Falklore: Publishing for Seniors

Okay, seniors who want to publish. We've written about research,
writing what you know, learning from others, writers clubs, a comfortable work area, spending a lot of time writing, costs and a bunch of other things you should do that are very important when it comes to writing successfully. To me, the two worst things to not do or have is not spending enough time writing, and not having the most important tool: a computer.

If writing is your goal, no matter what age, then dig deep and spend a few hundred dollars for a computer. A web search will net you a very good and reasonable priced outfit. Buying equipment won't be easy, but if you are intent on writing, suffer the pain.

I can type over a hundred words a minute, but I've been typing for fifty-five years doing professional sports publicity and promotion, college, newspaper reporting, feature writing and public relations propaganda. I recall how erasing or whiting out errors or wrong phrases was such a pain and always caused my most vile Marine Corps expletives to erupt. And that wasn't too swift in a crowded editorial news room.

A computer eliminates those problems – well, not all of them.
I still have a few eruptions on the golf course. But a computer does make writing fun instead of work. (Too bad I can't say that about a five iron.) Instead of using White Out by the gallon, I now tap my computer delete key and voila - my anger management problem is solved without consulting a psychologist. The time I had to spend on the couch can now be used for writing. Sometimes you might feel like a good psychologist would come in handy. But don't let that slow you down. Every writer goes through some difficult times. You just have to tough it out.

Set your goal for the day, week or whatever, and like a sprinter, get off the block fast. While sprinting toward the tape, give serious thought to the following, some of which are pointed out in The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing.

Point of View: Be clear from the story's beginning so readers won't have to guess whose perception they are seeing through (1st person, 2nd person, etc.)

Conflict: Action proceeds from characters in conflict and pulls readers into your story - and the faster the better. By posing conflict clearly for the reader, you may surprise yourself by reaching for more active phrases and situations that create immediacy.

Exposition: Avoid long, mundane descriptions of characters and places. This often times becomes boring, unbelievable, and intrudes on illusions. A single sentence, if well imagined and worded, can do far more immediately than long drawn out passages. In other words, keep sentences short and active and well written. Go over your sentences or passages a dozen times. Don't get cute. Cut out unnecessary words. That is so important. Activate all the readers' senses - smells, sounds, feelings and tastes.

There are more, but right now absorb these and try to follow them as you write. Ask yourself questions like: Is this too mundane? Is this passage believable? Is this character believable? That sounds like a lot to grasp, but practice and it will soon become second nature. That's enough for now. We'll cover more in a future column.

Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.