EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

Hi to all my family,friends, and followers. I'm sorry for taking so long to post another blog. Sometimes life gets in the way of plans. Regardless, after three years I'm pleased to say my novel, BRIDGETOWN HIGH, is still selling. Thank you to all those who have enjoyed my book.

Today, I'm going to talk a bit more about story endings.

Whether or not to kill off a character, especially a beloved one. It's a heady thing, to wield such power. It's also an awesome responsibility.

When I posted my final chapter of BRIDGETOWN HIGH for critique, my beta readers told me they didn't like the fact that I'd not told them whether the heroine,Genie, lives or dies. I admit. I was chicken. One doctor diagnosed her with a brain tumor, but could he could be wrong? So, I couldn't make the decision as to whether or not to kill her or make her get better. I mean, how can you kill the heroine that you've grown to love like a daughter? On the other hand, I couldn't figure a way to have her get better that would serve as an emotional and meaningful ending. So, my critique partners forced me to make the decision. I wrote the ending both ways. I found a way to make both emotional and meaningful, and I guess if you haven't read BRIDGETOWN HIGH yet you'll just have to buy the book to find out which version I chose, LOL.

I feel like a judge hearing a murder trial. Should the defendant live or die for his crimes, but Genie didn't commit any crime. So, the decision was even more difficult, and at the same time, whichever way I chose, more poignant.

Good luck with your endings. Sometimes it ain't easy being judge and jury.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR

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

Today, since I have many new followers, I thought I should introduce myself.

My name is Paul W. West. I'm a California transplant and now live in Taylorsville, Utah with my wife. I have one published novel, "BRIDGETOWN HIGH," and am currently working on a sequel I'm calling "Bridgetown Murders." More about that one in a later post. In these posts I usually offer some advice to other writers and authors that I've gleaned over the years, hence the title EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR. I hope these posts will help you in your writing adventures.

BRIDGETOWN HIGH is about seventeen year old Mark Wilkerson who 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 who killed his family and take his revenge. The only detail he remembers, however, is round taillights swerving in front of his family’s car, and he’s shocked when he notices that the car of the high school’s bully, Jeff Marino, has identical taillights—and a suspicious dent in the fender. 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 alcohol and 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?

If you would like to follow me, you can follow this link (www.paulwwest.com) to my blog page and enter your email address in the side-bar. You will be notified whenever I write a new post. You can also follow me on Facebook at Paul W West, Author: Twitter at @paulwwest: and LinkedIn at Paul West.

I look forward to any questions or comments you would like to offer.

Thanks,

Paul W. West, Author

BRIDGETOWN HIGH

Read More »