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Hellen DeRich was sitting at the dressing table in her boudoir. She loved staying at her penthouse in Manhattan, it was so convenient and the city at night was the place to be especially in the spring. However it was time for vacation once again and the planning and arrangements had to be taken care of. This month the destination was Paris and the Chateau needed to be opened and made ready, time to call our agency, and of course the fitting at La Maison de Argent for her spring outfits. Hellen sighed quietly as she remembered that her personal dressmaker had warned her that she was gaining weight, and in all the wrong places. She shrugged the thought off and moved to the next item on the agenda, the children.

I’ll be blowing out 80 candles on the cake this month.

It’s one of those terrible events that can’t be avoided. The only way to avoid it is not get there.

So I’ve spent some time reflecting on where I’ve been.

And it occurs to me that I’ve been a writer (and author) for 60 of those years.

Which means I’ve cranked out millions of words, counting those penned at different career stages as a journalist, public relations man and creative writer of books and short stories.

Before you write your first sentence there are a number of important decisions that you must make. You can still start off by asking yourself what kind of book do I want to writee And what category or genre will it fit intoe If you are not sure about where you want to go with your book it may be a good idea to obtain a list of subjects that are available and popular, for example;

Diet and weight loss

Gardening

Recipe books

Marriage and relationships

Child rearing

Health and fitness

Biographies or autobiographies

About three or four years ago I worked a contract that required me to drive through a less than desirable part of town. One particular freeway underpass housed the man I would later come to know as Harley.

I think Harley was about my age, maybe even a little younger. He certainly could not have survived these conditions if he were much older than 50. He had lost most of teeth. He couldn’t seem to stand fully erect and when he walked to a car to accept a hand out his movement was restrained as though each step towards the charity caused him physical and emotional pain.

In a recent article, I stated: “I found that three or four pages of explanatory text usually are quite well received.” I also stated: “It may not be totally acceptable to a few readers, but overall, most will enjoy learning something new and, if the material is adequately condensed and included as part of the overall story, as it must be, it often is enjoyed enough to be favorably mentioned in reviews.”

Authors are frequently asked how they conceive and create a story. There may be almost as many ways as there are authors: outline; write ending and work up to it; precise factual experience or observation (”creative non-fiction;”) whatever comes into your head; emotional idea; paper or audio notes; etc., etc. I can only speak for myself.

IDENTIFY ONE OR TWO EXCITING EXPERIENCES

For Some Kind of Angel, I drew on my long years as a disability evaluation doctor, mostly assessing injured workers within the framework of California workers compensation law. I was especially impressed with death cases and the special way the law dealt with them.

A short time ago, I suggested to other retired workaholics the idea of attempting to write a novel. Granted, the idea was not an original one, but rather suggested to me by my wife because I was a little at loose ends after my ten to twelve-hour days began to shrink. I suggested that the idea would be especially appealing to anyone whose business had been in research, teaching or similar vocations.

The business of publishing is old world, mature, and has changed only incrementally over the past fifty years. One thing that can be said about publishing is that the biggest companies lead and the rest tend to follow. This is why little has changed in the way these publishers conduct business. The biggest are the most stodgy and the result is an industry that continues to shrink, while technology and the new marketing of the 21st century speed ahead.

From Rita Jamison’s Freelance Writing Workshop; Adult Education, Los Altos, CA, 2005

Your plot’s great. Your theme is awesome. You have a beginning, middle and end with interesting characters - No problem sitting and writing a story; no writer’s block - But it bombs. No one reads beyond page one or two. Who killed ite Probably you! You probably didn’t polish and buff the finish. You wrote with your heart but didn’t rewrite with your brain.

What should your brain do for you when you rewritee What are the common pitfalls you absolutely must avoide

TELLING INSTEAD OF SHOWING:

I have mentioned previously that the Romance genre is almost a sure bet, and that mystery stories are a pretty close second. I also included adventure in the popular list, but particularly dwell on the historical novel because it not only has remained popular through the years, but recently has experienced somewhat of a growth period, as has the formerly almost dormant western.

I also have intimated that in no other genre, is research the most dominant requirement. A historical novel, above all else, must be accurate in its historical details. In my previous discussion, I covered some of the problems encountered in researching the historical novel.