What's the hardest part about writing?

What's the hardest part about writing?

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

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

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

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

-Ryan

Meet Rienspel's Cover Designer!

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

 

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

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

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

- Thanks Laura!!

 

Drum Roll Please!

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

THE OFFICIAL COVER FOR RIENSPEL!!

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

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

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

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

-Ryan

WE STAND WITH PARIS.

Rienspel, a playlist!

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

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

You've been ooh so patient!

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

The Phoenix of Redd, Volume I: Rienspel

What Rien discovers about his past will change his future…

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

…

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

About the Author:

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

Praise for Rienspel:

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

- R.E. Dean, Blood for Glory

Telling the Story

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

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

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

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

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


~ Ryan