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Happy Bookday to you

Happy writers have happy bookdays.

The most successful writer you admire was once as you are now. Follow on after her for you will arrive at your writing destination only by trying out new twists and turns on your way. Such diversions entertain your reader as you move along. It is a road well-travelled by writers before you. But you must make the journey yourself.

As beginners, the creation of a story sometimes seems akin to alchemy. Words are taken and transformed into stories and books for all to enjoy. Nevertheless, if you spend too much time marvelling at the process you will get nowhere. Write first, edit later. The voices in your head will guide you.

Simply put, your story must have a beginning, a complication, and a resolution.

Act 1, you lay it out for all to see; Act 11 there are complications; Act 111 a resolution is offered to the complications. But, you don’t need to worry overmuch about equal thirds for these parts. A few pages could cover one or the other, depending.

Remember your characters have five senses of sight, touch, feel, taste, and hearing. Use them well. Few of us visit a new place or find ourselves in a fresh situation when we do not employ these senses.

To practice using your five senses you could do some physical exercise. Exercise both mind and body to stay sane and healthy, and profitable as a writer.

So, to prevent burn-out, schedule in some down-time for yourself where you go off and pick an apple in your orchard. Or draw water from your well or walk the hills, or swim a few lengths of a pool; anything at all that will take you out and about is good for you as a writer.

Keep notes in your head as you walk along of all you see and hear and smell and touch; but don’t talk aloud to yourself, instead listen to what is said to you by others; listen for their choice of words in speech so you can be informed in drawing out a character through dialogue.

And when it all works out and the work comes to form a book and the book is published, your life will change. People will think you an alchemist for taking raw words and turning them into a book that chronicles the doings of people in a different situation than they were in to begin with.

You will wonder at this change in people. It can be strange. Some will cease to speak to you, thinking perhaps that what they say to you will appear in a book over which they have no control. Others will seek to speak to you and detain you as if some of the gold might rub off on them if they stand close enough for long enough.

For you will have become a published writer. There, if you doubt it, is the published proof. When your name appears on a book, it is yours.

Happy bookday.

© Brendan Nolan 2009
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