Saturday, January 18, 2014
Removing yourself from the "Comfort Zone"
I started thinking about this after I finished proofreading Within. It struck me again when I picked up Wizard's First Rule, by Terry Goodkind. I got thinking about the "comfort zone" authors get into, and in some instances are unwilling to, or unable to break from. Now when I say comfort zone, I am referring to words or phrases that we fall back on, perhaps a little too often. Me personally, my comfort words are now, and then. It's funny when I put them together, now and then, but it's true. I would find myself beginning and ending sentences far too often with either. When we write, we have tendencies, and as those grow it becomes our "voice". As we write longer and develop our voice, it becomes even more important to not only expand our vocabulary, but utilize it as well. I started reading Wizard's First Rule recently, and I quickly realized that the word "came" was used frequently. He "came" awake...she "came" to him, are a couple examples of the early uses. Its not a bad thing, after all much of the English language assigns multiple meanings and uses for almost any word, but how much should we use a single word before it becomes a crutch? When a single verb or adjective is used in many different sentences, in many different ways it can frustrate certain readers. This is where a broader variety of verb may be utilized to color up the narrative, and thus pull the reader deeper into the story. I didn't realize my own over use of certain words because quite frankly the early writing process is far more stream of consciousness than anything else. But after I finished the creative functions and broke into the more critical steps I realized how badly I abused certain words. Even writing this post, I struggle to not start or finish sentences with "now" or "then", even now I am getting the shakes as my finger hovers over the keyboard.
I pose the following questions to my fellow writers. When you are writing, how much thought do you put into substance vs story? How difficult is it for you to identify over used words, and/or change or find alternatives? And do you think that this should only be a consideration during the proofing and editing phases of a written work? And if you banish these considerations from the creature steps of a story, how much time afterwards do you dedicate to rewrites? Throw some knowledge at me, and as always, thanks for reading.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Discover what kind of writer you are
Writing can be like running, in order to preform well, we need to learn our limitations. When we walk or run we automatically set our pace, otherwise we tire and ultimately labor. Writing can be very similar in many ways. It is important to gain context, and thus learn the best manner in which to work.
With that said, I'll jump back to the beginning. When starting any project, novel, novella, short story, fiction or non-fiction, you simply need a seed of inspiration. This can be as small as an idea, a character, a scene or even a conversation. Build the first scene around your idea, sculpting the details as they come naturally. It is never a bad thing to pop down to a new page and jump forward, or even start a new document and re-imagine the work you have already completed. You may get far enough into the project and decide that whole chunks of material you have already written doesn't belong. Do yourself a favor and do not delete it. Instead, copy and paste it into a separate document and save it in its own folder. Later on you will be thankful you did.
The more you write, the more ideas you will have. Think of it as the flood gates of a dam, you are the one responsible for the flow, although sometimes you can't shut it off. Inspiration and imagination can be tricky that way. How many nights have I laid in bed trying to fall asleep, yet unable to as the ideas continue to churn and manifest. Consider your earliest writing a wire frame model, it serves the important function of propping up the basis for your story. As you continue to write, ideas should compound or change. If you don't want to jump backwards to change them immediately then log them in a separate file, or buy a notebook and scribe them as notes. The important thing is to get them down, if for no other reason than continuity later on.
If your work drags on in length it is never a bad idea to create a glossary of important terms. The people, places, things and events that are relevant and important to your story. This way, when your are writing a scene involving elements you touched on 200 pages ago you wont have to jump back and scour for the source material. And as I touched on earlier, it will help maintain continuity and make proofreads and edits that much easier.
Visuals are never a bad thing. If you have artistic talent, use it. I believe maps are vital, if only for the writer at times to track and maintain spacial discipline when a story starts to sprawl. Drawings of characters also help seed imagination, and ultimately will allow you to add depth to description within the text. A white board, or cork board is a nice addition, if you have the space. Ideas always allow different perspective when you can write them out. If you involve other people in your writing process this will allow them to consider your ideas, as well as tweak, add to or redirect you to better ones.
Understand the software you are using. Whether Apple or Microsoft, word processors offer a plethora of features that will aid you while you write. Explore the settings, and while most of these programs offer real-time proofing options, few of them are activated right out of the gate. Within Microsoft Word, if you open options and then go to the proofing menu you can activate several useful tools. You can set the program to check for passive voice, relative clauses, possessives, cliches, contractions and many more. Although I will say that if you have the software checking for too much while you write, it can muddy up the experience a bit, so start out with a few and move on from there.
We don't write 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so try and develop a methodology to your writing. For example, when ever I sit down to write after a break, short or long, I always go back and read the last 2-3 pages I wrote before I stopped. Not only does this help you jump right back into what is happening in the story, but it can also serve to jump start the imagination.
Lastly, I will say this. There is always pressure behind a project, and none so much as that which we apply to ourselves. Because of this pressure we are driven to write, even at times when the creative juices have dried up. Change up the surrounds, get up and walk around or put on some music, but if your not feeling it, don't force it. It is during those difficult periods that more harm can be done than good. I have now gone full circle, and as stated in the first part of the post, learn your limits and tendencies. Figure out what part of the day you are the most creative. What your favorite places are to write, but also how writing affects you. Try 1-2 hour blocks of time first and then take a break. Remember that it is not worth the frustration and negative feelings you can associate towards a project if you force yourself too much. From there, it is your show...good luck and write happy!
With that said, I'll jump back to the beginning. When starting any project, novel, novella, short story, fiction or non-fiction, you simply need a seed of inspiration. This can be as small as an idea, a character, a scene or even a conversation. Build the first scene around your idea, sculpting the details as they come naturally. It is never a bad thing to pop down to a new page and jump forward, or even start a new document and re-imagine the work you have already completed. You may get far enough into the project and decide that whole chunks of material you have already written doesn't belong. Do yourself a favor and do not delete it. Instead, copy and paste it into a separate document and save it in its own folder. Later on you will be thankful you did.
The more you write, the more ideas you will have. Think of it as the flood gates of a dam, you are the one responsible for the flow, although sometimes you can't shut it off. Inspiration and imagination can be tricky that way. How many nights have I laid in bed trying to fall asleep, yet unable to as the ideas continue to churn and manifest. Consider your earliest writing a wire frame model, it serves the important function of propping up the basis for your story. As you continue to write, ideas should compound or change. If you don't want to jump backwards to change them immediately then log them in a separate file, or buy a notebook and scribe them as notes. The important thing is to get them down, if for no other reason than continuity later on.
If your work drags on in length it is never a bad idea to create a glossary of important terms. The people, places, things and events that are relevant and important to your story. This way, when your are writing a scene involving elements you touched on 200 pages ago you wont have to jump back and scour for the source material. And as I touched on earlier, it will help maintain continuity and make proofreads and edits that much easier.
Visuals are never a bad thing. If you have artistic talent, use it. I believe maps are vital, if only for the writer at times to track and maintain spacial discipline when a story starts to sprawl. Drawings of characters also help seed imagination, and ultimately will allow you to add depth to description within the text. A white board, or cork board is a nice addition, if you have the space. Ideas always allow different perspective when you can write them out. If you involve other people in your writing process this will allow them to consider your ideas, as well as tweak, add to or redirect you to better ones.
Understand the software you are using. Whether Apple or Microsoft, word processors offer a plethora of features that will aid you while you write. Explore the settings, and while most of these programs offer real-time proofing options, few of them are activated right out of the gate. Within Microsoft Word, if you open options and then go to the proofing menu you can activate several useful tools. You can set the program to check for passive voice, relative clauses, possessives, cliches, contractions and many more. Although I will say that if you have the software checking for too much while you write, it can muddy up the experience a bit, so start out with a few and move on from there.
We don't write 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so try and develop a methodology to your writing. For example, when ever I sit down to write after a break, short or long, I always go back and read the last 2-3 pages I wrote before I stopped. Not only does this help you jump right back into what is happening in the story, but it can also serve to jump start the imagination.
Lastly, I will say this. There is always pressure behind a project, and none so much as that which we apply to ourselves. Because of this pressure we are driven to write, even at times when the creative juices have dried up. Change up the surrounds, get up and walk around or put on some music, but if your not feeling it, don't force it. It is during those difficult periods that more harm can be done than good. I have now gone full circle, and as stated in the first part of the post, learn your limits and tendencies. Figure out what part of the day you are the most creative. What your favorite places are to write, but also how writing affects you. Try 1-2 hour blocks of time first and then take a break. Remember that it is not worth the frustration and negative feelings you can associate towards a project if you force yourself too much. From there, it is your show...good luck and write happy!
Character driven vs Plot driven narrative
You hear some people define a certain story or book as either character driven, or plot driven. In this blog post I thought I would touch a little bit on each one, if for no other reason than for reflection. In a character driven story or narrative, the emphasis usually lies on the character, or a series of characters. The weight of the story falls on the internalized pressures the character deals with. You are privy to the character's thoughts and feelings. Emotions play a larger role, as it is the protagonist themselves that will ultimately change, or be changed. This doesn't mean that the narrative itself doesn't have significance, it only means that the influences on the character, specifically those that will alter, reroute or otherwise force a change within the character are more prolific. A character driven story allows us as readers to delve deeper within the character. To see how they have been altered, or will be, by any number of influences. Events need to inspire a shift within the character, for good, or for worse. Whether the change is necessary, or simply a byproduct of those influences is irrelevant, but nevertheless the key to the story.
On the other side of the coin you have plot-driven stories, in which the external pressure, or twists and turns define the narrative. The defining actions may be quest based, or specific goals the character has to complete. You could look at it like stairs vs an escalator. In a character driven story, there has to be an inner need for someone to get to the top of the stairs. Therefore they have to make the decision, and then take the action to physically climb to the top. The second floor may be the end point and the actual climb constitutes the change. On the escalator, and in a plot driven story, a character may be pushed along by no decision or action of their own, but are swept up in the currents of the story and carried along. Its about the ride, not the conscious action of moving, or changing. This may be an overly simplified way of describing it, but its always worked for me.
I have to admit that I can see the benefits of either philosophy. I love reading about relatable characters, it makes them so much more believable for me. But I also love a good action-packed, thriller. Sometimes its okay to take a step outside of the character's head and just get wrapped up in a story. And then there are moments when we want to get more introspective, to delve deeper into what it means to be human, and hope for change. Isn't that a universal truth? That we are never too old to grow or change. Let me know what you think.
On the other side of the coin you have plot-driven stories, in which the external pressure, or twists and turns define the narrative. The defining actions may be quest based, or specific goals the character has to complete. You could look at it like stairs vs an escalator. In a character driven story, there has to be an inner need for someone to get to the top of the stairs. Therefore they have to make the decision, and then take the action to physically climb to the top. The second floor may be the end point and the actual climb constitutes the change. On the escalator, and in a plot driven story, a character may be pushed along by no decision or action of their own, but are swept up in the currents of the story and carried along. Its about the ride, not the conscious action of moving, or changing. This may be an overly simplified way of describing it, but its always worked for me.
I have to admit that I can see the benefits of either philosophy. I love reading about relatable characters, it makes them so much more believable for me. But I also love a good action-packed, thriller. Sometimes its okay to take a step outside of the character's head and just get wrapped up in a story. And then there are moments when we want to get more introspective, to delve deeper into what it means to be human, and hope for change. Isn't that a universal truth? That we are never too old to grow or change. Let me know what you think.
Editing, what I've learned along the way
Editing anything can be a chore, but proofreading a full length novel can be time consuming and demanding. Any author can tell you, "you've written a book once, you've read it fifty times!" You story line, write, rewrite, revise, edit, proofread and maybe even rewrite again. All to craft the perfect book, or the perfect story. I recently finished proofreading my novel <em>Within, </em>and thought I would share what I learned along the way. Please understand, I am not an editor, just a guy who loves to write.
1: Turn off the computer. It may sound odd, but tis truth that you cannot adequately edit anything on a computer. Save your file to a thumb drive and mobilize to the print shop, or do what I did and invest in a good auto-duplexing laser printer. Buy the economy pack of red pens and dig in for the long haul. The fact is, proofreading and editing on paper presents you with a better opportunity to judge and reflect on the work.
2: With your paper and trusty red pen in hand, get to reading. I have found that reading out loud helps. Awkward wording, or punctuation placement becomes apparent immediately. Plus, it helps you gauge pacing and story progression better as well. I also found that it is not a bad thing to read tricky spots out loud to someone else. Sometimes it just takes including another set of ears to the equation to spark the inspiration you were looking for.
3: Get comfortable. The fact is, the more comfortable you can get, the more engrossed in your project you will become. A comfy chair, a hot cup of tea or coffee and your favorite slippers should do the trick. Try and remove any unnecessary distractions from the area. I realize we can't always remove, without force, our kids, but we can take care of the rest. Soft, relaxing music can serve as beneficial white noise. I've found that classical or movie scores work well.
4: Get a thesaurus, and a dictionary. Authors ten years ago didn't have the flexibility we have today. Now, we have a paper back or reference thesaurus, online thesaurus and not to mention mobile applications for phones and tablets. I always keep a paperback thesaurus at my desk, just in case I run into a stretch of unimaginative adjectives or verbs. I also have found Thesaurus.com and its corresponding android app to be most helpful.
5: Take advantage of writer support websites. Writer's digest is a pantheon of support and advice for new and established authors. It just happens to be my favorite. They have articles to aid you with plot or character development. Not to mention information to help guide you through the paces after the writing is completed. I have to this day not found a better resource for submissions or query.
6: Get your work into other people's hands. Its true that you should proofread your work before handing it off to your beta readers, but don't be surprised when they identify the stray mistake or two. Pick people you know will be honest, and make sure they know how much you appreciate their input. Each batch of beta copies should be separate, and only after tweaks and corrections are made should you reprint and continue to the next wave. This can be a time consuming process, but one well worth the effort.
7: Last but not lease, time. Its amazing how space can free up inspiration and imagination. After completing an edit, rewrite or proofread take some time away. Pick up a new novel, take a trip or binge on a season of your favorite show. Whatever it is, it is important to step away. When you pony back up to the project you will approach it with renewed vigor and fresh perspective.
Now go forth and draw first blood with thine mighty red pen!
1: Turn off the computer. It may sound odd, but tis truth that you cannot adequately edit anything on a computer. Save your file to a thumb drive and mobilize to the print shop, or do what I did and invest in a good auto-duplexing laser printer. Buy the economy pack of red pens and dig in for the long haul. The fact is, proofreading and editing on paper presents you with a better opportunity to judge and reflect on the work.
2: With your paper and trusty red pen in hand, get to reading. I have found that reading out loud helps. Awkward wording, or punctuation placement becomes apparent immediately. Plus, it helps you gauge pacing and story progression better as well. I also found that it is not a bad thing to read tricky spots out loud to someone else. Sometimes it just takes including another set of ears to the equation to spark the inspiration you were looking for.
3: Get comfortable. The fact is, the more comfortable you can get, the more engrossed in your project you will become. A comfy chair, a hot cup of tea or coffee and your favorite slippers should do the trick. Try and remove any unnecessary distractions from the area. I realize we can't always remove, without force, our kids, but we can take care of the rest. Soft, relaxing music can serve as beneficial white noise. I've found that classical or movie scores work well.
4: Get a thesaurus, and a dictionary. Authors ten years ago didn't have the flexibility we have today. Now, we have a paper back or reference thesaurus, online thesaurus and not to mention mobile applications for phones and tablets. I always keep a paperback thesaurus at my desk, just in case I run into a stretch of unimaginative adjectives or verbs. I also have found Thesaurus.com and its corresponding android app to be most helpful.
5: Take advantage of writer support websites. Writer's digest is a pantheon of support and advice for new and established authors. It just happens to be my favorite. They have articles to aid you with plot or character development. Not to mention information to help guide you through the paces after the writing is completed. I have to this day not found a better resource for submissions or query.
6: Get your work into other people's hands. Its true that you should proofread your work before handing it off to your beta readers, but don't be surprised when they identify the stray mistake or two. Pick people you know will be honest, and make sure they know how much you appreciate their input. Each batch of beta copies should be separate, and only after tweaks and corrections are made should you reprint and continue to the next wave. This can be a time consuming process, but one well worth the effort.
7: Last but not lease, time. Its amazing how space can free up inspiration and imagination. After completing an edit, rewrite or proofread take some time away. Pick up a new novel, take a trip or binge on a season of your favorite show. Whatever it is, it is important to step away. When you pony back up to the project you will approach it with renewed vigor and fresh perspective.
Now go forth and draw first blood with thine mighty red pen!
Random thoughts...so far
So i'm sitting here on the 15th day of October, feeling the year draw to a close around me. The passage of time affords us all perspective in one way or another. We all get wrapped up in our own lives and are subsequently caught up in the blur that follows. Its only natural to look back and ask "where has the year gone?" For me it was, where have the last few years gone?
When I first finished the second draft of <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Within</span> I impatiently pushed through towards publishing, although in reality my book was still light-years away from that phase of its life. Countless published authors have said it, editors and agents preach it, "you can never go through your book too many times." That idea to the budding author is like lemon juice in a paper cut. I had the mentality of a five year old in the candy isle at the supermarket, "I want it now!" Thankfully, time broke me from that mentality and afforded me enough distance to appreciate what a truly unique experience writing a novel is.
From the very first step to the very last I have been learning. As cliche as it sounds it truly is a journey. I never fathomed how much of my life such a project would consume. From early writing, to late writing and through to editing, more editing, rewriting and more editing, I would hazard to guess that my hours involved are staggering. I wouldn't ask for any of them back though, because the results I am seeing now are more than worth the time. There really isn't any better feeling than talking to a reader and discussing the things about my book they genuinely enjoyed. Despite my paranoia at first, I told myself that they were just telling me what I wanted to hear. After all, I am my own biggest critic and someone couldn't possible enjoy my writing. But with each wave of readers my book got cleaner and cleaner. The big problems had snagged in the nets, and the smaller ones were slipping through less and less.
I enjoy hearing people talk about their favorite characters. My story has a scattering of them, all with their own flaws, appeal and dilemmas so I was happy to hear so many of them had won places in reader's hearts. As far as my protagonists go, I would like to think that each one has more than a sliver of me in them. Some more than others, and I think that is one of the wonderful aspects of writing. My view of my characters will always be an intimate one, just as so many readers are with the books they come to love. But what I learned about writing the story is how much stronger the affinity with my characters became.
I created a side character early on. They were a purpose driven character and eventually, through the natural arc of the story they were going to die. Their death had meaning. It would sculpt and help mold one of my main characters into the hero he needed to become. But as I dug deeper into the story I became quite fond of this particular character, and as I approached the appointed end of their journey I felt apprehension. The character wasn't just a red shirt to me, fodder so easily thrown away for quick advancement of the story, or a fever-pitch death scene. I saw a story going forward, a life, that within the confines of my story was just as compelling, or perhaps even more so than any I had dreamed up originally. Just as in real life, my characters had done their song and dance, no less than the rest of us when we put on our freshest face and interview for a job. I believe that a book is only as strong as its weakest character. Do you feel the same? Also, is it a bad thing if a supporting character becomes one of your favorite within the story? Just a few interesting questions to close with. Once again thanks for reading.
When I first finished the second draft of <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Within</span> I impatiently pushed through towards publishing, although in reality my book was still light-years away from that phase of its life. Countless published authors have said it, editors and agents preach it, "you can never go through your book too many times." That idea to the budding author is like lemon juice in a paper cut. I had the mentality of a five year old in the candy isle at the supermarket, "I want it now!" Thankfully, time broke me from that mentality and afforded me enough distance to appreciate what a truly unique experience writing a novel is.
From the very first step to the very last I have been learning. As cliche as it sounds it truly is a journey. I never fathomed how much of my life such a project would consume. From early writing, to late writing and through to editing, more editing, rewriting and more editing, I would hazard to guess that my hours involved are staggering. I wouldn't ask for any of them back though, because the results I am seeing now are more than worth the time. There really isn't any better feeling than talking to a reader and discussing the things about my book they genuinely enjoyed. Despite my paranoia at first, I told myself that they were just telling me what I wanted to hear. After all, I am my own biggest critic and someone couldn't possible enjoy my writing. But with each wave of readers my book got cleaner and cleaner. The big problems had snagged in the nets, and the smaller ones were slipping through less and less.
I enjoy hearing people talk about their favorite characters. My story has a scattering of them, all with their own flaws, appeal and dilemmas so I was happy to hear so many of them had won places in reader's hearts. As far as my protagonists go, I would like to think that each one has more than a sliver of me in them. Some more than others, and I think that is one of the wonderful aspects of writing. My view of my characters will always be an intimate one, just as so many readers are with the books they come to love. But what I learned about writing the story is how much stronger the affinity with my characters became.
I created a side character early on. They were a purpose driven character and eventually, through the natural arc of the story they were going to die. Their death had meaning. It would sculpt and help mold one of my main characters into the hero he needed to become. But as I dug deeper into the story I became quite fond of this particular character, and as I approached the appointed end of their journey I felt apprehension. The character wasn't just a red shirt to me, fodder so easily thrown away for quick advancement of the story, or a fever-pitch death scene. I saw a story going forward, a life, that within the confines of my story was just as compelling, or perhaps even more so than any I had dreamed up originally. Just as in real life, my characters had done their song and dance, no less than the rest of us when we put on our freshest face and interview for a job. I believe that a book is only as strong as its weakest character. Do you feel the same? Also, is it a bad thing if a supporting character becomes one of your favorite within the story? Just a few interesting questions to close with. Once again thanks for reading.
The question of character
For my second blog I would like to hand the reins off to you. Consider this question: Is the conflict within a character as important as what they struggle with externally? Is this idea subjective, or possibly even objective. As a reader, what is your level of interest in a protagonist that doesn't deal with anything relatable to you? With that said, what makes up a character you want to read about, and ultimately root for?
The Power of music
Its one of the most commonly asked questions, whether between readers, writers and bloggers or wanna-be novelists, like me. What inspired you?
That is a multi-part question isn't it? After all, taking an idea, putting it to paper and then having the imagination and the fortitude to see it through to completion requires inspiration all on its own. But so does the story that you are trying to create and grow.
Science Fiction and Fantasy have been near and dear to my heart since childhood. My earliest brushes with fantasy literature were with J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis. The Lord of the Rings and Narnia were some of the first books I remember reading with my parents, so when I set out to write my own story it only felt natural to start there.
The time had come to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak. It was time to write the story I wanted to read, and hope and pray that other people might want to read it too. After all, what better way to get what you want out of a book then take direct control of the project yourself right? Easier said than done.
Simply deciding to write a book is not enough. Something has to move you to want to write, otherwise the words will fall as flat as that "500 words or less essay" you hacked out for humanities senior year of High School. I had tried to write a book before. The story I wanted to tell inspired me. The setting I wanted to tell it in captivated me, but I was at a point of transition in my life and focus, not to mention free time were commodities in short supply.
Fast forward to present day, a couple years ago I mean. Life had settled out, the new phase was in full swing...the stage was set. Just like any other night I was checking in on new trailers for up and coming movies. Then it hit me. It wasn't so much the content of the movie trailer, because at this point I can't even remember what movie the trailer was for. It was the song. Even in its chopped, spliced and horrifically shortened and disfigured state the music grabbed me. I started to search. Back then we didn't have Sound Hound, or Shazam as back up. I had to do it the old fashioned way, I had to actually look...ugh.
Thanks to our friends at Google my search was much easier than it could have been. Thanks also go to the legion of people out there that will research, post, link and document anything and everything...you people reach around and pat yourselves on the back! The song was called Protectors of the Earth. It was two minutes and forty nine seconds of pure epicness, composed by Thomas Bergersen for the then little known Two Steps from Hell studios. Thanks to YouTube I was finally able to listen to the song in its entirety, and let me say, it did something.
I have never experienced anything like it. It was raw and spontaneous, the kind of inspiration that can drive you crazy, or drive you to write. So I wrote, and in just a few short, fevered hours I had written the first chapter of my book. The story felt like a wire frame however, so I kept on writing. Desperate to get it down, and also to see where my imagination would take me. One chapter turned into two, and then two into four and before I knew it I was sitting on fifty thousand words and hadn't really gone anywhere.
In six months I finished the first draft. That version of just over one hundred thousand words was a benchmark for me, I thought I had finished my task. But the story had changed so much over the course of writing I found that the first chapter I wrote, the seed of my inspiration was no longer a part of my book. So I went back to the very beginning and started a rewrite. The story needed filling in. There were side characters that had earned larger rolls and something called "continuity" that I guess I needed to worry about.
It took me the better part of a year to complete the next phase of writing, but what had started as a 100,000 word first draft had grown into a 245,000 word monster. The story had taken on a life of its own, and I would not be the one to hold it back. In the time since I have edited, revised and polished. I still have the first chapter I wrote, that darling seed planted by Bergersen's epic track. It no longer fit into the folds of my finished book, but that fact alone makes it no less important.
While you consider what might inspire you, give a listen to the song that started it all for me.
That is a multi-part question isn't it? After all, taking an idea, putting it to paper and then having the imagination and the fortitude to see it through to completion requires inspiration all on its own. But so does the story that you are trying to create and grow.
Science Fiction and Fantasy have been near and dear to my heart since childhood. My earliest brushes with fantasy literature were with J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis. The Lord of the Rings and Narnia were some of the first books I remember reading with my parents, so when I set out to write my own story it only felt natural to start there.
The time had come to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak. It was time to write the story I wanted to read, and hope and pray that other people might want to read it too. After all, what better way to get what you want out of a book then take direct control of the project yourself right? Easier said than done.
Simply deciding to write a book is not enough. Something has to move you to want to write, otherwise the words will fall as flat as that "500 words or less essay" you hacked out for humanities senior year of High School. I had tried to write a book before. The story I wanted to tell inspired me. The setting I wanted to tell it in captivated me, but I was at a point of transition in my life and focus, not to mention free time were commodities in short supply.
Fast forward to present day, a couple years ago I mean. Life had settled out, the new phase was in full swing...the stage was set. Just like any other night I was checking in on new trailers for up and coming movies. Then it hit me. It wasn't so much the content of the movie trailer, because at this point I can't even remember what movie the trailer was for. It was the song. Even in its chopped, spliced and horrifically shortened and disfigured state the music grabbed me. I started to search. Back then we didn't have Sound Hound, or Shazam as back up. I had to do it the old fashioned way, I had to actually look...ugh.
Thanks to our friends at Google my search was much easier than it could have been. Thanks also go to the legion of people out there that will research, post, link and document anything and everything...you people reach around and pat yourselves on the back! The song was called Protectors of the Earth. It was two minutes and forty nine seconds of pure epicness, composed by Thomas Bergersen for the then little known Two Steps from Hell studios. Thanks to YouTube I was finally able to listen to the song in its entirety, and let me say, it did something.
I have never experienced anything like it. It was raw and spontaneous, the kind of inspiration that can drive you crazy, or drive you to write. So I wrote, and in just a few short, fevered hours I had written the first chapter of my book. The story felt like a wire frame however, so I kept on writing. Desperate to get it down, and also to see where my imagination would take me. One chapter turned into two, and then two into four and before I knew it I was sitting on fifty thousand words and hadn't really gone anywhere.
In six months I finished the first draft. That version of just over one hundred thousand words was a benchmark for me, I thought I had finished my task. But the story had changed so much over the course of writing I found that the first chapter I wrote, the seed of my inspiration was no longer a part of my book. So I went back to the very beginning and started a rewrite. The story needed filling in. There were side characters that had earned larger rolls and something called "continuity" that I guess I needed to worry about.
It took me the better part of a year to complete the next phase of writing, but what had started as a 100,000 word first draft had grown into a 245,000 word monster. The story had taken on a life of its own, and I would not be the one to hold it back. In the time since I have edited, revised and polished. I still have the first chapter I wrote, that darling seed planted by Bergersen's epic track. It no longer fit into the folds of my finished book, but that fact alone makes it no less important.
While you consider what might inspire you, give a listen to the song that started it all for me.
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