Stop! Don't delete that scene!

Some of us writers tend to change a lot of our story when we are editing; pressing the delete button or cutting out what we don't want and saving it in another document for later use. This week's guest in the TTC VBT is Doug Simpson and he tells us how scenes that could no longer fit into his first book turned his plot in to a series.

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Tides of Change in the Mind of the Author

After over a year of publishing articles in a number of countries, which has now grown to seven countries, I decided to see if I had the talent and tenacity to write a novel. I had previously written or attempted to write novels a number of times over about forty years but could never come up with a respectable manuscript. I always seemed to find a major flaw that I did not like, and really could not adequately change, so the scrap paper pile just got deeper, again.

So, why did I think I was any smarter this time around? Good question. All I can say is that experience in bad writing is still valuable experience, even if it is not profitable. Besides, I was now retired and my time was mine, after my wife and grandchildren claimed their cut. I also had some new found ideas which had accumulated in my thick head, as a result of my hundreds of hours of researching a select group of the over 15,000 readings given by the legendary American mystic, Edgar Cayce.

My major area of research was survival of the soul and spirit after the death of the body, and the reincarnation of souls. Sounded like a pretty interesting topic to me. Next, I needed a hero. In about one second flat the name Dacque popped into my head. What’s a Dacque, I wondered? Never heard of him or it! Then, after a little careful consideration, I realized that it was a fantastic name for a kind-hearted Good Samaritan because it was unique. If someone asks you, “Did you read the new book about Tom?” the first thing you ask is, “Tom who?” But, if somebody says, “Did you read the new book about Batman or Superman?” you know exactly who they are talking about right away. Unique! Dacque is not the same kind of superhero as those two, but he is a very special. He is the kind of hero in his own right. Go ahead, I dare you. Go to your favorite search engine and search for Dacque. I just did, and my boy appears twice in the first ten entries. I’ll gladly take that kind of coverage any day.

My original intention was to have Dacque, an avid walker, encounter a handful of individuals in distress on his morning walks and to write a few chapters on how my ‘Good Samaritan’ assisted these individuals to get over their problems or difficulties. I thought an appropriate title might be Soul Attraction, where Dacque is led to these individuals in distress and you get to read about how he helps them get over their various difficulties. That didn’t last long. Dani Christian, the first damsel requiring rescuing proved to be so interesting that she demanded the entire novel, and the name on the cover became Soul Awakening, reflecting the fact that Dacque assisted Dani and some of her new friends to discover their past associations in their previous lifetimes.

If Dani Christian kidnapped Book I, Soul Awakening, what happened to the other poor souls that were supposed to be rescued after Dacque had performed his miracles on her life? Not a big problem. It simply gave me an excuse to turn the adventures of a Good Samaritan with the unusual name of Dacque, into a series titled The Dacque Chronicles. Book II, titled Soul Rescue, should be published later this year and Book III, titled Soul Mind is slated for a late 2012 or 2013 release. Book IV has been started but Dacque had been so busy promoting his earlier escapades that he has not found time to advise me how it turns, yet. Darn. Put your hero is in the limelight and he thinks he’s a star!

© Doug Simpson 2012

Doug Simpson is a retired high school teacher who has turned his talents to writing. His first novel, a spiritual mystery titled Soul Awakening, was published in the United States in October of 2011, by Book Locker. Check it out at http://booklocker.com/books/5754.html. It is available in print and eBook format through most book stores around the world. His magazine and website articles have been published in 2010 to 2012 in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His articles can be accessed through his website at http://dousimp.mnsi.net.

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Thanks to our guest Doug Simpson for sharing how his series was born. After reading about Dacque I am quite intrigued to read the book, are you?