My First Blog

First I want to say Hello to everybody so:

Hello!

My pen name is Al.X. Ross. I started writing in 2008, I do not remember the exact month. My first confession to you my reader is, I got a bad memory. After my little introduction I will tell a bit what this has to do with me and my writing.

I think, if my fragmented memory allows it, I started writing between October and December 2008. I was 30 years old at the time. The first time I thought about writing I was 16, while reading a Stephen King book "The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower. Book 1)". Before that, I had read a lot of books, but none in the English language. nor did anything I had read before sucked me in as this book had. Reading The Gunslinger, ignited deep within myself the desire to one day write an epic story.

It took me 14 years to use this desire. I held myself back with the thought it would be too difficult to write in English as it is not my native language. Also like a lot of people who want to do something creative, I was hindered by the question 'Do I have what it takes'. With age and wisdom I came to know myself better. I realized in all what we do, if you do not get to do it, you will not know if you can do it, be it well or bad. With this firmly put in my head and trying my best not to forget it (a huge challenge) I just started writing.

The words flew as fast I could type on my screen I had a story in my mind, which along the road changed and grew. I finished my first draft and while I am editing it, I am writing my second book.

I noticed in writing a story, with a span over more books, requires you to keep taps on what happened before, so your time line stays in sync. Me having a bad memory, I do remember what happened before but not exactly when. Writing just, a one book story, that would not be such a problem, but I plan to write a trilogy.

Now writing my second book, I notice sometimes I have to stop the flow of words created, to check if it keeps consistent with what happened within the first one. Like I forgot (I am very ashamed!) what was the surname of the character in the first book, who now is the main in the second (Did I say I was ashamed?). I told my wife and she rolled her eyes, or I imagined she did.

To make it more difficult for myself, the story (I did not decide it, it's a monster that flows by itself) in both books happens in the same time frame. Some characters in both stories meet, but in each book they have their own experience. For me it is a big challenge to keep it in sync, it scares me and excites me at the same time.

Besides writing, I am trying to better my grammar and writing skills, with exercises. For me there is a lot of work to do, and in this blog I want to share my progress in creating novels. New, exciting stories for people to read. Hopefully more than just me.