Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Wilson
----Source: Banner Journal (Black River Falls, Jackson Co., WI) 4/21/2010
Neillsville Author Speaks at Black River Library (Wilson – 13 April 2010)
Neillsville Author Speaks at Black River Library
Mark A. Wilson, a fictional author from Neillsville, was the guest speaker April 13 at the Black River Falls Public Library. Wilson’s presentation was one of the events held at the library as part of its observance of National Library Week. Pat McKnight/Banner Journal
By Pat McKnight
Even though it can produce difficulties, Mark A. Wilson believes life has a way of making things work out. The children’s fictional books author used his own life as an example to show how problems can have positive results.
The Neillsville author told the audience attending his talk at the Black River Falls Public Library April 13 if the companies he worked for hadn’t closed, it is likely he would not have become a published author.
“I worked at Nelson Muffler until it closed and then worked for Leeson until it closed” said Wilson. “If Nelson and Leeson hadn’t gone under I wouldn’t be here now.”
During this his time of unemployment, Wilson began to dust off some of the stories that he told his sons when they were young. Now grown, Wilson’s sons encouraged him to create bedtime stories that were more exciting than the usual children’s tales.
“When my boys wee little, they got bored with stories like the Three Little Pigs,” said Wilson, “so, I began to make up some adventure stories.”
Wilson began to record some of the stories so his wife could play the tapes for his sons when he worked the night shift and wasn’t able to be home to tell them bedtime stories.
Although his boys are now adults, Wilson said they helped him when he started to write his stories. “My kids have helped me so much,” said Wilson. “Every time I had to think like a kid, they would tell me what they would do.”
In addition to sharing the story of how he began to write his stories, Wilson talked about the process for getting published. He said in addition to the research he had to do for the stories, he had to study which publishers would consider accepting his books.
He would like a New York publishing firm to pick up his works, but he said he doesn’t meet their criteria. “It’s hard for an honest guy from a small town to be picked up by a big publisher,” said Wilson. “They say they only accept manuscripts through agents, and agents say they won’t take manuscripts from anyone who hasn’t been published. It’s a ‘Catch-22’ situation.”
Wilson said he doesn’t have formal training in writing and doesn’t feel this has hampered his writing because it allowed him to develop his own style.
He does think having someone take him under his or her wing to guide him through the publishing process would have been helpful.
When asked where he gets his ideas, Wilson said they just seem to come to him. He tries to write down the ideas as soon as they come to him.
Character development can become a preoccupation for Wilson. “You dream about those characters, and you wake up with them,” said Wilson.
Developing the characters for his stories demands a lot of his attention. Wilson diagrams the traits of his characters to be sure they remain true-to-character throughout the books.
He tends to spend five or more hours writing each day. This regime has resulted in getting six books published within one and one-half years. Sometimes he has worked on three books at once.
The adventures mystery books written by Wilson are The Legend of Crawley Creek, Curse of the Lost Journal, The Amazing Gift from the Woods, The Secret of Gray View Manor and the Old Man’s Secret Friend.
Wilson’s visit was part of the events held at the BRFPL in observance of National Library Week.
More about Wilson and his books can be found on his website at www.author-mawilson.com.
