Writing Rienspel (Warning! *Contains Spoilers*)

Writing Rienspel

Thanks to my wife Steph's urging, I might try to start writing the much anticipated follow up to Rienspel: The Grey King. I'm not sure how to do it, though... Writing Rienspel was magical. It was personal and real - it throbbed and beat with exactly what I needed at the time.

How do you just start again? Sure, I've grown as a writer since then, both in style and technique... but there's something which neither finesse or skill have... and I don't know what it is... but it's something. Writing Rienspel took what I think many new, young writers do - put a version of themselves into a new literary world - and go on adventures. I traveled alongside Rien from Nyrgen to Firehall. I faced the undead and examined my own past. I came to grips with what it means to grow up - to both put childish ways aside, all the while become more childlike. I watched part of who I was die, and be reborn.

In the movie Gladiator, in the end the question is asked, Is Rome worth one good man's life? This morning, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was on, and we talked about how because Lily sacrificed herself for her son, Harry, that by taking his place, a powerful spell of protection was placed on him. Evil (initially, anyways) couldn't touch him. I want The Grey King to be about Death and Life... all so often, I think many stories cheapen Death, by either simply resurrecting the character or by misunderstanding what Death is.

One of my favorite fantasy authors of all time, George MacDonald, was wrote that 'Death is simply more Life'.  And in fact that we often misunderstand what Life is because we do not die because of Death, we die because of lack of Life. Life is more than what your heart and lungs do - it's more than an ability to articulate higher brain function... It hints on what CS Lewis wrote, "You don't have a soul, you are a soul: you have a body."

One of the things I do with my fantasy writing, is actually use it as a vehicle to explore real questions I have about life, the universe, and everything. What sort of realms untold lay waiting just beyond the Pale for us? Who/what are we, really? What if our existence is much more than we scarcely can imagine, even at our best?

Now, I'm no Great mind. I'm no Lewis or MacDonald... or anyone else for that matter. I'm just me. When it comes to writing well, I still feel like a lost beggar wandering on the fringe of Faerie... with Rienspel, I was given by luck, chance, or design, the faintest of glimpses inside its depths - and for that, I'm extremely grateful. While writing Rienspel, I learned the hard way just how much obsession can cost you... I've seen the Shadow on the wall, and done my best to not horde the writer's manna lest it rot. I've learned to accept what you are given, take what is needful for today only...

I know, I know... I'm probably going off on tangents here. I let me mind wander and this is where it leads me... I worry about being good enough - writing enchanting stories which slip inside the back doors of your minds and hearts. Life goes on... I get farther away from The Great Forest as the years crawl on. But I don't forget. I can't. Part of me is still there - wandering the woods... Except now I've found myself outside, wondering how to get back in... and at the same time, worrying about how I also need to continue going, too.

How does one continue going?

I remember those long silent Saturdays I would spend, tucked away in the Library at Central Christian College... as the snows fell... and I would dream and write... I remember the dorms - with our laptops and coffee... writing on - invincible in our ignorance, impetuous in our youth. There is this place I have inside, from which my stories flow. It's my heart, I think... because I feel my best writing is when I sit down and bleed - and it comes out as words on the page. I've read books on disciplining one's love for writing into a honed craft... I've read Stephen King and Ursula LeGuin. There's this simplicity and purity to writing - just like there is this equally simple and pure way of living which springs from it. We write from our Living. We take what has been filtered through our hearts like a french press brews rich coffee - and then we pour it out onto our pages and screens, and wonder if it's good enough.

Maybe what makes it 'good enough' isn't an arbitrary list of marks to hit... but if our stories in turn are worked again into the good earth of others' lives? That's it. And in season, we allow ourselves to see the garden of light and color flourish around us.

I'm still not sure how to keep writing The Grey King... but I'm sure it'll come when it does.

(Thanks for listening)

- Ryan 

Today I Am An Author

I can't believe it. 

In the midst of a brief lull here at work, it's been suddenly hitting me. I can remember back to 4th grade when we had a creative writing assignment... they told me to just make up something and write it down. Whatever I turned in was probably only a few (brief) paragraphs... but the teacher complimented me, out-loud in front of the class. For a boy growing up with a severe stuttering problem - public affirmation like that changed my life. While my old 4th grade teacher, Mrs. McNeese, probably doesn't remember what I'm sure was just another day at work for her, I do.

It's rather tempting to disbelieve with barbed cynicism how 'what you say matters'. It has all the hallmarks of gushy greeting-card platitudes. However, today especially, I realize just how much my life is a living testament to small mercies and others' thoughtless kindness. In the past, I've written about why I write, how what you write matters, and even existential pieces on how Fantasy is not Escapism... I may have learned new 10-Dollar words and been exposed to more complex ideas since that fateful creative writing assignment in the 4th grade, but I have carried the weight of one woman's kindness with me ever since. Her words did more for me than all the other writing workshops, self-help books, and countless hours typing ever could have.

As I've expressed before, what you create will go out into the wide-world... they will find homes in unlikely places, and become keys to hidden kingdoms for those who seek them... but who you love and care for, those people will carry your words and actions far beyond the horizon. Who knows what uncharted worlds you breathe life to when you spread Goodness. We are lights which shine - and our light goes out into dark places - and there catches flame wherever need calls.

Happy writing, everyone.

-Ryan

PS, you can purchase my novella, The Grey Isle Tale, HERE

Agnes Martin on Inspiration

Artist Agnes Martin on Inspiration, Interruptions, Cultivating a Creative Atmosphere, and the Only Type of Person You Should Allow Into Your Studio

(reposted from http://www.brainpickings.org )

“The development of sensibility is the most important thing for children and adults alike, but is much more possible for children…. Adults are very busy, taught to run all the time. You cannot run and be very aware of your inspirations.”

By Maria Popova

During my annual surrender to a week of forced extroversion, I was acutely reminded of the perils of interruption in creative work. Although studies of the psychology of the optimal creative environment indicate that some artists and writers thrive when surrounded by stimulation, most creative work requires unburdened space and uninterrupted time for what Mary Oliver calls “that wild, silky part of ourselves” — also known by its commonplace name, inspiration — to reveal itself.
The nature of that wild, silky part and the conditions that best coax it forth is what the great artist Agnes Martin (March 22, 1912–December 16, 2004) examines with uncommon insight in her handwritten notes for a student lecture, included in the magnificent monograph Agnes Martin: Paintings, Writings, Remembrances (public library), edited by Martin’s longtime friend and Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher.

Agnes Martin at her studio in New Mexico, 1953 (Photograph: Mildred Tolbert)

Martin begins with the often troublesome relationship between the artist’s ego and the artist’s art:

I have sometimes, in my mind, put myself ahead of my work and have suffered in consequence. I thought me, me and I suffered and the work suffered and for that I suffered more. I thought I was important. I was taught to think that. I looked very big and the work small. But now I see it quite differently. To think I am big and the work big, the position of pride, is not possible and to think I am small and the work small, the position of modesty, is not possible.

The only possible position for creative work, Martin suggests, is the position of inspiration, which she considers “the beginning and end of all art work.” For this notoriously elusive grab-bag concept she offers the crispest yet most expansive definition I have yet encountered:

An inspiration is a happy moment that takes us by surprise.
Many people are so startled by an inspiration or a condition of inspiration, which is so different from daily care, that they think that they are unique in having had it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Inspiration is there all the time for anyone whose mind is not covered over with thoughts and concerns, and [it is] used by everyone whether they realize it or not.
[…]
It is an untroubled state of mind. Of course, we know that an untroubled state of mind cannot last, so we say that inspiration comes and goes, but it is there all the time waiting for us to be untroubled again. We can therefore say that it is pervasive.

In a sentiment that echoes and adds dimension to Picasso’s famous proclamation that every child is an artist, Martin considers how our relationship with inspiration evolves over the course of a lifetime:

Young children have more time in which they are untroubled than adults. They have therefore more inspirations than adults. The moments of inspiration added together make what we refer to as sensibility — defined in the dictionary as “response to higher feelings.” The development of sensibility is the most important thing for children and adults alike, but is much more possible for children.

But inspiration, Martin argues, cannot be controlled or willed — it can only be surrendered to. She illustrates this by way of the child:

What is the experience of the small child in the dirt? He suddenly feels happy, rolls in the dirt probably, feels free, laughs and runs and falls. His face is shining… “The light was extraordinary, the feeling was extraordinary” is the way in which many adults describe moments of inspiration. Although they have had them all their lives they never really recall them and are always taken by surprise. Adults are very busy, taught to run all the time. You cannot run and be very aware of your inspirations.

It’s a sentiment that pierces our modern condition and calls Kierkegaard to mind — as he contemplated our greatest source of unhappiness more than a century earlier, the Danish philosopher lamented: “Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me, to be busy — to be a man who is brisk about his food and his work.” To counter this ridiculousness, Martin urges artists to create a sanctuary for inspiration — a space devoid of busyness and dedicated to unburdened clarity of mind, with “no telephone,” where one is “to be disturbed only if the house is burning.” A century and a half after Delacroix admonished against social distractions in creative work, she counsels aspiring artists:

A studio is not a place in which to talk to friends. You will hate your friends if they destroy the atmosphere of your studio. As an artist you will have to try and live with inspiration. You are not like the little boy in the dirt free and open. The whole world which you now know intrudes. It is almost hopeless to expect clarity of mind. It is hopeless if your studio atmosphere cannot be preserved.

But there is one kind of person who should be allowed, even invited, into the artist’s studio — the kind that calls to mind Patti Smith’s notion of those who magnify your spirit. Martin writes:

There are some people to be allowed into the studio, however, who will not destroy the atmosphere but will bring encouragement and who are an absolute necessity in the field of art. They are not personal friends. Personal friends are a different thing entirely and should be met in cafés. They are Friends of Art.
Friends of art are people with very highly developed sensibilities whose inspiration leads them to devote their lives to the promotion of art work and to bringing it before the public.

Such “friends of art,” Martin argues, bring with them a highly attuned intuition — intuition being, of course, merely the accretion of experience-encoded discernment — which can help guide the artist closer to his or her own truth:

When they come to see the work it is not to judge it but to enjoy it… When these friends of art come to your studio they should be treated as honored guests, otherwise you will destroy the atmosphere of your studio yourself. If you are not ready to do this, be sure to wait till you are ready. The premature showing of work when you are perhaps struggling and even fighting is an unnecessary suffering. You will know when you are really ready.

Because the studio should be a sacred space for the untroubled mind, Martin recommends avoiding physical clutter in order to prevent mental clutter:

You must clean and arrange your studio in a way that will forward a quiet state of mind. This cautious care of atmosphere is really needed to show respect for the work. Respect for art work and everything connected with it, one’s own and that of everyone else, must be maintained and forwarded. No disrespect, carelessness or ego [and] selfishness must be allowed to interfere if it can be prevented. Indifference and antagonism are easily detected — you should take such people out immediately. Just turning the paintings to the wall is not enough. You yourself should not go to your studio in an indifferent or fighting mood.

What Gets You?

What Gets You?

- Persistence & the Writing Muscle -

Usually, I write about writing success or some sort of inspiring quip about writing... usually. But this time, as I'm typing away, I have to be honest. My regular writing times have been flagging a bit. I mean, I'm still writing something just about everyday, but I sense that I'm trying to revert to only writing when the misty-magical muse hits me. I realize instead of this, I ought to be focusing on writing consistently, instead. I really ought to read my own advice and just keep on going...

One of the things I love about my wife, Steph, is that she's a smart cookie. Yeah, I might complain about her, shall we say 'high standards' when it comes to my writing... but all that said, if you stick around long enough, she says just the right stuff I need, often at times I least expect (which makes for keeping me on my toes). In the previous paragraph, I used the phrase 'I ought' quite a bit. It just sort of spilled out. And if you're trusting me, I can assure you I did not just go back and add the phrases in for effect, either.  'I ought' is a dangerous phrase. One of the reasons I like journaling and blogging is because you get to take these little wispy, intangible thoughts out of your inner-dialogue and make them a bit more real. By going from little voices in your head to real words on the page or screen, it can help you to see what you're really thinking, and get it out of you. Once you've got your self-conscience out of the darker corners and into the light, you get to see just what sort of creature you're actually dealing with.

Which brings me back to the phrase, 'I ought'. Like I said, it's a dangerous phrase. The 'I ought' creature is one with ties often linked to fear, guilt, shame, and/or doubt. It's dubious and accusatory - and it's a real buzzkill. When you catch yourself running on fear, guilt, shame, and/or doubt, it means you're drinking from poisoned wells. So when you're creating art as you write, it affects you. 'I ought' is a slippery creature, too. Right now, you may even feel it's subtle claws grasping for your will... because you may be beginning to think I ought not use 'I ought'.

The only way I've found to avoid this existential trap is to jump tracks completely. Just like in Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, you have to make peace with your own shadow. The only way I've found where someone can successfully jump tracks out of the 'I ought' trap is with George MacDonald's rallying cry from his Unspoken Sermons, "More LIFE!"

What did good ol' George mean?

The idea comes from the notion that we don't die (physically, personally, spiritually, creatively) from death. We die for lack of LIFE. The true goodness and vivacious gusto for what truly motivates and inspires us on a deep personal level (and at an even deeper, light-hearted level) is what we need to dance with and nurture. It's what we need to have our deep, late night conversations with - and IT is what we need to buy another round for. Among many things which humans beings are, one of them is Joy-Chasers. If you've never thought about it, get an idea about what you truly love. What gets you all passionate and waxing poetic about? It's not so much about what you get, but about what gets you.

When it comes, full-circle, back to writing, we find that now our love, passion, creative need ect. is now properly put in it's place. Our drive to write no longer corners us with black-mail, guilt, and fear like some lion prowling outside our door... When our creative Rally Cry really becomes MORE LIFE! our love of writing is transfigured from a devouring monster back into a needy kitty-cat purring in the sunshine on our lap.

What do we/I love? Joy-chase it. And while chasing, write.

thanks for listening,

- Ryan

Poetry for your Monday

"We bled under a banner to find life as free men 

the wind still blows across those far off glens

where Scottish blood flowed to keep us all free 

What we did not know was, what will be, will be   

We can alter the future by the actions of today 

but yesterday is already set and flown away 

so set your sights on changing tomorrow 

don't dwell on the past and all of the sorrow   

The future can shine as bright as the sun 

Our web of life is still to be spun 

The silken thread that join us together 

all interlinked and entwined  with the heather   

The blood in our veins carries memories of the past 

linking us together from the first to the last 

Wherever you roam you will remember your blood line 

no matter where you are a Scottish heart will always shine   

The freedom we had is still all around 

The heart that is Scotland can never be drowned 

A voice from the past is heard in every true heart 

So stay true to yourself and live free before you depart"

-Leslie Hounsel

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!

 

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?    

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...


For more on Rienspel, check out http://www.facebook.com/Rienspel
or help make it real- donate @ http://www.gofundme.com/Rienspel
Thanks