Watching a Documentary of H. P. Lovecraft

Dear Stephen King,

The children hogged the two available Netflix channels this afternoon, so I could not get my fix of Fringe. Yes I realize I am way behind. I had not given it enough of a chance when it was airing live on the television. I tried it again a few weeks ago and now I cannot stop watching it now... except when the kids have control of Netflix.

While I was hiding away on my day off inside the house and looking for any excuse not to write my own work, I started surfing some of the other movie providers, and that is where I found a documentary on H. P. Lovecraft. I got drawn in and could not stop watching. This man was a wonderment and led a sad, exciting and expressive life. I knew about him, but I never knew his life story.

I don't really want to talk about Lovecraft himself though. I want to say something about the inspiration to go write when I watched this film. There is something to be said about seeing the success someone else has and using that excitement as fuel to get yourself writing again. I find myself tired and not really wanting to write after a long days work.When I sit down to write my own story, I will sometime only get a couple of paragraphs down before my mind is exhausted and I move to the couch in front of the TV. I should really get rid of that thing.

I am wondering what other documentaries are out there, whose biography can I look into and become inspired by. I have been inspired by the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. He has a lot of great experience that we can use in our own lives; things like his notebook stating the points he tries to avoid in his daily life. If he breaks one of the rules he set for himself, he would mark his notebook and at the end of the three month period, he would see how he was progressing by observing how many marks were in his notebook. He would wipe the notebook clean and start again.

I have also enjoyed your writing memoir, "On Writing." Even though you are giving advice about how you personally made it in the business and what you learned along the way, I find your personal success story inspiring. It makes me want to sit down and BE you. It makes me wonder, Who were the inspirations for you? Who made you want to sit your butt in the chair and keep writing?

Here's to making today memorable history for tomorrow.
Robert T Gasperson

Writing on Holidays

Dear Stephen King,

Yesterday was the 4th of July, a national holiday that requires family fun and bar-be-Que and lots of fireworks. I found after getting home from work and having fun with the family, I did not have the time to get my butt into a seat to churn out any words. I thought about it. Are holidays supposed to be free from writing?

I have met authors who refuse to write on holidays because they want to spend their day with their family. They don't want to have a story hanging over their heads, guilt about not sitting down and writing when they are busy entertaining or playing with the kids. They want to set that time aside for their family and friends.

I have met other authors who refuse to miss a day of writing no matter what. It could be thanksgiving or Christmas, they still want to write, even if it is only a hundred words or so. If they don't write, then they feel like they have dropped the ball somewhere. They feel the fear of not picking up where they left off. If they miss one day, that day might lead to a week or a month without writing. Then their story will never get told.

What do I think? I think I should have a specified time to write on holidays. This time does not have to be long. Even if I can get on the computer and knock out 20 minutes of writing, then I feel like I have done something towards finishing my book. Usually holidays are spent sitting around either talking or sleeping or watching the kids play. There has to be a few moments that can be made to write. I try to find them early in the morning before anyone else in the house is up and moving about, this way it is already done when things start happening.

What about you Steve? Do you write on holidays?

Have a great week.
Robert T Gasperson

Writing for Money or Pleasure

Dear Stephen King,

This week in my own time of writing, I thought about what it really means to write. Is writing something you do just for the fun of it, or am I only writing because I think I will make money or even a living from it?

I am beginning to believe that most people write because they expect to make money from it. Writing is one of those things you don't have to invest a lot of money into to make a return. All you really need is a computer and some time. Most people these days, at least in America, own a computer already, whether it be a desktop, laptop, a tablet or even a smartphone. Most people have something they can write on. Even if they don't have a computer, a sheet of paper and a pen are easy enough to come by. You don't even need to buy them. Companies will give you paper and a pen from only an inquiry.

Sure, most people will say they love to write. They would continue to write even if they never got paid for it. I think that is true for a while, but I think the prospect of being able to sell something is a driving force behind anyone who writes on a regular basis. Most want to be able to show off a properly bound hardcover book with their name on the front.

I want to know if there is a way to switch my thinking about my own writing. Can I turn off the thought that I want to publish something to I just want to write for other people's enjoyment. I want to share what I create and then maybe I can create just to create.

I guess right now I am worried about publishing a short story, selling it on the Kindle store without a proper publisher. I am worried that people will not like it and everyone will want their money back. I know in my head that it is decent work, and I will be able to grow an audience from it, but the fear is still there. Maybe if I can give it away for free and just let people enjoy it, then maybe I will not be so worried about the content.

Did you ever just write because you loved to write? Did you ever just want to share your stories with the world? It is hard to believe you were where I am now early in your career. You are a superstar author, someone I strive so much to be like. I remember reading somewhere that you had a homemade magazine that you published on your own. It make me smile when I picture you going about sharing those creations with your family, friends and neighbors. If only we could go back to those simple times, simple thoughts and simple writing.

Take care Steve, and keep writing.
Robert T Gasperson

Turning Short Stories into Novels

Dear Stephen King,

I am excited about the work I have been doing. I have been working on a series of short stories that will eventually come together to form a full length novel. There are several reasons I am doing this. First; I can't seem to finish writing a novel.

I have been able to get 40-50,000 words into a story and either get bored, or jump to another idea. These short stories will allow my short attention span to hang on long enough to get done with a short story before moving on to the next one.

The second reason I am doing this is to have something finished so I can post it on the amazon kindle store. I am writing each of the stories so they can stand alone if the need to. Then if the reader wants to know more about the story or the world, they can go read my other short stories. Also, If for some reason I decide to abandon the novel, the short stories can stand on their own.

I was wondering if you have done anything like this. I remember when you released "The Green Mile" as a 6 part serial. I loved it. I had a coworker who was reading it at the same time. Since we had to wait for each episode to come out, we could discuss the part we had just finished. Then we could talk about what we thought was going to happen next. I kept those paperbacks for a while, then when you released it as a Hardback, I bought it to go with my collection.

Sometimes I wonder if some of the Dark Tower series was written as short stories. Then assembled at a later date. Maybe you can let me know about that one day.

Have a great day,
Robert T Gasperson 

Stephen King's Writer's Workflow

Dear Stephen,

I searched and searched and searched for my copy of your book "On Writing." I bought it back in 2000, when you first had it published. I've read it a couple of times. Then after I got married and life got filled with all the other things that happen, I believe that book along with most of the other books I had got sold or donated to make way for cribs and toys and all the other things that come with having a family.

The reason I was looking for the book was because I am curious about your processes for writing everyday. I want to know how you are able to sit down and get so many words out, allowing you to publish 2 or more books per year. Researching the information online things I found a blurb from "On Writing" where you say you write 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays. That’s a lot of writing. If I work out the math that would be 250 words per paperback book page which means you have to write about 2,500 words per day. If you write 10 pages single spaced in an 8.5x11 page format, then you will have almost twice that at about 5,000 words per day. I suppose that is what you can do when your career is writing.

Lisa Rogak wrote in her book about you, "Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King" a statement you made, “There are certain things I do if I sit down to write, I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning, I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon."

This makes me want to find a routine in my own life where I can sit down everyday and write. My schedule is so unpredictable. I am working all kinds of hours. The kids always have something going on that needs my attention. I just have to find that hour everyday where I can sit down and write. I would love to find the consistent time, the time that happens each day where I am not doing anything, where I can place that block of writing time. At this moment, I believe that perfect time would be right when I get home from work and before I start making dinner for the family. That is usually the time I sit or lay down on the couch and rest for a while. Maybe this is the time I should be writing.

I think I am going to hunt down another copy of "On Writing." I really want to read it again. The thing is I want my first edition back and it seems it is a little difficult to find. Even on Amazon, there are only 2 used editions available. I am also going to see if I can find a copy of that book club release called, "Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing". I am sure there is a lot of great information in that book I could use to become a better writer.

I hope you have a great week. Here is to being productive.
Thank you for allowing me to carry on as I do.

Your Buddy,
Robert T Gasperson

Not Your Ordinary Stephen King Fanboy

Dear Stephen King

I was thinking about what it would be like to meet you in person. I'm not talking about just meeting you in a line of other fans or outside a venue trying to get you to sign my book. I was wondering what it might be like to sit down at a table and speak to you as a human being. I'm thinking more than just an interview, more like a talk between friends or colleagues.

I wonder how I would react. I know that you say you are just another guy who happened to sell a few books and become recognized world wide. There is no reason to put you on a pedestal. Many of your fans do that. I'd like to think I would treat you more like a friend, that I would be able to sit down with you and have a real conversation, a conversation that would not restate all the things everyone else talks with you about.

I am sure that you talk about your books on a regular basis, or how you find ideas for what you write. I can find that information anywhere online. I want to sit down and hear more about you. I want to hear about your Red Sox and some of the stories you might be able about meeting some of your favorite Rock and Roll superstars. It would be fun to hear about your fanboy moments.

Would I try to get you to Sign my stuff? I have tried to get your autograph in the past. I have sent you letters to see if you might send me an autograph. I received a letter from your assistant stating that you were uncomfortable sending autographs through the mail. I can understand that. It is more meaningful to the fans who get to meet you in person and have you autograph their book.

I think I have decided that it is more important for me to have the experience of meeting you, to have a meaningful conversation with you. Your autograph is just a pen mark on paper.  Nothing more, nothing less. An autograph would be nice but it would not change me as a person, a conversation with you would.

Thank you for taking the time to read my humble words, and I hope one day we will get to meet each other. Until that day, take care and keep writing.

Your Friend,
Robert T. Gasperson

Brainstorming a Short Story

I have been trying a new way of outlining short stories. I wanted to see if it would make the process of writing any more efficient. The idea is simple. I find 7 points in the story I want to tell to get from the hook to the resolution. Each of these points are the beats and the movement of the story.

I then come up with seven points between each of those major beats. The idea is to decide how each of those beats will unfold. I try to keep the ideas to 7, but if need be, I can go longer.

So 7 beats times 7 points per beat means I will have 49 Steps in my story. If each of those steps are about 100-200 words each, then I will have a short story that is 5,000-10,000 words long. Not too shabby.

If You Don't Have Time, Write Poetry

This week has been extremely busy at work. I have been staying late to get the store ready for opening. What does this mean for my writing. I have been finding it difficult finding the time to invest in my fictional writing. This is going to have to change if I am to write a 50,000 word novel next year. 

One of the things I do when I am not sitting in front of a computer is write haiku. I might be waiting for one of my kids or sitting in the car on my lunch break. I will pull out my notebook and write a haiku or two. I use whatever is going on in my life at the time as inspiration for my haiku. It is amazing what you can fit into 17 syllables.

You don't have to write haiku in these short spans of time. You can write lyrics or sonnets or even a few lines of free-verse. It doesn't really matter what you write as long as you are forcing your mind to be creative. If you can do this, maybe you can reset your creativity so when you do go back to the longer piece of fiction, there will be something there to write.

Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo 2012

This year will be my 8th or 9th year participating in National Novel Writing Month. I have a blast every year attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I find that it is nearly impossible for me to complete the challenge. I think the furthest I have ever gotten was about 30,000 words. This year I intend to go all the way. In fact I am planing to go to 80,000 words. I want a full novels length.

I have a simple plan to get to the number of words that I want to get to. I am going to write a daily journal of my main character. You are going to get to see the life of this man through his eyes and through his thoughts.

What I like about this format is that I can write the book in really short sections. I figure if I can write about 220 words for each day for the whole year, I will have an 80,000 novel (220 words x 365 days = 80,300 words). 

To get the story across, I will probably write more than 220 words per day. It will be more like 300-500 words average per day. If I can do that I might even end up with a 120,000 word novel. That will be great.

I am trying to plan out an arc that will work itself out over the course of the year. I want the main character to meet a woman and find her fastening and worth taking the time to include her in his year long project. I guess this is going to make this story a romance. We will see how it comes out.

Flash Fiction Rejected

I got a rejection today for one of the pieces of flash fiction I wrote a couple of weeks ago. They were right. They did get back to me within three weeks. The response was a standard "Thank you for your submission, but it is not right for our publication." rejection.

That is OK. I am already working on my next piece of fiction and hope to submit it soon. It is due at the end of the month of October. From everything I have read, you should not listen to the rejections as they come in. You should keep sending out new writing as you write it. As your work comes back rejected, you should find a new market to send it to and keep it out there in the world.

My intention for my rejected flash fiction is to read through it again and to see if there are any improvements I can make, then see if I can find somewhere new I can submit it. It is flash fiction, so the places I can send it to are limited, but I am sure I will find an appropriate market to send it to.

So Close to the Finish Line I Can Taste It

I am about a thousand words from the end of the short story I am writing, yet I don't want to sit down and finish writing it. I don't know what it is. It might be the fear of writing a bad ending. It might be the fear of having to send off the finished piece to see if I can get it published. It might be I don't want the story to end. Whatever the case, I still need to sit down and write the ending of this story.

Here is another problem that I come across when I am trying to finish a story. I find myself thinking about several other different projects I want to start instead of doing what I should be doing. I should be writing the end of my short story. Right now I am finding myself thinking about the month of November and what I want to write for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

I need to think about what must be written. I need tho think about how I am going to force myself to sit and write till it is done. I think I am going to have to carve out 2 hours of time with an egg timer set and the will to sit there till the two hours are up or I finish my short story.

Hmmm....

I think I am going to go make a sandwich.

There is So Much Out There to Read

I discovered a used bookstore a few weeks ago in the shopping center I am training at. For a used bookstore I found their prices a bit high, but maybe I am used to buying my books from resale shops and places like Goodwill. These days I don't ever pay much more than $1.50 for a hardcover. There are just too many books out there to read, and being that I am a slow reader, I will only ever read about 6-10 books per year. (Maybe I should take a speed reading class)

Outside of this used bookstore, they keep a small rolling rack of books they know they can not sell. So they have a sign on the front of the cart with the word "FREE" written on it. I have taken about 10 minutes at least once a week looking through this cart. Yesterday I found a few old volumes of "Reader's Digest Condensed Books" I picked up two of them that seemed to be in really good condition. Then this morning, I started reading one of them.

The story is called "The Secret Project of Sigurd O'leary" by Martin Quigley. It was included in the second volume of the 1959 edition of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It is set up as a journal, written with a month and date for each entry. It is about a boy and his older brother making a life for themselves after both of their parent's died.

The story was set in the 1920's. I am finding a lot of the little things written about fascinating. The boys were punished for low marks on their report card by missing dinner. If they made a B, they missed one dinner. If they earned a C, they missed two consecutive dinners and if they got a D, they missed three dinners. If they failed a semester, they would go all week without dinner. I suppose they would be given breakfast in the morning. I also think dinners were lighter back then. You ate more for breakfast because you needed the energy for the day.

Their main transportation was the Railroad. They hopped on an open car with the hobos. The camped in the woods till they found an abandoned shack to live in. There was no electricity. They heated their homes with coal fires. They ate a lot of beans and bread. It was an interesting time I think.

So, what does this all mean?  I have been told time and time again that I should read a lot if I want to learn how to write. This book has already given me an insight for some of the setting I want to include in a short story I am writing right now. I have found that the more I read, the more I want to write. Just look at the length of this post compared to the posts I have written the last few days.

Also, I really don't like to spend a lot of money on books. I have always thought $28 was a lot of money to spend on a hard cover book. This is why I spend time in the thrift stores in their books section. You will be amazed at what you can find. I find Stephen King books all the time. I found a copy of Anthony, Robbin's book "Unleash the Giant Within." I also found a bunch of Dale Carnegie books. Those are classic and many of them are still relevant in today's market.

If you don't like going to the thrift store, check out the Amazon Kindle store. They always have several dozen books you can download for free. That doesn't include all the public domain books that are available. I recently listened to the "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin". It was extremely insightful. You will be amazed at what you can learn by reading anything you can get your hands on.

Finish and Submit Something You've Already Written

After finishing and submitting the last two flash fiction pieces, I wanted to try something a little bit longer. I came across an anthology wanting short stories between 7,000 and 10,000 words. The theme they were exploring was fights. They wanted to read stories about battles, arguments and fights of all kinds.

I sat down and thought about it. I wanted to come up with something that would make a great addition to the Anthology. I took long walks with the dog thinking about it. I sat at the dining room table with my composition book and worked on a brainstorm tree, hoping something I wanted to write about would come out of it. Needless to day, I didn't find anything worth my while. There were a few good sparks, things that might develop into something later, but nothing that intrigued my passion right at this moment.

This morning, I was thinking about the challenge again, trying to figure out what I wanted to write, when the thought of a piece I was already working on; a piece I intended to turn into a novel popped into my head. What I was writing was a battle between two foes and what their battle was doing to my main character. The thing was, I was already planning to make this section of the novel independent. It was already going to be about 10,000 words. Now I have a reason to finish it and focus it to meet the requirements of the Anthology.

I wonder how many other pieces I can go back to and adjust them to fit what magazines and anthologies want to offer in their markets. Don't get me wrong, I still plant to write new pieces, but when something doesn't come to mind right off the bat, I should be able to find something else that I trunked or is still waiting to be sent out again.

Flash Fiction Earns Pro Rates

I spent about an hour last night working on a piece short flash fiction for a children's magazine that I found on Duotrope.com. As I stated yesterday, I have been looking for a market I could write a story for. The first market that I looked at only wanted flash fiction. They wanted pieces that were 650 words or less. I took that as a challenge to write something right then.

The first thing I did was a little research on the subject they wanted me to write about. Then I came up with a short premise that could be squeezed into short form fiction. Then I just started writing. At first I was a little worried that I would not be able to keep the story short. By the time I finished writing, I was 20 words below the limit. I was proud of what I had written.

I went back through the story twice and made the edits I thought it needed, then I put the document together by following the instructions on their submission guidelines. Everyone I have ever listened to about submitting a story say that you need to follow the submission guidelines to the letter. Then I mailed it off to them. Now I move on to the next piece of fiction. The funny thing is that the next market that I found, one I think I could enjoy writing is also flash fiction at 500 words or less. Sound like a good project for tomorrow night.

Finding something on Duotrope

I decided I wanted to take a break from some of the things I have been writing and see if I can do something a little shorter. I wanted to see if there is something I could submit to a magazine. Maybe I might be able to sell something to a professional market and make a little bit of real money. 

I have used Duotrope.com a few times. If you don't know what this site is, it is a website that keeps track of all the magazine markets that are taking submissions. The nice thing is you can filter the results to show you the markets you are interested in writing for.

As for me, I want to write something in the science fiction or fantasy realm and I figure if I am going to write anything, I would like to be paid like a pro for it. So I have been looking at the pro markets. The first one I am going to submit to only wants submissions that are, at most, 650 words. They want short folk tales. I am curious what I can come up with to send to them.

I Think I Need to Write

I want to write. I need to write. I sit down and can't seem to make myself think straight so I can write something worth while. I have decided to start putting something down in words everyday. I don't really care if it is a story or not. I just need to write.

How does this pertain to Meeting Stephen King? I think I am going to have to become a famous writer to finally meet him. I am going to have to travel in the same circles to find a moment to talk to him more than just a fan. So now comes the hard part. Writing millions of words that will be published, get me noticed and maybe lead me to a function where I can meet my mentor.

Stephen King Seems to be Writing More

I find it amazing how much Mr King is writing these days. I think it has to do with not being able to do as much as he wanted to do with TV and Movies as he was hoping to do. After his accident Stephen was not sure how much more writing he was going to be able to do. He even warned his readers that he might be cutting back on the amount he was writing. That thought was just that; only a thought.

He focused on his dark tower series and completed the seven book series. Then he started releasing nearly 2 books per year after that. The man is a writing machine. Today I got a birthday present in the mail. It was the collectors edition of his book called Under the Dome. It has been out for a while. It is a doorstop at 1074 pages. This is one that is going to take me a while to read.

He recently came out with a novel about time travel and the Kennedy assassination. Then just this month I got a copy of Esquire Magazine that has a new story by King in it. I believe it is part one. the August issue will have part 2 in it. I forgot how much fun it was collecting everything Stephen King. 

I want to take the inspiration of Kings prolific writing and apply it to my own work. I want to write something that is going to inspire me to write even more. I want to create a masterpiece that will live on in people's minds and on their bookcases. I want to inspire myself to keep writing.

To Script or Not to Script

I have been trying to brainstorm what my comic is going to be about. I want to write something that is going to be interesting to read while being fun to draw. I thought I might just start drawing and let the pictures lead me through the story. I am not sure that is the best idea for this project.

I think I have finally decided that I want to script out the comic. I think the script will help me when  go to draw the images. I won't have to second guess what I am doing. All I will have to do is make the images fit the concept of each page. Page after page will begin to shape a complete book and hopefully I will not have to go back to change anything when I am done.

How do I script the comic? I have done a little scripting in the past. None of which was ever turned into anything. I have looked though books like the one above and have determined a simple way to script my book. The first thing I have to do is determine the arc of the entire issue. Once I know that, then I can focus on each of the pages. Each page should have some sort of point. The page acts almost like a scene, a movement that leads into the next page.  

The easiest way to script the page is to go cell by cell. I usually thing about how I want the page to flow. I will sketch out the layout of the page. Then next to that little thumbnail I will write out "Cell One: Whatever happens in this cell." Then I will go on to Cell Two. Sometimes there is only one cell. Sometimes there are six or eight cells. It depends on what I am trying to do.

I think I am going to spend the next few posts brainstorming my ideas for the Meeting Stephen King Comic. I figure since I will not be trying to make money on this project, It doesn't really matter if the world sees my process. In fact making the process public might help someone else who is trying to create a book of their own.