It seems fitting the first entry on this page should be about simply getting started.
Writers write for different reasons. One may cite deep urges to tell a story that is burning a hole in his or her gut. One is trying to right a wrong or make a better world. For another it might be nothing more than a means to a paycheck.
For me, it’s simply fun. I enjoy making up people, places and events and doing so without getting absurd. As a journalist, I always said everyone had a story. That’s the small part of me written into JP Weiscarver’s character.
Therefore, since it was only for fun, it took me a while to get started. I tried a fantasy story where I could create an entire world, but my interest waned and I dropped the idea. Then, after reading several of “The Cat Who…” mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun, the concept of my “The Reporter and…” series formed.
I started “The Reporter and the Ferret” with nothing but a scant mental sketch of the story line. Characters and setting formed as I wrote. It was as if I was getting to know each as information flowed into the story.
Now, this is not the most efficient way to write and I had to do plenty of backing up and rewriting, but it was probably the only way that I could have gotten started. I had a dream to write a novel and that was how I could bring it to life … just start.
Steve Martaindale 