Logan Pearsall Smith – Author Ronovan Hester

“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” Logan Pearsall Smith

What I interpret my quote author as talking about is patience. Patience within the book begins with patience with the writer.

Writing fiction is an interesting career. We take our imaginations, add a touch of our lives, and pray readers like the results. For me, breathing my personal self into a character gives me purpose for writing. If I care about a character enough to care about what happens to him, I’ll take the time to add layer after layer to give that character depth and bring it to life.

I rarely bash over the reader over the head with something in my writing, be it a flash fiction piece, or my debut novel, so when I do give a big action scene or emotionally charged scene, it has impact. The rest of the time, I like to build upon each previous quality or scene to give the depth I mentioned before. My goal is to create a character in which readers can feel connected.

It can take time to build up to where you want to go, but don’t rush in or else you miss great opportunities to give your readers a rich experience. In a weekly fiction prompt I host, I encourage the participants to take their time. I believe some feel the prompt is a race to the finish. For some, it is an escape and a way to have fun. For others, they want to learn and hone their skills as writers.

Patience, not giving in to time and the pressure it can make one feel, is a major secret to success. I am a fast writer. On one hand, that is a great advantage, and on the other, it is a huge obstacle. Writing so fast means I think I am ready to move to the next draft of a book.

How I keep myself sane and patient is by having another project waiting, and always another one at some point in the process ready to continue. I write articles and blog about writing and being patient and give tips on the stages of a book process.

The article writing is an important tool for me. I must walk myself through the process in order to share with my readers. Every writer needs reminding sometimes.

This has been a little reminder to all of you today to be patient and you will finish that dream book of yours someday, and it will end up just the way you want . . . on the market with your name on the cover.