Beginning at the End

I keep a collection of short stories titled, A Rusting Sea. These were born (many years back) out of my frustration with not finishing a novel. I thought I would be satisfied creatively by completing a shorter work, sitting back, and thinking, “Well, there it is, the whole thing.” This worked for about six months, during which time I wrote eight stories varying in length from about 10 to 80 pages. Strangely enough, the ending of each story came to me first. I had the end in mind, then tripped back to the beginning and plotted a course to that destination.

Thus, Captain Quincy’s Near Death Experience (which was the second one I wrote) comes to mind just now because I’m here on the island of Aruba. Captain Quincy, a lifelong mariner, decides he’s had enough of retirement and wants to depart this earth before he becomes a decrepit old codger. He spends a couple of days doling out his considerable wealth and through this convention you learn the history of his life. Of course, his cat distracts him throughout this process, ultimately causing Quincy to head back to sea one more time. And here’s how the story ends…

…So Captain Quincy and his cat, Gimlet, hustled down the track on their way to the port.

Attorney Mickleson, that is the son of the Mickleson who defended Quincy in the Turkish courts, found Captain Quincy’s letters and log books on the desk where they had been left. This was some months later, after Mickleson tried more than thirty different times to reach the captain. He went to the house with a police escort to open the door. The door was not locked, and nothing in the house was disturbed. Nothing indicated foul play. The police determined Captain Quincy had gone missing of his own accord despite the odd circumstances. Mickleson sent the letters off to their intended recipients and used the remaining money to maintain Quincy’s home in the off chance he returned.

No one heard from Quincy again. No one claims to know what happened to him. Mickleson ultimately settled the estate, took a reasonable fee, and contributed the balance to a range of charities.

However, on the island of Aruba, in the village of Saveneta, fitted tightly in the dirt beneath a Divi tree, stands a small headstone. The stone reads, “Gimlet,” and beneath the name, “A small world, big enough for me.”

END.

IT WAS that last paragraph that came to me one day while I was looking out the window of a rental bungalow here in Aruba. The rest of the story came later. Would you like to read the rest? Let me know.

Published in: on July 30, 2008 at 12:13 pm  Comments (1)  
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An Island Away, Excerpt 4

Below is the 4th Excerpt from my novel, An Island Away. Captain Beck has survived the sinking of his tug, Patricia, and has been adrift for several days… page 45 …

When he first saw land, Beck had thought it was an illusion. It was dawn, and a mile or two in the distance he perceived what seemed to be cliffs. They stood above the sea, brown blotches with streaks of black among them. He stared with his itchy eyeballs for what felt like hours. When the cliffs grew bigger, he realized they were real.

He felt a smile crack the skin of his lips. He was close enough to swim for land. His muscles cramped, but he couldn’t scream through his parched throat. Thankfully, his life preserver kept him afloat, or he would have sunk to the bottom like a rag-covered stone.

The wind lent him its assistance. It pushed him in the general direction of the cliffs. The waves steepened as they approached more shallow waters that led to dry land. As his body hopped along with the waves, he did his best to steer toward shore. 

Late in the afternoon, he was close enough to see the surf pour over the rocks. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he wasn’t sure, but the currents pushed him parallel to the boulders. He heard the noise of rocks blunting the ocean. He saw birds playing in the updrafts at the edge of the cliffs. What he did not see was an appealing beach on which he could land safely. Those rocks would have shredded a man in excellent condition. After a week at sea, he would have felt only the first blow.

In the final light of the day, he realized he was passing by the tip of an island. It had to be Aruba because Curaçao had a lighthouse at its southern tip and Aruba did not. There was a beach in the distance, but it was tucked behind that fringe of nasty rocks. He drifted along, unable to swim against the current. Salvation had come and now it was going. The devil was laughing into the wind. He could hear his cackle echoing over the deserted beach.

Published in: on July 28, 2008 at 5:09 pm  Comments (1)  
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Charlie’s Bar, Book Signing Event

Wow! What a turnout for the official launch of my novel, An Island Away. There was only one place where this could be held, Charlie’s Bar, Main Street San Nicolaas. I want to start by thanking Charlito (aka Charles III, that is Charlie, Jr.’s son) and Mr. Speziale for making the event a huge success. The bar had to be rearranged a bit, a steel band brought in, and everyone pitched in to get things ready. By 11:00 am people were literally waiting for the bar to open, even though things weren’t scheduled to begin until 12:30. The doors opened at 11:30 and the party began. Here are a few photos:

That’s Mr. Speziale and I, just before things got crazy. And here’s how people lined up.

I’m signing on a table we put on Main Street so there would be room for more people in the bar. In the photo above is my friend from college and her mother. Like so many people who love Aruba, they visit the island at least once a year. Then there was this lady, who reminded me of a character from the book, but she insists it wasn’t her.

It was tons of fun to meet people who have heard about the book and wanted an official “Aruba” copy. I want everyone to know I sincerely appreciate their support and look forward to hearing from all of you about the story. Yes, I am working on the sequel (with brief breaks to hang out at Charlie’s). Here’s a look at the band.

Their music kept everyone entertained. And here’s a few random shots of me with some readers.

One more for the fun of it.

You can find more photos and details on my website, http://www.danielputkowski.com, under the news heading. Or you can simply click HERE (yes, on the word “HERE”). Once again, many thanks to everyone for coming to Charlie’s as well as the staff at the bar who did a yoeman’s job of keeping everyone happy. I can’t wait to do this again. Don’t forget to email your comments about the book to my website.

Published in: on July 24, 2008 at 12:24 pm  Comments (3)  
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Creating Atmosphere, Part 4

For the most part, I’ve talked about big structures and natural phenomena as they relate to creating atmosphere. This time I’d like to go indoors for just a minute. Here is a photo of a corridor in the place where I stay in Madrid, Spain.

 The warm yellow light may make this hallway feel inviting. Or, perhaps the narrowness of it is claustrophobic. It’s up to the novelist to bring out these traits. Put two or three people in this space and they’re bound to collide, figuratively and literally. There might be whispered secrets, or looks exchanged, or the presence of one or the other ignored.

I like to put my characters into these situations. They have no excuse but to act and that action not only develops who they are but also drives the plot through which they are moving. At the same time, there has to be a reason for bringing them together. I don’t appreciate “luck” or “accidental” occurrences in fiction. Good characters have reasons for what they do. Putting them on a collision course means creating a situation where two or more will logically meet. For me, it has to be believable or at least likely that this will happen. If not, I’m jarred out of the story and find it hard to continue.

One of my favorite crime writers is James Ellroy. He creates the atmosphere of 1950’s Los Angeles, and the 1950’s and 60’s of the United States in general, like no other author I know. He has the diners, the movie-sets, the back rooms down like no one else. He also puts his characters in the path of history, up against odds that would be daunting to the toughest person you know. No matter, they evolve through the course of the story to become more than you would ever expect.

Do you have a favorite author who does this? Let me know.

Published in: on July 16, 2008 at 9:56 pm  Comments (1)  
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