Tag: Reading

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Dreams Can, and Do, Come True

After 60 years, a childhood dream became reality! In late 2022, a man in his early 70s finally became an author, and now his second novel has been completed.

In his fourth-grade classroom, Charles Yancey’s teacher gave him a book titled Nobody Loves Me, authored in 1890 by Amy Catherine Walton, also known as Mrs. O. F. Walton. That book, placed in the hands of a child who already loved reading, sparked a genuine, decades-long interest in writing. He made up his mind that someday he’d write such a book, and his dream became reality.

In December of 2022, Yancey published Alone…Yet Not Alone, now popular with both teens and adults. The sequel to that book, Make Room for Others, Jonah, is also receiving great response. Yancey is elated at the success of his books.

Yancey was hesitant to submit the manuscript for his first novel for publication, and was further reticent to write another book. But upon receiving eager response from many readers, he complied with requests for a second novel. Will there be a third? Well, that remains to be seen.

Here are Charles Yancey’s own words. “For me, writing is a rewarding pastime. Although it’s demanding on time and effort, it can still be very satisfying. Everyone has a story. You might think no one is interested in hearing or reading yours, but that may not be true. Millions of people spend hours reading every day. People want to hear about adventures, hobbies, vocations, vacations, etc. that other folks have. It’s a way they can experience adventure and excitement that they, for many reasons, cannot encounter. And listen: the older generations have stories many young people would appreciate hearing. The key is telling them in an exciting way.

“I wish I had, in print or recording, the accounts I’ve heard from my parents, grandparents, and in-laws. But I don’t, so at least I’ll share my own stories for my family and friends. I think you should do it, also. You might be as surprised as I was at the results.

“And you might allow P&L Publishing and Literary Services to help you, as they did me. They do a great job.”

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Fulfilling Your Dream of Writing – Step 7

In my youth, I didn’t like to write. I didn’t even like to read anything except Superman comic books. Superman was action, the narrative was dynamic, and I could tell folks anything they ever wanted to know about the hero … verbally. But when it came to writing, the process of passing the information had a difficult time making it from my mind, through my hand, and on to the paper.

But friends, through trial and error, I worked hard at learning step 7.

I had to learn how to Grab the Reader’s Attention. If you don’t get people’s attention, they won’t read your book.

Have you read any of George Orwell’s books? The first lines of the first chapter of any book are crucial. George Orwell, writing the book, 1984, began with, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

Cold in April in the United States? Striking thirteen? Hmmm … what’s George getting at? It didn’t sound right, and that’s what got people’s attention!

How do you write in such a way that will get potential readers’ attention?

You may need to take a course in Creative Writing. I highly recommend it.

But then write about your passion! Write about what interests you. Write about what you know. If you want to write about something unfamiliar to you, study it! Become conversant with the subject. Learn to write creatively. Write in such a way that the reader enters the story through his or her imagination.

Then create a catchy title for your book. Next, generate a good writeup for the back cover of the book. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The first lines of each chapter must grab the reader, and each page must prompt the reader to turn the page. The end of each chapter must have a hook that won’t let the reader go. You hope the reader will say, “I couldn’t put the book down.”

When I was twelve years old, I finally stopped investing valuable time reading Superman because I had become acquainted with science, history, and nature. Learning history ignited my desire to study the Bible, and if you read much of my writing, you’ll learn that my writing generally revolves around those four topics. (You can find my books at https://genelinzey.com/books/)

So start writing and let it flow!

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Write Creatively