ODDS AND ENDS ABOUT FICTION WRITING…
and an author who was born with more wit than wisdom. As a fiction writer, I aspire to provide readers with a sweat-less workout that does not create the additional laundry, that a physical adventure achieves. Needless to say, I am not endorsed by the likes of Proctor and Gamble. Who cares.
“Written fiction is a glimpse into the mind and imagination of an author. It is then churned through publication and recklessly tossed to a yet untold number of readers. It is the only craft where one can run with scissors.”
When I am in the process of writing fiction, I row my mental boat into a sleepy blue lagoon. Each tale in the crafting process has its own island. I select a deserving island based on my attitude at the moment. As soon as I dock my boat, each of the various characters sequestered there clamor to decide their fates. I am always open to their suggestions, but feasibility in the end reigns supreme. It works better than trying to dust around thousands of post-it notes scattered literally everywhere and keeping story outlines, not ON, but IN the fridge. Prospective covers still get taped inside the kitchen cupboard doors, in order to secure opinions from those who drift in for a visit.
My writing began when I had to come up with a story to read to children be it in a classroom setting or at a camp occasion at the lake. I knew the age group my visit entailed. It was easier to write a story the night before than to try to find a suitable one already written. Since the story was original no child could claim boredom since they already heard the story. The children felt special and making them feel that way was my specialty.
AFTER THE SUDDEN, RUDE, CLOSURE OF BOOK VINE PRESS, MY NEW BOOKS, INCLUDING A REISSUE OF “BILLY BENDER AND THE RED HOT ANTS”, WILL BE AND ARE PUBLISHED BY ARTICA BURR PUBLICATIONS. IT HAS BEEN EVER ONWARD SINCE FEBRUARY 2023.
GONE IS THE USE OF CREAM PAPER AND CRISP WHITE PAPER NOW REIGNS SUPREME FOR MY BOOK COPIES. WHITE PAPER CREATES AN EASIER READ. WHEN AND IF I ADD PHOTOGRAPHS IN MY BOOKS, AS I DID IN “MONTY’S MAGNIFICENT HAIRBALL”, THEY PRINT WITH BEAUTIFUL CLARITY.
It seems curious to some readers why I bounce from science fiction to romance or teen to adult reading, for example, but there are a lot of islands to choose from. Writing is actually the author sharing an adventure with readers. Everybody gets to take the ride. Perhaps I should have chosen to use a separate alias for the clearly adult books. However, the back cover does reveal the type of content, so it likely does not seem imperative to change midstream. A truth floating out there is the fact that everyone has their own set of rules. Rule one with me is that I will never apologize for my sense of humor.
Someone told me I was selfish if I did not let what I had written out of my file cabinet. I am surely not known to be selfish, so one by one I am preparing my various “tails” for an unleashing, so to speak. The tales will then walk on through the sands of time.
The world is overloaded with topics and a lot of them interest me. During some years of turmoil, I contrived a number of books that have sat unpublished. The order in which the books are published currently depends on what I feel like preparing for the dance needed for publication. Some of the books fall under my Outer World Collection or Kiss of a New World Order. Some books stand alone. Now that I have more moments to devote to writing fiction it is a free-for-all choice I am making.
The characters have caught on that they could finally have their chance to make it to the Library of Congress. I find that some fictional characters can be so determined to be the next book that they invade my dreams. The best way to rid me of that nonsense is to publish the story they are part of. I admit a lot of my writing time is taken up debating with characters over how they see themselves vs. how I am determined to shape them. This creates endless consumption of Tim Horton’s coffee. I maintain at least ten empty coffee cans in the garage where someday I will need them in order to sort out the bags of nails and screws and other hardware my husband left behind.
I hope this website helps the readers understand me better than it has helped me to understand myself. Oh well.