Q & A part 1
I know I've been off the radar for a while; some things take precidence over electronic updates. However, my last post (a month ago? geesh!) asked for people to ask me questions they had; here I'll start answering those that aren't terribly private!
What author inspired you to write?
The author of two of my favorite fantasy series, The Belgariad and The Mallorean, David Eddings, summed up what it was to be an author by saying that authors write, non-authors try to write. I wasn't inspired by any one author or poet, but rather by the drive to get what was in my head out on paper. There was music to life, and while most of my early works were bleak and dark, I found writing to be very calming. My writings, admittedly fewer these days than in the past, do follow in the vein of some of my favorite authors however, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, and David Eddings; they are often overly descriptive, focus on character's internal experiences, and have far less dialogue than they could. The last I believe is just a matter of familiarity; being a very visual person (I talk with my hands a great deal and rely on my tone of voice to ensure understanding of my meaning), I find it difficult to write bare dialogue without paragraphs oozing with flavor. Perhaps something I'll have to work on in the future; I'm experimenting with different styles, and coming along with various degrees of success.
What do you have on your bedroom walls?
While I am not a fan of posters, I do have a number of framed pictures and the like on my walls. I have a photograph of my grandfather standing before the Sphinx (in a tuxedo no less) from 1965 -- the day he was inducted into the Shriners, a print of The Procession of Balthazar, and my L5R card set in soft black and red. The above three pieces were all framed by my good friend playapepper in beautiful invisible museum glass (say good-bye to glare and reflections), and they all look gorgeous. In addition I have a computer certification award, my certificate of ministry, a signed print of some original L5R card art I picked up at GenCon SoCal, a picture of Charlie Chaplin, my Masonic apron, a poster for the season of As you Like It and A Midsummer Night's Dream I did in rep, and a publicity flyer for ConvoMania, a truly charitable organization for which I devoted several years. Each is on my wall for a particular reason, which I can go into more detail if anyone's interested. I wish I had more wall space, as I have more items I'd love to put up, but for what it is I'm pleased with what I have.
What author inspired you to write?
The author of two of my favorite fantasy series, The Belgariad and The Mallorean, David Eddings, summed up what it was to be an author by saying that authors write, non-authors try to write. I wasn't inspired by any one author or poet, but rather by the drive to get what was in my head out on paper. There was music to life, and while most of my early works were bleak and dark, I found writing to be very calming. My writings, admittedly fewer these days than in the past, do follow in the vein of some of my favorite authors however, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, and David Eddings; they are often overly descriptive, focus on character's internal experiences, and have far less dialogue than they could. The last I believe is just a matter of familiarity; being a very visual person (I talk with my hands a great deal and rely on my tone of voice to ensure understanding of my meaning), I find it difficult to write bare dialogue without paragraphs oozing with flavor. Perhaps something I'll have to work on in the future; I'm experimenting with different styles, and coming along with various degrees of success.
What do you have on your bedroom walls?
While I am not a fan of posters, I do have a number of framed pictures and the like on my walls. I have a photograph of my grandfather standing before the Sphinx (in a tuxedo no less) from 1965 -- the day he was inducted into the Shriners, a print of The Procession of Balthazar, and my L5R card set in soft black and red. The above three pieces were all framed by my good friend playapepper in beautiful invisible museum glass (say good-bye to glare and reflections), and they all look gorgeous. In addition I have a computer certification award, my certificate of ministry, a signed print of some original L5R card art I picked up at GenCon SoCal, a picture of Charlie Chaplin, my Masonic apron, a poster for the season of As you Like It and A Midsummer Night's Dream I did in rep, and a publicity flyer for ConvoMania, a truly charitable organization for which I devoted several years. Each is on my wall for a particular reason, which I can go into more detail if anyone's interested. I wish I had more wall space, as I have more items I'd love to put up, but for what it is I'm pleased with what I have.