For years now I,ve dreamed of becoming an aspiring author. God knows how many books I,ve begun yet never completed. I was born in Pacific Northwest america, raised and schooled in eastern South Dakota from 1949-1962. Spent 1963-1971 in the USAF mostly overseas-Japan, Okinawa, a short time in Vietnam, West Germany, Grand Forks, ND and then McChord, Washington. Emigrated to england after that-married an english woman in 1969 which had lots to do with it. It wasn,t easy at first as we lived with my wife,s parents in North London and as a security officer pay wasn,t fabulous, but somehow we managed to raise enough to get our own house in 1975. Imperative as my son and daughter had been born with just a year between them. Security work then was certainly varied-one night I could be getting my boots muddy on a building site, the next guarding valuable paintings at an art gallery, the next checking dignitaries at a posh hotel or even meeting members of the royal family or big name stars or performers which I did more than once. As most of that work was done at night I experienced some very eerie events which may seem odd, but then isn,t truth often much stranger than fiction? Anyway if any one has any idea what I can do to achieve my long ambitiuon of Completing a book and ultimately getting it published please do not hesitate to let me know.
I can say as someone aspiring to be an author as well work with something you know, you can turn it into something new but writing on a basis of personal truth makes for a powerfully compelling story. I wrote my first book it took me 3 months and that was writing everyday pen and paper the old fashion way. I had several stories I had started and never finished but when you find a root in something you can relate to its like you stop writing and you start reading. The book I am in the editing stage now with I wrote in three days with a lot of coffee, the book comes out as if you are reading the story you are writing, trying to play catch up. Honestly do not worry about minute details at first, slap it on the page make it ugly feel good about it and then go back through and edit, and then edit again and then probably again. As much as we want it to be we can not pull a master piece out of a rough draft. If you get stuck in advancing the story to a certain point then save it and start from where the inspiration is coming from and work from there trust me you will find a compelling way to make it connect. I am the fifth draft of my book and that's a lot but i have rearranged, killed some of it and added to it as my characters evolved and my clarity in terms of direction. Slap it together be ashamed of it and then learn to love it as you build it, nurture it and watch it grow. I was honestly horrified when I finished my first draft because it was over, it was like reading a book you just do not want to end and since then the plot has completely changed but the characters haven't, the basis of the struggle remains the same but the words are different. Get it out of your head turn it into something tangible and then work from there, it seems like you have something great to write about hope it helps and best of luck to you.
sounds like you're close to my age [yob: 1938], ex-pat! welcome to the forums... i/ve been mentoring aspiring authors for over a dozen years, so if i can be of any help getting your book published, feel free to drop me a line anytime... love and hugs, maia ps: i'd been living/traveling the world over since 1995, when i left my home in seattle and my old material life behind, and just returned to live in the states a couple of months ago... in the PNW!... coquille, oregon, to be exact... every heard of it?
Welcome to Writing Forums, expatriate! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirments. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Cogito, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
Hi Maia. Any help will be great and much appreciated. I have cousins in Seaside and Medford and a younger brother in Grand Coulee, Wa and Aunts and cousins in washington as well. I was born in Anacortes by the way
Well-all things said I,ve now got to decide on what my book will be about and whether it will be fact or fiction-guess I,ll be getting on with it!
