How I Started Writing
by James Ross
It took a few years, but I finally had a story that I wanted to tell. A doctor friend mentioned that the events had plenty of twists and turns as well as quirky characters. He suggested that those ingredients would make for a good movie.
We were returning from a golf outing and he asked me what I was planning on doing that night. I informed him that I was going to start that movie. He replied, "Huh?"
I reminded him of the comment that he had made two years prior to that. After that I went to my computer, searched for an online screenwriting club, signed up and downloaded Final Draft which is a software program for writing movies.
Then I stared at a blank page.
The learning curve was intimidating and very much a trial-and-error method. Four months later I thought I had a masterpiece. Those hopes were quickly dashed after having the script reviewed. There was enough red ink to make two Sharpies proud.
It was rewritten two more times and we agreed that the plot, characters and storyline existed. So I worked with a professional consultant for several months and the script went through eight more rewrites. It got decent but still wasn't what was needed to compete in the marketplace. I asked my consultant what would help it sell. He replied, "The book."
I balked at first but then decided that I'd go for it. The script became the outline for my first novel, Lifetime Loser. When the book was finished a year later a funny thing happened. The characters screamed to tell another story. A second book was written. That was followed by a third and a fourth and a fifth.
The pace has been hectic. After the fifth, Pabby's Score, was written I decided to take a little break and shift gears a bit. Instead of beginning the sixth novel I went back to the screenplay.
We have worked very hard on perfecting it. Hopefully it is what the industry desires. We should find out soon. Lifetime Loser, the script, has been entered in several screenwriting contests. It sure was a roundabout way to write a novel.
About The Author:
Known best for living life to the fullest, James Ross decided early on that he was going to work to live, rather than live to work. With a persuasive demeanor and a "don't-take-no-for-an-answer" attitude, he embarked on a journey that allowed for him to live along the way.
Born in Central Illinois in the early 1950's, James Ross grew up wanting to be a professional athlete. He was the oldest son of a high school basketball coach and a homemaker. Early in his life, his dad took a job as a textbook salesman for a division of Doubleday. Soon thereafter the family relocated from the corn fields of Illinois to the Metro St. Louis area.
He took up the game of golf at the age of twelve when the family moved to a golf course development in the western suburbs of St. Louis. His passion for the game grew from that moment on and with continued practice he became a low-handicap player. Mr. Ross was a three-sport athlete in high school and accepted an athletic scholarship to go to college. After one year of that he transferred to the University of Missouri in Columbia. There he was a member and social chairman of Beta Theta Pi fraternity until he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on real estate and finance in 1974.
After a few years of traveling and a two year stay in Los Angeles at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Mr. Ross returned to the St. Louis area to embark on a career in sales. After turning fifty he decided to get in touch with the creative side of his mind and sat down to write. Three years later his first novel, Lifetime Loser, was published.
Upon completion the writing bug had consumed him. Before his first novel was finished he had begun the second book. Finish Line is a continuation of the happenings in and around the fictitious setting of Prairie Winds Golf Course on the East Side of St. Louis. Drawing inspiration from his characters, the third book, Tuey's Course was released in January 2009. His fourth novel, Opur's Blade was released in July 2010. The fifth novel in the series, Pabby's Score was released in October 2011.
When he is not writing, Mr. Ross is out looking for a golf game around town or traveling to some warm weather destination to enjoy an amazing life. Many of his stories will be centered on a sports theme complete with applicable analogies. Being a native of the Midwest, they will also carry references to the heartland of America.
BUY THE BOOK: Pabby's Score
Book Description: Pabby's Score
Pabby and Shae, teens with special needs hoping to expand their experience outside Footprints of Hope Foster Care Center, arrive at Prairie Winds Golf Course on the east side of St. Louis.
Innocence and youthful enthusiasm get caught in an undercurrent of sinister events. Civil injustice prompted by an unethical attorney arrives in the form of a bogus insurance claim. Alcohol and greed taint a dishonest judge. An Internet dating site feeds an affair. Shady police work attempts to stain the reputation of head pro, J Dub Schroeder. As the court spins out of control an ethics board investigation and an edgy game of instant messaging tempt the hands of fate. Savant-like tendencies, dementia and flying falcons intertwine with Native American customs, thoroughbred racing and a trip up the river road to Lighthouse Point. A retired barrister hints about a corrupt underground society.
Can revealing a dark secret settle Pabby's Score?
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