HOW I WRITE A BOOK #4

                                            STOLEN CHURCH NOW IN WINDERMERE
As I approached the next leg of writing a book, based on the Columbia River book mostly, I was so amused at the tale of how this church was stolen, literally. I thought it important to tell you that photos and odd tales mixed in with the facts make a book steeped in history actually readable. I never was much on writing about what happened somewhere in terms only of who was the governor, what treaty was made, and such. Frankly, one needs to have such details but  as a fact on which to tell the story of the "real people," as I call them. I like to tie local lore into the book as a means of transporting the reader to the site I am describing.

In this case, the St. Stephens Church at the little town of Donald on the CPR (on the Rogers Pass segment from Golden to Revelstoke) was the site of the charming little church that served mostly the workers and families. CPR started to move its headquarters to Revelstoke, west of Donald, the opposite side of the pass, In the dark of night parishioners of St. Stephens loaded the entire church onto a flat car and took it to Windermere, where it still rests. The angry CPR managers were unable to persuade the locals to give it back. For book purposes I could have just said that the church was moved to Windermere, but the real cloak-and-dagger method makes the event memorable. This tale was common local knowledge, but sometimes one can find lively and little-known tidbits in the loose files of the local town libraries.

Similarly, the old highway around the north end of Lake Kinbasket (part of the Columbia River) was under water in early days of high water. It is more interesting to understand how pioneers dealt with misfortune when we add to the book that well-known settler Gordon Bell traveled that stretch of road. in 1960 by removing the fan belt and slogging through as much as two and one-half feet of water. He was hauling necessary equipment for the construction of the still-popular hotel Three Valley Gap. Such small things make the book reader a part of the struggle, not a detached collector of facts.

In my writing of this segment of Columbia River I set out at the broad meeting of the three rivers that join to turn southwesterly in a leaky little boat. The snow-covered Columbia Ice Field peaks loomed above my 10-foot craft, a precarious short ride. I had learned in the research files that this original narrow defile claimed the lives of many early explorers.  .. And here I was in that spot, albeit a much larger body of water, in a way too small boat.  Hmmmm.

How I Write a Book, #3

Spring in My Garden

BUT I AM WRTING A BOOK....

The publisher has stated that I have one year to write the book about the Columbia River, 1200+ miles long, so I divide the preparation into 100 miles a month. The topic covers too much area to absorb the feeling of the whole river at once. I go to the first 100 miles of river for two weeks, then go back to my office, write for two weeks, and on to the next 100 miles.

During each research of two weeks on site I do not try to write finished text. I visit the local library or any other local source of pertinent information and take notes, make copies, record the ambiance of the place, get the area's relationship to the entire river's history as I then know it roughly, interview many people and get their signed clearances to use material (if needed) and any photographs of people (must have to meet today's rules). 

I gather and double-check any information that is scheduled for some books, such as places to stay, eat, visit as a tourist, and any advice for visitors if that is the type of armchair history you are writing. Double-check all these details and determine, as much as you can, if the information will be about the same within the coming year or two. From this first day of writing about something to the issuance for the public (bookstores, signings, etc.) will take about 1-2 years.

For the book Colunbia River I learn and record matters. When was the river discovered by Europeans or any person or group that recorded this in some language (French, Russian, English, ?). Find a First Nations person to see if earliest data is known about how the river was used or homes built near there, what the people did to support themselves (fish, grow crops, ?)  Determine the exact site of the river's birth, photo if possible. What does it do then -- run into a pond, river, lake, or wind around. How wide is it? Interesting tidbits, which are crucial to creating a book that has some life and not just statistics and hard information, e.g., the CR runs through a golf course now, so imagine teeing off over the CR, because at its beginning it is just a stream no wider than your street, perhaps, and near the ocean is four to six MILES wide.  Another interesting squib might be that many people do not know that the CR runs northwest for a great distance before it turns south and eventually west. I work this into a narrative that makes readers feel they are there in person. Mentally, when I am writing the book, I AM there.

See you again at approximately mile 101 downstream in blog 4. 

JoAnn Roe

HOW I WRITE A BOOK #2

In the last blog I clarified the procedure of contracting with a publisher or preparing myself to begin writing,    Not all authors prepare the same way, for sure.  I will focus on how I wrote The Columbia River in this series of blogs.

I head off by car for the headwaters of the Columbia north of the Canadian border in eastern British Columbia, a long day's trip. I bring no notebook and may avoid bringing my serious camera, too. I am going to wander along the river and environs to begin feeling the river. It's like immersing myself in its waters, absorbing the surroundings, making the river live inside me. I chat with people I encounter with small talk mostly, not asking questions often. I am simply transporting my mental self to the site on the Columbia that I am physically standing on. Often I am imagining what I would be doing and thinking if "now" had been "then," historically decades or years earlier.

As the days pass, I continue to soak up the ambience of the area and of the river itself, its currents, clear or murky, water color,  fast or slow, plants, sounds of the river and the plunk plink of a fish jumping, small animal cries.  As the creation of the book progresses,  I will spend time in advance of ongoing writing to understand from the river's standpoint  what may be at each new block of geography.

I do not write anything down on this first trip. I merely concentrate on every aspect of the river's life at a particular location. I am blessed with the ability to store visual images and impressions for some time when I am deliberately focused on taking in everything 360 degrees around me.

I return home to simply think about what I have absorbed and plan on a direction for my work to proceed. I resume my normal life with husband and social friends and rest. Within one week I return to the beginning site. Thus, each week required two days of travel, going and coming.

HOW I WRITE A BOOK

• HOW I WRITE A BOOK

So many readers ask me how I go about writing a book. Most people who are not writers really do not know about the procedure. I think many authors follow  a process similar to mine, except for the many, many self-published authors that are able to put their works into the market today. However, as a lifetime professional writer, I have been lucky enough (or at least was known a little bit because of my lengthy career writing for magazines) to have most of my prospective books contracted in advance by traditional publishers.

What is the difference? A traditional publisher receives suggestions for a book from writers like me. The very largest of such publishers only read inquiries (usually) presented by an agent; Most  others do read proposals from almost anyone, who usually must research the publishing firm to get some idea of how many books a year it publishes, the readers that it tends to attract (fiction, non-fiction, adventure, romance, etc.), acceptable formats, what its pay schedule is for advances and royalties. The contract is very important to both parties. One must be sure the subject is not already in print, at least with the same slant the author chooses, that direct quotes from any person or other book have signed releases,  what are the term of subsidiaries, and the due dates for a contracted manuscript (very important because publishers advertise books greatly in advance), plus other matters. Subsidiaries are very important, because the income split for a book made into a movie or other use, for foreign language version, and other types of reproduction varies between publisher and author.. A host of other variable matters between publisher and author need discussion, as well.

Once the contract is signed, the publishing company pays all the costs of the formatting, publishing, distribution to wholesalers and distributors, promotion and other marketing costs. The author pays the costs of writing an acceptable finished manuscript and furnishing illustrations (usually).  Please understand that I do not assume responsibility for any form of error or variation that the author or publisher incurs from following my comment on this publishing and sale process. I am merely generalizing from experience at writing 17 published books to date.

Traditional publishers include such large and small companies as Random House, McGraw-Hill, Harper's, Caxton Press, Rowman & Littlefield, Peachtree Children's Press.

Self-publishing requires the authors, organizations, a small corporation , "whoever," to pay for all the costs involved in publishing and marketing the book. A whole new cadre of marketers is appearing to assist in the marketing and sale of such books, often written by first-timers in the field and well-written as any but needing to build a recognition factor. One needs to be aware of the way the system works, such as establishing a retail price, upon which most percentages of sale are built, such as to bookstores, wholesalers, the public at book shows, etc., in order to set a figure that will permit a profit over publishing and marketing expenses. Some publishers ask for the author to contribute a percentage of the over-all costs in a joint agreement. As indicated above, I do not guarantee that any advice given above is totally correct or up to date I am generalizing. See your attorney or a knowledgeable writing coach, at least.

NEXT BLOG: Now that we have some background out of the way, the blog can deal with more interesting details such as how I approach the writing process. See ya.

Pacific Northwest Travels in Winter

You guessed it. This is not the Columbia River or the San Juan Islands book image, but it is from Death Valley CA in a remote museum within this vast park. Deer are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest, so in its way, it is an image for all. In our high mountains of the North Cascades bears are common, too, but not during winter's hibernation time.

In my magazine writing career I have showcased the world, but in my 17 published books, I deal more with the Pacific Northwest and my home state of Washington and considered one of the most scenic regions of the world.  The purple heather is blooming already, for the PNW is not a cold place; winter temps are usually around 50 degrees days, 35-40 nights. This is the rainy season near, but the coasts, but the high mountains are enjoying heavy snow packs.  Skiers and snowboarders are delighted.

I signed many gift books purchased by fans for holiday gifts, especially the San Juan Islands; Into the 21st Century and Columbia River plus the kids books about Marco the Manx. Sorry I have been so lazy and slow about writing for you.

The oceans are often wild at this season. Big winter storms come out of the Southwest with one recent weekend showing winds of 60 mph. While I was at my cabin in December, one windstorm created waves between my San Juan Island and the next island that looked as if the ocean between had gone through a blender resulting in solid white foam, fun to watch from the safety of shore. Today the TV featured Oregon coast's big surf and sneaker waves that send beach walkers running for higher ground on shore. Such storms result in great beach combing, with items all the way from Japan sometimes. In earlier days pretty glass balls often wound up on our SJI shores that had been  used by Japanese fishermen o spread and float their nets.

Now is the season when the snow geese fly into the Northwest farm areas near the Canadian border and Skagit River from far north, even Alaska. They are similar to storks, large white birds that travel in flocks and are very  often seen between Bellingham and Everett WA harvesting leftovers in farmer's fields from fall 2015. Eagles, too, are in the trees and river shores of our area, enjoying some shelter from the worst of winter winds or rains and harvesting the remains of the spawning salmon that have laid their eggs upriver and then died. This is the natural cycle of life in our Northwest.

The little town of Concrete on the Skagit River attracts hosts of eagles, so many that the area has eagle festivals attracting tourists.

RUGGED WINTER WEATHER

I remember talking to a Columbia River ship captain who said he once tied his boat/ship to his own house along the river near The Dalles when the river froze to a depth of 5-6 feet in 1949! It remained until the wind switched around from N/NE to the usual warmer SW winds. I believe this has never happened since.

Also in winter at the Canadian bend of the river from NW to SW, snow in the 1940s covered construction equipment so deeply that a small aircraft had to fly over and identify where it was. It seems unlikely today to believe these stories of the river before many dams and climate variations.

My book on the Columbia River tells the stories of real people and life, as does the book San Juan Islands: Into the 21st Century, both published in the last few years. Just today in the San Juans, the much loved Christmas Ship had to cancel its voyage through the San Juans and some of the Canadian Gulf Islands because of strong winds. It is not only the winds that cause trouble sometimes, but the combination of winds and currents.

Usually both  locations are tranquil places to enjoy cruising along in river boats or Salish Sea boats. Salish Sea is the newest name for the waters of Puget Sound and north of the Washington-BC border.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL WHO ARE SAFE IN THEIR HOMES OR CABINS DURING OCCASIONAL RUGGED WINTER WEATHER.

GOOD NEWS FROM COLUMBIA RIVER

The salmon are swimming upstream to spawning grounds in record numbers right now, and many are swimming  in the waters above !!!  Good news, indeed. The news from authorities is that perhaps as many as twice last year's salmon are fighting their way up river. An increasingly healthy river?

It is true that no one, really, can accurately predict in advance what any given year will be good. Even before dams, marauders like sea lions, or pollution problems were faced, the salmon runs historically have varied sharply from year to year. It is my impression that -- since the salmon decide to come up river from broad areas of the Pacific Ocean, where they have been hanging out after reaching the ocean from the Columbia River and its tributaries -- who could possibly know for sure. I don't mean to disparage your skills, dear fish experts.  We can just enjoy this year a bumper "crop" of returnees.

Unfortunately for them, the returning salmon who left as juveniles will die after they reach their original homes after first laying their eggs in the rivers and streams. But that is Mother Nature's way: the bodies they sacrifice at this point will nourish myriads of birds and animals that depend on their gift for survival.

Several times in my life I have visited and watched the salmon fighting against the current and manmade obstacles, or fleeing from hungry sea lions or animals or birds to complete heir life cycle by depositing their eggs so far from the ocean.  It is really quite impressive, even emotional  to watch.