Chuck Barrett's Blog, page 9

A WRITER'S GUIDE TO NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

New Year's resolutions…everyone seems to have them. From dieting to exercise to quitting smoking. But what about writers? What resolutions did you make about your writing habits, you goals, or that novel to beat all novels that is locked away in your head?

Needless to say, most writers don't make resolutions for the upcoming year in the writing life—only their personal life. Why? Or maybe the question should be, why not? What we want to accomplish in the upcoming year doesn't seem resolution material, right? Well, if you're serious about writing, you couldn't be more wrong.

If you have to, make two sets of resolutions…personal goals and writing goals. Resolutions are made with the best of intentions but it's your own self-discipline and drive that determines whether you reach that goal or not. So let's take a look at some New Year's resolutions for 2012:

Set realistic goals. Sounds easy, right. If one of your resolutions was to start, finish, edit, secure an agent, sell to a publisher, and see it in print all in 2012…then your goal was unrealistic and your resolution a failure because it is highly unlikely to do all that in one year through traditional publishing. BUT, and it's a big but, you choose a self-publishing method…it is an attainable goal. And it requires a lot of hard work and discipline.
Resolve to write something everyday. Remember, I said 'something.' It doesn't have to be your work-in-progress…even though that would be preferable it isn't always possible. Write something: a blog, a newsletter, a letter to yourself reminding you of your goals and strategies…anything, just write.
Limit your time on social media! One of the biggest time consumers is social media. Don't get me wrong; staying connected is a must in today's world if you want to get noticed. But if you let it, it will consume your day and thwart your best laid plans for constructively writing that novel. (If you don't write fiction, insert non-fiction WIP) In one of my previous blog posts I wrote about having no time to write, if you don't structure your day, you'll inevitably get behind.
Structure your writing day. You knew that was coming next, didn't you. Set aside a limited amount of time each day for social media, networking, marketing, and promotion. There is a certain amount of business that must be attended to daily. Do it and get back to writing.
Take advantage of your "creative moments."  You're an author, you have them. When you have them, WRITE! The average author has 5 – 6 creative hours a day. You know when they are, so take advantage of that creativity and write. Structure you writing days around your creativity. You don't need to be tweeting, or Facebooking, or promoting, or anything other than writing when that creative side of your brain turns on.
Read more.  Sound simple? Reading takes time out of your day. Time you probably are already thinking you don't have any more of. Find the time. Read what you write. Find the great authors in your genre and read how they structure a story and their style. Then read a bad author in your genre and do the same thing. You can learn just as much, if not more, from reading bad writing as your can from reading good writing. Broaden your horizons…read something outside your genre from time to time. Maybe you're an ex-NFL linebacker who will only write action thrillers, but you might just like that romance novel. Okay, so I got carried away…but you get my drift. Other genres open our eyes and can make us better author in our own genre.
Be you own most critic. Read your own work with a critical eye. At first, it sounds great. Then it sounds lame and you think it isn't good enough for the trash receptacle. After you finish your manuscript, put it away for at least two weeks. During that period, just read. Then pick it back up and read it again with fresh eyes and notice the difference. The good and the bad will jump off the page. Keep the good, fix the bad, and put it away. Two weeks later, repeat the same process. Now you're ready to move forward.
Last item…don't rule out self-publishing. Who really knows what's going on in the publishing industry today? One thing is certain, though, the traditional publishers are still standing around, scratching their heads, wondering how all these self-published authors are selling so many books. With a good plan, you too can make an impact by self-publishing.

 This list is anything but comprehensive but it should give you a good kick-start toward your own list of resolutions for the upcoming year. Please feel free to add resolutions by leaving comments and sharing them with others. But by all means…KEEP WRITING!

Chuck Barrett

Thriller Authors Share Secrets — “How to Write the Thriller”

 [image error]Thriller authors share secrets —

“How to Write the Thriller”

Readers of thriller novels are literary adrenalin junkies, addicted to the plot-driven roller-coaster rides and white-knuckle suspense. That’s why the thriller has become one of the most popular forms of contemporary fiction today. A panel of area thriller writers will provide tips on “How to Write the Thriller,” at the Florida Writers Association’s (FWA) Ponte Vedra Writer’s chapter meeting on Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.

Panelists include Chuck Barrett, Drew Berquist, Kent Holloway, and Ron Whittington.

Chuck Barrett, a retired air traffic controller and commercial pilot and flight instructor, is the author of The Savannah Project and the soon-to-be-released, The Toymaker. Drew Berquist is a senior intelligence consultant for the United States government with operational training from multiple intelligence agencies. He used the experience of his twelve deployments to Afghanistan to write The Maverick Experiment, a novel about the war on terror.

Even though Kent Holloway stays busy as a forensic death investigator for St. Johns County, and the publisher of Seven Realms Publishing, he’s still found time to write two books in a paranormal thriller series, including Primal Thirst, and Siren’s Song.

After a career as a print and broadcast journalist, and as a marketing consultant, Ron Whittington founded his own public relations firm. He also worked as a ghost writer, but finally got around to writing his own thriller, Second Strike, which is set in northeast Florida.

Thrillers can be found in a variety of subcategories such as the international thriller (Steve Berry’s, The Emperor’s Tomb and Dan Brown’s, The Da Vinci Code), the techno-thriller (Tom Clancy’s, The Hunt for Red October), the legal thriller (John Grisham’s, The Firm) and many others. Many of them feature key characteristics such as non-stop action, exotic locations, and earth-shaking conspiracies or disasters that the hero must prevent. Each of the panelists will provide insights into how they crafted their thrillers and give tips on how to keep the reader turning pages.

FWA is a statewide, non-profit organization with over 1,200 members dedicated to the support and networking of both aspiring and published writers in any genre. All meetings are open to members and non-members alike. For more information, please call FWA Regional Director, Vic DiGenti, at 904-285-2258.

 

Thriller Authors Share Secrets — "How to Write the Thriller"

 [image error]Thriller authors share secrets —

"How to Write the Thriller"

Readers of thriller novels are literary adrenalin junkies, addicted to the plot-driven roller-coaster rides and white-knuckle suspense. That's why the thriller has become one of the most popular forms of contemporary fiction today. A panel of area thriller writers will provide tips on "How to Write the Thriller," at the Florida Writers Association's (FWA) Ponte Vedra Writer's chapter meeting on Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.

Panelists include Chuck Barrett, Drew Berquist, Kent Holloway, and Ron Whittington.

Chuck Barrett, a retired air traffic controller and commercial pilot and flight instructor, is the author of The Savannah Project and the soon-to-be-released, The Toymaker. Drew Berquist is a senior intelligence consultant for the United States government with operational training from multiple intelligence agencies. He used the experience of his twelve deployments to Afghanistan to write The Maverick Experiment, a novel about the war on terror.

Even though Kent Holloway stays busy as a forensic death investigator for St. Johns County, and the publisher of Seven Realms Publishing, he's still found time to write two books in a paranormal thriller series, including Primal Thirst, and Siren's Song.

After a career as a print and broadcast journalist, and as a marketing consultant, Ron Whittington founded his own public relations firm. He also worked as a ghost writer, but finally got around to writing his own thriller, Second Strike, which is set in northeast Florida.

Thrillers can be found in a variety of subcategories such as the international thriller (Steve Berry's, The Emperor's Tomb and Dan Brown's, The Da Vinci Code), the techno-thriller (Tom Clancy's, The Hunt for Red October), the legal thriller (John Grisham's, The Firm) and many others. Many of them feature key characteristics such as non-stop action, exotic locations, and earth-shaking conspiracies or disasters that the hero must prevent. Each of the panelists will provide insights into how they crafted their thrillers and give tips on how to keep the reader turning pages.

FWA is a statewide, non-profit organization with over 1,200 members dedicated to the support and networking of both aspiring and published writers in any genre. All meetings are open to members and non-members alike. For more information, please call FWA Regional Director, Vic DiGenti, at 904-285-2258.

 

A Day at Andersonville

 

Last Monday, November 14, 2011, I went to Andersonville National Historic Site, which includes the National Prisoner of War museum, the prison site, and National Cemetery…a trip I highly recommend for everyone. What started as a research trip for my 3rd novel turned into so much more—a memory I'll never forget.

Our timing was perfect, arriving moments before the 30-minute video was about to start—a must see BEFORE you tour the prison site otherwise the full impact will be diminished.

For those of you not familiar with Andersonville, it is the site of a Confederate Army prisoner of war camp called Camp Sumter. The film shows hundreds of actual photos from the camp's occupation and the living (and many times dying) conditions of daily life within the confines of the prison.

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In the 14 months of its existence as a prison camp, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were held captive of which 13,000 died from disease, malnutrition, and exposure. The camp covered 26 ½ acres and was surrounded by a 15-foot high stockade fence.

As I walked across the site, it was easy to recall the photos I'd just seen and imagine the horrid living conditions of the camp. But it was the Civil War and the Union army had its own prisoner of war camps that were just as wretched. I found it humbling to know I was walking the same ground where so many died. Or at least I thought it was humbling at the time.

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Then I went to the National Cemetery—now that was humbling. Rows and rows of headstone markers greet you at the front gate and serve as a reminder to the true savagery of the Civil War. Thousand of Union soldier markers crowd the landscape but it still makes up less than half of the cemetery's graves. Union soldiers were buried in long trenches and marked with a number. A young man from the 2nd New York Cavalry named Dorence Atwater kept records of the deaths of prisoners. His records were vital for Clara Barton, who later used his information to identify and mark the graves of the dead.

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If the name sounds familiar, it should—she went on to found the American Red Cross.

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If you ever find your way traveling in Southwestern Georgia, I recommend you take half a day and visit the Andersonville National Historic Site. It'll be time well spent.

THE TOYMAKER–Unveiled

 

Hello Blog Readers,

As promised, here is the overview and cover for The Toymaker. But first let me give you  a few tidbits: the schedule release date for the PRINT version (tree book) of The Toymaker is February 14, 2012. That's right, Valentine's Day. The main reason for such a release date is that, even though there are dozens of romance and chick-lit novels released that day, as of this writing, there are only two mystery/thrillers to be released on Feb. 14. I mentioned in my last newsletter and I'll reiterate it again, the Kindle version (e book) is planned to be out before Christmas this year, but last minute formatting issues could cause it to slip. If it does slip then it will likely not be available until Feb. 14 along with the print version. So many variables!

Before I move on, I want to acknowledge my good friend and graphic designer, Mary Fisher of Mary Fisher Design for this wonderful cover! As usual, she went above and beyond and has given me another stunning book cover, guaranteed to garner second and third glances from readers.

This is what you're waiting for…the back cover synopsis and the front cover photo. Please enjoy. Any comments or questions are welcome, so feel free to email me.

May I present….

 

THE TOYMAKER

Former NTSB Investigator Jake Pendleton faces a dilemma as the line blurs between right and wrong. After his judgment comes into question, Jake is entrusted to his new mentor, an eccentric old man who sees beyond Jake's flaws. A man who makes 'toys for spies.'

A man known as The Toymaker.

Jake's first assignment reunites him with Gregg Kaplan in a daredevil mission to rescue a fellow agent held captive in Yemen. He risks his life to stop the first attack of an al Qaeda mastermind. But now, with no one to trust but himself, can Jake stop the terrorist from destroying what is most precious to the free world?

Unfortunately, more trouble comes his way as a killer from his past threatens something more important to Jake than his own life, leaving him to make the hardest decision any man ever has to make—

Who to sacrifice.

In the same suspenseful style as his award winning thriller, The Savannah Project, Chuck Barrett's The Toymaker is guaranteed to engulf the reader in another spine-tingling tale of international intrigue.

 

 

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Your feedback is always welcome, so please leave comments.

 

 

What Do You Write About?

I recently read a blog by an author who was hedging on venturing into the world outside her familiar realm of prose. Write about what she knows…or write about what she doesn't know. That was her dilemma. She compared it to the deep end of the pool versus the shallow end.

So I pose this question to you…

What makes a better story?

Since I asked, I'll give you my answer–

I think the better story comes from writing what you're passionate about, what you love, AND even what you want to know. Sometimes the best stories come from authors writing about what they know. But if that were always the case, we wouldn't have science fiction, would we?

How many horror writers have actually experienced all that slashing? Most just reached into their soul and conjured something that had excited their imagination.

Nothing is a "cop-out" if your story is good. Whether we intend to or not, we all write about things taken from our own experiences…we just fictionalize them, enhance them, and include them somewhere in our writing. Some story lines come from things we read about or hear about. The rest we just make up and sensationalize.

Fiction writers get to lie for a living. That's the fun part.

So I say it doesn't matter if your swim in the shallow end with water-wings on or take a leap from the high-dive into the deep when you can't swim. If you write a good story, that's all that matters.

Chuck Barrett

http://chuckbarrettbooks.com

Release Announcement of THE TOYMAKER

 

I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of the second Jake Pendleton thriller, THE TOYMAKER. As you know from The Savannah Project, Jake's world was turned upside down, he shot the assassin Ian Collins in the Friars' Chamber in Ireland, but the killer got away. Now he's returning to the United States and unbeknownst to him, Collins got there first. And that's all I have to say about that!

THE TOYMAKER epitomizes the definition of thriller. It is non-stop adventure and suspense where Jake can never seem to catch his breath. He is persecuted, exiled, shot at (more than once), and in a life or death race against time and evil.

I'm sure the title has intrigued you already. I could explain it here…but I will not. You have to read it.

THE TOYMAKER will be released first in Kindle format (eBook) this December before Christmas, tentatively December 13, 2011. (Editing and formatting could cause a one-week delay) The release date for the print version (tree-book) is February 14, 2012. That's right, a thriller on Valentine's Day. So far, only one other thriller is scheduled for that day…along with a gillion romance and chick-lit books. (Not sure how much a gillion is, but I'm sure it's a lot) But they're in a different genre so I'll try to take advantage of the thriller market.

Also, as soon as the cover becomes available, I'll send out a newsletter with the cover embedded. So spread the word, send everyone you can to my website. Get them to sign up for my newsletter so they can be the first to hear all the good news. Here's the link to sign up…

http://chuckbarrettbooks.com/cbarrett-signup.htm

Is there more news you ask? Of course there is! No firm date yet, but the third Jake Pendleton thriller is expected to hit the shelves (and your Kindle) in October of 2012. I have a working title which I won't disclose since it remains to be seen whether or not it will pass the test of time.

Thanks again for staying loyal readers and spreading the word about THE TOYMAKER.

chuckbarrettbooks.com

“ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT: THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM IS CLOSED.”

 

That line was said thousands of times on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 by air traffic controllers nationwide. The next line went something like this: “You will be instructed to land at a nearby airport.” After that, each aircraft was given a clearance from our nation’s skies at the rate of one per second. One per second! And it didn’t stop until all 5000 aircraft in the sky that day had landed. That took two and a half hours from the time the National Airspace System (NAS) was closed.

8:46 a.m.            American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the North Tower

9:03 a.m.            United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the South Tower

9:17 a.m.            The FAA closes all New York area airports

9:26 a.m.            After discussions with NORAD, the FAA orders a nation-wide ground-stop for all civilian aircraft, meaning that no more airplanes could take off.

9:37 a.m.            American Airlines Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon

9:45 a.m.            The FAA closes the National Airspace System

10:03 a.m.            United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a filed in Pennsylvania

FAA Closure of U.S. Airspace

From 9:45, (when the NAS was closed and air traffic controllers were instructed to start clearing every civilian aircraft from the sky) until 10:30, a span of 45 minutes, over 2500 civilian aircraft landed and airports across the nation. A rate of over 56 aircraft per minute! By 12:15 p.m. there were no civilian aircraft left in the sky. That was a first since 1938!

Air traffic controllers see a lot of strange things every day. But this was eerie. It was also a solemn period. All the banter turned to a determined, methodical choreography to get every airplane out of the sky and safely on the ground. SOMEWHERE! Most aircraft were easy—nearest airport. But others, especially the airliners and jets, runway consideration had to be taken into account. Can’t land a jet that needs 5,000 feet of runway to takeoff at an airport with only a 4,000-foot runway.

Was it pandemonium like most would believe? Not even close. Once the order was given, it was done with precision. Were there any hiccups? Of course, but nothing that couldn’t be handled quickly and without incident.

The events of September 11, 2001 will be etched into our minds and our history books forever, just like December 7, 1941. Thousands lost their lives, all casualties of a war against terror. WE will mourn that loss forever.

I’ve attached a link to a video of a Dateline-NBC interview from the one-year anniversary of 9/11. It’s about 45 minutes in length with no commercials but it gives you an insight of 9/11 from a totally different perspective—one I’ll never forget.

Dateline:NBC-Controllers Special video

chuckbarrettbook.com

"ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT: THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM IS CLOSED."

 

That line was said thousands of times on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 by air traffic controllers nationwide. The next line went something like this: "You will be instructed to land at a nearby airport." After that, each aircraft was given a clearance from our nation's skies at the rate of one per second. One per second! And it didn't stop until all 5000 aircraft in the sky that day had landed. That took two and a half hours from the time the National Airspace System (NAS) was closed.

8:46 a.m.            American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the North Tower

9:03 a.m.            United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the South Tower

9:17 a.m.            The FAA closes all New York area airports

9:26 a.m.            After discussions with NORAD, the FAA orders a nation-wide ground-stop for all civilian aircraft, meaning that no more airplanes could take off.

9:37 a.m.            American Airlines Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon

9:45 a.m.            The FAA closes the National Airspace System

10:03 a.m.            United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a filed in Pennsylvania

From 9:45, (when the NAS was closed and air traffic controllers were instructed to start clearing every civilian aircraft from the sky) until 10:30, a span of 45 minutes, over 2500 civilian aircraft landed and airports across the nation. A rate of over 56 aircraft per minute! By 12:15 p.m. there were no civilian aircraft left in the sky. That was a first since 1938!

Air traffic controllers see a lot of strange things every day. But this was eerie. It was also a solemn period. All the banter turned to a determined, methodical choreography to get every airplane out of the sky and safely on the ground. SOMEWHERE! Most aircraft were easy—nearest airport. But other, especially the airliners and jets, runway consideration had to be taken into account. Can't a jet that needs 5,000 feet of runway to takeoff at an airport with only a 4,000-foot runway.

Was it pandemonium like most would believe? Not even close. Once the order was given, it was done with precision. Were there any hiccups? Of course, but nothing that couldn't be handled quickly and without incident.

The events of September 11, 2001 will be etched into our minds and our history books forever, just like December 7, 1941. Thousands lost their lives, all casualties of a war against terror. WE will mourn that loss forever.

I've attached a link to a video of a Dateline-NBC interview from the one-year anniversary of 9/11. It's about 45 minutes in length with no commercials but it gives you an insight of 9/11 from a totally different perspective—one I'll never forget.

Dateline:NBC-Controllers Special video

chuckbarrettbook.com

NO TIME LEFT TO WRITE!

 

AS strange as this sounds, it seems I had more time to write when I had a full time job. I retired on May 31 after 26 ½ years as an air traffic controller. The first 2 books were written in their entirety while I was working full time. After I retired, I spent the first month editing book two. (Title to be announced soon) At the request of an agent, I changed the beginning—it made for a much better story by the way—which also meant I had to make changes elsewhere in the document. The result is a much-improved story that is guaranteed to thrill its readers.

Now that's behind me and I'm working on book 3. But I don't seem to have enough time. I mean, with all the other things to do…you know, things like checking my sales figures, emailing, book promotion, marketing, and social networking. Talk about time consuming. Twitter here, Facebook there. Goodreads. LinkedIn. BookTrib. Kindle Forum. Peroozal. BranchOut. Writing this blog. BAM! Another day shot with nothing to show for it.

Sure, I've made a little headway on plotting the next story. Ideas are in abundance. It's tying them all together that's proven difficult. Well, kind of. It's tying them together and being able to knock you out of your chair that takes time. I don't want to just thrill you; I want you scratching your head, heart pounding in your chest, and shouting "HOLY CRAP! I didn't see that coming." Reaching that level of plot twist proves more difficult…for me anyway.

But still, all those other things are demanding my attention. (See paragraph 2) Now throw into the mix, working with an editor, cover designer, ebook formatting, press releases,….you get the drift. Plus book signings, festivals, and an appearance here and there. Now there's no time left to write.

Time management never seemed so difficult before—when I had less time on my hands. Of course, if the U. S. Government's Office of Personnel Management doesn't get me a paycheck soon, I may very well find myself seeking employment elsewhere. I know their job must be tough…BUT I NEED MY $$$$.

Sorry. Really needed to vent.

I have to go now. My computer's chirping an incoming tweet!

http://chuckbarrettbooks.com