Connecting with other Authors

When I started writing it was very much a solitary endeavour. Even though Antony has been with me from the start, he does the art and cover design and like me he does this locked away in his world. Only surfacing every now and then when hunger calls or perhaps a toilet break lures you from the computer. It was only last year that I met another author, I found it exhilarating being in the company of someone who actually knew where I was coming from.

I found it interesting how other authors approach different situations. What has been even better is the authors I have met through twitter, a diverse crowd of people who are all like minded and wonderfully talented. Some are serious some are funny, but they are all fascinating. I must say I have been lucky enough to communicate with a few by email and I have found them to be gracious and generous people who are also very supportive. I really don't feel so alone anymore when I write. I know I have the support of people I have never even met. Thanks everyone your a cool bunch, you know who you are. So don't hesitate If you are a writer, an artist, or whatever. Join the world community and be sociable it's nice not to be alone.

Kev

My characters

When I started writing I had some characters in mind, I stuck with them and was very happy with their growth. The thing that surprises me even today is the characters that pop in and are totally unplanned. When I start writing as I've said before I have a general outline but no rigid plan I have to follow. So what that means is that as my story meanders and wanders through the pages I sometimes come across characters that were unplanned, most of the time I can think on my feet as to their names and their lives. Twice now I have come across characters that have stumped me. Not so much where they belong in the story but more to do with their names you just can't rush into it and call them Bruce, George, or even Bill. Now there is nothing wrong with these names in real life, but for most stories you need stand out names for your characters you need punch, not just with your story but also with your characters.

You want them to be memorable, don't be hasty when you name them, take your time. I know it can be hard because you just want to get on with the story. Just recently I was stumped with a witch I needed to name. It held up the writing for about four months I found that I couldn’t carry on with that particular story until I named her. I was lucky that I had another novel on the go so I could write that one for a while and try to research a name for my witch. It took four months but it was worth it, the name I decided on really suited her. (I'm keeping her name to myself at the moment.) One I can share with you is Manjucus what a character he is, and he like my witch was a tough nut to crack with regards to his name. He is a good example, I knew that I had to give him a special name, you can't call a four and a half thousand year old soul stealer Pete. So to research his name I looked at what he was and how he dressed, so I went to the Queensland State Library and researched clowns. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself, when you research you find out obscure facts that can really enhance your stories. What I did find was a sixteenth century clown called Mandacus he would frighten the crowds by snarling and gnashing his teeth. I loved this idea and embraced it, changing the name slightly to suite my character. Hence Manjucus was born, I still get asked "how did you get his name?" and that's how, it's just research and a bit of imagination.

Using my experience to create a unique story.

When I sat down to write what is now called, 'Dream Raider' I started with a basic Idea which rapidly inflated and was hard to control. I think the reason why people get drawn into this story is because there is so much of myself in there. Like most people you get so busy and so caught with the mundane, we lose track of our selves, then we look at others and say "wow they lead an interesting life." Then we dismiss our own lives as boring, I know I did. I had never considered my life to be interesting or worth looking back on. Come to think of it though I was never told by anyone in my life that I was worthwhile. I have two brothers but have always felt alone, we just tolerated each other but most of the time we couldn't even do that.

Any sort of creativity was seen as a weakness or as something to be looked down upon, I can see now it was out of jealousy and petulance. I'm basically a gentle soul and I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve it's another thing that's seen as a weakness and has been exploited in the past. In the world I grew up in your feelings and emotions were something to be hidden and not discussed they were not for public display. Much to my detriment at times my sensitivity would just pop out and leave me stranded and exposed in certain situations. So most of the time I would just end up being a loner, it's safer that way. The problem is, that tends to bring with it another set of problems, your then seen as antisocial when nothing could be further from the truth. You crave the company of others, you see them running and playing during the school breaks and all you want to is be invited in, but then you have to change to fit into their way, a vicious circle. We ride an awful lot of those in our lives, and don't they bite hard.

Paulette's reaction

The next morning I got to the course early, I remember Paulette walking up to the room where the course was being held I was seated outside, and she came up to me and said. "Where I'm staying is a little one bedroom flat, as I live a fair distance north of here. I read the first three chapters of your book last night," I remember breaking into her conversation with a quick fire "So what did you think?" You have to remember, I hadn't had any contact with a any other authors before and I really wanted some sort of acknowledgement or at least a professional opinion. "Well," she said as she took a deep breath. "Like I said I am staying at a little one bedroom apartment for the week end and I'm alone. When I had finished reading the three chapters, I had to get up and make sure that the soul stealer wasn't lurking behind my door."

Now this I wasn't expecting, I was stunned, I thought I was going to get constructive criticism, or perhaps a "Don't give up your day job." I certainly didn't expect Paulette to say that one of my imaginary characters was playing on her mind, it really was justification for me, I remember asking her, "is there anything I should do to improve it?" "No what you've done is wonderful," she said. "So as an author am I doing a good Job?" I hesitantly asked. "As an author you're doing a great Job Kev," was her response. I Remember taking real heart from those words and the determination level in me raised to heights I didn't think existed. I owe Paulette a real debt of thanks for her encouragement and support, she was exactly what this boy needed in his life at that time. Thank you Paulette.

Discovery Continued

I look back to that time now and realise that I was confident of being on the right path but so insecure about my new passion. I spent a full year writing a novel and when I finished it, I went and did a writing for children's course. I consider it now to be ridiculous but at that time like I said, I was insecure about my abilities as an author or whether I had a right to even call myself an author. At that time I had been working in construction for 18 yrs, it was all I knew. Sadly it's now been 31yrs in construction.

Whoops I'm getting off the track, I don't regret doing the course it was great and the course was fronted by a terrific lady whose name was Paulette Gee. Paulette was wonderful, she was enthusiastic, supportive and she made the course enjoyable. Out of approximately 25 people who did the course, I was the only one that had completed a novel. I remember Paulette asking me what had I previously written and me telling her 'nothing, apart from the 4 pages of my life which I called the candle.' I promise I will post it on this blog.

Paulette was intrigued and asked if she could read some of it. Well back then and as today I always carried my work with me, just in case I manage to trap someone in a corner and could hold them there long enough to show them my latest work. She said she would like to read the first three chapters.

Still discovering

I spent every spare moment I had over the next year writing my story, which by now had taken on a new name. "Johnny Marsh Supernatural Investigator." I did things I never thought I'd do, like research. At school I found study to be alien to me but with this new found passion I found a reason to do it and loved it, everything I read up on was inspiring me and filling me with new directions for my book to follow. So much so that before I'd even finished the first book another four novels had sprung up and were demanding to be written, I have completed a couple of them and I'm pleased with the results they are completely different to the first book. They are adult, very adult and were incredibly satisfying to write.

Before I finished the first book I knew that this is where my future lay, I look back now and see I was a man possessed, no wonder I scared my wife. I had never done anything like this before, she suddenly had a stranger in the house who's life was being consumed by the book monster. The man she knew so well had been replaced with someone completely different. He looked like me and spoke like me, but he wasn't acting like me. Neither my wife or myself realised that I was going through the biggest growing period of my life, discovering I was creative was really wonderful, I truly love this side of myself and have learned to nurture it and feed it with the things in life I never did before, like pampering myself, just simple things like burning scented candles while I wrote and spending a day alone with my thoughts. I found that I had a new appreciation for all things creative and artistic. After working on my own novel for a year, I started to appreciate just how hard some people work on their own projects, and how much of themselves they put into it.

Discovering I could write

I had just turned 33 yrs old & I confronted my demons, something I will address in future blogs. I realised that for most of my life I had been running on hurt, anger & hatred, all the wrong things. After losing all of that I felt extremely empty inside, I wished I hadn't done it. I was lost with no clear direction, it was so hard to concentrate on anything. I was walking around like a zombie, the emptiness was worse than the hurt I had been carrying.

It was at that time that we bought our first personal computer, quite decrepit by today's standards. I originally bought it to play the latest video games, but I was drawn to the word processing programs. I tinkered with them and started to write about myself. I wrote four pages, it wasn't specific nor did it name names. I have had comments that it was the saddest thing some people had ever read, but I needed to get it out. Once I did get that out the flood gates seemed to open and I had a need to start writing again. I started writing a story called, "Johnny Marsh Monster Hunter."

It was never meant to be a novel or anything, all it was ever going to be was a short story I could be proud of and perhaps get to read to kids if I got the chance. As I started writing the characters started to grow and so did the story it was incredible, I had never experienced a rush of creativity like this in my life. It was exhilarating and completely unexpected. The cloud that had been surrounding me was lifting and a path was now opening up in front of me a path I didn't think existed.