(The spy novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra is rated Five-Star by the Readers’ Favorite.)
So, do you want to write a book? A full-length novel? I’m telling you it’s not an easy goal. But if you have discipline and perseverance, yes, you can be a published author, too.
Okay, let me tell you this to motivate you. It took me
15 years to finish my novel, Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra—ten
years of daydreaming and five years of actual writing.
Yes, those
ten lost years didn’t amount to anything except that they filled my dream
basket with buts and ifs. Doubts were my
unwelcome visitors and later became my unwanted companions. In those fledgling years, my enthusiasm for
writing waned, and at times, a week passed by without even a single page to
credit. Unbelief led to procrastination. I almost gave up on writing and thought of
letting Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra die a natural
death. I prepared for its wake and was
ready to mourn its passing.
You see,
unlike other writers who pride themselves on a BA in English or an MFA in
Creative Writing, I admit I have neither one of those coveted degrees. Nevertheless, the dearth of writing skills
didn’t discourage me from moving on; on the contrary, it bolstered me even more
to work harder. Who Dares Wins, just like what the SAS motto says.
To hone my
writing skills, I became a self-educated writer. I read some "How to Write" articles
online and borrowed reference materials from the library. I also bought books on creative writing and
slowly built myself a mini library. I
went further and subscribed to magazines like Writer’s Digest and Poets &
Writers. A writer must be a reader
first!
Some of
the books I read were How to Write a Thriller, Grammatically Correct, 38 Most
Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, Rewrite Right, St. Martin's Guide to Writing,
Writer to Writer, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Plot & Structure, and
other self-help books. I also read the works
of some great novelists, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Frederick Forsyth,
Robert Ludlum, and Ken Follett. Tom
Clancy showed up later in my writing life.
If you
want to improve your writing skills, you must study the great works of those master
storytellers.
My manuscript didn't come out easily. I juggled everything in life – family, full-time job, and church activities. Writing always showed up at the bottom of my schedule. Especially during the times my son had out-of-state soccer tournaments!
I got my solitude only when everyone at home (or at the hotel) was asleep. My creative juices usually flowed from ten at night to one in the morning. So, imagine it was hard for me to go to my real job the following morning, half-dead like a zombie.
The last two years of writing Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra were a grueling experience for me. I felt like I’d
sailed into the unknown depths of literary seas, fishing for elusive words that
often escaped my convoluted mind. It was
an arduous struggle from the start, and more than anything else, the process
tested my patience and sanity. Really.
My
indomitable will compelled me to endure those difficult years. And during these times, a small voice, which could
have been from an angel, cajoled me relentlessly, saying, "You have a good
story to share with the world, so don't give up." Well, that was my daughter.
So, I
pressed on, and I worked harder than ever before. My creative thoughts flowed naturally
this time. I saw how my story
metamorphosed from a lethargic draft to a promising manuscript. Afterwards, I started forming Beta
Readers—friends who’d provided critiques of my manuscript without getting any compensation. Bless their souls. The last year was nerve-racking for me, given
all the writing and rewriting and editing, and everything that came in between
that cycle.
Finally, my
novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra came out, but not without
experiencing the blood, sweat, and tears of writing. Oh, the joy and pain of writing!
You see,
some writers have natural flair, and their literary wells overflow with an
abundance of words. Those skilled ones
could produce a novel in three months or even in one month! You heard about
NaNoWriMo? I really envy those gifted
writers. Me? I’m just an ordinary guy
with two simple writing traits:
discipline and perseverance – two enviable qualities that helped me
complete my spy novel, and two non-fiction books titled Creating the Department
of Homeland Security: A Public Policy Process and Managing the Philippines’ War
on Terror from 1969 to 2005: A Case Study in Public Administration.
Let me
share with you some points to ponder from Andre Jute, the author of Reverse
Negative. In his book Writing a
Thriller, he said, “A Nobel laureate told me that, within a six block radius of
the pub we were in, there were a hundred better writers than either of us . . .
The difference between us, as published writers, and them as unpublished
writers . . . was merely that we sat down and wrote a page a day or ten pages a
day . . . and they didn’t.” He also
said, “The writer’s greatest virtue is never to give up. If you were born stubborn, obstinate, and
plain pig-headed, you have a good start.”
So, do you
really want to write a book and become a published author? Well, the only thing that can stop you from
achieving your goal is—You! Take this advice from an ESL author. I hope my
story will motivate you to write if nothing else. Quit dreaming and start writing!
*The spy novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra is rated Five-Star by the Readers’ Favorite and available in paperback and eBook at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Rakuten Kobo.*
