The Adventures of a Rookie Writer

WHY I LIKE WRITING

2009-06-11T04:16:00.000-07:00

I am not as verbally expressive as I'd like to be. Strangely, my brain thinks faster than my mouth can speak, so I always struggle to express myself. With writing however, I find my brain in synch with my fingers. Everything falls out effortlessly.

Writing is my magnificent escape. It is like going to a holiday destination for peace and quiet. I normally jet off into my own mind and sometimes write without thinking what I'm writing about. Like now, hoping it all makes sense. More often than not it does.

I use writing as therapy also. It's a way to unwind from challenging days and situations. While people might be content hitting a punch bag to relieve stress, I write to achieve the same. It's painless as well.

I'm off now, that's my therapy session done for the day.

CHARACTER SKETCHES FOR REDEMPTION - IDEAL LIFE

2009-06-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

The character sketches are complete, I'm glad to note for my first novel 'Redemption - Ideal Life. I will now be starting Step 8 of the Snowflake system which involves writing scenes. I cannot wait to get my teeth into this activity.

I will publish select scenes for your viewing pleasure. As always, your feedback will be much appreciated.

WRITERS BUREAU ASSIGNMENT

2009-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

In my last post I told you I was restarting my Writers Bureau course on Creative Writing. Well I have and will be writing an article on an African team's chances of winning World Cup 2010. I chose this topic as the tournament will be held in South Africa.

I aim to look at past relationships between host continents and winners of the relevant tournament and try to project to next year based on my findings. I will keep you posted.

BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL WRITER

2009-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

As I write my first novel entitled Redemption - Ideal Life, I have suddenly remembered that I enrolled on a writer course some years back which I didn't bother to complete. I distinctly remember that the course was a life time guarantee - i.e. pay now and take as long as you want to complete it.

The cynical part of me laughed when I toyed with the idea of resuming the course - after all it's been more than five years since I last did anything on it. To my surprise on making contact, I was assured that I still had the chance to become a successful writer by studying the Writers Bureau course, Creative Writing.

Therefore, I am back on the course assignments. I plan to study it judiciously following the recommended path. I am tempted to jump to the Fiction section to help with my first ever book but I will resist the temptation. In due time, I will study that module and hopefully I will get the key tips required to make Redemption - Ideal Life a compelling read. I can't wait.

If you are interested in the course, you can visit their website on www.writersbureau.com. I thoroughly recommend it. The Writers Bureau are actually receiving an unsolicited endorsement from me which shows how much I value their course and support.

WRITERS BLOCK HITS REDEMPTION - IDEAL LIFE

2009-05-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Finally, writers block has attacked. Having completed the character sketch of the enigmatic Zena Philips for my first unpublished novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life', I lost the motivation to complete the character sketches of the minor characters. I have found ingenous reasons for not sketching the characters. I won't go into any details as they are quite simply unbelievable.

I'm glad to say that I'm back. Redemption - Ideal Life' is back. I am pleased to announce that over the next two weeks, the character sketches of the minor characters will be complete, leaving me to move to the next phase of the project.

As always, your suggestions are most welcome. Keep posted for new characters.

CHARACTER SKETCH 14: ZENA PHILIPS

2009-04-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

At last, I am able to bring you Zena, one of the main characters in my first novel in progress, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. It's been a challenge to create this character so I hope she is convincing.

When Zena enters a room, she lights up the place. Filthy rich, charismatic and enchanting, Zena could just about get any man she wants. She knows this and makes the most of it.

Zena was raised on the belief that men should be used and abused and this meant she could not hold a long term relationship. She has paid a high price for her current lifestyle. She’d been with men she did not like – powerful men who could open doors for her. She is very superstitious and believes in using the services of prophets and marabouts. Zena does not make any major decision in her life without consulting her marabout or prophet.

Even though she has it all, Zena struggles to raise her children. She just doesn’t have time for them and depends on maids and nannies to look after her children and run her homes in Freetown, Paris and Dakar.

Zena loves to entertain. Her parties are the talk of her social circle, the young vibrant and rich Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad. Being invited to her parties means you’ve arrived.

Zena fell for Larry at first sight. She asked about him and realising he was having marriage troubles moved in for the kill. She found him quietly charming and hysterically funny. She could see that they both could have a future. However, Zena finds it hard to remain faithful or to admit responsibility when things go wrong. Like the diva she is, she always blames somebody else. This attitude starts to put a strain on her relationship with Larry. Larry treated her like a lady but was confident enough to confront her when he thought she was in the wrong. Zena was not used to that and found it quite annoying.

Zena could get whatever she put her mind to and would normally do whatever it takes. After she cunningly succeeded in completely ruining Larry and Anthea’s marriage, she got bored with him. She effectively dumped him by sleeping with Rambo and making no attempt to hide the fling. Larry was livid and confronted Zena, but she could care less.

As far as she was concerned the only thing she was faithful to was her business and making money. Nothing else matters. This was what gave her satisfaction – striking deals, acquiring property, buying the latest ride and letting her hair down.

She could also be very generous to people she likes. However, with her seemingly strong personality, she could be easily manipulated by those close to her as was the case when Almira helped to ruin her relationship with Larry.

As the story closes, Zena realised that Larry was indeed her ideal man, non-judgmental, faithful to her, intelligent and charismatic. So she tried to win him back but would Larry succumb to her charms again?

CHARACTER SKETCH 13: ALMERA TEJAN

2009-03-09T09:56:00.001-07:00

Introducing Zena's friend Almera Tejan. Almera is the thirteenth character developed for my as yet unwritten book, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. Enjoy.

Almera is Zena’s friend and former mentor who plays a major part in her break up with Larry for selfish reasons and ultimately regrets it. Extremely beautiful, with smooth brown skin, nice shapely figure, Almera took pride in her appearance. She could easily attract men but finds it hard to keep them. She is considered an easy lay and this frustrates her as she would really like to settle down.

Almera believed that Zena only listened to Larry and decided that breaking the two up would make them draw closer once again. She got extremely jealous of their relationship. She, afterall, had groomed Zena into the elegant and alluring woman she now is. She’d thought her all the tricks of the trade to make men fall for her. She couldn’t understand how a rich and powerful woman like Zena who could have any man she wants fall for an ordinary guy like Larry, who as far as she is concerned is just one of a host of promising businessmen. She’d rather Zena continue dating powerful men in positions of political power, mainly due to the benefits she could derive from the associations. In order words, she saw her role as Zena’s pimp undermined by her love for Larry.

Almira influenced Zena to cheat on Larry with ‘Rambo’ which contributed mainly to the break up. Rambo fitted Zena’s lust profile of a hunky, muscular and tall man. Almera calculated that if Zena cheated with Zena, Larry would dump her and Zena would tire of Rambo quite quickly, which would hand the initiative over to Almera to pick a suitable man whom they could use to further their ambitions of acquiring as much wealth as possible.

However, Almera’s plans seemed to backfire when she fell out with Rambo who seemed to be overprotective of Zena. Although she succeeded in breaking up Zena and Larry, she was concerned that Zena and Rambo were getting on well and there was no sign of Zena tiring of him.

Zena realised Almera’s manipulation and the two fell out, dealing a fatal blow to her plans. She got tired of Almera talking negatively about Rambo, similar to what she had done about Larry. Zena at last realised the games Almera was playing and consequently, she avoided Almera which hit her badly. She regretted breaking Zena and Larry up as Larry had been good to her.

CHARACTER SKETCH 12: PASTOR SOKOYA

2009-02-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce you to the next character of my first unwritten novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. I hope you find him interesting.

A gentle and spiritual man, Olu Sokoya had achieved his life long dream of becoming a pastor. He’d moved from Lagos to London together with his wife and children. Now his focus is on expanding his ministry and bringing more souls to the Lord. His unselfish and down-to-earth nature ensured he was held in great affection by all who met him. A slim and unassuming man, his heart was good as gold. He led without seeming to do so, always encouraging his associate pastors to play a greater role in the church.

His congregation loved his effervescent and infectious style. He was quite modern in his approach to ministry and was good at putting people at ease. He had the knack of getting people to open up to him and he was always willing to help.

When Vanessa Edwards turned up at his church, asking for help in salvaging her marriage, Pastor Sokoya resolved to do just that with God’s help. He was in no doubt as to the size of the task as he believed Larry had been attacked by the Devil himself. He was pleased that God had given him this challenge to hone his counselling and mediation skills.

He gained Larry’s trust through long distance telephone conversations between London and Freetown. As Frank was in a confused state , he was able to reassure him and convince him he was better off in London with his family. He ultimately succeeded in bringing Larry back to London. Although Frank did not move back into the marital home, Pastor Sokoya was more confident that would change with time. He however could not imagine the size of the task he faced in reconciling Larry and Vanessa and quickly realised this was one of the greatest challenges he'd ever faced as Larry was in love with someone else.

Pastor Sokoya faced other challenges. His church was held in a community centre building which increasingly became inappropriate as his ministry grew. He needed to move to better facilities, which meant he had to foot the bill as the ministry was not yet strong enough to meet the expenses.

He had worked too hard to settle for less. So he put the comfort of his family at risk by making financial decisions which would create short term pain. He believed God would convert that to long term gain. His sacrifices touched the heart of his congregation, who went to extraordinary lengths to help him achieve the dream of a bigger church. The congregation were helping to build their church but they were also convinced they were helping a man whom they held in great esteem and reverence.

Pastor was pleased with his achievements at the end of the story. He had achieved his ambition of moving to a bigger church and in his opinion he was close to passing God’s test in counselling and mediation with the Almighty’s help of course.

CHARACTER SKETCH 11: VANESSA EDWARDS

2009-02-25T03:18:00.000-08:00

I am still working on my Zena character. As a perfectionist, I keep chopping and changing bits of her character. When she's ready, it will be worth it. It's a promise. In the meantime, I present the next character in my first unwritten novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. Vanessa is Larry's estranged wife.

Vanessa was extremely content with her life. From humble belongings, she had completed university, got a good job, married her long term partner and had two lovely kids. She was happy with the way things were going.

She did not think the disagreements she was beginning to have with Larry with increasing frequency was anything serious. She attributed this to the ups and downs of marriage live. She was therefore, devastated when Larry announced he was leaving the marital home.

For the first time in her life she was not in control of a situation and that drove her crazy. She refused to believe that she was partially to blame for Larry’s decision to leave. She was convinced Larry was just making excuses when he told close family that he was fed up with her aggressive, abusive and vengeful behaviour. She believed the real reason for Larry’s behaviour was because Zena had used charms on him and he was not in control of his actions. She felt she needed to save her husband from losing the plot.

Vanessa draws admiration from her friends as she always seem in control and organised. Her word is her bond. Even Larry praises her for never looking at a man since they were together.

As Vanessa tries to save her marriage, she draws great pity from Pastor Sokoya who resolves to help her win Larry back. In her distress, she failed to effectively protect her kids from what was going on. Her daughter occasionally burst into tears when she overhears Vanessa discussing her marriage woes over the phone. She would use her daughter to ask her daddy to come back home.

The separation hit her hard. She developed an unhealthy eating habit that threatened her already slightly overweight figure.
Vanessa's suspicious and irritable nature means she was always arguing. She always liked to have the last word which was a problem in her marriage.

As she spent more time at church her smile began to return and she started to make an effort to dress smartly to complement her curvy figure and pretty round shaped face and narrow set eyes. She also began to gradually accept that her paranoid and aggressive nature drives people away from her.

She was elated Frank decided to think about returning home after a trial separation and resolved to be a supportive wife although this was easier said than done.

CHARACTER SKETCH 10: RAHMAN FARRAH

2009-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Here is character No 10 for my yet unwritten first novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'.

Uncle Rahman is well respected and is the unofficial head of Larry's social circle in Freetown. Highly influential in the country, he keeps a close knit group of friends. He does not make friends lightly. Big and powerful, Uncle Rahman, loves to have a good time. He is into his young and sexy girls even though he is married. Uncle Rahman is also a fitness fanatic, who jogs three times a day on average.

Larry looks up to him and goes to him for advice and mentoring once in a while. Initially, Uncle Rahman is suspicious of Larry’s motives but his initial suspicions are allayed once he gets to know him better. He likes Larry’s positive attitude especially in the face of disappointment. He knows Larry’s mum as they both belong to the same political party. He holds her in high esteem which helps him warm to Larry quicker.

Uncle Rahman’s wine bar on the west of Freetown is a popular hang out spot of Larry and his friends before they go to the big clubs. If they are lucky and Uncle Rahman is in a good mood he’d accompany them on a night out on rare occasions. He is a fantastic storyteller who keeps his audience spell bound.

He also makes a lot of money through consultation from businessmen aiming to start up and establish businesses in Sierra Leone.

Highly respected, Uncle Rahman is very guarded around people he does not know. He notices Larry’s adventures and will give him advice where appropriate in terms of developing his business in Sierra Leone.

CHARACTER SKETCH 9: REV CHARLES CAULKER

2009-02-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

I have pleasure in introducing another character for my first as yet unwritten novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. I hope you find him compelling.

Rev Charles Caulker knew how to manipulate people for his ends. He had come through severe hardship to make it as a pastor and although extremely gifted he sometimes used these gifts to tell people what they wanted to hear.

He was determined to build his own church. He’d done well so far building a structure from corrugated zinc. The next phase was to replace the structure with a brick and mortar structure and grow his church.

He got to know and liked Larry very much and identified him as a potential benefactor of his church. He therefore spent a great deal of time with Larry offering him counselling, making sacrifices on his behalf and prophesying for him. Larry was taken by this cunning and determined man even though he had his doubts about some of the things he claims to ‘see’ for Larry in the supernatural.

One thing was clear. Larry could tell Rev Caulker genuinely enjoyed his company and spent a lot of time with him trying to counsel him and lift his spirits.

Rev Caulker liked money though. However, his love for money was geared towards building and growing his church as quickly as possible. He derived great satisfaction with how far he had come from growing up in Kenema, as a man of sin with no clearly defined future.

He was held in great esteemed by the people he ministered to ranging from the echelons of society to the poorest man in the street. He loved that and craved to be the most popular pastor in Sierra Leone.

He was really sorry to see Larry return to England as he believed there was a supernatural battle being waged against Larry by someone who wanted him at all cost. He wanted Larry to give him the challenge of defeating that power. He had no doubts however, that Larry was blessed and referred to him as ‘Ezekiel’ from the Bible. He was convinced would return and fulfil his destiny in Sierra Leone and was subsequently proved right.

CHARACTER SKETCH 8: DAUDA 'GUNNER' SAIDU

2009-02-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here is another character from my first unwritten novel, 'Redemption - The Ideal Life'.

Gunner is the The General’s friend and drinking buddy who outed Michael as a snitch to the General. The life and soul of any gathering, The Gunner is a gentle giant who is extremely witty and entertaining. He is a minefield of information both useful and useless. He is extremely dark, overweight but with a stoic built. He is deceptively charming and very charismatic. In contrast, he is shy around women and is easily played by them.

Gunner is The General’s friend and also the cousin of The General’s arch nemesis Joseph Sesay. He succeeds to maintain very good relationships with both parties and is sometimes in place to diffuse awkward situations between the two men. Even though he loves a gossip, he is not malicious and always craves a peaceful atmosphere. His favourite saying is ‘If anything were to happy to me now, I’ll be content in the knowledge that I’ve lived!

Michael betrayed The General’s trust by leaking very sensitive information to Joseph about him and Gunner got wind of it. He unwittingly told The General, who was furious with Michael and ultimately resulted in ‘The General’ reneging on a business arrangement with Michael.

The Gunner got his name because he is an avid Arsenal fan. His story starts with him trying to establish his communication business with little success. The lack of success is surprising to observers as The Gunner is known to have powerful friends in high places. However, his genial and laid back streak tends to hold him back. His friends consider him the ultimate drinking buddy but do not rate him highly in business terms.

He needed his business to get off the ground and quickly as his partner who lives in Europe wants to return to Sierra Leone where they can set up home together and ultimately get married. Although he loves her very much, he’s uncomfortable as he doesn’t believe he’s financially sound currently to be able to cope with the demands of having a partner. He is concerned that if she returns home before his business is up and running he may lose her to other more wealthy men.

CHARACTER SKETCH 7: BASHIRU ABRAHAM

2009-02-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Bashiru was introduced to Larry by Michael and he helped run Larry’s businesses and socialised with him. Loud and brash, Bashiru had lived a difficult life, routinely getting into trouble with the law. He had escaped from Nigeria, where he came from as he had got into trouble in some fraud dealings.

He became Larry’s trusted confidante as Larry admired his drive and desire to succeed. Although slightly built with a scruffy appearance, he was very entertaining, energetic and hardworking. Larry loved his rogue personality and would be in stitches as Bashiru shared his life experiences and escapades.

Bashiru saw Larry as the ideal person who’d help him accomplish his dreams of moving home and marrying his girlfriend. Consequently, he spent the majority of his time doing Larry’s chores, sometimes at the expense of his personal life. He tried to instil more daring and creative capabilities to Larry’s repertoire, who he regarded as highly intelligent but too nice.

Bashiru made enemies easily as he had a sharp tongue about him and had a hot temper. A lot of people only accommodated him because of Larry. His philosophy about life was get rich or die trying. He would not feel guilty deceiving someone as long as he benefits. He would always justify his actions by quoting Scriptures from the Holy Bible.

When things began to go wrong for Larry, he started noticing a negative side to Bashiru making him question his opinion about him. He began to withdraw from Larry, not doing chores as promised. He started to question Larry’s authority and showed dissent on several occasions causing Larry severe embarrassment. Bashiru began to believe that he had read Larry wrong and that Larry would not be able to help him achieve his ambitions. He began to look for other people he could piggy back off. Larry also began to notice that Bashiru was stealing from him.

Bashiru lost the trust of Larry, though the pair remained friends he was no longer the trustworthy friend he used to be. When Larry returned to London, he delegated less and less of his tasks to Bashiru. Bashiru started to think to himself he may have made a mistake withdrawing from Larry. He still respected Larry. Furthermore, Larry always seemed to come up with a solution when it looked like all was lost. Sensing that Larry had made a spectacular recovery , he made a last ditch attempt to gain his trust and move back in the inner circle but it was too late.

CHARACTER SKETCH 6: THOMAS JENKINS

2009-01-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

The character sketching exercise is progressing well with the exception of Zena. I am still undecided on the character. The main pieces are in place but I need to think about one or two things in terms of her challenges in the story. I want her to be the most compelling character in the book, one the reader cannot get enough of. I'll get there eventually.

The sixth character I'd like to reveal to you for my first unwritten novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life' is Thomas Jenkins.

Thomas is a flamboyant and intelligent American, of Caribbean descent, who is determined to make his fortunes in Sierra Leone. A photographer by trade he has worked with the UN, in the hinterland of the country publicising the plight of underprivileged children and their poor families to the rest of the world.

After his contract ends he returns to Sierra Leone on a private capacity determined to make it big in the diamond industry. His ambition receives a boost when he is introduced to Larry. He warms to Larry, whom he believes is one of the few trustworthy Sierra Leoneans he could forge a partnership with.

He is a smooth and calm man and women fall easily for his tall dark Californian looks. Brown skinned and fit, Thomas almost has to fight off the women competing for his attentions.

Thomas has a dark side to him. He almost always secretly carries a gun and he is determined that no one, including Larry is going to dupe him like the bogus Sierra Leonean chief who managed to con him out of $50k.

Although Larry warms to him, he has a nagging feeling that Thomas has skeletons in his cupboard or is more than he is letting on. He suspects that Thomas is either a US intelligence operative or he is some sort of fugitive from justice. Thomas, in his opinion, always seems cagey talking about his past.

Thomas’ association with Larry is very beneficial to the former who makes a substantial profit as a result of Larry’s connections and help. He is grateful to Larry with the latter restoring his faith in his African ‘brothers’.

I hope you like the character. Thomas is going to bring style, mystery and adventure to the novel. If you have any tips that can make him more compelling please feedback accordingly.

CHARACTER SKETCH 5: MARY EDWARDS

2009-01-26T05:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a short while as I was 'flu-ed' up. Or was it man-cold? Anyway, I'm much better now and I take pleasure in introducing you to another character for my first yet-unwritten book 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. As always, if you have any ideas to improve the characters 1-5, I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Honourable Mary Edwards is an astute, ambitious and successful woman who had to contend with fighting for the leadership of her party and resolving the break-up of her favourite son’s marriage.

Her political party had just lost power and were in disarray with a lot of infighting. She had worked very hard to build her party. She had been one of the most vociferous opponents of the rebels that had subjected Sierra Leone to over a decade of civil war. Her dissent paid off as the rebels were forced to lay down their arms. She was rewarded for her bravery and dedication by being elected the Deputy Speaker of Parliament by her colleagues in both the ruling and opposition parties.

Softly spoken, elegant and charismatic, Hon Edwards was an exceptional public speaker and was held in great esteem in her country and on the political scene in Africa. Her easy-going demeanour belied her determination to succeed and her ambition to hold the highest office in the land. She was aware she needed to remain practical about her ambitions, especially as her party had just lost power. Nevertheless, she remained calm and confident that her chance would come and she would be ready to take it. A beautiful woman, she looked much younger than her 60 years and watched what she ate and took great pride in her appearance.

She was a modern thinking African woman, who had fought for years with like-minded women to instill into the psyche of Sierra Leone men that the woman’s role should not just be confined to the kitchen and running the home. She was regarded as the unofficial women’s leader in the country, an accolade she was extremely proud about.

Her son, Larry, unexpectedly announced that he was walking out on his wife, causing her to intervene in an attempt to broker a reconciliation. She was sad at this development. She liked Vanessa, who she believed brought out the best in her son but she also knew Frank was a patient and intelligent man. Therefore, she knew she needed all her skills and open-mindedness to understand the source of conflict with a view of influencing a reconciliation. She also trusted her son's judgement and would respect his decision whatever it turned out to be.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, her favourite niece Janet, died suddenly from a suspected heart attack – she was in her early thirties. Her niece had told her on several occasions she had dreamt that Hon Edwards had become president. She always believed that Janet had a gift although the rest of her large family believed she suffered from mental illness.

Things started to look up for her when she got elected to the West African parliament, won her party leadership and was in a position to fulfil her ultimate dream.

CHARACTER SKETCH 4: DROGBA

2009-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

I am just emerging from an attack of the flu - or is it man cold? Consequently, the characters of my first novel in the making, 'Redemption - The Ideal Life' were put to bed for the last couple of days. They are back and it's my pleasure to introduce Larry's friend, Khalil Basma:

Khalil Basma is a 45 year old Lebanese businessman who strikes up a friendship with Larry due to their love of watching Premier League football. The friendship develops to the point where they would hang out frequently and he became Larry's trusted confidante.

A big Chelsea fan, he was nicknamed Drogba after the Chelsea striker and always loves to bet on his team winning matches. Filled with exuberance, he hits it off with Larry straightaway, who likes his unassuming and down-to-earth manner. At a glance, one would not know Drogba is a millionaire. He calls himself a beach bum as he spends most of his time by the seaside if not managing his huge property empire.

Tanned, tall and handsome, he is a ladies man. His wife divorced him as a result of false allegations in the newspapers of him fighting with a friend over another woman. He still maintains good relations with his wife, frequently visiting her and their children in Lebanon.

Drogba introduces Larry to Zenir Basma, his cousin and the biggest diamond dealer in Freetown, a move that Larry is really grateful for. The liaison makes Larry a lot of money and strengthens his friendship with Drogba. When Larry's business seemed like collapsing it was this link that gets Larry back on his feet.

He realises that he has feelings for Zena but is reluctant to do anything that might hurt Larry’s feelings and jeopardise their friendship. He senses that Zena knew he fancied her but is relieved she never mentioned anything to Larry. He also suspects the feeling is mutual.

Drogba always sensed that Larry was special. Larry proved it to him by an unexpected gesture which strengthens their bond.

CHARACTER SKETCH UPDATE

2009-01-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

I'd just like to report that the character sketching exercise is coming along nicely indeed. I've revealed three so far and will reveal more as days and weeks go by.

Today I started sketching Zena, Larry's love interest. This is the greatest challenge I've faced. She is elegant, intelligent, enchanting and very sexy. She has it all. In order to do her justice, it would probably take me a whole week to get her right as a first attempt!

Vanessa, Larry's wife, is less of a challenge and should be ready by tomorrow. Keep posted.

CHARACTER SKETCH 3: THE GENERAL

2009-01-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here's another character from my first novel, 'Redemption - The Ideal Life'. Introducing, Jim 'The General' Jackson, friend and business associate of Michael Wilson.

The General was a highly successful and influential businessman under the previous regime in Sierra Leone who needs to adapt to the change in government to ensure he still maintains his level of success. He made his money in dubious ways in the London housing market in the early 2000s and had made a lot of enemies as a result through conning people out of thousands of pounds and leaving them with mortgages they could ill afford. He was untouchable under the previous regime as he used his ill gotten gains to buy his way to power. The General was one of the main financiers of the presidential candidate of the ruling party in Sierra Leone, who subsequently lost the 2007 general elections.

He is a fantastic entertainer, who loves to be the centre of attention. His parties are the talk of the town. He is well known around the trendy clubs of London’s West End and has properties scattered all over the UK, US and Freetown. Dubiously charming, he knows how to get what he wants. Once he gets what he wants and has no further need for a person, he then shows his true colours. He loves a gossip and to mock a person’s downfall.

The fortune he had accumulated under the previous regime was under serious threat from his political enemies who are making moves to indict him on corruption charges. He spends money as fast as he makes it. Loud and brash, people argue he is like that because he has to make up for his 5ft 5 ins and plump appearance. Under the new regime he is struggling to make an impact. Worse still for him, the London housing market has crashed. He consequently struggles to earn forcing him to sell off a lot of his assets just to generate cash flow for his future projects.

He and Michael have come a long way. Michael had introduced him to the housing business in London. However, as he became successful, he treated Michael more as a hired help rather than a friend, using him to do his mediocre chores and risky jobs. He is arrogant and has little regard for people he considers as poor. He initially honours his promise of establishing an oil business with Michael but soon sacks him when he realises that Michael was snitching to his enemies about him.

As his funds dry up he resorts to petty crime as his skills as a professional fraudster are the only skills he knows how to utilise to make money. His enemies succeed in implicating him on corruption charges which he has to defend.

I hope you liked it. By the end of this week, I will reveal another of the major characters, so keep posted.

CHARACTER SKETCH 2: THE ANTAGONIST OF MY FIRST EVER NOVEL

2009-01-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I introduced Larry Edwards the hero of my first novel, 'Redemption - The Ideal Life', to you. Is he convincing enough? I'd appreciate any suggestions that would make him a more believable hero.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Larry's nemesis, Michael Wilson.

Michael and Larry are childhood friends who rarely see eye-to-eye because Michael believes Larry should not be thought of as highly as he is because he has many faults just like him. They have a very complex relationship. Sometimes they are the best of friends, while at other times they cannot stand the sight of each other.

Tall, handsome, with a charming smile, it’s as if butter would not melt in Michael’s mouth. He easily gains the trust of people. The trouble is he often lets them down just as quickly. Michael has enormous potential, he is smart, funny and knowledgeable. However, he is extremely lazy. He is always looking at ways of making a quick buck without breaking sweat. He consistently fails but finds it hard to change his ways. He has a very negative mindset always looking at the glass half empty.

He has an easy going style and makes friends easily. Michael knows anyone who needs to be known and is privy to all the juiciest gossips in his social circle. Larry wonders why Michael doesn’t put his talents of extracting information from people to good use. Michael is happiest seeing other people fail, a trait which Larry believes is Michael’s way of pacifying himself for his lack of tangible success in life.

Michael is amused when Larry and Vanessa’s marriage hit the rocks and uses the opportunity to poison Vanessa’s heart against her husband. He delights in feeding her gossip about Larry’s romance with Zena. Frustrated at not getting Larry and Vanessa to tell him the issues that are causing problems in their marriage, Michael sadistically makes up stories which he spreads around, and all aimed at making Larry appear foolish and heartless.

Michael believes his feelings about Larry are justified when Larry’s business subsequently collapses. He has always believed Larry was too good to be true. He thinks Larry has just been lucky getting a good job and doing well at university. He believes the real Larry was emerging, i.e. someone who was nothing to write home about.

Michael and his friend ‘The General’ start an oil business mainly funded by the latter. Michael is ecstatic. He finally sees his chance of success and making lots of money. He has always lived beyond his means and kept up appearances. Now he is about to become a don.

Things turn sour quickly when the General starts to question Michael’s judgement and worry about his lack of confidentiality in their business dealings. The General eventually sacks Michael on suspicion of financial misappropriation, which leaves him devastated.

He is surprised that Larry offers the olive branch after all the gossip he’s spread about him. He shows grudging respect to Larry for getting his life back on track and begins to wish he could learn from him more. However, he still has a nagging feeling that Larry wants revenge and is offering the olive branch to lure him into a false sense of security.

Does Michael come across as someone you'd love to hate? Again, I'd appreciate your comments or suggestions. I'd like Michael to be seen as very worm-like and detestable by those who know him well on the one hand; and on the other hand to be seen as charming and entertaining to those that do not know him so well. I want Larry to despair that people just cannot see Michael for what he truly is.

Tomorrow, I'll reveal a third character - so keep posted.

Character Sketch 1: The Protagonist - Larry Edwards

2009-01-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

As promised I have started drafting character sketches for my first novel, 'Redemption - Ideal Life'. I'd like to introduce you to the main protagonist, Larry Edwards.

Larry prefers to look on the brighter side of life. He dislikes negativity and a judgmental attitude with a passion. His calm and laid back demeanour can sometimes give the wrong impression that he is lazy and lacks drive. For those who know him well, they see a guy who is internally motivated, fiercely but quietly ambitious and extremely trustworthy. They also see a guy who is humble, intelligent and private but who can also easily be the life and soul of a party.

Larry trusts himself. He has a high opinion of himself. He is not afraid to take risks and sees mistakes not as failures but as opportunities to review his way of doing things.

Larry loves people. He gains a lot of energy and learns a lot from them. However, he could be too trusting of people, which leaves him exposed to being taken advantage of, hurt or duped fairly easily. Michael, the main antagonist, detests Larry’s success and the esteem with which he is held. He doesn’t see why people treat Larry as if he’s special. After all, he’s known Larry since their first year at secondary school and dislikes him for what he sees as Larry’s arrogance and cockiness. Larry does not believe he is cocky. He is confident in his ability and his tendency to appear unruffled in the face of adversity and forgive himself when he makes mistakes.

Larry looks very good for a 32 year old. Women find his 6ft 2ins medium and muscular build sexy. His engaging smile and relaxed demeanour, merged with his down-to-earth sense of humour, adds to his appeal. Larry is good looking and takes care of himself by watching what he eats and exercising regularly. He is a social drinker and is irritated by his failure to quit smoking altogether.

Larry distrusts Michael but is too loyal to his friends to sever ties with him completely. Furthermore, he sees the good in everyone. He constantly feels unfulfilled, hence the reason for him turning his back on his life in England and returning to Sierra Leone to start afresh. He is seriously torn between the love of his life Zena and his family and has to make a decision sooner rather than later with whom he spends the rest of his life with.

Larry admires wealth but appreciates it more if the individual was humble as well. He would gladly hang out with a poor man as he would with a President.

At the beginning of the story he is determined to fulfil his destiny with or without his family. He would later come to accept that he couldn’t fulfil his destiny without getting to know himself first.

The journey is underway

2009-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

Now I have an overview of 'Redemption - The Ideal Life', my first novel documented, I will be spending the next week or so developing my characters.

Apparently, this is a lot of fun. At the moment though, I am approaching this exercise with trepidation at the amount of work I need to put in. Sure, it doesn't need to be perfect first time around but try telling that to a perfectionist! I appreciate I will get it right after several iterations which pacifies me somewhat.

I have some right dodgy characters in mind and I am keen to see how they develop as I let my imagination run riot.

One thing I must say at this point is I feel really good for mustering the courage to undertake this challenge. I've read many times that there's a book in everyone. I feel like I've got a few inside me that are dying to come out...and who am I to argue?

I've got to go now...got a book to write.

Introducing my first novel - Redemption (The Ideal Life)

2009-01-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here we go, the first step into getting published. I'd like to introduce you to the working title of my first book 'Redemption - The Ideal Life'.

A relatively successful young man appeared to have it all - a great job, a lovely family and a comfortable lifestyle. It came as a shock, therefore, when feeling unfulfilled, he left his wife with two kids and quit his job to pursue his ideal life.

He met and seduced the fantastically wealthy and enchanting Zena, then saw his hopes of the bright future he envisaged with her dashed when she unceremoniously dumped him.

Things got worse when his business collapsed leaving him to face a bleak future. Salvation and redemption comes from an unlikely source - where he learns that the search for the ideal life starts from within.

I am going to write this novel using a system known as Snowflake. I'm confident this method will work for me in terms of organising and planning the novel. It is a system developed by the award winning author Randy Ingermanson. For more information click below to learn about this system. What's more it's free.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

So there goes - I would appreciate any advice or critique from writers on this adventure.

Here begins the journey

2009-01-09T03:00:00.001-08:00

So here begins the journey of a lifetime. It's been a long time coming but change is here. After many false dawns, I have finally mustered the courage to write my first book. As days, weeks and months unravel, I will undoubtedly test my mettle.

I would appreciate any tips from aspiring and actual writers on writing good fiction, overcoming mental block, defeating procrastination, getting published etc....

Please follow my progress if you can as I reveal my plans, progress, frustrations and excitement - I promise it will be entertaining. I wear my heart on my sleeve so I'm just as comfortable beating myself up as I am patting myself on the back.

Over the next few days, I'll start by sharing the synopsis with you.

I've got to go, I've got a book to write.