Musings Of A New Southern Man

Launching a literary career teaches a lot of lessons. So does blogging. A list of everything I have learned would be a little daunting, so I will center on three things that stand out. 1) Be careful what you name your blog. My first title was The First-Timers, playing off the idea of first-time authors trying to get inside the velvet rope of the publishing industry. Bad idea. That title put me in a surprising number of websites that talk about first sexual experiences. Where does an author's blog find a home against that kind of competition? About the 22nd page on a Google search. I switched to Fingertips on Keyboard, which describes exactly what this part of my life entails. Pouring My Heart and Soul Onto a Page might be better, but it's rather cumbersome. 2) Selecting a proper agent and writing a good query letter are absolutely vital. The two cannot be separated. An agent might have the best track record in the business, but he or she must be a good fit for me and my wor...

Any author needs to fully invest in the characters he or she creates. Your characters have to walk with you when you are away from your computer, and then they are ready to be unveiled during your writing sessions. It's a strange relationship between reality and fiction, but one that is vital to character creation. On that note, I encountered a bit of problem in starting my newest novel. It has an entertaining opening chapter, and there are good following chapters that fill in gaps in my main character's basic psychological makeup. But as I wrote, I didn't have that connection ... that deep conviction ... that is required. That has changed. Why? It's a basic fact of writing fiction: Protagonists need antagonists. My first chapter centers on just such a meeting between protagonist and antagonist, but that conflict is resolved by the end of the chapter. The protagonist then slips in what seems like comfortable surroundings, all safe and secure. The story ...