Who’s Book is it Anyway?

It’s my book, dammit!

Originally from a small town in Kentucky, I have been, in a sense, a writer my whole life. Not necessarily novels, though. I have been writing lyrics since my early teens having been a musician for as long as I can remember. My formative years consisted mainly of Martial Arts classes and playing every instrument I could get my hands on. These two endeavors kept me occupied and out of trouble. I have three siblings. An older brother and younger sister and brother. I don’t talk to them as much as I would like.

I did a stint in the Army as an Engineer where I played with combat boats in a bridge building unit. I was singled out early as an above average soldier and trained to figure where and then how much explosives to put on bridges to bring them down. When the first Gulf war happened I was ready for action. The Army, however, had different plans and brought to bear the smart bomb. Now instead of going in under cover of darkness and wiring a bridge, some freckle faced kid in a closet somewhere could drop a bomb on someone’s head with a joystick. Where’s the fun in that? Soon after there was a downsizing of the military and I got out with an honorable discharge.

One of my first attempts at writing an actual story was while in high school. The movie Red Dawn had come out and the group of guys that I ran with (all black belts), wrote a version of the movie with us as the main characters. We all read the first one and then a couple others of us tried our hands at writing versions. We would pass these around and critique each other. They never went anywhere and I’m pretty sure no one outside of our little group ever saw them. I wish I could find the one I wrote. I’m sure it’s in a box of memories somewhere.

Anyway, I went into construction after college. I joined a fraternity and majored in partying which didn’t get me very far. For 22 years I worked in the insurance / restoration side of the construction industry. Then in 2016, a week before Christmas, I was laid off. That’s a nice kick in the jewels. I sat around the house feeling sorry for myself wondering what I had spent over two decades doing it for. My wife, Lori, asked me one day what I really wanted to do. I said with zero hesitation that I wanted to write a book. She said, “Then do that.” So I did!

Over the span of the last thirty years I had written several ideas down and even started a chapter or two here and there. Now it was time to get serious. I treated the writing process like my new job. I got up in the morning, made myself a cup of coffee and sat down to write. The words flowed out with very little exertion. It was like the book had just been waiting to be written and maybe it had. Over the next three months in 2017 I wrote Shiva’s Eye. On some days I would write a couple thousand words. On three occasions I threw down ten thousand words in a day. (My personal record) No one ever showed me how to write a book, I just did it.

Now that Shiva is done, I have been seeking out sources to see how others write. I have been surprised at times that the way I did it is actually how others do it too. There are also numerous examples of where my process is exactly the opposite of what other authors tell you to do. The most glaring difference I have found is in the outlining of a new book. Almost every author out there says you must write an outline and stick with it. I say bullshit, but what do I know. Maybe my brain is wired differently having been a musician since I was knee high to a grasshopper. For instance, Shiva’s Eye came about very organically. I had the main characters in my head along with five or six big “scenes” that I wanted to write. I knew where it started. I knew where I want it to end up. When I sat down to write it, I approached it like a jazz musician. I knew what key it was going to be and I pretty much knew the tempo, but after that it was anyone’s guess. I think this approach makes it more fun for me and will keep me interested in a book through completion. Sometimes I surprise myself with something I think is very good and then there are times when I re-read it and think “total shit”.

As I write this I have Shiva’s Eye in the can as they say in Hollywood. I am soliciting impartial volunteers to read and critique it. (Hit me up on the contact page it you would like to get involved) I am 3/4 of the way through the sequel. I am determined to finish it in the next couple of months. I have solid ideas and thoughts written down for at least five more in the Indigo Oats series. I am also working on a stand alone called Prepared and I have started another series entitled Chopped. Check out my projects page to keep up with the progress on all my books.

At the end of the day, I am having a great time writing these and hope that when they are published others will too. Who knows, I may pull all those song lyrics together some day and publish a poetry book, too.

Trent Lee