Writer Randolph Randy Camp Talks About His US Air Force Experience

Writer Randolph Randy Camp At Piano Playing His Original Music From Novels '29 Dimes' and 'Wet Matches'

Author Randy Camp Plays Original Music Featured In His Novels

Randolph Randy Camp's 'Then The Rain' Book Trailer

Writing Voices

Writing in someone else’s voice is certainly not an easy task. When I wrote ’29 Dimes’, I wanted to make the reader feel as though he or she was walking or sitting right beside the main characters, making the readers feel as though they were physically there “in the room” with the characters. When you’re writing your narrative in the first person, or from the character’s point of view, you’re pulling the reader closer to the character without them realizing it. It’s a way of bringing the reader deeper into the story and into the main characters’ consciousness.
When I was writing the thoughts and dialogue for the characters in ’29 Dimes’, I had to totally clear my brain of my own upbringing and thoughts, and then I began to briefly reprogram my brain and body to think, eat, drink, walk, and talk like Valerie, Pepe, Kalib, Teki, Tip, Brittany, and Ronnie, the seven colorful characters in ’29 Dimes’. I absolutely believe that you, as a writer, have to mentally walk in your characters’ shoes to get a sense of who they are and where they came from, which will help to better explain why they are currently in whatever predicament or situation you had written them into. Walking in your character’s shoes leads to great dialogue and character development because you are assuring the reader that “this voice” is not yours.
Writing the ’29 Dimes’ characters in the first person was an exciting and fun experience for me. If you haven’t tried this writing technique before then I certainly encourage and recommend that you do so. Writing voices from the first person perspective is a creative way to draw your readers right into your character’s living room. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

The Power of Story Time

When I was a kid growing up in America's racially heated South during the Civil Rights Movement, life certainly wasn't a piece of cake, and back then you had to constantly watch what you said or who you looked at. People of color, such as myself, were made to feel "less than human" and were repeatedly told that we didn't deserve the same respectful treatment and service as others. Having these terrible negative attitudes drilled into our brains year after year, you may understand why myself and other people of color during this troublesome time period in America began to feel as though we actually were "too dumb" or "too insignificant" to achieve or accomplish anything.
But, when I heard the memorable mantra "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" from "The Little Engine That Could" during story time at my elementary school, it gave me the spark I needed to build my confidence and strength within myself as a little Black boy growing up in a harsh world that seem to be "too color-conscious." - Randolph Randy Camp
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Finally! Spring Has Actually Arrived!

Hello Everybody! This is downtown Buffalo, NY. We finally got a beautiful sunny day after such a super long winter and record-breaking snowfall. Photo taken Sunday, April 12, 2015. - Randolph Randy Camp

More at http://randy0312.wordpress.com 

Tying the Knots (or not): Randy's Writing Tips

As with any story, it’s common knowledge that you should have a good beginning, middle, and a good ending. Not unless you are intentionally setting up your next sequel with an exciting cliffhanger, it’s always best to answer all questions of your plot so that your readers aren’t left scratching their heads at the end.
But, as already mentioned, if you’re strategically setting up the lead in to your continuation, then it’s best to limit your cliffhanger teaser to only one or two characters. You don’t want to leave your readers puzzled about large chunks of the major plot, but leaving them hungry and guessing about “what happened to so-and-so?” isn’t too hard to digest, and if written with the perfect amount of creative tease, it could get your sequel off to a great financial success. – Randolph Randy Camp
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

GIVING: A WONDERFUL THING

Giving someone the tools to expand their knowledge and imagination is a beautiful thing, and that’s what #freebooksaturday is all about. Simply take your used books and freely offer them to your neighbors. Touch someone’s soul this Easter weekend by participating in your own Free Book Saturday event. And please share your photos, if any. – Randolph Randy Camp
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp