How I Write: Having the Right Mindset to Pen a Masterpiece

I have noticed that I have to be in a certain mindset to write, but when I am in that mindset, there is no stopping me. I can't have other people in the room with me. I have to have music. I can't have other things I need to be doing at all. Finally, I need to be somewhat tired. I am trying to figure out why I need those things and if they will hinder me in my career as a writer. After all, if I can't write, how can I publish and earn an income?

I Need Solitude
I thought this one was straight forward. Then I really looked at it. I don't have to be alone. I just have to feel alone. I can write with my wife asleep no problem. I can write in a library without problem. So after really looking at things I actually only need the illusion of solitude. That being said, I do NEED that illusion. It feels like I am being watched if the other people in the room have interacted with me at all.

I Need Music
It often doesn't matter what type of music I listen to. I think the type of music is more directed at how quickly I want to write. The more that I need to write, the closer my music gets to speed metal. This is a good thing. Some musicians I am listening to today while I write are:

• DragonForce
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Kamelot

Who do you listen to while you write?

I Need a Cleared Schedule

I write for a couple of content sites as well as my fiction writing. Sometimes, when I am writing for one or the other place, it feels like I am neglecting the others. I know that isn't exactly true, but here's what happens. I get started writing which makes me guilty about the other sites. I check on that site and start something. That makes me Google something else. By the end of it all, I have two half written posts and 14 or 15 browser tabs open. Does that make me a bad professional writer? I don't know, maybe.

I Need to be Tired

This one is probably the oddest of all. I have found over time that I need to be relaxed to the point of being sleepy to write well. I have a ton more errors, but the writing seems to flow better. I think it's the uninhibited nature of half-sleep writing that forces this. I bet this is where authors become addicts and alcoholics.Stephen King who admits that he wrote most of his stuff from the 70's and 80's completely smashed. That lack of inhibition is key to good writing.

Do you have any writing rituals or needs to be able to write?

Fantasy World Creation Redux

Here is an older blog entry that I have dug up. I have started writing a lot more lately and wanted to bring all of my personal blog articles into one place. Without further ado, I present my thoughts on Fantasy World Design. I stopped blogging on this blog because my son developed cancer and I dropped off the face of the planet.

originally published on: 2/27/12 by me.

I sat back today and thought about what it means to be a fantasy author. That led to me thinking about what it means to be a comedic fantasy author. My stories have a certain Pratchett/Asprin/Piers Anthony feel to them. My wife seems to think they are most like Piers Anthony with plays on words and full of puns. I kind of agree. But When I thought about things for a bit I came to the conclusion that to be a fantasy author, your first and foremost job is to create a wondrous world where the reader can get away to and relax.

If you take a look at each of the greats of fantasy you arrive at a different and complete world. That is what distinguishes fantasy authors from each other. Their world. Sure Tolkien uses verbose and rich language while J. K. Rowling speaks to the average young adult. But their worlds are unique. C. S. Lewis goes so far as to have his world start in our own and enter a completely different one with different rules.

When you think of what makes up your fantasy setting, the first bit of architecture you need to lay down is what the rules are. I was forced to analyze that a bit today. I already have a few ideas of what my world should be like. But I set out today to hammer down as many of the rules of my world as possible. The premise of the Infinite Castle Series is simple. Take an enormous castle suspended in space. Fill it with every single fantasy idea ever made and make the rules as absurd as possible while retaining some semblance of cohesion. There you have the Infinite Castle. But the rules themselves, that's where the world building comes in. The premise is simple enough. It's what you would tell a publisher or a new reader if they asked you to sum up the world.

After you have the basic premise hammered out, you get specific. The Infinite Castle is a world of absurd literalness. It is a world where the college of wizardry is just that a college, complete with keg parties and hookah rooms. A world where every single thing in the world is named in accordance with rules set forth by a naming council, the Council of Nomialization. But those laws are a subject we will approach in a future blog post. And laws are to be followed, no matter how absurd. That absurdity is what sets the world apart from other fantasy worlds. That's what makes the Infinite Castle awesome.

What interesting laws/rules do you have in your fantasy world? Whether gaming or fiction related?

Time to Revisit my Outline

I have finished Chapter 3 and started Chapter 4 of my upcoming novel, Bound by Blood. I just sat back down and plotted a large part of the rest of the story. This has given me a pretty strong idea of the rest of the book and the point of views that I want to pursue. I am loving the process of writing. I have been taking some time to really get to know the industry of writing as well.

My main protagonist has been a little flat, so he and I had to spend some time together over the past couple of days. I think that he, and perhaps I, have come to a better understanding of who he is and should be. It turns out that the most fleshed out character in the story has completed her part of the story by Chapter 4 except perhaps a brief return later. But she's just so much fun to write.

Lately, I have been battling the standard fears that most new writers go through. Unfortunately, I have this deep seated need for personal validation. I read through my rough draft so far and am finding some so-so wording and occasional repetitiveness. Perhaps, that's to be expected. What it sets up in my mind is the idea that I am a terrible writer. Because of this, I have been considering posting something here so see what people say about it. Not sure I have enough of a following to warrant that. Let's check, um... followers 0. So nope. But if you happen to read this and want me to post up a bit, leave a comment and I will see what I can dig up.

Either way, I will have something to post up here pretty soon. I hope to be finished with my rough draft by the end of the month. Then spend the next bit editing and looking for cover art. Marketing is a different kind of beast though. I am still working on marketing strategies. The typical Blogs, Tweets, and Facebook stuff will only get me so far without people already knowing me. If you have suggestions, chime in.