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.

How To Be A Poet

HOW TO BE A POET

(to remind myself)

Make a place to sit down.

Sit down. Be quiet.

You must depend upon

affection, reading, knowledge,

skill – more of each

than you have – inspiration,

work, growing older, patience,

for patience joins time

to eternity. Any readers

who like your poems,

doubt their judgment.

Breathe with unconditional breath

the unconditioned air.

Shun electric wire.

Communicate slowly. Live

a three-dimensioned life;

stay away from screens.

Stay away from anything

that obscures the place it is in.

There are no unsacred places;

there are only sacred places

and desecrated places.

Accept what comes from silence.

Make the best you can of it.

Of the little words that come

out of the silence, like prayers

prayed back to the one who prays,

make a poem that does not disturb

the silence from which it came.

- Wendell Berry

Villains

Villains. What makes them... good?

During my writing process, I came to think about what makes a truly great villain. First off, I think there are different ranges of villains. Secondly, I think you begin to delve into the philosophy of evil. And third, how you can illustrate personal evil- or villains who hit home.

Honestly, I when I think of the different levels and ranges of villains, I thank James Bond writers, 24 episodes and politicians. In each case, there are ranks to them. Sure, there's the masterminds at the top, plotting world domination and so on... but that malevolent will often has to trickle down through many other minds in order to reach your character. And as the evil filters through each layer, due to sub-creative process gone awry... you get new ways to enforce and illicit desired results. You can also craft whole new realms of terror... but to do this well, I think, you need to understand the dark material you're working with...

I remember sitting in my college philosophy class with professor Axton... and I still think I hold with him, essentially, when he said something to the effect of how diabolical evil, at its core, cannon be comprehended from our human/mortal point of view at this point in time. It is slippery and slidy. When you get to the really hellish instances of evil, the motivators behind it defy solid, concrete explanation... as if logic rules break down. Even now, I'm starting to ramble about it... which is point-in-case. Also, as a side note on this subject, I still love Alfred's quote in The Dark Knight about how some people just want to watch the world burn... or even take Loki's character as another example... A good way to get around instances where standard definitions begin to become indescribable, analogies often become an excellent work-around.

Don't tell people about your villains- illustrate them. (Again, another example of the analogy work-around in action). It's odd, but living in Missouri has exposed me more to really terrifying evil than anywhere else. Major metropolitan centers like Portland OR or even Albuquerque have not really illustrated evil for me (and I suppose I'm lucky for this). During college, when I began writing Rienspel, I would volunteer at youth outreaches... at one in particular I was the doorman, ensuring youth signed in and out... made sure they had rides home and what-not... I remember one night, a youth casually describing his 'friends' dragging him out of his house and making him watch as they lit a cross on fire in front of his own front yard. It wasn't the violence of the situation or the iconography employed or its' terrifying legacy... it was the kid's own nonchalance about the event. The casualness of it is what really made me shiver in the end. For most of those living outside the Midwest (and I was one of them), you have this vague stereo-type in your mind about the safe, idyllic small-town atmosphere of the region. But living here now... volunteering at those youth outreaches... and working at a nearby gas station has illustrated for me rather clearly how not all is as it seems, even in the 'safe' places of our world.

So, when I sat down to begin writing my villains- all this was swirling around in my mind. Personally, I think there are plenty of stories where the villains are disposable. If you want stock villains, try and look elsewhere. One of my goals writing my story, was to create bad guys who actually scare me. I want evil which creeps out of the book at night and bothers my dreams.

Why?

Because I believe we have forgotten via experience what real goodness is like, and just how bright the dawn can be. While I don't believe we need darkness to illustrate the qualities of true goodness- I do believe, I know, we need to be heroes again. You and I, where we are, right now. This means practicing love and courage and justice tangibly with ourselves first, and then others until we no longer even think twice about it.

-thanks for reading!

Stress

 

(reposted from http://pcwrede.com/stress/) - Patricia C. Wrede is one of my favorite writers... someone who helped influence 'the voice' of Rienspel... she also has great advice for writers...

"Stress affects everybody’s writing, one way or another, sooner or later, because stress is part of life. How stress affects people’s writing varies from writer to writers. For some folks, writing is an escape, so the more stressed they are, the more they write (though this isn’t that common among published writers, probably because it’s too hard to balance on the knife-edge of stressed-enough-to-write-but-not-so-stressed-that-there-really-isn’t-time-to-write). Other folks hit a certain level of stress, and find that it’s using every bit of energy they have just to stay alive, and there’s no energy or brain cells left over for writing. (Which can add stress, if writing is one’s main occupation and source of income.) For others, it depends on the kind of stress – if it’s outside stuff like an intense day job or the sewer backing up, they can write straight through it without blinking, but if it’s anything personal or emotional, they might as well forget it. And of course there are the folks who get stressed if they go too long without writing, because it’s a safety valve.

Everybody gets overstressed at some point, and the result can be quite dramatic in terms of productivity (and if it isn’t, you frequently end up paying for it later). And all too often, we make it worse for ourselves. Over and over, I’ve watched otherwise rational professionals fall to pieces because they’re under stress and refuse to admit it or allow for it. Writers who have a major operation or illness and refuse to ask for either help or a deadline extension, and then work themselves right back into the emergency room. Writers who’ve had a string of minor catastrophes, and who beat themselves up for not writing. (Usually, these are the sort who could sail through any one minor catastrophe without pause; it’s dealing with five or six in quick succession that’s too much. So they look at everything one at a time: the car accident that took a week and dozens of phone calls to the insurance company to settle, and the kid who fell out of the tree and broke an arm, and the water pipe that leaked three inches of water into the living room, and the refrigerator pump that failed and unfroze everything inside, and the cat who had to be rushed to the vet in the middle of the night, and the scary letter from the IRS about last year’s taxes, and it doesn’t occur to them that when all that happens in the same week, you are allowed to not get any writing done). Writers who are taking care of a seriously ill family member, and think they should do that, have a day job, and still write full time.

Some of this happens, I think, because those of us who write for a living are so very, very aware of how easy it is to find excuses not to write…and how very dangerous it is to give in to that impulse. Everybody sneers at the wannabes who only ever talk about the great story they are going to write some day…and who’ve been talking about it, and not writing a single word, for the past ten or fifteen years. But part of the reason we sneer is that we know just how little it would take for use to slide back into “some day, sooner or later” land. It took a lot of work and discipline and determination to get to the point where writing happens and pages get produced on a regular basis, and we don’t want to have to climb that hill again.

But stuff happens, and if you don’t recognize it, admit it, and deal with it, you’ll very likely be much worse off in the long run. It’s a bit like writing, or exercise, or losing weight: other people can tell you that you need to do it, but you are the only one who can actually write the words, do the pushups, lose the weight, or manage your own stress.

There are a bazillion books out there on how to manage stress, and they all say the same things and they’re all right: exercise, eat right, take care of yourself, take a break, take a walk, meditate, talk to people about it, find ways to reduce the stress if possible (move, change jobs, get a massage, change the locks on the house or the phone number, quit listening to the news, etc.), see a professional if it gets to be too much. The one thing none of them advise is ignoring the fact that you are stressed and trying to carry on normally.

The trouble is that the things that are most effective for dealing with stress all work over the long run, and we’re a quick-fix society…and most people don’t start trying to deal with stress until they’re already in over their heads and sinking.

Also, you’re never going to get rid of all the stress in your life. It simply isn’t possible. Sometimes, you can get rid of a particular stressor permanently, sometimes, the only thing you can change is your attitude and the degree to which you take care of yourself. And one of the important ways of taking care of yourself is to not beat yourself up when you didn’t write as much as you think you should. Much as we all love doing it, writing is not always the most important thing in the world. Not compared to, say, getting your kid to the emergency room after that bicycle accident, or rebuilding the house and community that got smashed by the tornado. As one of my editors says when a writer gets too panicky, “Babies won’t die if you’re late getting your manuscript in.”

When you are under stress, you don’t think straight. It is useful, I find, to check in once in a while and actually listen to what you are telling yourself. If you’re frustrated and cross because you want to write and don’t have time, then writing may be part of your way of coping with stress, and it’s worth making time, even just a few minutes, to do it (along with eating right, sleeping, etc.). If, however, you’re fussing about the deadline and your general lack of productivity and how you can’t possibly be a Real Writer and It Is Your Job/Duty, You Cannot Waste Valuable Writing Time…stuff it. You don’t have to write when your Mom is in the hospital or your kid is running a temperature or you’re worried sick about layoffs or the roof just blew off in a tornado. You can if you want, but you don’t have to.

Also, sometimes when you’ve been under stress for a long time and take it off suddenly, there’s a sort of rebound reaction and everything kind of collapses for a while…which can take a lot longer than you think it ought to, especially if you were holding it together long past the normal burn-out point.
When my mother died after a two-year decline into Alzheimer’s, it took me nearly four years to get back to approaching-normal. I managed to get some writing done during that time, but not nearly as much as I usually do. It taught me that if you’ve keep trying to write during a crisis when you not only don’t feel like it, but really don’t want to and don’t think you can, then a) you probably should take a break, and b) you probably don’t have to worry that you’re one of those pseudo-writers who takes any and every excuse to not-write."

by Patricia Wrede Posted on September 21, 2014

How to Write an -Awesome- Story

How to Write an Awesome Story

 _Ryan Freeman

The blinking cursor of death is the bane of my existence.

Seriously.

How do you start when all you see around you are the great, professionally finished products of the masters? It can really get you pumped... and then get you down. You're just one person... you probably dont have a killer editing team, lounging around in your PJ's sipping Starbucks in some otherworldly location... with interns and the like (ok, maybe I'm fantasizing here a bit, but hey... it's what I do, right?)

What about the regular people, like you and I? How do we start?

Here's the secret I figured out. (ready?)

You're already in it.

Bam.

There.

You're already in it. You're apart of it.
 You are already a character (probably in more ways than one). You are living in a story, and you are apart of it. What you do and say every day matters. You save lives by what you do and say. You make or break your world by who you are, what you mean, and how you act. You are the hero, or the villain. You are the wise old sage or the wicked step-parent. You are the manliest legend or the most spell-binding beauty- or the coward and the witch.

You probably just blazed through that last paragraph. I know I did. But it's super important. Right now you're reading an old tome from a grizzled adventurer. You're here on common purpose because you're searching- hunting- exploring a perilous realm of life itself.

Take time to breathe in this new world you are apart of. Feel your place in it. Understand who you are and what you really, truly mean to yourself, others and the world at large.

Then... when you're feeling particularly whimsy and painfully honest... find yourself an excellent imagining/creating spot (mine was a quiet dorm room in Missouri), and start drawing- writing- playing music... from your world. The one you always go to when you close your eyes and dream. I realized all the places I go to in my mind are really a vast, continuous extension of the same world.

Start your journey and see where the path takes you. Start and don't forget about or quit until you get there. Don't worry about being perfect- just take a single step out of your proverbial front door and keep journeying. Take with you only what is mindful. Use who you are- your own strength of character and personal powers of being. If you're in a weird mood, use it. Write weird scenes or moments in your story where your characters probably are feeling similarly.

I'm excited to see where your own story takes you...


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