Breaking Out

Although I began writing as a youngster, I didn't take it seriously until about twelve years ago. At that time, another author told me it took on average some ten years to pay your dues and find your "break-out" book. To me that was acceptable since nothing comes easily. If it's worth having, it's worth doing well.

Those ten years have come and gone. I've had several books published with electronic publishers but I have yet to find that one elusive story that would make a difference.

Just what is a "break-out" book?

It's one story into which a writer pours their heart and soul and comes out with something readers will have a hard time putting down. It's a story readers highly recommend, talk about with their friends and want to reread.

I can think of a couple authors who fit that description with their first foray into the publishing world. Outlander by Diane Gabaldon, was never meant to see the light of day, never mind print. Her books are read world-wide and still finding new markets. J.K. Rowling is another author who made it big with Harry Potter, a young adult series that got kids reading and inspired other author to write magical tales.

Break-out books are all elusive and an author never knows where or when they might end up with one. Then there are authors who might never find that one book that could catapult them to fame. Until it happens we keep working, improving our craft, and looking for the best ways to promote our work while we meet other struggling writers following the same dream.

Many years ago, a well-known comedian had a signature line he used in reference to the jokes he told. He always said, "I got a million of 'em." The same could apply to writers and the number of story ideas they have. Just think of all the fun, love of craft (and hard work) going into our creative effort.

Who knows...maybe one of those plots you've been playing around with might be just the ticket to writing a break-out book and making a name for yourself.

until then...

Being Creative

What would life be like if we didn't have the ability to be creative? No matter what we do there's always the opportunity to create something or change it. Kids use imagination to get out of doing chores or explaining how they didn't do something they should have. As adults, we do pretty much the same thing but our methods become...creative. How we go about it is determined by the strength of our imagination.

I'm not one to follow rules, at least not any more than I can get away with. I'm always looking for a way to do something different, find a method whether it's writing or making afghans for raffles. Patterns and rules exist as guidelines to encourage imagination and creativity.

Creativity is about the greatest friend an author can have. While all fiction has some basis in fact, how those facts are used and interpreted can give a story a whole different slant. Take vampires for instance. Dracula was a really nasty character. Today, vampires live side-by-side with humans, get their meals from privately owned bloodbanks and many of them actually have a sense of humor...because a writer dared to be creative.

And what about myths and legends? More and more writers are looking at them with an eye to creating something entirely different. Some years ago I reviewed a book about the Sheriff of Nottingham and he was nothing like the character of legend. It was riveting and gave me a different perspective on the man.

There's a lot to be said for using your imagination to come up with something unique. Be wild, have fun and be creative. You never know what you might end up with.

When Time Flies...

That's what it seems like. Life has a way of coming before the things you'd like to do and even setting priorities doesn't always help. Still somewhere along the line you always manage to find time to do the things you really want, the things that give you pleasure. Like stopping to smell the roses. We need the break from real life.

Have you noticed how time seems to get away from us? We get to thinking, was it only yesterday... Case in point... A few days ago I had a visit from a friend's daughter. Now the last time I recall seeing her, she wasn't very tall, still wore her hair in two braids and was rather shy. Now she's a pretty young lady, almost sixteen years old. I didn't recognize her. Now that's what makes me feel older...seeing friends' children growing up, marrying... Even my own adult sons never made me feel like that.

As you get older, you begin to think about how much time you might have left and how best to use it. It creates an incentive to get more done, to figure out what's really important and the dreams you want to fulfill. Retirement? I don't think we ever really retire. It's just a matter of changing priorities. Some responsibilities have run their course and you find you have the time to do some of the things you've always wanted to do.

I guess that's why some of my writing friends are able to spend more time doing what they love. Not only do we have more time, but we also have more experience to draw from. We put more of ourselves into our creative efforts. Then we watch time zip past us even faster and it gives more meaning to "Time Flies When You're Having Fun."