This week I am especially
pleased to have as my guest James R. Callan, a talented and successful writer who,
as you’ll read below, takes great joy in his writing. He also takes pleasure in
supporting other writers, a whole posse of them, acting as coordinator and host
for spreading news and views via email and blog posts. Let’s hear what Jim has
to say about the joy of writing.
The joy of writing for me is
twofold.
When
I write a paragraph or scene that can bring tears to my eyes or cause me to
laugh out loud, even when I read it for the tenth or fifteenth time, then I not
only know why I sit and write, but I know the true joy of writing. I can know I have created a work of
art. No, it’s not a painting. It’s not a sculpture, nor a piece of
music. But it is art as surely as
a Monet is, or a variation by Rachmaninoff is. It has stirred an emotion which is greater than the actual
piece itself.
It
brings to mind a quote from a play by Edmond Rostand, written in 1897. The play is Cyrano de Bergerac. The play is based on a real Cyrano de Bergerac. In the play,
Cyrano is a character bigger than life.
He is an incredible swordsman, soldier, friend, and writer. In the play, the Count De Guiche’s
tells Cyrano he could garner the favor of some higher official and profit
financially from his writing. Cyrano replies, “When I have made a line that
sings itself, so that I love the sound of it, I pay myself a hundred times.”
Cyrano knew the joy of writing.
The
finished written word should be the real joy of writing.
The
second part is the satisfaction of creating a plot and characters that work
together, that blend smoothly, that give the reader great satisfaction when
finished with the book. It is not sufficient to have a great plot or to have
great characters. You need those
two parts to fit so well that a reader will not be able to think of one without
the other. You have created a
project that is as smooth and finished as Michelangelo’s statue of David.
Neither
of these two parts is easy to achieve.
But then, the struggle to produce the paragraph, the scene, the polished
book makes the joy of success even more intense. And when I achieve one or both of these, I have found the
true joy of writing and I do, indeed, pay myself a hundred times.
I have no doubt that James
R. Callan took great joy from the writing of his newest success:
A Ton of Gold
A contemporary suspense
novel
Can
long forgotten, old folk tales affect the lives of people today? In A Ton
of Gold, one certainly affected young, brilliant Crystal Moore. Two people are killed, others
threatened, a house burned and an office fire-bombed – all because of an old
folk tale, greed and ignorance.
On
top of that, the man who nearly destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming
back. This time he can put an end
to her career. She’ll need all the
help she can get from a former bull rider, her streetwise housemate and her
feisty 76-year-old grandmother.
That sounds great, doesn’t
it? Check out this excerpt:
Chapter 2
Crystal Moore’s eyes shot
wide open and she sat bolt upright. Disconnected pictures, all bleak, flashed
in Crystal’s mind, as a chill descended over her. “Tried to kill you!” Her
voice almost failed her. Her chest felt like something was crushing it. She
could feel her blood pulsing in her veins. “Are you Okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
“Home. Where else would I
be?”
In the hospital. “What happened?”
“Some fool tried to run me
off the road.”
Crystal’s back relaxed
slightly. "Nana, I don’t think he was trying to kill you."
"Were you here?"
Crystal reminded herself
that this was her grandmother, her only living relative. "Okay. Tell me
what happened."
"Well, I was going to
town. And some redneck tried to run me off the road. Clear as could be. Meant
to kill me!"
Crystal rolled her eyes
toward the ceiling. She worried about her grandmother driving, or living alone,
for that matter. At seventy-six, reactions slowed. Maybe her grandmother
shouldn't be driving at all.
"Every week somebody
tries to run me off the road while I'm driving to work. He just wasn't paying
attention, that's all."
"That dog won't hunt! I
was paying attention. I saw him. He looked right at me, then pulled over in my
lane. I could see it in his eyes. He intended to run me right off the road—or
hit me head-on. He cotton-pickin' meant to kill me."
"Did you call the
police?"
"What for? They'd give
me the same routine you are."
Crystal took a deep breath
and let it out slowly. "What do you want me to do, Nana?"
"Nothing. Nothing you
can do."
Crystal struggled to keep
her voice as neutral as possible. She dearly loved her grandmother but Nana
could be difficult sometimes. She saw the world very clearly, with seldom a
doubt on how to interpret it. "Then why did you call me? Just to worry
me?"
"No.” Crystal detected
a trace of hurt feelings in her grandmother’s voice. "Because I wanted you
to know somebody's trying to kill me. And if I die under questionable
circumstances, I want you to tell the police it was murder. And make
sure they do something. You know how old Billy Goat is. If you don't
stick his nose in it, he can't find—"
"Nana!” Crystal cut her
off. "Bill Glothe's been the sheriff for ten years——and your friend a lot
longer than that."
"Ugly truck. One of
those, ah, what-cha-ma-callits. Ah, four-by-fours. Big as a dump truck.
Puce."
"Puce? They don't make
puce-colored cars."
"Well, maybe he painted
it, I don't know. Looked puce to me."
"Are you Okay? Is there
anything I can do for you?"
"Yes and no. I'm fine
and there's nothing you can do. Just remember what I told you. Anything
happens, get Billy Goat on it."
A Ton of Gold
By
James R. Callan
From
Oak Tree Press, 2013
Brief Bio of James R. Callan
After
a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from
the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R.
Callan turned to his first love—writing.
He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published
several non-fiction books. He now
concentrates on his favorite genre, mysteries, with his sixth book releasing in
Spring, 2014.
Amazon
Author page: http://amzn.to/1eeykvG
Twitter: @jamesrcallan
You have captured what I also believe is the joy of writing and said it better than most. And your reader feels your joy in each page. Thanks, Jim.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lesley, for your kind words. And I know, by reading your books, that you experience the joy of writing. Have a happy holiday season.
DeleteI agree with Lesley, Jim. Your joy of writing is evident in your books. I've read and enjoyed "Cleansed by Fire" and "A Ton of Gold" and I look forward to reading more of your mysteries.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia. I'm pleased that you enjoyed two of my books - and could tell that I enjoyed writing them. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
DeleteJohn, Thanks for hosting me and giving me the opportunity to tell a bit about why I write. And also thanks for mentioning my latest book, and even printing an excerpt. I appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteJim, the pleasure, and the honor, are mine! Merry Christmas!
DeleteJohn, thanks for featuring such a fine writer, Jim Callan, today. As writers, we appreciate doing guest blogs and the support of other bloggers.
ReplyDeleteJim,
Nice post. While I was reading, all I could think was that my joy in writing comes from the fact that my characters have more interesting lives than mine!! I can make them smarter, prettier, meaner, taller, younger, and so many other things I can never be!!
However, you're right about a scene bringing emotions to the surface. When a scene makes me cry or laugh out loud, regardless if I've written it or someone else has, it gives me joy.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
~Ann Everett
Thanks, Ann. And you are right - our characters can embody characteristics that we only dream of. I appreciate your comment.
DeleteYou nailed it, Jim. It's the dance of plot and characters, isn't it? The pure joy of creating something from nothing. Not to mention, it's mine, mine, mine. Such satisfaction. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWell said - a dance of plot and characters. And creating something is always exhilarating. Thanks Melodie.
DeleteHow great to see you here on John's "Joy of Writing" and read what you have to say. I especially like: "The finished written word should be the joy of writing." So true and aren't we all very fortunate to know that sense of pleasure. Marry Christmas, Jim and John.
ReplyDeleteWe are indeed fortunate, and I hope all writers can know that sense of pleasure. Thanks, Eileen - and Merry Christmas to you.
DeleteThanks, Eileen. And thanks to all who have stopped by to read Jim's wise words and to comment. Happy Christmas to all!
ReplyDeleteLoved the article, The Joys of Writing. I especially liked the part about creating characters and making them fit into a plot. We work and work trying one thing after another then something clicks and we know we have moved our story forward. The creating and problem solving is the joy of writing for me. Thanks for writing the article.
ReplyDeleteGaland Nuchols
Loved your first sentence... Just downloaded Kindle version. Much success!
ReplyDeleteMadeline
I agree with everything you said, Jim, and I loved the way you said it. Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a great New Year.
ReplyDeleteGreat article....I really liked it!
ReplyDeleteGreat piece Jim! I agree. If you as the writer can't feel and smell the scene and action, you can't expect the reader to be there with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sample from A Ton of Gold--I'm hooked and will be downloading it for my next read.