A book idea - Fiction is a lot harder to write than non-fiction

Just a few ideas at the moment

I'm thinking I would like to write a fictional book. The thing is, to do so, I have discovered you need more of a creative side. You see, writing non-fiction, although not entirely easy, at least that shit has happened to you, so you have an idea of your memories and recollections. Then it's just a cassette of how you would like to present your book. Dark, humorous, serious, embarrassing, inspirational, suspenseful, historical, brutal, violent, and I could go on and on. I suppose everything that gets put in is based on a real-life experience, and all you have to do is kind of narrate your story.

My self-published book Lost2bFound, you can find it at Amazon

I got a lovely review of Lost2bFound, for example from someone on Librarything, which reads,

"When I started this book, I was struck right away by the wandering narration. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was going to be a struggle to get through. What I found instead was that it was a pleasant as sitting down for a chat with someone you haven't met before and sharing your stories. Rather than being frustrating or confusing, it was quite enjoyable. This is probably going to be one of the very rare books that I read again."    

I would agree as a first time, and I am not sure I can really call myself an "author" because I found it difficult trying to get what I wanted to say down in an organised fashion. I  mean, I am the same in every day-to-day life, all over the place, jumping from tangent to tangent, never mind trying to make sense of how to format a book.

The previous review, I guess, is a testament to that; however, the reader, instead of giving up on my book, carried on and appeared to enjoy it. I do have to say it is written very much as if I were sharing a story with someone just across the way or on one of my chance meetings whilst I am out on my bike.

And so to my latest attempt and thoughts. Well, I am not going to give too much away, just in case it is a fail, and I don't get round to finishing it, or get writer's block, as you see, I don't have the full story in my head yet. I tend to think as I write, and sometimes things will come to me, so I jot them down for use later on. Bedtime,  find my mind never, ever turns off, so things can sometimes just pop into my head, and I end up having to get up, turn my bedroom light on and start trying to recall "What was that thought again?"

So the premise of my story, I suppose, will have been done many times over in different ways. Basically, it is about a guy who takes ill (Yes, I have my main character's name), and he ends up being somewhat tricked into selling his soul to the devil. 

I'm thinking somewhere in my story, but haven't yet decided, there may be either an English Bull Terrier or a Border Terrier, a bit like Wor Nev. I have names picked for each of the dogs.

The theme of the book is a mix of dark forbidding, supernatural evil, humour, resilience, suspense and redemption.

I have had to do a lot more research, even at the beginning of writing, to try and tie things in so that they come across as realistic, thinking that if I get it wrong, some eagle-eyed reader will pounce on the fact.

An area I am struggling with is not wanting my main character to become like some superhuman or a serial killer in doing the devil's work. So I am trying to think of a way he can regain his soul, or at least go out fighting.

Oh, and within the story is an old dark guitar, a pocket watch and like I say, a dog of which breed I will decide, depending on which way I go. And that is about all I have at the moment. Well, apart from I did have another plot twist, but I ma not convinced I like it. Apologies for all the mystery. The twist I am talking about may make the story humorous, you see, and take it off in a completely different direction, even though I think if I were creative enough, it would work, and as far as I am aware, it hasn't been really done before.

Title? "Mmmmm," still thinking on that one.

PHFFFFFFFFFFF !!!

I can't do a sound of exasperation, tried my best in my tittle a Phffffffff !!! or a sigh sound. Here I am again with eyes like a fruit bat and wide awake at stupid o'clock in the morning.

Mmmmm what to do. Turn on the old computer and write some stuff I guess. Of late I have been dabbling writing poetry. It's way more difficult than I thought and I keep catching myself trying to make the bloody thing rhyme, which would probably make it more akin to a Limerick. I'm not even sure if when I read it back my stuff is a poem or just a group of words I've put together based how I'm thinking or feeling at any one time.

Never mind I decided I may as well share my stuff. I don't expect to win any awards or even much praise I just find writing therapeutic and well may be someone else will too.

My first poem I wrote was following my chemotherapy. It's short and just goes on to describe my first session of treatment.



Dark Therapy

A sharp scratch, leading to pierced skin,

Over active sensations as phantom pain kicks in.

Vein located, drugs infused,

Chemical assassin with no remorse.

Poison taken, now to wait,

The frozen veins capitulate.

Eternal cells will know there fate.

Fatigue comes hard, Sleep comes late, 

The next poem I wrote whilst thinking of a quote my good friend Brian Bartlett would end some of his emails with Keep keep Keeping On. It's about continuing on through adversity, whether that's big or small.

Keep keep keeping on

Born it begins, life’s great race, a journey into the unknown.
We lie then sit, crawl then walk and finally learn to run.

Goals are set, targets are met, sometimes we fail to achieve.

Hurdles are jumped, turns are took, the meandering path of life.

Time progress we un-relent and do what our bodies allow.

Life can be hard, life can be tough a spanner in the works.

So the thing that counts in large amounts is that we just,

Keep keep keeping on

And finally here's my latest creation. It's looking at how we are all different and sometimes we come together regardless of our differences, yet at other times people just don't get one another. 

People are like bits of Lego

People are like bits of Lego, they range in colour, shape and size.

Connections are made together, some simple, complex or simply insane.

People are like bits of Lego, who work to a design, they build many structures,

Some are quite successful whilst others fall at predestined junctures to the wayside

Not all people are like bits of Lego, some come in different forms.
Like stickle bricks, or Mechano, or malleable play dough.

It’s maybe why not everyone, is on the same winding path

As we try to stick a Lego bit, onto a stickle brick and cannot appear to work out the task

I’d like to think I was more akin to play dough, as I connect with all the rest.

I’m soft, I’m bright and I’ll reach and take hold and support you where I can.