Dennis Coslett

I am a writer and novelist. Welcome to my blog and website. Here, you can learn what is going on in my life and in my writing career.

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Monday, August 26, 2019

One of my favorite series

I have been a fan of Lawrence Block's writing for a long time, going back, I think, to the early or mid 80s. He rarely disappoints in terms of quality.

My favorite of his work is probably his Matt Scudder series. If you saw the rather disappointing movie with Liam Neeson, you may not think much of the character. If you haven't read the books and stories, do so.

There are 17 novels and some short stories and novellas in the series. They chronical the life and cases of Matthew 'Matt' Scudder, a former New York City police officer. He resigned from the force after a child, an innocent bystander, was killed during a shooting he was involved in. He left his wife and children, moved out of his home in the suburbs, and started living in a hotel in Manhattan, and drinking heavily in his favorite local watering hole. He supports himself by doing jobs for people, alhtough he calls them favors, and getting money upfront in return.

Unlike, say, Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Scudder grows and changes over the course of the stories, coming to terms with his drinking, dealing with a criminal from his past, and marrying one of the supporting characters.

That is the thing I like most about the series, the way Scudder grows and develops and has a story arc over the course of the entire series. I can see using something like that as a guide for my own writing. In fact, I have plans for a three-bpook mini character arc for my main character, Charlie Rowe, possibly inspired by one of my favorite private detective characters.

12:23 pm cdt          Comments

Old Wounds

I have finally started the new version of my novel Old Wounds. I found a story I like, and I have a synopsis. I also have about 15,000 words from previous work on this novel that I can keep. This is good, since my goal is a minimum of 50,000 words, and I have nearly a third down already.

Of course, I can't get too complacent. I have a lot of work to do to turn my bundle of notes into a cohesive novel, but at least I have something underway again at long last. And, since I prefer to plot rather than just write, I have some idea whare I am going with it.

Maybe I can finally get this thing done. It's been too long since I wrote more than a short story

As for the Charlie Rowe short story I mentioned in Ap;ril, that isn't dead, but it does require some work. I think I need to rewrite it, but I am not sure what to change. I think it needs expansion, as the central conflict is too easily resolved. I may seek out some beta-readers who can tell me where the flaw, if there is one, lies.

12:07 pm cdt          Comments


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About me: I have been writing since the early 1980s, ever since discovering a passion for writing during my senior year in High School. My completed writings include novels, short stories, and newspaper articles. I have completed four novels in that time, and have partially completed two others. I have had little success in finding an agent or a publisher for any of my novels, and have recently taken my efforts online. During the years that I have been writing, I have also served my country as a member of the United States Army's Judge Advocate General's Corps. In the last five years, I have been deployed to Army bases in Iraq, Kansas, and Virginia.

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