Category: World of Writing

What Would Make You Interested In Attending a Writer’s Conference?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing3 Comments

On February 8th 2013 two of my writers friends and I are launching Jot a mini writer’s conference. I have a fifteen minute segment as a speaker to address the attendees. I wasn’t sure what I was going to discuss. I have been writing for a while and have learned many tips along the way.

So, in my search of a topic I decided to talk about things I wish I knew before I started writing. Things like – the longer the novel the more likely it will not be published, don’t waste time on silly things like font or spacing or page format, writing is best done alone but you need other writers for accountability, and so on.

I’m still debating the topic and wanted to reach out to my audience here and ask what they would like to hear about if they attended. Also, if you have attended writing conferences before, why did you attend? What did you learn there and why would you go again?

Please fill out the poll below or suggest one in a comment.

I appreciate your feedback.

Happy writing,

Cheers,

Bob

How Does a Writer Measure Progress?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing5 Comments

Every now and then I look back on the Unmentionables that are my first drafts. I see the path of my writing and, though it has sloped a little way up the hill of mastering the craft, I see I have come a long way.

As I thought about this more, I wondered. So, if I have come “far”, how does a writer measure that exactly? Better yet, How do I, as a writer, measure progress?

The answer for you could be simple. It could be that you now have 30,000 words, and you had 5,000 a year ago. It could be that your vocabulary has grown tremendously, that your scenes of harrowing danger and swashbuckling duels are now believable, or that your love scenes are now devoid of most of their cheesiness.

I believe it is a smattering collection of these things. I see that my writing is cleaner. I see that I don’t use that that often, (pun intended). My words are more diverse and the dialogue is smoother.  However, I am at a loss. I know writers learn by doing. They learn by mastering the craft in order to abide by the laws and break them at their will.

But, How do you measure the progress of your writing?

Keep Writing,

Cheers,

Bob

The Best Writing Advice, Ever

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing6 Comments

Since watching A Midnight In Paris with Owen Wilson, I have wondered what it be like to have Hemingway deconstructing my sentences. Then, I thought, what would it be like to have Gertrude Stein dissecting my novel or discuss my novel with the various writers or artisans that graces Paris in the twenties during that Movable Feast?

I have a lot of writing hero’s and writers that I admire. If I could resurrect any writer I think it would either be Jules Verne or Tolkien.

Why? I love the pace of Verne’s stories. They are simple tales indeed but, he is an expert of pace. The stories start out with a recruiting section. Once the adventure is plotted and the characters are selected the race to the end begins.

Tolkien, its obvious isn’t it? I would need his help developing my world. I have no plans on adding languages as that is a bit further that I would want to go, however, his expertise in realm creation would be appreciated.

How about you? Who are you writing heroes and why? Who would you seek for the best writing advice, ever? Post your answer in the comment section below.

Cheers,

Bob

 

 

C.S. Lewis, On Stories

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing2 Comments

I like essays. I like essays by any notable writer because it helps me get into their mind, read what makes them tick, and hear what formed their world and life and why this translated into book form.

C.S. Lewis is one of my favorites because he can write something like this:

My dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realised that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it – C.S. Lewis’ dedication of the Lion Witch and the Wardrobe.

If you have read any of the Chronicles of Narnia, you will know they are nothing like the Disney film travesties. They are wonderfully written. Read them.

I write this post today because of something I read in a collections of essays by Lewis titled On Stories and Other Essays on Literature edited by Walter Hooper. One of these essays is titled “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s To Be Said”.

It goes like this:

In the Author’s mind there bubbles up every now and then the material for a story. For me it invariably begins with mental pictures. This ferment leads to nothing unless it is accompanied with the longing for Form: verse or prose, short story, novel, play or what not. When These two things click you have the Author’s impulse to complete. It is now a thing inside him pawing  to get out. He longs to see that bubbling stuff pouring into form…This nags him all day long and gets in the way of his work and his sleep and his meals. It’s like being in love.

Crazy huh? Does your work get in the way of your meals? Does it keep you up at night? Well, I think it should and so does C.S. Lewis. If, perhaps, it does not, is it worth your time?

Something to ponder for sure.

Keep writing.

Cheers,

Bob

The 47 Endings of Hemingway

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing2 Comments

It is a myth that writing comes out perfectly the first time. I don’t think I have ever heard of a writer penning a novel, posting it, and mailing or emailing it off to be printed. I discard and rework almost every part of my writing. Most of the time if I do not like a chapter I rewrite it entirely. I have several drafts of all of the chapters in my book. If I were to go as far as forty seven drafts of a single chapter, I might just have to give up. However, that is exactly what Hemingway did, on ONE novel.

A Farewell to Arms is not my favorite novel. In fact, I am not a huge Hemingway fan at all. His writing is brilliant, but his stories are far to bleak for me. Not that I despise bleakness, my novel ends quite awfully, but its hard to take at times when real life is just as dark.

I wanted to link a post to the article about the forty seven endings to remind the writer how much we have to give to finish well. How much the writer must persevere. How much the writer must refine and how much writing is not just about getting the grammar right.

Find sometime to write today.

Cheers,

Bob

J.K. Rowling’s New Novel: The Casual Vacancy

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing8 Comments

J. K. Rowling merely sold 600 million Harry Potter books. So, you might ask yourself why is she writing another one? Because her audience grew up. The Casual Vacancy is J. K. first novel for adults.

Here’s a description from amazon.com:

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising

the release date is September 27th and I cannot wait!

Cheers,

Bob

Ray Bradbury, Dead at 91

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing3 Comments
Fahrenheit 451

My friend Andrew handed me a book nearly six years ago. He said, “Here, this is by one of my favorite authors, you should read it,” (or something like that). It was titled Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury.

I am a person who tends to view science fiction or fantasy in an unfriendly light. It is Ironic because that is what I love and write. However, I believe the reason is one in the same with my aversion to anything self published, because it tends to be poor. There are many authors “published” on Smashwords, but that does not mean they are good, though I’m sure there are some very good ones.

Another reason I struggle with fantasy is because I don’t find the main plots and drivers to be culturally relevant.

I’m not saying it has to have a financial crisis or political gridlock as plot lines, sometimes you need something to aspire to and Bradbury with his forward thinking mind provided this. He wrote of far flung places like Mars, other galaxies, and dystopian earth, however he, could not have been more prophetic about our society and our technological dependence. He wrote, mastered, and solidified Science Fiction as an art form.

One beautifully penned article said this about Mr Bradbury,

Ray Bradbury anticipated iPods, interactive television, electronic surveillance and live, sensational media events, including televised police pursuits — and not necessarily as good things

Courtesy Villagevoice

The man wrote feverishly. What I mean by that is he wrote every day for nearly his entire life. He died at ninety one so I suspect he wrote every day for about seventy years and his desire to write burned bright even unto death. Can you imagine that? Based on what I have read, he never had a day off, he merely plunged again and again in the well of his creativity as if he had his own private ocean of it.

What would happen if you and I wrote like he did? What would happen if we wrote every day? I am sure I would have a lot more than one novel finished.

To Ray Bradbury though, writing was never about the money. He was about the craft and if there is any advice he would echo from the grave it would be to write and burn bright and long as you do so.

Goodbye Mr. Bradbury, and thanks.

Cheers,

Bob

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing2 Comments

For those of you familiar with the children’s novels The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, you may not be aware that a prequel to the series is now in stores. It stars none other than the genius  narcolept Mr. Nicholas Benedict himself, when he was nine years old. I am about halfway through it and am loving the charming language and immediate allure of the puzzles and mystery within.

If these books are unfamiliar to you, try this post by my friend Josh over at Josh Mosey Writer for a very brief, yet perfectly concise review of the trilogy The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Below is a trailer by Little Brown.

Cheers,

Bob

Free Laughs, Free Insight, and Free Books?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of Writing2 Comments

There are many ways that you can improve or be encouraged as a writer. These are things you can do by yourself, but they are better when incorporated into a group who all have the same goal. This is the function of a writers group.

A friend I meet with every week has started a blog. I wanted to take this post to introduce it to my readers. His name is Josh Mosey and I would like to encourage you to read his blog – here. Why? Glad you asked.

If you like to read, follow Josh – he is giving away free books on certain blog posts.

If you like to laugh, he’s funny – humor is included in all blog posts.

If you want insight about writing or the world of books, follow his blog – he posted about a free class at the University of Michigan this morning. If you are interested in fantasy or any form of science fiction, I would highly recommend you to check it out.

Cheers,

Bob

The Hunger Games – The Power of Good Fiction

On By Robert EvenhouseIn World of WritingLeave a comment

This weekend my wife and I went on a date. It was a breath of fresh air from the normal grind of having young children. We love them and were very eager to get back to them but, as some of you who have children know, it can be wonderful to eat in peace and actually have a warm meal to boot.

We visited Olive Garden and then went to see the new film The Hunger Games based on Suzanne Collins’ best selling novel. I was not sure what to expect but I was intrigued that droves flocked to see it making it one of, if not the biggest, opening of all time.

Now, there have been piles and piles written, filmed, tweeted, and Facebooked about how great this film is. Many of you reading have most certainly watched it already so you may ask yourself, why flood the market with more thoughts on it? Good question, please keep reading.

This post is in response to a review and a conversation. These both likened The Hunger Games story to, and I quote, “a lot like the Twilight movies”.

If you have seen the film or read the novels I hope you stand up and shout WHAT! like I did. Because they are different, unequivocally separate.

Granted they both have the teenage love triangle, however, that is where the similarities come it a firm halt.

The Hunger Games is about oppression. It’s about a society living sprawled on its back while another, more powerful, has placed a boot on its chest so securely that there is no way of removing it. The subservient society lives only because their masters allow it. The conquerors allow enough room to breath, but little else. If the powerless race tries to move they stomp, reminding the lessors of their place in the world.

Then, to make matters worse, the powerless have to watch as their children are called to a lottery. One that, if won, guarantees them certain death. And, there is nothing their parents can do about it. Nothing.

Cheery right? Why would you watch a film so grim and grotesque which toys with the lives of young children like the ancient tales of the Minotaur? Because, sometimes it is good to feel uncomfortable. Not because of crassness or the simple fact of pushing the boundaries of what is decent but, because it make you think things that normally stay far from the thoughts of our cushy lives.

It makes you think of the murders in Mexico.

It makes you think of the atrocities still happening in the Middle East and North Korea.

It makes you think of drug cartels and their tole on families and the most hushed and uncomfortable topic of people trafficking.

Things that happen right now, this minute, and the powerless that suffer because of it.

Sometimes I tell people that I don’t like to read stories that are sad. I say this because I know people who are suffering, just like you do. But, living in denial and being encouraged by a happy ending are two very separate things. 

Some of you are looking for some grand ending, but I have none. I have no way of instantly stopping these atrocities that are happening or advice on how to contribute to their demise.

So why write a post like this, right? Why even bother? Because that is what fiction can do. It uses story to inspire us to be better, to want to be and to think differently. Whether Fiction or Non-Fiction, hearing stories of people who fight when odds are hopeless, when things are too horrible to continue, those are the stories that stir us into action. William Wallace, Earnest Shackleton, Harry Potter, or little Frodo Baggins, it matters not. We watch, read, or listen to a great story and we want to act, to fight for the oppressed, for the injustices we see regardless if they are true happenings or fictitious tales of an old dusty book.

This is power of a good story.

The power of great books and movies.

The power of fiction.

What are your thoughts?

Cheers.

Bob