EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

by Paul W. West, Author | Thursday, December 29, 2016

Hello to all my family and friends.

I don't have a lot of time to write something, so I hope you saw the posts I sent yesterday and Tuesday.

Just a quick note that I am working diligently on a sequel to "Bridgetown High." So, you need to get the current book first so you'll have a better idea of what is going on in the upcoming sequel. Don't worry, though. If you don't want to buy the first book, the sequel will serve as a standalone novel, but with many of the same characters including Mark and Genie, Gary and Kathy, Charisse, Suzie and others.

Who are they, you ask? Well, that's why you need to buy and read the first novel. So, go to Amazon and get a copy, either paper back or Kindle e'book.

And with that, I hope your Christmas was wonderful, and now I want to wish you a wonderful and Happy New Year. Talk to you next year.

About Paul West

Paul West is a freelance writer and novelist. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paul claims to be a "Prune Picker," though he now makes his home in Taylorsville, Utah.

You can follower him on Twitter: @PaulWWest

Published: Thursday, December 29, 2016

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A warm hello to all my family and friends at this Christmas season.

Today I only want to wish everyone of you a wonderful Christmas or Chanukah for my Jewish friends, and a happy upcoming New Years to all.

I also want to say that the giveaway I had was a great success, and I will have more freebees in the near future to be sponsored by publisher. So, if you didn't take advantage of my last two giveaways, you still have a chance So, stay tuned to this station for more details. In the meantime, if you want to purchase Bridgetown High, it is still available on Facebook , Barnes & Noble, and several other places.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it onnd "Tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

Also, remember to sign up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog.

My best to all of you at this holiday season.

Good afternoon, all my family and friends (yes that means you):

All kidding aside, I told you last week I might be able to do another give-away of my electronic copy of "Bridgetown High" if any of you missed it last go-round. So, I contacted my publisher (Limitless Publishing) doing another one and she informed me they can only do one give-away every three months.

Well, that was a downer. Then, I realized that is through Amazon. However, I have the master electronic (.MOBI) copy file and can give away copies of "Bridgetown High" anytime I want. So, unless I hear from my publisher telling me otherwise, the give-away is on. But I'm not all altruistic, all I ask is that you submit your email address on the front page of this blog. That way you can keep up with me and my musings without having to find these posts through Facebook, Twitter, etc. and be prepared for when the sequel to "Bridgetown "High comes out.

So, again, it is:

FREE FREE FREE

So, today I thought I'd talk a bit more from Dean Koontz's advice to would be authors -- well-drawn backgrounds.

For those of you who have read "Bridgetown High," and are familiar with the setting (John Swett High School, the towns of Crockett, Rodeo, Port Costa, etc.) you will realize my descriptions were pretty close to real without detracting from the story. In fact, many of my scene settings actually proved to serve as characters in a sense. For instance, in Chapter 1, Mark is in a mortuary, about to throw up if he had to listen to any more of that morbid organ music. The mortuary, and more particular, the organ served as characters in that instance. Throughout the entire book I tried to make the setting as real as I could, hopefully to add interest to the scenes.

So, how are you doing with your setting scenes? Write and let me know. I may be able to help just like I'm doing with a writer who asked for my help. I won't go into any details as those belong to her, but she does make the cardinal sin of not getting anyone into any kind of trouble and instead does a huge info dump throughout Chapter 1. I have to admit, it took me some time to get into the story, something that would turn many readers off. It's also a sign of an amateur writer.

Ok, 'nuff said. So, So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

Also, remember to sign up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog.

Good afternoon all my family and friends.

I just realized we only have 2 and 1/2 weeks to Christmas. So, is your shopping all done? Whether you are or not, in case you missed last month's sale, I'm considering doing it again.

How does that sound? I appreciate all of you who responded so favorably, with kind comments and offers to post a review on Amazon. Thank you all. So, with Christmas so close, Bridgetown High could be a great Christmas gift for your young adults, and even adults.

So, today I thought I would go against everything you've been taught about how to put together a novel. I'm borrowing this from one of my favorite novelists, Jack London.

If any of you have read his biography, "Sailor on Horseback," by Irving Stone, you might remember how London put together his novels.

Before I go into that, however, I want to go over what I've learned from all my contemporary writers. Common wisdom says to start writing something without stopping to check spelling or to fix poor sentences, just write from the opening and work to the final word. Then we are told to go back over and edit, edit, edit!

Well, that makes sense, in a way, but I can't do it that way. As I write, I find myself pausing to fix something and in the process take a moment to think about where I want to go with what I'm currently working on.

Now, as I think back on Jack London's method, I realize I'm not too far from doing it his way. At first, I got a kick out of how London wrote. His method was to write a scene, a chapter, a concept, etc. with no idea of a plot or where it fit in the plot at first. I know, I told you having a plot is one of the most important aspects of a novel. But, after writing something, London would hang the pages on a clothes line, then rearrange them as he thought it over. That's kind of how I do it, only I use a computer. Much more efficient.

As I was writing during my lunch break yesterday, I found myself adding to chapters already written, and moving chapters around to where they would fit better.

I wonder how many of you use the London method -- via a computer. I'll let you stew about that for a while.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

Also, if you are reading this on my blog, have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog.

Hi to all my friends and family.

Did you get it?

I know, you're asking "get what?"

If you missed it I held a big sale last week. I was giving away free copies of "Bridgetown High." I hope, if you didn't already have a copy, that you used this opportunity to get a free copy, then tell all your "friends" on Facebook, Twitter, etc. all about it. That's the only way I'll ever get known in the literary world.

But don't get too excited if you missed the sale. I'm planning another sale in a week or so (in time for Christmas). I think "Bridgetown High" would be a great Christmas Present for your teenage children or even adults. Most of the readers have been middle-aged adults as they reminisce about life during the turbulent 60s. Just a thought.

So, enough about marketing.

I promised I would offer some writerly tips in this blog. If some of you recall, I was in the process of talking about what Dean Koontz's high school English teacher told him about writing fiction.

The first thing she suggested is to have "a strong plot." that may sound obvious, but there are some who ignore that rule and up with a literary novel, which in my mind isn't a novel at all. So, does your novel have a strong plot? Does it begin with an enticing story question or questions? Then does it work toward solving those questions at the end? Does it have strong sub-plots that are also resolved by the end? The story questions are what drive the plot. Certainly, you need to have a lot of twists and turns in the story line, but they all have to be resolved by the end.

So while you're pondering all that, I'll say, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember, both in kindle e'book, and paperback, which I recommend. You can read some GREAT reviews about Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about it

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

... to all my friends and family -- yes, that includes you.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and the beginning of a 4-day holiday weekend. I truly hope you have a wonderful day, considering all the blessings Heavenly Father has given you and yours. I know I'm very grateful for my family, my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. I'm also thankful for my mom and dad, my sisters and brother, and their families. They are all special to me, even though I don't get to see them very often. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's plan for us, that we can be an eternal family. In my mind, heaven wouldn't be heaven without all of them there with me -- assuming I make it, lol.

Today I finished reading a novel for review. It was horrible. I won't go into detail, but lets just say the writer needs a lot of help. I'm not saying this to be critical, I'm sure someone could criticize my writing too. But his grammar, syntax, and punctuation were horrible, and his story line was hidden behind many info-dumps, over done descriptions, and cliche's. His story didn't even begin until about chapter 4. The first chapters were all info-dump, descriptions of the setting, etc.

I only mention this because as I know you all want to be authors, I urge you to get some professional editor or a good critique group before exposing it to the world. It took me nearly 25 years to get Bridgetown High right, and I still get criticized for some of the characters' dialogs. Well, I've mentioned that before, that some of the characters, to be true to the their personalities, their speech patterns were crude. Face it, a high school drop out probably doesn't speak as fluently as a college professor.

I hope, Steven Welch, author of this next review comment, won't mind my using his words to illustrate my point:

"I attended high school in Crockett with the Author, and while this is fiction he leaves you with the feeling that perhaps it may not be. The book is hard to put down, the characters are interesting, and Paul provides enough background to bring the 1960's community of Crockett and Rodeo to life. I enjoyed the way Paul included many of the characteristics unique to the community but still not difficult for someone who's unfamiliar with the area to imagine. He brought back memories of the fog drifting on the bay, the emergency and noon whistles, the C&H Sugar factory, The Dog House, and the well traveled road between Crockett and Rodeo. Let's hope we hear more from Paul about Bridgetown and perhaps other stories he has to offer."

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard about the sale I'm running for Bridgetown High. It's FREE until Saturday. So, if you haven't got a copy of Bridgetown High yet, Go to Amazon and get it at https://www.amazon.com/Bridgetown-High-Paul-W-West/product-reviews/1680583093/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop/156-3883310-2205657?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=recent#R2USXC6G2G8RJW. When you do, after you're read it, I hope you'll find it in your heart to write a short review. Then we'll all have something to be "Thankful" for; you for getting my book, and me for the satisfaction that someone is interested in it.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

FREE, FREE, FREE!!!

On top of wanting to be an author, everyone wants something for free.

Well, your desire for something FREE is about to happen. Next Tuesday, November 22, 2016, Bridgetown High will be on sale for FREE! through Amazon. I hope everyone will take advantage of this sale. I don't do this often. I'd rather get paid for my work, but I've been told that the exposure generated by a freebee is worth it.

Gaining exposure is key to selling books. I mean, think about it, if no one know about you and your book, how can they buy it.

Okay. One request. You knew there would be a string, didn't you? Well, the string is not attached, so don't get shook up over it. I've asked this before, if you like Bridgetown High, please write a review. It would also help if you Tweeted and Shared this posting with all your Facebook and Twitter "friends" so they'll know about me and my book.

Are you willing to do that? You don't have to, but it sure would be nice if you did.

So until next week, I won't be posting as usual on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), but expect me to post again next Wednesday instead. But you can read this anytime you want.

So, until then I'll wish you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

(And don't forget Christmas is coming, hmmm)

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

Hi all my friends and family. I know it's been several days since I last posted something here. I hope you'll all forgive me, but sometimes work gets in the way of more important things like writing.

However, I have been working hard behind the lines, so to speak, marketing my novel "Bridgetown High." By the way, have you purchased a copy of it yet? It's available at Barnes & Noble for an electronic copy or Amazon for a paperback or kindle copy.

BUT here is a HUGE SURPRISE toward the end of this month (November 2016) the electronic version will be on sale for FREE, but only for five days. More details about where you can get this deal will be coming. Keep posted.

Do I think the book isn't worth anything? NO. So, why am I doing this? It's call exposure. With my book available for free, there are several promo sites that will advertise it for free to all their contacts for five days. My publisher is excited about doing this and is planning a marketing blitz along with new graphics. I'm excited and I hope you will too.

Keep in mind, Christmas is coming and this would make a great Christmas gift for your Teens and adults as well.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

Hello to all y friends and family. Did you miss me? I've been gone for almost 3 weeks. You don't have answer that.

If you're here for the first time, welcome. If you liked my postings on Facebook, you'll equally enjoy the postings I put here. If you're not signed up to my email list, please remember to do so, so you will be notified when I make a posting.

I thought this week that I would take up some serious issues some people have had with my novel, "Bridgetown High." That being, my characters' dialogs and the ending of my book.

A Great Christmas Gift Idea

I guess I can understand why a few people have been put off by the colloquialisms I used in some of the dialog. They either didn't live during the era in which this story is set, or they've forgotten how some people talked back then. Frankly, I've done my best to research the conditions and attitudes of people and tried to mimic the speech patterns of such groups as Italian immigrants, Spanish speaking Mexican immigrants, plus hippie jargon, and the speech patterns of ignorant teenagers who turn out to be dropouts, then the antagonists.

TIP FOR YOU: Speaking of characters' dialog, when writing your best selling novel, do your best to make dialog as realistic as possible. Listen to people -- how they talk, phrases they use. However, dialog can't have all the hms and hums or stuttering as most people do, unless the character needs to be a stutterer for some reason. Make sure your dialog is clean and realistic.

Another issue some people have had with "Bridgetown High" was the unexpected twist in the end. Actually, it shouldn't come as unexpected. All through the book I've lead up to it, and to a few other twists as well. However, all I can say now is, I'm writing a sequel. Keep posted. All will be revealed in due time.

TIP FOR YOU: When writing your best selling novel, make sure all your twists are logical from what has transpired previously in the story. I've read some otherwise good novels that when they got to the last chapter, the twist didn't work, in my opinion. Not only that, but the denouement goes on for several chapters -- wrong too!

With all that in mind, most readers of "Bridgetown High" have loved it and did not find fault with it. Even with a couple of negative ratings, it's still rating 4.3 on a scale of 5 at Amazon, 4.36 on Goodreads, and 4.5 on Barnes and Noble. Not bad, but I need more reviews, even negative reviews will be welcomed. I'm not upset about negative reviews. They only help me to write better and avoid mistakes.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hi, all my friends and followers. Thank you all for your support. If you've read "Bridgetown High" and enjoyed it please "share", "like", and "tweet" this blog entry.

As a friend and follower, I'm going to ask you to try an experiment with me.

I'm sure you would like to see my book succeed in the marketplace, so I figure if everyone of you share, like, and/or tweet, all of your "friends" on Facebook and Twitter will see this and respond in kind. If everyone does this, there's no stopping the success. Just go to the bottom of this page and click on "share."

For those of you who haven't read it yet, here is a synopsis:

Seventeen year old Mark Wilkerson has no memory of the fiery crash that killed his family on the Carquinez Bridge… Living with his grandmother and burdened with guilt, Mark vows to find the hit-and-run driver and take his revenge. The only detail he remembers is round taillights swerving in front of his family’s car, and he’s shocked when he notices the car of the high school’s bully, Jeff Marino, has identical taillights—and a suspicious dent. Now he wants revenge more than ever… Jeff believes Mark is an anti-Vietnam War activist like his cousin Gary—and despises him for it. To make matters worse, when Jeff’s girlfriend Genie Lombardi dumps him for Mark, it kicks Jeff’s hatred for him to a dangerous new level. Lies and threats escalate, until drugs and a shocking death send Jeff over the edge, and his campaign to get Genie back any way he can turns violent. When Mark’s memory begins to return, it leads to a terrifying confrontation. Will he finally prove the identity of the guilty driver? Or will he and Genie become one more tragedy associated with the Carquinez Bridge?

Yes, it's about a teenage boy, but I've found my largest audience is with adults who lived in the 1960s.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Just a short note today, I just got two new reviews for Bridgetown High. I thought I'd share then with you.

This one by Kim Smith, author of the Shannon Wallas mystery series. "As a child of the 60s I could identify with the characters of this book. Mr. West knows his setting and situates the reader in it like wrapping us in a blanket. The dialog fits the era of the story. And the story, a young adult novel, has everything that teens care about: revenge, regret, young love, and the promise of a future. Mark Wilkerson is a captivating character, totally believable. When his family is killed in a fiery crash on the Carquinez Bridge, his life is forever altered. Will he find out who was responsible?"

And this one by an unknown reviewer: "Love the book. I would recommend it to all my family and friends. It is definitely a page turner."

Short but sweet.

If you have read Bridgetown High and would like to write a review, please go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/1680583093/ref=cm_sw_su_dp and scroll down to a button that says "Write A Customer Review." You can read some of the other reviews my book has received.

I'd love to know what you think.

I'll try to write my usual weekly blog tomorrow, but no promises. I'm going on vacation for the next two weeks, so stand by. I'll be back -- God willing.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hi all my friends and followers.

Welcome to my weekly magazine, if you can call it that, he he.

This week since I've cultivated a lot of new followers and friends, I thought I'd talk a bit about what this site is all about -- me.

Well, not really all about me. More about my novel "Bridgetown High" where readers can find out more about me and "Bridgetown High" and also about what is going on in my writing life. By the way, would you like a free kindle copy of my book? Read on for more details.

Maybe some of you aren't aware that my novel is set in the towns I grew up in. If you are familiar with the San Francisco Bay Area, you might be familiar with the towns of Crockett, Port Costa, and Rodeo. If you're not familiar with those towns, maybe you have heard of Vallejo. It's just north of those three towns, across the Carquinez Straits.

The story is set in those three towns and in particular the high school where kids from those town go to school.

If you've read the back cover page of "Bridgetown High" you'll recognize this setting, particularly the Carquinez Bridge where so much of the tragedies depicted in the book take place. Here is a short synopsis of the book.

If you want to find the answers to those story questions, come to my Amazon page and order a copy of my book. It's really a fun read, and has gotten several great reviews. If you are willing to write a review, let me know and I can give you a free electronic Kindle copy.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a short review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

Hi, all my friends:

Today I thought the first thing I want to do is differentiate between "writer" and "author." Maybe you all know this all ready, but just to be sure, an "author" is a published "writer." Now, in my mind, I struggle with what constitutes "published?" There are those who are self-published and those who are published by a traditional publishing company, I'll leave that question up to you.

OK, now back to this week's lesson.

Before I do that, I need to ask, is there any aspect to writing fiction you would like me to cover? Let me know in the comments below.

Now, back to my subjects from Dean Koontz.

I've touched on some of the eight things he thinks the average reader demands of a novel: "1) a strong plot; 2) a great deal of action; 3) a hero or a heroine or both; 4) colorful, imaginative and convincing characterizations; 5) clear, believable character motivations; 6) well-drawn backgrounds; 7) at least some familiarity with the rules of English grammar and syntax -- the more familiarity the better, of course; 8)a style which embodies at least a trace of lyrical language and as many striking images as possible, for good writing is always vivid and visual."

I think I've covered #1 #2 and #3 pretty well. So, I'll try to cover #4. In my novel "Bridgetown High." I think my most colorful character is the antagonist, Jeff Marino. He's a scumbag, for sure. He loves to drink and he is addicted to his smokes. He absolutely hates the protagonist, Mark Wilkerson, because Mark won their love interest, Genie Lombardi, away from him. Jeff goes to great lengths to win Genie back, all to no avail. When his best friend dies, Jeff becomes real to the reader as he mourns over him, and as I wrote that scene, I even felt bad for him. I think Jeff is the most well-drawn character in my book. If you haven't yet, you need to get a copy of Bridgetown High and see what I mean.

When creating characters, don't hesitate to develop him/her as fully as you can.

So, good luck with your writing. And if you have something you'd like me to cover, please ask. I can't promise I can answer everything, but I'll try.

And, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Re-tweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page at Amazon.

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

Hi Gang. Welcome to today's bit of wisdom. Well, if you don't agree with the wisdom part, at least welcome to my blog, he he.

Today, I thought I'd talk about the importance of having a story question from page 1. I just started reading a murder mystery novel by Kim Smith, a good friend of mine. Her novel is called Disk of Death. She has come a long way in her writing from when worked together in my critique group -- now defunct.

Like I said last week, she begins her book of with the main character, Shannon Wallace, into some terrible trouble (you'll have to read the book to find out what that terrible trouble is). Then, the story question. How is she going to cope with her new life's situation. Then as she tries to cope, the trouble only gets worse and the reader wonders (story question) how can things get worse?

That is a good example of what I was talking (writing) about last week, and Kim does it well.

So, make sure when you begin your novel that you follow that example. Otherwise, you'll loose your reader before they get to the bottom of page 1.

For those of you who have read "Bridgetown High," do you think Mark Wilkerson's terrible trouble, though seemingly solved, can get any worse? I'm working on a sequel and Mark will be in worse trouble than he, and you readers, ever thought. Keep posted. I'm aiming for submission to
agents and/or editors by next year (oh, and by the way, I have no idea where this photo came from, so I hope the person who posted it on Facebook won't be too upset).

Good luck with your writing.

Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember, both in kindle e'book, and paperback. You can read some GREAT reviews about Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about it

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Good afternoon, all my family and friends.

Today, I thought I'd talk about a different aspect of writing -- beginner's faux pas.

Recently, I have been purposely reading books by self-published authors. I'm doing that in an effort to find good, well written, literature.

Frankly, I'm not having much success. I recently joined a web-based book review site in hopes they might review my novel, "Bridgetown High." I really need reviews on Amazon and thought this site may provide one or more (preferably more). I volunteered to do some reviewing in return.

Honestly, it's a bore.

Almost all of these books by self-published authors (and I'm using that term "authors" loosely) begin with a huge info dump, all the background, on the first two or three pages. Then they SCREAM "Look Ma, I c'n rite." The books are full of misspelled words and punctuation errors.

Then, as I read on, the story lines do tend to be well thought out, and somewhat entertaining, but there are always inconsistencies that drive me crazy, making the read not as enjoyable as I expect.

For example, in the book I'm currently reviewing, the main character says she's 14 years old. Then, in a later chapter she says she's been doing something (I won't say what to not give it away) for two years, making her 16. Then she goes back to having the girl be 14 again. Near the beginning she gives her life's story, thus far, which goes pretty smooth. However, she gives that same story at least 3 other times - boooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg.

I don't mean to be critical, but I'm trying to warn you, regardless of how you want to be published, self or traditional, don't do what this lady, and many others like her, have done. Get a good editor, beta reader, or at least a good critique group. I believe you can be successful which ever route you choose, but get the professional help you need.

Keep that in mind when you are writing your best selling fiction.

And, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page on Amazon.

Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember, both in kindle e'book, and paperback. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about it

See y'all next week,

Paul W West, Author

Bridgetown High

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hello to all my Friends and Family.

Today I thought I'd write a bit more I'm extracting from Dean Koontz's book, "How to Write Best Selling Fiction." He suggests "The average reader demands eight things of a novel:" and he proceeds to list them. One that I think is paramount he lists as second in his list: "a great deal of action."

Have you ever read a book that just makes your eyes glaze over and instead of "I couldn't put it down," you say "I couldn't keep from putting it down." I recently read a book like that. It's written by a great, self published, author that I admire. But one of her books just put me to sleep and after about 10 chapters of boredom I had to give it up. I may take it up again if I find nothing else to read. Some books are so filled with internal dialog (thoughts) that nothing ever gets accomplished.

If you want to write a best selling book, it's got to have some action, or as Dean Koontz said, "... a great deal of action."

In my novel "Bridgetown High," I tried to put some action, if only in dialog, into every scene.

I also read a "how too" book by Jack M. Bickham. The title of his book is "Scene and Structure." If I only got one thing from his advice it's that for every scene, such as a fight, argument, chase scene, etc., you need to have a sequel to unwind, so to speak. He calls that "Strucure." He explainns, "Structure is nothing more than a way of looking at your story material so that it's organized in a way that's both logical and dramatic." And that brings up another subject for another day (logic).

So, I wrote "Bridgetown High" with both ideas in mind, action and structure.

Keep that in mind when you are writing your best selling fiction.

Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember, both in kindle e'book, or paperback. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about it

See y'all next week,

Paul

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hi, to all my family and friends (note I didn't say "followers." I think if you are following me, you are my friend).

Today, I want to pose a question, and I hope you will all take five minutes and give me an honest answer.

My novel, "Bridgetown High" has garnered some great review on Amazon.com, and many of you have asked me to write a sequel, and some have even suggested turning "Bridgetown High" into a movie.

So far, I've written more than 30 pages of the sequel, but it's not coming easy. I probably need a good critique group to encourage and help me.

When I wrote "Bridgetown High," I never intended it to be the first of a series. I had two other books in mind that I was having fun with. One I titled, "GERTA!" and the other, "Johnny Sweeting's Story," (for lack of a better title).

Gerta is set in the early 1950s and is about a poor disadvantaged girl that no one likes. It's primarily about bullying, but the main character grows to love her -- as a friend.

"Johnny Sweeting's Story" is set in 1910 and is about a young man from the coal fields in Wyoming who accidently kills a co-worker. He has to flee to California to escape being jailed and hung.

My question to you is, which would you prefer me to write?

A Bridgetown High Sequel
GERTA!
Johnny Sweeting's Story

I apologize that I do not have any tips about writing this week, but I do need your help in exchange for the advice I've given you over the past several months.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a review of "Bridgetown High" and post it on my author page on Amazon.

Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember, both in kindle e'book, or paperback. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about it

See y'all next week,

Paul

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Good afternoon all my family, friends, and followers. I hope everyone is busy writing your "Great American Novel."

I've quoted Dean Koontz on my blog several times, and thinking you, or I, can ever think of writing the "great American novel," is absurd, but I'm sure some writers are pompus to think they can do it. Think of some of the great novels you've read. They are worth trying to emulate, but don't beat yourself up if you come up short. Just be glad you can write something people will like to read.

Some of you might recall my quoting of Dean Koontz as he quoted his high school teacher who said the following:

"The average reader demands eight things of a novel: 1) a strong plot; 2) a great deal of action; 3) a hero or a heroine or both; 4) colorful, imaginative, and convincing characterizations; 5) clear, believable motivations; 6) well-drawn backgrounds; 7) at least some familiarity with the rules of English grammar and syntax - the more familiarity the better, of course, and 8) a style which embodies at least a trace of lyrical language and as many striking images as possible, for good writing is always vivid and visual."

Let's take a quick look at number 1. a strong plot.

I've talked about this several times now. A strong plot is essential if you want to have readers. It begins with (as I've said before) getting the main character in "terrible trouble" on page one, paragraph one.

As he/she tries to overcome the terrible trouble, he/she gets deeper and deeper into trouble as the story develops. There can be side stories, other characters with plots of their own, but the main character's troubles have to be uppermost in the reader's mind, and must relate to the main story somehow. As the story progresses, with the MC getting deeper and deeper in trouble, it eventually must come to a head, or climax, where the MC overcomes his "terrible trouble." I've read some novels that, after the climax, go on and on for several chapters. That's when I put the novel down and forget it. After the climax, the denoument, as it's called, can't be more than a chapter or two to resolve all the loose ends.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a review and post it on Amazon. Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about Bridgetown High.

See y'all next week,

Paul

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hello again to all my faithful family, friends, and followers.

Today, I thought I'd talk about the need for a hero or heroine. As Dean Koontz put it: "Your lead character doesn't have to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and he doesn't have to stop speeding bullets with his bare hands, but he darn well better know the difference between right and wrong, and he better be kind to animals, and it sure wouldn't hurt if he brushed his teeth regularly."

Ha ha. In other words, he/she needs to be real. He/she needs to have faults and strengths just like everyone else.

In my book, "Bridgetown High," the main character, Mark Wilkerson, has his faults. His story begins when he's mourning the loss of his family and wondering who killed them, and what he would do if and when he ever found out. He is angry. He wants revenge! But deep down inside he wants to have a normal life again. He wants to love and be loved, and in the end he learns forgiveness and wins the girl he loves.

In contrast, Jeff Mario, the antagonist, is also real. As you read it, it becomes clear that he is from a broken home. He wants to be accepted, but because he dresses in dirty clothes, few, if any of his fellow school mates like him. He is also angry, deep down inside, and acts up as a result to get some kind of attention. He also has his heroic qualities. When Genie, the girl of his dreams, is being teased to tears by another boy, Jeff comes to her rescue even though the other boy is much taller and stronger.

If you haven't read "Bridgetown High" yet, I hope you will get a copy and enjoy it. I had great fun writing it, and I'm having fun writing the sequel.

By the way, if you are interested in reading it and writing a review, I will give you a free Kindle copy.

Until next time, I'll say happy writing and reading.

Hi again to all my family, friends, and followers,

I thought from now on, I should begin addressing these blog posts to my family members as well as everyone else. I'm sure 1 or 2 of them are following this, ha ha.

Today I thought I'd give you all a word of warning. This past week I read what I thought was a stand alone novel which will remain nameless, and author-less. For the most part it was somewhat boring in the first 4 or5 chapters, but it got more interesting as I kept reading.

The first thing this author did wrong was NOT starting with the main character getting into some kind of trouble, or "terrible trouble," as Dean Koontz often said in his book, "How to Write Best Selling Fiction." The story begins with a lot of background information, or an "info dump" as we writers call it. Maybe I could have tolerated it for a while, but it went on for several chapters. I was about ready to give up on it. The real story didn't begin until the main character went to a party where the hostess was someone who hated the MC and vice versa.

Now, that perked up my interest a little bit.

But the unforgivable sin she left with was ending the story with a cliffhanger, then told reader he/she had to purchase the sequel to find out what happened next. She dropped the story off right at the climax, leaving the reader hanging. Of course, I'm not going to purchase the sequel. The author blew it in my mind and I will probably never read another book of hers. I'm just glad it didn't cost much.

So, two words of warning:

1) Always begin your story with the main character being hit (figuratively) with some kind of "terrible trouble."

2) Never end a story at the apex of the climax with no resolution and expect the reader to purchase your sequel.

In my mind, it ain't gonna happen.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please remember to "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter. Then PLEASE, take five minutes to write a review and post it on Amazon. Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to this blog. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and several other places I can't remember. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on Amazon and Goodreads in case you need more info about Bridgetown High.

See y'all next week.

Paul

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hi again to all my friends and followers. Today, I'm a little rushed. My family and I are close to leaving for a short vacation.

But, nevertheless, I feel an obligation to write something about the process of novel writing.

How many of you have suffered with "writer's block?" I know I have. But going back to Dean Koontz book on "How to Write Best Selling Fiction," he has some ideas that I've found helpful.

There are several ideas such as being relaxed when trying to come up with something to write, or read books of a similar genre, etc.

But the method that I think is most helpful to me is to go back a couple or so pages, begin reading and making some small edits along the way, and by the time you get to where you last left off, your mind should be back in the proverbial "groove."

I hope that helps some of you.

I wish I had more time, but even an author has to take some time off to regenerate his/her mind -- and that's another method that can work to crash through writer's block.

So, until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please remember to "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter, then PLEASE, write a review and post it on all the sites where you can find my book (especially on Amazon). Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to my posts. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and a few other places I can't remember. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on all of these sites if you need more info about Bridgetown High. And if you think of it, a review on Amazon or Goodreads, would be very welcomed.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hello all my faithful friends and followers. I appreciate the response I got from last week's challenge. Does anyone remember what it was? I know one person did - Thanks Don.

Today, I thought I would reiterate what I wrote several weeks (months?) ago. Over the past few weeks I've read some FREE novels that sort of appealed to me based on the title and a short blurb. With few exceptions, they all started out the same -- booorrrriiiinnnnngggg.

Like I stated several weeks ago, you need to build tension from page 1, the first paragraph, if you can. Then, by the end of the first page, the story line should be so engrossing that the reader can't put it down.

Without tension a book or short story is a waste of time for the reader. And that especially applies to books you paid good money for.

Right now, I'm reading a free book I got on Amazon. I'm on about page 10 and still can't see what the story is all about, let alone is the protagonist into some kind of terrible trouble.

People tell me that self-published books, such as the one I'm currently reading, have gotten better. I'm not believing that. So far, most of the self-pubbed books I've read all start of with the same problem -- booorrriiiinnnnggg. Like, why should I care about this protagonist?

You need to have something the protagonist needs, or is having trouble with from the first paragraph. So, how do you achieve that?

Like I said several weeks ago, have the protagonist in some kind of trouble, or as Dean Koontz says "terrible trouble," right off. Give the protagonist a challenge. Then, as the story progresses, as the protagonist tries to solve his/her terrible trouble, he/she gets deeper and deeper into more trouble until at the very end, the climax if you will, the problems are all solved.

Until next week, as always, if you like this blog, please remember to "Share" and "Like"it on Facebook , and "Retweet" it on Twitter, then PLEASE, write a review and post it on all the sites where you can find my book (especially on Amazon). Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site? I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourself and give comments to my posts. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is still available on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble and a few other places I can't remember. You can read some GREAT reviews of Bridgetown High on all of these sites if you need more info about Bridgetown High. And if you think of it, a review on Amazon or Goodreads, would be very welcomed.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

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