Please also pray for all those people out there, some of them unsuspecting, who might attend one of our events. Pray that nothing would get in the way of these people coming. No car trouble, no unexpected chores, no trip to the grocery--nothing! Pray that folks would come out of the woodwork and find just the book they NEED. Pray that the message will go out without compromise. And pray for Bryan, Christopher, Sharon, and me--pray that we would be courageous and humble, eloquent and effective--and timely! Traffic could be an issue. lol
For details about the Fantasy 4 Tour, please check out our website by clicking below:
Tonight I've posted the FINAL entry in a series of Meet the Author threads. The author's words are taken from a Q&A we participated in to promote the Tour. I'll post all four authors responses to one question in each thread. Hope you enjoy getting to know these wonderful fantasy writers.
Wayne Thomas Batson--The Door Within Trilogy and Isle of Swords
Bryan Davis--The Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire
Sharon Hinck--The Becky Miller Books and The Sword of Lyric Series
Christopher Hopper--The Rise of the Dibor and The White Lion Chronicles
Bryan Davis--The Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire
Sharon Hinck--The Becky Miller Books and The Sword of Lyric Series
Christopher Hopper--The Rise of the Dibor and The White Lion Chronicles
I'll also be including a new piece of desktop art with each new post--Tonight's image is a bonus pic! This is my rendition of Clarion after the attack of the Wyrm Lord in DW2. It's called Clarion Burning. Feel free to save the file and use it as your computer's background. Share with friends or post wherever else you blog!
Q: What advice can you give to aspiring fantasy fiction writers?
WB: #1: It can be done.
#2: Your creativity is already there—you can think up a story as well as Tolkien, Rowlings, or I ever could. But your craft is probably not there yet. Read like a crazy person—esp. in the genre you think you want to write. But don’t just read to be entertained. Learn what the authors are up to. Remember that part that thrilled you? What made it thrill you? Take some classes in fiction and poetry. It may not seem exciting—in the same way that drills at football practice or practicing scales on an instrument seem tiresome. Everyone wants the glory of the big game or the rock concert, but few are willing to invest the work needed to get there. Writing is work. Creating is work. But it can be done.
BD: Don’t copy what has already been done—another form of Middle Earth, a new Narnia, or a Christian imitation of Harry Potter. Be bold. Write themes you’re passionate about rather than what you think the market wants. Don’t be afraid to make real heroes.
SH: Seek God. Let each day over your notebook or keyboard be a time of delicious fellowship with Him – so that whatever comes of the stories you create together, the time will bring Him joy and glory to His name.
Seek God. Ask Him when to pursue publication, where to pursue it, which steps to take next. He WILL guide you…to mentors, to writer’s conferences, to books about craft that help you make breakthroughs.
Seek God. Writing is a LAVISH investment of time. An art form that takes a huge gift of time without knowing if anyone will ever see it but Him. Remember the alabaster jar of perfume…poured out lavishly at Jesus feet. If He calls you to this, trust that the time is not wasted.
CH: If you are meant to write, if the Lord has really put that gift in you, then it will be reflected in how you live your life for Him, and for the pursuit of that goal. After hearing an amazing piano concert, a woman approached the pianist and said, “That was so beautiful! I’d give my whole life to play like that!” To which the pianist replied, “Madam, I did give my whole life to play like that.” If you really want to see your work manifest in a published document, if that’s the goal, then you need to be willing to start pouring yourself into it. Yes, God will make a way for you, and impossible doors can be opened, but you have to do your part. Write. Start today if you’ve been putting it off. Make the time, it normally doesn’t appear for you. Just write.
15 comments:
Nice... I like the 3D art, even though I haven't read the books yet :P
Hey, is that Suspense Technique contest still running, by any chance? I posted an entry... had fun with it, too.
Beautiful last entry by all the authors--very inspirational. I could especially relate to Sharon's answer.
Writing is a huge gift of time, something I struggle with on a consistent basis. I love the analogy of the alabaster jar of perfume. Only Jesus understood that woman's true sacrifice and how it was perfectly timed.
Thanks for the gift of inspiration as all of you set out on your Big Adventure. I can already see that God is going to use you in a mighty way. I'm excited!
Many blessings--
And that is the confirmation I needed. Well that and I'm getting cranky because I haven't had more than thirty minutes at a snatch to write and I usually have at least an hour. Ah well, big adventures come but once in a great while, and I'll have more time later. I will. :-D I will become anti-social again.
Yeah... finding time to write is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, these days. It seemed I had more time when I was a kid...
Finding a nice "escape zone" is helpful. A place with 4 blank walls, a table and chair, and an outlet for the laptop. Of course, once you have such a place, you must simply leave wherever you are and go there. Easier said than done, eh?
No kidding. I don't currently have such a place... and won't have such a place until I get my own apartment, which unfortunately won't be for a while.
Maybe try your local public library. That's where I found the private tutor room that I go to. Just tell them you are an author working on a book, and they'll usually help you out. Librarians are nice people. :-D
Perhaps... I dunno - I think for now I'll just stick with writing at midnight. It's rather funny what crazy ideas you can get when it's late and you're tired ^_^
Personally, I like to go to Borders with my laptop and my iPod. The more chaotic the better. For me, it often works much better than a quiet spot.
I just get distracted too easily. I generally write better if I'm in a quiet place, and I eradicate myself from the Internet. Which is great at night because most people aren't online, message forums are quiet, everyone else in the house is a sleep, and the only noise is the clacking of keys and the fan currently blowing on me.
ih, I write best late at night... although lately, I've been to tired from a full day at the stable to really stay up late and write...
For me, it's retreating into my creative space and literally putting a sign on the door that reads
"Unless you are bleeding, dead or wish to become so do not knock on this door. Scribe at Work."
Ah man, I wish I could do that... but that wouldn't go over so well here at my brother's house. I'm the only writer...
This is very great and wonderful adivce from all four of you wonderful authors. Thank you very much and I actually took the time to read this one all the way through! Which was a lot! You all completely rock and I pray that you will continue your writing! Wayne, I hope you meet you deadline because I am an apsiring author (not yet published) and I know what it is like to add so many words. Good luck to all of you!
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