I obviously don’t drink enough.

‘The shortest correspondence on record was that between Victor Marie Hugo (1802-85) and his publisher Hurst and Blackett in 1862.

The author was on holiday and anxious to know how his new novel ‘Les Miserables’ was selling.

He wrote ‘?’

The reply was ‘!’’

Good communication.

In my earlier years I had written quite an amount of poetry and some stories for my children which we had enjoyed together.

I began to write fiction.

Over the last seven or eight years I have written three manuscripts concerning the adventures of a Buddhist with the most unlikely name of Augustus.

As a result I extracted out all the parables and augmented them with a few more I subsequently devised and sought to have them published as a collection. Although I had titled the work “Two Pressed Flowers and a Lock of Hair” (a reference to one of the parables) it was finally published under the title of “Augustus Finds Serenity.”

I am now working with A & A Book Publishing with a view to publishing one of the other Augustus stories.

Most of what we write gets revised and probably that which we write when we think we are inspired gets revised most!

My most constructive critic pointed out to me the different style I needed when moving from writing about fact to fiction. It seems a simple thing but when you write fact the whole deal is to be (as) explicit as you can be in ensuring the audience gets the message. When you write fiction you must let the story itself, through its metaphors and gentle persuasion, convince the reader of the particular truth you are trying to impart.

So, I apologise to my readers that sometimes in my fiction writing I am too direct and don’t allow you to find your own way to the message.

The other lesson to learn is brevity.

When inspired by the muse, and we pour out a flood of words, it is wise, when more circumspect, to come back and edit what is written. It is surprising how much you can remove without detracting from either the meaning or the beauty of your prose. In fact the most beautiful works are striking because of their frugality with words.

Of course the other problem with being a budding author is finding role models. When I think of some of my heroes such as Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and so on, unfortunately they were all renowned tipplers. In desperation I have tried increasing my alcohol consumption but all it does is make my spelling worse!’

Ted Scott.

Amen. But hang in there.

Comments from the Blonde Buddhist will be in the mail soon.