Traveling a Road with Love, Faith and Guts - Aspiring Author, Writer, Blogger, Singer Pat Garcia Shares Her Story

Today, I broke from the normal, to share a story of  an aspiring writer's story.  Maybe, if you have made it into the publishing world, you have forgotten the journey.  Maybe, is you are still dreaming of getting there, this story will inspire you to hang on to your dreams and not to give up on yourself or your work.  Today, is the story of Pat Garcia. 

Tell us about yourself and your journey.

Born in Blythe, Georgia, to Moses and Elizabeth Ealy Pierce, I am Patricia Anne Pierce-Garcia Schaack, Pen Name, Pat Garcia. I was raised in Keysville, Georgia, which was the home of my father.  There, we lived in a house, which burned down some years ago. 

My father and mother moved us to Augusta, Georgia when I was five years old in a small suburb called Terrace Manor. It was here that I began to stretch my imagination and began to write, even before I knew how to spell the words. 

 

I started school at the age of five and will never forget my first day of school.  My parents had bought me a brown paper school tablet that they had hoped would last me for a couple of weeks.  However, I was so impressed with my first day of school and that I would learn how to write that I sat next to my mother as she was attending to my baby sister and began to write a story, which took every sheet of paper I had. My mother was upset at the waste of paper, but I was so happy that I had written my first story.  No one could understand it, but I did, and I cornered everyone  and made them listen to my story.

At the age of eight, I decided to start my own newspaper for Terrace Manor. At that time, I wanted to be the first black publication for our area. I wrote every article by hand and completed about five copies to sell.  Surprisingly, the adult people around us bought it and smile at my ingenuity, but my father thought differently.  One of the neighbors had bragged about how creative I was and showed him the paper.  That evening my bottom was sore from the whipping I had received.  That ended my newspaper, but not my dream.

My dream of writing was often deferred by circumstances and other people's opinions. It took me years to finally let the stories, the articles, and the books that have been brooding in me over years began to live and breathe in my life. 

Two people unknowingly helped me release those desires within me. The first person is Melinda Pierce, one of my sisters. Five years ago, when we were visiting Augusta, Georgia, she asked me why I had never written a book. I remember looking at her strangely, wanting to know her reason for asking me such a question. She answered me by saying, "I always thought you were going to be a writer.  You have always had a love for words and have always read like a starving woman in need of bread and water. I just wanted to know why you never wrote your book."  Her keen insight at that time was a heavenly knock on my door from above, and I will be forever grateful for that.

The second person is an old school friend whom my husband and I visited on our last trip to the United States in 2010.  He lives in Atlanta, Georgia and we were very fortunate to spend five days and four nights with them.  Again, I was confronted with the question of writing, but this time, Walter, my old school friend, was not so charming and courteous when he asked the question.  He came out and asked me very plainly when was I going to bring out my first book because it was about time. I looked at him and said I would start very soon.  That was three years ago and since then I have written the first novel, and it is sitting by a publisher in the United Kingdom, waiting on a yes or no, and I am hoping that it will be yes.  Not only that, I am hoping that I will win my first literary prize for this book because it is in a contest.  Outside of that, I have a short story that has been accepted by a Canadian Online Publisher and will be released soon. 

There are many firsts in my life.  I was the first Afro-American to graduate from the George P. Butler High School in 1967.  We were two Afro-Americans in the Senior Class. My name came first and so, I was the first.

I graduated from Augusta College, now Augusta State University, in the summer of 1972.  It took me a long time to become disciplined so that I could make it through this university, but I did.

Soon afterwards, I left Augusta, heading to Ft. Leonard wood, Missouri, where my first husband was stationed.

There are a lot of other firsts in my life, which could fill a book, events such as my entering into the United States Army. I was the first female in our entire family that became a soldier.  There I finally learned how to discipline myself and strive for higher goals. I was stationed in California, before I volunteered to come to Germany.

I have seen and been in about 32 of the states within the U. S. and have also been in some small parts of Canada, and I have traveled throughout Europe and have gotten to know countries like France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Switzerland,  Belgium, Holland and many more.

 I was privileged to be in Germany in 1989 and actually saw the Wall separating Berlin come down. That was an exciting event in the life of all Germans and for me as an American to see that really happen was a miracle.

Other than writing, I have begun to build up a foundation in the music scene. I sing and travel to jazz clubs, auditoriums and churches throughout Europe with my band and give concerts.  My repertoire is mixed and so our audience is composed of all ages and that is a wonderful thing.

Writing and singing are my heart and I look forward to sharing my heart with the people who hear me sing and who read my books.

What is it that you wish to achieve in your writing?

I write fiction and non-fiction.

Non-Fiction

In the area of non-fiction, I started writing professionally for Wikipedia U.K., in the United Kingdom, which has now been taken over by Overblog Europe.

I have approximately eighty articles, which were published at Wikipedia U.K.  After they were taken over by Overblog, I became an Overblog writer, in October of last year, under their pay per click system and have geared the blog to Health and Fitness topics.  You may find some of my Overblog articles at www.patgarcia.co.uk under my pen name, Pat Garcia, and the title of the blog is Garcia's Views on Body, Soul and Spirit, and visits to my page and clicking on the like button is much appreciated.  

I write under a pen name because at the time that I first started singing in Europe I was still using my first husband's name. His last name was Garcia and I liked it so I had it legally put into my passport and went on stage as Pat Garcia. That name has stuck and so I write under that name also.

During the Iraq War, I started my first official blog, The blog went out to a company of soldiers who were stationed in Iraq and Egypt, and it also went to several people who live in the Augusta, Georgia.  The blog actually got started through one of the members of the First Baptist Church of Keysville, Georgia, who is now also a Pastor, Barbara Campbell.  She lives in Keysville, Georgia with her husband, William Campbell.  I had been sending her and some others an inspirational word every week per email and she asked me if she could pass the email on to her son who was stationed in Iraq.  From that one request, I reached a company of soldiers in Iraq and one in Egypt for an entire year.  It was beautiful to wake up every morning knowing that I had to meet a deadline for my article to go out on Monday morning. I received post from the soldiers saying they looked forward to their Monday morning word from my inspirational blog.  The title of the blog is Wind, Rain, Winding Roads & Sunshine, the By-Ways of Life and can be found at www.patgarciaschaack.com.

About three years ago, I decided to start another blog, which actually went live last year and is still in development.  It is called Quiet Times and can be found on my website www.pgs-patgarciaschaack.com.  Quiet Times is a blog over the excerpts in my journal.  I have been maintaining a journal for years and want to pass along the wisdom that I have gained from the experiences that I have written in my journal. 

Four months ago, I started my two WordPress Blogs.  They are also unique in that one deals with Apple Products for Beginners.  I am an Apple Fan, but unfortunately find that most people shy away from Apple products, because of having to learn how to use the equipment.  So, I started a blog named Garcia Talks about the How To's of the iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Other Apple Products for the Non-Technical user. You may find that blog at: http://garciaanddigitaltechnology.com.

The second blog is my baby blog and I love it, because it talks about women whose acts were unknown but yet they were champions. So I have started a blog named Walk On and I am writing a series called The Champions That Walked Among us.

You may find this series at: http://garciaandwalkon.wordpress.com.

At the end of April this year, I started writing as feature contributor for 24Savvy which is own by Brandbuilding Communications in New York City.  The owner is Valerie Donati McIntyre.  I write one to two articles per month under my pen name, Pat Garcia. My articles are featured at www.24Savvy.com

I had the pleasure of having my first literary article published by the American Diversity Report on the April 2^nd this year.  It is a pleasure to work for Ms. Deborah Levine, and I look forward to writing for her again.  You may find my article, Returning to the Old Southern Landmarks at: http://www.americandiversityreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185:returning-to-the-old-southern-landmarks-&catid=2:in-the-south&Itemid=3.

Fiction

Writing fiction has taken some time to grow in me, but the characters for my series have been living inside of me since 1993.  Whereas with non-fiction, I was writing speeches and different papers since I was a child, with fiction I started out by reading.  I am a voracious reader and had the opportunity in my senior year to have an English teacher who introduced me to the world of mystery. My first book, she gave me. It was a reward for babysitting for her and the title was The Detective by Roderick Thorpe.  I love that book. Thorpe drew me into his world quickly.  Afterwards, I discovered, Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Daphne DuMaurier, Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers and I have read every book they wrote.

Attending Augusta College, now Augusta State University, my favorite English professor was Dr. Martha Fivash, who left the university and went into law.  I lost track of her, in 1978 or 1979. She was my lawyer for my divorce. She introduced me to the world of the Bronte Sisters, Edna Saint Vincent Millay and The Ballard of the Harp Weaver, which I learned by memory and George Elliot, Charles Dickens and the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, T.S. Elliot, E.E. Cummings and many of the poets of England such as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Lord Bryan and many more.

My genre in fiction is inspirational, multicultural romantic suspense.  I am a romantic at heart and have always dreamed of writing the types of books, which not only have the element of romance, but also suspense and the main characters are people who believe in God.  It has taken me two year, three months and twenty-four days to write my first book in a series named The Mansion.  The first book is sitting at the publisher because I submitted it into a writing contest in England and I hope that I win. If so, the first book will be on its way.  There are seven books in this series.  These were the characters that were born in me and carried under my breast since 1993.

The titles of the books in The Mansion series are:

Book 1 – A Time To Love

Book 2 – Daniel The Beloved

Book 3 – A Time Of Peace

Book 4 – Everything Must Change

Book 5 – More Than Conquerors

Book 6 – You'll Never Walk Alone

Book 7 – Going Home

I love the people I write about. They talk to me and usually guide me through the dialogue. It is amazing for me because they become so real.  I had a group of twenty readers read my first book that I entered into the novel writing contest and each person could relate to the book and identify with it. In fact, many had an aha effect!

So, yes I love my characters and enjoy working with them.

I also have a short story that will soon be published by a Canadian Publisher, Alexandra Brown, on her Online Publishing Site, Romantic Shorts.  I have the accepted, but the day of publication is not yet known.

Last year, I participated in the NaMoWri Novel week but did not complete it. I will participate in it again this year and try to write another novel within a month. The one that I started last year, I am in the middle of completing. 

My rhythm for writing is crazy.  I am an early morning person, so I am usually up around five or five-thirty AM. I am in my office around six-thirty and after my meditation of 45 minutes to an hour, where I write in my journal, read my Bible and communicate with God, I start writing.  I write about three to four hours and then do my office paperwork and take a two hour break at five PM.  At nine I am back in my office and I work until until one AM and then go to bed.  I usually sleep four hours per night. That I must have if I want to function properly.   

There are times though when I write the whole night through.  I catch about two hours of sleep, because the characters are talking to me and they yearn to come out. I don't push them away. So I sit at my computer and I write until everything that is within me is out. That could last a day or two and naturally I am totally wiped out afterwards, but to read what I have written is so fulfilling because it is at times like those that words are written that have Spirit in them.  Those are the kind of books that I want to write.

I have four projects going on at the moment. 

1. I would like to enter a novel into the American Writer's Award
2. I want to get the first chapter of my online novel up and going on my website.  I haven't done it yet because I am thinking about opening up a separate book website or emerging it with new blog website that deals entirely with fiction.  I am still looking into it.
3. I am preparing another article to submit to American Diversity Report.
4. And I am getting ready to submit articles to two or three magazines that I would love to work for.
5. My calendar is blocked for the month of November for the NaMoWri month. 
6. I have four books outside of the series that I have started and they are not finished because I am not in the third rewrite and editing of Daniel The Beloved, which is the second book in The Mansion series.

If anyone were to tell me they wanted to be a writer, I would tell them to start reading and start writing.  It has been very helpful that I love to read and that I love to read most genres.  I enjoy reading nonfiction and consider it relaxing to take the time and relax with a book, for example about Einstein's theory of relativity or some theory in physics.  I enjoy reading the classics, or reading about church history.  Most of all, I enjoy reading the Bible and I read it the first thing in the morning, every day because it is life for me. 

The second thing I would recommend any writer is to find your own voice.  I didn't start writing until I found my voice. Finding your voice and writing with your own voice is what attracts others to your writing. 

Finally, I would recommend that they find out what is the best place for them to write.  I am a person who needs absolute peace and quiet when I write.  I don't even want to hear a kettle boiling unless I am taking a break.  Therefore, my schedule often is out of whack because the quietest time of the day in my home is at night and I let the night tempt me into staying up and writing until the sun has risen high in the sky.  There are very few people who understand the need that a writer has for quietness.  I have learned not to try and explain it to them, just go away and find a place where I am alone and can write in peace without any interruptions. 

When I am not writing, I am singing. I sing professionally and I love it.  The heart has a right and left ventricle.  So is it with me, one half of my heart belongs to writing and the other half to music.  They take second and third place in my life, with my faith in God having first place. Everything follows.

My Made It moments have just begun. 

Feature writer for 24Savvy, first literary article published at American Diversity Report, feature blogger for Wikipedia U.K. that is now taken over by Overblog are only small steps. My hope is to see my first novel and my first short story published very soon. 

A Lively Chat with Author, Lynda Fitzgerald with a Surprise at the End of the Chat

Lynda Fitzgerald has been writing all her life.  Thirty years passed from the writing of her first novel until her first book was released.  Now she has written ten novels, has three of the series written and a fourth due out late this year, with several more in the works.

Lynda is a native Floridian who now lives in Georgia, and both settings appear in her books.  She studied writing at both DeKalb College and Emory University.  She is a frequent speaker and teacher of creative writing.  She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Florida Writers Association, and the Atlanta Writers Club.

Lynda, tell us about the genre of your work.

Well, let me start out by saying most people describe me a multi-genre author, which is a nice way to say I didn't know what a genre was until I'd finished writing my fourth novel.  I just wrote the stories that compelled me.  Therefore, my first book was tagged―by the publisher, not me―as romantic suspense. I was shocked.  I do not think of myself as a romance author.  I still think it should be classified as mainstream, but we authors have little say in these decisions. It was the same with my second book.  It is decidedly women's fiction, but I did not even know that was a genre when I wrote it.

When I wrote my third book, LIVE Ringer, I knew it was mystery.  I did not sit down and decide to write a mystery, but when my heroine stumbled on a body floating in the water, the story took a decided turn in that direction.  I had a ball writing that novel.  I never intended it to be a series, but when I got to that last page; I knew I was not through with these characters.

All my books have strong elements of women's fiction, but judging from the reviews of my male readers, not too strong.  Another element my books share is that they are all character-driven fiction, which means that the characters and their reactions to the world around them drive the plot, not the other way around.  To me, characters are everything.  Well, plots are good, too, but they are nothing without well-developed characters.

Will you continue to write mystery?

I will, at least for the time being.  Book two in the series, LIVE Ammo, will be released late this year.  Book three, LIVE in Person, is in the first draft stage, and I have the plots for three more in my head.

What are some of your books that have been published?

The first book, which is actually the third novel I wrote, is IF TRUTH BE TOLD (ISBN: 978-1-59141-56801), was released in 2007.  It is the story of a young woman who values truth above anything, but when her uncle dies suddenly and she suspects a family member may have killed him, she has to decide what's more important:  the naked truth, or family loyalty.  My main character, Christie O'Kelly, goes from age fourteen at the book's beginning to thirty years old when it ends.  Christie had such a strong personality that she wrenched the story away from me on about page 3 and did not hand back the reins until half way through. She will always be one of my favorite characters: precocious, feisty and independent.  The things she said just cracked me up.  It is set in Brevard County, Florida, what people call the Space Coast.

OF WORDS AND MUSIC (ISBN 978-1059414-776-0) is set in Atlanta, Georgia.  It is about the power of music to break through barriers and overcome generations of family hurt and misunderstanding.  The main character, Lilah, is a sixty-year-old grandmother who suddenly has her previously unknown teenage old granddaughter Bethany thrust on her when the girl's parents die.  Lilah agrees to take her, but only until other arrangements can be made.  Neither is happy with the situation.  When Lilah begins seeing herself through Bethany's eyes, she does not like what she sees, but she does not know how to change.  Bethany and music begin the process, but then information comes to light that threatens to destroy everything they have begun to build.

LIVE Ringer (ISBN: 978-1-59146-327-6), my first mystery, is also set in Brevard County.  Many of the characters are sheriff's deputies.  At the beginning, Allie Grainger, is just returning to Cape Canaveral to lick her post-divorce wounds.  Her favorite aunt has left her a paid for beach cottage and a couple of million dollars.  Before a day has passed, Allie stumbles on a body floating at the Cape Canaveral jetty.  When the body is identified, Allie is stunned; the woman looks enough like Allie to be her twin sister.  Then a string of like murders down the Florida coast is uncovered.  All the victims look like Allie.  She is pretty sure someone is stalking her, and she is afraid she might be the killer's next target.

There is a lot more about each and about the upcoming release, LIVE Ammo, on my website:  http://www.fitzgeraldwrites.com.

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

I know it sounds hokey, but my characters kind of name themselves.  I begin writing with an in-depth biography of each of my main characters.  Before I finish it, their names come to me.  Most of the places are real.  The residents of Brevard County and people who have visited there love reading my books because they are reading about places they have actually been.  I spend a lot of time down there checking out my facts and places.  Oh, and catching a few rays of sun.

Melbourne Beach, is a bit of Old Florida, home to wildlife, annual sea turtles, and eventually, Allie Grainger. 

Cape Canaveral is exploding with mid-rise condos.  Allie treasured her home there because of the isolation that is no more.  Now she hears construction noise instead of sea gulls, backhoes instead of the whisper of the surf.  When she starts looking for what she once had, she does not have far to go.  Thirty miles down the coast is Melbourne Beach, a strip of barrier island that clings stubbornly to the old ways.

At the end of Melbourne Beach is Sebastian Inlet, a place where Allie often goes to think.  Until the sixties, A1A ended at the Inlet.  Now a bridge spans the turbulent waters, but the state of Florida controls that area.  Part wildlife preserve, part surfer's and fisherman's dream, Sebastian Inlet still has dirt roads overhung by mossy trees, and a feeling of the Florida of yesteryear.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

In LIVE Ringer, Allie Grainger is a young woman in her late twenties who has just lost the most important person in her life, her beloved aunt.  On top of that, her marriage has blown sky high.  I wanted her to be less decisive and strong-willed than her best friend, Sheryl, a sheriff's deputy, because I wanted Allie to grow and change as the series developed.  Once I knew that, the rest of her personality fell into place.  I think you can see her change and deepen as a character as incident after incident happens to her.  Allie also inherited a little Lhasa Apso, Spook, who was adopted by her aunt after he had been abused and abandoned.  Spook's development kind of mirrors Allie's in that he is becoming more courageous every day.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

The antagonist in the first book does not come back in the second because…well, he is dead.  The bad guy in the second and third books is the same, but I have a brand new villain in mind for the fourth book…and the fifth…

What is your favorite thing about your book?

I think emotion makes the book personal to the reader.  I try to infuse humor, sorrow, and suspense into everything I write.  What I love about all my books are the characters.  These people take on lives of their own after a while, and sometimes they seem more real to me than the people around me.  I cry when they are sad and laugh when they make jokes.  I am totally drawn into their lives.  Most of the reviews of my books applaud the characters, so I guess feeling close to them makes a difference.

How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?

That is a tough one.  They are all different.  The language is different in, say, literary writing, plus you can meander a lot in literary fiction.  If you meander as a mystery writer, you have lost half your audience by page five.    With romance, the romance should move the book forward, not a side plot.   Writing a mystery means, you have to start out with a bang and keeping increasing the suspense until the climax of the book, or at least that is my thought.  I love writing mystery.  I never know what is going to happen next.

Why and when did you begin writing?

I have always made up stories.  In fact, I got into a lot of trouble doing that as a kid.  Once I started putting them on paper, life got better.  I hear I was reading before I was four years old.  I do not know if that is true, but I do not remember ever not reading.  I wrote my first short story when I was ten.  It was awful.  Once I started writing, I never stopped.  It has been my most constant companion through life.

To answer the why?  I took me a long time to get published, so I had plenty of time to ask myself the same question.  Was it worth it?  Writing is hard work, and when you go twenty years or so without a publisher, you begin to doubt yourself, or at least, I did.  A lot of times I asked myself why I was spending all my time―time other people spent watching TV and going to the movies and doing a lot of things I didn't have time to do―why I spent it writing when no one seemed to care.  Finally, I had to ask myself the hard question:  "If you never have another word published, will you keep writing?"  The answer was―and is, yes.  I cannot imagine not writing.  It is truly a passion with me.

What is your writing schedule?

I spend most of my free moments writing.  I am more productive in the mornings, but I write at night, too.  When a novel is going well, I will write twelve to fifteen hours a day.  Otherwise, I write a few hours a day and for a whole lot of hours on weekends.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write and get published?

My number one tip to any budding author is not to give up on you.  In fact, I have a framed picture on my desk of a kitten looking into a mirror and seeing in its reflection a lion.  The caption is "Believe in Yourself."  It has always made me smile.  As a writer, you will go months or years without significant feedback.  Join a critique group.  Join a writers club so you can network with other writers.  Join on-line groups in your writing genre.  Google them.  You will find a lot of them.  When you finish that novel, send it out to agents or publishers and begin another.  Repeat as needed.  That is how I had written eight novels before my first one was published.  A manuscript in a drawer will never find representation.  Get it out there.

Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?

Yes.  Take classes on writing.  There are online courses these days that are inexpensive and excellent.  Read books on writing.  I have books on every aspect of writing, from plotting to dialogue to description.  Don't let reading about writing take the place of your writing, because your real schoolroom has only one student:  you.  The old, tired adage, you learn to write by writing, became an old tired adage because it is true.  You also learn to write by reading:  literature, popular fiction, whatever.  Read outside your genre.  Then you can bring something fresh to your writing.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I don't mean to laugh, but there isn't a whole lot of time when I am not writing.  Outside the household stuff, I give a lot of time to my dogs.  I have three, all rescues.  My German Shepherd is two years old with a puppy's enthusiasm.  My half-Shepherd, half-Rottie, is a little older and has so much energy he makes my Shepherd look like a slug.  Then there is my little twelve-year-old Wheaton Cairn Terrier.  Think Toto with gold fur.  The youngsters have given him a new enthusiasm for life.  It's a scream to see him attack the big girls, and they love to play with him. 

I also garden.  And, I sew.  Well, not much anymore, but I made my daughter's wedding dress and most of my clothes until a few years back.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?

My favorite was when I got word that my first book had been accepted for publication.  I walked around in shock all day, feeling like I had stuck my finger in a light socket.  I expected my hair to frizzle.  It is always a wonderful feeling when they take your book for publication, but there is nothing like that first time. 

I just thought of a few more things I want to tell new writers, if that is okay.  If they are in it for a quick buck, they are in the wrong profession.  Getting published and then building a readership takes time.  It is not a quick buck.  Also, if they are writing to the big fad du jour (think Harry Potter), they are way off course.  By the time their novel emerges from the black hole of the publishing house―it usually takes one to two years between signing the contract and seeing the books on the shelves―the world will be tired of Harry and onto Twilight or something else. 

Write what moves you.  Read the newspaper.  If some article grabs you by the heart, turn it into fiction.  Write what you love, and your readers will love what you write.  It is as simple, and as complicated, as that.

…and, by the way…

The first three comments that tell us about Lynda's lifetime love affair will win a signed copy of her latest book, the first in a mystery series.  (Hint:  it is on her website http://www.fitzgeraldwrites.com.  Shhhhh.....)

Looking Behind the Scenes with Miquiel Banks, Technical Writer, Scriptwriter and Reviewer of Movies and Books.

Interviewing Miquiel was a very interesting experience, and it gave me insight into how others in the field look at creativity in the various areas of media.

Miquiel Banks was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from Southside High School in 1988. After graduating, he joined the US Army and served in Desert Storm in 1991, where he became the only person in US History listed as AWOL, MIA, and EPW (his account is published in his memoir Angels in the Desert). During the 90s, he started college at GSU (Georgia State University), but soon transferred to HBCU Morris Brown College to major in English Language and Literature. As the Editor-in-Chief of the Wolverine Observer, he was awarded three consecutive awards at the Southern Regional Press Institute Newspaper Competition (1997-1999). After school, he spent ten years in Technical Writing, and now his interests have returned to Publishing, Movie Reviews, and Story Structure.

Why and when did you begin writing?

I started writing when I was a B-Boy, because I wanted to branch out from just writing lyrics. I delved into poetry, and then I finished my first novel.  

Note: A B-Boy is a term from early Hip Hop that meant a “break dancer,” but eventually grew to mean a person who subscribes, or lives through Hip Hop expression as an art form.

What is your work schedule?

I do a lot of planning, organizing, and editing. When I am writing a book, I tend to write 2-10 pages a day until the book is finished.

How do you think your past experiences influenced where you are today?

My background in Hip Hop is a heavy influence because it trained me to enjoy the moment of creation and linger in that stream-of-consciousness mindset.

I see that you were a Technical Writer, could you explain the difference between that, and what you are doing now? 

A Technical Writer is my “Day Job,” as it has come to be called in the creative circles. Technical Writing is a mash-up between Creative Writing (novels, screenplays, etc.), and Analysis (Movie Reviews, Book Critiques, etc.) because, ultimately, it is translation. How do I take this idea, capture it succinctly, translate the idea, and then deliver it to the target audience.  

Moreover, writing comes from two angles. One angle is” construction, and that includes creating, novels, screenplays, poetry, webisodes, screenplays, etc. The other angle is “deconstruction, and that includes movie reviews, critiques, analysis, editing, etc.

 And, for those writers out there who love thinking, here is a good question for you.  If you can construct a story using certain steps, why can you not use the same steps to deconstruct a story?

How is scriptwriting different than writing a novel?

Because scriptwriting is focused on sight and sound, its simplicity forces you to layer your material more precisely than writing a novel. Scriptwriting is about layering, symbols, imagery, and using resonance for power (Spiritual/Emotional/Physical Worlds). Novels and Books are about the inner world of thoughts and abstract concepts (Spiritual World and Thought).

Stage plays are about the deep power of personal relationships (Emotional World and Dialogue).

Note: The above are about the primary strengths of each medium because as you will soon learn, there are exceptions to any and all rules.

In your script writing experience, what are the most common mistakes writers make?

The most common mistake is not planning before writing. Many writers rush to the first draft and after writing it, they go back and edit. The high profile Writing Studio software, Scrivener, allows you to work this way, though it is not efficient. With Scrivener, you can write your first draft and then break the script into “chunks” and/or “index cards” and arrange them accordingly. After using Scrivener or any mind-mapping application, a writer will never go back to using MS Word. Never, ever, ever, EVER!

What would you do if you found a novel that would make a great movie?

I would deal with the Legal issues first, by that I mean gaining the rights to the work. Unless this step is done, there is no point in starting the script. After that is done, focus on the logline, characters, sequences, and BS2 (Beat Sheet). The BS2 is a brilliant plot device from Blake Snyder.

What if an author thought their novel would make a good movie, what would they do to make it happen?

They have several avenues to make this happen. First, they can contact an agent, a manager, or a production company directly.  Next, they have the option of finding a screenwriter to convert their book into a screenplay. Then, they have several avenues of using The Writer’s Market, Screenwriting magazines, chat rooms, forums, LinkedIn, or several wonderful online resources.

Could you tell us about the Story Design Studio? 

After spending many years reading writing advice, I am well aware of the novice writer’s initial disgust. There’s so many terms to learn and then some of the terms mean the same thing, it is frustrating! Therefore, I designed the Story Design Studio as an online library of shortcuts into Story Structure. You have many systems available today (Pamela Jaye Smith’s Symbols*Images*Codes, The Moral Premise, Save The Cat, John Truby, Rob Tobin, My story can beat up your story, John Truby, etc.),  and without a thorough knowledge, the systems will confuse instead of helping writers. Therefore, when you are in doubt and disgust, go to the Story Design Studio and find an article to help you in every phase of the writing process.

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?

I have a unique workflow because I have Major Projects, Minor Projects, and Works-in-Progress. Right now, the six major projects are as follows:

Angels in the Desert - When a bearded soldier is deployed to Desert Storm, his fight for survival puts him at gunpoint and makes him a Martyr. (THIS IS A TRUE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Two Tree Hill – When an NBA bound athlete gets his heart broken, he spends Spring Break in Daytona Beach and discovers love in the Fictional World of Tree Hill.

The Final Creation - A young and inexperienced angel is tasked with creating the Number NINE, but complications arise when heaven is compromised, and he must choose between saving God’s throne and stopping an illegal Crucifixion in Space.

The SAF Handbook - The realm and wonders of a new slang is permeating the US, are you SAF?

Conversation Fitness - This incredible Coffee Table book will keep your friends close, bring your buddies into the loop, and make you the life of the party!

The Weary Blues of Watching God – Forged and inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, MB invokes the spirit of Six Legendary Figures and again, we are blessed with the “Flowering of Negro Literature.”

For the future, I plan on completing 12 books of Poetry, a string of SAF books, and a Trilogy exploring UFO abductions, Religion, the fall of America, and Cyborg Technology.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write?

There is going to be millions of people with advice, seminars, places to be, and persons to meet. If you want to write, declare yourself as a writer and start writing. Trust your passion and your inner desires will steer you in the right direction.  That is a writing explanation.  

If I wanted to be Christian, I would say that God will guide you, and his angels will make sure you find your destination.  If I wanted to be Gnostic, I would say that your soul would lead you to the higher realms of Barbelo. If I chose Egypt, I would say listen to Jehuti’s declaration, follow Ma’at for guidance, and seat yourself along with Ra as his sacred Braque crosses the sky. You will find as you travel this journey, there are many ways to do one thing, and there are many ways to say one thing. Learn one thing first, and then move on to the others.

Advice

Writing is a lonely business and many of your favorite moments in life will be by yourself, learn to share your success or you are start becoming a MONK. The search to find your voice takes years, and despite what you hear, always trust in yourself. If you are mocked, scorned, and ridiculed, that is a clue you are on the right track. Learn to exist alongside others, but you need not act like others. Refrain from judging people, listen to everyone. Many of your most valuable insights will come from other people you think are less “literary.”

If you need an answer, stop looking in the same industry. If you have problems with story design, go look at how NASA designed their cockpits or study how sailboats work. The answer is out there, but it is probably not, where you think. Remember, look first where it should not be, and you will find an answer.

Master Joseph Campbell’s concept of The Hero’s Journey, because when you realize where you are, you’ll know what to do to go to the previous stage or to move forward to the next one. And, do not get egotistical because you finish the journey a few times, you will probably take the Journey thousands of times in your lifetime. Ensure you have friends of all colors, all religions, all ethnicities, and all cultures. If all your friends are the same, then your perception of life will be one color. How can your life become a beautiful rainbow when your friends are one color?

Learn the difference between your favorite movie and the best movie.

CAUTION: First and foremost, find out what makes you happy, and when you do, become ruthless and never let anyone or anything keep you from your “happy place.” This is your sanctuary and without being able to find this place, your life as a writer will become excruciatingly more complex.

Tips

Any system is better than NO system.

Study yourself and learn when you work best.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?

When angels saved me in the Desert. When I experienced God and I let this “knowing” lead me throughout my life. When I learned writing, painting, and music are based on primal principles. Because, when you use what you know in one area in another, your knowledge increases exponentially. If you push to become the smartest writer, you will become a MONK and lose contact with other people. Go out and experience life first; if not, what are you going to write about when it is time to start working? Everything you need is in your immediate area, have you looked in the right place?  Enjoy the journey and stop obsessing about the destination.