You know you have a problem if you straight up forget the name of your blog. Well. Crisis averted, for just now, we have an INCOMING!
Thanks to my friend Maxwell of The Wandering Quille who tagged me in this wandering blog thing, you all get a blog post! Not only that, you get a HUGE blog post.
Thanks to my friend Maxwell of The Wandering Quille who tagged me in this wandering blog thing, you all get a blog post! Not only that, you get a HUGE blog post.
Sit back, and enjoy the enigma that is the inner machinations of my mind.
When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to be?
Hah, no. Compared to some, I’m a late bloomer as a writer. According to my parents, I’ve always been good at writing. They’ve always urged me to write, but as a child I never seriously considered being a writer. Looking back though, I think I still was a writer at heart. I remember now I created an epic fantasy romance story at the age of 8, to which I would add a little every day…in my head. I never had the guts to write it down, but the characters stayed with me.
Still, the first time I seriously wrote something was on one summer afternoon when I was 15. I was bored, so I thought, “I’m going to write a novel.” So I started writing about the first thing that popped into my head, which was a single light struggling through the darkness of space. That light turned into words of fire. I pecked away at a pace of only 100 to 500 words a day on average, but over the next year it blossomed into a rambling, incoherent, purple prose laden space fantasy monolith of over 100k.
Which I never finished. My flash drive accidentally lost my draft, and with it, all will to continue. I tried to resurrect it several times from the older backups I had, but it never worked. It just wasn’t the same. The characters still stuck around in my head too. Sometimes I think my characters are smarter than me.
The second time I seriously wrote something was seven years later, when I decided to do NaNoWriMo 2010. I had heard of it before, but had never screwed up the courage to try. I gathered together some new characters, and ran off. I won. After that, I realized that I want to do this for the rest of my life. I haven’t looked back since.
What genre do you write?
I write a blend of fantasy, steampunk (ish), and science fiction. I think that was a foregone conclusion. The stories I love best were always about far off worlds, the wonder and danger of the future, the best and worst of humanity, magic and power from beyond time and space that humans can never understand, but seek to control. I blame Narnia, Lord of the Rings, pretty much anything Isaac Asimov wrote (but especially his robot stories AND his story ’The Last Question’), Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet, and Arthur C. Clarke’s stories, and many others for this. I think the best descriptor would be science fantasy. I love stories that read as one genre but are really another.
Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?
Oh man, here’s another one with two answers. Well, because it’s November, my work in progress is my NaNo novel, which I have previously described as Swan Lake in space. My NaNo novel has fragmented into two different stories though, so,
Godlost is a time travel science fantasy adventure about a bitter Time Agent of the Dominion (think female James Bond with magic tattoos like The Illustrated Man), Caliiry ren Tandoraen, who’s sent to a planet that has dropped out of the universe to restore it and retrieve a precious Dominion artifact. When an accident with a kills her team, she's told to lie low and await orders. Having gone through a similar event in her past though, Caliiry knows that there's more to the accident than there appears to be. So against orders she puts together a crack team of rebels and locals (a.k.a. Biopunk Avengers) to journey into the heart of the paradox, find out what happened to the team, hopefully save them using the remains of her time travel allotment, and restore the planet before their world is wiped out. However, what she finds is an intricate conspiracy between the planetary races and the Dominion that has chilling ramifications for the future of humanity...and the key to unlocking it all lies in her own past. Can she face the nightmares that haunt her, and unravel the web of conspiracy that stretches across the galaxy and into the heart of time itself?
The Star Dragon is the story of my first characters that I'm finally writing down, although there are changes to get rid of the cheesy bits. It takes place in my main story world's far past, in a time that has sunk into legend. Dragons and humans have lived in uneasy peace for eons, with wars breaking out every so often. Ever since the coming of the Draderi, skilled mages who can journey to far off lands in the blink of an eye, the human kingdoms have been prospering, bolstered by the influx of foreign goods and magics. The kings of the realm hope to band together to finally defeat the Sorcerer, a dark force that has plagued the realm for ages.
However, it's a little known secret that the power of the Draderi on which it all rests is drawn from the dragons. As the humans get stronger, the dragons grow more angry, and mass to attack, drawing off the human forces from the sorcerer's citadel and scattering them across the realm to put out the fires. Empires turn on each other, and prepare for war. Dragon slayers again rise to prominence. The Draderi play the nations against each other. And the Sorcerer's shadow grows...
The story centers on the nobles Saanelaph and Vhíl, Saan's rejection of her rigid upbringing to join the ranks of the Draderi, her partnership and romance with the ex Dragon rider Vhil and his uncanny luck, Vhil's struggle to balance the call of a deadly dragon speaking gift and his desire to rise above the petty tyrannies of his men, Anelaph's quest for the source of the trouble, Vhil's endeavor to reunite the kingdoms against their true foe, their conflicting loyalties between their life's calling and their kin, and their struggle to create a patch of order and find their rightful place in a world gone mad. The truth is, they can't win them all...
What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?
It was in fifth grade. There was one about a boy named Billy who woke up one night to find out that the world had been taken over by evil water people who mysteriously disappeared by morning, but they were still there. Lurking. Watching.
What's the best part about writing?
Once I would have said 'the thrill of creating something out of nothing,' except now that I'm more familiar with what a mess these things are.
Therefore, I would have to say the best part about writing is revision: hacking the dead wood off my original draft, connecting the dots, and watching everything come together to become the beautiful, mad-eyed beast it was born to be. Making little connections on a reread that I didn't even know were there. Making a new layer of connections that flat out weren't there in the first place because I didn't know about them before, but well up out of nowhere. Chipping away at a scene, a story, a draft, adding another layer of complexity and depth to it - and that moment of perfection when the gears all fit, and it sings, and it's way different from what I had envisioned originally, but it's also way better.
What's the worst part about writing?
Writing. Seriously. The first draft. The beginning. Hate those things. I write weird. I write in half sentences, random scenes, train of thought, random bits of worldbuilding, and generally rambling randomness. Then I assemble the story sentence by sentence, scene by scene, using those things as building blocks; I would say the story crystallizes layer by layer around a set of tiny plot grains rather than being written from start to finish. It's completely out of order and it takes forever, but I like the end result much better. This just means that the first draft is extremely difficult for me because it's the point where it's easy to fall into hate with the story because nothing is known yet and everything is a mess, and all the things that made me love the idea are as yet invisible. Yes, there are moments when I come up with a lot of ideas, but most of it is false starts and fighting uphill for me. I'm getting better at recognizing those, but for me the early stages are always the worst.
What's the name of your favorite character and why?
I can't pick just one! I love them all. Some more than others, but not really one. One of my favorites, though, is one pain in the butt who calls himself Oscar Octavius Octodyne. He's a oneiromancer with the charisma of baby Lord Voldemort and the scruples of Darth Vader combined into one insecure package of doom, gloom, abandonment issues, and teddy bears. He was born when I dreamed about him in a fluffy hero adventure. Then I scrapped his story because it was going nowhere. Then I dreamed about him a second time and he came back with evil Vader powers and insinuated himself into another story. I cut him out again because he was creating plot holes around himself. Then I dreamed about him a third time, and he outright ousted the heroine from her place in his quest for a home, and made himself the villain. Needless to say, I shudder to think what will happen if I dare to cut him again. Probably he'll take over my brain.
How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?
I write when I can. It's difficult for me on weekdays because I have a full time job. I'm not at all a morning person so writing early in the morning is out of the question. I can't concentrate if I have to think about other things anyway. The ideal time for me to write is between 11PM and 4AM, but that's pretty much impossible with a day job (even on weekends because it disrupts my sleep schedule), so I shoot for evenings. I'm usually drained when I get home, but sometimes I manage to get in about 300 words before I sleep. Weekends I put in some grunt work in the afternoons when it's quiet, and maybe before I sleep. I love waiting until it's dark, dimming the screen until I can just barely read my words if I want, turning off all the lights, closing my eyes, and then typing blind while blasting music.
Did you go to college for writing?
Nope. My major was information science with a computer science minor.
What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors or grammar errors?
All of them, but I usually notice spelling first. That's not to say that nothing else bothers me though. I could write an entire post by itself about all the things that drive me up the wall, but I would really have to also put incorrect word usage (like confusing affect, effect, and effecting) as being right up there with the rest.
I don’t really watch TV, as such. The only thing I’m really watching is Doctor Who, because it’s on right now. Every weekend, I catch up on the newest episode. It counts as writing homework because something or other always sets my muse off, right? Right?
What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?
Write every day.
I never said I was good at it. Oops.
What advice would you give to another writer?
Don't compare yourself to others. There will always be those who claim that their way is the best and only way, but for every one of those, there will be someone else who works completely differently. Well, it's just what works for them. I'm not saying that trying new things is bad, but forcing yourself to conform to other people's methods and then worrying about why you're not where you "should" be can be at best a waste of time chasing shadows and at worst a blow to one's confidence. Yes, this means that everyone will develop their craft and stories differently and at their own pace. Some people can post readable excerpts of their first draft as they write it, and some will have rambling utter nonsense for the first three drafts. Neither is wrong. Figure out how your unique brain works, try a method that works with it, and play with that. If you find you're never reaching your goal, you might be letting the tool get in the way of forward motion.
What are your favorite writing sites or blogs that you turn to for help, tips or encouragement?
TerribleMinds is one of my favorite blogs. If you don't mind bad (but absolutely hilarious) words, it's a great place for practical advice, motivation, and butt-kicking.
AbsoluteWrite is another great place. It's got a wealth of information about what not to do, how to get published, and has a huge community of fellow writers to hang out with, and exchange help and tips.
Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
I love baking. Death by chocolate is the way to go. I also enjoy drawing, and hope one day to create a web comic of my own. That's a long way off, though. I'm also currently trying to learn how to play the guitar. I suck and I can barely play a few chords, but I love music. It's never too late to learn a new thing, eh?
What’s the best thing you’re watching on television?
I don't watch much television these days, because I can't do that and write and keep up with my reading. That said, I am catching up on the new season of Doctor Who at the moment, although after next weekend it'll be on hiatus until Christmas. Does it count as writing preparation if every single episode inspires me somehow?
What’s the best book you’ve read this year?
I'd have to name a series that reads as one story, which is the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It's the stories of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White retold as one single science fiction adventure/thriller/dystopian series. Those who know me will know that I absolutely love retold fairy tales with a science fiction angle, so this is right up my alley. Well worth reading!
What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?
The Martian. Usually I don't go for survival stories because of a huge rant that I won't go into here, but I loved this one for its wit, humor, and geekery, the fact that it didn't go for the usual stereotypes, and that it had other believable plot elements besides the usual survival disasters. I haven't read the book, but the movie was great.
What is your favorite book or series of all time?
Of alll time? Hard to pick just one, but one of my constant sources of inspiration, thus one of my favorites, is the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. It's science fiction, fantasy, and world hopping all rolled into one seriously epic story that I never get sick of reading.
Who is your favorite author?
Again, it's hard to pick just one, but one of my biggest reasons I write the stories I do is because of Isaac Asimov. His robot stories are the greatest thing, as is also his short story 'The Last Question,' which is hands down my favorite short story of all time. So epic.
What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?
Well, given that there's only one month left of the year, not much. I had originally wanted to finally finish a draft of something...anything...but it's too late for that. Instead, riding on the heels of the realization that NaNo's exuberant imperfection and manic pace just doesn't work for me anymore, I'm just going to keep working on my draft and focus on writing slowly and editing more as I go.
Where else can we find you online?
I'm on Twitter @Bobo_the_Bard, and I'm Agent Double Oh Zero on the NaNoWriMo website, but I only check those periodically. The one place I haunt, though, is my writing group - Steve the WriMo Forum. We're gearing up for NaNoFiMo over there! Which...is technically what I'm supposed to be working on now. Dang.
Well, that brings me to the end of the segment where I talk about myself. Now it's time to talk about you guys! More specifically, IT'S VICTIM LIST TIME.
I tag you!
If anyone else wants in, please leave a comment here with a link to your blog, or contact me on Steve.
To make it easier, here's a list of the questions below:
Just to make it easier on you, here are the questions:
When did you first start writing?
Was being a writer something you always aspired to be?
What genre do you write?
Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress?
When did you start working on this project?
What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?
What’s the best part about writing?
What’s the worst part about writing?
What’s the name of your favorite character and why?
How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?
Did you go to college for writing?
What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors or grammar errors?
What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?
What advice would you give to another writer?
What are your favorite writing sites or blogs that you turn to for help, tips or encouragement?
Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
What’s the best thing you’re watching on television?
What’s the best book you’ve read this year?
What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?
What is your favorite book or series of all time?
Who is your favorite author?
What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?
Where else can we find you online?
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