I wrote my first book when I was 10 years old.  Sure, it was only five hand-written pages long, but I added a few illustrations, bound it in poster board, and spent a few hours with my colored pencil set to create the cover art.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s officially a book.  I had writer’s block for a couple years, but in the summer between 7th and 8th grade, I wrote another story.  This one was fifty or so hand-written pages.  I bound it, illustrated it, and also considered it a book—the first in a series, with the second written near the end of the school year.  More writer’s block (or maybe it was that I started to notice girls) but I finally wrote a third book my junior year of high school.

Those stories were all mysteries.  I love reading mysteries but I found that I don’t love writing them, and so I now write horror and dark fantasy.  I wrote about that transition in a previous post.  What I need to talk about here is my process for writing those early books.

Each youthful day I spent writing one of those books, I set a goal for myself of one page per day.  Many days saw two or three pages, but no matter what else was happening, I absolutely refused to stop before at least one page was turned over onto the stack.  I was sometimes a few minutes late to the dinner table, and I missed the beginning of The Dukes of Hazard and The Incredible Hulk once or twice.  These were the sacrifices I had to make if I was to finish my books.

Adolescent and adult life happened.  Girlfriends.  The track team.  College.  Perhaps, a party or three.  Career.  Volunteer work.  More college.  A new career.  And on and on.  I let the writing goals slide.  Then I purchased a book, and those goals were brought back to me by Chris Baty and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  There’s a lot behind Chris Baty’s plan for pounding out a novel in November, but at the center is a simple truth: if you don’t set goals and a deadline, then it won’t get done.  Writing a novel is no different than weeding the garden or painting the upstairs bedrooms—you need to set aside the time to finish the task.  Nothing against a periodic sit-down in front of the television, but if you’re watching celebrities learn to ballroom dance, you’re not spending that time behind the keyboard, with the trowel, or on a ladder.  (For me, it was attractive police officers catching murderers with questionable science that took up my time.)

What I’d known instinctively in my youth, I’d forgotten as the years passed.  So, with Chris Baty’s blessing, I set aside some time each day and I wrote a novel.  It took me more than that single month, I must admit, but I did finish Good Deeds.  Putting the last word on the page gave me the same excitement I’d found finishing those little mysteries.  I was giddy!  (Of course, I had champagne to give my giddiness a boost this time, but that’s almost as good as Pop Rocks and Mr. Pibb.)

NaNoWriMo has grown over the years and gained quite a following.  It has spawned a script writing sister program and the Young Authors Program to help kids get excited about reading and writing.  Chris Baty has decided that NaNoWriMo can sustain itself now, and he’s stepped down to pursue his own writing career.  It’s sad to see him go (and I’m sure I’m not the first blogger to say so—Google him and you’ll probably find numerous praises).  He’s helped hundreds of thousands realize a life-long dream.  But after spending over a decade inspiring others, he deserves a break and the chance to pursue his own dreams.

The support of my friends and family helps more than they know.  I’m forever in their debt.  But if it wasn’t for Chris Baty reminding me of a simple truth, my first novel might still be a jumble of images only available inside my head.  If you’ve always wanted to write a novel—or need a jumpstart on your next novel—and you want all the details of how to make November incredibly hectic for you and your family, I encourage you to check out NaNoWriMo.  I don’t want to speak for Chris Baty and the NaNoWriMo staff, but I have no doubt that they will welcome you with open arms.

Maybe, like me, you’ll feel like a kid again.

You can find more information about NaNoWriMo at their website.
Seriously, Google Chris Baty. People really love that guy! Here, I’ll help you…

With November looming, I’m about to start working on another NaNoWriMo novel, Hell Bent, but in the meantime, you can check out my first one, Good Deeds.

Tags: Chris Baty, goals, Good Deeds, Hell Bent, horror, inspiration, motivation, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, sacrifice

When I decided to create a blog for my website, I knew I didn’t want to make it just about writing.  In fact, I wanted to make it mostly not about writing.  I wanted to make it about inspiration.  About good people who do good things.  I write creepy stories but, more importantly, I write about people in creepy situations.  I like stories with characters that persevere against insurmountable odds or make sacrifices to help someone else in need.

I want my books to be about those types of people, and I want my writings here to be about those types of people.  I want to share some really great people with you.  Once I decided that, I knew immediately who I wanted to tell you about first—my friend John Mauro.

John is a math teacher.  Teachers are an inspiration anyway (says the former teacher) but John is one of those teachers that they make movies about.  One of John’s students once said to me, “I’m not worried about Mr. Mauro getting mad at me.  I’m worried about Mr. Mauro being disappointed in me.”  John Mauro’s students want to do good by him, and that’s a sure sign of someone who wants to do good by others.

John’s generosity doesn’t stop at helping students solve tricky equations in his classrooms.  John takes the classroom outside and I’ve seen him in the evenings tutoring students at the local coffee shop.  John is usually sporting one of the many T-shirts he purchased from Rosa Loves, an organization whose shirts literally tell a story of need and whose profits go directly to the needy in those very stories.  John chaperones teens on a yearly cross-country trip to do disaster relief, and he tells the kids, “We’re here to work hard, but take every opportunity to talk to as many people as you can.  Get to know them.  Every person you meet has a different story, and I bet they’d like to share it.”

This guy’s heart is as big as they come.

John has recently taken the idea of helping others to a new level.  He took a hiatus from his teaching job here in the States to connect with Rustic Pathways, an organization that helps young people give back around the world.  John journeyed to Peru to help a small community make a better life for its youth.  A long-time proponent of the Girl Effect, which says educating young women is essential to improving the situation in impoverished countries, John has parlayed that support into work on the Sacred Valley Project, where he’s helped build a school for young girls, teach them all those confusing equations, and give hope to people he’s never met.  I can’t think of too many things more inspiring than that.

In his stint in the Peruvian mountains, making lasting connections with people of all ages, John slept in tents during the cold nights.  He endured rain and snow and constant stomach issues.  He cared for others and he worked himself to fatigue.  But for John, that’s all worth it if it helps children get an education and a chance at a full life.

John Mauro makes sacrifices and never complains.  John Mauro is not a martyr.  He’s not looking to impress anyone.  He just wants to be a good person.  He has succeeded.

By the way, he also had his motorcycle shipped down to South America.  He’ll be riding it back—from Peru to Michigan—over the coming months.   He’s decided to take his own advice and stop to talk with as many people as he can and collect their stories.

As a writer, I know that my characters have qualities taken from the people around me.  It’s unavoidable.  Sometimes the jerk in line at the DMV gets himself rolled into a sadistic kidnapper, or a crabby old neighbor becomes a vampire, or something I overheard at the gym sparks an idea for a gruesome death.  My villains come from any number of places.  But I think all my heroes have a little piece of John Mauro in them.

You can find John’s blog about his trip to Peru and back here.
The Rosa Loves T-Shirts that John likes to wear are here.
Information on the Girl Effect can be found here.
The Rustic Pathways website has more information on their programs.
To learn more about the Sacred Valley Project, visit here.

And if you’d like to read a story that has a piece of John Mauro in it, check out Good Deeds.

Tags: disaster relief, girl effect, Good Deeds, inspiration, math, motorcycle, rosa loves, sacred valley, sacrifice, stories, teach, teacher