Ricky Tims's Blog: Ramblings and Rhetoric
August 29, 2020
I'm a Novelist!
That would be a new moniker for me!
I couldn't/wouldn't have done it without my co-author and co-conspirator, Kat Bowser. It was a 12 year vision that laid dormant for nine years, and then a three year journey that ended with a six-month submersion into the land of writing.
Frankly, I never felt that I was a writer—and even though "novelist" can now be attributed to my name, it wasn't something that came easily or naturally. The journey of writing Lizzy Albright and the Attic Window, was arduous and grueling. But it was also very fun and I learned a lot about storytelling.
Sentences would take me an hour. Chapters could take days. The story itself was a surprise because it unfolded with numerous unexpected scenarios. Kat and I would discuss synopsis, but even when we did, things changed. The story was told by letting the story tell itself.
For example; for many months we had a bear as a significant character in the synopsis, and we had a "bit part" for a character that would basically appear only in one paragraph. That changed! The bear doesn't show up until near the end of the story, and that "bit part" character fell into a major role.
What I love about the creative process—always—for me—is that I'm a facilitator. I'm not the creator. The creator is out there—somewhere—pushing that creativity through me. I don't mean that to sound godly or spiritual, but in a way it is. It's like something needed to come into the world, and Kat and I got to be the vehicles that manufactured it. As a creative, letting the thing be in control is always better. When I try to force it—issues and problems arise.
Another discovery was the puzzle aspect of writing. Everything needed to flow and be plausible. Things needed to connect, and I know enough about good literature that there are compositional devices that are just plain good to use. I did my best to create foreshadowing and to hold back information and divvy it out bit by bit—allowing the reader to glean more over time. However, there were times when Kat and I would discuss situations for hours and angst over how we would solve a particular problem so that it wasn't "awkward" or "forced" into the story. It was vital to me that the ideas we wanted to include flowed seamlessly. There were those amazing Eureka moments that occurred—usually in the shower or in the middle of the night—and then the story would tumble forward until the next puzzle presented itself.
It's been a fun journey and I hope anyone who takes the time to read Lizzy won't feel it's a light/trite story. Sure, it's fantasy, but we wanted it to feel real to those who will get lost in the book.
Crossing the finish line and seeing the story become a realty is a huge reward for the time I spent dedicated to it. I know Kat feels the same. And.... now we are novelists! Yay for that!
I couldn't/wouldn't have done it without my co-author and co-conspirator, Kat Bowser. It was a 12 year vision that laid dormant for nine years, and then a three year journey that ended with a six-month submersion into the land of writing.
Frankly, I never felt that I was a writer—and even though "novelist" can now be attributed to my name, it wasn't something that came easily or naturally. The journey of writing Lizzy Albright and the Attic Window, was arduous and grueling. But it was also very fun and I learned a lot about storytelling.
Sentences would take me an hour. Chapters could take days. The story itself was a surprise because it unfolded with numerous unexpected scenarios. Kat and I would discuss synopsis, but even when we did, things changed. The story was told by letting the story tell itself.
For example; for many months we had a bear as a significant character in the synopsis, and we had a "bit part" for a character that would basically appear only in one paragraph. That changed! The bear doesn't show up until near the end of the story, and that "bit part" character fell into a major role.
What I love about the creative process—always—for me—is that I'm a facilitator. I'm not the creator. The creator is out there—somewhere—pushing that creativity through me. I don't mean that to sound godly or spiritual, but in a way it is. It's like something needed to come into the world, and Kat and I got to be the vehicles that manufactured it. As a creative, letting the thing be in control is always better. When I try to force it—issues and problems arise.
Another discovery was the puzzle aspect of writing. Everything needed to flow and be plausible. Things needed to connect, and I know enough about good literature that there are compositional devices that are just plain good to use. I did my best to create foreshadowing and to hold back information and divvy it out bit by bit—allowing the reader to glean more over time. However, there were times when Kat and I would discuss situations for hours and angst over how we would solve a particular problem so that it wasn't "awkward" or "forced" into the story. It was vital to me that the ideas we wanted to include flowed seamlessly. There were those amazing Eureka moments that occurred—usually in the shower or in the middle of the night—and then the story would tumble forward until the next puzzle presented itself.
It's been a fun journey and I hope anyone who takes the time to read Lizzy won't feel it's a light/trite story. Sure, it's fantasy, but we wanted it to feel real to those who will get lost in the book.
Crossing the finish line and seeing the story become a realty is a huge reward for the time I spent dedicated to it. I know Kat feels the same. And.... now we are novelists! Yay for that!
Ramblings and Rhetoric
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