Books and Software

I had absolutely no idea how to even start a novel. So after lots and lots of internet searching, something I kept coming across is the Snowflake Method. I've gotten lots of ideas from Randy Ingermanson's website AdvancedFictionWriting.com. I'm not sure if Randy is the actual creator of the Snowflake Method, but he has refined it to 10 simple steps. I even decided to buy his book "Writing Fiction for Dummies" which has a lot of great information in it and has been very helpful in getting me started with this process.

Basically, the Snowflake Method is just a template for creating a novel that starts small, and expands into a complete story, filling in all the gaps along the way.  The 10 steps of the snowflake method can be found in the link to Randy's website above. Since I'm a planner, I think the Snowflake Method will work out well for me.

Next up, I wanted a program to write with that has a little more to offer than Pages for Mac. After searching around a lot for writing software, and seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I decided on Scrivener. The software is fantastic and as I learn the features I'm really looking forward to using it more. This software is packed with features by the way, probably more than I'll ever need. It has some really cool stuff which I'm using already. Things like the cork board, the research section, and the novel layouts are great. So far Scrivener seems pretty user friendly and not too difficult to learn.

The Internet

Okay, the internet is either the greatest thing ever or the biggest hindrance to my new writing endeavor imaginable.  I haven't decided yet.  I guess in the old days I would've just gotten out a notebook and started writing. Nowadays though, with the internet, there is a gargantuan amount of information out there for new writers starting. Some of it probably total garbage and some of it probably fantastic information. How do you sort it all out? I have no idea.

I didn't want to just blindly jump into this because I would like to actually succeed at my goal of writing and publishing a book. I wanted a plan, a method, something that works. Yes, that's right I'm a planner. I plan and research the hell out of something because I want to do it correct the first time. That's just me and how I operate. I realize there is not one truly correct way with this kind of creative process, but I figure a little guidance won't hurt me.

I wanted some sort of reference to what in the hell I'm supposed to be doing here to reach my goal, so I did what everyone does now; I started googling.  A lot, probably too much. Looking at what seems like hundreds of websites on how to write a novel, then of course, I started drifting. I started looking at how to get published, then how to sell, then how to become a rich and famous author. Eventually finding out most writers don't make any money.

Why am I doing this? I haven't even written a single word towards my novel yet besides lots of idea notes, but I want to know everything in the process anyway. Okay, now that I have wasted about two months on research I've come to a few conclusions.  One, I spend entirely too much time on research and not enough time on writing.  Two, I spend entirely too much time on research and not enough time on my writing.

Where to start?

Okay, I want to get started writing but where to start? It's been a long time since I've had a college writing paper graded, and I do absolutely no useful writing as a pilot. I write mostly in shorthand, notes and code, certainly not proper English that's needed for a novel.  It's been about 10 years since I've had to write anything that would be scrutinized. So what is one to do? I feel like I don't write that terribly bad, I mean it's legible but I'm scared that I'm probably quite the grammatical nightmare at this stage. I don't remember any of that crap that I should have paid attention to in English composition class. Why in the hell didn't I pay attention? WHY? I thought that was the dumbest class ever, now I need it desperately.

Do I forget it at this point and just sit down and write? Worry about the grammar later? Today, I started googling the rules of writing and use of punctuation every time I forget if something is correct or not but it's just wasting an enormous amount of time. I guess I just need to get over the fact that some people are going to say I write like a 5th grader, and I don't know how to use an apostrophe correctly.

Wow that actually helped to write that down so I could see it for myself. I am acting like a crazy person. It will take years to get this done if I don't forget it and just start writing. Screw it, grammar edits will come later. Make fun of my 5th grade writing level if you wish.

Making it writing

 I love the Vince Flynn, Brad Thor style of thriller novels about hunting down bad guys. I have one serious problem though, I've read them all because I have entirely too much free time on my hands with my job. So now what? Wait for more novels to come out? Nope, I'm too impatient and I'm always looking for a way out of this career path I've gotten into. So I'm going to try this whole writing thing and see if I can come up with something on my own. If it works out, I hope to self publish it into an e-book format and see if anyone actually wants to read it.

Luckily, I've had the privilege of working with, training with, and living along side Special Operations guys from Delta and Seal Teams in my previous job before the airlines. Getting to do and see some crazy things that most people will never have the opportunity to witness. I have experience with firearms, explosives, deep water mixed gas diving, offshore operations, global travel, and flight experience in everything from small piston engine aircraft to Jet aircraft. This along with friends and co-workers who are ex-military, law enforcement, and from the intelligence communities to draw information from; I'm hoping someday I might be able to come up with a novel worth reading.

So that's what this blog is going to be about. My journey throughout the writing, publishing and selling process starting with only an idea for a new business and absolutely no writing experience whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong?