Urgent Care is limited in what they can do. The point is, when you want to see your doctor, all too often you will be sent on your way and told the next available appointment is six months down the road. You may not be dying, but you want to see your doctor now, not six months from now.

Automation is here to stay, and we know it, but a visit to the family doctor is not something to be automated. Why do so many patients cross the southern border to see a doctor? Ask them, and they will tell you.

Call your primary care physician and the first thing you hear will be a voice that asks, “Please hold.” And hold you will, waiting and waiting, and if they ever come back online, you will not get an immediate appointment or anything near it. Before you actually get to talk to anyone about your request, they may have transferred your call two or three times, and you must repeat your name, etc., to each new transfer. You would think that information would appear on their computer screens once you’ve given it. Oh no. That’s not how it works. The new voice, whoever it may be, wants to hear the whole introduction spiel for their own personal computer before they transfer you to someone else.

There seems to be collusion in the medical community that spends more time pacifying the medics at a cost to the patients who simply need to see their doctor, not requiring brain surgery in order to have a reasonable time with the doctor. There are plenty of doctors. The medical schools are graduating a new batch every year.

If you are old enough, you will remember when we had family doctors who would fit you in if you needed to see him or her within a week or sooner. Automating sick people is not the answer to good medical practice. Your doctor is the most personal relationship you ever have, and you ought to be able to see him when you need to, not when it is convenient.

I have been approached by a number of disgruntled patients to write this, and I am honoring their requests. I would appreciate any input from anyone with a different approach. Just sayin’.

rustystrait@gmail.com

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Different from books and magazines, writing for newspapers has more specific rules.  For instance you are never to write an editorial on the front page.  The front page is always reserved for news or something that is news-worthy.  Editorials and letters to the editor always go in the opinion section of a newspaper.

Entertainment belongs in the entertainment section which covers a wide variety of subjects that are considered “Entertainment.”  That can include information on music, films, television or videos.

Special columns have their place.  For instance columns dedicated to Religion, Veterans, Cooking and as I offer, Writing.  The point is, what you write for a newspaper should be directed to the section that is dedicated to those stories that fit your subject. There is one exception.  Obituaries.  They are usually on an obituary page.  However, if it is someone prominent it may be considered news and fit for a front page tribute.  In any event a good newspaper editor will direct you since it is part of his or her job to know where you belong in the makeup of a newspaper.  It is probably the only element of writing that I can think of where there is someone to put you in your place, so to speak.

In another direction, if I may, when in doubt never fear asking for help.  Often help may come from a high school or college professor who is a learned English teacher.  It might surprise the budding writer just how many places help can be found.  The old adage ‘seek and ye shall find’ is sage advice.  Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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Rusty Strait | Senior Reporter

I am often asked, “Where is the best place to start my manuscript?” Good question. There are as many answers to this one as there are questions. What, for instance, is the nature of your story? Are you working on a biography, or is your story fiction? Is it romantic, or about someone with a major disadvantage who is struggling to reach goals in life?

One way to bring interest early in your journey is two characters discussing the situation they find themselves in. For instance, they might be discussing steps to take that will carry the protagonist’s goal forward. For example, if you are just starting out as a writer, you might want to consider setting a preliminary goal before delving into the heart of your story.

As I have said many times, research is your first step, no matter who and what your characters are or want to be. Joining a local writers’ club is almost a requirement if you are new to the business of writing.

Back to the main question, where do I start? One good thing about starting to write for the first time in a local writers’ group is that you will encounter other writers who have been there and done that. They know shortcuts to phrasing that you might not even imagine. Also, every week your work will be scrutinized by several group members. It is a system of reading, critique, rewrite, and so forth.

Are you trying to make a dramatic statement early on in your first chapter, or just casually approaching a scene that need not be too blunt to make a point without a lot of grandiosity? For instance, if your story has anything to do with police work, a homicide detective may casually pick up an isolated item at the crime scene, slipping it into his pocket to become a valid clue as the story starts to unfold. A very wise detective once told me, “Whenever I begin my investigation of a homicide, my immediate observations always turn out differently than they seem at first. It is somewhat like finding a body in a shallow grave. Until the coroner has conducted an autopsy, there will be no way of knowing anything about the victim of a murder.”

So where you start is of no value unless you know where you are going. An example of what I mean is like diving head first into a river. It’s better to have some swimming experience before taking on uncharted vistas. I value your input via email. Just saying: rustystrait@alice-petersen

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various author’s articles on this Opinion piece or elsewhere online or in the newspaper where we have articles with the header “COLUMN/EDITORIAL & OPINION” do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints or official policies of the Publisher, Editor, Reporters or anybody else in the Staff of the Hemet and San Jacinto Chronicle Newspaper.

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RUSTY STRAIT | SENIOR REPORTER

I recently received an email from a young man in Temecula who asked if it was too late to write stories about Christmas. I’m letting him know now that magazines are filled to the gills for Christmas and New Years. Might I suggest that he write for Valentine’s Day or after Christmas experiences.

Books are another thing entirely. If you write a good book and have it done by April, and you manage to find a publisher, or even self-publish, you would have a good chance at the fall market. Contrary to the book that gets published immediately, it will have to be about some current event that is hot and lasting. For instance, a mass murder in your community that makes national news. Otherwise, set your sights a few months down the road. It will make you feel better, and if you do stress out, Alka-Seltzer always works for me.

I understand. I was once a young writer, and I thought I would set the world on fire. Unless you write about something long-lasting here or abroad, just kick back with a Piña Colada, find a table with an umbrella, and hit the keys of your computer. You will eventually drift off from your work and take a nap. When you wake up, rewrite what you wrote, and whether the writing pleases you, you will have had a nice snooze and feel eager to start over where you left off.

Let me tell you, folks, writers have all kinds of hours to write, when to write, etc. I once knew a very popular writer who actually set up his typewriter between the kitchen sink and the stove. I don’t know if he managed it, but he managed to pump out a book a year. John Grisham belts out one a year. I don’t know his writing situation, but a man who can do that, raise a family, and handle all the other duties of a family is somebody you might want to emulate. No problem with having an idol who inspires you.

Although he rarely wrote a book, Walter Winchell inspired the hell out of me because he was so prolific with his newspaper columns.

I plan to write more about the trivialities of writing as we travel this lonely trail. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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I received a note from a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. She has submitted her book to several agents who like it but can’t find a publisher. “Too short” is their response. She insists that the book is a short novel and doesn’t understand the rejections.

Nobody, except the writer, is going to fix this problem. Whether she likes it or not, she will have to go over her manuscript chapter by chapter and do one or all of the following:

Expand your story, starting with Chapter one, elaborating on your characters or scenes.

Write fill-in chapters. This is easier than rewriting established chapters. It is easier to create new chapters by writing new scenes that fit into the overall picture. Establish a book with a minimum of 250 pages and resubmit. If agents and publishers liked your original story and you continue to make it a page-turner, I’m sure you will find a publisher. Good luck.

Now, for some general writing advice: Don’t write a short story and consider it a novel. It is not. Each chapter in a novel is a story unto itself. When all those stories are connected, it becomes a book. My last book had over thirty chapters and ran 415 pages. Novels require more effort than a short story, which might fit into a magazine.

In a novel, your characters are more important than anything else, in my opinion. A well-defined character will carry a story, whereas it is rare that the story carries the book. Plotting is important, but the characters in the plot always lead the way. If you are into mysteries, characters dominate each and every chapter. For instance, the detectives who solve the mystery or the criminal who is the target in the chase. That is why Stephen King and Dean Koontz are so popular. There is always a crime, a criminal, and a pursuer. It is one of the oldest plots in writing, going back to biblical times.

Next week, I’ll have another piece of the jigsaw puzzle called “writing.” Until then, just sayin’.

Email: rustystrait@gmail.com

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Rusty Strait | Senior Reporter

The question has come up many times in my writing career. Frankly, there are no specific answers. One day, fiction tops the chart; another day, non-fiction does. When “Gone With the Wind” was published, writers started clicking on their manual typewriters to emulate other sagas, and so it went. Non-fiction takes center stage when popular issues carry messages that invite the writer to dive in, like Alaskan Novels, for instance.

You may be utterly surprised, but if you don’t believe me, check the web and see the surge in interest for gay books, both fiction and non-fiction. Why is this? Primarily, I believe it’s driven by straight parents who discover one of their little darlings has identified as LGBTQ+, which is becoming way more common than you may think. They want to understand what “causes” it. Nothing causes it. Scientists have thoroughly examined this and come to the conclusion that it is genetic, and in males, it mainly comes from the mother, rather than the father. It is common for twin boys to be gay. Social connections between teenagers have made LGBTQ+ individuals more accepted than in previous generations. Do you know any teenager without a LGBTQ+ friend?

The Catholic church has always frowned upon same-sex unions. In today’s paper, Pope Francis has suggested there could be ways to bless same-sex unions. Pope Francis has also stated further, “Matrimony is a union between a man and a woman,” but when responding to questions about homosexual unions and blessings, he said, “pastoral charity requires patience and understanding, and that regardless, priests cannot become judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.” I take no position on the issue. I am only responding to many requests about what sells books, and what sells books are facts. Almost every major publisher is doing great business with gay books that are often turned into films.

I haven’t had a chance to read all my emails this week and will try some other writing enigmas next time. Hold your breath. I’ll be back. Just sayin’.

rustystrait@gmail.com

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Louise from Hemet asks “How do I find a publisher for my book?”

Louise, that is a question every writer, especially newbies, would like to know the answer to.

Occasionally an editor will solicit a book, but rarely. The best way is look for an agent. Agents are a queer bunch because you never know how they will react to a query. Unless they ask you not to submit, you can look for one who accepts proposals. It is like digging around in a manure pile, but at the bottom you might score. I would like to hear from you again, as to how you make out. Wishing you good luck.

I’ve had half a dozen questions about what to do when a manuscript is turned down by an agent. Simple, keep on digging in the pile. Small agents are easier to access than the big naes. Even professional writers sometimes prefer a young agency looking for clients.

William from Idyllwild asks, “Would you be willing to edit my book?” If I edited every book that is presented to me I wouldn’t have time to write this column. Sorry. However, I made a check and there are a number of independent editors who are advertising online.

Now, a bit of education about writing if you are a first time writer or a professional. Research, rewrite and rewrite. Research is probably the most valuable instrument a novice writer can have because details are in the dark areas that are so often overlooked or forgotten. I had an experience with my James Garner biography that taught me a lesson. In one of his films I listed a director. I didn’t look further. A reviewer from a San Diego newspaper quickly set me straight. The producers changed directors somewhere during shooting of the film and the new director got credit for the film when it was released. That so often happens in movies and if you are doing a biography of a star, be careful. There were several changes in one of the largest films of all time. Gone With The Wind.

Now, as to rewrites. Good writers will rewrite even when they’re in the process of writing. When I am working on a book, I go back and look at yesterday’s work and rewrite the hell out of it sometimes. Just depends on how I feel about it. If you are into your work you will certainly want to inject who you are as a storyteller. Otherwise you might as well be writing a textbook. Writers are a dime a dozen. Story tellers are premium and both agents and editors treasure them.

Keep reading, writing and letting me hear from you. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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Almost daily, someone approaches me about writing a book. Giving assistance on the wing is not the best way to advise anyone serious about writing or struggling with one of the many snags writers stumble into. I will answer your questions and assist in any way a mentor would. I will also write about writing every week because I believe it will be a while before I receive enough questions to fill a column. I invite your questions and suggestions. Simply email me at rustystrait@gmail.com. I promise to respond in the next edition if you get your question to me by Monday morning following our Thursday edition.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of tips:

1. Don’t try to write the greatest novel on earth early on.

2. You probably have a number of ideas, so don’t include them all in one project.

3. Don’t let others who laugh at the idea that you could write get to you. If they knew so much, they would be teaching at some college or competing with Brad Pitt or Meryl Streep on the silver screen.

4. I don’t profess to know everything about writing, but I do know what has and hasn’t worked for me and even for best-selling writers. It’s not all about scribbling a paragraph and sending it off to a publisher, expecting a big advance. It doesn’t work that way.

5. There are several ways and styles of writing: sophisticated, down-home, textbook, etc.

6. The best writers are storytellers. Among the zillions of writers, only a handful are storytellers. I’ll probably be talking about that quite a bit along the way. Meanwhile, I expect my email to be filled with questions from all you guys and gals with a great story to tell.

Till then, just sayin’! Email me at rustystrait@gmail.com.

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