A few months ago, I started writing a new novel called Pagan Mirth. At first I used the working title of "The Far Side of Midnight". As I continued to write the book, that title didn't seem to fit. One night at my writer's group, I got a writing prompt of "Pagan Mirth". We had fifteen minutes to complete a story using our individual prompts as part of what were writing. This one morphed into a section of my budding novel, which is a murder mystery of course.
One of my compadres and got to talking about the direction my novel was going and we felt that prompt would make a much better title. The protagonists are a husband & wife detective team. Duncan and Charlie Scott are descendants of ancient Scot clans and whose families happened to settle in southeastern South Dakota. These families are are also descendant members of one of the oldest Gnostic Christian Sects, Cathar.
The story begins in Lincoln County, South Dakota. Duncan was driving home late and happened to take a country road that he normally didn't. It wasn't uncommon for him to change routes, just for the fun of it and to stay out of a routine. He drives up on a group of prairie scavengers. What he found was the mutilated bodies of two of their best friends. From there, it is found out that this murder was not only a new case; but it becomes a religious battle as well with one of their old nemesis, Rex Mundi and his demons.
This story has taken on a life of its own. As I write it, I am thinking it is going in direction A then suddenly my hand is directed by the characters and my two muses Yeshua and Mary Magdalene to change to direction B or C. It is amazing how much my faith is directing the writing of this book. For a long time, I have wanted to write a mystery novel with religious and spiritual overtones. This one is definitely fitting that bill.
I have just completed typing chapters five and six. My fingers are itching to start chapter seven. I find that like the reality of life (unpredictable) that I cannot write to a tight outline. My books tend to be as unpredictable, to a point. I know the beginning, the end and the general direction. The rest is up to my muses and the characters. I find my characters become as real as my wife, my children and my friends. I feel the characters grow, just like we do in real life. It is like I become personally involved in their lives just like we do when we socialize with friends and family.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Three Books Now in Paperback
I now have three of my titles available at Amazon.com for sale. Please stop by and take a look. I used Create Space to self publish them. The first one was difficult and the next two very easy. Here's the link to the page where you can find them all:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k%3Ascott+h+hendricks%2Ci%3Astripbooks&keywords=scott+h+hendricks&ie=UTF8&qid=1359346505
I also published them as E-books and have made 9 sales in the last 7 days. To think, that I am just beginning to market them.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k%3Ascott+h+hendricks%2Ci%3Astripbooks&keywords=scott+h+hendricks&ie=UTF8&qid=1359346505
I also published them as E-books and have made 9 sales in the last 7 days. To think, that I am just beginning to market them.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
My First Paperback is Now in Print
I have finally completed my CreateSpace.com novel "Theft of Innocence".
It is currently on sale at Create Space for $8.95. Here's the link: https://www.createspace.com/3335581
This has been quite the experience and I will be leaving future posts on how to do it yourself.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Writing and Sleep
Have you ever woken in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because your story is calling you? Have you ever had your story become your dream so vivid that when you wake you are exhausted?
If you can answer yes to either or both questions, then you have selected the right vocation. This morning, I woke at 3:15 AM CST. I told myself that I would roll over and sleep some more. I kept fooling myself until 4:00 AM. I got up took a shower, a hot & steamy shower since it was minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside with an 18 mph wind causing a wind-chill of minus 29 degrees. The steam, the heat running over my head caused me to think and to remember that while I was sleeping I was visited by my muse Maria (my older sister calls her Maggy); you know her as the Magdalene. She planted in my mind the beginning to my next chapter since I am nearly done with Chapter 05 of "Pagan Mirth".
"Pagan Mirth" is a murder mystery that is all about family, faith and calling. You and I have a calling to be writers, authors, poets, journalists. We have been given a talent by God and we need to use that talent. Sometimes that calls for us to rise from our slumber and write. What do we write? We write what our muses lends us in the way of words. I am a very visual person. As such, I picture the words on the page of my journal. The sentences dictated by Maria are highlight in the most beautiful crimson color you can imagine. Those dictated by her husband, who tags along every so often, are highlighted in the most stunning royal blue that there is no description to do it justice.
We each have our own method, our own vision, our own way of seeing what our muses tell us to write. It is just sometimes that sleep gets in the way!
If you can answer yes to either or both questions, then you have selected the right vocation. This morning, I woke at 3:15 AM CST. I told myself that I would roll over and sleep some more. I kept fooling myself until 4:00 AM. I got up took a shower, a hot & steamy shower since it was minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside with an 18 mph wind causing a wind-chill of minus 29 degrees. The steam, the heat running over my head caused me to think and to remember that while I was sleeping I was visited by my muse Maria (my older sister calls her Maggy); you know her as the Magdalene. She planted in my mind the beginning to my next chapter since I am nearly done with Chapter 05 of "Pagan Mirth".
"Pagan Mirth" is a murder mystery that is all about family, faith and calling. You and I have a calling to be writers, authors, poets, journalists. We have been given a talent by God and we need to use that talent. Sometimes that calls for us to rise from our slumber and write. What do we write? We write what our muses lends us in the way of words. I am a very visual person. As such, I picture the words on the page of my journal. The sentences dictated by Maria are highlight in the most beautiful crimson color you can imagine. Those dictated by her husband, who tags along every so often, are highlighted in the most stunning royal blue that there is no description to do it justice.
We each have our own method, our own vision, our own way of seeing what our muses tell us to write. It is just sometimes that sleep gets in the way!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Practicing Our Art, Our Craft
When was the last time your practice your art of writing, just for the fun of it? So far I have no comments left behind on my posts. So here is an opportunity.
The last time I practiced my art was this morning. It happens that I really like writing my current endeavor "Pagan Mirth". You may ask why. It is about my favorite subject of all time. It deals with history. It deals with the Holy Grail. I deals with all those medieval cyclical romances like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It deals with faith. It deals with how we practice our faith. It deals with mystery. It deals with family. It deals with genealogy. These are all subjects I really enjoy and participate in on a regular basis. So, I ask myself, "What's not to like about writing this book?" My answer is, "Not one blooming thing!"
With that in mind, I also like to take occasional detours. My detours are timed writings using a prompt. So here is our assignment. It requires discipline and honesty on your part. I want all of us to take the prompt at the end of the blog post and spend 15 minutes and write what ever comes to mind . Now here is where the discipline comes in Only Correct Your Spelling. Leave it Raw. Leave it Real. Leave it as something you think can lead to something else. Can you do it? It will be a challenge.
Let see how many we can accumulate by Tuesday, January 22, 2013 16:00 CST?
Here is the prompt: "Her fingernails buried in my neck".
The last time I practiced my art was this morning. It happens that I really like writing my current endeavor "Pagan Mirth". You may ask why. It is about my favorite subject of all time. It deals with history. It deals with the Holy Grail. I deals with all those medieval cyclical romances like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It deals with faith. It deals with how we practice our faith. It deals with mystery. It deals with family. It deals with genealogy. These are all subjects I really enjoy and participate in on a regular basis. So, I ask myself, "What's not to like about writing this book?" My answer is, "Not one blooming thing!"
With that in mind, I also like to take occasional detours. My detours are timed writings using a prompt. So here is our assignment. It requires discipline and honesty on your part. I want all of us to take the prompt at the end of the blog post and spend 15 minutes and write what ever comes to mind . Now here is where the discipline comes in Only Correct Your Spelling. Leave it Raw. Leave it Real. Leave it as something you think can lead to something else. Can you do it? It will be a challenge.
Let see how many we can accumulate by Tuesday, January 22, 2013 16:00 CST?
Here is the prompt: "Her fingernails buried in my neck".
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Using a Prologue as a Hook
On my previous post this evening, I mentioned hooks. What hooks the read to want to continue reading your wonderful words that ends up as a whole wonderful story. My personal preference is the Prologue. It gives me freedom to do some writing in the present tense; something I cannot carry through in my mystery/thriller books. I am going to post the Prologue of my first full length mystery story that I completed to publishing as an E-Book "The River of Tears". Below is that Prologue, let me know what you think. So far the people I know said it caused them to read further and a few of them were not fans of mysteries until then:
Prologue
She always
dreamt of traveling the world. As she lay under the tree, she let her mind
wander. She saw herself riding the prow of a large sailing yacht, face toward
the sun, letting salty mist bathe her nude frame. The handsome hunk stuffed into
bronzed skin at the helm was hers to bend to whatever whim breezed her way.
Clouds slowly floated overhead hung from the blue canopy of heaven. The gentle
roll of the Caribbean caressed her as the sun
warmed every inch of her soul.
She had him
stop in a lagoon on a small uncharted atoll. As the waves gently rocked them,
strong fingers dug deeply into the muscles on her back and goose bumps flew out
to the tips of her fingers and toes. In the next moment, she smiled back at the
warm sun as she dove from the railing. With long strokes, the salty water
kissed her smooth skin skimming the blue surface. The lush shore crept closer
and the crisp citrus smells graced her senses as she slowed her pace. She
switched to a strong but leisurely backstroke. She neared the breakwater and he
was waiting for her with a skimpy towel.
A sharp
pain screamed along the right side of her face. It yanked her out of her
dreams. She instinctively moved her hand toward the source of her discomfort. A
sudden jerk nearly broke her wrist mere inches from touching her face. She
tried again to touch her cheek, this time the essence of cold steel cut into
her wrist. Whimpering, she twisted her head toward her arm stretched above her
head. As she turned, she contorted as stars exploded behind her eyes.
In
desperation, she tried to pull her legs up to kneel, but they would not move.
Ignoring the excruciating ache, she pulled on her left hand, which stopped
midair with a hard jerk. In full panic, she pulled with all her might, first
her hands then her feet. Shaking and writhing violently, she howled a cry that
would send a pack of wolves scampering to the far reaches of the forest. Tears
from her swollen eyes stung as they ran across her skin.
Painful
sobs replaced her wails, as she became exhausted from her futile attempts to
escape. Through the searing electric shocks produced from deep within her head,
she heard the sounds of animals scurrying about, and felt warm rivers creeping
down her arms, legs and just about every place else. She passed back into her
dream, sailing the Caribbean under a blue
Christmas sky and holding the hand of an angel.
How Do You Write?
I am a journal and pen type of writer. On Tuesday night of this week, to be more specific January 14, 2013 I attended my writer's group. Before anyone else showed up I got a mug of dark roast coffee, plugged in some old albums of Bob Dylan that I have stored on my MP3 player, pulled my journal from my book bag and put pen in hand. I briefly glanced where I left off Chapter 05 of my new novel "Pagan Mirth" and began to write, and write and write some more. When others began to arrive, I put pen down, closed my journal and unplugged Bob Dylan.
We started our discussion portion of our gathering was started when I read the first sentence of a book I just started Reading, "Third Grave Dead Ahead" by Darynda Jones, "There was a dead clown sitting in my living room." For a mystery reader and author I felt that was a great hook. I instantly wanted to read more and everyone agreed. We discussed how to hook the reader either by a sentence or by the first paragraph or by a prologue. In this instance, it was the first sentence of chapter 1.
We discussed how build a character that readers like or can relate to on the character level. We talked about how to much description can "turn-off" the reader. You want to give hints and clues about a scene and a character letting the reader to fill in the blanks using their own experiences, then the reader owns the story and the characters become theirs and they can become intimate with them.
We always end our sessions with a timed writing. I love timed writings! I have a gallon size Zip Lock bag with slips of paper with prompts typed on them. We all pull one from the bag and write for any where from 15 minutes to 20 minutes using the prompt as a catalyst or having the prompt used somewhere within the story. The prompt I picked was "The green dark forest". I wrote what could be a part of Chapter 05 of "Pagan Mirth" or perhaps a part of a future chapter. It all depends on where the characters lead me.
I arrived at home hoping to continue with my Chapter 05. I sat at the computer after transcribing what I had already written, and I stared at the screen. It was as if someone took an eraser to the creative side of my brain. There I sat, and sat, and sat. Forty-five minutes later, I gave up. This morning with just a few minutes to spare before having to start work, I again had a cup of coffee, Bob Dylan, my journal and my pen. In about fifteen minutes I had 5 pages written. I have two muses telling me what to write and they are also my spiritual advisers; they are two very familiar and prominent New Testament characters. When the mood sets in they can be quite the characters, too. Who they are will remain a mystery for a few months. I can tell you that once I have that first word on the page, my mind races, and hand with pen attached at the working end starts moving. When I run out of words, I go to bed and they work on the story in my mind as I sleep. I get up in the morning gather my notes taken during the night and try to make sense of it. Most of the time I have trouble remembering my vivid technicolor dreams; lately that hasn't bee an issue.
By way of comment, please share with us how you like to write. Is it by using a keyboar?. Is it by pen and a piece of writing paper? Is it pen and journal? What works for you and why?
We started our discussion portion of our gathering was started when I read the first sentence of a book I just started Reading, "Third Grave Dead Ahead" by Darynda Jones, "There was a dead clown sitting in my living room." For a mystery reader and author I felt that was a great hook. I instantly wanted to read more and everyone agreed. We discussed how to hook the reader either by a sentence or by the first paragraph or by a prologue. In this instance, it was the first sentence of chapter 1.
We discussed how build a character that readers like or can relate to on the character level. We talked about how to much description can "turn-off" the reader. You want to give hints and clues about a scene and a character letting the reader to fill in the blanks using their own experiences, then the reader owns the story and the characters become theirs and they can become intimate with them.
We always end our sessions with a timed writing. I love timed writings! I have a gallon size Zip Lock bag with slips of paper with prompts typed on them. We all pull one from the bag and write for any where from 15 minutes to 20 minutes using the prompt as a catalyst or having the prompt used somewhere within the story. The prompt I picked was "The green dark forest". I wrote what could be a part of Chapter 05 of "Pagan Mirth" or perhaps a part of a future chapter. It all depends on where the characters lead me.
I arrived at home hoping to continue with my Chapter 05. I sat at the computer after transcribing what I had already written, and I stared at the screen. It was as if someone took an eraser to the creative side of my brain. There I sat, and sat, and sat. Forty-five minutes later, I gave up. This morning with just a few minutes to spare before having to start work, I again had a cup of coffee, Bob Dylan, my journal and my pen. In about fifteen minutes I had 5 pages written. I have two muses telling me what to write and they are also my spiritual advisers; they are two very familiar and prominent New Testament characters. When the mood sets in they can be quite the characters, too. Who they are will remain a mystery for a few months. I can tell you that once I have that first word on the page, my mind races, and hand with pen attached at the working end starts moving. When I run out of words, I go to bed and they work on the story in my mind as I sleep. I get up in the morning gather my notes taken during the night and try to make sense of it. Most of the time I have trouble remembering my vivid technicolor dreams; lately that hasn't bee an issue.
By way of comment, please share with us how you like to write. Is it by using a keyboar?. Is it by pen and a piece of writing paper? Is it pen and journal? What works for you and why?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Welcome to my Blog as I build it
I have been trying to import my blog posts from WordPress; due to a server error I am unable to accomplish that task. So, I will begin by introducing myself. As you properly have assumed by now, my name is Scott Hendricks. I am an author of murder mysteries and crime novels.
I wrote my first tale when I was in first grade and began telling tall tales at the age of 4. I saw no reason to stop; therefore I have continued unabated. I began chasing the cyclical romances and the Holy Grail when I was in third grade after reading "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. The book I am currently working on "Pagan Mirth" is the culmination of the search for the Holy Grail. It is a mystery with definite religious overtones and the finding of my faith, which I want to share with the world.
My favorite authors are (in no particular order):
Kathleen McGowan
Vince Flynn
John Sanford
Preston & Child
Gingrich & Forstchen
Clive Custler
Catherine Coulter
Michael Critchen
David Baldacci
Tammy Hoag
James Grippando
Jeffery Deaver
Harlan Coben
Iris Johansen
Amanda Stevens
Lisa Gardener
Karen Slaughter
Tess Gerritsen
(an incomplete list)
I wrote my first tale when I was in first grade and began telling tall tales at the age of 4. I saw no reason to stop; therefore I have continued unabated. I began chasing the cyclical romances and the Holy Grail when I was in third grade after reading "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. The book I am currently working on "Pagan Mirth" is the culmination of the search for the Holy Grail. It is a mystery with definite religious overtones and the finding of my faith, which I want to share with the world.
My favorite authors are (in no particular order):
Kathleen McGowan
Vince Flynn
John Sanford
Preston & Child
Gingrich & Forstchen
Clive Custler
Catherine Coulter
Michael Critchen
David Baldacci
Tammy Hoag
James Grippando
Jeffery Deaver
Harlan Coben
Iris Johansen
Amanda Stevens
Lisa Gardener
Karen Slaughter
Tess Gerritsen
(an incomplete list)
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