I accepted an offer that paid me $400 a month for a 288-page manuscript. Soft porn. It was easy as long as you intermittently tossed in some sex. Sex is a major part of almost all novels today. I developed my style, got paid on time, and learned the fundamentals of characterization and plotting. Nothing could have been easier.

Now, before you get all excited, your future readers will not be interested in, nor should they be, how you learned and improved your craft.

Times have changed. Today, nobody cares who your characters sleep with. They want stories that will be page-turners. In other words, they can’t wait to see what’s on the next page, in the next chapter, and a gratifying coda.

There are certainly other ways to hone the work, but a beginner will not be judged on his or her writing education. Later on, when you become a successful novelist or biographer, your readers will be interested in your work, not how you learned. You might enjoy writing porn, and believe me, there is a big market for it, and it pays well. Good porn writers are earning six figures annually.

I’m reminded of what my son often reminds me: “Dad, times have changed. Society today is a lot more liberal.”

I am always available on Gmail to answer any questions you might have. So don’t hesitate to give me a hoot and a holler if you need help. Just sayin’.

rustystrait@gmail.com

The post One way to learn how to write professionally appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

A smart writer who knows their craft can get a few chapters into a novel and change not only the dominant character but also the direction of the story, which may take them down dark paths to an entirely different focus. Often, love stories may start with a great romance but suddenly switch when one of the characters changes personalities, and an ogre emerges as the new lead. You may be smart enough to plan this out, or you may decide on your own to turn a great romantic character into a monster who moves the story from sunshine to a dark midnight place, which can truly create a page-turner.

As I have often said, put yourself into your work. We all have dark shadows in our lives that remain locked up in a mental vault. It is relieving to unload them into your work. I’ll bet you have all kinds of denials in your closet. Use them in your work.

For instance, when you are driving on a freeway in heavy traffic, you are likely to slip in and out of lanes to move forward. It is a good principle to adopt when you get so-called “writer’s block.” The solution: don’t write when you have nothing to say.

I have a number of stories for you coming up. I haven’t bemoaned my condition. Now that my fingers are back at the keyboard, I will be providing you with answers to your questions plus other tricks of the trade I’ve picked up over the past 60 years. Now that I’ve celebrated my hundredth birthday, I’m rarin’ to get to work in my second century. Just sayin’

rustysstrait@gmail.com

The post Plot or characters appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.