to do.  But you have to let them do it, just as you let a child on the verge of adulthood take her first steps out in the world alone.

The first Very Good Thing I did was invent a character, a wonderful scientist named Dr. Edward Boltzmann.  And yes, I took the name of one of my favorite physicists for this main character.  But almost as soon as he existed, he started to express "his" irrepressible humor and insight.  He was so refreshing!  And this took place almost immediately.  How could that be?  The answer is that they live; they truly do.

Once I'd created Boltzmann, I had to imagine him somewhere, and that gave me the first of my places.  And then it seemed he had relationships -- and one by one, characters began to pop up my mental landscape, the place where the stories are created.  Places, characters and interaction = the story.  It's that simple.

From there, it took off.  I'll post more in the coming days about the structure of the books and how I wrote them.  But this was how it began, with the creation of a fictional man named Edward Boltzmann.  From that point forward, it was Boltzmann (and the other characters) who took the book in a definite direction.  And that trajectory was the story.  It was an organic process.  All I did was follow along.

I don't know how I'll ever gain readers for this blog, but should you arrive, and if you're interested in writing and have given it a shot (any amateur or professional effort will suffice; I'm not snooty about this), please comment about your own experiences.

Surely someone will visit this blog one day.  Surely.