The Little Things

I recently moved back to the house of my childhood.  This is a great place of healing and nonstop inspiration.  For instance, just as I was leaving the house this morning, I noticed the way the morning sunlight sparkled off of the frost covered rocks in the driveway.  To some this must have just been an act of nature, frost on rocks.  To me, though, there was a story there.  A meticulous tip-toeing of frost fairies throughout the night, gliding daintily along under bright beautiful stars...dancing and singing in circles, spiraling hand in hand...then there was the scene of the trees.  Tall and dark, against the morning sun, with shadows coldly stretching out past the road, into the field beyond.  What are they reaching for?  I'm reminded of a dream.  These are the things of my dreams. Shadow trees, stretching, invading territory beyond their own lands.  Lurking tall and ominous against a distant light too far away for me to comprehend or fully understand...were there fairies nestled in the shadow trees, waiting to ambush me as I rode to work?  Were they perhaps feeling angry that I left without properly thanking them after they had provided me with such sparkle and shine for my morning, or do they not care either way?  Do they know that I even noticed their hard work one cold morning as I stepped into my car?  Are they perhaps at war with each other, these creatures of light and creatures of shadow?  One can only imagine what lies in the thoughts of invisibles...

...and so begins another story in my head...

Split-Ends!

I'm in a drafting stage right now, this is the "moody" writing phase.  I'm adding things, subtracting things, re-wording things and in some cases re-writing entire chapters.  I would love to post some new material, but there is nothing that I'm willing to release.  All I can say is that the Dark Angel Wars series may be divided into "Angel" Books and "Shadow" Books.  It's an idea that I'm playing with.  It is appropriate for the material that I am writing for book 2, but I have to really think this through, because I could be toying with the future...which could be dangerous if I don't think it through. After all, the twelve books could easily turn into 24 books if I do this.   Let me know what you think. I value the input of my readers.

How It's Done

     Many people tell me that they wish they could get ideas like me.  They ask me how I come up with these ideas.  For me it comes naturally.  To be a writer, you must be a full-time daydreamer.  That's how I think of it.  The ideas just come.  Instead of pushing them aside, I allow them to grow, and I listen to these characters that run around in my head.  I visit these lands with them.  I feel what they feel (and sometimes I make them feel what I feel).  Then when it goes onto paper, it becomes like a dream made into a reality.  It is something that other people can walk into and experience.
     The thing is, not everyone's experience in these worlds will be the same as mine, and I understand that.  That's why so many different genres of literature exist.  Some people go into a fantasy world, and hate it.  Others, relish in the escape from reality.  Personally, I go into a world that seems like reality, and try to instantly flee.  If I'm already living in this world, why would I escape to it?  That's why I'm a fantasy author.  I create these worlds for the endless possibilities that arise from a place where anything can happen, and where I can control it all.
     After all, that's what sucks about reality.  You can try to change it, but really it's all the same.  Someone else always holds a higher card.  In a fantasy world, even when things seem harsh and inescapable, there is always a way for the character to gain an advantage, even when you think the situation is hopeless.  So whether it comes to me through a dream or a daydream, I must watch and listen to the events unfolding in these worlds, and report them on paper.  This is writing at its most simple.  Writing not only what you know, but what you think, dream, and imagine!  It is both spiritual and emotional for me.  It is an outlet for me, and it is also energy pouring into me all at the same time.
     There are some things that I do to help me write in a deeper mode, such as when I have an emotional scene to write.  I may be feeling an opposite emotion in my actual life at that time, but that's when I create a mood.  I turn on some music, and get rid of any outside distractions.  Sometimes I even change the lighting in the room, and the smells around me.  This helps me to tune myself to what my characters are thinking and feeling, and open my imagination so that I can see what's happening more clearly before writing it down.
     Now, every writer may have different inspirations and different advice, but I recommend the following blogs as something for both writers and for anyone who just wonders how we do it.

http://www.ornaross.com/2011/02/creating-anything/

http://networkedblogs.com/8Mx3a