Blog Hop--My Writing Process
I was invited to participate in this blog hop tour, by my friend and SF writer, Carmen Webster Buxton. You can learn more about her writing process on her blog hop post: Why (and How) I Write. Carmen writes stories where the effect of technology, as well as culture and society, has on the characters within that milieu. I want to say thank you to Carmen for inviting me to participate in this event (I'm a blog hop newbie).
So, in this hop there are a few basic questions that I've been asked to answer regarding my writing process.
1. What Am I Working on Now?
I'm currently working on a sword and sorcery novelette (or what was supposed to be a one) about a warrior who's in search of a legendary wizard. His village was decimated by a magical spell and he needs the wizard to help set things back to normal. But before he can find the wizard, whom he is beginning to believe doesn't exist, he runs into a young boy who may or may not be a well intentioned thief. The boy's crime doesn't go unnoticed, and soon, the warrior must extricate himself from the situation. The only problem is--the boy may be his only clue to finding the wizard he's looking for.
Here's the cover:
2. How Does My Work Differ From Others in Its Genre?
I think my work differs from others in the sword and sorcery genre because I have an interest in both simplicity and a little more depth. The simplicity part comes in the use of language. Some S&S stories are very florid in the structure of the sentences. When I write, I like to achieve a simpler, smoother transition from word to word. I still aim for the descriptive elements that help make sword and sorcery what it is, I still try to make interesting worlds, and still try to write incredible battles--I just try to do it with less words and hopefully that will make for stronger imagery.
The more in depth part is trying to add literary elements to a sub-genre that is better known for its action. I try to do this either through the characters and their struggles or based around the idea of the plot.
3. Why Do I Write What I Do?
I think, when we are young, those first new experiences can influence us for the rest of our lives. I can still remember when I saw "Star Wars: A New Hope" at the drive-in theater--it was pure magic. I can still remember the first fantasy trilogy that I fell in love with--"The Dragonlance Chronicles". I always loved reading whether it was comic books, fiction, or the marketing copy on the back of the cereal box. Writing allows me to explore worlds that only exist in my imagination, but through my imagination I can make it so that those worlds and those characters truly exist. In the long run, stories are only a reflection of the world we live in.
4. How Does My Writing Process Work?
Hmmm...well my writing process needs a little bit of an overhaul (which is one of the things I'm working on now).
I'm in one of those painful stages of learning where you try new things that you're not completely comfortable with. You take parts from here, add parts from there, flip that switch on, then turn that one off, and hopefully when you have it all figured out everything will work beautifully...
But it's a process.
What I've discovered though is that I'm good with beginnings. For me, beginnings are easy. They're gold. They're excitement. They can be grabbed from almost anything. The flash of an idea, a question, a character, an interesting situation. I know how to mold beginnings, I know what questions need to be answered. I know how to make them exciting.
I also know about endings. Endings come from your beginning. Endings must answer all the important questions you raise in the beginning. A good ending can be very satisfying, and sometimes, you can just feel when you have the right ending for the story.
Now, my trouble starts with middles. I've learned some things from different sources, but middles are still my Achilles heel--they're where I get lost in the wilderness. And that is what I'm working on figuring out.
So, in this hop there are a few basic questions that I've been asked to answer regarding my writing process.
1. What Am I Working on Now?
I'm currently working on a sword and sorcery novelette (or what was supposed to be a one) about a warrior who's in search of a legendary wizard. His village was decimated by a magical spell and he needs the wizard to help set things back to normal. But before he can find the wizard, whom he is beginning to believe doesn't exist, he runs into a young boy who may or may not be a well intentioned thief. The boy's crime doesn't go unnoticed, and soon, the warrior must extricate himself from the situation. The only problem is--the boy may be his only clue to finding the wizard he's looking for.
Here's the cover:
2. How Does My Work Differ From Others in Its Genre?
I think my work differs from others in the sword and sorcery genre because I have an interest in both simplicity and a little more depth. The simplicity part comes in the use of language. Some S&S stories are very florid in the structure of the sentences. When I write, I like to achieve a simpler, smoother transition from word to word. I still aim for the descriptive elements that help make sword and sorcery what it is, I still try to make interesting worlds, and still try to write incredible battles--I just try to do it with less words and hopefully that will make for stronger imagery.
The more in depth part is trying to add literary elements to a sub-genre that is better known for its action. I try to do this either through the characters and their struggles or based around the idea of the plot.
3. Why Do I Write What I Do?
I think, when we are young, those first new experiences can influence us for the rest of our lives. I can still remember when I saw "Star Wars: A New Hope" at the drive-in theater--it was pure magic. I can still remember the first fantasy trilogy that I fell in love with--"The Dragonlance Chronicles". I always loved reading whether it was comic books, fiction, or the marketing copy on the back of the cereal box. Writing allows me to explore worlds that only exist in my imagination, but through my imagination I can make it so that those worlds and those characters truly exist. In the long run, stories are only a reflection of the world we live in.
4. How Does My Writing Process Work?
Hmmm...well my writing process needs a little bit of an overhaul (which is one of the things I'm working on now).
I'm in one of those painful stages of learning where you try new things that you're not completely comfortable with. You take parts from here, add parts from there, flip that switch on, then turn that one off, and hopefully when you have it all figured out everything will work beautifully...
But it's a process.
What I've discovered though is that I'm good with beginnings. For me, beginnings are easy. They're gold. They're excitement. They can be grabbed from almost anything. The flash of an idea, a question, a character, an interesting situation. I know how to mold beginnings, I know what questions need to be answered. I know how to make them exciting.
I also know about endings. Endings come from your beginning. Endings must answer all the important questions you raise in the beginning. A good ending can be very satisfying, and sometimes, you can just feel when you have the right ending for the story.
Now, my trouble starts with middles. I've learned some things from different sources, but middles are still my Achilles heel--they're where I get lost in the wilderness. And that is what I'm working on figuring out.