Inspiration

When I was learning how to craft a story, instructors would always tell me to read, read and when you get tired of reading, read some more. They would always say, "The best way to learn how to write is to see how professionals do it."

I have read and read and read, and often I would find some inspiration from the written word. The writings of Pete Hautman and Sarah Weeks made me want to publish Young Adult novels. Yet, reading doesn't seem to push me to the keyboard. I have never read a wonderful scene and then raced to find a tablet of paper to jot down ideas for my own works.

Two things happen when I lay down to enjoy a good book. First, I am amazed and, more importantly, jealous by the writer's ability to developed three-dimensional characters, sneak future plot points into, at the time, seemingly unnecessary scenes, craft pinpoint dialogue and paint place or world in few words. There is nothing I hate more than authors that spend seven pages describing a farm house. When I read a wonderful book, I feel inadequate. "Is this what it takes?" to get on a book shelf," I wonder. "Am I capable of such brilliance?" I ask myself, not sure of the answer.

If I do follow reading time with writing time,  I find myself agonizing over each word. Nothing I write seems up to par. I may get some work done, but it won't be much.

The other situation: I get annoyed by weird sentence structure and changing point of views. The book's construction seems unsound and flimsy. I barely get through 30 pages. After reading a bad novel, writing seems pointless. Or worse, I start to question if I should even follow the rules, should I use proper grammar, or even worry about whether my story is tight and constructed properly. This mindset is the worst mindset to take to a keyboard.

So where do I get inspiration?

Three places:

First, from music. This is not a new one. Every writer I know listens to music when he or she writes. The head of my agency, Kristin Nelson, starts each blog with the song she's currently listening to. The pounding beat matched with the pounding keys keeps me focused and moving straight ahead. This works especially well on first drafts, when the goal is to build a solid foundation to edit later. As I listen to a playlist or CD, I will finish 10 to 15 pages - a good day's work.

Secondly, I get inspired by movies. Fine, I admit it. I want to write a book that will someday be made into a movie. Every time, I sit through a great movie, I race to the keyboard. Some of my best work has come after three hours in a movie theater. In the past month, I have watched "Argo," "Lincoln," and "Zero Down Thirty," all wonderful movies. During this time, I have gotten a lot of writing done and have been very pleased with what's on the page.

Finally, I love to write after listening to an audio book. With a 30-minute commute from home to work every day, I spend a lot of time in my black Ford Fusion. A few years ago, I started listening to books on the way home and back. Listening to the reader has helped me find my literary voice. Also, the weird writing styles are hidden. I don’t seem as inadequate or annoyed listening to a great story as I do reading a wonderful or poorly crafted novel.

I will still read, but, to me, there are many ways to find inspiration.

My books:
Biggie: submitted to publishers
Riddle Park: in revisions
Jumping off Bridges: Writing first draft: on page 132.

Here's to a very lucky 2013

As I sit down to write about my 2013 expectations, I realize that if all goes to plan, the next 12 months will be more life-changing than any previous year. Professionally, by this time next year, I could have three books sold. Dream big! Personally, in May, my wife will give birth to twins, increasing our family of three to five (seven if you count the dog and cat).

I will also turn the Big 4-0 in May. Even if I live to be a ripe old 80, my life is still half over. My hand shook as I typed that. And that is if I make it to 80.

With three young children, my son is two, I need to hang around. When I found out last fall that I would very soon have three children, my thoughts turned to Christmas celebrations with grandchildren. When you have one kid, there is always that small possibility that you may not have a  grandchild, so you don't think about. At least, I didn't. Not everyone has kids. With three kids, my chances of bouncing a two-year-old grandson on my knee increase tenfold. If I'm alive, that is.

So my New Year's resolution is to do all I can to live another 40, 50, and why not, 60 years. I want to be around when my grandchildren are born and that won't be for awhile. I would love see my children and, health willing, my grandchildren get married.

To that end, I have decided salt is my mortal enemy. Now, I can't completely erase salt from diet, so I have decided to end my almost 40-year love affair with fast food, with drive-thru hamburgers, chicken nuggets, soft-shell tacos and french fries, oh, the french fries. The idea came to me from a high school girl named Megan Stevensen. Here is a story I wrote on her 'Hazards of Fast Food,' presentation.

http://www.southernminn.com/owatonna_peoples_press/news/article_e4b891ab-853c-5cc4-8fea-8bd7469cbec9.html

It's been seven days since I have last visited a fast food location. It's a good start. Now, I just need to quick texting and checking Twitter while I drive 65 miles an hour on two-lane roads.

Professionally, my agent, Sara Megibow, and I have been looking for a publishing home for my first novel, "Biggie." I hope "Biggie," finds the perfect editor in 2013. So many of my friends and family members have told me how much they enjoyed the story of an overweight, shy high school junior who changes his life to hopefully win the heart of a girl he has cyber stalked for five years.I would love to share my story with even more readers.

As Sara does her thing, I have been editing, "Riddle Park," a middle grade book I finished about an 11-year old, who copes with his parents' sudden split, by helping a group of outcast 15-year-olds win a tournament for the right to play at Wrigley Field. In addition, I am crafting a young adult story, titled "Jumping Off Bridges," or JOB for short, about an unlikely teenage couple who make a pact to commit suicide by jumping off of a bridge. I am currently on page 120. Need to keep writing!!!

This year will be interesting, nerve-wrecking and memorable, regardless of what happens.

My love of mean people

Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized there are two people synonymous with Christmas, and I’m not thinking of the person who gave his name to the holiday. I’m talking about Jolly Ole St. Nick and Ebenezer Scrooge.
Over the past 170 years, Scrooge, star of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” has become a villain of dozens of books, movies, and television shows. Apparently, people love mean, old men who later redeem themselves.

You can put me in that category as well. I apparently love mean, old men. For reasons which I don’t believe are linked to Dickens’ 1843 classic, I love to write about mean, selfish and intimating fathers. Every one of my novels has a father who has either abandoned or verbally abused his child. Additionally, the antagonist always gets a chance to redeem himself.  Sometimes, they do. Sometimes, they don’t.

Why are overpowering male characters appealing to me as a writer and to society as a villain? In my opinion, there are many reasons. First, everyone likes a villain. Look at some of the top televisions shows: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Homeland. Each one has villainous men in lead roles, yet despite Walter White or Don Draper’s faults, fans root for them.

Also, many people grew up with intimidating fathers. Everyone can relate to being young and frustrated by a parent, whose actions seemed selfish and cruel.

Finally, there are those moments of redemption. In popular culture, Scrooge realizes he’s unlovable and changes his ways. Unfortunately in real life, that doesn’t happen. Horrible people remain horrible people. The only change that ever happens is when they become more horrible. In our daily lives, there is no redemption.

Sometimes, we find out that our fathers aren’t cruel men who want to ruin our lives. They are wise and wonderful parents. Maybe, your father telling you to stay home and study for that test or not to date the guy who is 10 years older and previously married are not acts of a jerk, but some good parenting.

It’s eye-opening when we realize our fathers weren’t Scrooge, but a caring person who knows a lot more that we do. Those are happy endings.

And sometimes, Scrooge is Scrooge and no one gets a big, prize turkey at the end.