2009 has been a year with quite a bit of turbulence. One thing I have learned is the dark times always have a way of passing for those who stick with it and push on. I have high hopes for 2010.
In 2009 I saw the beginning of my two columns with Examiner. The whole experience has been one of learning. Writing columns is different from fiction or other work. It is easy to write a few articles, but to come up with regular content (especially during this time of year when it seems everything shuts down) can be quite the task. These columns have taught me to be resourceful in ways I would never have discovered otherwise.
With the lessons of 2009 behind me, I am looking forward to 2010 as a year of many more possibilities. Shadow House will be coming out this next year, the product of work started in 2008. I have learned quite a bit from this first book of mine. I am sure getting out in the public I will learn quite a bit more. I am excited to get it out there, as well as to press on with the many other ideas I have. Currently I am working on a second novel as well as a graphic-intense book (graphic novel or the like) for young adults. I seem to have a crush of good ideas, so I do not doubt this is only the beginning. Where this wild adventure I conjured up in my 4th grade mind will take me ultimately, I have no idea. I am enjoying the journey and realizing the dreams I have held onto for all this time. I hope to be announcing more releases and news on my writings in the near future. When that does occur, I will be posting information here to share the good news.
Here's to a great 2010 and many more dreams realized.
December 29, 2009
December 22, 2009
Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll hit on something with his monumental works Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Leaving all debates about hallucinogens behind, Carroll came up with a wildly creative world his character Alice "escaped" into. Alice begins to learn that her world is not only tolerable, but it is safe and relatively sane, unlike the world the rabbit ushered her into. This thread of escape into an alternate world can be seen from Mesopotamian mythology on. Carroll's books are perhaps the most readily accessible ancestor of our own modern-day tales of the type, such as Coraline or the Narnia series.
So why have such stories survived for millenia? There is something basic in human nature, a yearning to at least sometimes escape into another existence. This urge seems to many to be present only in children, but I seriously doubt that it is the case. Adults, sadly, I think have choked this desire out of themselves, wallowing in their righteous knowledge that escape from everyday life is impossible. Perhaps it is children's indulgence in the fantastic that makes them so resilient and vibrant, whereas many adults sleepwalk through life in woeful state of misery and despair.
Albert Einstein once said "the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." Obviously the man was on to something. He stretched the limitations slapped on science by those with narrow minds, bringing to light new possibilities. And so we continue to wonder, and that wonder fuels so much good in our world. Without wonder would we even be human at all, or would we classify as organic machines simply performing tasks as set forth?
December 17, 2009
Character Driven Stories
I have heard many fellow writers and quite a few literary critics preach the superiority of character driven fiction. In plot driven fiction, they contend, the plot drives the characters, making the story seemed forced or formulistic. I have to agree such stories can go in directions that are unnatural and the characters are often boring. I myself prefer to writer character driven stories.
In character driven stories, the characters are the main focus of attention. Character psychology is explored. This does not mean the psychology of each character is explored - this is a decision left up to the writer. Getting into the inner workings of a character's psyche will expose the fact they are three-dimensional, making the character more real to the reader.
From the writer's perspective, character driven stories are more difficult to write. It is easy to sit down and plan out everything that will take place in a story, then like a god put the characters through those events already planned. I am not saying I never plan plots out ahead - I do. What I do differently, though, is I get to know my characters as people before I write. Then I let those characters act within the confines of the story. The characters will inevitably act in a way that will change the plot, taking the story in a direction I had not foreseen. Some characters will even be combative, not wanting to cooperate with my plans in any way. This type of writing requires more work upfront, and the flexibility to change the plot of your story as required, but the extra work pays off. Interesting characters make for interesting stories. Stories made up simply of chase scenes and explosions are easily and quickly forgotten, as are stories full of flat characters.
In character driven stories, the characters are the main focus of attention. Character psychology is explored. This does not mean the psychology of each character is explored - this is a decision left up to the writer. Getting into the inner workings of a character's psyche will expose the fact they are three-dimensional, making the character more real to the reader.
From the writer's perspective, character driven stories are more difficult to write. It is easy to sit down and plan out everything that will take place in a story, then like a god put the characters through those events already planned. I am not saying I never plan plots out ahead - I do. What I do differently, though, is I get to know my characters as people before I write. Then I let those characters act within the confines of the story. The characters will inevitably act in a way that will change the plot, taking the story in a direction I had not foreseen. Some characters will even be combative, not wanting to cooperate with my plans in any way. This type of writing requires more work upfront, and the flexibility to change the plot of your story as required, but the extra work pays off. Interesting characters make for interesting stories. Stories made up simply of chase scenes and explosions are easily and quickly forgotten, as are stories full of flat characters.
December 10, 2009
Standing on the Shoulders of Others
I recently wrapped up an academic paper on C.S. Lewis' Narnia series and J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth books. The paper, in short, explored the influence the two authors had on writers of fantasy up to our present day. The list of books (and even movies) Narnia and Middle Earth have influenced to one extent or another is staggering, to say the least. One literary critic has gone so far as to say no modern writer of epic fantasy can nor has escaped from the "mark of Tolkien." Does this mean there is no originality in our modern age?
Hardly. Good writers, to one extent or another, "borrow" elements from the stories of the great writers who went before. Does this mean all writers engage in plagiarism?
The Harry Potter series is an excellent example of a writer being inspired by another. For those of you who have not read The Lord of the Rings, bear with me for a moment. In the Two Towers, as Gollum leads Sam and Frodo through the Dead Marshes, Sam sees something horrific. Sam gets his foot caught in some mud by the water's edge. As he is trying to dislodge his foot Sam sees faces of the dead just inches below the surface of the water. In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry goes with Professor Dumbledore to find a horcrux (a magical object) in a seaside cave. As the two wizards are traveling on a boat through the water in the cave, Harry spots the face of a dead person just inches below the water. Read the two passages for yourself to see how similar they are. Should Rowling be uncovered as a copycat?
Only if the same accusations are leveled against Tolkien.
Tolkien was a great fan of Beowulf - that was no secret. The Don from Oxford even published a famous essay about the monsters in the epic poem, which is an excellent read for anyone interested in Tolkien or Beowulf (I happen to be fascinated by both). In both The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring Tolkien "borrows" quite a bit from Beowulf's encounter with the dragon. Tolkien also was heavily inspired by Saga of the Volsungs, an old Norse text.
The point is that neither Tolkien nor Rowling are copiers of the past. They both put unique spins on old ideas, making the ideas their own while also paying tribute to the great authors who came before. I would argue in many ways this re-spinning of old ideas in new books is one of the greatest compliments a writer can pay to those they admire.
Hardly. Good writers, to one extent or another, "borrow" elements from the stories of the great writers who went before. Does this mean all writers engage in plagiarism?
The Harry Potter series is an excellent example of a writer being inspired by another. For those of you who have not read The Lord of the Rings, bear with me for a moment. In the Two Towers, as Gollum leads Sam and Frodo through the Dead Marshes, Sam sees something horrific. Sam gets his foot caught in some mud by the water's edge. As he is trying to dislodge his foot Sam sees faces of the dead just inches below the surface of the water. In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry goes with Professor Dumbledore to find a horcrux (a magical object) in a seaside cave. As the two wizards are traveling on a boat through the water in the cave, Harry spots the face of a dead person just inches below the water. Read the two passages for yourself to see how similar they are. Should Rowling be uncovered as a copycat?
Only if the same accusations are leveled against Tolkien.
Tolkien was a great fan of Beowulf - that was no secret. The Don from Oxford even published a famous essay about the monsters in the epic poem, which is an excellent read for anyone interested in Tolkien or Beowulf (I happen to be fascinated by both). In both The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring Tolkien "borrows" quite a bit from Beowulf's encounter with the dragon. Tolkien also was heavily inspired by Saga of the Volsungs, an old Norse text.
The point is that neither Tolkien nor Rowling are copiers of the past. They both put unique spins on old ideas, making the ideas their own while also paying tribute to the great authors who came before. I would argue in many ways this re-spinning of old ideas in new books is one of the greatest compliments a writer can pay to those they admire.
December 1, 2009
Shadow House - Coming Soon!
I am about to launch my first novel, entitled Shadow House. It will be available in early 2010. As soon as I have an exact date I will post it. Also, I will be doing a launch party here in Salt Lake and potentially in a few other areas - more to come on that. In the meantime, here is a description of Shadow House:
In Shadow House, Scott Bennett leaves behind a marriage ended by violence for the promise of a new life in rural North Carolina. Scott buys his dream house – an old Victorian – not realizing why it has sat vacant for years. Things for Scott seem to be looking up when he meets a younger woman, Rachel, and a spark of romance ignites. Everything changes when Scott discovers a locked box and a matching key on his property. Against the advice of an old friend turned healer, Scott opens the box and awakens an old evil. Scott is forced to lean on a decaying web of support as he is relentlessly assaulted by the unseen. Questioning his own sanity, Scott fights hopelessly for his life and very soul.
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