Lisa Jensen's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Bright Ideas
An essay I was invited to write about my new fantasy novel, "Alias Hook," has just been posted at the excellent sci-fi/fantasy book preview site, Upcoming 4.me.
http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/st...
It's a regular feature on the site called "The Story Behind..." where authors are invited to write about whatever on earth it was that prompted them to abandon all rational thinking and plunge into writing a novel.
In my case, it was simple: Captain James Hook started talking to me. No, seriously! There's no other way to describe it.
So if you've ever wondered where authors get their ideas, here's my story!
http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/st...
It's a regular feature on the site called "The Story Behind..." where authors are invited to write about whatever on earth it was that prompted them to abandon all rational thinking and plunge into writing a novel.
In my case, it was simple: Captain James Hook started talking to me. No, seriously! There's no other way to describe it.
So if you've ever wondered where authors get their ideas, here's my story!
Inside Stories
Where do creative artists get their ideas? My husband, Art Boy, always used to answer, "The Idea Channel," until he realized people were rushing home to check their cable listings.
In real life, creative inspiration springs from the strangest and often least expected sources, as varied as the artists, writers, musicians and dancers who seize a phantom idea and run with it.
This occurred to me while reading through a new ebook anthology called "Story Behind the Book: Volume 1 (Essays on Writing Speculative Fiction)" Imagine my delight when I found out an essay I wrote earlier this year on the writing of "Alias Hook" is included!
The book is presented under the auspices of the fine sci-fi/fantasy book website Upcoming 4.me. Site editor Kristijan Meic edited the anthology with Ivana Steiner. It's an outgrowth of the website's regular feature, "The Story Behind..." wherein sf/f authors reveal the deep, dark secrets of their writing processes.
I’m very pleased to be included in these virtual pages with such distinguished fellow essayists as Jo Walton, Ian Whates, L. E. Modesitt, and Susan Palwick (among many others). Some 40 contributors discuss their inspiration for writing in a variety of speculative genres—epic fantasy, horror, alternative history, sword and sorcery, ghost stories, dystopian future sci-fi, absurdist zombie fiction, and what one author describes as "Hornblower in space." The book is up on Amazon and Amazon.uk as we speak! All proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Action charity in the UK.
If you want to know where writers really get their ideas, check it out!
In real life, creative inspiration springs from the strangest and often least expected sources, as varied as the artists, writers, musicians and dancers who seize a phantom idea and run with it.
This occurred to me while reading through a new ebook anthology called "Story Behind the Book: Volume 1 (Essays on Writing Speculative Fiction)" Imagine my delight when I found out an essay I wrote earlier this year on the writing of "Alias Hook" is included!
The book is presented under the auspices of the fine sci-fi/fantasy book website Upcoming 4.me. Site editor Kristijan Meic edited the anthology with Ivana Steiner. It's an outgrowth of the website's regular feature, "The Story Behind..." wherein sf/f authors reveal the deep, dark secrets of their writing processes.
I’m very pleased to be included in these virtual pages with such distinguished fellow essayists as Jo Walton, Ian Whates, L. E. Modesitt, and Susan Palwick (among many others). Some 40 contributors discuss their inspiration for writing in a variety of speculative genres—epic fantasy, horror, alternative history, sword and sorcery, ghost stories, dystopian future sci-fi, absurdist zombie fiction, and what one author describes as "Hornblower in space." The book is up on Amazon and Amazon.uk as we speak! All proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Action charity in the UK.
If you want to know where writers really get their ideas, check it out!
CHAOS THEORY
A funny thing happens when you become a published author. People start asking you for writing advice. Personally, I don't presume to offer advice; if I was so smart, it wouldn't have taken me so long to get published!
But one useful thing that writers can do for each other is share experiences and strategies. One writer's process may not work for anybody else, but the act of sharing them lets us know that we're all facing the same challenges, and not just toiling away in wretched isolation. At the very least, it may be encouraging to know that someone else's methods are even more haphazard than your own!
Recently, I was asked two common questions:
Do you outline?
Do you follow any of the plot structure methods that exist out there?
Feel free to compare notes with my answers at:
http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2016/...
But one useful thing that writers can do for each other is share experiences and strategies. One writer's process may not work for anybody else, but the act of sharing them lets us know that we're all facing the same challenges, and not just toiling away in wretched isolation. At the very least, it may be encouraging to know that someone else's methods are even more haphazard than your own!
Recently, I was asked two common questions:
Do you outline?
Do you follow any of the plot structure methods that exist out there?
Feel free to compare notes with my answers at:
http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2016/...
Write On
Last month, I was contacted by the lovely Clare Moore of the online mag, Ampersand Literary. She had just read Alias Hook, and invited me to do a Q&A for her site, which publishes fiction, poetry, photography, and artwork, along with occasional interviews with the purveyors thereof.
I was thrilled to do it, and the post is now up at https://ampersandlit.com/2016/06/08/i...
Clare generously invited me to blather on about my books, the writing process, my completely chaotic publishing history, and any tips I might have for emerging writers. It was a fun interview to do. And while you're there, surf around this diverse, eclectic site devoted to the creative process!
I was thrilled to do it, and the post is now up at https://ampersandlit.com/2016/06/08/i...
Clare generously invited me to blather on about my books, the writing process, my completely chaotic publishing history, and any tips I might have for emerging writers. It was a fun interview to do. And while you're there, surf around this diverse, eclectic site devoted to the creative process!
