Travis Thrasher's Blog, page 29

Stepping Up To The Plate

The most exciting things happening in my writing are stuff that has nothing to do with me. The stuff that God is a part of, the stuff where amazing people are doing amazing things and inviting me along for the ride.
I'm a blessed man who likes to spend his hours putting words together to tell a story. But too often I try to do it all on my own and then worry about the outcome. I forget to take the very thing I often write about—this faith, my faith—and trust in Him. Yet God continues to surprise me with another curve ball, throwing it just right in a way where I can do my very best and hit the ball as hard as I can.
One of these days I'll hit a home run.

Discovery

Wow.
That's the feeling I want.

Who is this guy?
That's the question I long for.

What else has he done?
Someone randomly stumbling across another artist in the era of everybody-is-an-artist-nowadays.
I do it all the time.

I just did it, in fact.

A song that I find randomly on iTunes that I end up listening to over and over and then wanting more. Downloading the album using my gift card from Christmas and feeling like something inside of me has expanded. Its an album that fits me now in this moment for some reason.

Music does that. So do movies. And so do books.
The same way I'm feeling now is the way I hope others out there feel the first time they pick up one of those multi-colored Travis Thrasher novels.

I know there is indifference. I know there are feelings of mediocrity. I look at my work all the time and feel all those things and much worse. But then again, there are times when I long for and live for the moments when I heard someone somewhere saying "I just finished (insert book title) and you're my favorite author now."
Perhaps it's just the moment and that feeling at the end of a story that resonates. But regardless, it's a good feeling.

I think it's the voice and the worldview and the way of putting things. I don't do it better than everybody and hopefully I don't do it worse. But I really believe that the longer time goes by, I'm making that voice and worldview fresh in a way that only I can.
Like the grainy voice accompanied by strange sounds and odd accents and lyrics that linger. Something that sounds different and unusual.
That's what I love and what I long to do.

I know some of my work doesn't achieve that. But I'm getting there. And hopefully the later work can be better appreciated by the earlier work.

I don't know. Maybe that's all in my head.

I know I love seeing the progression of any artist I love. I saw Warrior last night and continue to love Tom Hardy. I want to see some of his early work, some of the movies where he had a simple role or a few simple lines.
That guy was incredible.

That's what I thought about him last night watching that movie.

That guy's on a different planet.

That's what I strive for in my writing.

Okay, saying I'm from a different planet might not be the thing I'm looking for.

I'll just take the Who is this guy and what other books has he written?
Then they see this long list of titles and don't even know where to start.
Yeah. That's fun.

And I've said this before and I'll say it again, but I feel I'm still just warming up.
I'm still young for the writing profession.

Of course, I'm going to keep saying that the rest of my life.

This Is What I Do

This is what I do.

I try and take something that has moved me—a book, a movie, or a song—and I try to weave a story around that.

That's the framework I start in. I don't start in a genre or (Heaven forbid) my "brand". I take something I've loved and start in that structure.

It's a bit like staying overnight in a Cape Cod and loving it so much you decide you want to build one yourself.

I know that even if I tried to completely copy the Cape Cod, the end result would be different. What happens is I put myself in that framework. I put things that interest me and that I'm struggling with for the moment. Curiosities, frustrations, joys. Even if the story has absolutely nothing to do with me, I manage to show up in it. This is like putting pictures on the wall inside that Cape Cod. You have to decorate it and make it your home.

I figure out the story I want to tell and then I try to figure out a way to break it. A way to make it just a bit different. This could be a twist, or this could be slightly altering the normal way of telling that story. I don't do this because I'm trying to be clever. I do it because I want mess around with expectations and hopefully deliver in the end.

The characters are cast with either big-name stars or unknown faces I've seen. Then, each main character is given a theme song or playlist that helps define him or her. This helps me when I'm getting inside of that person.

I deliberately avoid pressing the REPEAT button when it comes to writing that next novel. I try and think what would be the best way to tell the story. What's an interesting perspective? How do the chapters flow? What's the timeframe? Is there anything interesting I can do between chapters, in the middle of them, at the beginning and the end of the novel?

I usually try out some pages to see how they sound. First person, third person, the tone and the texture. Sometimes I just nail it and keep going. Sometimes I try and it feels stale. Sometimes I end up sounding like the last novel I wrote so I try again.

The story usually unfolds in a chronological fashion, with one chapter following the next. But I deviate at times, writing the end or writing bits and pieces when the mood calls for it. I know each story is a marathon, regardless of how many words it will be. I know each tale is a trip I'm going to travel alongside my characters. Sometimes I look forward to the journey but more often than not, I end up not wanting to go to those dark places. Yet I always end up going there.

Music and movies fuel the writing. Sometimes I find a novelist that has exactly the sort of thing I want, yet I deliberately avoid reading too much by them because I don't want to simply imitate. I want to try and find a voice that fits my character and my story. And yes, a voice that fits me.

I write the story trying to think of the publisher and the editor and the reader. But I still end up thinking about how much it moves me, how well it feels, whether it works or not. I know I'm wrong many times. I know not everybody likes my voice or my style or my inconsistencies. But I'm growing confident because I know there are people that really do enjoy all those things.

Everything I do is to build toward the end. The end is what matters. The end is what it's all about for me. Yes, that opening line and opening page are important, but for me, the most important thing is the end. The takeaway. The feeling when they finally get to the end. The truth on that last page.

By the time I'm done, I'm usually emotionally drained. Most of the time, there is a point in the writing when I'm moved to tears. That doesn't mean that portion of writing was necessarily that good. But I know it moved me and brought me to a special place.

Some days and hours and moments I end up just getting the words on the page. Not every scene and writing bout can be one where I'm moved to tears and full of emotion. But these moments are more rare than not. I don't go through the motions. Whether the story is wonderful or woeful, I don't go through the motions.

I don't know how many novels I've written. I've had 18 published. More are on the way.

Every hour of every day is spent thinking of these stories. I dream about them. I see glorious things and file them away for those tales. I research for them. I wait to find some wonderful bit of inspiration for them.

I love the theme of brokenness because that's exactly the kind of writer I am. A bit messy and undefined, a bit hard to categorize, a little bit of everything that's sometimes overdone. But hopefully in the end, the pieces come together. Hopefully in the end, there's a portrait of peace.

Each journey I take is a learning experience. And there's something else, something I've learned and finally realized that has been like a prisoner in a dark cell seeing the sunrise for the first time. But that—well, that's for another time and another late night blog.

Tonight, I'm listening to the main theme I discovered for a central character in a three-book-trilogy. A trilogy that may or may not be written. She may or may not come to life. But I hope she does, because I'm already madly in love with her. I know where she shows up at the beginning of the story and I know where she ends up at the end of the tale. This is what I do for fun, putting down the other stories I'm working on so I can—well, yeah, think of more stories.

It probably won't always be like this, but for now, this is what I do.

The Publishing Process Using Stephen King Titles

Writing and getting a book published can be a terrifying experience. I decided to sum up the process using titles from the master of the horror genre, Stephen King.

The Shining—The moment when an idea takes form in your head and you know it's brilliant. Just make sure you're not holding an axe.

Insomnia—This is what happens when you're in the middle of a massive book project.

Desperation—There's always a high point and a low point in the creation of a book. The Shining is that optimistic bright spot. Desperation is when you debate whether to scrap the entire book and start over again.

Bag of Bones—This is how you look and feel once you finish the manuscript.

It—This is that hideous monster lurking on your computer. That ugly, demented, sickly creature that needs help. This is your finished but unedited manuscript, a twisted evil thing.

The Dead Zone—This is the period between the moment you hand in a book to a publisher and the moment you hear back from them. It can last days or even weeks. Suddenly, everything goes silent. You wonder if the publisher is still there or if a bomb blast leveled their building. You begin to have doubts about your manuscript, about your writing, and about your career. You send your application in to Arby's.

The Stand—The moment you discuss your manuscript with your editor. It doesn't matter what they're about to say, you're ready. They're Randall Flagg and you're Stu Redman and IT'S ON!

Needful Things—This is what every person in marketing and sales thinks about any author.

Misery—This sums up everything you need to know about booksignings.

Pet Semetary—This is eventually where your book ends up.

The Time Machine (Midnight Ramblings)

The sky watches the seasons pass by and sometimes it even sighs.

Echoes drift up and swirl away like long lost contrails that hover just below the moon.

Memories skip like rocks on water, bouncing and bopping like a baby learning to dance.

They don't need to invent a time machine because you have one and can press the date and the time and the exact moment. All you need to do is find that one right song, that one right scent, that one right scene in your head. Then off you go.

Imagination is the opposite of experience. But some things in life, some memories built into the machine of yours, are too big or deep or brilliant or dark to understand when you're in them. So it's years later that you remember and you know a little more, for better or worse.

The shimmer of a smile. The grip of a hand. The pitter patter of tiny heels on the hard floor. The laughter in the middle of the night. The silence in the middle of a crowd.

The peace that passes all understanding visits but never stays, not permanently. The cyclones are gone and the sandstorms have simmered down. The madness of one kind is replaced by an insanity of another. Laughter is good and necessary, but laughing on your own is a little too much even for you.

The words have a melody and a rhythm. Just like the passing weeks and the hovering months. The seasons shift and turn and tumble. Yet some things remain the same. The view looks the same no matter where you are and what you're doing.

Silent toys wait to be played with. Silent roads wait to be ridden over. Silent nights wait for the rising sun. Silent souls wait for the risen Son.

The lists and the facts and the fortunes can wait until tomorrow. The time machine hums and you're cascading down chords you remember hearing once or twice before. They're sweet songs. The kind that can't be summed up in words, though you keep trying, day after day and night after good night.

A Note To My 20-Year-Old-Self

Don't act like you have all the clues because you don't have a single one.

Don't swear off the things you hate because you won't always hate them. Trust me, you won't.

Don't look down one road and know it's the one because it's probably not.

Look up and settle down and breathe out and know you're being watched.

Pull back every now and then.

Don't always rush into it. And don't always feel you need to wait.

Let the little things become the big ones and let those big nagging dragons float up like smoke and dissipate into the sky.

Enjoy the moments you have because they're precious.

Don't look ahead five or ten or fifteen years down the road.

Don't let those last five or ten or fifteen years let you stall as you journey ahead.

Know that you're special but don't overdo it.

Know that you're unique but don't overthink it.

Take that faith and do something with it. Don't wait until you're older because "older' is just a term and a number and it means nothing. Don't wait because you don't know what's ahead and what will burden you down the road.

Thank your Lord and Savior for each day and each blessing and each breath.

Keep dreaming big because dreams are good. Dreams are great. But don't just dream for yourself. Dream for others.

Don't let anybody talk down to you. But avoid talking down about the rest of the world.

Don't be cynical.

Don't be skeptical.

Don't be critical.

Take the sunrise on any given day and open the door and let whatever come come.

Love more than you're loved.

Give more than you're given.

Stop thinking about that next day and that next week and that next decade. Start now. Start this very instant.

Fun isn't always what you think fun will be.

And love isn't always what you expect love to be.

Give more of yourself and then go to sleep without worry.

Go to sleep without wondering.

Don't worry about your place or your meaning or your ever after.

Ever after will eventually come.

But today and tomorrow are up to you.

They're up to you.

Tebow Beats The Steelers And God Wins!

So this evening I watched Tim Tebow and his Broncos beat the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff game in Denver. It was an amazing win and made me continue to believe in the magic and mystique behind Tebow.
So naturally, as a Christian, I felt this was a win for God and for my "side". Right?
Hardly.
I'm writing this blog not because of the win but because of something our five-year-old daughter, Kylie, said to me after the win. She was more overjoyed than usual after watching an NFL game with me. Naturally, her father is a Washington Redskins fan, so Kylie has seen a lot of gloom and doom after games since the Redskins usually lose in tragic fashion. Still, this was different.
Kylie gave me a hug and whispered the following in my ear: "I prayed to God that Tebone would win and God did it for you! We won!"
Note, Kylie didn't know that Tebone is actually Tebow, but that's okay. She prayed. This was a first for her with for an NFL game and it made me realize Kylie had heard me talking about Tim Tebow's outspoken faith to my wife. I guess she really listened and took it to heart.
Meanwhile, the social networks were all abuzz with Christians declaring this a victory for God and rallying behind Tebow.
I shared this simple remark on Twitter: I don't think the Broncos winning is a "victory" for God. Please. God gave Tebow talent & this outspoken passionate man gives God the glory.
Let me elaborate a bit on those words.
I think it's great that Christians are excited about a good-looking and amazingly talented NFL quarterback winning. Does that sound a bit crass? Not at all. That's the truth.
If Tim Tebow's people ever contacted me to write his story, I'd be honored. Seriously.
But this is the sort of story that really moves me.
An NFL player blessed with talent who ends up believing in his own press and doing whatever he wants, then hitting rock bottom and being forgotten about by the world. Then, finally on his knees before his maker, finding hope and redemption in the power of that same verse that Tim Tebow has touted--John 3:16.
Yeah, that's a victory.
I try not to wear my faith on my sleeve simply because it would look like a shirt bought at a thrift store that was last worn by someone in the Civil War. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but that's how I feel.
The thing that impresses me most about Tim Tebow? Not his talent but his outspoken faith. He wears it well.
I wish I had that.
What I usually do is take my faith and my love of broken people and put them in my stories. I get to hide behind my pages and my wandering plotlines. It's easier that way.
I am amazed by Tim Tebow's talent but even more I'm astounded by his seemingly unwavering faith. That's probably the thing that other Christians are remarking and rejoicing about.
I'd like to think that somewhere in his profession, a shattered player is watching Tim Tebow and seeing the same thing. And maybe it's getting through to them.
That's a cool thought. Cooler than the Broncos playing in the Super Bowl.
Then again, I can say that as a Redskins fan.

Hurt Publication Moved!

I was surprised to learn last fall that the fourth and final book in The Solitary Tales, Hurt, was scheduled to be published on September, 2012. So I finished Temptation and went straight into Hurt. It turned out to be a very good thing since I was wrapping up this series and I needed to have all the storylines in mind.
Well . . . To all of you who can't wait for Hurt, I have some bad news. The publisher is moving the publication date for Hurt to January 1, 2013.
But this is actually a wonderful thing. For lots of reasons.
A project came out of the blue right at the end of last year (and I mean the very end!). It's an amazing opportunity and a true answer to prayer. The only downside is this book will be published in September. The publisher didn't want to have two books of mine released in the same month, so Hurt needed to be moved.
Here's the good news. Hurt is finished and my editor already said she thinks it's a "very satisfying conclusion to the series". This will give us time to continue to build momentum for the series.
The great news is that this project will continue to open doors for my writing, and that's a great thing. All I want to do is continue to be able to tell stories that move readers. All kinds of stories. I can't wait to share news on this project. I will when I'm given permission.
One last thing. I can't promise this, but if I am able to, I will give readers another Solitary Tales b-side before Hurt comes out. I have some ideas. But we'll see.
Thanks for your excitement in this series. Continue to spread the word. Books three and four are pretty awesome. Hopefully they'll be worth the wait!

Ghostwriter Cover Design Contest

Are you a designer looking for more exposure? I'm launching a contest to pick a new design for the ebook edition of Ghostwriter.
One of my best received novels and favorites among those who enjoy my darker stuff is Ghostwriter, which was published in 2009. Some of my earlier books are still in print but this title went out of print in 2011. Printed copies are still available online but the ebook is gone. So I'm working on releasing the ebook version for Ghostwriter this year.
My goal is to try and find some interested and eager designers to submit unique covers for Ghostwriter. To make the contest interesting, I want to have at least ten entries to pick from. The winner will get $250 and I will spotlight their name with the release.
But here's the part when I talk about exposure.
I'm wanting to giveaway Ghostwriter as a free ebook for a short period of time. The only other title that I've had given away for free as an ebook was Solitary. That book was download over 52,000 times in two weeks.
It seems the ebook market likes supernatural stuff, and Ghostwriter seems ideal. So the winning designer would have the chance for thousands of people to hear about them. I work with a variety of publishers as well, not too mention communicating with lots of authors. So this could be a nice spotlight on your work.
This year I'm planning on interacting more with my fans and readers and letting them play a part in my publishing journey. So letting them help choose a cover would be fun for them.
If you're wondering why I'm giving away Ghostwriter for free when it releases, the answer is simple: I want readers to continue to discover my work. I have two more releases in The Solitary Tales this year (along with another interesting project), so I want new readers. This is a great way to get them. Ghostwriter is a strong story to do that with.
So are you interested? Send me an email to travisthrasher@mac.com or post below with your contact info. Ideally I'd love to have the ebook available March 1, a month before Temptation comes out. That would mean picking a cover a month before.
Thanks for your interest and tell anybody you know about this contest!

Travis Thrasher 101

So let's say you just stumbled upon this author named Travis Thrasher recently. Let me say I'm glad you found me after eleven years and 20 books!
So here are some basics to know about me.
All my books are different. Not just in genre, but in style and tone and point-of-view. If you want the same thing repeated twenty times, I'm sorry, but I'm not the author for you.
My favorite novels I've written are Sky Blue and 40. But those might also be two of the most difficult ones to read because of structure and style.
My wife's favorite novel of mine is still probably my first, The Promise Remains.
My agent's favorite novel of mine is Ghostwriter. It's a really good balance between the light and the dark in her mind.
I have a variety of my books available for only $2.99 as e-books on Amazon and BN.Com.
If you want to hear random pieces of my writing life or life as a father of three girls, follow me on Twitter.
For news about books I'm working on or future projects along with giveaways, join my Facebook reader page.
If you discovered The Solitary Tales, join the Facebook reader page for it.
I have a cool collaboration with six other novelists entitled 7 Hours. Here's our Facebook page for it.
I have a newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.
I'm doing something I love to do, and I'm fortunate for it. But as a full-time novelist and the father of three girls, I have to do everything possible to spread the word on my non-brand of novels. If you enjoy my work, please spread the word as well.
There are some very exciting things in the works. So please stay tuned. Thanks for your interest in my writing!