Earlier this year I finished reading Terry Brooks’ “The Sword of Shannara” and through my reading something bugged me. The story was derivative, a clone of Lord of the Rings if you put the two stories and their characters up against a wall and squint. But the clonage didn’t bother me so much. Let me […]
The Craft | Cause and Effect Creation
Most people don’t know but I’m currently in the middle of writing a big epic fantasy. Trust me, that last line is not redundant. My blog. My rules. I’ve always wanted to write sweeping epics. You know the kind. Lord of the Rings. Song of Ice and Fire. Wheel of Time. Shannara. Magic. Swords. Knights. […]
The Craft | Genesis… No… not you, Phil
Inspiration streaks across an author’s mind like a shooting star. Sudden. There and gone. Sometimes you make the wish and then the falling piece of space debris is gone. Other times, if you’re lucky, you grab that piece of inspiration by the tail, yank yourself on it, and ride that bucking sucker to a fully […]
The Craft | Designing Characters
The internet is a black hole in the subspace of our lives. Clicking on a link reveals a crap-load of other links that demand your clicky-clicky-clicky-clicky attention. Four hours later and you’ve skipped two meals, forgotten to pick up the kids, realized a ten-page college paper is due in (shit) 30 minutes!, and for some […]
Musings | Setting the Mood
I hate silence when writing. When I write I need noise. Nonsensical background noise is best. Classical music. A little techno. Film scores even. You can say I create a unique soundtrack for the novels I’m working through. The rhythm and beats of the songs help the story to flow from my fingertips, almost like I’m in a trance. […]
Writing | Writing Everyday
Read most author blogs about the writing process or listen to authors talk about their craft and one thing becomes clear with regards to becoming a strong and successful writer: you have to write. Everyday. Even if its only half an hour. It’s about practicing. Professional athletes do it, they go out to the court or the field, […]
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