Evan Thomas Dixon's Blog, page 2

Revamped

As you can see - whoever “you” are - I have revamped my website. I am taking a different approach to my writing, and as such I figured I needed to clear the slate and begin again. Ah, the wonders of the Internet, where everything can be remade with a mere click of a button…if only that worked on human nature.

At any rate, in the coming weeks I hope to post regular updates on the writing process and such, but more than that I want to write posts on the art of storytelling, in any and every medium - be it film, video games, novels, even songs. I will likely write reviews for the movies I watch and games I play, share insights about how to craft a story - and even, I think, delve into some of the themes I present in my own novels, themes which usually relate to modern society and human nature and metaphysics and all that good nonsense. [And by “I think” I mean I will definitely be doing that.] After all, writers are humans too, and we are also figuring out how to paint this portrait called life, and there is no way you can separate the craft from the creator. So any musings of an author had best be connected to reality - even if he or she writes fantasy, as I do.

I’m starting to ramble. Sorry. I’ll stop now. If you read the whole post, thank you. If you don’t give a rip and just came here for the books, you can click on my “works” link at the top of the page. Thanks.

An Update (A Long Time Comin’)

These past few months have resulted in a plethora of changes in the Evan Thomas Dixon writing camp. All of them good, I assure you. It would take too much time to write down everything that has changed, but I’ll attempt to condense the most momentous news into a few digestible bullet points [since we know that no one - and I do mean NO ONE - has time to read anything of length these days].

1) I have made the decision to seek traditional publication for Descent Into Madness. I have made the self-published unavailable for the time being - if you happen’d to purchase a copy, hold onto it. It might never exist again. I’ll keep you [whoever you are] apprised of the process of continuous rejection from agents until, Lord willing, one day — I find someone insane enough to publish this insane little novel of mine.

2) The Sparrow in the Wind Cage is no more. Why? Because Wes Anderson can’t direct Christopher Nolan movies. Because it would be strange if Radiohead started playing reggae. In other words, I am wired to write certain kinds of stories, and long epic fantasies are not among those kinds. Do I admire them? Sure. Would I love to be J.R.R. Tolkien when I grow up? Yes. But that ain’t me. So, if I am to work with what I do best, I should stick to what I know. Instead of forcing certain visions into my head, I should chase after the ones that are already there.

3) That brings me to what I am currently working on. The way I see it, I am equipped to write three specific types of fiction: 1) Allegorical, mainly interlaced with Christian theology [but not didactic or sentimental like that garbage called The Shack]; 2) fantasy, but not just any ole fantasy - satirical, absurd, whimsical fantasy particularly. In other words, imagine if the Coen Brothers decided to start indulging in magical realism; 3) Southern Gothic, which is a mixture of allegory and satire and sometimes the fantastic colliding with the grittiness of reality.

To that end, I recently wrote an allegory called Tongues of Fire and decided to combine it with those I have already written, namely, Regine and Siloam. I have combined all three of these in a volume I’ve decided to call Parables. I plan to self-publish this little volume come the summer and make it available on the website and, hopefully, in person - if I can afford to do a short run of them myself. These are, mind you, very different than Descent - they are gritty, dark, melancholic little pieces, experimental in some ways, all of them exploring some notable facet of my life.

With those finished, I am planning to write another fantasy: The Cosmic Fable of Christopher Forsyth, or The Accidental Bishop of the Sun. I am very excited about it and have already put away some work on it. I hope to have it finished by the summer so that I can spend the fall editing it.

After that? Who knows. I’ll keep trying to get Descent published, as well as The Cosmic Fable; but I’ll prolly try my hand at some Southern Gothic work after that, maybe some short stories, maybe a novella. I’ll see which way the wind blows. I’m trying to let go of my schedule and all my preconceived notions and instead write what naturally forms in my mind [albeit with a healthy dose of rigor and intellectual self-flagellation]. As always, we shall see.

And as always, thanks for reading.

P.S. This ended up a good deal longer than planned/anticipated. Ah well. I am a writer, after all.

Sparrow Update No. 1

I am, at present, about 10,000 words into The Sparrow in the Wind Cage, which puts me slightly ahead of schedule. For the next few days I am going to plan out the rest of the first book, and if time permits I’ll go ahead and write outlines for Books Two and Three as well.

Starting this trilogy has reminded me of something that I already know from writing Descent Into Madness but, for some reason, forgot: I need to have some kind of outline before I begin writing a story. I tried to take Stephen King’s advice and hammer everything out as I went along, but for a complex fantasy with a number of threads running in various directions, the best thing I can do for myself is have some kind of plan to follow.

That doesn’t mean that I can’t deviate from the outline or that the story will be sterile because it’s too ironed out beforehand. That’s my greatest fear with outlines - that all the spontaneity and beauty of creation will be drained from the narrative because everything is too completely ordered. But having a plan of attack before diving in can be especially helpful when working out a series in the long term.

I guess that’s my bit of writing advice to offer for today: always have some kind of outline, but don’t hem yourself in with it.

The Sparrow in the Wind Cage

As of 1/1/16, I have begun writing a new trilogy called The Sparrow and the Raven. The first book, The Sparrow in the Wind Cage, is currently underway. I am very excited about it.

Oh, and for future reference - I have decided to start posting all of my book reviews to Goodreads instead of my website. I’ll primarily use these posts to update on the writing process/announce giveaways/bemoan the emptiness of 21st century materialism.

Descent Into Madness: Free Download

Click here to download your free copy of Descent Into Madness!

December Is A Break

I’ve decided to use the month of December to take a short break from writing and working on my stories. I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head, and at present I’m having a difficult time deciding what novel I want to write next. I’ve sent a few basic premises to some of my “literary advisors” [i.e. my wife and a close friend] and I’ll use their help to decide what book to tackle next.

I’m also endeavoring, come the New Year, to do a much better job at updating this website.

In the meantime, remember to check out my novel Descent Into Madness, which released November 3. You can purchase it from Amazon, and write a review if you so wish.

Okay cool thanks.

Project Update No. 4

Today is the day. After five long years of writing, rewriting,
revising, rewinding, rewriting, and revising, I have finally finished my
first novel: Descent Into Madness. It has been a crazy, frustrating,
but ultimately rewarding and enjoyable experience. I could not be more
proud of the final product, and I sincerely hope that anyone who reads
it enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
At present you can purchase Descent Into Madness here at Createspace:

https://www.createspace.com/5769327

In a few days, the book will be available on Amazon - I’ll provide that
link when the time comes - and hopefully in the near future it will
also be available as an e-book.
That’s all! Thanks for reading.

Book Review No. 2

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Rating: 7 out of 10.

I’ve heard about Philip K. Dick’s genius for years. The man who wrote the stories that inspired Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report has always been named as one of science fiction’s greatest authors. I’ve come close to picking up one of his books a few times, but due to my ADD when it comes to fiction I repeatedly stalled - until recently, when on a whim I decided to hunker down and knock out Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The result was a fast, entertaining read. Sheep tells the story of Rick Deckard, who hunts androids that have escaped to Earth [yes, “to” not “from”] illegally. As he begins his hunt for a group of robotic fugitives that are secretly staked out in the ruins of a nearly-destroyed San Fransisco, Deckard begins to question what it means to be human. The androids, it turns out, possess no ability to empathize, the lone characteristic which identifies them as artificial. Along the way, as Deckard “retires” the fugitives one by one, he begins to question the ethical nature of his job.

Dick does a good job of explaining his post-apocalyptic world, populating it with colorful characters and interesting speculations. What sometimes becomes muddled is the plot - we’re not sure where Deckard is going or why he is going. The end, particularly, was strange and meandering — lasting 30 pages longer than necessary in my humble opinion. However, the end result was a fascinating look at a world that may not be so different from our own, in which humans and technology freely mingle - and destroy each other.

Project Update No. 3

Hello.
Today I am letting you know that you will be able to purchase Descent Into Madness on November 3, 2015. This happens to be Election Day, and it also happens to be two days before Guy Fawkes Night.
The book will be available for purchase in three ways: directly from me, from my Createspace Store, and from Amazon. Please note that the last two options are online, and the first option is only available to those who are willing to drive to Athens and/or live at a reasonable distance. The links to both Amazon and Createspace will be available on my website under the “Works” link.
My one request, especially from those that order from Amazon, is that you write a review for it. In fact, I will be making the book available on Amazon at a discounted price as an incentive for you to assign the book one star so that the rest of the world will know how horrible it is.
Okay, that’s all. Thanks for reading.

I proudly present the cover art for Descent Into Madness,...

I proudly present the cover art for Descent Into Madness, designed by the incredibly talented Kylie Sawhill. I cannot be more thrilled with it. Stay tuned on how to purchase your copy!