Finally Finished

I started thinking about Reginald St. John and his fictional life about five years ago. Reginald began to take form as I went through my normal routine at work and home. I sat down at the computer one day in the fall of 2007 and started the story. Having always enjoyed mysteries, it was a no brainer that this would be an old fashioned who-done it mystery. My life long love of aviation also contributed to the story. I wanted it set in the 1930's since this has always been the decade I liked to read about and I love movies from that era. I finished the rough draft in the spring of 2008. Little did I know that this was really the beginning. I learned to improve my sentences and I researched the details that I thought I needed to fill out the story. The editing continued through 2008 and until the fall of 2009. I finished the final edit during the holidays. Writing a novel is no easy task. I hope someone will enjoy the book one day soon.

Imaginationist

I have a confession to make. I am not a writer. I do love literature. I love a good story. Heck, I love books. Always have. What I don't really warm up to is the sitting down at the desk and staring at the screen part of the whole thing. I am not someone who likes to sit for long periods of time. And the typing. I can't really type. It's more pecking at the keyboard like a hungry bird looking for seeds in the grass. I can't spell either. Thank God for spellcheck.
So if I can't type and I can't spell, (and I forgot to mention my grammar), what am I? Not a writer. Nope.
I think I'm an imaginationist. Yes, that's it. That's what I am. It sounds good anyway. I explore the fields and woods of my imagination. I know. Weird. But I'm just being truthful here.
I have always daydreamed. It has gotten me into some awful jams over the years at school and at work.
I try to fit into the world of practical people, the people who don't have time for creativity, where others want me to be every day. I do manage to balance my time in the real world while finding the time to be creative.
Once I accepted that I am an imaginationist I could finally get down to writing my stories. The stories that had been floating around in my head for a long time. I stopped worrying what others thought of me. I struggle daily with the practical side of writng, but I allow myself the time to create. I get into my characters and walk around in their shoes. I hope it makes a difference in my books.

Letting Your Characters Do the Writing

You sit at your keyboard and stare at the blank screen. Oh no! It's the dreaded writers block. Racking your brain, you try to think of the next scene. You study your carefully constructed outline and all of the notes that you made over the last several days, weeks or months.
What would the next logical step be? Where does the plot go? What would I do in this situation? What's next? Okay, now try this. What would he/she, The person in your story, do next? That's right. Them. Those guys on the page. What kind of people are they? Let them drive the plot. Try getting inside the characters head, even if it is someone you can't stand. If it is a masculine hero, don't even think about how you, or any normal schmuck, would react in the action scene. Turn the man of action loose, or if it is someone more meek, turn the mouse loose.
What I am trying to say is, simply turn the manuscript over to the characters or that place where the creative stuff comes from. Let them flow onto the page. Don't try to control them. This could help with writers block. At least it worked for me.