My writing philosophy is very structure and I follow the Tolkien model of fantasy world building. Instead of merely writing a story and then building the world around it, I build my world with its history first and then write the story in this world. i feel that this give the world a larger field, and makes it feel more authentic.
Of course this model has its drawbacks as well. The biggest frustration is if you change one thing it effects so much. It effects the history, it effects the story, and it effects the whole world. You change something as small as a name and the ripple effect is huge and quite frankly difficult to keep continuity.
But these changes are worth it because I am excited that I have created an expansive beautiful world that I hope my readers will get lost in.
Any thoughts?
My next post will be on my first major writing slump.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
It's been a while!
Wow exactly a month since my last post. I am sorry that it has been so long. I told you last time that I would right about fantasy world building but I will postpone that until next post. Today I want to talk about who writers should write for.
As I write I often find I do not like myself very much. My writing is fairly dark and serious and I consider myself to be a very fun loving upbeat person. How could I write things that are so dark.
Along this thought comes some shame in my weaker moments. I feel shame that my parents will not like my adult books. I feel shame that I am not using my talent to further my career or my faith. I wonder sometimes why I write, what is the purpose.
But more than that I wonder who I write for.
Am I writing to get published? I would like to get published but I am not writing to be published.
Am I writing because I have this story and these characters in my head? Do I owe it to these characters and this story to write? This I think is my primary motivation, but is that good enough?
Should I write my story even if it offends my loved ones? I am, but I do not feel good about it.
Am I an artist? Do I compromise my art to assuage my conscious? How does that apply to editorial notes that I receive when I try to get my work published?
These have been my thoughts lately...what do you think?
As I write I often find I do not like myself very much. My writing is fairly dark and serious and I consider myself to be a very fun loving upbeat person. How could I write things that are so dark.
Along this thought comes some shame in my weaker moments. I feel shame that my parents will not like my adult books. I feel shame that I am not using my talent to further my career or my faith. I wonder sometimes why I write, what is the purpose.
But more than that I wonder who I write for.
Am I writing to get published? I would like to get published but I am not writing to be published.
Am I writing because I have this story and these characters in my head? Do I owe it to these characters and this story to write? This I think is my primary motivation, but is that good enough?
Should I write my story even if it offends my loved ones? I am, but I do not feel good about it.
Am I an artist? Do I compromise my art to assuage my conscious? How does that apply to editorial notes that I receive when I try to get my work published?
These have been my thoughts lately...what do you think?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Butt in Chair
Perhaps my favorite quote on writing comes from J.K Rowling, and while I cannot find the exact quote it goes something like this. "People who sit around talking about writing are not actually writing. Writing is being butt in the chair and doing it." (Paraphrased) This has been my biggest problem since I have started writing. I want to spend time with my wife and dog, I want to go looking for a house. I want to play World of Warcraft or hockey on my Xbox 360. I want to read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series again. I want to help keep our apartment clean. It is hard to make time to write, and I need to put my butt in the chair. So it is up to you! If you see me relaxing ask me if I have written today. If I have not, feel free to kick my butt a bit.
Next week I will be talking about building a fantasy world. I look forward to your comments and accountability.
Next week I will be talking about building a fantasy world. I look forward to your comments and accountability.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Expectation: It hurts so good.
One of the biggest challenges that I am finding as I am now in week three of blogging and writing is the problem of managing expectations. I am a perfectionist particularly when it comes to my own creative efforts and trying to balance my expectation of perfection with my need to grow as a writer is something that I am finding difficult.
Another expectation that I am struggling with is the desire for originality. I am working very hard to have not only an original story but to make the world that I am designing unique. I know that inevitably in fantasy that some similarities are going to occur, but I am hoping that in my writing if you do see my influences you that they do not overshadow my creation.
The next expectation that is difficult are the expectations that I, my wife, and my critique partner have for me. I want to write a minimum of 500 words a day with a goal of 1000 words. I am finding this difficult to achieve and have not written 500 words total in the last two weeks due to illness or responsibilities. (although I have been editing) Tonight should be a good night for writing though so I am excited about that.
Finally the expectation to get published. This is the the worst of all. I think every writer wants to get published, but most never do. Being a perfectionist all I want is to get published, have it be critically lauded, have it be beloved by fantasy readers around the world, have it be made into a blockbuster movie, and have a series of spin off novels set in the world I make. That is not too much to ask is it? But it is that very hope that gets me writing.
And speaking of getting my writing my next blog will be called Butt in Chair. I would love to hear you comments.
Another expectation that I am struggling with is the desire for originality. I am working very hard to have not only an original story but to make the world that I am designing unique. I know that inevitably in fantasy that some similarities are going to occur, but I am hoping that in my writing if you do see my influences you that they do not overshadow my creation.
The next expectation that is difficult are the expectations that I, my wife, and my critique partner have for me. I want to write a minimum of 500 words a day with a goal of 1000 words. I am finding this difficult to achieve and have not written 500 words total in the last two weeks due to illness or responsibilities. (although I have been editing) Tonight should be a good night for writing though so I am excited about that.
Finally the expectation to get published. This is the the worst of all. I think every writer wants to get published, but most never do. Being a perfectionist all I want is to get published, have it be critically lauded, have it be beloved by fantasy readers around the world, have it be made into a blockbuster movie, and have a series of spin off novels set in the world I make. That is not too much to ask is it? But it is that very hope that gets me writing.
And speaking of getting my writing my next blog will be called Butt in Chair. I would love to hear you comments.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A History of Writing
I promised last post that I would give you my history of writing and here it is.
I have never thought of myself as a writer, I have always seen myself as a storyteller. I like telling stories and I like conveying the power of those stories to an audience. I have, for the most part, always communicated my stories orally because I hated the physical act of writing. I am very long winded but my writings are usually very short and to the point.
Recently, my wife Sarah and I traveled to visit my parents and I uncovered the scrapbook that my mom made of my early childhood. Inside were perhaps a hundred stories that I had written in school. Most of them were four sentences long and nearly every one of them was about me becoming either a famous basketball player, a famous football player, or about one of my favorite sports teams winning in some unbelievable fashion. (ie 99999 to -2)
As I got older I kept writing about sports but I started writing 2 page stories that were modeled after the Matt Christopher books that I loved so much growing up. His books were simple, there was an average player on an average team, the kid had some personal problem that was in some way tied to a flaw in his game on the field. The kids figures out his personal problem with the help of a parent or coach and the team goes on to win the big game. So I took on that story and wrote with me as the main character. I believe that one eventually made it to about 8 pages but it was lost when our very old, second hand, barely functioning when we got it, computer crashed. I know it was a great loss to the literary community but we must press on.
Then I fell in love with fantasy. Well that is not entirely true because I have always loved Disney movies, and two Rankin/Bass animated fantasy movies (Flight of Dragons and The Hobbit) But I fell in love with reading and then writing fantasy. The reading started with the Dragonlance series, which I believe that I have read at least the first three books over 100 times. And my love of writing fantasy started at the computer playing Warcraft II The Tides of Darkness.
I LOVED Warcraft and I still play it today. (but sadly not with the same passion) After beating the game I decided that I could not let it go, and so I wrote a story about it. Of course I was the main character. This was a masterpiece of literature. It was around 17 pages long and had 30 chapters. It was not even close to finished and had what may be my wife's favorite line in any book ever.
Here is what happened: My character was tied to a pole and is about to be executed, and suddenly this beautiful woman who my character (aka me) had never met (but who was based on someone who I had a crush on in real life), and who was the leader of the group walks up to make the final decision as to what is going to be my fate. Ok here is the line, "And then she kissed me!" (DRAMATIC PAUSE)
I know, I know, it makes no sense that she would kiss me without any preamble or without knowing my character at all but I was twelve and I had never really kissed a girl and so I was working with what I had. (and my wife loves it because she says she can see me as a dorky tween sitting at the computer and writing it) Fortunately, I still have this manuscript and maybe someday I will go back and turn it into a real story.
That ended a my major writing periods until I discovered that I really was ready to delve into romance myself when I was in high school.
Romance is one of my major driving factors in my writing. The adult fantasy series that I am writing truly began when I was in high school. I started writing this series to help me figure out my romantic entanglements. When I wrote out my feelings I often felt better about my life. Of course I never wrote them out as I felt them, I put them in stories set in this fantasy world and I populated the world with my friends, crushes, and even people who I did not like. I did destroy all of these stories (and I can assure you that all of those real people have been taken out of the current story and I have not included any of my current friends family or acquaintances in the stories that I write today.) because they were about my real feeling about my real friends, but I think these stories helped me realize that i would like to write. I always felt better after I wrote. So since that time I have been working on building my fantasy world and perfecting the story arc that I have in my mind.
And that is it really. I am now a writer and this is the history that I have to pull from. I think it will be hard from me not having much to draw from. I mean in these stories I am not the main character and none of my friends are in the story either. Everyone must be made from scratch. On top of that my writing skills probably are not great, as I have not been honing my craft for years like so many writers. But the advantages I do have are that this world that I am writing about is entirely my own so it can be what I want it to be. And I have been crafting my story and my world for a decade. Maybe through the help of my friends,my editors, my critique partner, and my wife, we can work together to turn what has been forming in my head into a beautifully written story.
Thanks for reading and your COMMENTS are more than welcome. See you next week when I will talk about expectations.
I have never thought of myself as a writer, I have always seen myself as a storyteller. I like telling stories and I like conveying the power of those stories to an audience. I have, for the most part, always communicated my stories orally because I hated the physical act of writing. I am very long winded but my writings are usually very short and to the point.
Recently, my wife Sarah and I traveled to visit my parents and I uncovered the scrapbook that my mom made of my early childhood. Inside were perhaps a hundred stories that I had written in school. Most of them were four sentences long and nearly every one of them was about me becoming either a famous basketball player, a famous football player, or about one of my favorite sports teams winning in some unbelievable fashion. (ie 99999 to -2)
As I got older I kept writing about sports but I started writing 2 page stories that were modeled after the Matt Christopher books that I loved so much growing up. His books were simple, there was an average player on an average team, the kid had some personal problem that was in some way tied to a flaw in his game on the field. The kids figures out his personal problem with the help of a parent or coach and the team goes on to win the big game. So I took on that story and wrote with me as the main character. I believe that one eventually made it to about 8 pages but it was lost when our very old, second hand, barely functioning when we got it, computer crashed. I know it was a great loss to the literary community but we must press on.
Then I fell in love with fantasy. Well that is not entirely true because I have always loved Disney movies, and two Rankin/Bass animated fantasy movies (Flight of Dragons and The Hobbit) But I fell in love with reading and then writing fantasy. The reading started with the Dragonlance series, which I believe that I have read at least the first three books over 100 times. And my love of writing fantasy started at the computer playing Warcraft II The Tides of Darkness.
I LOVED Warcraft and I still play it today. (but sadly not with the same passion) After beating the game I decided that I could not let it go, and so I wrote a story about it. Of course I was the main character. This was a masterpiece of literature. It was around 17 pages long and had 30 chapters. It was not even close to finished and had what may be my wife's favorite line in any book ever.
Here is what happened: My character was tied to a pole and is about to be executed, and suddenly this beautiful woman who my character (aka me) had never met (but who was based on someone who I had a crush on in real life), and who was the leader of the group walks up to make the final decision as to what is going to be my fate. Ok here is the line, "And then she kissed me!" (DRAMATIC PAUSE)
I know, I know, it makes no sense that she would kiss me without any preamble or without knowing my character at all but I was twelve and I had never really kissed a girl and so I was working with what I had. (and my wife loves it because she says she can see me as a dorky tween sitting at the computer and writing it) Fortunately, I still have this manuscript and maybe someday I will go back and turn it into a real story.
That ended a my major writing periods until I discovered that I really was ready to delve into romance myself when I was in high school.
Romance is one of my major driving factors in my writing. The adult fantasy series that I am writing truly began when I was in high school. I started writing this series to help me figure out my romantic entanglements. When I wrote out my feelings I often felt better about my life. Of course I never wrote them out as I felt them, I put them in stories set in this fantasy world and I populated the world with my friends, crushes, and even people who I did not like. I did destroy all of these stories (and I can assure you that all of those real people have been taken out of the current story and I have not included any of my current friends family or acquaintances in the stories that I write today.) because they were about my real feeling about my real friends, but I think these stories helped me realize that i would like to write. I always felt better after I wrote. So since that time I have been working on building my fantasy world and perfecting the story arc that I have in my mind.
And that is it really. I am now a writer and this is the history that I have to pull from. I think it will be hard from me not having much to draw from. I mean in these stories I am not the main character and none of my friends are in the story either. Everyone must be made from scratch. On top of that my writing skills probably are not great, as I have not been honing my craft for years like so many writers. But the advantages I do have are that this world that I am writing about is entirely my own so it can be what I want it to be. And I have been crafting my story and my world for a decade. Maybe through the help of my friends,my editors, my critique partner, and my wife, we can work together to turn what has been forming in my head into a beautifully written story.
Thanks for reading and your COMMENTS are more than welcome. See you next week when I will talk about expectations.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
My First Flaws
So in my writing adventure I am finding that I have some major flaws that are going to hurt me as I write.
For one, I can't draw. Well I can draw just not well, and because I am a very visually inspired person the inabilty to draw out some of what I see in my head is a major handicap. I see a lot of authors who can make beautiful artwork to help them realize thier vision and I just cannot do it.
Two, I hate writing. There I said it, I HATE writing. I love story crafting, I love story telling, I love building my fantasty world and being creative. But I hate the actual writing. That said I love doing this even if I do not like the process it takes.
Three, I have not been a lifelong writer. Well, that is not entirely true I used to write stories when the idea struck, but they were never longer than two pages and generally were about sports. Now I find myself on the brink of starting a series perhaps lifelong journey of writing and I feel like Harry Potter on his first trip to Diagon Alley. So much to see and do, it looks awesome and I want to experience all of it, but I feel like I have no idea what to do.
Fourth, I am not a professional writer. This means I have to fit writing in amongst a full time job, a wife, a job, and perhaps even some more schooling. Now I know that there are people who write with many more responsiblities than this but writing is difficult for me and my creative process takes a long time.
Finally, I am not sure that I am good enough. I think this is a universal thought for new authors but it is still something to battle with.
Well that is all for now. My next post will be about my writing history. As always posts are welome. Thanks for reading.
For one, I can't draw. Well I can draw just not well, and because I am a very visually inspired person the inabilty to draw out some of what I see in my head is a major handicap. I see a lot of authors who can make beautiful artwork to help them realize thier vision and I just cannot do it.
Two, I hate writing. There I said it, I HATE writing. I love story crafting, I love story telling, I love building my fantasty world and being creative. But I hate the actual writing. That said I love doing this even if I do not like the process it takes.
Three, I have not been a lifelong writer. Well, that is not entirely true I used to write stories when the idea struck, but they were never longer than two pages and generally were about sports. Now I find myself on the brink of starting a series perhaps lifelong journey of writing and I feel like Harry Potter on his first trip to Diagon Alley. So much to see and do, it looks awesome and I want to experience all of it, but I feel like I have no idea what to do.
Fourth, I am not a professional writer. This means I have to fit writing in amongst a full time job, a wife, a job, and perhaps even some more schooling. Now I know that there are people who write with many more responsiblities than this but writing is difficult for me and my creative process takes a long time.
Finally, I am not sure that I am good enough. I think this is a universal thought for new authors but it is still something to battle with.
Well that is all for now. My next post will be about my writing history. As always posts are welome. Thanks for reading.
My name is Andy and I am a writer.
My name is Andy and I am a writer.
Wow, that is still so strange to say. I am not a professional writer, at least not yet, but that is the goal. I plan to write several books and I have 6 on the burner right now.
Here are my current projects:
First, is a children's picture book. I like where this book is heading so far, but the biggest decision I need to make is whether or not to make it rhyme.
The second book is a children's picture book that is my tribute to the fine work of Dr. Seuss.
The third book is a children’s chapter book.
The fourth book is an untitled young adult horror story that is kind of a cross between children of the corn and I am Legend.
The fifth book is an untitled young adult dark comedy about a teenage vampire. This may turn into a series.
The sixth book is not actually a book but is actually tentatively scheduled (at least within my mind) to be a three book, adult fantasy series. This series is my primary project and most of my updates and most of my effort will be on these books.
This blog will document my history as a writer and keep you, my dear reader, apprised of my progress. I would look for weekly updates to start, but as I get further along in the process I will try to blog more often. Thank you for reading and please feel free to post any encouragement or thoughts on any of the posts that I make. If you follow my blog you will learn about me, and you will get exclusive previews of some of my notes, planning outlines, and maybe even some glimpses of my parts of my first drafts.
Wow, that is still so strange to say. I am not a professional writer, at least not yet, but that is the goal. I plan to write several books and I have 6 on the burner right now.
Here are my current projects:
First, is a children's picture book. I like where this book is heading so far, but the biggest decision I need to make is whether or not to make it rhyme.
The second book is a children's picture book that is my tribute to the fine work of Dr. Seuss.
The third book is a children’s chapter book.
The fourth book is an untitled young adult horror story that is kind of a cross between children of the corn and I am Legend.
The fifth book is an untitled young adult dark comedy about a teenage vampire. This may turn into a series.
The sixth book is not actually a book but is actually tentatively scheduled (at least within my mind) to be a three book, adult fantasy series. This series is my primary project and most of my updates and most of my effort will be on these books.
This blog will document my history as a writer and keep you, my dear reader, apprised of my progress. I would look for weekly updates to start, but as I get further along in the process I will try to blog more often. Thank you for reading and please feel free to post any encouragement or thoughts on any of the posts that I make. If you follow my blog you will learn about me, and you will get exclusive previews of some of my notes, planning outlines, and maybe even some glimpses of my parts of my first drafts.
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