Month: July 2020

I’m Modeling The Hero Of My #Novel After #ChrisPratt #AmWriting


By Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Let me be clear — I really fucking hate it when people preen about who they think should play this or that character in their “WIP.” I just want to scream at them to shut up and actually write the novel. But, here I am, doing that very same thing.

My only excuse, I guess, is I’m 100% extroverted and I can’t help myself. And, also, I’m not really being aggressive about it. It’s just something to write about while in thinking in the back of my mind about an important first draft scene I’m working on at the moment.

Chris Pratt is who I imagine my hero looking like right now. He’s the right age and fits the phenotype of the inspiration for the hero. It is interesting how men who are in the 40 to 60 age range can play just “the Hero” while the female romantic lead usually has to be played by a far younger woman. I think that says more about Hollywood as an industry and the power male actors accrue as they grow older. (And the fact that the more powerful an actor becomes, the more he seeks out all the younger hot actress to play against so he can bang them.)

What’s interesting is I could see Chris Pratt play my Hero and Jennifer Lawrence play the Female Romantic Lead. (Or maybe Phoebe Waller-Bridge.) Those two have worked together in a movie. I really need to get back to writing the first draft of the novel. But, for some reason, I just feel the need to mention that on this blog that no one reads.

Anyway, like I said, I really fucking hate when other aspiring novelists do exactly what I’m doing. It’s so cloy and preening. It fucking drives me up the wall.

Just write the fucking novel already, people.

Trump Never Ceases To Enrage Me — And Help Me Write This Novel #AmWriting



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

At its core, this novel is pretty much just me ranting and screaming at the top of my lungs about the Trump Era. A combination of that and a unique situation that give me a lot of time to develop and write is causing this novel to pick up some momentum.

I am not taking this for granted, however. This is kind of the ideal situation for someone like me to actually finish the two books I want to write (two books, one story). Though for a long time I was ambitious without any motivation, that has changed now and I am feeling the insecurity associated with being not only ambitious but motivated to do something about it.

So, I’m going to rock the ROK as I used to say in Seoul.

The thing about writing a novel is you have no idea what the context will be once you come out the other side of it all. Will Trump still be president? Will anyone want to read a 145,000 to 165,000 long thriller that’s really just an extremely diffused rant about how much I fucking hate the Trump Administration and MAGA? (Though, to be fair, I do rant a lot about “Twitter Liberals.”)

Anyway, there’s a chance I may wrap up the first draft of the first chapter within the next 24 hours. Then the July 4th weekend will be something of a “Writer’s retreat” pause while I reflect on the project and how I can make it the absolute best I can make it.

Then on July 5th, I’m going to throw myself back into things with quite a lot of gusto.

Wish me luck.

A Struggle With POV #AmWriting & Trying To Use The Snow Man by Jo Nesbø As An Additional Textbook



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I read in one of my many books that you’re only supposed to have six POV characters in a pop novel. Using The Girl Who Played With Fire as my textbook suggests this is not always the case.

So, I’m going to break the rule.

Stieg Larsson must have closer to 10 POVs in that novel and it’s quite readable. In fact, I think of it is a textbook example of how to write a great pop novel. Hence my use of it as, well, my textbook. But I must admit that I’m going to study The Snow Man by Jo Nesbø as well because I need to go outside my comfort one. I need to study someone else’s work, too.

Anyway, the main reason why I’m breaking the POV rule is my female romantic lead. I really want to show my hero from her POV for the purposes of character and relationship building. It is interesting how different the novel is in the abstract of development and the concrete of actually writing it. I definitely understand why they tell you not to show your first draft to anyone. I’m writing some pretty shitty copy right now, but it’s definitely helping to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.

I’m in a unique situation when it comes to how much time I have to develop and write this novel. I’m not taking it for granted. I’m trying to get a finished first draft done as quickly as possible, it’s just a huge amount of work and, as such, it slows things down.