The Writings of Alex Wilson

What has more appeal than the word FREE? Nothing, that’s what. So, let’s try it.

First, full disclosure: I want people to try my novellas and books so I am willing to give some away to see if, once read, they become addictive or, at least, appealing enough to spread the word or, even better, move a reader to actually buy one.

So, here’s the deal: Besides the one novella (The Maine Event) that’s already available for FREE on Amazon and Smashwords, I will give you YOUR PICK of any of the other 16 stories to receive for FREE as a download. What do you have to do? Just ask. Decide which of the stories you would like to receive (they’re on display at www.wilsonwritings.com) and send an e-mail to me at alex3@writing.com.

P.S.: I have a nice surprise kicker for those who respond. Such a deal!

“Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment.”

As an older writer, I relate. God knows I have enough shreds and shards of memories to fill a dumpster. I suggest that it is the management and use of this slurry that informs and gives sustenance to writings. Sometimes, it can be used in raw form but mostly it must ‘decompose’ and reach optimum flavor much as the chili is better after a night in the fridge.

Those swirling remnants of past experience can sometimes be annoying when they deny me sleep but they are still nutrients (amendments) for creative ventures.

Winter brings…
• Less daylight hours
• Colder temperatures
• Woolier clothes
• Less yard time
• A tendency to comfort food
• The ‘second season’ of TV shows
• Hunkering down to pay off holiday expenses

Should it also include…?
• More correspondence with distant friends/family
• Taking on a quality piece of literature
• Introspection
• Leisurely strategic review with your closest person
• Planning

Could it also be an opportunity for the writer in us to conceive and block out a joyous next writing project?

Another sign that we are not forgotten. See this article in today’s (1.9.12) New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/books/review/why-authors-tweet.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Heartening to know that they’re at least trying to understand us.

When my beloved gave me permission to give fiction writing a go, the first thing I knocked out was a novella about a couple, Josh and Dana, with qualities I admire. To flesh them out, I did an in-depth character profile on each. The more I inhabited them, the more I liked them.

One of my touchstones on any new story is a venue I find interesting and/or want to know more about. When I came up with my next location, Hazard, Kentucky, and a rough direction for a plot, I invited Josh and Dana back to be the protagonists. I had given them humor, flexibility, professional effectiveness and fearlessness. Once again, they did a good job of navigating through a threatening situation, resolving the problem and survived (no small feat).

Despite working in other stories with other protagonists (five novellas and a book without J&D), I have now a series of twelve (12) Josh and Dana stories wherein they deal with challenges in Maine, Kentucky, Oregon, London, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Florida and the Hudson River Valley. The challenge/opportunity now is what to do with the series. The stories could be combined into a compendium or packaged for a TV mini-series. Being ever the optimist, I have already begun converting the novellas to script form. This is an interesting challenge in its own as there must be a minimum of interior dialog and description and a maximum of conversational information transmission.

Sigh. A mother’s work is never done….

As a newish writer – not ‘new’ anymore with my almost three year involvement – I’m still learning the ins and outs of the trade. My latest discovery is Final Draft 8, a slick software package that allows numerous shortcuts for the creation of ‘industry standard’ script formatting without lifting one’s pinkies from the keyboard. It’s magic.

Awhile ago, I was asked to convert a script to a story and expand it to novel length. I did it and learned a lot in the process. Now, I was challenged with the reciprocal; converting a story into a script. The formatting must be precise and uncompromising to even be considered by agents or TV and film producers. To vary a smidgen from the rigid form is to invite instant round filing. So, I acquired Final Draft 8 (the latest iteration) and studied, studied, studied until I mastered the macros. Once mastered, it’s a dream to use.

My next challenge is to write a story directly into script form from scratch. Wish me luck.

Amazon is such a cornucopia of good things; the ability to find, sample and buy (painlessly) good-to-great books for reasonable prices. The sampling feature is particularly useful allowing a juicy chomp of a book you may have found intriguing from the blurb also provided on Amazon. So, this is a paean to an organization that hardly needs my approval or encouragement.

This is also a sharing of a discovered work and author through the sampling process. A man named Robert Bidinotto has written a wonderful crime/action book titled ‘Hunter: A Thriller’ and a thriller it is. I lost two nights’ sleep unable to stop reading this page turner. What a pleasure it is to serendipitously find such an exciting, satisfying read. Obviously, I’m recommending it at the same time I am praising the mechanism – Amazon’s diabolically efficient reading/publishing/delivery services – that made the discovery possible. Amazon’s ecosystem works for me.

I lived in LA for 21 years and, during that time, I became involved with a business networking organization. It was neat. We met in borrowed board rooms all around town, schmoozed, did lunch, exchanged cards, had occasional social events. When I retired to Florida, there was nothing even close. Sigh. I reluctantly and sadly closed the door on that chapter. My circle of acquaintances grew smaller. It was okay but I missed it.

That was before I found something called the ‘community of writers’. A new world has opened up on Linkedin, WriterUnboxed, Twitter and numerous other venues online. As we are writers anyhow, we write to one another with tips, referrals, encouragement, questions, resources, shared excitement. Instead of mixing with people in Brentwood, Pasadena, Century City and Irvine, I am mixing with friendly, helpful people in Wales, Australia, Alaska, Manitoba and Spain. The warming sun has risen again.

Anyone over, say, 50 – or younger if they have had a particularly adventurous life – has a wealth of stories to tell. Following are eight good reasons to get on with it and to write down those stories:

From Memory:

Reason #1: You should write down family history and/or major family events ‘just in case’. Yes, I’m talking about the ‘hit-by-a-bus’ scenario whereby you would be snuffed and all your valuable stories and experiences would die with you. Harsh? Sure. But, posterity calls. Otherwise, how are your grandchildren to know of your life and thoughts?

Reason #2: Your memory is probably as good as it’s going to be so delaying will only fog the details of the irreplaceable family lore. Time is not your friend.

Reason #3: Writing a clear account of memorable events is great mental exercise like crosswords or chess. You know how to write. Get to it, preferably regularly. It will tune you up.

Fiction Writing:

Reason #4: To go beyond a recording of memories of actual events, why not write up some fictional situations? Play ‘what if’ about joining the circus or pursuing that exploration to the Amazon. Tune up your imagination. Have fun with it. Insert your wry humor. Puns welcome.

Reason #5: Dig into a subject you have always wondered about or found intriguing. With Google, Wikipedia and the rest of the readily available resources, you can do research in an afternoon that it would have taken a month during our youth. Be a history detective. Learn about the construction of the Chunnel or the Lewis & Clark Expedition or the the transcontinental railroad. It’s enriching and will reveal tempting avenues for story writing.

Reason #6: Enjoy the richness of sharing with friends. Rather than that same old Christmas Letter or report on the summer vacation, dig into it to tell not only that you went to The Outer Banks or The Okefanokee Swamp but what it looked like, what it felt like. Snap shots are OK but your thoughts are more interesting and revealing.

Reason #7: This is a very small probability payoff but there are situations whereby you could actually be PAID for your writings. The publishing world is in a bit of an upheaval right now but magazines still need articles. To pursue, go to the Library and look over some directories like ‘Writer’s Marketplace’ or ‘Writer’s Market’.

Reason #8: Even if all you do is write and put it in your desk drawer, there is enormous satisfaction that comes from the exercise/craft/hobby of writing. I recommend it highly.

I am sympathetic to print agents and publishers in their crumbling environment undermined by the superior economics and streamlined process of e-publishing. They’re fighting a rearguard action. Likewise, I am sympathetic to those who are marketing/promotion gurus for fiction works of general interest, especially when clients want cause/effect proof that their counsel will provide sales.

Why do I care? Because I am one of those potential clients. As a potential client of marketing for my book, I want a linear connection between my investment in services and the result of those services. My sympathy comes from recognizing the reality of the variables that can poleax predictions. Consider these factors:

• As the stock traders say, ‘past performance is no guarantee of future results’. The success of another book will not necessarily translate to similar performance for my book.
• The readers of general fiction – mine is an action/adventure tale – are fickle. It is hard to predict what will catch their fancy at any particular time.
• There is MUCH competition.
• Insufficient hard evidence is available. Although a promotion consultant can recite with accuracy how many press releases, blog tours, placements, etc. they have done – in other words, those things within their control – they do not necessarily have access to the numbers of books actually sold.
• The marketing service providers rightly cite a) the quality of the book and b) the diligence of the author in doing his/her part by blogging, presenting, signing, etc. as variables over which they can’t claim control.

So, in interviewing marketing counselors, I am given proposals for the cost of providing various actions but no claims or guarantees for what sales they might produce. I know I need help and am willing to pay for it but what can I reasonably expect to receive in return?