Ask the Author: Frank L. Gertcher
Answered Questions (6)
Frank L. Gertcher
I don’t know; I’ve never had it. Sometimes I wish I could turn off the flow of ideas and get some sleep. Quite often, I am awake at two or three o’clock in the morning, writing down ideas that keep coming. My wife Linda is very tolerant of my distracting use of napkins to write down ideas while we are having lunch or dinner at a restaurant. When I am beginning a new story, I accumulate a collection of annotated napkins.
The key, I think, is to follow through on your ideas. Decide on the genre. Is your story science fiction based in the future? Is it a murder-mystery based in the past? Is it a romance? Is it some combination? For example, is it a science fiction story with a murder-mystery? You decide. Sit down with a pencil and paper and write a concept paragraph for your story. Begin with a well-crafted topic sentence (the idea, or concept). Add supporting sentences. Keep the paragraph short, almost always less than a dozen lines.
Once you are satisfied with the concept paragraph, build an outline for your story with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Keep filling in the outline with more and more detail. Decide on a story ending.
As you fill in the outline, characters will emerge. On a separate sheet of paper, list the characters by name. Identify where they appear in the story. Write a paragraph or two about the personality of each character. Decide on the main character. The main character should have a detailed history before your story, during your story, and afterwards. Key supporting characters should also have histories, but with less detail.
Decide on a story timeline. I like to keep mine straightforward with no ‘flashbacks,’ but some writers can do flashbacks successfully. If you decide on flashbacks, make sure it is deliberate and the reader can ‘follow the bouncing ball.’
Have fun by embellishing the flow of your main story with little stories. Be careful not to detract from the main story and don’t spin off into unnecessary tangents. For example, the main story might be a traditional ‘whodunnit’ murder-mystery, but you can weave in a little romance between a couple of characters as the main story progresses. For another example, if your story takes place in the past, you can weave actual historical events and characters into your fictional story to add realism.
After you have a detailed outline and an annotated list of characters, decide on the point of view and voice to be used in your story. Do you want a narrative told by the main character? Another choice is an independent, all-knowing narrator. Some writers can successfully change the point of view from one character to another during the story, but I find this to be very difficult. Usually, such an approach confuses the reader.
Decide on the mix of narrative story (setting the scene, describing action, etc.) and dialogue between characters. Also, if the story is told from the point of view of the main character, it’s appropriate to let the main character, who is telling the story, share private thoughts with the reader. I like to write in first person, active voice. Whatever you choose, be consistent.
Do your homework. This means intense research. Get your facts and dates straight.
As you finish sections of your story, have someone proofread for the story, grammar and punctuation. Readers of your finished product will always find your mistakes and inconsistencies.
Writing a story is an iterative process. Write, edit, write more, edit more, and so on. The story will change and evolve as you write.
Have fun!
The key, I think, is to follow through on your ideas. Decide on the genre. Is your story science fiction based in the future? Is it a murder-mystery based in the past? Is it a romance? Is it some combination? For example, is it a science fiction story with a murder-mystery? You decide. Sit down with a pencil and paper and write a concept paragraph for your story. Begin with a well-crafted topic sentence (the idea, or concept). Add supporting sentences. Keep the paragraph short, almost always less than a dozen lines.
Once you are satisfied with the concept paragraph, build an outline for your story with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Keep filling in the outline with more and more detail. Decide on a story ending.
As you fill in the outline, characters will emerge. On a separate sheet of paper, list the characters by name. Identify where they appear in the story. Write a paragraph or two about the personality of each character. Decide on the main character. The main character should have a detailed history before your story, during your story, and afterwards. Key supporting characters should also have histories, but with less detail.
Decide on a story timeline. I like to keep mine straightforward with no ‘flashbacks,’ but some writers can do flashbacks successfully. If you decide on flashbacks, make sure it is deliberate and the reader can ‘follow the bouncing ball.’
Have fun by embellishing the flow of your main story with little stories. Be careful not to detract from the main story and don’t spin off into unnecessary tangents. For example, the main story might be a traditional ‘whodunnit’ murder-mystery, but you can weave in a little romance between a couple of characters as the main story progresses. For another example, if your story takes place in the past, you can weave actual historical events and characters into your fictional story to add realism.
After you have a detailed outline and an annotated list of characters, decide on the point of view and voice to be used in your story. Do you want a narrative told by the main character? Another choice is an independent, all-knowing narrator. Some writers can successfully change the point of view from one character to another during the story, but I find this to be very difficult. Usually, such an approach confuses the reader.
Decide on the mix of narrative story (setting the scene, describing action, etc.) and dialogue between characters. Also, if the story is told from the point of view of the main character, it’s appropriate to let the main character, who is telling the story, share private thoughts with the reader. I like to write in first person, active voice. Whatever you choose, be consistent.
Do your homework. This means intense research. Get your facts and dates straight.
As you finish sections of your story, have someone proofread for the story, grammar and punctuation. Readers of your finished product will always find your mistakes and inconsistencies.
Writing a story is an iterative process. Write, edit, write more, edit more, and so on. The story will change and evolve as you write.
Have fun!
Frank L. Gertcher
The freedom to create stories and characters that turn out exactly like I want.
Frank L. Gertcher
Write about what you know. Work on a consistent basis and keep a schedule. Believe in your work; if you do not, neither will others.
Frank L. Gertcher
As of July 2020, I have finished the 95,000-word manuscript for The Cat in the Window Murders. The story is set in Europe in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The book is ready for professional editing. I will be ‘word-smithing’ on the manuscript for the next year or so.
I also have an outline for The Broken Glass Murders, my next book. Caroline Case Jones, my main protagonist, and Hannibal, her enigmatic husband, continue to solve murders in Europe during the rise of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini (1932-1938). As they pursue the guilty and not-so-guilty, they become embroiled in political intrigue and encounter sinister Fascist agents.
I also have an outline for The Broken Glass Murders, my next book. Caroline Case Jones, my main protagonist, and Hannibal, her enigmatic husband, continue to solve murders in Europe during the rise of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini (1932-1938). As they pursue the guilty and not-so-guilty, they become embroiled in political intrigue and encounter sinister Fascist agents.
Frank L. Gertcher
I have always enjoyed writing. My degrees include a BS in Electrical Engineering, an MS in Engineering Management, an MBA and a PhD in Economics. I served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. I had another 22-year career as a scientist and engineer, building large scale systems for the Department of Defense. I have traveled to and lived in many places around the world, but I am still an Indiana country boy at heart. Now that I am retired, I have the leisure to research and write articles on Indiana history and murder-mysteries. My publications include seven books, a number of papers in scientific journals and a recent article in Connections, the Journal of the Indiana Historical Society.
Frank L. Gertcher
My latest book, The Blind Pig Murders, is set in Chicago during Prohibition. In the 1940s and early 50s, my step-mother had an apartment house on Erie Street. I walked the ethnic neighborhoods and shopped in the storied department stores in the Loop. The fabulous Spencer Hotel (1927-1945) was my setting for a fictional murder and later, a wedding. In 2019, my wife Linda and I toured the hotel, which is now the Chicago Hilton, researched architectural drawings and studied the hotel decor, parties and guests during the 1920s. We also visited the Green Mill Jazz Club and The Hideout. Both were Chicago speakeasies during Prohibition, and both play important roles in my fictional story.
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Sep 16, 2023 04:51PM