There is a Place I Know

There is a place that I know
It's an old house full of stories I don't know
The smell fills my nose
the memories, my mind
I wander and hurry
the space full

There is a place that I know
past round-abouts
and long flying wings
through lines
and past screens
ticket lines and aeroplanes
In the snow I skitter
Half gone away

There is a place I know
tucked away like a silly joke
golden in glory of times gone by
people line shelves
blinking with eyes that are embossed
fading
looking on through letters
from linolium floors to ceiling tiled heights
now all gone away

There is a place I know
which no longer knows me
We are familiar ghosts
from Christmases past
each year fades us just a touch more
until our relationships glisten
just lights on the tree

There is a place I know
over the plains and beyond the tall mountains
those that are frosted with the Joten gleam
I know a place
which is quiet and close
my heart hurts to go
yet my mind always clears
Old wooden houses in all the worlds we know
they are quiet
no space for who we are now
only more tales which crackle and spin

- Ryan P. Freeman

Current Musings

So do I want to make writing what I do all the time?

Sure thing!

How? - that's the question I'm buzzing my brain about lately... I'm currently reading an excellent book on the writing career of Neil Gaiman... and one of the big things I've noticed so far is how he didn't just try to get published... with the whole traditional route and everything. What he did (as well as Stephen King, to an extent) was go to where people would publish him. And he would typically only write and pursue what he loved. What awesome advice. A lot of times, the beginning people who would publish him were softcore porn magazines - buying up his articles to fill those pages not full of pictures. Through this process, he made connections... like-minded friends who loved similar things. It wasn't about networking- it was about continuing to pursue what he loves - and I think that is the key to staying above the soul-less papermills...

Another thing I noticed was how Neil Gaiman didn't just write- he branched out into different mediums of story, too! Wherever the story was fresh and new - that's where he ended up... because he was following whatever he loved and he had an excellent BS detector. He invested in himself.

The last thing I've noticed so far, it's that he surrounded himself with friends who lived in a place where they could meet and get right to their art. They weren't necessarily at the whim and mercy of big publishers or had to yell into the hurricane of social media or e-publishing.


I know with the advent of e-publishing and the shifting of publishing power, the story landscape has and is changing... but it leaves me wondering what is possible now! And since I don't know what is possible, it means I can do anything I like - which is perfect.

-Ryan

For What It's Worth...

What Writing the End of Rienspel Was Like 

and How It Changed Me

 

After reading a delightful post from one of my favorite living authors, Christopher Paolini, I was inspired to write... so here we go! (you can read his article HERE)

What was writing the end of Rienspel like?

I actually got really serious about making headway with Rienspel at about the the 6th or 7th year out of the 8 total it took to finish writing it. I was in a terrible place then. I was out of work for the first time in my life and was quite literally living on others' mercy and the answers of bitter, desperate prayers. I would get up in the morning - finally - make some coffee (if we had any that week), pull out a laptop and write. It was my job - the only job I had.

As I've written, who I really write for are the heartbroken - the dispossessed - and down-and-out. Real people who I know - not some pie-in-the-sky feel good sentiment. Hard times at their best can melt and carve our arrogance, but I never imagined I'd be one of the people I write for. There, at the end of Rienspel, I was who I wrote for.

For awhile, I had known what the ending would generally be like for my first book (and no, I'm not giving the conclusion away, either! Rienspel will be out by no later than Fall 2016!!). But by having something meaningful to do - where I could see daily progress which I did by my own hand and will - helped make me a better person. I feel like just about every other job I've ever had quails in comparison to the strength unveiled and developed within myself from the final few delirious keystrokes of Rienspel.

I know... I realize... I understand I am, in the mad grand scheme of things, just one more random shmoe cranking out books... but one of the engines which hurtles me forward was forged during those last few summer months of 2014. I really do hope you enjoy Rienspel, for what it's worth, when it finally releases.

When you find out what you love to do - what you can do and ought to do... what you know you must do and can't help but do - do it. Do it with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength (even if you're weak). For when your heart is broken, perhaps it's because you've broken it over Principle; when your soul is sick, perhaps it is because you Hope; when your mind is fogged, perhaps it is because you Care; and when your strength is gone perhaps it is because you have have learned the power of weakness found in Humility.

Write on, fellow adventurers... write on...

-Ryan

Spirit.

Why do you write?

The general answers may vary, but I am convinced that people write specifically because they are animated by a guiding spirit. It's what fires their typing fingers and speeds their pens. Something deep within you keeps you burning the midnight oil to keep writing on long after the initial fervor burns out. It's something which is invisible, yet produces page after page of highly visible words- stories- tale: A Vision, meant to be shared with the world.

What you do, as a writer (go ahead, dare to call yourself one) is special. If you're still a bit timid about calling yourself a writer, then here- take a knee (internally or otherwise). I've taken up my sword letter opener from my desk! By the spirit within you, I dub you Writer of words. Rise a Writer, or not at all! Beware the naysayer and self-doubt- but be quick to safeguard others, by word and by deed. Write! and fear no darkness! For your words are Powerful - and even more so as you continue to hone your craft and art unto perfection.

Rise a Writer.
Rise a fellow Adventurer into the Realms yet unknown.
Writer so that others, too, shall take up the pen and the keyboard, and with their imagination, heart, and guiding spirit, inspire others to take heart in their own journeys.

May the pain of your next writer's block ever remind you of your oath.

Welcome, fellow Writer!

 

What's the hardest part about writing?

What's the hardest part about writing?

I realize this probably varies from one person to the next, but for me, the hardest part about writing is the beginning. How does my story begin? Once I have the idea for a beginning, the rest can be 'pantzered' out. The tale falls into place. One of the things I always remembered from being forced to awkwardly butcher Shakespearean plays by reading them out loud together with the rest of my high school English classes, was how The Bard did his beginnings. His trick (and you can check it out yourself, of course) is always to begin with either an action scene or with something bawdy. I figured, hey! If that trick good enough for Will, then it's good enough for Ryan.

The second excellent piece of advice I've picked up about beginnings was actually from one of my favorite writers, CS Lewis. Mr. Lewis, in his essays, talks about how he starts writing stories- for him, they always begin with what he capitalized and called Desire and then with a specific image or two which sticks to his mind as he begins. I get that. For me, I usually have a mood or a feeling which I then extrapolate off of - as if the rest of the entire story to follow is only the materialization of an immaterial thing. Does this make me some sort of novice literary conjurer? Who knows? Maybe? On Desire - if you read Lewis' other works, you learn that when he says 'Desire' (with a Capital 'D', mind you), what he is really meaning is Joy (check out his Surprised by Joy, for more). When I write for long spells, I often fight between reveling when my wandering Muse finally decides to show up and just plain and simple not wanting to write any more that day. I've learned that, (and don't go spreading this around, will you?) it's okay to not always want to write. Don't, by any means, become a slave to your transient fairy Muse - for she's a cruel master, and rather neglectful at that. Joy is a living thing we chase. We chase it all our lives. (again, another excellent CS Lewis book on this his Pilgrim's Regress) For some of us doomed souls, telling stories makes up a significant amount of our chase. It's our Yearning - our Desire for something entirely Else which leads us on and on into realms hitherto unknown and unexplored. JRR Tolkien talks a bit about this in his wonderful On Fairy Stories... If this sounds like you- if you feel that inexpressible pull in your gut - BEWARE. Faerie is a perilous place. Don't try to get there. Do not attempt to lock your Desire into a vending machine. It won't work, and it can often drive you nuts.

Your calling to write is special. Let it remain so - free and unburdened. Allow yourself to follow it, however it chooses to express itself. Prepare as best you can for your Desire to pop up in the most unlikely of places. Be true to yourself and it. As CS Lewis's Master (and mine), George MacDonald, once said - 'More Life!' - don't burden and weary yourself with deadening things - let your rally cry be More Life! Whether it's new stories or simply focusing heartily and cheerfully on the task at hand.

Good luck, fellow Wanderer! And happy writing (when it comes)

-Ryan

Meet Rienspel's Cover Designer!

Meet Rienspel's Cover Designer... Laura Faraci!

 

Laura Faraci is a determined artist and current Communication Design student at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Especially interested in typographic design, Laura previously studied at Liceo Scientifico A. Roiti in Ferrara, where she grew up. Ever since she was a child she enjoys figure roller skating and playing the piano. As a self-taught illustrator, Laura dedicates herself to different drawing styles in her free time, including pencil drawing and digital painting.

When I first launched my debut fantasy novel, Rienspel, on 99Designs, I wasn't sure quite what to expect. The competing designers were amazingly talented- and it was really difficult to choose! But in the end, Laura Faraci won the day with her skill, timeliness, and incredible versatility - plus she's an absolute pleasure to work with. I highly recommend her for anyone's future design needs- just ask her and see exactly what I mean! She proves her merit with intuit and determination, and I'm excited to work with her again, as my design needs arise.

If you'd like to find out more about Laura, or hire her for your own design needs, you can visit her at https://www.behance.net/LauraFaraciDesign

- Thanks Laura!!

 

Drum Roll Please!

And now, after nearly a decade of blood, sweat, tears and pestering... Ryan P. Freeman is proud to announce...

THE OFFICIAL COVER FOR RIENSPEL!!

I would like to especially thank Laura Faraci, whom I had the wonderful pleasure of working with via 99Designs. It was a hard choice which came right on down to a three-way tie, but her persistence, vision and charm helped prove her design the best, in my opinion. 

Even now, she's hard at work designing the cover for my next work, an e-novelette called 

The Grey Isle Tale! - If you'd like to help donate toward my next work's cover, you can check out https://www.gofundme.com/TheGreyIsleTale 

Thank you everyone who helped weigh in on the recent design process and who helped encourage me for nearly a decade to keep on dreaming and writing- this one is for you!

-Ryan

WE STAND WITH PARIS.

Rienspel, a playlist!

Here's a playlist which leads your imagination into the world of Rienspel, my debut fantasy novel - Enjoy!

You can find out more about Rienspel and its author, Ryan P Freeman at:
http://www.facebook.com/rienspel

You've been ooh so patient!

Presenting... Rienspel's tentative back cover print description...

The Phoenix of Redd, Volume I: Rienspel

What Rien discovers about his past will change his future…

Rien Sucat wiles his days away, bored-stiff in his small backwoods village. But soon gets more than he bargained for after he befriends a magical Phoenix, accidentally witnesses a secret necromantic ritual, and comes face to face with a league of racist, knife-wielding assassins out for his blood. Travel with Rien as he and the Phoenix journey from the unassuming Rillian village of Nyrgen through the enchanting depths of the Great Wood where the unquiet dead lurk, to the high north country of Firehall - elusive sanctuary of the Elves. Launch into an epic quest with consequences farther reaching than Rien could ever possibly imagine.

…

Rienspel is about heart. It is about family and about how the power of love played out in everyday life often carries lasting consequences. Rien’s tale transcends the dim shadows of our own world by revealing the lingering power we all carry through how we live and treat others. It is a tale about the Story we all reside in which readers both young and young-at-heart will find compelling. As C.S. Lewis once penned for his colleague and friend J.R.R. Tolkien, so it is with Rienspel, ‘here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a story which will break your heart”… and re-forge it anew in Phoenix-fire.

About the Author:

Ryan P. Freeman is a fellow adventurer. After miraculously surviving childhood cancer and several near-death experiences, he launched into the world of AM talk radio, hosting his own live program out of Albuquerque. Ryan is a former International Red Cross guest speaker, Pastor, and medieval-enthusiast; loves sampling craft-beers, and is an unapologetically proud kilt-wearer. In his down time, his interests range from exploring real-world pan-mythology, survivalist camping, and copious video gaming. He and his wife live in Hannibal, MO along with their two dogs Maci and Lazarus; as well as their two cats Lira and Baldur.

Praise for Rienspel:

“Rienspel is a libation to the human soul. It is fantasy at its purest: a celebration of the myth, of the beauty of nature, of friends and family and forgotten goodness. The world and characters the author has created are simply unforgettable. Best of all Rienspel is an unrivaled example of how fiction can indeed be true.”

- R.E. Dean, Blood for Glory

Telling the Story

As I've been getting more into the habit of writing on a regular basis, 

I've found that I really love when my stories begin churning out organic twists and turns. I'm an admitted pantser - I don't really plan all that much whats going to happen exactly - I just begin with an idea or a feel - and start. I think what I really appreciate about organic story developments are how they appear like little instances where I know I have a live one on the hook. I drop my line and bate into the writing waters each day (or just about), and wait. 

By dedicating about an hour each day for my 1,000 words of story writing, I find it's my way to tell the magical story muses that while I understand they're supremely busy visiting everybody else, I will be in the same spot (my wife and I call it our 'spare 'oom'), at about the same time, doing the same thing. Last night a few little micro-bursts pleasant appeared on the screen as I typed. I wasn't trying to write anything in particular - merely continuing where I had left off the previous night, telling the story.

Telling the Story, I think, is the main crux of writing. You can be aware of how good writing looks like (IE Grammar), but what a good story is has mostly to do with your ability to tell the story. Tell it. Don't describe it or talk about it - tell it. Stories have a natural rhythm and progression. They want to be told. You just have to tell them, to the best of your ability. And don't be afraid to let your tale take you where it wants to go, either. 9 times out of 10, I've discovered the most exciting nooks and crannies when my story is leading me - not the other way round. As you're doing this, I think it helps to promote your heart. All the best stories revolve around an author's heart, or the story the author is relating. When you've got that, the rest falls into place because no matter how many other books or tales you've read or heard, this gleaming theme you've felt all along is allowed to rise triumphantly to the surface, displayed at last for all the world to see.

So tell your story!
Let it flow out of you with all the strength your heart, soul - mind and strength can muster.
Let your tale lead you.
"It's a dangerous business stepping outside your door - you step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to..."


~ Ryan

1,000

In lieu of the kind comments from yesterday's Facebook post, I'll go a little more into what I've been making myself do each day (whether I want to or not).

One-Thousand.

1,000 words. A day. 

For a little over two weeks I've been taking up Stephen King's inspiring advice for authors: write 1,000 words a day.

Ok ok... I can hear all the mental complaints moaning through the internet right now... (I know, it's a neat trick, isn't it?) Me? Write a thousand words a day? Why yes. Yes you. To entirely honest I was a little intimidated, myself. Near the end of writing Rienspel, I forced myself to sit and do 5 pages a day... but I was then unemployed and it deter me from simply playing so much Skyrim I transformed into Talos. But anyways... 1,000 words a day is already helping me write... and not just on my literary stuff, either. 

I'm also a pastor at Payson Christian Church in Payson, IL... and more often than not, I find myself cramming for sermon ideas... staring at a blank screen. But now, after a few weeks of intentional writing, I don't have to cajole the writing fairies into sprinkling their magical idea dust just so I can turn something out. 

Don't get me wrong. I love inspiration. I prefer it, really. But like Stephen King said, dedicate yourself to be in your own writing nook each day around a certain time (a nook in room preferably with a door you can shut). And come what may, those pesky writing fairies will soon learn that you will be in your writing nook, at such and such o'clock each day. They'll know where to find you.

To be quite honest, writing a thousand words, assuming you're in 12pt Times New Roman, means you're getting about 3-4 pages worth. I mean, come on here people... it's not that much. It usually takes me about an hour to do that. And when you write, just write. Save all that soul-crushing editing for later... Begin with a vision in your mind and a smattering of desire to see your story told - then go for it. However you need to tell your story, tell it. Like Niel Gaimon once said, "Make. Good. Art."

If you write your 1,000 a day, and give yourself one day off a week, and you'll have a novel in 3 months. (3 months!). How long have you bemoaned never 'writing that book'? Well, there you go. Just sit down in your nook, shut the door and turn off the social media... light some candles... heck, I don't know- pour yourself an ale, turn the mood music on. Romance yourself. And then write.

Tweet your own tips and tricks at #whatgetsyouwriting

... and WRITE ON!

The Written Art

Due to popular demand from several unconnected corners, I picked up a copy of Stephen King's On Writing. It's perfect. Exactly what I was looking for, in the exact tone I enjoy. Maybe it's normal for Mr. King to write this way... However it works out, I want to pass along knowledge learned as well as to dispel some common myths about writing and being a writer. Honestly, I don't know nearly as much as I feel I ought to, but I've been writing for a decade now, so I think I've earned a little bit of muscle from the experience.

What is a writer?
A writer is one who writes. And no, I'm not being cheeky. Seriously. Right now, as I'm pecking away I am a writer because I am writing. And yes, I can hear you hecklers in the back shouting, "but how about when you're NOT writing? Are you STILL a writer then?" The answer is Yes. I think being a writer is a path. So long as you've dedicated yourself to the written art, you are a writer. Period. Artists can't help but create (or subcreate... but that's a whole 'nother post). Sooner or later, you'll find yourself scribbling on Panera napkins or henpekcing away on a borrowed laptop. The craft calls to us - we hear and obey (besides, it's just plain fun).

How do you even write, bro?
I could wax poetic on this, but I won't. I don't need to anymore... I tip my hat (which yes, as a matter of fact, I AM wearing), to the brevity of author C.S. Lewis who once explained he beings with an image in his head and Desire in his heart, when it comes to writing. I personally think it's spot on. Some people like to think writers are some other sub-species of human, inhabiting coffee shops, dive-bars and lonely mountain retreats... and perhaps we do... but we also work 9-5 jobs and put our pants on one leg at a time like everybody else, as well. I think I would also like to add, in addition to Lewis' image, song as well. One of the biggest motivators for writing my first work, Rienspel, was traditional Celtic music like The Maid Who Sold Her Barely, The Butterfly, and especially Suil a Ruin. I heard them and instantly, I felt the pull - the call- to write. And so one day, I did. Don't think it's some misty, magical, timey-whimy, spacey-wacey, only-writers-have-this-experience. It's not. It may be special, but that only widens the blessing. We've all heard the art's call at one time or another. Pay attention to it, then simply find a place with a door that can close, sit down, and write. Just focus on getting it out. Don't worry if it's perfect or if everything's even spelled right... As Mr. King describes in his book, excavate the fossil that is your story. There's something there - get to it.

Pantser or Plotter?
Huh? Did he just say Panzer, Panther? Pants-er? No. Pantser. Apparently the way I just dive right into writing is not unique to me. And this is also the reason why my lovely wife and I tend to butt heads when it comes to Story creation. Whereas I just start writing- ready-fire-aim-style, and allow the Story to take me where it will, along with it's characters, Steph is a plotter. She plots. She likes to lay the whole thing out like a graphic designer - layering and layering until more or less satisfied. It's all grid-work and blue-prints for her. And while the eternal Pantser-Plotter war for the fate of the soul of Writer-kind may wage on through time and space, I want to let you know that it's ok to be either type. I can say this because I'm fairly sure Steph will never read this post, too... (And YES, you naysayers huddling next to those hecklers... I can hear you quite well... YES there are hybrid Pantser-Plotters, too.)

In Memorium
Write. Just DO it. Write your best. Read as much as you can, too. Reading well eventually translates to writing well, you know. Feed your imagination. Know who you're writing for and why. Be able to write that down as well. For example, My name is Ryan P. Freeman. I am a writer. I am writing, ideally (and in no particular order), for myself, Steph, Logan, Jennie, Josiah, Robert, and Jon Jon (just to name a few). I am writing because I believe good Story is the backdoor to the soul, and because I genuinely enjoy doing it.

I am Ryan P. Freeman, and I am a writer.

How about you?    

Advice from a Tuesday Morning

Most days when I wake up, one of the first things I do is check my phone. This morning I read a series of frantic texts, two missed phone calls and one quick message all having to do with work-related stuff. Years ago, at a far more stressful job than I have now, I learned that when I'm at home, I'm at home. I don't care if there's a dire time crunch which can be heroically solved by no one but me. I'll shrug my shoulders (just you watch me) when i hear there's this gigantic huge colossal meeting tomorrow morning and can you do this one favor for me...

I set my phone down and decided to have a nice morning, instead. (it takes practice, but it can be accomplished) I chatted with my wife over coffee about philosophy and mathematics. I savored my bowl of peanut butter crunch. I petted my dogs on the way out the door and checked on my new (now blooming!) trumpeter vine. I sang along to my music and watched the early fall shadows dance across the road on the way to work. After I clocked in, then I took care of business. Right before the (expected and predictable) phone call from said frantic person, I suggested that there are more important things to life than work. I was polite and brief- and I was appreciated for it.

I feel like my day today has some logical chain linking through the next few emails I received...

This one is from one of my favorite (living) authors, Donald Miller. Miller writes,

"Nearly 80 years ago a psychologist named Viktor Frankl stood up to Sigmund Freud. Freud was saying that the primary desire of man was to pursue pleasure, but Frankl disagreed. He said the primary desire of every person was to experience a deep sense of meaning, and when they can’t find meaning, they numb themselves with pleasure.

Frankl said there are three components of a meaningful life.

Here they are: 

1. A project that demands your attention: Simply have something important that you’re working on that requires you to get out of bed every day. Turns out we weren’t designed to sit and study our belly buttons. We need to find a useful purpose in the world.

2. Unconditional friends: Life is best lived in community and so relationships matter. To experience a deep sense of meaning, we need to surround ourselves with people who love and accept us as we are. We need close, loving relationships.

3. A redemptive perspective on our suffering: Life is full of challenges and sometimes even tragedies. To experience meaning, we must redeem these difficult things by finding a perspective on them that betters our lives. To experience meaning, we can’t let tragedies take us down. We need to redeem them.

If 2015 was another one of those years that felt bland and routine, it’s time to make a new plan. Until we make a new plan and execute that plan, nothing will change."

Next I read from a literary e-magazine I receive:

"Do you feel the creative juices drying up? Has the stress of the day or the week or the “pick your period of time” got you struggling to put down a coherent passage on paper (computer screen)? Never fear because I have just the thing for you. Here are my five cures for those times when you lack the energy to be creative:

1. Free thought time: Find a hobby centered on creativity outside of writing. Get out of the writer head-space, and redirect your creativity to another activity--something that involves a different way to create. Whether it’s photography, sketching, painting, knitting, etc., alternate creative endeavors can give your creativity more depth and distinctiom.
   
   
2. A walk in the woods: Or on a greenway or in a park, walk wherever you connect with nature. Nature can do wonders to reboot your creativity. The crisp air, the smell of the greenery, the thrill of watching wildlife, there are countless ways in the wild to disconnect from hang-ups and kick-start your creativity.
   
   
3. Work it out by hand: Step away from the computer and your normal writing space, grab a pen and notepad, and start writing without judgement. Just let it flow. You will most likely do some of the worst writing you’ve ever done using this method, but the quality of writing isn’t the point. The point here is to clear your mind of all that junk so you can make way for creative excellence.
   
   
4. Meditate: I’m a student of Transcendental Meditation, and I can tell you from personal experience that meditation makes you feel more balanced and less stressed. Sitting in the dark with your eyes closed for 15-20 minutes focusing on nothing is an excellent way to make for a more fertile, creative mind.
   
   
5. Set yourself up to be inspired: A great book, film or play often inspires me to start creating. I find inspiration in the author’s/creator’s talent, and I’m driven to improve as an artist."

Your days are probably hurtling forwards. These months in particular are jam-packed with events and deadlines, due-dates and obligations... When it comes to writing, or working, or just living life- slow down and smell the roses. Enable yourself to be in a place or state of mind, as best you can, so you can enjoy life and relish the sheer gift which surrounds us. I realize I probably sound like a dirty, pot-smoking hippie... but either that's your thing, too or you're like me - and have realized with everything life throws at us, we would rather strive to be happy than rich, accepted, powerful or influential.

Happy Tuesday and Write On!

-Ryan 

Louis Borges on Writing...

 Poet Jorge Luis Borges once wrote,

"It’s possible that the fact that literature has been commercialized now in a way it never was before has had an influence. That is, the fact that people now talk about “bestsellers,” that fashion has an influence (something that didn’t use to happen). I remember that when I began to write, we never thought about the success or failure of a book. What’s called “success” now didn’t exist at that time. And what’s called “failure” was taken for granted. One wrote for oneself and, maybe, as Stevenson used to say, for a small group of friends. On the other hand, one now thinks of sales. I know there are writers who publicly announce they’ve had their fifth, sixth, or seventh edition released and that they’ve earned such and such an amount of money. All that would have appeared totally ridiculous when I was a young man; it would have appeared incredible. People would have thought that a writer who talks about what he earns on his books is implying: “I know what I write is bad but I do it for financial reasons or because I have to support my family.” So I view that attitude almost as a form of modesty. Or of plain foolishness."

As I'm preparing to publish my first two works, Rienspel and The Grey Isle Tale, I've been furiously studying other authors' suggestion on the process. But something kept bugging me the whole time... see, I'm not writing to get rich (Sure, it would be nice...) - but because I simply love what I write, and write what I love. Trying to figure out the whole process has been a bit intimidating, sure. I don't really feel like I have the zillions of dollars to simply bankroll my way through hiring an agent - and I don't really think I have any notable connections with the publishing world, either. I'm not exactly a household name, nor do I have anything remarkable to really contribute to the twittersphere, either. 

But that's ok. Perfectly ok, actually. I am writing what I love. I hope if you read what I write, you enjoy it too. That's it. That's all I'm going for here. CS Lewis also said something encouraging about originality, which helped keep me going too:

 "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often is has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed in."

So if you're a writer- write. If you're a singer- sing. If you're a gamer- game. And leave all thought of public opinion and propriety in the dust where they belong.

-Ryan

Rienspelling the Morning Away...

I cannot wait until Rienspel is published.
Seriously.

I woke up this morning and the winds which punctuate these late midwestern storms like so many commas were blowing through my backyard's trees. Later on, still thinking about the indescribable feeling I get when I think about Rienspel - the feel which has grown up from one single simple map sketch into a raging torrent of words and pages into this singularly great story... oh, I'm excited for it to be published.

I've learned if I focus on it too long - like strong drink or heady perfume - the feel can fill me up and make me ache. Like I said - it's kinda hard to describe. I want you to know, faithful reader, how each page, each character was worked over carefully. I know most of those reading this post are not numbered among the very few beta-readers I use... but oh, you are in for a treat.

You've probably noticed how I'm working on a different novel right now... The Grey Isle (The Path of Flames ? - I dunno, I'm still working on a title). And you're probably asking yourself, right along with me, hey Ryan - why don't you just keep working on Rienspel? You know... we're all going to want to get our paws on book two of the Phoenix of Redd series once we're finished! Well, the truth is I can't right now. Oh sure, I mean I can physically sit down at my desk and write, for sure... but I can't write IT yet. Writing something like this, which means so terribly much to me (and you should hear how my wife, Steph, goes on about how I care too much about what I write...) takes something out of me. I have to recharge. I have to let my heart and spirit breathe after soaring so high into the starry heavens.

I want you to know that this story, which so many people have helped make possible for me to write and bring to you... (and please try to keep the eye-rolling to a minimum here) Rienspel WANTS to be written. It's like a sentient creature, or like some sort of tale whose particularly delicious aroma has wafted out over that tenuous wall which separates us from Faerie. (SHHHH. keep your thoughts down, will you! - or they'll hear!) Speak too loudly about even the idea and it vanishes. I'm serious. It's like the moment when you are dreaming and you fully realize it is a dream... and then the more you struggle to remain in dreamland the more rapidly you rise to waking. We adventure in perilous lands best left to unexpectedly lucky widow's sons.... lost princesses... and those who long... deep, deep in their hearts for something BETTER.

Rienspel is my shot at it. It's just a book, yes. But what a book! The ideas within them... the subtle presuppositions laced, layer over layer, beckon even me for something... some grand thing... which is deeper, higher and greater than we dare hope to realize...

But like I said, it's kinda hard to explain.

- Cheers

Ryan

ps- for a treat, check out the youtube playlist I arranged to get your Rienspeling whimsy going:

#whatgetsyouwriting:

#whatgetsyouwriting:

"Enlighten the people generally and tyranny and oppressions of the body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day."

- Thomas Jefferson

1816  

 

Rolling With the Unexpected

The flashing cursor. Just sitting there, taunting me.


As a writer, the only thing worse than flashing cursors is the sudden ADD impulse to get up from my laptop and go do anything else BUT write. Recently, I finished Rienspel and am toying, exploring, doing-battle-with, its sequel The Grey King. At first, of course, I continued with what I had written for Rienspel... because even as it's author, I HAD to know what happened next.

As I've continued this relentless writing adventure, I've learned a bit about my own writing style- and among other things (besides serially over using the em-dash ----), I've learned I don't like to plan things out ahead of time. I don't like it. It's against my nature, and I'll fight you street-brawl-style if you try and make me. I like to just sit down and keep writing- so I get to explore and feel the way out right along with the tale's own characters. Their excitement or terror is my own. I strive for immersive story-telling... plots and people which leap out of the page at you... scenes you can feel and move you... forests where you can smell the trees and land where you can feel the grass under your toes.

With this being said, I also nearly insist on writing with music on... especially if the emotional crecendoes are in-tune with the current scene or characters. When I eventually hit my first creative block by simply trying to continue writing where I had left off after Rienspel I was annoyed, but not surprised. I've learned by now about these pesky writer's block creatures, and I know a few tips and tricks to keep moving after encountering them. One such trick is one I call 'jumping tracks'. To perform Jumping Tracks, you need to identify the specific emotional style, or mood- the type of music or the generally predictable genre pattern you're in, and... Jump Tracks. For example - I obviously write in a specific fantasy-style (in case you haven't noticed from the theme and word usage of my posts here and on Facebook), recently, I decided to listen to classic rock instead of classical or instrumental game music... I opened up a different story stub I had begun and had abandoned some time ago, and started writing it again. And with what I knew needed to happen, generally, in The Grey King, I slowly realized this random story, with this completely different Western-High-Noon-style character gave me a brand new, fresh take on my story- simply by completely changing my ground-level point of view.

Jumping Tracks isn't just for clawing your way out of writer's block pits, though. You can use it while going to a particularly dreaded day at a boring, unfulfilling job, too! (and believe you me, I've had a couple of those before) See, I believe we are all actually characters in The Story. And so, if we are, we just have to Jump Tracks in our current story. The emotional humdrum mood we adopt when heading back into the daily grind is a sneaky version of the writer's block. We're 'stuck' from continuing our own story for an entire shift... or ARE we? Jump Tracks. Use your imagination to refresh yourself and take your situation from a brand new perspective and then go with it... and see where it takes you. You'll often find hidden magic along the way you would have probably never have otherwise even dreamed of.

I used to work at a gas station - and I hated it. That is, until I started trying to jump tracks, at least in my mental frame of mind... but, trying is half the battle in this case. I realized that working for long spells at the gas station made me assume everything was horrible in the world. And of course, anyone can discover with a few days off how simply untrue this is. So, if how I was feeling while working there did not mean what I thought it meant, then it could mean anything... anything! I started trying to identify vampires and revenants hiding in plain sight disguised as regulars! Once, as a joke, I anointed the doors with holy water and, I kid you not, some customers began literally being able to cross the threshold.... I guess my point is, there's a whole wide world we're living in. It REALLY IS magical. And more than a few of the old tales still hold true. We're apart of it, and if we want to continue discovering where our own stories lead, we have to get the ring to Rivendell- we have to seek out Yoda ourselves, we have to try and stop the Nazis from recovering the Ark of the Covenant.

We have to roll with the unexpected, and see our own story through.

-Ryan

thanks for reading!

Serial Tragedy- A Response

So they killed off another Game of Thrones character in a tragic, gruesome, terrible way. As the show goes on, and the books are generally devoured by the public, I've heard more and more reasons why this serial tragedy is a good thing- an accurate thing- even a more realistic thing. The sheer amount of psychoanalyzing is staggering, if you think about it. If you've watched the show or read the books already, I'm sure you already have an opinion on serial tragedy. Do bad things always happen? Is it inevitable? I think this is a vital topic, especially for Americans who are transitioning into a different zeitgeist (Spirit of the Age). It deals with truth and the tone of which the stories we believe in actually structure our everyday lives.

I actually hope the despairing challenge we often find ourselves faced with makes us think. I hope it makes us hold up our presuppositions against others' and makes us scratch our head. Makes us actually wonder, think, feel out our positions on the matter. Honestly, this ends up being a bit of a vast topic, so I won't scientifically notate each RNA strain... but I will drop a few breadcrumbs to hopefully help you get back home.

And so, in no particular order, here they are:

1) What IS truth? Truth exists independently of human beings, thank God. Trees which fall, alone, in forests still actually makes sounds, because the notion of sound does not depend on people hearing them (I mean, that's being a bit full of ourselves to say we are the ultimate standard when it comes to defining Truth, right?).

2) Bad things happen. But so do good things. Again, the nature of evil is a bit of a large topic, but the most helpful advice I've found come from Tolkien's writings on Eucatastrophe. For more in depth notations- read On Fairy Stories and/or the good 'ol Wikipedia page on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucatastrophe. This one is important because it delves into our own base assumption about how the world (both real and imaginary) work, how they ought to work, and why there ought to be happy endings at all.

3) Practicality. What you do and say and write actually DO matter. You affect people. You will continue to affect people. What you expose yourself to affects you, and in turn, affects others as well. Be aware of what you consume and crave when it comes to stories. And dare to wonder why? Why is it you happen to crave specific types of stories? It probably, ultimately, has to do with you dealing with your past and your own personal and unique identity: your character. (and yes, oh yes, are we characters) - And also, as a side note- what do people who really love you say about you?


As I was writing Rienspel, the moments where I felt I had the most authority, or power as an author, was when I thought about all the brutalized people I've met and known. I wrote what I wrote for them, because as fun as stories like Game of Thrones are, and as heartwarmingly cheesy as all the Disney-fied endings can be, people need to know there is Truth, they are in a Good story (the best, actually), and that they matter and have their own integral role to play in life. I honestly believe this, and as the legendary visionary George MacDonald once said, "Imagination is the backdoor to the soul" - and I intend to use it.

-Ryan

How to Write Your Story.

How do you start writing that idea for a story you've harbored all those years?

 

Here's my thoughts:

That's awesome that you've got a book in mind... honestly, I just kept writing. 

Writing Rienspel wasn't all at once... there wasn't any set writing block...

- I just discovered that I like to write... whenever I'm done with 'what I'm supposed to be doing' whether it's homework or job stuff... I would write... however you need to do it, what ever it looks like- just write. 

Is it crappy? Write. 

Is it terrible never-going-to-be-published? Write. 

Is it secretly awesome? Write. 

Secondly, read. 

Read to be inspired. Read what you love. Not what you ought to love, but what you honestly could read all day. 

I actually started with a map... the map that's on the Rienspel page, actually. 

During college I was invited to go camping one weekend... but for some odd reason, I decided to pass. I found myself alone in my quiet dorm-room and just started drawing... a couple hours later there was this whole continent... and I thought to myself, well- it needs people. So I started dreaming up people. And then I knew there was a story there... .lots of stories! So I said, I'd better write them. 

And so I am. 

Simple. 

There's not a magic bullet answer for how to write a story- there's just writing and more writing- this is what's worked for me. 

In general, though- I suggest a couple of loose phases: Brainstorm- write up/draw up anything, everything- don't throw anything away- use friends to talk to/bother and focus solely on creating. Then take the general main elements which surface and research them. Anything- everything- Wikipedia is your friend! Also, for example, pay attention to repeating themes across other stories you love- you're probably noticing these re-occurring themes for a reason. go with it. Next, take what you've researched and as you're continuing to write, find ways to work it into your story. Next- keep reading and writing- but don't be afraid to explore other tangents. Find the main tangent, eventually, and focus on that one- otherwise you can lose momentum and start to rabbit trail (I did this). Re-write as many times as you need. You have an infinite amount of time- remember! Enjoy it. And if you're not enjoying it- take a break. But while you're forgetting about it- deep down, still remember. 

Surround yourself with influences which inspire you. Do whatever it takes to continually squelch the negative thoughts (that's what editors are for later). Eventually, you'll feel out how your own story concludes by where its process leads you. Go with it. I also highly recommend Patricia C Wrede's writing blog http://pcwrede.com/blog/ - feel free to bounce ideas off me anytime- too- here, on http://www.facebook.com/rienspel or at thephoenixofredd@aol.com.