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New pistols vs. old pistols: a writer's problem

Can you write a novel where a major scene involves something you know nothing about? I've been contemplating a plot for a third novel. (First two as yet unpublished) and part of the plot involves handguns. This is not about good guns or bad guns, good guys or bad guys. It's about two guys who bond over target shooting -- still an innocent sport. The problem I'm encountering is the timeline. As a kid I was into guns, for target shooting and curiosity and for all the gun allure kids love. So the story at one point involves target shooting with what might be called "the guns of my youth": the .22, the 9 millimeter, the .45 auto. A cheap revolver, a couple of German Lugers, and a couple of 1911 Army .45s. Fine. But, as the story progresses, guns make their appearance a second time. But time has passed. The guns of my youth are now obsolete. Time had marched on and I haven't owned a gun for close to sixty years. (Gave them all away when I went on active ...
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How does it end? Who wins?

 A novel needs a climax, a point at which the story comes to a critical point and then something happens to steer it toward a resolution. Here there are three possibilities: the "good" side prevails; the "bad" side prevails... or no one prevails. Look at the consequences of each path. When the "good" sided prevails we feel good about the story as long as the good wins out in a logical way. If the "bad" side prevails, we are either left upset or left telling ourselves, "yes, life is really like that." While I like the feeling of the good side winning, when writing I find myself favoring the ending where everything is set right, no matter how badly this disappoints our desire for retribution. Really don't we want to see harmony in the universe? There can be no harmony in a world where there are only winners and losers. Writing a win-win ending that pleased the reader can be a challenge, but one well worth the effort.  -- Philip ...
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Is self-publishing for you?

I've been hunting to find a suitable agent for my literary output and, for those agents who take submissions through Query Manager , one of the common questions asked relates to self-publishing. If you have published a book yourself, you might be asked how many copies you sold in the first year. Then, regardless of how many copies you might have sold, some agents won't touch you. So what's the story on self-publishing? What does it mean and what is it all about? To "publish" a book or story simply means to put it out there to the public. But usually when writers talk of publishing, they are talking about commercial publishers who take an author's work, make it into a book, and offer it for sale to the public, usually through bookstores. When you self-publish, you skip the step of having your work "accepted" by a commercial publisher who would edit, manufacture, and distribute it to booksellers. Instead, all will be on you, from creating the boo...
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Writing advertising for cash sales

My ad writing was in the mail order business. Picture this. A business with a product to sell but no store, only a small warehouse. Two methods were used to make sales: ads were run in publications ("print advertising") and fliers were mailed out ("junk mail"). Each ad carried a tracking code. When the orders came in, results for each individual code were measured. Either the ad made a profit or it didn't. There was no bluffing. I started free lance. I had no connections. I had to hustle to get clients an then prove my worth. Most clients were the owners. They were decisive and knew their business. In time I was offered an opportunity to start my own company and take a share of the profits. For all the lighthearted moments, it was serious business. -- Philip Goutell
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Welcome to Writers' Teaparty

Welcome to Writers' Teaparty , a nook devoted to writers and writing. Let me introduce myself. I am Philip Goutell and I've been writing most of my life. Until now I've kept a low profile, deliberately, as peace and quiet allow me to think and create. The urge to transition from the commercial into the literary pushes me to lead a more "social" public existence. When I wrote advertising I had to please no one but the customers. Now that my pen (I write with a ball point pen) is turned toward novels, I have to please agents and editors before the reading public sees what I have written. Thus I'm forced to turn myself into a brand, a brand that will attract readers, publishers, and agents. While I am reluctant to follow this path, my desire is to write my stories and see them published. If you are a writer, no doubt you understand. Starting with this first message I'm setting out to make myself known and loved and a desirable commodity for the readi...
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