Trail of the Firewriter 10

My young mentor worked with me to set up a web site. I found I had to learn a new language to travel in cyber space. The words and terms were confusing. Literature Land was no longer the place of my youth. It had annexed new areas like the computer and electronics territories. The typwriter was now buried with the dinosaur bones. I threw away my carbon paper and industrial sized bottle of white out. The computer was the new traveling vehicle used in Literature Land. I began to understand the power of the computer and cyber space. I was connected with the world. Answers to questions were at my finger tips. The key was learning the navigation paths to find what I wanted. My web site would bring throngs of users to my doorstep. Once set up I could buy, sell, and communicate with anyone who was a citizen in the land of cyber space. I sensed I was in for a lot of fun. 

Trail of the Firewriter 9

The boat slid into calm waters between a multitude of islands. There were beautiful women and handsome men calling to us from the beaches of every bit of land we sailed by. They said they wanted to help us promote our books. I could see why the islands were named the Right Choice Isles. Making the right choice was important if we were to sell our books. We were past the turbulent waters of the Promotion Ocean where the sharks and charletans took most of our money. I spotted a young man in a wheel chair holding a lap top computer. He was smiling as he waved us into the dock. He told me the key to sales was through a web site which he was willing to set up for me. If I thought Literature Land was confusing I was stepping into a whole new world of terms and proceedures. I followed this young man into cyber space. It promised to be the ride of my life.

Trail of the Firewriter 8

The wind was howling when we entered the storm. Our ship started to buck and twist as we moved into the Promotion Ocean. The Captain’s voice came over the loud speaker telling us to don our life jackets. I was terrified when I looked over the railing and saw swarms of sharks and giant squid following our boat. The sharks were tattooed. I could see each had the name of a publisher or public relations company emblazoned on their side. These were the bad fish in the Promotion Ocean. They were to be avoided at all costs.

In the blink of an eye one of the giant squid reached over the railing and snatched a writer off the deck. I could hear the cries for help as the struggling writer faded from sight in the wake of the ship. The Captain ordered us to throw money into the Promotion Ocean. Everyone started to empty their pockets and toss cash over the side. Looking back I could see the sharks go into a feeding frenzy as they fought each other for the bounty we had unloaded into the sea. We were almost broke when the sharks and squid disappeared. The waters started to calm. “Land Ho,” the Captain shouted. Straight ahead we could see a group of islands called the Right Choice Islands.

Trail of the Firewriter 7

The Postal Service Boat arrived with our books. We boarded in good spirits. After all we were now published authors. The ship left the island and headed for unknown waters. The box that contained my books came with a couple of new manuals. Both gave instructions on marketing. The bigger one was heavy and three inches thick. I was sure it covered every facet of the process required to sell a book. More reading, more studying, more searching for facts. I felt like I was in a twilite zone where I would move down a hallway and absorb knowledge. At the end of the hallway would be another doorway. I would open it and see another door at the end of that hallway. It was frustrating. I jumped into the Marketing Whirlpool. I disappeared into the vortex like a piece of kleenex in a flushed toilet. The other new writers were doing the same thing. This writing game was starting to become hard work. I was standing on the bow of the boat with my three inch thick marketing book in my hand . I looked ahead to see where we were going. In the distance I could see a rolling dark fog moving in our direction. There were occasional flashes of lightning and I could hear a roll of thunder. This was not going to be an easy voyage.

Trail of the Firewriter 6

I entered the Print on Demand Village with an open mind. I had waded around in the Web Site Swamp for a long time before I picked out a few publishers to contact. I found the people I met to be friendly and helpful. I decided to go with Infinity Publishing. It was a good choice. I was given an instruction manual that would guide me through the publishing process. The only problem was that I had to do a lot of reading again. There was a lot to learn. I was thrown into the icy waters of the Computer Tech Ocean. I started to swim like crazy. I learned how to set up my manuscript so it could be put on a CD disc. I learned how to transfer pictures and art work for my book cover. I had to write a biograpy, do a blurb about the book, and add an excerpt to be used in promoting my novel. I sank below the surface of the Computer Tech Ocean a few times but kept struggling back to the surface. I finished all the tasks and mailed in my signed contract and completed novel. I arrived at Writer’s Island. There were other authors there. I was surprised by the mix of personalities. There were young people, old people, and people from all kinds of backgrounds. We were all trying to get our book published. We were waiting for our books to arrive so we could start selling them. I talked to a few survivors who had traveled to Agent’s Mountain. Some were in bad shape. They had bite marks on their butt ends from the rejection bulldogs who lived on the mountain. We found we had a lot in common. We were writers who wanted our stories and books to be read. It was just a matter of waiting for the Postal Service boat to arrive to take us on the next leg of our journey.

Trail of the Firewriter 5

I started searching for information on my computer. The PC is a wonderful tool but you must be prepared to do a lot of reading. I sorted through many catagories. How to find an agent, how to find a publisher, how to find an editor were some of the prompts I followed. I purchased a copy of Writer’s Market. A good resource but again a lot of reading to wade through. I talked to librarians, english teachers , and friends. No one could stand up and give me a definite direction to take. Back to the computer and more reading. I did have concerns about protecting the contents of my book as I navigated the roaring rapids of the Write-A-Book River. I sent my manuscript to the Library of Congress and recieved my copywrite number. I felt great. This was the first small victory in my quest. Lost in the Land of Literature I had finally accomplished something. I kept polling my raft down the river. I could hear a tremendous noise up ahead. I shot by a sign that said Frustration Falls around the next bend. I did not want to follow this river any longer. I beached my raft, grabbed my book, and started up the bank. At the top of the ridge I came on a wide desert with a sign that said follow the Path of Dreams. Along the way I found the path was also the Trail of Broken Hearts. There were discarded pens and pencils. The wind was blowing the papers from unffinished books and a few human skeltons with bleached white bones could be seen on the side trails still clutching their manuscripts. This Land of Literature was starting to give me the creeps. Then I got lucky. I came to a fork in the road that gave me a choice. A turn left would take me toward Agent’s Mountain. A right turn led toward the Print on Demand Village. I turned right.

Trail of the Firewriter 4

I had crossed that time space continuem that comprised my writing efforts. I was ready to have my book published. I tucked the completed manuscript under my arm and opened the next door. I stepped into another world.

I was at the bottom of a slope with roads heading in all directions. A tall pole stood there with signs stacked from the bottom to the top. No one was around to direct my next move. I was alone and on my own. I gazed across the broad expanse of this new world. I could see tall mountains, wide valleys, and deep rivers that I would have to cross. I read the signs on the pole. The directions were confusing. One sign said 100 miles to the top of Agent Mountain. Another said only a short walk to the Web Site Swamp. The top sign said straight ahead to the Valley of the Editors. There was a mix of directions starting with marketing your own book to assistance with cover design. One sign pointed to a deep dark area where the Traditional Publishers and Print on Demand people lived.

The scariest sign said beware of agencies that only want your money. They hide behind a facade of helping you but only lead you to frustration. I decided to use my computer to assist me on my journey.

Trail of the Firewriter 3

As a new writer I needed input. I asked family members and friends to read some of my material. This was a mistake. Looking back I realize how awful some of that writing was. My suggestion is to please yourself. Keep at your book until it is complete. You will find that it needs to be rewritten many times over. The making of a good novel takes time and effort. I changed directions numerous times. I changed character names a couple of times. The journey was filled with false starts and dead ends. Because each of us is different I can only give you my experiences. My most important suggestion is to keep grinding away. You will eventually get there. Polishing and perfecting your book in rewrite is a hard task. I found I had a 220 page book that became a 170 page book during the rewrite process. Eliminating redundancy is important. I found myself saying the same things many times over. I learned to go slower in the writing process. I also learned to keep a list of characters as the plot expanded. After three years I had the finished product. I now know that was the easy part. My next step was to get my book published. 

Trail of the Firewriter 2

It was a warm cozy fire in my memory. A tale of high adventure, daring rescues, and battles with the roaring fire dragon. I decided to write a book. Sound familiar? I know many of you are still going through the same thought process. The only way to do it……is to do it. I started by making a rough outline of my story. I decided on a fictionalized portrayal of the incidents I encountered during my career. I added characters. A word of warning. Pick good names. Be careful if brothers or family members are involved. These names can become easily confused as you progress with your book.

When I started I knew the main thrust of my book was to promote the Fire Service and those men and women who put their lives on the line everyday. I tried to define the character of a working Firefighter. The process I used was to create a desperate situation where the dangers of fighting a fire and the complexity of  a fire rescue are depicted in the pressure driven time frame of a rampaging fire.

I was on my way. Little did I know it would take me three years to produce my first rough draft. Along the way I sharpened my computer skills. I pulled out my college dictionary dated 1953. It was 2004 so I had to buy a new dictionary. I soon realized my writing skills left a lot to be desired. I found that I fell into a pattern of attempting to write a page a day. It was fun but at times I got lost and would not write for days on end. Getting away from the book was a good thing for me. It seemed I had a renewed vigor when I returned to my computer. Each of us has a different style so take my ramblings with a grain of salt. The main thought here is to get started and keep it going even if you must take a break now and then. Please take my warning about picking character names to heart. It will prevent a lot of problems.

Trail of the Firewriter 1

Long before I started to write my novel I was in contact with many of my retired Firefighter running mates. One of them used to send me pictures of the experiences we shared many years ago. The pics were delivered by E-mail. I was touched by his thoughtfulness and sent him the following letter. It is a revelation of how I felt about the Fire Service and was the seed bed that got me started on my book.

Thanks for the memories

Like A ray of sunshine in a stormy world you came into my computer every morning. That special calling, we were a part of, was such a life experience that only Firefighters can appreciate those events to the fullest. For me you opened that creaky dusty door to the memory room of my heart. Names, proceedures, and haunting images from the past were skillfully popping up on my computer every day. Yes……you did make me smile. It was a good way to get these old bones ready to face another 24hrs on earth. As those memories fade into oblivion, like the smoke of the many fires we fought, I like to think we were a part of a special band of human beings. People who were brave and giving. People who were willing to face danger and laugh when they returned to the engine house. People who were full of fun and practical jokes and had a degree of intelligence not displayed in many proffessions. It was like living two lives. One life was that 24hr shift spent with a family dressed in blue. The other was spent at home with our regular family. It was a great way to make a living. I thank the lord I was able to be a part of the Detroit Fire Depaartment.

                   (Next : Starting my book)