So, you want to write?

A good friend of mine, who predominantly writes play and movie scripts (and was involved as a writer on an independent horror, but that'll be for another post) indicated that he would like to collaborate with me on a writing project, and that he would like to actually sit down and write his own. My answer was to ask him what's stopping him.

His answer was stereotypical, one I have heard time and time again: work and family commitments were getting in the way.

Ok, fine.

Admittedly I've been fortunate with plenty of time available for writing fiction, as I haven't found full or part-time employment just yet (and not without a lack of trying by the way, and am hopeful for a couple of interviews next week). Having said this, previously when studying or when I was volunteering for Kiwi First and the Council of Social Services (Dunedin), or when I was studying, writing time had been precious. Yet, I still wrote. How did I do it? You ask. I made the time, an hour here another here. When I was with Kiwi First wrote during my breaks, which were around 10 to 15 minutes long, and at least an hour or two when I got home. Am also fortunate that I have sympathetic flatmates and family, along with friends, who understand that I'm in writing mode.

How about you folks, how do you go about writing? What's your advice?

Guest Post by Terry Kroenung: Let Us Sit Upon the Ground and Tell Sad Stories of the Dearth of Research…

I'm pretty fortunate this morning to bring to you a guest post entry from a fellow writer, who happens to reside in the United States up Colorado way. By day, he is an English teacher at one of the nation's leading high schools, located in Niwot. Terry's also a playwright, and had plays produced in New York City and Europe, and has had a bunch of stories published in print and e-zines, and four books of plays on amazon.com.

He is the fellow behind a steampunk themed fantasy nove about a young girl and her shape-shifting sword, which is inhabited by the spirit of a boy who may--or may not--be a demon. When Terry doesn't teach or write, he dresses up as Shakespeare and Hector Barbossa at the Colorado Renaissance Festival (and choreographing swordfights there and elsewhere), working his way up the ranks at my aikido dojo, and spoiling his 2 red-headed grand kids. Online, Terry can be found here.

Anyway, I approached Terry with a request to write a guest post on why researching is just as important in fiction writing. This is what he had to say. . .

_____________

“I never do research. I’m a creative artist, damn it!”

“All of that tedious mucking about in old books and libraries gets in the way of the real writing.”

“Nobody cares about the details, anyhow. They just want a good story.”

Hogwash…

This is akin to a supernumerary actor claiming that he may safely attend to his nasal hygiene during the St. Crispin’s Day speech because everyone will be looking at Henry. Oh, no, my friend. Take it from a veteran of over 100 theatrical productions in the U.S. and Europe: at any given time at least one pair of eyes will be lingering over that index finger of yours as it assiduously plunges up somewhere near your brain.

The same holds true for the most seemingly-irrelevant detail of your story. Someone, somewhere, is bound to notice that you placed Moose Jaw in Alberta instead of in Saskatchewan. Result: “That completely ruined the novel for me. I simply could not concentrate after such a glaring error. Lloydminster I could forgive. After all, it straddles the provincial boundary. But the iconic Moose Jaw? I mean, doesn’t that writer know how to use Wikipedia?”

All of the authorial howling in the world cannot change this. You have guaranteed that this particular reader (your customer, let us remember) did not receive satisfaction. And with word-of-mouth being the single greatest driver of sales, that can be inconvenient if not disastrous.

But that isn’t the most important reason for undertaking careful research. Of greater value is that knowledge, deep knowledge, improves your writing. Superficiality in prose fiction is akin to what is called “generalized emotion” in acting. If I play a generic feeling of fear onstage in Hamlet, that may please a few of the groundlings, but it will be unlikely to bring along the bulk of your audience as I try to lead them to that dark place where catharsis lurks. No, to create a truly empathetic response I must make their hair stand up “like the quills of the fretful porpentine”.

That would require, besides a thorough reading of the play (even the parts in which Hamlet does not appear), a grounding in the psychology of a pampered young man who has lost his beloved father. I must interview those who have been in such a situation, consult psychiatric professionals, read up on the history of the Danish court and the complex dynamics of monarchical families. Also requisite would be an understanding of the honest belief in ghosts which was so prevalent in Shakespeare’s time and how that might inform the prince’s reactions. Armed with such details, I could create a Hamlet who is a living, breathing particular person. Not a type of Renaissance Danish prince but rather a unique and quite specific and nuanced individual.

So it goes with fiction. Every iota of honest information gleaned links to innumerable others in a complicated mesh which will catch the conscience of, if not the king, your reader. It matters little that most of your patrons may not appreciate a particular geographical or historical detail. What is important is that your characters, atmosphere, and plot will be enriched from your having immersed yourself in the world of your story. And, as I can attest, the mere act of research will undoubtedly spin you off in unexpected and rewarding directions which you might never have discovered without “all of that tedious mucking about in old books and libraries.” In that sense your preparation is truly a creative act.

So dive into your research. It is akin to loading and priming your dueling pistol. While the artistry is in the aiming and the courageous facing of the foe, all would be for naught without powder and ball already being in place.

So, what's next on the agenda?

Having submitted Iron Falls to e-Quill Publishing on Wednesday morning, I find myself at a loss as to where from here. The story had taken me up to eight months, if not more, of writing and had its share of ups and downs. It had been been an experience, and the amount of support I got from certain individuals taught me a whole new bag of skills that I'm keen to utilise for my next writing project.

But the question is now, where to from here?

One thing I'm confident about is that Iron Falls is going to be part of a series of books set in the same universe, and I left a few things hanging - such as "what happened to Kevin Yamakawa?" and "What do the Russians have to do with events in the African continent?", to "what will Gene Bukowski discover about his heritage?" and "Who are these SWORD guys?". For now I need to do some research before I answer those questions. This means I have some more creative juices left for something else to work on. Besides, I need to practice my writing so any excuse will do.

Now, last week I talked about the idea of how to go promoting one's own work. This next piece of writing will be available free for download so that you can have a taste of how I write. Now, I can't promise you if the story will be set in the same universe as Iron Falls and its planned sequel, or how long it'll be for that matter. What I can tell you is that neither Bukowski, Yamakawa nor Heerdan will be in it, and that it will be set on elsewhere other than Earth.

Until next time my friends . . .

A Library of the Old, the Funny, the Ugly and the Worth Saving

While waiting for feedback on an upcoming story (plus another that may or not be related to the main one), I have endeavored to keep myself focused on further writing. After all, that is the best way towards improving one's art. Now, I've been writing stuff since I was thirteen or fourteen years of age, and while a lot of those earlier attempts had never survived this long -- stories and doodles written over the last few years have. What does it all mean, I hear you ask? Well, the answer is pretty much summed up in this post's title.

I have for all intent purposes an online library of ideas, scribbles and doodles of potential ideas. Some are arguably pretty cool, with humor thrown and enough action to satisfy the teenage kid in all of us. Some of it's pretty crap too, and I had to ask myself what the heck was I smoking at the time of writing it. Regardless of this, I'm pretty chuffed. Writing fiction (and the occasional nonfic too, but don't hold your breath there) is important to me, as it is one of the few places where my physical disability doesn't matter to the average punter looking out for a good read.

Not only that, I have a library full of possible ideas that I can rework, reimagine and improve on -- which is a rather nice feeling.