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Common Questions
Curious about my writing? Here are answers to your most common questions.
I’m very much a work in progress and I’m not sure where my creative journey may take me. I love writing all things Sci-Fi, especially fantasy, and my mind is circling around an idea for a space based Sci-Fi novel. I’m also working on a story that seems stuck between being a lit RPG and a traditional Fantasy novel, with a plot that makes the LitRPG element hard to implement but a combat system that seems to require it. Rest assured that whatever I delve into in the future, I’ll never stop loving and writing Fantasy novels. They are my first and truest love.
I was an Army Brat (both parents served) and I joined the Army as soon as I was able. So while I’ve seen a lot of amazing places, I don’t have roots anywhere. This often shows in my writing, and is why I often set stories in fictional cities. Unlike my main protagonist, I’ve been to Fenway Park more than once, and I know all about the 37 foot wall in Left field. With that being said, I don’t have the sort of deep emotional connection to a region that Stephen King has to New England, the amazing ability to relate to a city the way Richard Kadrey does with Los Angeles, or the attachment that 95% of fantasy writers seem to have to the Southeast Michigan, Northwest Ohio region. I’ve spent time in all three places (years in New England and Detroit) but I’m not “From” anywhere.
I believe in the idea that good writers are readers first. While video games seem to my biggest inspiration for WHAT to write, other writers often inspire me TO write and HOW to write. For example, I don’t have any intentions of writing a spy novel but the Orphan X series by Greg Hurwitz is one of the most inspiring series I’ve read. I find myself writing significantly more often whenever he releases a new entry into the series.
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a soldier. It’s funny because every career interest exam I took told me I’d make a terrible soldier, and that I should pursue clerical work or something more artistic. I made it a point to prove all these experts and exams wrong then, around year 11 of my military career, I realized they were right all along. I really was a pretty terrible soldier.
When I was preparing to exit the Army people kept telling me how the grass is always greener on the other side. The example I gave to counter this was this: Stephen King gives guidance to new writers, and stewards this profession. He takes this very seriously. But if I disregard his guidance he’s not going to show up at my door, force me into a position that is physically and emotionally uncomfortable, and berate me for 30 minutes. So I guess I can say my favorite thing about being a writer is that I’m not a soldier anymore. More than that though, I understand there are long days, bouts of writers block, and damn it if trying to get published isn’t a painful, disheartening gauntlet. With all that though, my bad days are nowhere near what a bad day meant just a couple years ago.
To date this has occurred to me twice. The first was the final line in the poem Disappearance (Early Onset) which is part of the writing sample entitled The Offer. The other time was when I dreamt about a ring that gave someone the ability to manipulate time and space and also “learn” spells that were cast at him. This idea has not, and may never, make it out of the brainstorming step. Overall I found the experience strange and frankly more than a little unnerving. I don’t know how Stephen King does it…
Make time to write. I’m sure it sounds tired, but it’s really the best advice I can give. Even if you can only spare 5 minutes a day, and even if the writing is only jotting down random ideas, quotes, scenes, whatever. Just keep giving a sliver of time to your writing.
Transitions are tough. I love writing fight scenes and cool quotes and plot twists but getting there can be a slog. It’s obviously an integral part of writing a story, the main character has to get to the final epic boss battle somehow. Still, it can seem like a chore. This is especially true when I’ve written most of a book but need to flesh things out. I’ll often find myself spending 20-30 minutes just reading what I’ve written before realizing I’m actually supposed to be adding something.