One thing I hear from just about every writer, scholar, pundit, or expert is writers write. I always thought there were writers and readers. I honestly didn’t know writers were either PLOTTERS or PANTSERS. I am a pantser. Whether in high school or college, I hated outlining. I never quite figured out whether it is a Roman Numeral, a letter, or a number. In the end, my effort to organize my thoughts was a nightmare.
My first novel is being prepped for publication as I write. The book is over 92,000 words, more words than I could have ever imagined. A friend gave me an idea. A burglar decides to retire. My working title was “The Retired Burglar.” I had no setting, no characters, just a retired burglar.
I had read an article on protagonists, and it said two things. First, the protagonist has to be unique. Unique in their name, how they spell it, their physical being, something memorable and makes the reader want to care about them. The second thing is they must be flawed. There has to be something wrong with them or their surroundings that needs to be fixed, and only they can fix it.
I cannot give you my thought process, but I wound up with Winston Thibodeau James. In the opening scene, we find out three things. First, Winston was named after his grandfather’s favorite brand of cigarettes. Second, his dad is a carpenter but enjoys seeing how quickly beer flows out of a bottle or can. This also means he wants to see how fast he can get drunk. Third, mom works at a nightclub featuring exotic dancers. Does his mother take her clothes off in public? His dad wants everyone to believe she does. Winston is not sure but is afraid to ask.
And with that, the novel took on a life of its own. I would write a chapter and the next day ask myself, “What happens next?” I wrote. I finished the book in six weeks. I took the time to edit and re-edited it. I loved the characters and enjoyed the heck spending time with them. I took time off to write a short biography, edit and publish it (Vanished: The Mark Dennis Story), and then went back to Winston and his problems.
I finished my editing, having other proof it, and decided to spend the money and have it professionally prepared for publication. Which is where I am not.
In the meantime, what do I do? The answer is write! And that will be part 2.
Steven Wilcox 