And I have been writing, though I will admit I found it next to impossible to write in airports and on planes. There is too much noise. And it’s too crowded. But, I tried. Unfortunately that progress was almost nill.

However, FINDING VERITY made a huge leap even though I couldn’t write and that’s because I thought about the story. And, while I was thinking, I solved a problem. And after that problem was solved, FINDING VERITY grew. It grew to almost 88,000 words. And I’m feeling good about it. Damn good!

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done but I plod along knowing I can do it. This is my third novel. The first one didn’t get published. Last year I self-published WINDFALL. I think I might approach publishers with FINDING VERITY. However, if I do and there’s no interest, I’ll self-publish that one, too.

So, what is FINDING VERITY? Here is a hint. It’s a “coming of age” story about a boy who, after being abandoned by his mother, finds the strength to persevere. He survives a brutal experience in a foster family, befriends a homeless man, gets adopted into a loving family, and becomes a best-selling novelist though no one knows that because he writes under a “pen name.”  But then he meets an old woman who changes his life…

Book Mobile in the 1920s

I usually write everyday. Rain or shine. I’ve never had writer’s block. But this past week has found me unable…

For a few days I could not write because I was unable to see very well. You see, I tried to glue my eye shut. Not on purpose. No, I thought I was putting eye drops in my eyes but it turned out to be glue I’d used on my sofa to keep the fabric from fraying.

And then my brother was admitted into the hospital, and I learned he might be on his death-bed. When something like this happens all kinds of feelings get dredged up.

And I find that it is next to impossible to focus on FINDING VERITY the novel I’m writing.

So, what does a person do? What did I do? What am I doing?

First of all, as writers we can write about the experience. So, that’s what I’m doing right now…

Secondly, we can cement the events into our brains, so when we need to pull part of it out to use in a future story, we’ll be able to do it.

The glue experience… the realization of what I’d done, the pain, the inability to see, the confusion, the screams, the fear, the total dependence on someone else to help me, understanding that I’d been in a heap of trouble if I’d been home alone. Going to the hospital. Not having to wait in the emergency room because my accident went flying to the top of the triage, the caring nurses and doctors, and the acceptance that my life was going to be “on hold” for a few days.

Getting the news about my brother.  Ooh boy, all those memories from my childhood and the resultant emotions that surface. The sadness, accepting that this might be the end of my brother’s life, realizing there’s nothing I can do about it. Facing my own mortality. And then I realize, this could be my husband or my child. I can only imagine what my mother is feeling right now.

Some time in the future, these things might show up in my writing. In fact the experiences might make me a better writer.

But, right now, I am unable to work on my novel.

I am close to typing “the end.” I KNOW the last scene. It’s a tear jerker, a heart wrencher, a happy tears are falling kind of ending.

But I can’t seem to get there.

I have a couple of scenes that need to be written, call them “bridge” scenes, scenes which will get me from what I’ve already written to the “big ending.”

But I can’t figure out what they are.

I woke up early this morning and, under the warmth of my blankets, played “what if” games for over two hours. I can’t find a “what if” I can sink my teeth into.

I am SO STUCK.

After six months of diligent writing I can not get to the end.

But, I refuse to stop.

Today I will print out what I have written so far. All 193 pages.

But first…

I’m going to write the last scene.

I’ll figure out the transition later.

And, if I write that last scene correctly, I’ll be printing out over 200 pages!

When this happens I am not reading “close” like a writer should read. So, sometimes, I read books a second time.

This happened to me with the trilogy that began with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. And it also happened to me with The Hunger Games trilogy. When I read a story I love for the second time, I am able to look closer at how the author developed characters and plot. The first read was fun, the second read interesting, but both are enjoyable.

Pay close attention to how you read a novel. Are you merely enjoying the story or are you paying attention to how a character is developed? Are you looking for clues that the author might have dropped to help you figure out the ending?

Reading a novel for the second time is a different experience than the initial read. For me, it solidifies how the author drew me into the story and shows me  how he or she captured my heart. As a writer I want to know how the author did this. A second read will usually clarify this for me.

But not always.

Those are the books I read three times.

I woke this morning to some really great news. My short script, To the Outlaw of Blind Dates, earned a third place in MoviePoet.com’s April contest.

The premise behind this short five-page script is:   When two people meet in a park, their first impressions change as they get to know each other. 

I joined the  MoviePoet community in 2008. In a previous contest I earned an “honorable mention” but this is the first time I’ve placed. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am because there are many accomplished writers at MoviePoet.com.

MoviePoet.com is a great place to hang out if you want to learn how to write a screenplay. The site is loaded with writers who care about helping aspiring writers hone their craft. The monthly challenges offer writers a place to try new things.

In my case, a comedy.

Usually most people think I have a kind of warped sense of humor.

I can’t believe I wrote something that people thought was funny.

For the Love of Books…

But, in both cases, I liked the book better.

In all honestly, this usually happens to me.  I tend to like the book better. And, if you think about it, there is a reason for this.

As we watch a movie, we experience the story by what we SEE and HEAR on the screen. A film by its very nature is the product of many people: the director, screenwriter, actors, cameramen and musicians, to name a few. Additionally, a film can be hindered by underfunding or problems with the location, weather, etc. And a movie has time constraints, too, usually lasting somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes in length, which is why, most scripts come in at under 120 pages. Every script page translates to roughly one minute of screen time. The typical moviegoer does not want to sit through a movie that is four, five, six, or more hours long.

A book, on the other hand, is written by one person. There are writing teams out there who do a fine job but, USUALLY, one person has total control over the entire project. Once the book  reaches a publisher, other people might be involved for, perhaps, cover art and font choice, some editing, but, for the most part, the story is the writer’s responsibility. And the writer does not have the restraints that a movie might have. The story can be as long or short as the author desires.  And the reader can read the book over several days, weeks, or months, if they desire.  Compare that to the two hours a moviegoer gives to the same title.

A short novel is usually about 50,000 words. In comparison, the longest novel ever written, In Search of Lost Time, a French novel by Marcel Proust has an estimated 1,200,000 words. It was 4,211 pages and was published in seven volumes. Recent longer novels have included War and Peace by Leoy Tolstoy, published in paperback with 1,440 pages and over 560,000 words; and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Its paperback version had 1,088 pages and over 550,000 words. The Stand by Stephen King is 1,153 pages.

When a novelist describes a character who is about to punch another character’s face,  he might describe the clenching of that character’s fist, the glare of the sun in the character’s eye, or a memory about the first time the character hit someone. The writer can even go off in a tangent and have the character “remember” the first time he met the person he is about to hit.

In a screenplay, the writer will write something similar to CHARACTER #1 slams fist into CHARACTER #2′s nose. The moviegoer will see the character’s reaction to the fist. They might see the fist hit a nose. But thoughts, memories, etc. are usually not part of the script or scene.

What I am trying to say is a novel can be deeper with more levels and intricacies. And, this is why I usually like book is better.

The first two-thirds of Finding Verity flowed. The story is original and I’m looking forward to writing “the end.” But I’m having problems with the last half of the last third.

Consider yourself lucky, if this never happens to you.

 Question: What do I do when I have this problem?

Answer: I have a little conversation with myself.

 Huh?

I sit at my keyboard and have a conversation with myself. That conversation goes something like this:

 Why is this boring?

Because character “A” isn’t doing much.

What could “A” do to spice things up?

What if  characters “A” and “B” got together and…

Where would they go?

The park?

Why?

Because the park represents…

How about Characters “A”, “B”, and “C” go to the park?

Why three characters?

If two is good, three is better…

more opportunities for conflict and action.

Would they go together?

They could.

Or maybe “A” and B” go together, and “C” follows.

Why would “C” follow?

Because “C” is suspicious of “A” and “B’s” relationship.

Or, maybe,“C’s” weary of “B” and wants to protect “A” from “B.”

Would “A” and “B” know “C” was following?

Maybe.
Maybe not.

That’s what I’m trying to decide.

Maybe “A” and “B” are following “C”.

Why would they follow “C?”

They think “C” has been acting weird lately

and they want to know what “C’s” been up to.

Maybe “A” and “C” have a problem they are trying to solve?

If that was the case, would “B” go with them?

“B” could be a look-out.

A lookout for what?

Cops? Homeless people? Vampires? Skunks?

And so it goes… Until I have figured out the problem!

And then I’m no longer bored with my writing!

There are times I’ve read what I’ve written and thought: This is a bunch of crap. Other times I think: This is really brilliant.

Which is correct? Probably a little of both.

Sometimes I wish for a life that would allow me to write every minute of every day. Other times I truly believe my attempts at becoming a successful novelist are a complete waste of time.

That’s when I wonder if I should take up basket weaving or decoupage.

Right now, the ending of FINDING VERITY remains a mystery to me. There are several directions I could go to get to “The End.”

I’m starting to have doubts about the title, too. In fact, I’m thinking about changing the title to RAT CITY. Don’t laugh… I’m serious!

It would be easy to give up. But, if I did that I’d always wonder because, although I’m not sure about the ending, the beginning is good. Really good. Maybe even brilliant.

I think.

For the Love of Books, Published 1938

I feel good about the story and the writing. Self-publishing WINDFALL taught me a lot. My biggest lesson was keep the number of characters to a minimum. Apparently a lot of readers had problems keeping track of all the Windfall characters.

When I started FINDING VERITY, I fully intended to self-publish. And I might still do that. But, I’m wondering if I should be more traditional, find an agent…

Publishing is in such a flux right now. It is hard to know what to do.

All you writers out there…

What do you think? Do I need an agent?

In the novel, the writer does an excellent job of describing the paranoid world of the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It is described as a time when “there is no crime.”

Because the main character, Leo Demidov, is idealistic he goes from being a proud MGB officer to being demoted and arrested.

This is the story of love in a world where it would be easy to suspect your spouse. It is a story about finding a child murderer in a world where that kind of crime is not even recognized. The writer touches on many topics including the social paranoia in the Soviet Union, the Soviet school and police systems, orphanages, and homosexuality.

Child 44 is based on a real soviet serial killer named Andrei Chikatilo who was convicted and executed for over 50 murders in the Soviet Union.

The author has published two additional book which feature Child 44′s main character, Leo Demidov. These books are titled Agent 6 and The Secret Speech. I have not read these last two novels but I plan on doing so.

All three novels are available in Kindle format and can be purchased at Amazon.com.