Saying a lot with a little

In The Five Pearls, I decided on very concise writing. The flowers are there, but with less petals.

Example:

He carried his duffel over to the bus stop and sat down on a cool metal bench under a lean-to that was supposed to be a respite from the blistering Texas sun in summer. But it was long past summer now and the wind in the air tasted like dirty chalk.

A big sign was screwed to the fence next to the bus stop; words printed in big blood red letters:

DO NOT PICK UP HITCHIKERS

A picture tells a short story

Several years ago, a brave girlfriend and I visited Thailand and had the good fortune to go on an Elephant Safari in the northern region known as The Golden Triangle.

My next book always starts with a title

When I get my initial idea for a book it comes with a very rough idea for a title. This feeds the storyline, the central theme for me. Later, as I add characters, build the plot, discover the unfolding dialogue between the characters and find the settings and locales for the set pieces, I find myself with insomnia, searching for a better title. Here's a good example - my next book - currently titled The Glass Fence was originally Pretty Maids All in a Row. A few months later, it became All the Lonely People, followed by Hotel Confidential. But it still wasn't the best title... I savored it for a couple of months, defended it in the body of the work. But it still wasn't the right title. It was a catchy title, but didn't portray much of the true pyschology in the text... It didn't defend central theme for me as I found with my previous books - Chasing God's River and The Five Pearls. But wala! I think now the final title has arrived, driven in like a spike - from the story, the theme. But without a title to start with, I find it difficult to stay excited and move forward...