Travis Thrasher's Blog, page 8

A Beautiful Song (Excerpt from MIDNIGHT)

A Beautiful Song

         A great song is like a message in a bottle showing up on your doorstep and ringing the bell. They sound off and get you out of your chair and bring you to the doorway of surprise. They’re written specifically and only to you, and somehow they’ve finally found you.

When particular tunes have come this way—unexpected, like a hitchhiker on a desolate road, or echoes in a barren desert—they’ve prompted me to create. To figure out how to use them, even in temporary ways. I’m selfish that way, making it only and always about me. The spark is lit and all I want to do is find my latest batch of fireworks to show off to others.

When these songs come by my side, they’re sympathizing with my plight and summing up the feelings I can’t say. And God knows I can’t sing them. But I dream I can, and I long to shout them out and hum along with the singer. Often I do, in the confines of my car with the windows mercifully shut.

A storyteller has a million ways to tell their tale, and a filmmaker has even more weapons at their disposal. But a musician is so limited, so suppressed in what they can create. So when the familiar becomes fresh and original, it seems like a treasure suddenly found, and you bury it deep inside of your heart. A beautiful song tells its own tale because it’s speaking about you.

 

The Solitary Editor

Last weekend I had a chance to meet with L.B. Norton, the editor who has worked with me over the years on many projects including The Solitary Tales and Sky Blue. She first began working with me in 2004 with my college murder mystery, Admission. I was reminded once again what a blessing it’s been to have such a talented and smart individual partner with me on such a variety of books.

LB (who is okay to dispense with the periods after her initials) was an unlikely choice to edit my spooky teen series, The Solitary Tales. Instead of characterizing her myself, I asked her to help me out. So this is how LB describes herself when first starting to work on that series:

“An Austen-loving fiftysomething* woman steeped in Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, whose idea of an action film is My Dinner with Andre and who wants only the breathing of her dog as background music when she’s working.” (*at the time)

Leave it up to an editor to add an asterisk with clarification on the age even though this was simply for a blog post! That’s LB.

I’ve shared lots on The Solitary Tales, from the moment I first envisioned the series to the ideas I’ve had for subsequent stories. I was still very curious and a bit nervous to hear what LB would think about the first book.

Her first words after reading book one in The Solitary Tales were as follows:

“I finished reading Solitary and am really and truly crazy about it.”

This made me excited. She actually got whatever I was trying to do, which at the time I really couldn’t fully see. Later, after reading the entire manuscript for a second time while making editorial notes and changes, she said this:

“Yessssss! I reached my goal, and love the book as much on this second reading as I did on the first. Horrifying, but so tender and sad—no gore for gore’s sake. :-)”

Not only were the words encouraging, but she understood the balance I was striving for: horrifying, yes, but also tender and sad. And the “yesssss” was fun to see her say since the evil character of Kinner would end up saying it quite often.

After going through edits, LB said this about the main character of the series, Chris Buckley:

“I feel as though I should be praying for him. Am I losing touch with reality? Thanks, Travis. I knew if I kept editing your stuff it would come to this.”

I had to quickly tell her, “Can’t wait to start writing book two. Poor Chris. His journey is just going to keep getting darker too.”

There were times when I had to explain to LB what I was wanting and attempting or hoping to do with the story. At several points, especially with book three, Temptation, LB wanted to make sure I knew the answers to all the questions and mysteries that I was throwing at readers. I didn’t want to give away too much to even my editor since I wanted to surprise her, but I did assure her that I knew the answers.

Even with that first book, Solitary, I had answers. I knew where I was headed, not just with book one or even this series, but with multiple stories in the future (like The Books of Marvella). There’s so much sprinkled throughout. Like the mystery of the missing students:

Stuart Algiers (17)—missing during Christmas break, 2009

Lucy Penner (13)—went missing December 29, 2008

Harry Marshall (16)—disappeared on Christmas Day, 2007

In the first book, I gave readers a summary of the books to come:

Sometimes a kiss can cover up a gravestone.

Sometimes a friendship can overcome temptation.

Sometimes an embrace can overshadow the hurt.   

Since music plays a big role in the backdrop of The Solitary Tales (just like it’s been such an important part of my life), there were many, many musical references that I made throughout the series. Not just in obvious things like the playlists at the back of the book or times music is mentioned. But it’s small things, too. Such as a simple chapter title, like the tiny Chapter 75 in Solitary that’s called “Theft, and Wandering Around Lost.” During the edits, LB said she assumed that was a song title. So I told her it was by a band called Cocteau Twins. Soon, she responded to me.

“Listened to it. Wow.” Then she added, “The song made me teary. So apt. I like the way you use your musical knowledge in ways that only the likewise informed reader will get. Verbal Easter eggs?”

I think this might have been the moment I truly knew I was in good hands with LB. She understood what I was doing even when she didn’t always understand my references or knew exactly where I was going with them.

Trust is a crucial element to the author-editor relationship. There have been times when LB has told me “No! Don’t do it!”, like when a dead horse shows up in The Books of Marvella (I took it out). I trust her judgment, while at the same time she will let me make decisions that she doesn’t always agree with. The Solitary Tales have about five endings/farewells at the end of Hurt, and LB urged me to perhaps take one or two out. But I just couldn’t. I knew I was overdoing it, but I told her I was okay in doing so.

It has been great to see the variety of works LB and I have collaborated on, including the most recent novelization of the film, Indivisible (coming this fall!). To say I appreciate her is an understatement. I hope there are still many more tales that we can work on together. Especially Solitary Tales! LB journeyed through those underground tunnels of Solitary. I want to take her to the secret passageways under Chicago next!!

Thanks, LB.

The Percentage Plan

One way to keep track of projects and goals along with motivating myself is to keep what I call a “Travis Thrasher Publishing Plan” that I update every year. These aren’t books I have contracts for but rather are publishing possibilities, whether they’re for collaborations or for my own personal ideas. After each book project listed, I put a percentage that’s my honest feeling on whether the book will actually see the light of day.

Looking over the last few years when I’ve done this, it’s fun to see the projects I didn’t think would happen that actually did. For example, the upcoming historical nonfiction book called The Black Auxiliary was a project idea that I thought had a 25% chance of happening, and it’s coming out later this year. Several other book projects were around 75% but went nowhere.

I don’t mind talking about my own personal books in the works. Some of them have been in the works so long that I’m dying to share a little about them. Others are fabulous ideas I can’t say too much about because the idea feels like gold (at least to me). Then others are so random they’d take a while to simply explain. So here are a handful of my publishing possibilities for the future.

MIDNIGHT

 If the chances of a book getting published increase by its word count, then this has a 100% chance of making it. I’ve been working on this monster novel for almost five years now. Believe me, I know that having lots of words and spending a long time on a book doesn’t make it necessarily better than my other works of fiction. Sometimes it means it might suffer even more. But saying that, I feel this novel has captured my true writing voice better than any novel. Of course, I’m growing and changing as a writer as well, so I no longer can sound like a 27-year-old.

At 110,000 words the book is nearly complete. It’s basically a story about a ghost (but not a ghost story) falling in love and reevaluating his life and finding meaning. Yeah, I know that sounds a bit vague, but this isn’t the sort of novel that has that ten-second elevator pitch. I’m not even going to try to pitch this to a publisher. I’ll release it on my own. This year? Wow—that’d be awesome. Maybe.

I know this will be an editor’s nightmare. I’ve mentioned it to my longtime editor who has worked with me on everything from The Solitary Tales and Isolation to Sky Blue and even an upcoming novelization I have coming out later this year. I’m going to have to specify what I’m trying to do with this in order for her to allow certain chapters & passages.

There’s A LOT of introspection and soul-searching. Lots of passages like this:

“Age cements. Adulthood suffocates. So wise, so pristine, so calm, so damn old. I can finally run and breathe and laugh again.”  

“Echoes sound louder in this cavern I crouch in. Lighting a small fuse, the glow bouncing all around, I hover and wait.” 

“Startled, the seconds seem to hold their breath, stopped by her simple smile. Amazing how peace can suddenly pause the world’s violent laments. I envy—no, love– her lovely calm.”  

“The memories sneak inside at midnight, making me wonder if they’re made-up or real. A writer can wreak havoc with his own history.”

Out of context, these probably sound worse than they already might be. I love the poetry in the writing, but I know I’ve way overdone some of it. So we’ll see what happens with this. But as I’ve shared before, Midnight in some ways completes a trilogy of books with Sky Blue and 40. These definitely aren’t comedies.

SEQUELS

 I have sequels on my publishing plan. Such as more books planned for the futuristic book I just finished entitled American Omens. I want to continue the journeys of Chris Buckley and Brandon Jeffrey from their respective series, The Solitary Tales & The Books of Marvella. I have quite a few stories/series planned.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

 I have 3 children’s book ideas that I really, really love. One I’ve had for over a decade that I call my Pixar book idea. This is one that’s very clever. I’ve been looking for the right type of illustrator that I can even talk about this idea with. Another is a series of books about a Panda taking a day off, an idea that our twins and me came up with. Then there’s the out-of-the-box idea called I Can’t Draw.

REWRITING & FINISHING

I want to rewrite the following novels that were finished but didn’t work: Bull Road and Persona. Then there’s my Hinterlands Series that I started and proved to be too big and unwieldy. I love this story so much and put so much planning in the plotline. I see writing one big book for The Hinterlands.

RANDOM

For my random & odd ideas, I have some interesting books that I really could see happening. One is my set of books that are for convenient stores, gas stations and truck stops. Another is a Daddy-Daughter book or series. There’s the book I nearly finished for NaNoWriMo which is about NaNoWriMo. There’s my Hallmark film story. A book I spent quite a bit of time on YEARS ago about bad movies.

These ideas aren’t random, thought-of-them-last-night ideas that are easily forgettable. Everything on this list are projects that have importance in my mind and are ones I want to work on. Some I’ve already spent a lot of time on. I keep this list to be reminded of these projects, to motivate myself to try to keep going with one of them and to remember why I thought of them in the first place.

None of us know what tomorrow will bring. For artists, every day brings ideas and new creations. I’ve realized part of my success is to use my left brain to be organized with those ideas, then to motivate and put pressure on myself to get a handful of them done. To eventually put 100% behind a project.

#AmWriting

There are days when I’m not feeling it, and I write.

There are times when the To-Do list flicks me the middle finger, and I write.

Sometimes there are ten million choices to make in a story, and I write.

Research can take time, and interviews take time, and correspondence takes time, and organization can take time, and yet I still find the time to write.

That brilliant, beautiful novel I’ve been working on for four and a half years still needs finishing, but I write the other books that are due.

The winter can bring on the melancholy blue but if I have to write a joyful yellow, I write it.

The soundtrack for the morning might not fit the story for the day, so I find other fitting tunes, then I write.

Sometimes the sun calls my name and the walk in the woods seems so perfect and taking a break by the lake might be nice, but I need to write.

The girls might be arriving home and might be joining me in my office or tapping on my window to come out in the backyard and play, and since I never want to keep my door closed or my blinds shut, I stop and smile. Then I play. Then, later that night, I write.

Talking about writing is boring and explaining the process will never suffice and telling others how busy you are sounds like a broken record, so I just write.

Some mornings my ADD explodes into a July 4th fireworks display and I move a little more on a 100 things before settling down and then starting to write.

I could talk more with others, but I write.

When I hear myself talking, trying to make sense out of the soaring thoughts in my head, I realize that’s exactly why I write.

I randomly do the necessary social media and publicity and marketing and blogging like this, because I don’t have to do those things, but I do have to write.

The deadlines are set and the ticking clocks never go off inside my head, so I write.

I pick deadlines for myself for personal projects, so they’re the whining children in the backseat nagging me for no reason, and I find time to write.

And still, I really love to do this thing, and I’m continuing to try to learn and grow and become better, so I try to write less and read more and live a lot more. So I can take it all in and then go and write a little more.

There are days when I’m not feeling it, and I write.Ther...

There are days when I’m not feeling it, and I write.

There are times when the To-Do list flicks me the middle finger, and I write.

Sometimes there are ten million choices to make in a story, and I write.

Research can take time, and interviews take time, and correspondence takes time, and organization can take time, and yet I still find the time to write.

That brilliant, beautiful novel I’ve been working on for four and a half years still needs finishing, but I write the other books that are due.

The winter can bring on the melancholy blue but if I have to write a joyful yellow, I write it.

The soundtrack for the morning might not fit the story for the day, so I find other fitting tunes, then I write.

Sometimes the sun calls my name and the walk in the woods seems so perfect and taking a break by the lake might be nice, but I need to write.

The girls might be arriving home and might be joining me in my office or tapping on my window to come out in the backyard and play, and since I never want to keep my door closed or my blinds shut, I stop and smile. Then I play. Then, later that night, I write.

Talking about writing is boring and explaining the process will never suffice and telling others how busy you are sounds like a broken record, so I just write.

Some mornings my ADD explodes into a July 4th fireworks display and I move a little more on a 100 things before settling down and then starting to write.

I could talk more with others, but I write.

When I hear myself talking, trying to make sense out of the soaring thoughts in my head, I realize that’s exactly why I write.

I randomly do the necessary social media and publicity and marketing and blogging like this, because I don’t have to do those things, but I do have to write.

The deadlines are set and the ticking clocks never go off inside my head, so I write.

I pick deadlines for myself for personal projects, so they’re the whining children in the backseat nagging me for no reason, and I find time to write.

And still, I really love to do this thing, and I’m continuing to try to learn and grow and become better, so I try to write less and read more and live a lot more. So I can take it all in and then go and write a little more.

Music Monday: Down Down Low

“Everybody wants to talk. Nobody wants to listen.”

Doesn’t that sound like this world? Wait, don’t say anything, just shut up and listen to me. No, serious, I’m important because I have followers online . . .

That’s everybody out there, right? Starting at the top with our political leaders and going all the way down to our wonderful seven-year-old daughters (and if they’re twins multiply it times infinity).

So we know this entire world is a blow hard and it’s rare to find those who don’t succumb to the noise. One way I cope is through music. It squelched the silence during my youth and it also can calm the chaos of adulthood.

Christa Wells knows this pretty well.

Somehow in the loud noise of today, this singer/songwriter has created a catchy tune that’s deceptively deep. So deep it prompted me to just use an adverb, something I try to never do. But some artists are just so adverbly.

I’ve become a fan of Christa after getting to know her and her family through Masterpiece Ministries, a teen arts camp I’ve had the great fortune to teach at for four years. She’s really remarkable at both singing and writing, and she continues to grow. Her new single from her new album shows this.

The sound of hands clapping always seems to be an invitation to come on in and listen, but there’s an irony in this since she’s singing about those who refuse to do this very thing. In a world of bluster, Christa advises us to “get-down-low.”

Wait, what’s she mean? Just listen. Stop and listen.

“Hear the whisper of humility . . .” she sings in the glorious bridge.

This song is such a welcome reminder for today. Such a fun way for Christa to prick our pride, to remind us that life shouldn’t be about ME.

Do you want a nice three-minute antidote to #governmentshutdown or The Bachelor or Trump’s Tweets or Fox/CNN or the vitriol that we see and hear and feel daily?

Get “Down Down Low.” And I mean, literally get it. It’s a beautiful song off an important album releasing very soon.

Music Monday Quote

“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.”–Lester Bangs, the rock critic in Cameron Crowe’s brilliant Almost Famous 

MUSIC MONDAY #1: TOP TEN TEEN ALBUMS

A year or so ago one of those trends was happening on Facebook where people shared the top ten albums that made an impression on them as a teenager and then tagged a bunch of people. I got tagged several times, and even wrote out my own list, but I never posted it since I sorta hate doing stuff like this. (Like wishing someone a happy birthday on Facebook by typing “Happy Birthday!” like 100 others do). Maybe I’m cranky when it comes to online stuff.

I thought that since I love music and often have something I think might be interesting to share on my blog, I’m creating “MUSIC MONDAY” where I’ll post something related to this art I love so much. Perhaps sharing new tunes or bands I’ve discovered, or sharing playlists, or perhaps talk about soundtracks I love or composers I follow. Or maybe I’ll share more playlists.

For this first MUSIC MONDAY, here are my TOP TEN ALBUMS THAT MADE AN IMPRESSION ON ME AS A TEENAGER: 

Dream Into Action by Howard Jones. First cassette I bought with my hard-earned dollars.

Meat Is Murder by The Smiths. You invited me in with “How Soon Is Now.” Then you kept me with “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore.”


Black Celebration by Depeche Mode. Dark and intimate lyrics about faith and sex set to synths . . . Wow.


Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure. So many emotions sung on one album—being angry, joyful, tripped-out, depressed.


Victorialand by Cocteau Twins. Heard in a record store in Asheville, North Carolina and hadn’t heard any sound like it. 30 years later I still haven’t.


The Hurting by Tears For Fears. Articulating how I felt every day going to Madison High School in North Carolina.


Viva Hate by Morrissey. My fourth high school, 10th school, 13th house and move from North Carolina to Chicago. Morrissey wrote this for ME.


Substance by New Order. Suddenly I’m literally living out a John Hughes film (music, Chicago suburbs, my hair . . . ).


Front By Front by Front 242. Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Introduction to the industrial genre.


Violator by Depeche Mode. This English band all you bullies mocked me for liking just made one of the greatest albums of all time.

Goals Are Good

“Sometimes it takes all my resolution and power of self-control to refrain from butting my head against the wall.”—Joseph Conrad

Today is a blank page ready to be written on.

I’ve been keeping yearly writing journals since 2003. They’re a way to collect story and book ideas along with maintaining my weekly To Do lists. They’ve also been a way to create goals for the new year and then reflect back on my progress. I’ve grown to love starting a new one.

Putting down writing goals for the new year isn’t the same as making new year’s resolutions. The latter are for those wanting to change or finally start something. Listing objectives and ambitions for your writing in the new year is a way to motivate yourself to DO them.

I’m always somewhat ridiculous in my goals and ambitions. But then again, sometimes I surprise myself.

2018 is an open slate waiting for you to be surprise yourself.

Whether it’s starting your own personal journal or typing out a set of goals on your smart phone, my encouragement for all you creatives out there is to make a list and check it twice, over and over again throughout the weeks and months of 2018.

“I am still encouraged to go on. I wouldn’t know where else to go.”—E.B. White

(Photo credits with thanks! Header from Estee Janseens. Street shot from Andre Hunter.)

Moving On

  “Anytime I’m paid, I feel an overwhelming sense of relief. Like an Israelite stepping foot on dry ground and watching the Red Sea behind him crashing down.

            I’m running from that Red Sea every day. At least that’s how I feel.

            Wish I could be like Moses and have faith that that waters won’t topple over me.”

            –9/12/16 Journal Entry

Almost a year after penning that rather hopeless summary of my feelings into a notebook, our family of five moved to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area in September, 2017. Just in time for our girls to start school. The move made sense in so many ways.

In case you don’t know, Illinois is a very expensive place to live. Even the suburbs where we were at. Moving would instantly begin to save us money. Since my wife had family in the Grand Rapids area, and we’ve grown accustomed to coming up here during the summers to spend at my in-laws place on Gun Lake, it seemed natural to relocate. My in-laws have wanted to move up here for years, but wouldn’t unless we promised to do the same. Grandma didn’t want to be away from her three young granddaughters.

Plus . . . As long as I’m crazy enough to be making a living as a fulltime writer, I can live anywhere. ANYWHERE.

We really made the decision a year or so ago. I look back to November of last year as I waited on checks to come as always. Waiting to see whether projects would be green lit or not. I was three months behind on my mortgage payments not to mention owing everybody money.

One particularly tough part of 2016 came when a book that I finished and everyone really loved ended up getting canceled. This wasn’t the teen series that got canceled halfway through its planned, four-book publication (and later, gulp, shredded). This was a big collaboration I was writing, one that literally exploded when the author ended up getting into personal troubles and the publisher was forced to cancel the book.

Here’s a lesson in publishing to all you writers:

Can you sign a book contract and then write the book, only to have the publisher then cancel the book and not pay you the second half of the advance for your work?

Yes. It’s all in that massive contract.

Will a literary agent be able to defend you and get your money back?

Nope. They won’t be the ones to hire a lawyer for you and battle it out in court. You’ll have to do that on your own.

That whole ordeal still stings. It taught me a lot. The project did, however, open unexpected doors as well. I have to believe that God has a plan. Sometimes I go off and try to do things myself, but this usually only leads to worse things happening. Sometimes He allows things to happen for reasons we’ll never know.

As I’ve adjusted to the realities of being a fulltime writer, I’ve not only had to swim through the ever-changing tides of the publishing industry, but I’ve also had to figure out how to get control over our financial condition. Sometimes I think the latter has been more difficult. God has continually placed people, projects and circumstances in my life to help me and to remind me to trust Him.

This September, I “celebrated” ten years of writing fulltime. We were still unpacking and trying to find items in boxes. I didn’t know what to make of those ten years, and I still don’t. I counted up all the book projects I had finished. Not ones I had started (like Hinterlands and others), but books finished. I counted over 50. Some published, a few still to come out, a few I’m unsure about.

50 books in 10 years? That’s not something to brag about. That’s insane.

Another reason to move was simply to stop the madness. To get some financial stability which would mean I wouldn’t have to take on so many jobs.

Yet that, too, has been a blessing. The variety of projects has meant I’ve been developing a writing career in many arenas. Fiction, yes, but also children’s books, and memoir-writing, and even historical nonfiction among others.

The struggle has led to open doors. And as my father has always said, God will honor hard work. I believe that.

So after being a fulltime writer for over a decade, and having written and finished over 50 works in that span, and having had an office out of the house for 7 and a half years (just before the twins arrived), I find myself in Grand Rapids, Michigan in a home office. And I love it. The adjustment has gone incredibly well for our family, especially the girls.

My writing is no longer about chasing this dream I had all my life. I know it needs to be about honoring God in whatever way I can, through any project I’m a part of. It’s not about me, yet sometimes I’m the only one who is able to do the projects I do. (I’d like to see someone write and finish a book like I did in two weeks at the start of 2016!!).

I look ahead and see great things coming. Books that I’ve been a part of finally seeing the light of day. A return to writing more fiction, with a contract for a cool, futuristic sci-fi novel along with continuing on with stories with Chris Buckley and Brandon Jeffery. All while we begin to forge new relationships and memories in this special and new place.