On Writing and Righting, John and GMX, and Andre (not the Giant) and me

John Patrick Lowrie and I met in October of this year at Geek Media Expo, Nashville’s up and coming comic-book-and-everything-geek convention. Both of us were promoting our literary endeavors – John’s new book “Dancing with Eternity” and my first sci-fi novel, “The Healer: The Phantom Limb,” and the first issue of my serialized graphic novel, “Gezlinger’s Knot.” By luck, I was roped into two panels both of which featured John as the principal guest. If you haven’t met him, let me start by saying that John’s a funny guy. Keen sense of humor aside, he knows how to tell a story, how to deliver a punch line, and how to engage an audience and keep them interested. And those are all skills we want to hone as writers.

Unfortunately, writing involves far more than being a good writer. Just as I would prefer to solely focus on patients in my pediatric practice and ignore the business side of the profession, so too as a writer I would like to write stories and ignore publishing. But we cannot. The good news is that there’s no logic associated with what book, movie, song or app will become a hit. Where success lands is less akin to an angel bestowing good luck upon those who work hard and have talent and more akin to a bus slamming into a random pedestrian stupid enough to walk out in front of it. So, I say, go for it. Be stupid, walk out into traffic – if that means taking a risk and believing in your unpublished novel.

Now, although there may be no way of righting the wrongs in writing (well, mostly publishing), I still recommend getting help wherever you can find it. As one who chose to take the independent publishing path (I am not a fan of the term “self-publishing”), I can tell you that I’ve dug a lot of holes and promptly fallen into them. John’s a veteran actor and a talented writer, and at GMX he was very generous with his knowledge and advice on how to get published. I admire those who are willing to help others. Watch for them, seek them out, and listen to them. They will help you avoid falling into holes, will encourage you to follow your passion, and will serve as guides to improving your work.

I will end off by saying a few words about Andre Norton. In my youth I read more of her books than of any other author. As a “newly minted” pediatrician in the early 00’s who aspired to pursue a life-long desire to write, I met with Andre many times at her home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She read and enjoyed my first novel, an as yet unpublished fantasy work, and suggested that a novel would better serve the central character in a group of sci-fi short stories that I gave her. The first book in the resulting series, “The Healer: the Phantom Limb,” I dedicated to her. Why so effusive? The answer is straightforward: she, a Grande Dame of sci-fi, took the time to read and critique the writing of a “guy off the street.” Her friendship and mentoring serve as a legacy of her contributions to sci-fi and fantasy as much as her written works. True distinction lies not in elevating oneself but in helping to elevate those around you. 


One last thing, there was an article written about myself, John and another writer entitled "Making things happen on your own terms as a writer", have a look if you have a chance.

There you go. I’m outta here. Gotta bus to catch – or get run over by.

JGN  December 1, 2011
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Edited by my publicist Chris Pope - SocialStarsWeb.com