Bryan Young's Blog, page 11
August 4, 2015
Compromised
When one thinks of the word "compromise" in terms of art, it's usually as a negative. "My vision was compromised," you might hear an artist say. Hell, I've said it a time or two when something important was removed from a piece I'd worked on without my knowledge.
And in that sense of the word it's a bad thing.
In talking to some people, though, it's clear to me that there seems to be an idea floating out there that editors and beta readers exist to force compromise on your vision, and I'm not s...
And in that sense of the word it's a bad thing.
In talking to some people, though, it's clear to me that there seems to be an idea floating out there that editors and beta readers exist to force compromise on your vision, and I'm not s...
July 28, 2015
Contact with the enemy...
I've always been a big believer in the phrase, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." It's something I use as a gamemaster when roleplaying, and it's something I use when I'm plotting novels and stories. When I'm working with the characters and trying to decide what their course of action is, I have to take into account the fact that nothing should work as planned.
And why should it?
How often do you plan on something and have it work so smoothly that you don't need to react to variables in...
And why should it?
How often do you plan on something and have it work so smoothly that you don't need to react to variables in...
July 21, 2015
Update
It's been a while, and for that I am truly sorry.
Having a baby in the house after a decade is busy work. After making sure everything in that department was taken care of, my next responsibility was to keep up on my writing. I've had so many deadlines in the last month and I felt it was more important to get my writing schedule back together than to come back here and to report to you all about it.
It made me think a lot about priorities, though, and it forced me to rely on my discipline. I do...
Having a baby in the house after a decade is busy work. After making sure everything in that department was taken care of, my next responsibility was to keep up on my writing. I've had so many deadlines in the last month and I felt it was more important to get my writing schedule back together than to come back here and to report to you all about it.
It made me think a lot about priorities, though, and it forced me to rely on my discipline. I do...
June 23, 2015
A brief update
So, I missed my post last week and I considered skipping a post this week.
Why?
We have a brand new baby in the house. Her name is Valkyrie and she's great.
Naming tiny humans is a much harder thing to do than naming characters, and I find naming characters to be one of the hardest parts of a story for me. But I know that if I'm at any point dissatisfied with a name, I can find+replace the old name and insert a new one.
With a kid, it's fairly permanent.
Valkyrie was on a long list of names and it...
Why?
We have a brand new baby in the house. Her name is Valkyrie and she's great.
Naming tiny humans is a much harder thing to do than naming characters, and I find naming characters to be one of the hardest parts of a story for me. But I know that if I'm at any point dissatisfied with a name, I can find+replace the old name and insert a new one.
With a kid, it's fairly permanent.
Valkyrie was on a long list of names and it...
June 9, 2015
Monsters! and an Origins Recap...
"Monsters" is the new fiction anthology from Silence in the Library and I have a story in the main book, as well as the companion, "Soothe the Savage Beast." "Monsters" was edited by Kelly Swails, I edited "Soothe the Savage Beast."
I'd highly recommend you check it out. The stories in these books are cool, the artwork in both books is great. You're going to want them both. There are stories by Michael Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston, and dozens of other writers you like,...
I'd highly recommend you check it out. The stories in these books are cool, the artwork in both books is great. You're going to want them both. There are stories by Michael Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston, and dozens of other writers you like,...
June 2, 2015
Update and off to Origins!
I'm heading off to Origins Game Fair tomorrow (you can see my panel schedule here) and will be there until Sunday. My panels are all focused on writing and they're always highly informative and a lot of fun.
I find conferences and conventions an invaluable source of inspiration and contacts for freelancers across the board. In fact, most writing gigs I've landed have been a direct result of meeting and interacting with editors and fellow writers at conventions. Origins, San Diego Comic-Con, St...
I find conferences and conventions an invaluable source of inspiration and contacts for freelancers across the board. In fact, most writing gigs I've landed have been a direct result of meeting and interacting with editors and fellow writers at conventions. Origins, San Diego Comic-Con, St...
May 26, 2015
Writing Updates, Upcoming Events, and my Origins Schedule!
Signing:
So, the first and biggest thing I'd like to tell you about is the signing for Apollo's Daughters that is happening in Salt Lake City this weekend. If you're anywhere nearby, I'd love to see you come out for it.
Here is the Facebook event invite, but here are the most important details:
So, the first and biggest thing I'd like to tell you about is the signing for Apollo's Daughters that is happening in Salt Lake City this weekend. If you're anywhere nearby, I'd love to see you come out for it.
Here is the Facebook event invite, but here are the most important details:
Apollo's Daughters, and it's companion anthology Athena's Daughters, strives to highlight the female protagonist in a collection of short speculative fiction, Apollo's Daughters being written by male auth...
May 19, 2015
Updates!
Last week, I offered my schedule for CONduit (which is this weekend, come see me!) as well as a self-imposed deadline to finish the latest rewrite of The Aeronaut, which is–hopefully–my next book to see release.
Well, I'm happy to report that I finished it that night. I powered through the last few thousand words that needed to be written and revised everything that else that needed changing. I drastically re-wrote the ending, which was incredibly difficult for me to do. The ending that was wr...
Well, I'm happy to report that I finished it that night. I powered through the last few thousand words that needed to be written and revised everything that else that needed changing. I drastically re-wrote the ending, which was incredibly difficult for me to do. The ending that was wr...
May 12, 2015
An Update and my CONduit 2015 Schedule
I will be appearing at the CONduit Science Fiction Convention held in Salt Lake City on from May 22-24. It's at the Hilton DoubleTree by the Salt Lake City Airport and I'll be there on panels all three days.
Here's my schedule:
Here's my schedule:
FRIDAY:
4:00 (Zion Room) The Greatest Films Most Fans Have Never Seen
SATURDAY:
12:00 (Arches Room) What We Know About Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SUNDAY:I've been working on...
10:00 (Arches Room) Geek Journalism
12:00 (Arches Room) Star Wars: Canon Wars
May 5, 2015
My revision process
Call me crazy, but I don't go back and revise a book manuscript until I've written an entirely new book.
Revision is the hardest part of the process for me, mainly, I think, because I get so married to what I've written. I find I can't really come back to a manuscript and give it the treatment it deserves until I've almost completely purged the thought process that brought it to me from my head. For me, that entails writing a new book.
For me, it's so much easier to approach an older manuscript...
Revision is the hardest part of the process for me, mainly, I think, because I get so married to what I've written. I find I can't really come back to a manuscript and give it the treatment it deserves until I've almost completely purged the thought process that brought it to me from my head. For me, that entails writing a new book.
For me, it's so much easier to approach an older manuscript...
