I got tagged in this Bloggy Blog Hop thing us authors are circulating around by a good writer friend of mine, Charles Day, So I did my best to answer the questions that were thrown at me.
What are you working on right now?
I am actually working on four projects at the moment. Two of them are short stories. One of the shorts is for an upcoming anthology in which the proceeds will benefit children with cancer. Unfortunately, I am not happy with what I have written, so I am letting it sit on the side for a while until I can figure it out. As of now, there is no way it would be accepted and I cannot be proud of it.
The second short story is for an upcoming Zombie Anthology, in which 100% of the proceeds will benefit a yet to be determined veteran's group. The only rules are that it must feature a radio show, a zombie, and a public servant. I have a couple ideas floating in my head, and will start writing it shortly.
One of the big projects I am working on is a novel based on a short story that I wrote recently. I am writing it for my last assignment with the institute of children's Literature and am supposed to have three chapters complete by the end of June. I have the outline complete, so I am confident I can make it happen. Its core audience will be children 13 and under, as it stands, but I am hoping to make it more YA. I have a couple publishers in mind for when it is finished, and will look for more as I get closer to being done. The story takes place in a Dystopian world in which magic has returned. The heroes Journey to defeat evil and the hellions that are born from the evil.
The last project is a horror novel with a minor religious influence. The hero is a very unlikely character, and is aided by his brothers in the end. I don't want to get into too much detail, but I am VERY excited about this one. I have three chapters outlined so far.
Of course, you can also find my writings over on Infendo.com and Nerdzy.com if you are into the video game culture!
What experiences have influenced you?
The obvious answer would be the multitude of amazing writers that I have met within the last year. I have met some great people that have inspired me to write and keep writing. The tougher answer would be everything. Sometimes a falling leaf, my psychotic cat, a random noise or smell, basically anything can influence me to write something.
Why do you write what you do?
I started writing horror/sci fi because I enjoy the freedom that it fosters. There really are no rules, per se. I have the opportunity to create my own worlds, lives, situation, and I control the entire process. My writings allow me to rummage through the dark recesses of my mind and re-discover forgotten figments of subconsciousness and share it with the world.
Ever since I was a child, I have had a massive imagination. On days where there was nothing to do, I could easily escape into my mind and wander the strange areas within. Whether wide eyed, or tightly shut, I could visualize my escapades within the alien terrains I set foot into. After High school, I decided to start writing my adventures down. To help, I enrolled in the Institute of Children's Literature and made it as far as lesson six before dropping out because life called. Sadly, I never got around to writing the stories down until last year. Somehow, I found a publisher that had a few open anthologies. I took a chance that I had not yet taken and submitted a story to each. Two of my stories were accepted, and the third was rejected (only to be picked up by another publisher). The exhilaration of being accepted helped to fuel my passion once again.
How does your writing process work?
Many times, an idea will pop in my head. If I have pen and paper handy, I will jot it down for a later time and let it simmer. Sometimes I will forget about it until later and get excited when I find it again. When I am finally ready to write, many times I sit down with a cup of coffee, tea, or cold beer, and just write. I try not to look back until I am complete. Then I edit, maybe edit a couple more times, then submit it if I have an open sub in mind. However, I had to create an outline for my last assignment with the Institute of Children's Literature, and found it to be very helpful to plan out ahead of time. So, I think for my larger projects I will outline more often.
What is the hardest part about writing?
For me, it would be managing my time. With work, and a family, it is not always easy to schedule a time to write. So, I do it when I have the opportunity. Sometimes it could be twenty minutes, sometimes hours. If I could have a set schedule to sit down and create, I would be living in pure bliss.
What would you like to try as a write that you haven't yet?
Long term I would like to write for a living and have the opportunity to support my wife and kids through my creations. Since I am not there yet, I would have to say that I have a few ideas floating around in my head that would cross over into every story I have, and will write. Basically, it would allow me to intertwine a complete universe that connects everything I write. From Children's stories to adult horror, they would all take place in the same world. Doing so would allow children to grow with my writing and still be familiar with the settings. And as adults read to their children, they would understand the subtle hints within the environments. Just like real life, there is innocence surrounded by some crazy/twisted stuff.
Who are the authors that you most admire?
Any author that puts their heart and soul into their writings are admirable. However, the ones I really look up to are:
Clive Barker: The visions he creates are mind blowing, and the world he built is where I want to live.
C.S. Lewis: He took my childhood to another level. without the Chronicles of Narnia, I might not have even birthed the desire to write.
Harper Lee: To kill a Mockingbird showed me that innocence and hatred can coexist in an environment beautifully. The Yin and Yang are essential in my writings
Those are the three biggest influences on my writing career, however I have met a lot of fabulous authors within the last year that I could just as easily add to that list.
Who are new authors to watch out for?
Rather than name specific people, I would say that anyone with a passion for what they do, that is not afraid of rejection, that is willing to take that rejection and mold it in their favor, is who I would watch out for. It is far too easy to be rejected and give up, but those that turn it around and focus it...they are a force to be reckoned with!
What Scares you?
Spiders. Those creepy little devil's spawn are worse than the red guy himself! I guess my only other fear is that my children are growing up in such an uncertain world. I have faith that they will make the right decisions in life, but know that others will not always make the same decisions and my kids could get caught in the middle of one of their schemes.
Now, since I was told that I have to tag three victims in this blog thing, I tag:
Erin Britt
Katie Crabtree
Steve Lowe
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