Pushing Through Misery

 

A lot has changed in 18 months. And I find myself coming back to blogging.

The pandemic was slowing down here in the states. The lowest amount of cases in June of 2021 was a remarkable 5,000 for the entire country. Now we have had 1.35 Million cases just yesterday. The Beta Variant is gone. The Delta Variant is dwindling. It seems that the majority of cases of Omicron are less severe and come with an antibody response.

Many of my fellow narrator friends, family members, and old friends have lost a loved one due to Covid19 or Cancer or another illness.

My own father passed away from Cancer. A form called Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) on September 25th of 2021. (For more information on this rare disease, click here.)

We've lost heroes young and old. Quite recently we lost Betty White, Sidney Poitier and Bob Saget.

Here in Michigan, January has replaced December as an unforgiving month of bitter cold with temperatures in the single digits at night.

And while a lot has changed, you have to wonder: How does one power through trauma and misery in order to write another story?

Well, this blog is called Tales and Troubled Times of a Hungry Writer for a reason. 

I am no stranger to Trauma.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me. My mother and father always encouraged my voracious appetite for reading and when I finally started penning my own stories, they gave me tremendous support. When I decided to self-publish my first book, they provided me with money to do so. They kept copies of my books in their bedroom on a nightstand within reach. Every time I told them I had another idea cooking they were both impressed and astonished by my productivity. But they were the ones who fed the fire that continues to burn within me.

Yes, it is easy to get bogged down. To have downtimes. To not even want to glance at a blank page. To regard storytelling as a fool's gambit when you are in the throes of great depression. But the blank page is always waiting. It remains neutral. The blank pages listen to your woes and tries to help you figure them out one sentence at a time.

And while the world seems to be changing rapidly, through peaks and valleys, sometimes grim and sometimes hopeful, I remain convinced and encouraged that better days are just ahead.

At least, that would be my father's outlook. He was always a man with infectious optimism. And I'd like to carry on that tradition.

The last gift I gave my father was a gold pocket watch. These days I find myself wishing we had more time together.

The last gift he and my mother gave me was a FreeWrite Traveler.

Even with all the bad news and daily struggle of sadness, I have found time to finish some stories.

I recently finished what I called THE BIG SCI-FI BOOK, which has been long-gestating. It finally has a cover and is available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo now. I call it Skyways Of Tomorrow. I am currently halfway through recording the audiobook.

I have also finished a thriller Novella on the FreeWrite.

A story I am 90 percent finished with is a Christmas Novella that will hopefully be out soon. Maybe in February.

And, quite recently, I've decided to end every future story I publish with the words:

In Loving Memory Of

Carmelo Scarlato

Life moves. Friendships are rekindled. Stories are still told.

Our strength as humans is not just in our multiple ways of expressing ourselves but also in that much-needed yearn to express our grief and to be vulnerable. This helps us untangle the wires in our minds. It helps us relate to one another. But it is a feature that is distinctly human.

So continue to write. Write about Sorrow. Write about Joys and Triumphs. Write about whatever your heart desires. Pour out your humanity on the page and it will heal you in turn.

Then you will find that you're not just pushing through misery. You are creating something new and beautiful which will make your loved ones proud.

I'm still writing stories, Papa. These yarns are for you.

Here it Goes: Novel or Nothing!

For the past few months, I’ve been really busy. It feels like two sides of me are organizing the year ahead when it comes to new projects. Writing has always been my go-to when finding inner peace or to unravel the concepts involved in life. While I am an avid consumer of entertainment, I strive to be a content creator. I’m here to entertain the masses.

But, as it turned out, I’ve really branched out when deciding to become a narrator. It gave me another outlet to express myself.

So that, understandably, has taken up a lot of my time. And I don’t mind. I love immersing myself in being a storyteller.

I now work for three companies: Acx, Bee Audio and Findaway Voices.

If all goes well, I should be quite busy this year when it comes to my full time job. But, my productivity has slowed significantly with writing.

So, for the new year, I’ve given myself a new goal. From this date forward, I am done working on Novellas and Short Stories.

There’s a couple of reasons why:

1.     Short stories and Novellas are quick to produce and I want to challenge myself more and not just take a quick dip in and out of worlds.

2.     For the rest of the year I want to work on ONLY Novels. So that’s anything over 50,000 words in length.

3.     I have a backlog of novels that are screaming to be written.

4.     And I want to get at least 3 full novels done this year.

Currently, I’ve been taking my written works and have put them up on Audible. Three of the titles (Right Outta My Mouth, Village Americana, Pickpocket Frankie) are narrated by me. But the majority are narrated by other very talented people. The reason for this is two-fold.

First, I know I don’t have time to narrate everything I have written. Besides, there are some stories I’ve written where I have convinced myself that I am just not the right voice for it. Second, since I started narrating in 2014, Audible Acx has had a swell of new narrators. Thousands more people have gotten into this field. A lot of them are looking for their first book to narrate. I remember when I was looking for that chance to become the voice of somebody’s story, so now I’m offering that to people who are trying to break into the industry.

Also, I’ll be moving to a different house. Which will be a big change for me and my family. And since this seems like the year for big change I figured why not have big goals.

But, dear reader, there are more titles to come in the future.

I’m putting the final touches on two novellas.

One is called The Digital Novelist and the other is called The Loop. They’re both what I’ve come to know as Sci-Fi Horror.

And they are the final two stories I’m going to include in my newest collection titled Night of Novellas. (6 novellas in all with introductions, extras and behind the story segments)

The last novella I’ll be working on before I jump headfirst into novels will be a title I call The Transcriptionists. It’s a crime thriller that came to me one day.

But, after all that, it’s Novel or Nothing, folks.

I still have a list of titles that have been percolating long enough.

THE BIG SCI- FI BOOK is the one I’m most anxious to return to, as it also ties into another title I’ve written called Thief of The Gods: An Area 51 Confession.

I’d also like to return to Mr. Dead Eyes 2. Because the audio book for the first book is in production now and it sounds great. It’s giving me new ideas of what I can put in the second installment.

I also have two spinoff sequels to Pickpocket Frankie. These two books don’t have the titular character Frankie in them. These are more focused on two big characters mentioned in the book. And those are both crime thrillers.

I also have another novel planned for the private investigator Thomas Wilker. But this will be set way before the events of Mr. Dead Eyes.

Add to that a behemoth novel I have planned that is in the genre of literary fiction. I don’t know how long it will be, but it will definitely have a large cast of characters.

So, yeah, it’s clear to me that the novels in my head are screaming for attention. And all I have to do is open the door. Why wait, right?

Remember, always set new goals for yourself every year.

And, as always, keep writing.

;)

Reviled

When I first published Wearing Donnie Torr in 2010, I did not hesitate to think if it was ready or not. Which was a big mistake on my part. A while ago I went back and revised Mr. Dead Eyes. I removed clunky sentences, reworked some scenes and added new dialogue. It made me feel overall better about the book. That happened in 2013.

I was somewhat dreading going back to WDT based on the fact that when I first published it, after what I thought was a good enough edit for $200 dollars, I went ahead and published it to Kindle.

The entire document was 103,000 words.

Yikes.

So yeah, it was way too wordy.

I mustered up my courage, found the old manuscript on a flash drive and took a peak. It's amazing what six years can do to a manuscript. I remember the words just tumbling out of me when I first wrote it. But now that I was staring at it years later and a little wiser on how to write a book; I couldn't help but go back and revise WDT too. I've since unpublished the kindle version, though you can still get the print copy.


Here's a quick pic of the progress.

The blocks highlighted in red are the parts that are getting cut. I was amazed at how many things I found when looking back on it:

1. Clunky sentences
2. Overuse of Commas
3. Repeated sentences
4. Confusing sentences

They all had to go.

Now the manuscript is about  83,000 words long.

That's 20,000 words I've cut from the original.

Also, it needed a title change. Wearing Donnie Torr was just something I slapped on there. But my wife and I talked about it during a trip back from Chicago, and she had nailed down everything the book encompassed in one word: Reviled.

But I think this identifies a common question when it comes to writing: How often should you revise a work?

Gene Fowler once said, "A book is never finished; it's abandoned."

I'm not saying that a manuscript is like a good friend where you can always pay a visit. I think it's safe to drop in and see if the work still makes as much sense as it did when you first wrote it. If not, revise. Make it clearer. Don't go Full-George Lucas and keep updating it with new characters and pump it full of prose that just ends up being filler anyways.

There was one case where Stephen King, fresh from writing three books, presented a copy of The Stand to his publisher Double Day in 1978. They were intimidated with it's size and thought it might sell better if it wasn't such a behemoth. So, willing to play it safe, King went back and cut 400 pages from the actual book. The final product came out to 1,200 pages. Years later, he released an uncut version because there was a demand for it.


Honestly, the author has to make the call whether to go back and tinker, to fix what was still cloudy. But I can say that I do not miss those 20k words I cut. They slowed everything down.

Now you can get your hands on a copy of Reviled on Amazon.com for only $2.99.

Click here to get a copy!

Subscribe to Roberto Scarlato's mailing list to learn more about his writing, future works and opportunities for free books! 

My Writing Method

I've been writing for a long time. But I don't think I've ever described my method.

In an effort to be totally transparent, I'd like to share mine. Maybe you've come to this blog to find out who I am. Maybe you're an aspiring writer yourself and don't know how to get started. Maybe you've started a book and are stuck and are looking for an inspirational push in the right direction. Whatever the case may be, I hope this gives you a peek at my process and maybe figure out your own. Just so you know, the process can always change, and in my case it often does. It evolves. And you would be better served to know that now rather then later. So, here we go.

1. The Seed

Well, it starts with an idea. Something that gets planted in my brain that I can't dislodge. If it's completely unshakable, let's say for three to four weeks, then I seriously consider putting the idea on paper. The idea can either start from a line of dialogue, a piece of description, a unique character, or just one well-crafted scene. It also can arrive in my dreams. Sometimes they are garbled, on the fritz and I have to do some deciphering. Other times it can be very vivid and I remember everything. Wherever the idea comes from, once its planted, I am committed to caring and pruning that story tree.

2. The Title

Before, I used to not fret over title. But now I do. I like to think of the title before I even start writing. It can serve as a good placeholder should I decide to change it later. It's best to keep it short, snappy and memorable. It's an effort to describe the story, or at least one aspect of it, in one to eight words. This is still moldable, but I try not to bounce around too much with it.

3. Outlining

I used to do extensive outlines. With my first book I'd spend a paragraph describing what needs to happen in each chapter. Each chapter, I thought, needs at least one conflict to overcome. But then I realized this doesn't give the reader time to breath. My first outline was 15 pages.

Then I started doing one sentence descriptions. While this may be a good start for some, for me it just bogs down the process. Then, I later find out that I've only used 20% of the outline in the actual story. And that made me feel like a story was too scripted. 

Here's an example I pulled from Pickpocket Frankie. This outline was written years ago and I have strayed heavily from it.

4. Let The Characters Talk

Here's something they don't tell you about writing. You have to disappear. What I mean by that is you have to write something that doesn't feel like it was written by you. Whenever I tackle a project, I try to remain as a causal observer. The characters often lead me to surprising revelations or unexpected twists and turns. The more I let them play, the more they are controlling the story. The more they tell me things.


5. Layout

When I first started writing, I'd focus on one single page. And that produced a lot of headaches and anxiety. There's nothing more intimidating than that little blinking cursor. Eventually, I found out that focusing on one page at a time was too claustrophobic. I needed a full perspective. So, I decided to zoom out. With this layout, I can see what I wrote before and what comes after. Again, here's an example of my writing view with Pickpocket Frankie.

6. How I Type

I use two fingers. Both my index fingers. Yes, yes, I know it's not proper writing etiquette but I don't care. This is the fastest way I can type and a way to get all my thoughts onto that page. Even with writing blog posts, I write with two fingers. It's my preferred method and I'm sticking to it.

7. Silence isn't Golden

When I first started my very first book, I wrote in complete silence from the hours of 11pm till 3am. It was a hellish work schedule, especially when I needed to be up in time for school, but these were the best hours at the time. Later on, when I started taking on short stories, I realized that silence was slowing down my progress. My characters are no longer happy with the stoic, concentrating silence of yesteryear. Now they have a rhythm. Depending on the mood of the scene, or the story itself, my characters often choose a soundtrack for their actions. And, depending on the music, the words really seem to take off. Now, I don't know which is your preferred method, but I would suggest that if you can see the story like a movie in your head, why not have a score for it?

8. Word count

I think of the word count as a budget. Before, I didn't worry about it. But now I do. I researched genres. Fantasy books are usually around 100,000 words. Thrillers: 70,000 - 80,000. Crime Fiction:50,000 - 60,000. It's okay to go a little over but I constantly want to be concise.

9. Editing and Revising

I usually rewrite and revise as I go along. I'll write two chapters. Give it a few days to cool off, then come back to it and re-read the scene. If a sentence is clunky or doesn't serve a purpose or can be re-worded in any way, then I cut and revise. I heard that Dean Koontz rewrites his books in a strange way. He revises a page of work 40 times until it is perfect. Then he moves on to the next page. And if this is a 300 page book. That's a total of 12,000 revisions. Yikes. I don't think you have to go that far. Just try to do the story justice.

10. Read it Out Loud

A story will not make sense unless you read it out loud. We all have an internal reading voice and sometimes that voice can be misleading. Sometimes it will substitute through with threw or there and their or then and than. You get the idea. The best form of revising is reading it out loud. You can even perform it like an audio book to yourself.

11. Audience

In this profession you can't just write something and expect to know how to present it. You need to know your audience. I write for an audience of one. I write with my wife in mind. She's a reader as well and has read a good majority of my work. In the scenes I try to make her laugh, gasp or even keep her on the edge of her seat. And when I read her my work out loud, it can be a real big boost to see her reacting to the story. Whoever your audience is, find a person you can trust who likes to be read to and ask them to be your own personal story observer. Ask them what they like. What they didn't like. If a sentence made sense. If a character seems too thin. It will have huge benefits in the future. Besides, your audience member might be thankful and curious to see what you're working on next. Just make sure you are writing in a genre they enjoy.

12. Mindwriting

As I've said before, I used to write outlines. But now I just write in my head first before I start physically writing. I think of the project like a movie, one where I get to watch the dailies and figure out what I like and what can be cut. After I've seen the whole thing in my head, the scenes write faster than anything before and my keyboard is smoking with friction burn.

13. Preferred Tool

I've tried pens and pencils. I've tried desktop computers. Now I only write on laptops. They're compact, lightweight and are, I'm convinced, the only thing I will ever write on.

14. Where to write

Some writers retire to a room. Something that they've set up to be the perfect shop for inspiration to strike. I've heard of two authors, Wally Lamb and Chuck Wendig, who have actually built their own private Writing Cabin or Shed. Now, unless you've got the money and time to shell out to make this dream come true, there's a universal truth you need to admit: There will never be a perfect place or a perfect time for your writing. Jack Kerouac wrote on one long scroll, Jame's Joyce wrote in a white suit, Mark Twain wrote in bed, Ernest Hemingway would write while standing up on a typewriter that would sit on his dresser.

I wrote Village Americana at Starbucks. I wrote Ye Olde Idea Shoppe in the living room of my very first apartment. I wrote my first short story in an attic. It doesn't matter the place or the time. What matters is that you actually write the damn thing.

15. How to End a Story

Believe it or not, this one still eludes me. Sometimes it just hits me. Other times I have to dig. And digging takes time. And it takes commitment. If you're willing to get your hands dirty and not let your story stagnate, I suggest you pick up that metaphorical shovel and pry it out of that deep dark hole.

16. Always leave room

Hemingway once wrote that he would never write to completion. He'd always leave, what he called, a little bit left in his story well. Enough to write something for tomorrow. My normal writing session was 500 words at a times. Now I can pound out one or two chapters if I have a good writing flow.  

17. Notes, notes, notes

When I feel like I have a really good idea but need more time on it. I keep all my notes in one file, which I call my Jumble Box. There's really no rhyme or reason to it. I just write down the title, form and something short to describe it. 

That's pretty much my entire writing process. Hope it works for you. It has for me...so far.

Until next time, keep writing.

;)

Subscribe to Roberto Scarlato's mailing list to learn more about his writing, future works and opportunities for free books!

My Declaration of Independance

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

~Henry David Thoreau

It began as a simple problem.

          I was laid off and in need of a job. Always a grunt worker, I aimed low, figuring we needed cash fast. We were a newly married couple and the job I had gotten from a staffing service decided to let me go, even though I did good work for them. I did construction side-jobs with my dad, tried a job at Netflix and even became a pizza delivery man to make some ends meet.

          Then the day came when I got a job interview and, big surprise, got the job. From 2011 to 2013 I feel that the job was good, sustainable. They treated me well. But then a couple things happened down the line that showed me what was missing in my life…me.

          Our daughter was born in April of 2013 and at that time, we were struggling. The only thing that kept us going was a dependence on God and our determined diligence to stretch a buck.

          Our tax refund helped in a big way.

          We were able to stretch that out very far.

          Then came the day when we needed to move.

          Along with all the taxes taken out of my check, plus how much health insurance was taking out, I had no choice; I had to dip into my 401k just so we had enough money to move.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

~Henry David Thoreau

          Then there were the hours. Monday through Friday I was working 3:30pm to midnight. Sometimes I'd work on the weekends. But no matter how hard I worked, it still wasn’t enough to get us through.

          I became frustrated, angry, irritable.

          I’d see my daughter for precious few minutes before scarfing down some quick breakfast or, regrettably, grabbing something quick at Mcdonald’s, and zipping to work, just to make $700 every two weeks. Sometimes less.

          I had to get out of this headache.

          What was the point of all this if I wasn’t happy with my own life while at the same time struggling?

          So, in July, I signed up with ACX, an amazon company, and set out to do something worthy of my time.

          People always told me I had a great voice for radio. I humbly accepted their praise but never thought to do that for a job.

          It is now 2016 and here’s where I’m at right now.

          After turning thirty, I realized that I needed to restructure my life.

          I wanted more time with my family, better pay and flexible work hours.

          There are now 70 titles I have produced on Audible.com and I am already an Audible approved narrator, which is a big chance to get more narration jobs.

          I’ve since resigned from my old job, plunging headfirst, full-force into Voiceover Work.

Things do not change; we change.

~Henry David Thoreau

          Here’s what I know for certain: I am a happier man.

          I can see my business as well as my wife’s business taking off in a big way. I now have the time to spend with our daughter, being a father and husband. I’m actually living my life the way I want to live it.

          So, why am I saying all this?

          Because I’ve come to admit that the system that we have in place does not work. No parent who works a full-time job should have to struggle to pay bills or to put food on the table.

          I read an article in National Geographic about a man who was going through a similar situation. He was making more than me and even he was struggling to put food on the table.

          I’ve had to come to a harsh truth about myself. I have a pushover-mentality when it comes to work. I try my best, often over-achieving what I do just to impress my bosses. But what happens, when you do that for too long, is that people mistake your humility for weakness and your kindness as servitude. Does loyalty count for anything? Maybe, and maybe not. But one thing is clear: you have to find something that you love doing and try making your own job of it.
          I chose writing and narrating.

          I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made.

          I’m proud of my work and wanted more time to just live my life.

          I’m free.

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.

~Henry David Thoreau


Subscribe to Roberto Scarlato's mailing list to learn more about his writing, future works and opportunities for free books! 

Is It Too Late To Come Back?

I write this post, trying to gain some new ground. I'm pretty sure I haven't written a word of fiction for a year. And yet I have a box filled with half-finished fiction.

Just seems so hard to come back to it. Did Hemingway have dry spells? Vonnegut? Heller? Bradbury?

I'm 25,000 words into a crime fiction caper and have been dying to return to my characters. I've also been itching to write Mr. Dead Eyes 2. I'm also working on a sci-fi thriller involving visitors from the future.

Right now I'm fully focused on narration. 30 different projects. I've read some good books this past year, and each one has been needling me to finish my own writing projects.

But after a solid year of no new words?

Is it possible?

Maybe I should finish all my narration gigs first. Or should I just jump back in, guns blazing?

What do you think?





Subscribe to Roberto Scarlato's mailing list to learn more about his writing, future works and opportunities for free books!

Is There A God?

These days I'm more inclined to speak my mind on a variety of topics. The one that often pops up is the question of God. Is there a supreme being who is controlling it all?

Well, from a writer's standpoint, I'd say there is a God.

Now, I know there is a rancorous debate on whether there is or there isn't but if you take a step back and look at it all, you'll find some interesting things concerning this topic.

When my parents told me that there was a God, I saw it as a chance to question belief. The ball was in my court, so to speak. As a lover of science and the arts, I've lived my life digesting all that I could on why we are here. Where did we come from?

Growing up, I'd take both sides in from an objective standpoint. If we were to start at the concept of no God, how does everything weigh out?

Here's why I believe there is a God, a creator of it all. Look at our planet. We live in a world of perfect systems. We have oxygen, water, food, sun - the very things we need to sustain ourselves. We have plants that continually convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us while at the same time providing us food. If we want more, all we have to do is plant another one. It is a well-oiled machine in which sustainability is constantly recycled. We have gravity which holds us to the planet's surface without barreling off into space. We have an atmosphere and an ozone layer that protects us from any foreign rays or bacteria that could harm us. We have planetary magnetism. The earth orbits the sun in a constant circle.

Take a look at the human body. We are encased in skin which heals itself when harmed. We have a bone structure to keep us upright and stable. An immune system to build up our strength and resistance to things. We are born with information already in us from an equal amount of chromosomes from each parent. Inside the womb we automatically know to receive sustenance from the placenta. How perfect is that?

And what about the human eyes. Now those are two of the most complex organs, wouldn't you say? Yet they are contained in our heads and give us the ability to see.

Everything seems to be created just right.

What is holding all of this together?

When you add it up, there are too many perfect systems in our world for there not to be a God. How can anything be that perfect, you ask? Well, in order for something to be perfect it must first be perfected, yes? Something somewhere had to get something just right in order for us to live.

So why then, is it unbelievable, for there to be a creator for the creation? Whenever we create something, we are commended for our creativity and are dubbed a creator of something in some respect. But the idea of there being no God at all and we are all just here by random chance, somehow inhabiting perfect systems? That's a puzzling concept. That's like a book with no writer behind it. Or a statue with no builder. A painting with no painter? And yet don't things need to be written? Aren't some things molded? Isn't there evidence of a few brushstrokes here and there, a record of something painting a picture for us?


What's important to realize is that science, in itself, is not responsible for creating earth and humans. Science is recording or charting data over long periods. Hypothesis, observation, conclusion.

That being said, I was first told about God around three years old and have always found ways to ask more questions and read all I can on the subject. So, you could say, I've been researching for twenty-six years.


Now, I am by no means a rocket scientist. I graduated high school, took some college and have worked a variety of blue-collar jobs. But I continued to read and continued to explore this question. I'm always open to talk about the subject but people, I find, seem too heated to even discuss it and dismiss it. Some would write me off as dope, fool, imbecile, mark, or a man who is easily swayed. My question is: how is believing in God a detriment to one's mental stability?


What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

:)



Subscribe to Roberto Scarlato's mailing list to learn more about his writing, future works and opportunities for free books! 

Writer Milestone: 300,000 words!

*340,016

*This is the number of words I have published so far. 6 titles... 340, 016 words. I found this out while creating an Excel writing program for my past and future projects. Call it a Writer's Queue. 


I still can't believe it. 


What a milestone! 


That's over a quarter of a million words. 



So far I put up 25 separate writing projects to organize.



Got three more short stories lined up in the queue. 


I think every writer should make an excel program to keep them on track. What better way to organize your titles, see what date you published, and your word progress so far? I find myself checking and tweaking the program here and there just to see the word count climb.



Just had to share this.