Mr Bill sez:
I find it strange how this five part series on my books will come out in reverse order, as the blog format lays them out. But you're stuck with it.
Before getting into my first attempt at writing a political thriller, I wanted to add to my last blog concerning writing. If you wish to write- then write! Write every day. Each time you do so, you will improve in one way or another. From ideas to skill, dreams to wishes and objectivity, adaptation to knowledge. Writing a daily journal will help, keeping a collection of your story ideas and most of all- reading. Every writer I know of began as someone who enjoyed reading.
I used to get ridiculed for lengthy police reports, but later, when I was promoted to investigator, I could go back to one of my old reports and find everything I needed for a case. I once worked a burglary case where the suspect had entered two homes and stolen quite a bit of property. What made this even more serious was that the people were at home and in their beds at the time. The police officer who handled the case left me with a single paragraph and two photographs. I was ready to pull his hair out. Thankfully, I prayed over this case and the Lord provided me with the answers. I caught the man, got most of the property back and a full confession. Yes, I always prayed over my cases and as an investigator I had an 82% closure rate. My lieutenant asked me once why I didn't have a 100% closure rate if I was praying over each case, he was scoffing at my beliefs, and I told him I probably wasn't listening hard enough.
I once worked with a major publishing company for 8 months, they were interested in my Viet Nam book, "Apache Snow". I made all the changes they wanted, but after the 8 months, the editor told me the market had shied away from books for male Christians and they were no longer interested in my story. Oh, they provided me with three very nice handwritten letters, which in the publishing world says a lot. I was hurt, upset, ready to scream, but then I realized how much I had learned by working with these people. All the editing I had done for them had been worth hours and hours of education in writing.
I have also learned to keep a dictionary and a good thesaurus handy. NEVER use the same adjective in the same paragraph if at all possible and maybe not on the same page- Rule # 1. For Rule # 2, never forget the character that you are writing about- keep a description handy to refer to- he's left handed or has blue eyes, or a scar on the right cheek. Readers hate these mistakes.
"A Political Action", Christian fiction, 20-chapters and 578 d/s pages,is, as I said previously, a political thriller involving domestic terrorism in Ontario, Canada. A small band, though fictional, brings back to life a real-life group that terrorized Toronto in the 1970's with bombings and the killing of two political figures. In my story my new group, who go by the same name as the original Front de Liberation du Quebec ( Liberty for Quebec), target various locations throughout the city and eventually blow up an RCMP captain's home, killing his family. Though acting as terrorists, the two leaders of the group are in fact hirelings of 5 wealthy industrialists who manipulate their private bunch of radicals to destroy overly expensive or now worthless buildings the businessmen own in order to collect the insurance on them. The five men then send their terrorists to Alaska to kidnap the Canadian Prime Minister who is visiting there to discuss fishing issues with the Alaskan Governor. The Prime Minister, who has broken many of his campaign promises, is down to a 33% approval rating and the 5 businessmen, believing the Prime Minister to be sympathetic to the French Quebec movement, feel that being kidnapped and then escaping the terrorists after 5-days would restore his popularity.The Alaskan governor and the rest of the party being held would, however, have to die. At a certain point,the pseudo terrorists plan to waylay the train which was transporting the party of dignitaries from Fairbanks to Anchorage by creating an avalanche.. The party is then taken into the woods to be held at a prearranged site.
An Army Chaplain, sole survivor of a helicopter crash in Viet Nam in which he had been severely wounded, is forced to kill several of the enemy to survive.. His actions and the serious PTSD to follow, bring him to a loss of faith and he now resides in a remote cabin in Central Alaska. Through a weird series of events, he finds himself leading two men into the deep woods in search of these terrorists. One is the RCMP captain, who seeks vengeance for the loss of his family, and the other is a former Alaska State Trooper lieutenant. The former trooper had resigned over his wife's infidelity with his supervisor and now works as a railroad investigator seeing his son when time allows. These three men overcome numerous obstacles, including a SERT team commander who wants them out of the way, take on the band of terrorists and free the hostages after a brief but intense fire fight.In the end....but I can't tell you that, now can I?
It is a story if renewed faith, redemption and overcoming great odds. I had a lot of fun writing it and researching the actual terrorist group.
The actual synopsis I write and provide the publisher or agent is quite a bit longer, sometimes going between 1 to 3 pages. I broke it down here, just to give you some idea of my story and other manuscripts. Like I said before, if you wish to write- then write. I great writer once said, "Every person has at least three books in them, but a writer has many more stories to tell". I may never sell a novel length manuscript, but I enjoy my work. As I write, I live with my characters and my imagination takes me to these places I try to illustrate with words only. I have done battle with these terrorists, while at the same time I have walked in their shoes as they carried off their acts of terrorism.
Have a very fantastic day and may the Lord God bless the paths you choose to take. Be a reader and learn what the Word of God holds for YOU!
I find it strange how this five part series on my books will come out in reverse order, as the blog format lays them out. But you're stuck with it.
Before getting into my first attempt at writing a political thriller, I wanted to add to my last blog concerning writing. If you wish to write- then write! Write every day. Each time you do so, you will improve in one way or another. From ideas to skill, dreams to wishes and objectivity, adaptation to knowledge. Writing a daily journal will help, keeping a collection of your story ideas and most of all- reading. Every writer I know of began as someone who enjoyed reading.
I used to get ridiculed for lengthy police reports, but later, when I was promoted to investigator, I could go back to one of my old reports and find everything I needed for a case. I once worked a burglary case where the suspect had entered two homes and stolen quite a bit of property. What made this even more serious was that the people were at home and in their beds at the time. The police officer who handled the case left me with a single paragraph and two photographs. I was ready to pull his hair out. Thankfully, I prayed over this case and the Lord provided me with the answers. I caught the man, got most of the property back and a full confession. Yes, I always prayed over my cases and as an investigator I had an 82% closure rate. My lieutenant asked me once why I didn't have a 100% closure rate if I was praying over each case, he was scoffing at my beliefs, and I told him I probably wasn't listening hard enough.
I once worked with a major publishing company for 8 months, they were interested in my Viet Nam book, "Apache Snow". I made all the changes they wanted, but after the 8 months, the editor told me the market had shied away from books for male Christians and they were no longer interested in my story. Oh, they provided me with three very nice handwritten letters, which in the publishing world says a lot. I was hurt, upset, ready to scream, but then I realized how much I had learned by working with these people. All the editing I had done for them had been worth hours and hours of education in writing.
I have also learned to keep a dictionary and a good thesaurus handy. NEVER use the same adjective in the same paragraph if at all possible and maybe not on the same page- Rule # 1. For Rule # 2, never forget the character that you are writing about- keep a description handy to refer to- he's left handed or has blue eyes, or a scar on the right cheek. Readers hate these mistakes.
"A Political Action", Christian fiction, 20-chapters and 578 d/s pages,is, as I said previously, a political thriller involving domestic terrorism in Ontario, Canada. A small band, though fictional, brings back to life a real-life group that terrorized Toronto in the 1970's with bombings and the killing of two political figures. In my story my new group, who go by the same name as the original Front de Liberation du Quebec ( Liberty for Quebec), target various locations throughout the city and eventually blow up an RCMP captain's home, killing his family. Though acting as terrorists, the two leaders of the group are in fact hirelings of 5 wealthy industrialists who manipulate their private bunch of radicals to destroy overly expensive or now worthless buildings the businessmen own in order to collect the insurance on them. The five men then send their terrorists to Alaska to kidnap the Canadian Prime Minister who is visiting there to discuss fishing issues with the Alaskan Governor. The Prime Minister, who has broken many of his campaign promises, is down to a 33% approval rating and the 5 businessmen, believing the Prime Minister to be sympathetic to the French Quebec movement, feel that being kidnapped and then escaping the terrorists after 5-days would restore his popularity.The Alaskan governor and the rest of the party being held would, however, have to die. At a certain point,the pseudo terrorists plan to waylay the train which was transporting the party of dignitaries from Fairbanks to Anchorage by creating an avalanche.. The party is then taken into the woods to be held at a prearranged site.
An Army Chaplain, sole survivor of a helicopter crash in Viet Nam in which he had been severely wounded, is forced to kill several of the enemy to survive.. His actions and the serious PTSD to follow, bring him to a loss of faith and he now resides in a remote cabin in Central Alaska. Through a weird series of events, he finds himself leading two men into the deep woods in search of these terrorists. One is the RCMP captain, who seeks vengeance for the loss of his family, and the other is a former Alaska State Trooper lieutenant. The former trooper had resigned over his wife's infidelity with his supervisor and now works as a railroad investigator seeing his son when time allows. These three men overcome numerous obstacles, including a SERT team commander who wants them out of the way, take on the band of terrorists and free the hostages after a brief but intense fire fight.In the end....but I can't tell you that, now can I?
It is a story if renewed faith, redemption and overcoming great odds. I had a lot of fun writing it and researching the actual terrorist group.
The actual synopsis I write and provide the publisher or agent is quite a bit longer, sometimes going between 1 to 3 pages. I broke it down here, just to give you some idea of my story and other manuscripts. Like I said before, if you wish to write- then write. I great writer once said, "Every person has at least three books in them, but a writer has many more stories to tell". I may never sell a novel length manuscript, but I enjoy my work. As I write, I live with my characters and my imagination takes me to these places I try to illustrate with words only. I have done battle with these terrorists, while at the same time I have walked in their shoes as they carried off their acts of terrorism.
Have a very fantastic day and may the Lord God bless the paths you choose to take. Be a reader and learn what the Word of God holds for YOU!
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