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Robert Stephen, writer, photographer, storyteller
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  • blog
  • Writing
  • Helpful Hints for Writers of Fiction
  • WHAT OTHER WRITERS HAVE TO SAY
  • AUDIO ESSAYS-STORIES-AND MORE
  • ArtWithMyCamera
  • Rory and El Paso
  • Pierre and the Baker
  • About
  • Connect
Robert Stephen, writer, photographer, storyteller

THE EXCITING JOURNEY OF Writing
​a Fictional Book

"IT'S A LUXURY BEING A WRITER,
​ BECAUSE ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT IS LIFE."

​AMY TAN






IT'S ALL IN MY HEAD

9/11/2016
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              As the sun began rising in the east, I got out of bed, opened the French doors, and from my vantage point I look down and see a portion of the 17-mile drive, in Carmel. This time of the morning the ocean is calm, the air is crisp, and several miles out over the water a wall of fluffy white clouds are gathering.
              I fill a pot with water and heat it for my favorite tea, turn on some music, and sit down at my computer. Hours later, when it's time to take a long break, I stop and see that I've typed over 3,000 words this morning.

              When I wake from my dream, everything I had just imagined disappeared except for the teapot, music, and my computer. I believe every writer dreams of a place where he or she would like to escape for inspiration. However, for most of us, we usually sit in a room with four walls, where maybe there is a picture or two, some music, and a beverage, and we have a day job to go to. When all is said and done, the single most important element we all have in common is a writer's imagination.
              The reason I began this post with my Carmelscape , is because of an exercise I do now and then. I sit down and write a short story, no longer than 2,000 words. I choose a character, a man walking his dog in the park, two people at the beach, a store clerk waiting on a customer, a police officer giving someone a ticket for jaywalking, etc. Then I choose if I want it to be a comedy, drama, love story, crime story, and begin to write.
              Once completed, typing errors and all, I re-write it again, except with a minor change here or there. If it was a comedy, a re-write it as a drama, or a mystery, I change the plot of the story, while the characters and location remain the same. I can add new characters, but I never delete original characters. Off I go and when I reach 2,000 words, I stop.
              Not to be complacent, I write a third variation of the same short story. I do this now and then to challenge the creativity that sometimes disappears. While searching and discovering, the last thing I would ever do is distract myself by listening to the radio or turning on the TV. I am not advocating this is for everyone, this is a form of improv, and I do it, to push my imagination because I'm a writer, so I write.  

Robert Stephen
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Comments

    Author

    Robert Stephen.
    What makes a writer? What do you envision when you think about that question?

    Someone sitting by an open window looking out over the ocean, desert, mountains? Rainy day, foggy, sunny? 

    My definition of a writer of fiction. A person who drives himself or herself to the edge of insanity when writing a story to the best of their ability that you the reader find entertaining.

    I can honestly say my life has been interesting, far from boring.  Land baron, restaurateur, photographer, artisan, author. A life full of ups and downs. A life full of stories.

    Along the way I've met hundreds of people, some interesting, some not. Some dangerous, some beautiful, some kind, and some cruel. During my lifetime I've even had my heart run over a couple of times, but when all of it is said and done I wouldn't trade it in. 


    Writing has always been inside of me, but the siren never called to me. I wasn't ready until one day in October of 2015 when life said, "Start writing."

    Writing is a long journey, full of many perils, but don't be afraid it is an exciting adventure! 

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