Ray Flynt

Ray Flynt, Novelist/Actor

WRITING IS LIKE A POTLUCK DINNER

Bill Carl challenged me to chronicle “writing all your novels, advice to budding writers, and encouragement to them.” I imagined a three-volume treatise, but then he added, “no more than 1,000 words.” Time to put on my Forrest Gump (“Life is like a box of chocolates”) hat and share succinct ideas about what it takes to be a writer.

When I was a boy, one of my favorite meals was meatloaf, baked beans, and potato salad. Our church held mid-week potluck dinners, and those items appeared regularly on the buffet. My first epiphany: from the hands of multiple cooks, no two meatloaves, or potato salad, or home-made beans taste alike. Forty years after striving to become a novelist, I find writing is like prepping for a potluck dinner. You’re the chef; concoct a story that works for you.

My journey toward publication began in 1986, when a new job’s travel schedule kept me from auditioning for community theatre. Since I’d always enjoyed mysteries, I embarked on writing one as my new creative outlet. During weekend trips to our local Barnes and Noble, I invested in books to help me navigate the writing process. We amassed an entire bookcase devoted to topics from finding literary agents to understanding poisons. I pored over those books, gleaning information to aid my writing process, while making sense of contradictory advice. These days, that same information is on the internet, in writer’s blogs, or on YouTube videos.

I attended conferences, workshops, seminars, and rubbed elbows with actual authors (including a few famous ones), soaking up as much knowledge as I could to help me be a better writer.

It took a few years (weekends only) to complete my first novel. A tactful fellow writer, upon reading it, advised, “You’ve got that one under your belt. People often find that their second book is better.” Eventually, the more I wrote, rearranged, edited, and tweaked, the more my efforts produced positive results. I’ve been in critique groups since 1997. We give each other “tough love,” sharing our honest assessment of what works and what doesn’t.

In the words of Ben Franklin, “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” Just as athletes spend hours training before key contests, becoming an author takes both time and resolve. There are millions of authors producing countless books. Just like that potluck dinner smorgasbord, not every menu item will be to everyone’s taste. If it were, the world would be a boring place.

I’ve been at this craft for thirty-five years. Five Star published my first mystery novel, UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, in 2005. I later became an indie published author and now have sixteen books in two series (Brad Frame mysteries and Ryan Caldwell novels), plus a standalone suspense. Each novel begins with a fresh idea and a blank page.

What follows are tips I’ve learned over the years that I hope you’ll find useful.

1)    Write the book you want to read. Why replicate John Grisham’s potato salad or Mary Higgins Clark’s meatloaf when you know what suits your tastes?

2)    Most writers wish they’d paid more attention during middle-school grammar class. Grab yourself a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk & White and keep a copy of it handy when you write.

3)    Get a good grasp on what “Point of View” means. It will save you a lot of grief down the road. In short, who is recounting your story? Is it in first-person or third? Deep POV? Or is your story in omniscient POV?

4)    Writing a novel is storytelling, and yet we repeatedly hear advice to “show don’t tell.” If you remember actions illuminate character, you’ll understand how to show what you mean (e.g., Instead of “Marie struggled to do the laundry,” try “Marie felt her joints creak when she bent to retrieve the laundry basket and pain shot up her spine as she stood erect.”).

5)    Entertain and keep your readers engaged with the story. Rex Stout, author of the Nero Wolfe mysteries, reportedly left his office after a day of writing, came to the dinner table, and announced to his family, “You won’t believe what Archie Goodwin just said to Nero Wolfe.” Introducing “the unexpected,” “an element of surprise,” or a “bit of whimsy” into a scene can hold the reader's interest as much as a gunshot.

6)    Write to be understood. Book lovers want to know where they are (time and place) and who they are listening to. When using pronouns, make sure the reader can distinguish the person to whom they refer.

7)    Don’t get bogged down by writing process issues. Whether you write at 5 in the morning or between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. doesn’t really matter. There’s no ideal number of words you “must” put on the page each day. “Write every day” is BS. There’s nothing wrong with taking time out. I often find that a story percolates in my mind when I’m not typing words into a computer. In short, do what works for YOU.

8)    Correct spelling, punctuation, format, etc. are easy to get right, and these days there are computer tools to assist. Proof your story. Read it aloud. There’s even a feature on Microsoft Word that will read to you.

9)    Writing may seem like a solitary endeavor, but we all need help—whether working on book #1 or #17. Join writers’ organizations. Become part of a critique group. Ask beta readers to look at your completed novel and freely share their thoughts. Probe what they liked or didn’t, as well as unanswered questions they might have about your story or what confused them.

10)  Above all, have fun. Remember, this is your potato salad, I mean book. When you hit a roadblock, take a deep breath, smile, and place those fingers back on the keyboard.

You can read more about my novels at www.rayflynt.com. I’m always happy to converse with new writers, especially in the mystery/suspense genre. Email me at: ray@rayflynt.com