The Creative Writing Process

I would like to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts on the Creative Writing Process.  There is a lot more to writing a book than many readers can ever imagine.  A vivid imagination and a strong command for language are only the beginning of the creative process.  Here is how it all began.

My first foray into the world of creative writing began about three years ago while I was sitting at a small round table at Deja Vu Showgirls in Hammond, Indiana, where I went to celebrate my birthday.  Watching the lovely ladies strut their stuff on stage, I pulled out a sheet of paper and pen and began to write down what became the basic chapter outline for "Topless Delivery - The Myrtle Beach Experience".   It was here that I got my first lessons in character development and setting the mood from the lovely ladies who I had met that night.  A few of these beautiful entertainers are aspiring writers themselves.  They taught me how to make the characters in my story multidimensional. 

I wrote some interesting details into each of my characters.  For example, Ashley Cooper, our leading lady, is a lot more than just a dancer and a model.  She is also approaching her final semester as a graduate student in the Wall College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University.  Ashley is a classically-trained soprano who is also quite a rock and roll drummer, playing in a band with four of her fellow dancers.  The fact that she comes from an upper-crust background begs the question, "What is a conservative Southern belle like her doing in a strip club?"  That question is answered an early chapter of the sequel, "Forever Autumn - The Myrtle Beach Experience Continues."  In developing Ashley's character, I began to visulaize the lady I would want in my own life. 

I spent many hours online researching various places in Myrtle Beach and Chicago, among other locales, in order to get as much detail as possible about the various hotels, restaurants, clubs, streets, and tourist attractions to make the story more credible.  I also drew upon my pizza delivery experiences in Myrtle Beach while working at Papa John's and Pizza Shak.  Driving on Ocean Boulevard and taking deliveries in various hotels and other establishments, as well as meeting many types of people, proved to be very helpful in developing the story.  Many readers will wonder if the "sex on the beach" is merely a fantasy.  Let me state for the record that "sex on the beach" is not a mere fantasy...it is a fond memory of an actual fling I had during the Summer of 2004.  I went back home to prepare for, and complete, graduate school.  That blonde beauty was all I could think about while I was in school.  Regrettably, I never saw her again.  Was I really in love with that girl...or was I just tripped out on some industrial-strength LSD?  Anyone who knows me at all would know the answer to that question.

Ironically, I hated writing when I was in school.  That was probably because I was writing what other people, such as professors and employers, told me to write.  Once I started writing "Topless Delivery," that attitude changed radically.  I discovered that I am a much better writer than even I could ever imagine.  On each novel, I start with a basic chapter outline and fill in the details as I write.  Because music is such an important part of the story, I went to great lengths to select the right songs and place the references in the right places in the story.  That involved watching and listening to hours of YouTube videos for many different songs and selecting the right rendition of each song for the online soundtrack for each novel's website.

To make a long story short, when it comes to writing a book, there is more to the picture than meets the eye.  Hey, hey.  My, my.