Local author seeks to educate and inspire writers

• Dal Donovan%2C 92%2C has written the book "Brush Strokes".
• The book contains techniques and tips for aspiring writers.
• Donovan uses short stories he wrote to show how to add color to one's writing.
• The book is %2424.95 and available through Closson Press.

COSHOCTON – Dal Donovan, 92, remembers leaving World War II behind him with ambitions of being a screenwriter.

The University of California, Los Angeles, didn't have screenwriting courses, so he majored in English and quickly found the style of the day was reading the works of a famous author and trying to mimic their style. Yet the retired president of Jones Metal Products in West Lafayette admits he wasn't any Ernest Hemingway or Henry James.

What he thought would be most beneficial was a book that used short stories to demonstrate different creative techniques and tips in the writing. It's not about copying a style but having concrete examples to analyze of everything from vocabulary to injecting humor to proper use of similes and metaphors.

"Brush Strokes" uses 12 short stories by Donovan to illustrate 34 techniques. The book from Closson Press also features blank pages for readers to take notes and suggestions of assignments to try the concepts each story goes over.

The title comes from the idea that a painter uses many brush strokes of color to create a painting and, likewise, techniques in the book is the "brush strokes" a writer can use to add color to their works.

"There wasn't anything like this when I was in school, and as far as I know, there still isn't anything quite like it," Donovan said. "I've never seen a college that teaches these techniques this way. The purpose of the book is to use all these techniques to improve your writing, and I guarantee you it will improve your writing."

The target audience is college English students and adults who would like to try their hand at writing. It's Donovan's second book after a genealogy tome on Coshocton County cemeteries published in 2002.

Many of the stories in "Brush Strokes" are drawn from Donovan's real life, such as "Five Little Indians." He recalls playing cowboys and Indians growing up in Dennison and his grandparents bought him an Indian costume, which made him chief of his friends.

One day, he was late to play with his friends and fell down, skinning his elbow, as he ran. He was afraid this would mean he wouldn't be chief anymore because a leader shouldn't cry or bleed.

The story demonstrates literary license, as the story in the book isn't exactly what happened, and colloquialisms, as it's OK to not use proper English if you're trying to achieve a feel for a certain time and place.

"There's a certain amount of truth in each of these stories," Donovan said.

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

740-295-3417

Twitter: @llhayhurst

Order the Book

"Brush Strokes" by Dal Donovan with a cover by Mary Lou McConnell and Greg Coffman retails for $24.95. It's available from Closson Press at clossonpress.com or by calling 724-337-4482. It also will be available soon on Amazon.