How I became a writer Part XIX

Title: How I became a writer

Part XIX

“Hey, Dad, weren’t we going to try discus today?”  It was one of those rare warm days in early spring, too nice a day to pass up training, even though it was Saturday!  Autumn and I had spent the last two hours at the JT track and field facility hitting hurdles and pole vault.  It was getting late but I love track and field and so I said, “Yeah, let’s try it!”

Autumn had never thrown a discus before and my skill at teaching discus was low but I could give her the basics.  The first thing I talk about with a perspective discus thrower is physics ...which, if you have read some of my earlier blogs, is extremely IRONIC:)  I ran Autumn through some beginner drills and then she stepped into the circle. 

If you know much about track and field you might say, “Wait a minute!  Autumn at that point already does pole vault and hurdles, two very technical events, so why add another technical event to her list?”  That is an excellent question.  It wasn’t that I needed another thrower, I can tell you that!!! Morgan Leach was throwing for me then.  Morgan had awesome work ethic and had a veteran throwing coach Herb Baker working with her since ninth grade.  She was the kind of girl that would be there over spring break at optional practices and Morgan was still at practice long after most people had gone.  I also had a girl named Kiki Beadles, who was a junior and was a promising thrower.  Kiki had been a jumper who had been injured in the long jump so badly, that an ambulance had to take her to the hospital during the previous season.  After that, Kiki struggled with her jumping events and transferred over to the throwing unit.  Her shot wasn’t that great but her discus had potential.  I had holes in other places on the team that year, especially in 400 hurdles.  It was Autumn’s least favorite event but one she could grab me points in it, so in she went!  Whether I needed another thrower or not, it was like Autumn was built for it.  In martial arts Autumn (a new brown belt at that time) was fantastic at spin and roundhouse kicks.  Her instructor would come home with bruises on his arms and his wife would ask, “Gary?” as she eyed the bruises.  Gary was a large, former US Marine.  “No,” he’d reply, “Autumn.”  The other reason I thought Autumn would be good at discus was that she was unusually strong, winning the presidential fitness award that year for her first time. 

The first problem was I can’t teach the discus spin but I taught Autumn a standing throw and she seemed to be above average with it.  Above average enough to have her do it in a meet.  So that Tuesday I said, “Autumn, your going to go do discus today.”  A look of horror.  “DAD, I just started that event!  I’ve only thrown once AND I don’t have sneakers with me.  I’ve only got my spikes!”  I let her off the hook that day but the very next meet I was like, “You are throwing today!”  A very scared eighth grade Autumn went off to join the line of throwers.  She was going into a varsity event with only a one day crash course from a man (yours truly) who was not an expert in throwing.  She placed top three!

This lit a fire under Kiki, who now started to spin while she threw.  Her throwing improved drastically!!!  Now I had a league powerhouse, Morgan, and two dangerous up and coming throwers!  At the county meet, Morgan took first place, Kiki placed third, and Autumn grabbed fifth in the discus!  It was amazing!!  Autumn was even happier!  She had picked up shot put, maxing out her four events, and no longer had to do the 400 hurdles!  I didn’t realize it then but Autumn would become a constant MVP candidate during years where I had several team heroes. She would do battle in the skies in pole vault, leap over the 100 hurdles against rival team heroes, and launching throwing objects high into the air!  Now, Autumn would love to become a Decathlon athlete in college (Heptathlon, the girl version, doesn’t have pole vault) and often laments that they don’t have it for girls!  During indoor track this year, Coach Demarco, a throwing and hurdle coach said, “Autumn, there are some extremely technical events in track and field and you’ve picked four of them!”  I believe they picked her... or rather that the Lord designed Autumn for those events.

In my writing, I had several ideas (very similar to track events in how different they were).  They ranged from Saint George and the Dragon (historical/myth/fantasy), to Asylum (tribulation/science fiction), to Wolf Hunting (suspense/action/adventure), and even more ideas!  Similar to a coach I wanted to “score” with that first book, so which “event” would get me published?  The concept for the “C-3 Saga” had been a recent addition to the list (science fiction/allegorical/military action) but it wasn’t the obvious first choice... and in hindsight, maybe it should have been a later novel. 

Why?  It was a 200, 000 word novel (I didn’t know it was going to be that big when I started!  I am a big believer in telling a story and only stopping when you are finished.  Some of the C-3 series books are small and some are large.  I don’t pad small books, or cut out important things from large books to lower the size.  The story is king... at least in my thinking:)  What if I had led with much smaller books like “Wolf Hunting” or “American Fairytale”?  A new author has friends that will buy their first book, but that’s it.  So if the author burns that opportunity with a massive tome... yeah, doesn't seem like a good first book now.  Many hardcore fans think that “The C-3 Saga” is my best work and they can’t imagine that some people find “An Assumed Risk” boring in the first third of the book.  They think it is a total page turner!  I respect that not everyone felt that way:)  Besides, getting people to read you is a huge battle! Getting people to read a 200, 000 word book that starts slowly is even harder!!  On top of that I’ve learned that people can like you as a person and be readers, but never read any of your books:) 

I’ve also learned even if someone really loves one of your books, it doesn’t mean they will read anything else you’ve written if they are different genres.  I once sold a book to a mother at a book signing, for her adult son.  Two years later she gave me a call.  Her son had finally read “Life, Liberation, and the Pursuit of Video Games,” and LOVED it!!!!  Was there a sequel?  No, that was a stand alone novel, I explained.  BUT if he liked that I had written several other books that he might really like!  Nope:) 

When I start to imagine what would have happened if I had led with a simpler novel the Lord reminds me that a dear friend got saved after reading the first two books of the C-3 series.  He didn’t merely pray a prayer but has gone on for the Lord.  That has far more worth than a greater number of people having a favorable reaction to my first novel.  To be fair, over twenty people had a very favorable reaction to my first novel, but I think that would have been much higher with Wolf Hunting.  Again though, what is my objective behind writing?  It is to minister and bless others and under that definition my first two books were a huge hit!  I have at least three fans that read book one seven times.  One mother finally bought it for her son after checking it out of the library yet again.  He is a HUGE fan and so was his sister.  I’ll never forget talking with them both about the series, enjoying their love for it... it was the last time I would see that young lady alive.  She died young due to a freak horse accident.  I can still remember her in the living room talking excitedly to me about the series... life is so short.  (I was her Awana game director too, so I knew her fairly well.)

Anyway, I was now ready to write a book!  So I asked my family for a book for Christmas... mine specifically:)  I opened a gift with notebooks and pens inside, as well as money for food and a whole day to myself.  (Anyone who has four small children knows this is an act of Sainthood from any wife:)  I sat in Burger King in Painted Post and thought about which series to write.  Following one of the books on writing that I read (the third one that was a nuts and bolts book) I boiled down “An Assumed Risk” into a single sentence.  I was very pleased!  Yes, this book would give me an excellent chance at being published!  Pushing aside my plastic tray, I laid out all the chapters, giving each one a single sentence description.  Then I laid out the next five books... oh, not chapter by chapter, but there overall plot.  I was ready to begin!!