The Process
Writing: the process.
I wish I could give some kind of solid, applicable advice about writing but given that my route here was so different I think that would be disingenuous. Writing for me is a mix of self-exaggeration, therapy and escapism. I’ve talked before how this was an assignment from a therapist originally, and it just kind of blossomed into something else. The idea for the book was really kind of a trek through my own growth, I think the monster is some kind of representation of some of my own mental illness, which I struggle with today. Half the characters in the novel are caricatures of people I know, some of them I outright stole their name; such as the priest Justin, the half-elf Casey, and even Gale is actually a kind of a mashed up hybrid of my creative partner and a character of her own design.
The book is my map back to life, a little. Ultimately, to me, that is what writing is -- at least in this genre. Unlike my colleagues at WildBlue Press, I write science fiction, and while I would imagine penning some of the stuff they do is even more personal, this is my own outlet. Opening up for me outside of the written word is difficult, even on a lot of social media platforms that I frequent I smokescreen; I’ve a penchant for playing the fool so well even I am left guessing if I am an idiot or not from time to time.
The first book was a strange adventure, but a worthwhile one. Even if this never got attached to a publisher, which even in my most far-fetched dreams I didn’t think possible, I was determined that this glimpse of myself would see the light of day. I wrote in my previous blog in a lot of ways the effort is an ode to my best friend, in so much as his belief in my talent and desire to see me do something I truly love instead of what I was doing. I got a publisher though, and a great one; I am not saying that just to kiss their ass, either, they’re really exceptional and the fact that I had such creative free rein was incredible.
In my head I had the major plot points chalked down. My father, who is a gifted storyteller, use to tell me every story has two things; love and trial. Get your hero to a tree, up the tree, and figure out how to get him down from there. The love part confused me for a while, but love is much more universal than my adolescent brain could comprehend. The trial is Janzen finding a way to bring purpose and life back to self, and the love is his drive to honor those before him.
My suggestions about writing are pretty widespread, depending on my varying (and often extreme-ends-of-the-spectrum) moods. Sometimes I say don’t let anything get in the way of your writing! Two hours a day, just do it, determination and discipline beat talent every day!
Some days I’ll put it down for a month, secretly pick the brain of my creative partner (she’s aware, she and our other dear friend Kerry -- a huge contributor for all of this -- see right through me) and just live life. I move away from the storyboard, which as a side note is important. Unbelievably so, especially if your mind is a circus on psychedelics like mine can be. Anyway, I just fall back into the cadence of everyday.
For a thirty-two year old I have lived a lot of life, and while I wrestled with that statement in fear of how it might sound egocentric (which I am), I knew it was sincere and true. I guess in all this inane rambling my advice for writing is the same as my own journey.
Find something you love, put the effort into it but don’t beat the love you have for it out of the project itself. The biggest help was those who let me soundboard off of them; my mother, Karla, Kerry, and of course Patrick. What got me to the end of the book was finding my best self and having him forge ahead with all of this, and put it all on paper.
You can’t be fearless if you’re an artist. Hell, if you’re a functional human being you probably can’t be; but you can act in spite of fear. My biggest reservation is self-exposure and while I veiled it behind monsters and myth, it is in there, and that is what I would suggest to everyone else.
Put you on the paper in some way, and if you do that, everything you do will be beautiful in its own way.