FAQ
Because all the cool kids are doing it. And because every so often you’ll get a surprise, not like a puppy or a Visa gift card, but something interesting, plus top-secret intel on upcoming projects. Also, it’s a nice way for us to become friends.
Stephen King didn’t personally give me the following advice, but in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft he said something like, “Don’t wait for the muse. Just tell him where you’re going to be every day from nine to five and he’ll eventually show up.” I love that. It reminds me not to worry when the words aren’t flowing and, if I stick to my routine, a great sentence or a cool character or a unique story idea might stroll around the corner and bump right into me.
I’d say my children, but that’s corny. I’ll go with people who don’t take life too seriously, who stay consistent and humble, who work hard for what they want, and who show gratitude each day. Wait, did I just describe myself? Guess I should’ve left out the humble part.
Before I wrote my first book, a memoir about my family, I had no formal writing education and had to teach myself; I listened to hundreds of podcasts, bought a dozen craft books, and watched every YouTube video I could find about story structure, plot, character development, prose, style, genre, dialogue, you name it. Then I threw myself into the project. But after five years, I was far from finishing. When I got laid off from my job in the summer of 2020, I finally found the time (and extra motivation) that I needed to get it done.
Creating a story with words is the same as creating one with video: you come up with an idea, gather the elements you need, decide on a structure, then plop yourself into a chair for as long as it takes and puzzle everything together in the most entertaining way possible. Twenty-nine years of editing at the NBA taught me how to whittle away at a story—trim and splice and cut and revise—until the idea you dreamed up is fully formed and staring you in the face.
I vet a story idea in my head for a week or so. Once it clears security I brainstorm in a notebook for about a month, develop plot and character along the way, write down everything that could happen scene by scene. Then comes the first draft, which takes another month: I enter my notes into a Word document and add more detail, create a formal outline. I print that out, scribble more notes in the margins, and dictate it into another document. I clean up the mess and structure each scene into paragraphs. Then comes the second draft, which takes about three months: I flesh out the story some more, develop the characters and add complexity to the plot. I revise and revise and revise. Then I give the manuscript to my editor, who gives it back after a few weeks with suggested revisions. I sharpen, cut, and add for another month. And then I’m done. A book takes me seven to nine months to complete. I write at home, five days a week, about seven hours per day.
Playing golf and softball with my buddies, cooking for my family, traveling with my wife, and watching the Boston Celtics.
An author friend of mine, Dan Barry. We got coffee one morning, and I told him I wanted to write my family’s story, explained the whole thing. When I finally stopped talking, he looked up from his cup. “The good is the bad, and the bad is the good,” he said. “You have a story to tell, so now you have to tell it.” He didn’t mention that it would take six years. Some friend.
Crossing guard; and it’s not even close. I can see myself high fiving the commuters and schoolkids every morning, knowing all their names, coming up with personalized handshakes. But I’d want to be in a small town without a ton of traffic. And I wouldn’t want to work in the winter, or if the kids were annoying and always staring at their phones, or if I had to act responsibly in any type of real emergency. Otherwise, it’s the perfect gig!
Tell a good story and tell it the best way you can. If it’s taking longer than expected or turning out differently than you thought, don’t beat yourself up, and don’t quit. Oh, and one last thing, why on earth are you coming to me for advice?
That I started.
Events that show the light and the dark of life. Characters who struggle, grow, and change.
Izzy Dominguez, the snarky protagonist in Wave Her Home. She’d have some great stories to share and wisdom to impart. But she’d probably drink me under the table and make me pay.