Just like any other geek I have always aspired to someday write a book. I guess the key there is "someday". So as long as I'm still alive I can dream that dream. I've often wondered what I should do to begin. I actually have started a couple of time on different projects. As I typically do though I start strong but then fizzle out. I guess it can't just be some off the cuff random thought, I have to find something that actually means something to me to make it work. As the saying goes I have to find my muse.

So where do I look for inspiration. When taking on a project such as this there are all the usual suspect resource pools to dip in for inspiration: personal history/beliefs, current events, or just mere imagination. I've tried the imagination thing. Wrote about one and a half chapters and hit writers' block. The pool of my imagination is pretty shallow it seems. So I've been thinking how about mixing it up a little bit. I could write based on my geographical background and use what other people imagine about that particular region. This could be interesting if done correctly since I come from an area that most people seem to associate with the movie Deliverance, which actually took place in Georgia, but Southeastern Oklahoma tends to have a reputation for being equal to the local of that story.

If I could find the right literary hook, add some plot to it, twist, and actually find the right audience I might be able to get it going. But let's face it; it's hard to produce a truly original idea since almost everything has already been done to the nth degree. So for me it's really a fear of having any potential audience just shrugging it off as if it's a rip off of something they're already familiar with.

Regarding the medium of delivery, I've actually considered starting a new fiction blog and write chapters at a time. Register it with creative commons and try some brute for self promotion on wikis and forums. This might be a better way to start for me but only if I could get a following that would put me in check when I stop posting chapters. But would I be able to sell a product that has been readily available for free on the information waves of the world wide web? I guess I could get a following (assuming I self promoted good enough to generate some buzz), I could then cut off the blog with a final post stating "To be continued in a bookstore near you!" But that would be a dangerous move especially for someone who from societies perspective is a no one. Don't piss off the audience, not until you've got a big enough name and pay roll to get away with it.

This needs more thought and obviously I would have to develop a working story line before any of this is even viable. So...

Until next time
Les