Have you always wanted to write a book?

Ballard writer Robert J. Ray is ready to help get your story in print.

Ray is holding a workshop "Start Your Novel Today!" that will be more structured than Ray's "Writing Practice" sessions.

"All kinds of people come. Some have taken courses. They bring friends," said Ray.

In past classes, people writing memoirs, stage plays and poetry have attended.

The Greenwood class is more structured than the meetings at the caf/. Participants get 30 minutes to write something, followed by a reading.

Five minutes each are spent on story setting, character, description, action and dialogue.

"You get more control. You get insights faster. That workshop is about timed writing," said Ray, who has devoted the last 15 years to sharing his knowledge about the craft.

He began reading classic comic books as a child and developed an interest in writing. In high school, he worked as the sports editor newspaper.

Ray, 73, studied English in college and was co-editor of the campus newspaper. He ended up with a Ph.D and taught for 14 years.

At the University of Washington's School of Distance Learning, he has taught writing.

He learned the technique of timed writing after attending seminars held by Natalie Goldberg in New Mexico.

Ray's most recent book is "The Weekend Novelist Redrafts The Novel," the third in the series with similar titles.

The series helps writers use a 52-week plan to take them from conception to finished novel.

As far as mystery writing is concerned, Ray says a book needs a villain, a victim, a murder and a "sleuth."

He has also written eight novels. Five are in the Matt Murdock mystery series. Murdock is a Vietnam veteran, a blue-collar semi-educated guy.

"The murder is central, you figure out a motive. It takes seven drafts," said Ray.

The first draft is written by hand in a spiral notebook before the ideas end up on a computer screen.

"I want to help people write better. There's too much bad writing in the world," said Ray.

Ray's workshop "Start Your Novel Today!" is on April 26, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greenwood Public Library is free to the public. Ray had workshops at Louisa's Bakery and Caf/ on Eastlake Avenue on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., also free.

Dean Wong may be reached at 783.1244 or deanw@robinsonnews.com