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| C. Kevin Thompson |
This isn’t an article to suggest which writer’s handbook you
should have on your shelf. Nor is it about who’s come out with the next best
book on writing.
This is an article to ask you this question: Are you paying
attention to what you are reading? To put it another way, when you read, do you
analyze the writing? Do you notice the good, the bad and the…not-so-good?
I’m presently reading a novel which promised “suspense” and
a “dabbling into the supernatural.” Unfortunately, thus far, what I have
witnessed is unrealistic dialogue, and situations that leave me questioning if
that would really happen in real life or a supernatural occurrence. I’m 30
pages in and wondering if I should continue.
Before I started reading the aforementioned book, I read
another one written many, many years ago. The language was British, and the
setting was the 1800s, which would have made this novel “contemporary” fiction
at the time, so, I just overlooked the literary strategies that would never
work with today’s reader (How sad!) and moved on. However, what I did glean
from this book was the attention to detail and the careful use of words. I also
noticed how the book jumped from first person in one chapter to third person in
another and back again. And we thought that was something new… (Ecclesiastes
1:9).
I’m reading two more books right now. Both are non-fiction
works on how to write screenplays. (“Hi.
My name is Kevin, and I’m ADHD when it comes to reading.” I try to have at
last one fiction and one non-fiction going at the same time.) What I appreciate
from these books is the step-by-step progression. One of them builds off from a
previous title in a collection of three, and illustrates the first book’s
points in a “real-world” style so the reader can witness what was talked about
(in the first book) and see it come to life on the big screen.
The other screenwriter’s book I’m reading is more of
“Screenwriter’s 101” kind of book. Much of what I’ve read so far is material I
already knew from attending screenwriting workshops at writers’ conferences.
But what I love about this book is the methodical method used by the author
without being laborious or making the reader feel like a dolt.
The point is, whatever you’re reading, whether fiction or
non-fiction, there is something on the pages from which you can glean
expertise. That proficiency may come in the form of reading a book that’s not
very well written, so you learn from the mistakes. It may arise from a great
novel, where before you realize it, you were swept away by the writing. Go back
and digest how that writer did it. Ask the tough questions, like “What is this
author doing that I’m not?” and “How can I take that style, that turn of a
phrase, that imagery, those word choices, and apply it to my writing while, at
the same time, make it my own and not just duplicate what would amount to being
literary theft?” How can I learn from non-fiction, although being a fiction
author, and vice-versa? What makes this such a great non-fiction book? Is it
the stories told by the author to illuminate a point? Is it the insider
information you never knew before? It is the turn of a phrase? The word
choices?
You’ve heard it said, “We learn by doing.” But if you’re not
teachable, then not much will be learned. We become great by listening. We
become even better by being observant with both our ears and eyes. We become
the best when we are pliable enough to be molded by those great things we see
in others’ writings. If you don’t believe me, read Proverbs 1 and notice how
many times you are urged to listen and make wise choices. It applies to the
literary world, too.
None of us have arrived yet. No one writer knows it all. So,
don’t try to start that club. You’ll be its only, lonely, sad, little member.
A
Clandestine Mission.
A
Cryptic Message.
A
Chaste Promise.
Blake
Meyer dreamed of a peaceful end to a dutiful career with the FBI. Married now,
his life was taking him in a new direction—a desk job. He would be an analyst.
Ride it out until retirement. Be safe so he could enjoy his grandchildren some
day.
But when
a notable member of the IRA is murdered in a London flat, Blake’s secretive
past propels him into the middle of a vindictive, international scheme so
hellish and horrific, it will take everything Blake possesses—all of it—to save
the United States from the most diabolical terrorist attack to date.
C.
KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister, having served churches
in New York, Mississippi, Texas, and Iowa. He is married (for 33+ years), has
three daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. He speaks in churches
on occasion, presently works as an assistant principal in a Central Florida
school district, and plays the drums in his church’s praise team. He is a huge
fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist,
and Criminal Minds, loves anything to
do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock
Holmes fanatic too.
Kevin is a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN),
ACFW, and Word Weavers International, and his published works include two
award-winning novels, The Serpent’s Grasp
(OakTara, 2012; winner of the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers
Conference Selah Award for First Fiction) and 30 Days Hath Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1 (OakTara
2013), as well as articles in The
Wesleyan Advocate, The Preacher, Vista, The Des Moines Register and The Ocala Star-Banner.
Facebook: C. Kevin
Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C. Kevin Thompson
