Go For It! by Tim Smith

“The things you regret are the risks you don’t take.”

I wish I could claim credit for that bit of wisdom but the truth is, I heard it in the movie “Grumpy Old Men.” It was spoken by Ann-Margaret to Jack Lemmon about relationships, and not being afraid to offer your heart to someone. It seemed like good advice but I think it applies to other things in life, too.

As writers, we’re obligated to take chances and push boundaries. Some of us pushed our limits simply by finishing that first book and getting it published. That’s not as easy as some people seem to think. It requires a lot of commitment and hard work, and that’s just the creative part. Once you decide to make writing a career, you really have to push your personal limits with regards to promotion and marketing. Some of us also push the limits of our bank accounts.

Think back to when we were kids, and fearless when it came to trying new things. If you liked someone’s music, what did you do? You rounded up your friends and formed a garage band. Were you obsessed with the latest superhero movie or TV series, like “Batman” or “Star Wars”? Nothing stopped you from making your own costumes and props, then acting out an adventure in the backyard. When you got hooked on reading and decided you wanted to write a story just like your favorite author, did anything get in your way? Our imaginations were fertile and boundless.

What happened to us? We grew up and became aware of a thing called adult responsibilities. Suddenly, things like getting a good job, paying the rent, putting grub on the table and paying attention to family took priority over frivolous adolescent pursuits. Sometimes we need to go back to that childlike naivety and innocence.

It’s important to recall the special excitement you had when you realized your first book, short story or blog was about to be published. That giddy feeling of “Wow, someone likes what I wrote and wants to publish it. How cool is that???” Remember how you felt when you saw your book cover or byline in print for the first time? How about reading the first good review you received? Goosebumps, anyone?  

Do you know why you felt that way? Because you ignored the negative internal voices and the people in your life who jealously said that you wouldn’t make it happen. In short, YOU TOOK A CHANCE on something that was important to you, and it paid off. If you’re fortunate, you may experience it more than once in your lifetime. The trick is to keep pushing boundaries to challenge yourself and stay fresh.     

I like to try new things with my writing. I become bored easily and if I don’t flex my creative muscles, that malaise will find its way into my stories. I think this is why I switch between mystery/thrillers and romantic comedies. It puts my brain in offense mode, and challenges me to take chances. My dislike of cliches also keeps my mystery readers on their toes. I’m really happy when I come up with a unique “Gotcha!” or last-minute “Aha!” twist that catches people off-guard. One of my regular reader/followers pointed out something to me. In many of the mysteries, I write a sort-of climax three-quarters of the way through, then follow it up with a bigger finish. I wasn’t aware I was doing this, but he pointed it out in online reviews as “the Tim Smith double climax.” I haven’t taken out a patent on that yet.    

One of my early books, “The Vendetta Factor” (Nick Seven series), had me going retro by using chapter titles. Since it was an old school pulp fiction-style crime thriller, it seemed like a good fit. The fact that no one had used chapter titles in fiction for thirty-odd years increased my desire to flaunt current trends. My first romantic comedy, “Anywhere the Heart Goes,” took the title thing one step further. I began each chapter with a quote about love and relationships, to set the mood and preview what was coming. Some of the quotes were funny, while others were poignant.

The Vic Fallon retro private eye mystery “Lido Key” pushed my limits with adult content. I made the female lead bisexual, enjoying a relationship with her cute Latina housekeeper, and both of them are attracted to the hero. In looking back at that book, it’s probably the steamiest story concept I ever came up with. Not only is the heroine a switch hitter, she’s a former lap dancer turned rich trophy widow who is being blackmailed because of her past indiscretions. During his investigation, my leading man encounters a crooked strip club owner and a famous tough guy writer with a taste for booze and women. As I said, a sleazy concept with a cast of characters to match. I think Mickey Spillane would’ve been proud.    

Speaking of characters, that’s another way I push limits. I like creating personalities that are unique and off-the-wall, thus making them memorable. I pay attention to people and take note of their fashion statements, physical characteristics and speech patterns. I also pay attention to the way an actor played a character and file it away for future use. My realistic caricatures have gotten me into trouble on occasion, when someone I know is convinced that I based a character on them or a mutual friend. This is patently false, because my characters are composites. What people want to think beyond that is up to them.  

I really like to see how many fireworks I can set off when I give interviews. I have a lot of fun when I can go for a laugh with my responses. It plays into something I learned a long time ago—any publicity can be good if it gets people talking about you. As proof, search the name Kardashian and see what pops up. It also verifies that I don’t take myself seriously. One blog interview I did nearly cost me an invitation to a family reunion, though, because a relative was embarrassed by my answers to a few of the questions. They dealt with my opinions of certain sexual fetishes, some of which were unconventional, and I felt obliged to give funny off-the-wall responses.  

During a live podcast interview, the hostess suggested that the book I was plugging might be good for Oprah Winfrey’s book club. I viewed this as another opportunity to make waves. I stated, live on the air, that I had no desire to be in Oprah’s book club because I didn’t think she or her audience would appreciate my writing. A long silence followed while the hostess pondered the future of her program.

The biggest limit-pusher for me resulted in my becoming a published author in the first place. I had recently reached a crossroad in my life, and was feeling restless. I recalled an idea for a story I had always wanted to tell, and challenged myself to either write the damn thing or stop talking about it. The result was the first entry in my popular Nick Seven spy series, “Memories Die Last,” which continues to sell many years later and has cultivated a nice fan base.  

The second-biggest was my decision to use my own name when I began writing contemporary erotic romance. That was 20-plus years ago, and there have been many occasions when I felt I should have ignored Ann-Margaret’s advice, and adopted a pseudonym. Sometimes I think it was one risk I definitely regretted taking.

Visit Tim's website at: www.allauthor.com/author/timsmith