As a pastime or hobby, writing is a wonderful release. Through my work and sometimes the news, I find many interesting and informative items that I want to share with others.
Up to now, my writing has centered on knowledge taken from my computer training career and little tidbits from my life. Those articles have been circulated through my newsletter, my newspaper column, and blog so that I can pass along to others what I have learned.
For the past few months I have been writing something completely different. My spare time has almost always been filled with reading. My favorites are mysteries and thrillers. So, I thought i’d jump in and see if I could write a mystery of my own.
What I have learned is amazing. Having an idea for a story has almost nothing to do with putting that story on paper. So, I subscribed to magazines on writing, bought a couple of books and started to read while I composed my masterpiece.
Nineteen books later, I am less than a quarter of the way into my mystery. I joined three online writing groups because I can’t find a regular writing group in my area. And, I enrolled in a mystery writer’s workshop. Thanks to advice from those in the writing groups and critiques from the workshop, my writing is getting a little better. I have, however, put aside any plans for a book publishing date.
Because I find this whole process exciting, I have decided to share it as I go along, the good moments as well as the head bangers. Maybe some of you can relate.
August 30, 2011 at 2:56 pm |
I like what you’re saying here. I’ve been reading mysteries forever, and then I started writing them. But it’s more than just a hobby now; it’s my own hinterland where I can escape and create. It’s slow-going but that’s OK.
William Doonan
http://www.williamdoonan.com