It's All About the Plot

Sometime along the way in most of our education travels we learn that there are but seven topics for stories. The list put together by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (1863-1944) has been taught for years and seem as appropriate today as they did many years ago.

Quiller-Couch’s list

1.  Man against man

2.  Man against nature

3.  Man against himself

4.  Man against God

5.  Man against society

6.  Man caught in the middle

7.  Man and woman

Interesting to note that Quiller-Couch wrote under the pen name of Q. I like it. Quiller-Couch also is credited with this, something every writer has heard.

If you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.

In 2004 Christopher Booker, an Englishman like Quiller-Couch published his – The Seven Basic Plots and has a new, maybe more modern look, at story plot possibilities. Reportedly Booker worked on his list for more than 30 years.

Booker’s List

1.  Overcoming the Monster

2.  Rags to riches

3.  The Quest

4.  Voyage and return

5.  Comedy

6.  Tragedy

7.  Rebirth

Might be easy to place everything I have written or read into one of the two lists. So what about those that write westerns or historical fiction? Famed western author and screenwriter Frank Gruber listed, again, seven plot lines for westerns.

Gruber’s List

1.  Union Pacific Story

2.  Ranch Story

3.  Empire story

4.  Revenge story

5.  Cavalry and Indian story

6.  Outlaw story

7.  Marshal story

Gruber also said that dialogue should be used to move the plot through the story.

I find it both interesting and gratifying to know that everything does not change too fast. Long live the western, after all, it follows the same plot lines as every other kind of fiction.

-Today's photos from our backyard gardens.-

Keep on reading and keep on writing and remember the weekend is not too far away.

Neil A. Waring - Writers Update on a Super Summer Day

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. – James A. Michener 

 

Backyard

Oh – That First Line

The above quote about sums it up for me – I like the sound of words when strung together in great sentences. Once in a while, often a long while, I write something that I think sounds great. Sometimes I will read it to my wife for her reaction and hope she likes it as much as I do. Like everyone else who writes, I have read the lists of best first lines or best opening paragraphs, most I like, some I scratch my head. Regardless all writers hope to come up with a great opening hook – keeps readers reading. And not only an opening hook, but enough great lines to make the read memorable, possibly quotable.

Works in Progress

So here I sit today working on a couple of different projects but having a tough time with the opening lines. That’s the way I write – most of the time. First I get an idea, then I write the opening line, paragraph or typically the entire first page. From that point, I outline, or in my case, more of a list of where I will go from there. Don’t get me wrong here, I have opening lines for these in progress works, but I’m not sure I like them. Maybe it’s my way to not work too fast or too hard on a pleasant summer day.

From our Backyard Garden

Good day to be Outside

Today I am sitting on our back deck writing this post, temperatures have moderated, at last, and it is once again comfortable outside. My wife is sitting at the table reading on her Kindle, and I am typing away sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs my dad built to sit on our front porch, when I was a kid, more than 60 years ago.

 Almost Silent

It's comfortable outside listening to birds singing, the occasional dog barking or car passing and the helicopters from the near by base whirling overhead. Seems like all the sounds come in a jumble then it turns almost silent except for a Blue Jay calling from high up from the safety of one of our front yard Aspen trees. Such is life in our small town in Wyoming.

They Stay Around all Year - Fun to Watch

Think I have something, time to write, and for all of you,  keep on reading and keep on writing. 

Need a relaxing read? See all my books here

Cliff Swallow Nests at Register Cliff - along the Oregon Trail

Neil A. Waring - Writing Update

Update time

As seems to be my M-O, when it turns to summer my writing becomes sporadic at best. I have done a bit of work on a few smaller projects and posted a handful of blogs, but, otherwise, have been pretty silent when it comes to writing. I have finished one short story I like and another is nearly finished. I spent a few hours in research for my next nonfiction and wrote less than a thousand words on my novel in progress, the third of my Blade Holmes novels.

So – What have I been up too?

Just returned from the state Cal Ripken League, (11 and 12-year-olds), state tournament. Not much that beats watching a grandson play baseball on a hot summer day. We watched four games the past two days.

I have also been out and about with my camera watching wildlife

and watching where I step.

Question - Why was the Rattlesnake crossing the road
Answer - To see how far, and how high, and old guy could jump

The garden is doing well, picked our first tomato on July third. We are picking many raspberries and harvesting some very nice onions, peas, radishes, and soon, it looks like Bell Peppers.

Now Reading

Thomas McGuane’s, Nobody’s Angel and Tony Hillerman’s, Talking God, very different but both good reads. We are also listening to a pretty good thriller as we travel, might need to look at the title so that I can mention it here.

June Book Sales

June was a pretty good sales month, as my softcover books and my, KENP, (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages Read), were up significantly, my Kindle pages read was my best ever month! My E-Books continued an upward trend started a few months ago for which I am most thankful. All in all, a nice month.

Check out all my books here - and thanks for reading.

Why Do We Like Summer?

That is the question my neighbor often poses. We spent time working on the lawn, working in the garden, traveling, visiting and hosting visitors, relatives, and friends. We also have to put on sunscreen, mosquito repellent and take constant showers to wash away sweat from the hot summer days.

A pool of clear water in a mountain rock crevice

My neighbor lady suggests we should embrace winter rather than summer as it is the time for relaxing. A time for sitting around reading books, watching movies, and complaining about the cold as we happily sit by the fire sipping a favorite hot beverage. I think she may be on to something.

Maybe not!

Meanwhile

Keep on reading and for all you writers, keep on writing, even if it is hot and time for summer at the lake, pool or on the golf course.  

Not many know that all the horses and mules from Rocky Mountain National Park are taken to Fort Laramie for the winter. Old animals from the park are also retired there.

My New Book is Out

My new book is out and much different than all of my others. 

This one tackles my love of gardening along with short murder mysteries.

Beginning Gardening and 4 Cozy, Garden Murder Mysteries

Here is the book blurb 

A book for everyone who gardens or wants to garden. Gardening tips from a Master Gardener who has tried it all, over more than half a century of digging in the soil. With, just for fun, four Garden Murder Mysteries from a Master Story Teller.

All the information needed to start your own gardens, flower beds to do a complete landscape makeover. Tips on everything from fertilizer and seeds to bushes and trees. Raised beds, locating your garden and more. Want to start a garden and not sure what to do? Read it here. Check to see if you are doing it right, it’s all in the book. Tired from all that hard work in the garden?

Relax with four cozy, murder in the garden tales

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Beginning Gardening and 4 Cozy, Garden Murder Mysteries $2.99 eBook or soft cover for $8.99  Click and read the free excerpt.

Well - Looks Like I Survived April

Looks to me like I almost took the month of April off. I made a measly nine blog posts, and although I no longer keep a word count, I suspect it was not high. I do have the proof of my ninth book and will have it up and for sale in a few days. This one – Beginning Gardening and Other Entertaining Lies, has gardening tips, four short stories, all related to gardening and some humor. It is pretty light hearted and only comes in a bit over 100 pages, but it was fun.  Those who have followed me for a while know that I am almost as passionate about gardening as I am about writing and photography.

So what’s next? I am back to work on my nonfiction book, yep the one I have talked about on here before. I am also toying with the idea of a new murder mystery, or I might go back to the one I got stuck on and never completed. Funny, I really liked that story, great location, and a couple of characters I felt were fun, had a murderer, had a body, and just could not come up with a motive – oh well, some day.

Nice to see spring trying to arrive here in Wyoming. Spring seems to make me feel younger and ready to get out and do something. Or maybe its because I am feeling better after a root canal and extraction of a cracked wisdom tooth. Ahh - the Golden Years.

Keep on reading and keep on writing. Good advice for me seems everytime we are out hiking these ol' boys are watching - maybe attempting to tell us something. Yep, better get to work before they catch up with me. 

Writing & The Month of March

I am still surprised at how many posts I see each day that have the same theme. The theme is always something like this - The five mistakes writers make, or, the six no no’s of writing in first person. They pretty much rehash the same things over and over. Seems like I remember a few years ago that bloggers were told to put a number in the blog title for more hits, I still see so many five of this, or six steps to this. Not sure if it works but still seems popular. 

Lately, it looks to me that writing books about writing or marketing are the way to sell books. I seem to get multiple tweets, emails, and links each day to this kind of information. It also seems that writing how to for a hobby or small business books could be a money maker. I see more and more of these often offered in eBook only format and many in the 15-80 page range. How much? All are priced from .99 cents to $2.99. Maybe I will give it a try.  How about, Living Uncomfortable on Retirement Income, or maybe for golfers, Turning A Fade into a Screaming Slice. Probably not, maybe a writing book, Hours and Hours of Writing Only to Start Over – Again.

Well, another month has come and gone, and my book sales were mediocre. My trial at giving away one of my novels met with moderate success and did give me a bit of an uptick in sales. I would recommend it to anyone who writes and is still building an audience.

I finished my first draft of my gardening book – it was fun and so different from what I am used to writing. This one will be a .99 cent eBook and likely an $8.99 soft cover. It gives both sound gardening advice and some fun to read garden murder mysteries. Not sure I have ever seen anything quite like this book. Here is a brief excerpt from the first chapter.

It’s Planting Time

Gardening should be fun. Most of the time it is, but where I live, at high altitude in Wyoming, it can sometimes be tricky business. Start the season too soon, and a gardener may find the garden snow covered by morning. Start too late, and the garden might be covered in snow before harvest. When the growing season is short, timing is everything.

So, when do you start? Tough question, easy answer. No matter if you are gardening at altitude, or in the lower areas of America’s heartland, start after the last snow and harvest before the first hard frost in the fall. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were that easy? Yes, it would, but, unfortunately,  it is not.

Can an experienced gardener predict the best time to plant every year? Ahh, no. But we can all find a way to understand when the time is right to sow those first spring seeds. The best way is to live in the same place for a long time, and then you will know, know the perfect time to plant. If you are new to the area, or if, like me, you forget what last year was like, or didn’t write it down anyway, here is a start.

In 2012, the USDA updated their Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This is the best way to start, all you need to do is type in your zip code and up it comes.

All Photos were taken Thursday in our back yard
It is looking like Spring, at least some days!

Great To Be Back

It is always great to get away, but for me, it’s better to get back home. Don’t get me wrong, I love to get away but when it is time to come home, and I’m ready to come home, nothing is better.

Ahh - less than a half hour from home

We enjoyed a great four day getaway in Breckenridge Colorado, still a lot of Aspen gold, great weather and crisp, clean air at 10,000 feet.

When I say we, this is my travel partner/wife for the past 48 years
This photo is in the Laramie Range, west of home, a week ago

The summer crowds were gone, and it’s too early for the skiers. Still, there were quite a number of tourists in the area.

From the overlook west of Breckenridge

Now we have two weeks at home and then off to the south for a couple of weeks plus a few days. So how much writing do I get done when we are away? Not much, some, but not much. I will get a bit more done when we go on our longer trip, a few more days in hotels/motels and some days with family in Louisiana.

The light area is a parking lot - not snow - yet

I have some work to do, some new covers for some older books and three new books coming soon. One has been edited, the other two are my usual, behind schedule. What I like most about writing full time and being my own publisher is that I set my own schedule, if I fall behind – oops!

I read today that James Joyce only averaged about 90 words a day during his writing career. Even with my so-so writing routine, I will easily write more than 90 words a day on average. As a matter of fact, I will end the year averaging about 620 words per day. Not a huge input, but for me – hey, good enough.

According to a 2013 study, people check their phone 150 times per day, not me, more like five for me. Phones waste a lot of time, as does all social media and internet surfing. These three things are the most listed as things that take away working/writing time. I do spend too much time on Twitter and maybe Goggle+, other than that, my writing time should be mine. I was born long before everyone carried a phone around and computers were needed both at home and work. My twitter, in case any readers want to waste time is - @wyohistoryguy

So that leaves me with this. I could write more except, I love to play golf, work in the garden, outdoor photography, hiking in the mountains, reading, cooking, yep cooking, and woodworking. Guess that’s the reason I only write a quarter of a million words a year instead of a million. Oh, I love football, and the baseball playoffs are on.

Still looked pretty good a few weeks ago - sadly, frost has taken it all away

Meanwhile - Keep writing and Keep on reading. It’s great to be home. 

Writing Goals

No Goals Reached

Another month and another dismal writing report. Not really, I did write some, but it was the fourth straight month I failed to reach my goal of 20,000 words. For many writers that would be a week or less of writing but for me it is running about seven weeks to get up to twenty thousand.

While not writing I found a website to make a Monet-like me.

I did take some time off

In my own defense, I did take a couple of nice trips out of state. Since making my goals seem to be pretty much unattainable anyway, I never take my laptop with me on vacation. Someday, when I reach the rich and famous stage, I will go away to a beautiful writing hideaway, laptop in tow. But, not yet.

Spent some time in Rocky Mt. National Park - always fun!

What I Finished

This month I did manage 24 blog posts, which by the way, had over 4,000 hits – thanks, readers. My word count for July was 11,601, and the blogs were more than half of all of my writing. I did get some editing work done and wrote a few pages in two of my, in progress novels.

Embarrassed to say - I am still at work on the final edit of this one

So Far

For the year I am a bit past 133,000 putting me on pace to fall about twenty thousand short of my quarter of a million goal. Who knows, once the weather turns cold, I may get my word count up. If I could just have a few 2,000 word days .  . . . . 

Part of our backyard, old-fashioned flower garden

Reading on a Lazy Summer Day

I am going through a lazy time as a writer. Presently spending more time in the garden and more time reading than I am writing.

I call what I do, working in the garden, but my dad used to call it,
puttering around in the garden - he is closer to what I do.

Finished rereading Conan Doyle’s, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes last week. Some readers see theses stories, and Doyle’s writing as too old fashioned, I like both. This particular book is a collection of 12 short tales, all fun, and easy, quick reads.

Yesterday I started Chuck Tyrell’s short story, Origin of White Deer, from another collection of 8 short stories, although I have not yet read much of it, I loved the first three chapters, and it looks to me like a good one.  This book titled, Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Vol. II - should be an enjoyable read. I will post more when I finish in a couple of days.

Speaking of white deer, I was able to get this, and about two
dozen more photos, of this albino Mule Deer last Christmas Day

We spent an enjoyable day, yesterday, in Rocky Mountain National Park. As always the scenery was spectacular. I was a bit surprised at the crowds, looks like a bumper year for tourists.

Always special

Meanwhile keep on reading and keep on writing.

See my historical fiction novel, Commitment, set in and around Fort Laramie, Here.

The Last Page

While working on an idea for a short story and thinking about endings, I decided there are only three endings in most all fiction. Happy, Sad or Book #2 coming soon, that’s about it. Within the three an author can do a limited number of things. I have never been a fan of sad or unhappy endings, but overly happy can be a bit much also. As I contemplated, while weeding the garden, I came up with this.  No matter if a book ends happy, or sad, there needs to be something to the last few pages. Writers talk so much about a great first page or great start, not so much the last few pages. This is what I have found.

Not Too Many Weeds In This Part Of The Garden

Book Endings

A fiction writer can end a book after the big event the book pointed at throughout and leave it at that. (Most books fall into this category).

An Author can finish the story and then tell the reader what became of the people afterward. (Romance and some historical fiction like this type of ending, with much of my reading I like this one also).

The book can end mysteriously, with readers screaming - WHAT Kind OF AN ENDING WAS THAT!!! (I see a few of these, drives me crazy).

One type of ending I do not care for is one I call the, I am out of words, ending. This one has the reader reading on and on and then in one or two pages the author tries to bring it all together, and it just ends.

What do you think? What kind of ending do you like or see most often?

A Book, Like A Day, Deserves A Great Ending

My Next Book

Maybe I will write a book on how to write a great last page. Probably not, but one thing I have found is that writing the end, for me, is easier than writing the start of a book. 

Keep reading and keep writing.