Guest Post: Judy Penz Sheluk on "Writing The Book Inside Your Head"

Back in August, Judy gave us all some advice on “Becoming A Professional Writer.” She is back today on the topic of “Writing The Book Inside Your Head.”

Judy Penz Sheluk: Writing The Book Inside Your Head

This past summer, I was invited to speak at a local creative writing group. The invitation came with the hope that I’d give the members some insight into writing and getting published. I was happy to accept. My blog is largely devoted to the writing life, and I’ve been very honest about my own journey, from hope to heartbreak to happiness. Besides, there’s always the off chance that someone in the group will purchase a book from me.As is the case with most groups, there was one member (herein fictitiously named Grace) who overshadowed the rest with questions, comments and running dialogue. I like to categorize these people as “Well, enough about me. Here’s more about me.” Here’s how it went:

Grace: I’m writing a novel about my uncle during the Second World War. He escaped POW camp by being taken in by nuns and living in a convent.

Me: That sounds interesting. How far have you gotten with it?

[Other members shift in their seats and study their hands.]

Grace: I’ve written the first chapter.

Another member (let’s call him Bob): Grace has been writing and rewriting that first chapter for six months.

Grace (defensive): The first chapter has to be perfect, or no agent or publisher will read on.

Me: That’s true. But you need to have a finished novel before you can start querying agents and publishers.

Grace: But I have the entire book written in my head.

[More seat shifting. Clearly this group has heard it all before.]

Me (trying to be tactful): Here’s the thing, Grace. No one can read the book inside your head. You have to just write it.

That stopped Grace, but only for a moment. Her next worry was whether or not to use her uncle’s real name, or make one up.

Me: Is this a biography?

Grace: No, I’m using things that happened in his life, but he’s dead now, so I have to make most of it up.

Me: So it’s going to be a work of fiction?

Grace: Yes, but I’ll be including some real facts.

Bob: We’ve all told her to change his name. You always see that at the front of a novel. That the names and places are from the author’s imagination.

Me: I have to agree with Bob. It’s better to make up a name. You can always credit your uncle in the acknowledgements. Besides, real incidents and people influence authors all the time.

Grace: I don’t think I can write the book without using his real name. That’s the name I’ve been using all along.

Me: In the book that’s been written inside your head.

Grace nodded.

Thankfully our time was up.

Did Grace buy one of my books? Of course not. But two other members did, and one came to my local bookstore signing the following Saturday and bought a book there. You just never know…as for Grace, I’m pretty sure she’s still writing that book inside her head.

Do you have a writing group story you’d like to share?

Synopsis for Skeletons in the Attic

What goes on behind closed doors doesn’t always stay there…

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she didn’t know existed. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who is more than happy to expose the Barnstable family secrets. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2016

Amazon International bestselling author Judy Penz Sheluk’s crime fiction includes The Hanged Man’s Noose, Skeletons in the Attic, and several short stories. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com  and on Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk

Find Skeletons in the Attic in print at all the usual suspects, and on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited on Amazon: http://www.imajinbooks.com/skeletons-in-the-attic