I’m coming to the end of summer and wanted to do something special to help promote Do I Need to Use a Dragon?before I go back to work. So, I’m going to use the next two Sundays to gather questions from people. They will be answered on the August 28th post.
So, what can you ask?
Nothing personal, which should go without saying.
Ask me anything about writing, my stories, blogging, and whatever else that doesn’t step into my private life.
Ask one of my characters something if you’ve read the books or caught them on the blog. This can include anyone from Legends of Windemere, War of Nytefall, Bedlam, Ichabod Brooks, and anything else that I might have mentioned here. Always up for an improv challenge.
That’s really it. I know I don’t have the best track record with these, but I figured it was worth a shot now that I published a book for the first time in nearly 2 years. That could even be a question to ask and then a bigger blog post down the road.
As I said last Saturday, my son and I went on a trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York. This is near the Catskills and has a bunch of long lakes with the one we stayed near being Lake Seneca. Let’s just do the daily reveal with a few pictures:
Sunday
The day we headed out and we left early. The reason is because there was a big Pokemon Go event that started at 2 PM and went until 5 PM. I promised my son that we would get up there in time for him to be a part of it. Got up there at 1:30 even with an early stop for bathroom and a later stop for lunch. He got his Pokemon time and we got into the room after that. Found a nice bar and grill to have our first dinner, which is the place we went to on our last day as well. I behaved and had a salad . . . Then, we walked for another hour or two to do more Pokemon Go. Our room had a door that opened to the lake too, so we got to walk along there every morning.
Lake Seneca
Monday
This was our first outing, which I really should have researched more. It was to Watkins Glen State Park, which was an hour away at the south end of the lake. Our hotel was at the north end. All I knew is that there were some awesome waterfalls in this place and both of us wanted to see them. Found out after we got there that it’s all narrow, heavily trafficked trails. So, it was crowded and we felt like we were part of a caravan. Didn’t expected so many stairs, but I should have since we went to the bottom of the gorge, walked along, and then made our way up. It was exhausting in the heat, especially after nearly 5 hours of Pokemon Hunting the day before. Still, we saw some frogs and the waterfalls were amazing. It was Burger King for lunch and back to the hotel . . . for another 2 hours of Pokemon Go hunting. Tried some local pizza and it was delicious. Had a slice with sausage, meatball, and banana peppers. Yum.
Watkins Glen State Park
Tuesday
This was the big one! Drove 45 minutes north and knew that it would be a full day event at this place. We went to the STRONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY! This had a Video Game Hall of Fame and a Toy Hall of Fame. There was the 20 foot tall Donkey Kong Arcade game, which we both played. They had a token arcade that we had some fun in as well as a freebie games on consoles. Found so much history of video games. There was an area called ‘Level Up’ where you had a scannable bracelet and did activities, played games, and hunted for hidden objects to complete the Periodic Table of Gaming. We didn’t finish it, but we had fun. There was also the lower level with Sesame Street, Superhero section, butterfly garden, outdoor play area with giant board game pieces, displays of toys from different periods of time, and a climbing area that we didn’t get tickets for. Just a massively fun day that was well timed because it was the big raining day of the trip. The weather cleared by the time we got back and had a quick KFC dinner. Of course, more Pokemon Go ensued.
Donkey Kong and Son
Me and Link (My Son had a Sonic shirt and took his picture with the Sonic Statue)
Wednesday
This was the last full day of our trip. Wasn’t the most boring either. Well, it started rough because the road in front of the hotel was closed for construction. This forced us to go down the opposite side of the lake that we needed to get to the CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS! I was surprised that my son picked this one. It was fun though. Lots of really cool glass sculptures. I signed us up for a Sandblasting activity where you could sandblast designs into a glass cup, bottle, or dish. I took a cup and my son took a bottle. It was simpler than we imagined. After that, we saw a hot glass working demonstration where the two people made a glass pitcher. We stumbled onto a flameworking demo after that where a small glass swan was made using a blowtorch. Overall, a great trip that wasn’t as exhausting as the previous ones. We got home in time for Pokemon Go (of course) and then a last dinner in town.
Glass Lynx
Thursday
Time to go home . . . with a stop along the way. I was told by a bunch of people that I had to go to HOWE CAVERNS. So, I got us a 1 PM tour. It was about 3 hours away, but we got there in time to have lunch and relax. Not sure what to really say about this because it’s definitely something you need to experience. Basically, you get a 90 minute guided tour in these underground caverns. There’s the river running along below you, which is the thing that made the caverns over thousands of years. Bunch of cool formations and you do a 1/4 mile boat ride in a section called the Lake of Venus.
A formation called the Chinese Pagoda
Still on Thursday where I then had to drive the rest of the way home. Howe Caverns is in the middle of the Catskills. That’s about 3 hours away. Of course, the GPS took me on a longer route to avoid some traffic and led me into more. The rest stop areas on Interstate 87 that I was counting on were closed for renovations. So, I drove about 4.5 hours without food, bathroom, or any break. Needless to say, I was happy to have dinner at Friendlys even if they gave me grilled instead of crispy chicken. It was healthier and made me feel less guilty about the ice cream.
Friday
A relaxing first day back with grocery shopping and . . . What’s that smell? Now, my parents left for a trip two days after us. We have a freezer in the basement full of ice cream, meat, and other food. It apparently didn’t fully close at some point, so I walked into the basement to do laundry and found a mess. Cleared everything out and got it on the curb in time for garbage pick up. Seems a bag broke and some stuff had to be gathered and kept in the outdoor can. I used a shop vacuum to clean up the water and forgot to check, so the sawdust already inside turned into a slurry. Didn’t notice and poured it into a slop sink, which ended up getting clogged and nearly flooding since the washer releases its water into it. Let’s just say I had my hands full. Figured I might as well keep working while my son was with a friend. So, I cleaned the bathroom grout a bit and then made homemade vodka sauce for Sunday’s dinner. After all that, it was getting my son, making dinner (sloppy joes, cornbread stuffing, and salad), and doing a little Pokemon Go before it got dark.
Nothing else to really say since it was all about the trip. I’ll probably get back to writing on Friday after my son is with his mom on Wednesday night and I see a friend on Thursday. That gives me 4 days of having the house to myself, which means I can maybe get 4 chapters done even with house and yardwork. We’ll see what happens. This weekend is all about a Pokemon Go event, but I might start making November blog posts. Let that whole thing slip by the wayside. Keep an eye out tomorrow for a post requesting some participation too.
Goals of the week:
Time with son.
Mow lawn.
Zoo trip!
Pokemon Go outings.
Cook dinners.
Day with friend on Thursday.
Get back to writing on Friday.
Maybe tinker with a notebook on other days.
November blog posts starting.
Get sleep.
Probably need a haircut for when school starts on the 29th.
To be an author, you need to have some understanding of yourself. Even on the unconscious level, you need to be sure of who you are in order to put pen to paper and create. This requires creating an author identity that might differ from the one we show outside of that world. For example, in Do I Need to Use a Dragon?, my author identity comes through as a lot more confident and relaxed than what I’m like in most other aspects of my life. You can probably tell from my Saturday goal posts that I’m typically rather pessimistic and twitchy. Yet, I shed that for a better version of myself when I tackle writing. Not sure if this makes me sound crazy. Best to just move onto the questions.
Does your author identity differ from your non-author one?
How do you maintain a unique author voice and identity?
How would you describe yourself as an author using a single word? (Yeah, I’m being cruel on this one. Going to have to think real hard.)
(This poem is about fathers. It was written during my time as a stay-at-home father, which got me some criticism. So, I thought about the different ‘schools’ of being a father that people threw my way. It felt like I was being told to be one and not the other unless I wanted to be a failure. This caused a lot of stress. Sadly, I see fathers still get the same treatment today.)
We are fathers
The sires of spawns
Who stay
To nurture
And provide
And protect
We are the same
Struggling
And working
Forging a bond
That many mothers
Take for granted
It is a difficult battle
Balancing our roles
To provide and protect
While making sure
We are more
Than wallet and shield
We fight amongst ourselves
Sniping an ‘unworthy’ father
It shows our unbalance
A strict provider
Mocks a strict protector
Both assault the motherly nurturer
Should I apologize
Deem myself a failure
For not following
The Path of Fatherhood
That you chose
. . .
. . .
No
One of the toughest parts about existing is establishing and maintaining your identity. We look for things that we can point out and say ‘this is me’. It gets even more complicated when you add in the desire to stand out in your field. You see it a lot in the arts where people take inspiration from others, but struggle to make sure they aren’t mimics. I tried to tackle this throughout Do I Need to Use a Dragon?without making it a full topic. Doing so gave me a few thoughts on how one can maintain their self while accepting opinions and advice.
Before taking advice, think about if you can do what you’re attempting with your current skills and knowledge. Maybe you can complete a task doing things your own way, but you won’t know unless you try. If you fail or really can’t figure it how to start then you can start getting help.
Take time to self-analyze and discover what you consider your core. These are the interests, beliefs, and activities that are so dear to your heart that you cannot give them up. Once you figure out your core, hold onto that and try not to let it get replaced by the opinions of others. I mean, within reason because we need to be able to adapt instead of sticking to a rigid thought process.
Be fluid and adaptable in the way you think and observe. While your core might stay the same, everything coming off of it can change. Don’t hold onto your current identity to the point where you stop growing. Think of yourself as a Lego City that is being built up and modified as time goes on. Some pieces might be removed to make space for those that work better. Others might be moved around. You can achieve this type of inner growth while holding onto your identity by being adaptable.
When it comes time to take advice, don’t be afraid to ask questions for clarification or politely explain why you don’t think it will work. The other person might be able to help you modify the advice to suit you. If they refuse then maybe the advice their giving isn’t as great as it sounds. That or they’re only making suggestions for their own ego.
Never be ashamed of who you are . . . As long as you’re nothing highly illegal or immoral.
This one is an old piece of advice, but it probably still rings true. Don’t give in to peer pressure. I don’t mean stay within your comfort zone at all times, but don’t follow a path that makes you very uncomfortable. Our experiences help craft our identity, which includes good and bad. Yet, we shouldn’t go out of our way to add bad events to our lives simply because people tell us we should. If you’re simply unsure then do your own research or ask questions to make sure it is your decision instead of the urging of others.
Surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are. This is harder than one expects because we can’t always choose the people in our lives. For example, we don’t choose the family we are born into. So, try to counter the critics with those who will understand you. I don’t mean agree with everything about you, but will accept who you are and respectfully discuss any concerns. This one really seems nearly impossible to pull off as I read it over. Good luck.
Fantasy is known for its quests and group adventures. Some authors focus on multiple figures who are active at the same time, but not working together. These stories don’t have a single hero designated as the central character. Instead, they are what would be called an ensemble group. Each member is important to the story even if they aren’t actually on at the same time. It’s certainly a juggling act since you can’t give too much attention to one character or you risk destabilizing the balance. Playing favorites can turn your ensemble cast into a one-person show while the plot wasn’t designed for it to be that way. Eventually, a point will happen where another character needs to step up, but they were ignored for so long they no longer fit that scene or an author forgot to give them the proper evolution. Oops. That can be fixed with edits, but let’s try to go over this to save ourselves a headache.
First, I want to clarify what I mean by ensemble cast even though I’m sure everyone knows what I’m talking about. As I said, this is where you have multiple central heroes instead of one leading the show. Readers may perceive one as being greater than the others, but they’re allowed to play favorites. An author doesn’t have that luxury because the plot requires actions from everyone.
These characters are all involved in the main story, so they are an essential piece of the puzzle. Whether it be revenge or destiny, they have no choice, but to be there. Variations in goals comes from the personal side of the heroes, which makes utilizing an ensemble more difficult. An author can’t have the sole interest of every character be to see the adventure to the end because then they’ll all be the same. There needs to be a variety in skills, personalities, and goals to show why they are together. Typically, these heroes have united because each one brings something to the group that the others don’t have.
For example, in Legends of Windemere each of the champions has a specialty. Luke Callindor is speed fighting and thinking on his feet. Nyx has powerful magic and book smarts. Timoran Wrath is physically strong and wise. Sari has a variety of abilities and is cunning. Delvin Cunningham is a tactician and mellow personality, which we’ll touch on later. Finally, Dariana has mental abilities and is able to shrug off a lot of damage. Individually, they can be successful to a point, but they need each other to counter their weakness and ensure overall success. This is one of the key points of an ensemble group.
Perhaps the initial challenge you will run into here is the introduction. I’ve done it two ways since both of my big series involve ensemble casts.
Although, War of Nytefall is clearly more about Clyde than the others, he’d still be in trouble without his friends, so that’s probably on shaky ground with the definition. Also, I will admit that is how you can do it in a series. With a single book or a trilogy, you have less time, especially if you have a large cast. Adjustments will have to be made or find a middle ground between these two extremes.
That’s enough disclaimers, so I’ll move on to a list to make things easier:
Probably not the safest post to make when you recently released a ‘how to’ book. Do I Need to Use a Dragon?is full of advice, so you would think an author would want people to use as much of it as possible. I mean, it worked for me, so all of it together should be perfect, right? Well, that’s ego talking.
The reality is that not every piece of advice you receive is worth taking. I’ve gone into this before, but I want to talk about the danger of following every tip that you receive. This is fairly common in people who are starting out and wanting to learn the trade that they have stepped into. The new person will look to those with experience as being wise and this can lead to a misconception that every tip they hear is gold. They’ll rush home to work the new advice into their writing, meet another experienced person, and continue the cycle of ‘building skills’. It doesn’t always work out well.
Especially in artistic trades, a person might grab so much advice that they start turning their works into hodgepodge blobs. You can see the influence of others in there, but no individuality of the actual author. Pieces won’t fit together because they took advice from those who have opposing styles. There wasn’t an attempt to see if things meshed or modify them to unite. It was just slapping in the advice and thinking that would be enough to elevate the works. I believe this is what some people would call a rookie mistake and it can be a big one.
I know this because I did this to Beginning of a Hero back in the day. From the years of 2002 through 2007, I went to a few writing classes or approached indie authors online for advice. An important note here is that only one person I ever interacted with during this time was a fantasy author. Everyone else was either a journalist, lyricist, letters to the editor writer, fan-fiction writer, romance, and historical fiction. This meant that I was getting advice that worked for their genre and path. I learned that authors tend to give advice in a general way instead of adjusting things to their audience. Guess that ability is saved for actual book writing.
So, what were the results? When I sat down to prepare Beginning of a Hero for publishing in 2013, I found myself staring at a terrifying mess. Now, this book was already a little shaky being my first big step into fantasy writing. Taking everyone’s advice and jamming it into the story had me staring at a patchwork maze. The story was still there and the characters had their proper forms. It was the presentation of the story and the personalities of the characters due to dialog that was a nightmare. I had at least three different methods of portraying dialog jockeying for domination. Info dumps were written blandly and I had random asides that showed Luke Callindor’s childhood, which served no purpose. So, I had to go through it several times to fix everything and develop a style that I was confident about. Couldn’t even tell you if a kept any of the advice or if I jettisoned everything though because it was that big a headache.
This is the danger of taking too much advice. Not only with writing, but with anything in life. As we hear many times, you can’t please everyone. This includes accepting all advice and ignoring our own identities. You truly run the risk of losing yourself as an individual if you go along with too many people. It’s the opposite of going nowhere because you won’t accept any help. So, always try to take a step back and think about what was suggested to you before you adopt it.
Legends of Windemere 