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What is the Science of Writing?

June 30, 2015

Flowers in the Basket

I’ve said it before. Good writing is part science and part gift. The gift part is something only a lucky few are born with.

There are only so many Stephen King’s, J.K. Rowling’s, Brad Meltzer’s or James Patterson’s, after all.

The science part is something everyone can do. It’s called reading.

This bears repeating. Good writers have to read. Have to. Because reading the works of other people is studying the craft.

Without that study, a writer will never possess more than a small piece of the puzzle.

So, if you want to be an author (a good one anyway), you have to read everything you can. No way around it.

Some people think it’s easy. After all, everyone writes.

We’ve all been doing it since our earliest school days. Right after learning the symbols of the alphabet and the sounds those curious scribbles stood for, we began to create words.

Most of us at least wrote stories and essays in school.

A few people write or comment on a blog (the Journal of today), and most exchange emails with friends and neighbors, even if they don’t write letters anymore.

At the very least, a lot of us have scribbled 140 characters or less into a thought of some sort on The Twitter.

Real authors, however, create wings for their thoughts. Writers … good ones anyway … create worlds, shape ideas and make us think.

Words are never more alive than this.

I love working with words.

I try to sculpt ordinary words until they shine, putting something out into the universe that never existed in quite that way before. I’m not quite vain enough to think I have a natural ability for the craft.

I know success only comes with practice, so I work hard at it … every single day.

Even while I was vacationing last week with some dear friends, I was reading … and imagining how I could describe the things around me. The clouds. The sea. New people and places.

I was also thinking about that podcast I promised to make, answering your questions about writing. Hang in there. It’s coming.

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My books have garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.

You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

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Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:award-winning writing, indie writers, storytelling
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Storytelling | Leave a Comment »

Sometimes You Have to Blow Your Own Horn

June 8, 2015

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BLOW YOUR OWN HORN (photo Pixabay.com)

My new book STREET LIGHT will be available on Amazon this week.

Doesn’t seem like much of a headline, does it? I’d like to be running full-page ads in every major newspaper. Alas, no budget. So, instead, I’ve sent most of them a press release that I’m sure they’re busy ignoring.

After all, who am I?

J.K. Rowling has sold more than 200 million copies of her various Harry Potter books. J.R.R. Tolkein sold 150 million copies of Lord of the Rings. Dan Brown sold 80 million of The Da Vinci Code. Mine are near those totals only in my dreams. (sigh)

However, here’s what some of the review sources have said about the first two books in this series:

one way 250px

KIRKUS REVIEW – REICHOLD STREET

“…the characters are bold, the plot twists surprising, and the point—that we never fully know a person or his or her story—heartbreakingly clear…Skillfully written and emotionally charged.”

TBR BOOK REVIEW – REICHOLD STREET
“This is one of those books that makes you laugh, cry, reminisce, want to run into the novel to try and save the day and much more…an indie novel that you want everyone to hear about…Don’t let this one slip under the radar!”

READERS FAVORITE REVIEW – REICHOLD STREET
“an extremely moving account…Herron is a master of the art of character development. You can hear each voice clearly as they relate their experiences…For a work of fiction this brings to life some of the real tragedies that had occurred during that time. I believe this book will appeal to a vast audience…a great piece of literature…”

TBR BOOK REVIEW – ONE WAY STREET
“…part of Herron’s charm as an author is that he writes a story that many relate to. The way (he) flips back and forth in time and from character to character is a gift. There are few writers who are able to pull that off, keep you engaged in the story and then give you the sense of complete enjoyment…This author has proven his accomplishment…He is here to stay…”

READERS FAVORITE REVIEW – ONE WAY STREET
“…an engrossing and complete stand-alone novel…Herron’s coverage of Vietnam in ONE WAY STREET ranks up there with some of the best war-related literature…Herron’s characters, both in war and peace, are finely drawn, and his writing style is accomplished and flowing…a memorable book…”

I’m proud of those reviews. Which is why I took a moment to toot my own horn (since I’m afraid no one else is going to do it).

Still working on some earned media (see ‘Tags’ below)…and the promised podcast answering your questions about writing. Also planning some other author interviews…stay tuned.

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My books have garnered some terrific reviews, as you can see. You can buy some of them by using the Amazon link below.

You’re also invited to visit my website, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow some of my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

**********

Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:award-winning author, award-winning writing, book marketing, earned media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Review, Market Your Book | 4 Comments »

Are You One of the Lucky Ones?

April 29, 2015

THERE IS NO WRITING FOUR-LEAF CLOVER (photo Pixabay.com)

I keep studying the craft of writing. Every day. I even attended another writers’ conference last week … the Rochester Writers’ Spring Conference at Oakland University … trying to learn more about the social media aspects of marketing my work.

Took a lot of notes. Met some interesting people. Learned a hell of a lot more than I expected to.

It was a good conference.

Still, there are a lot of people who wonder why I bother. They know I’ve published fiction … and they also know it was a good thing I had a career beforehand. Writing is a tough business.

It often seems like success is handed to the “lucky” ones.

You know, the ones everyone thinks have been blessed with deep pockets, the right connections, or some form of magical God-given talent the rest of us were not in the right line to receive.

Wouldn’t it be nice to think success is something more … something you have some control over?

Surprise. It is.

It’s about talent, sure. But it’s something else, too.

It’s called grit.

Grit Scale
Did you know there’s actually a Grit Scale? It was developed by a Ph.D. psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. You can take it yourself and see how you rate.

Even more surprising than finding out there is such a scale are the researcher’s findings: Grit trumps talent, IQ and aptitude as the top predictor of achievement. It’s the quality that turns a little engine that could into the little engine that does.

Does that apply to being a writer? Of course it does.
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