poetry

Of course, the twenties were incredible, the thirties and forties were fantastic, and the fifties were pretty good.

With effect from 7th November, I’ll embrace the Seventies.

It was 53 years ago that I joined the British Army, leaving home, and Scotland for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history.

I may have tackled my literary ambitions later in life than some authors, but I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved thus far.

I first tried my hand at creative writing in 1996, a few years after completing my military service in 1992. I wanted to record as much information as possible about my career, transcribing from notebooks, diaries, and official documents. I refreshed myself on how to touch-type, a skill I learned in the military. I produced countless pages of information, and tried over a short period to make it an autobiography, but the writing was awful for so many reasons.

As my next career (Retail Management) was taking off, I got back into reading, and some years later, in 2007, I bought books and magazines to study writing. I also joined websites that facilitated posting poetry, short stories, reading, and reviewing by all members. I next got underway with letters to magazines, and entering short story competitions. Success, apart from publication, included cash, book prizes, and inclusion in anthologies.

Since 2012, I’ve published novels, novellas, anthologies of short stories, and poetry collections. Between 2018, and the present day, with the exception of erotica, I’ve converted all of my work into paperback. My output was increased when my retail career ended after 25 years. I had reached official retirement age (65) in 2017.

As seen in the graphic above, I eventually completed what had started out as an autobiography. I amended the story to be fact-based-fiction, changing names and so on, which removes any worry of legal action. Instead of cutting out large segments of the story, I concentrated on making it an easy-to-follow, cohesive read by creating five logical phases to cover the time period. I then spent a year fine-tuning the end product one part at a time. The eBooks were published over 2016 and 2017. I returned to the manuscript, and, once again using logical phases, produced a paperback trilogy so that in either option, the story is the same, word-for-word. I’m delighted to report that they are among my top-selling titles.

What are my intention for the future?

My Work in Progress consists of four more crime thrillers, a sci-fi fantasy, and another anthology of short stories. When all of those have been published I may cease to produce new work.

I’m a firm believer that as authors, even after that final edit, and a book has been on sale for a while, we know there will be an urge to return to it. I’ve learned so much as time has passed, and my writing and style have improved. I’ve already revised most of my titles, but when the final one is published, I intend to reread each of my books, and improve them wherever possible.

Click here or on the banner to visit my author website.

There are so many things said about age, like it being, ‘but a number’, ‘sixty is the new forty’, and so forth, but for me as an author, each year creates another level of life experience, appreciation of all things, and a deep desire to improve, and entertain with my writing.

Updates here will keep readers in the loop regarding my progress. At some point while reading my catalogue, I may dream up another literary offering, but we’ll see.

Once again, I thank all of you who have helped make my lifelong writing dream a success.

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You’ll be aware of the paradoxical phrase, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’. There are variations but they all aim to suggest one thing, which is that a person with a heavy schedule is more likely to add and complete an additional task. That type of person is also more likely to either accept the extra work or say that they’re unable to help.

What is the main thrust of the phrase and the theory behind acceptance or refusal?

The busy person will not let you down by accepting and failing to complete. If they don’t believe that they can include the task into their schedule they’ll say so, rather than let you down by not succeeding.

Where does this fit in with being an author?

It depends to a fair extent on the type of person you are, and not the type of author. Writing, after all is one aspect of a lifestyle, even if that person is an author. Now, let’s look at this a bit more closely, and as authors do, I’ll use what I know best … my own case.

When I started out into the world of writing I got underway with a poem or short story, and I would labour over one piece at a time. I could stare at a notepad, or a screen, and yes, I would get the job done, but it was soul-destroying at times. When I moved on to writing novels I found a similar ‘block’ effect, whereby I would write three or perhaps four chapters and then … nothing.

My life as an author became more productive and therefore more enjoyable when I came up with the idea of ‘resting’ a piece of work if I got stuck.

How does that equate to productivity and enjoyment?

I saved and left the troublesome piece on file, and got underway with another story. Over the years I’ve become proficient at maintaining multiple Work in Progress. Apart from creating the choice of which story to work on, I believe that this method alleviates an issue that many authors learn to deal with in different ways.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re writing a story and at a certain stage you go off on a tangent or your mind wanders while you’re taking a break. For some writers, the natural response is to shrug off the thought, believing that it will come back to you later. Other writers might find themselves with something akin to an ear-worm which is ever present while they try to work. I don’t rely on remembering the passing idea. Attempting to work on a story with another firm idea on my mind would be distracting.

I open a new file and write the opening line, title, theme or whatever had presented itself. A good technique I’ve discovered for preserving a fresh idea and moving on, is to create a working title, and write a strap-line or brief blurb.

Giving an additional task to a ‘busy’ person is not an exact science, it is a notion based on human nature and personality types. I believe that most authors may consider themselves as that busy person, and therefore ought to try the method I’ve found successful. When you’re stuck for whatever reason, don’t procrastinate until the active piece of work becomes an irritation, try to relax and let your mind wander. You might come up with your next project.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and theories.

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