Let's do the blog hop!
Recently, my friend and colleague Chris A. Jackson tagged me to participate in a blog hop. Chris is…well, here he is in his own words:
“A sailing writer, or writing sailor (still not sure which), Chris A. Jackson is living his dream. Sailing full time since 2009, he and his wife are dividing their time between cruising and writing fantasy. As a sailor, nautical fantasy came naturally. His Scimitar Seas novels have won multiple gold medals, and his debut Pathfinder Tales novels, Pirate’s Honor has received high praise. The Weapon of Flesh Trilogy has become a Kindle bestseller, spurring international interest. His shorter works include Blood and Iron, a nautical novella in the Iron Kingdoms world released in 2014 from Privateer Press, stories in various anthologies, and a short story for Catalyst Game Labs in the Shadowrun universe pending release. More Pathfinder Tales, the Weapon of Fear Trilogy, and other works are coming in 2015, so drop by jaxbooks.com for updates!”
The way the blog hop works is that I’ll answer the four questions you’ll find below. Then I’ll tag three other writers who will do the same on their websites.
1. What am I working on?
I’ve just finished writing several short stories that connect to the works of H. P. Lovecraft. I think that well has run dry for the time being, so now I’m trying to decide which of three ideas for novels (one heroic fantasy, one urban fantasy, and one horror) to tackle. I may not get much done on any of them, though, because I’m waiting to hear back on several pitches, outlines, and what have you. If one of those projects gets green-lit, it will jump to the head of the line. (Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail about any of them yet.)
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Since I write in more than one genre, it probably depends on which part of my stuff we’re talking about. If it’s my heroic fantasy, I try to take advantage of the reading I’ve done in real-world history and my appreciation of other fictional genres. Many of my sword-and-sorcery tales have a fair amount of flat-out horror in them and also borrow tropes from detective and spy fiction.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I write that portion of what I love that I feel capable of writing. I love fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but I focus on the first two. That’s because I don’t have a deep enough understanding of science to turn out the kind of SF I admire.
4. How does my writing process work?
I whip ideas into a workable form by making sure they contain the three elements that are generally necessary to make a good genre story. These are the protagonist, the goal toward which he strives, and the obstacle or obstacles that block the way.
By working with the three elements, I come up with a basic outline for the story. This is generally in my head for a short piece but often written out for a novel.
When I’m ready to write the actual story, I keep to a production schedule. I sit down at my computer at prescribed times, and I keep working until I’ve produced enough new words to satisfy the schedule, Generally, the magic number is 1500, although it may be more if I’m on a tight deadline or less if I’m working on something that poses unusual problems.
I start each writing day by going over and revising the work from the previous couple days. This is good in and of itself because that work needs polishing, but just as importantly, it reminds me what’s going on in the story and helps me get in the writing groove to press onward.
Now for my three tags. The first writer is Jaym Gates, who describes herself thusly:
“Jaym Gates is an editor, author, and publicist, and the Communications Director for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Her anthologies include Broken Time Blues, War Stories, the upcoming Genius Loci, and an untitled anthology for the Exalted RPG line. She's been published in Goldfish Grimm, Heroes!, and Kaiju Rising.
“She's also frequently on the road for conventions, runs local events, and games whenever possible. Please send her coffee, scotch, or more calendars to track her deadlines.”
When she posts it, you’ll find her response to the blog hop at http://jaymgates.com
My second tag is Erin M. Evans. Please introduce yourself, Erin.
“Erin M. Evans got a degree in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis–and promptly stuck it in a box. Nowadays she uses that knowledge of bones, mythology, and social constructions to flesh out fantasy worlds. She is the author of The God Catcher, The Adversary, and Fire in the Blood among other novels, and she lives in Washington State.”
Erin’s post will appear at http://slushlush.com
Finally, I’ve tagged Erik Scott de Bie, who has this to say about himself:
“Erik Scott de Bie is a 30-something speculative fiction author and game designer. He has published eight novels to date, including novels in the storied Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, the famous Traveller universe (his forthcoming novel Priority: Hyperion), a stand-alone novel for Broken Eye Books (Scourge of the Realm), and the original World of Ruin epic fantasy setting (his recently released novel, Shadow of the Winter King, is the first in that series). His short work has appeared in numerous anthologies and he is the author of the multimedia superhero project, Justice/Vengeance. In his work as a game designer, he has contributed to products from such companies as Wizards of the Coast and Privateer Press, and he is a lead creative consultant on Red Aegis from Vorpal Games. Check out his website: erikscottdebie.com”
“A sailing writer, or writing sailor (still not sure which), Chris A. Jackson is living his dream. Sailing full time since 2009, he and his wife are dividing their time between cruising and writing fantasy. As a sailor, nautical fantasy came naturally. His Scimitar Seas novels have won multiple gold medals, and his debut Pathfinder Tales novels, Pirate’s Honor has received high praise. The Weapon of Flesh Trilogy has become a Kindle bestseller, spurring international interest. His shorter works include Blood and Iron, a nautical novella in the Iron Kingdoms world released in 2014 from Privateer Press, stories in various anthologies, and a short story for Catalyst Game Labs in the Shadowrun universe pending release. More Pathfinder Tales, the Weapon of Fear Trilogy, and other works are coming in 2015, so drop by jaxbooks.com for updates!”
The way the blog hop works is that I’ll answer the four questions you’ll find below. Then I’ll tag three other writers who will do the same on their websites.
1. What am I working on?
I’ve just finished writing several short stories that connect to the works of H. P. Lovecraft. I think that well has run dry for the time being, so now I’m trying to decide which of three ideas for novels (one heroic fantasy, one urban fantasy, and one horror) to tackle. I may not get much done on any of them, though, because I’m waiting to hear back on several pitches, outlines, and what have you. If one of those projects gets green-lit, it will jump to the head of the line. (Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail about any of them yet.)
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Since I write in more than one genre, it probably depends on which part of my stuff we’re talking about. If it’s my heroic fantasy, I try to take advantage of the reading I’ve done in real-world history and my appreciation of other fictional genres. Many of my sword-and-sorcery tales have a fair amount of flat-out horror in them and also borrow tropes from detective and spy fiction.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I write that portion of what I love that I feel capable of writing. I love fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but I focus on the first two. That’s because I don’t have a deep enough understanding of science to turn out the kind of SF I admire.
4. How does my writing process work?
I whip ideas into a workable form by making sure they contain the three elements that are generally necessary to make a good genre story. These are the protagonist, the goal toward which he strives, and the obstacle or obstacles that block the way.
By working with the three elements, I come up with a basic outline for the story. This is generally in my head for a short piece but often written out for a novel.
When I’m ready to write the actual story, I keep to a production schedule. I sit down at my computer at prescribed times, and I keep working until I’ve produced enough new words to satisfy the schedule, Generally, the magic number is 1500, although it may be more if I’m on a tight deadline or less if I’m working on something that poses unusual problems.
I start each writing day by going over and revising the work from the previous couple days. This is good in and of itself because that work needs polishing, but just as importantly, it reminds me what’s going on in the story and helps me get in the writing groove to press onward.
Now for my three tags. The first writer is Jaym Gates, who describes herself thusly:
“Jaym Gates is an editor, author, and publicist, and the Communications Director for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Her anthologies include Broken Time Blues, War Stories, the upcoming Genius Loci, and an untitled anthology for the Exalted RPG line. She's been published in Goldfish Grimm, Heroes!, and Kaiju Rising.
“She's also frequently on the road for conventions, runs local events, and games whenever possible. Please send her coffee, scotch, or more calendars to track her deadlines.”
When she posts it, you’ll find her response to the blog hop at http://jaymgates.com
My second tag is Erin M. Evans. Please introduce yourself, Erin.
“Erin M. Evans got a degree in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis–and promptly stuck it in a box. Nowadays she uses that knowledge of bones, mythology, and social constructions to flesh out fantasy worlds. She is the author of The God Catcher, The Adversary, and Fire in the Blood among other novels, and she lives in Washington State.”
Erin’s post will appear at http://slushlush.com
Finally, I’ve tagged Erik Scott de Bie, who has this to say about himself:
“Erik Scott de Bie is a 30-something speculative fiction author and game designer. He has published eight novels to date, including novels in the storied Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, the famous Traveller universe (his forthcoming novel Priority: Hyperion), a stand-alone novel for Broken Eye Books (Scourge of the Realm), and the original World of Ruin epic fantasy setting (his recently released novel, Shadow of the Winter King, is the first in that series). His short work has appeared in numerous anthologies and he is the author of the multimedia superhero project, Justice/Vengeance. In his work as a game designer, he has contributed to products from such companies as Wizards of the Coast and Privateer Press, and he is a lead creative consultant on Red Aegis from Vorpal Games. Check out his website: erikscottdebie.com”
No comments have been added yet.
