How Do You Do It?

For the past two weeks or so I've been really busy. It seems like all I do is sleep, travel and work. By the time I get home it's like I hardly have any time to do the things that I want. Then I started to think about what it would be like if I had a wife and some kids to go with all of that. I know that there some people out there who have all of this and more on their plate each day but they still manage to write. My question is simply how?

Things at work will eventually settle down and I'll have more free time but its really hard when your trying to balance writing with life and a full time job.

Being Scary

I was watching a horror film the other day and I couldn't help but think about how forgetable horror movies have become these days. This is one genre in which literature has a distinct advantage I think. When I watch a movie I never get scared any more. Most of them are all about blood and gore and hardly any substance. This sort of thing may have scared me when I was much younger but these days it doesn't even make me look away.
Books on the other hand have always been the pinacle of horror for me. While movies and books both have their respective advantages and disadvantages, books come out on top in this battle. Books have been able to scare me and leave thinking about what I read for days afterward.

A really good horror story creates a mood that is thick and unescapable. It submerges you in world where you are both wanting to find out what will happen next and at the same time scared to keep reading. Two of the most essential things I always include when writing horror are confusion and helplessness.

There are few times as a human being that you are more scared than when you have no idea what's happening around you. The confusion of being in a situation where everything is foreign is a major component of being scared. I mean, how many horror stories can really occur in your everyday life. Even familiar surroundings can become foreign when a special situation is attached. Think about your office being suddenly invaded and everyone held hostage - that is scary. Think about having to run for your life down a path that you'd never been before, the area is dark and you have no idea what you're running towards - that's scary.

Helplessness is one of those things that can really be frightful. Being forced to do something against one's will or seeing something happen to a loved one and not being able to help are both examples of this. Think how you would feel if you saw something about to cause you harm but you could only watch it happen. You stand frozen and as the danger gets closer and closer knowing there is nothing you can do about it. Helplessness is definitely scary.

Why I chose Sci fi/Fantasy

Saying that I am a sci fi/fantasy writer would be at its core a gross inaccuracy. I have done writing in many different genres, from romance to non fiction. But it is in sci fi/fantasy that I chose to write my first novel.

You may ask why? But the answer isn't all that complicated. It's simply the genre that I like to write the most. Baring in mind that any novel I write will have romance, action, suspence, human drama and all that. Sci fi gives you the flexibilty to do just about anything you want to do. But of course you can't go overboard or the result will be something that no one can relate to or something where the plot doesn't make any sense. You can really use your imagination and do things that you couldn't in other genres and still have characters that people can relate to.
Basically its up to you to decide how much influence the setting has on the story. I mean, you can have a regular human story but have it take place some time in the future or in some warped Earth like setting. You can make regular people into heroes or distort reality into anything you want it to be.
Sci fi/fantasy is a setting where you can really let your creative juices flow.

Being Original

With all the different literature and film around these days it's getting harder and harder to be original. And if you intend to do fantasy/sci fi like myself, then you'd better try hard. I never want to be thought of as just another sci fi/fantasy writer - there seems to be tens of thousands of them across the net. One of the things that I think about before writing is how do I make this different?
I always intend anything I release to leave an impression on whoever reads it. Whether it be short or long lasting impression isn't always relevant but if I can get a person to think something like 'that was different/strange/original' or 'I didn't see that coming' then I think I did okay.

Working Hard

My recent decision has left me invigorated. Last night I sat down and wrote two pages for my novel and I went surfing the net for some ways to make money. I don't know if I can make enough money to stay at home but I figure it's worth a shot. The less time I have to dedicate to work the more time I have to do what I want to do.

I also added links to blogs that I read - the ones related to what I do on this blog. At the moment there are only two but if anyone wants to exchange links I'd be happy to as long as your site is related to writing. Just leave a comment on this blog, I'll have a look at your site and add the link within the next day.

Longing to be a writer

Yesterday I was thinking to myself about how much my life isn't what I thought it would be. I guess I'm singing the same tune that many others sing but I really made a decision to do something about it. I really want to be a published writer. At the moment there is nothing more important to me. I already started looking at self publishing and I think that this is the way I'll eventually go as long as I can bring enough attention to my work.

At the moment I have no idea if I'll have any success but just thinking about spending another year or two doing a job I hate in a place I hate gives me a hollow feeling. Much less having to settle down and accept defeat like most people do. I just don't think I can be like everybody else. I've never been my entire life and I don't intend to start now.

A Love Story

I see her everyday on my way to school. She is always one step ahead of me; she is always out of reach. I leave home earlier and earlier each day, trying my hardest to catch up with her as she leaves her house and walks to the subway station. Each morning I am always too late. I am always in time to see her close the door to the house that lies to the far end of the street. She clutches her books closely to her chest and she turns around and walks to her destination. Each day it is the same - she never deviates, she never looks back.

Who is this mysterious girl that has moved into my neighborhood? I see her on her way to school each day but I never see her come home. I never see her in the street with the other teenage girls as they gather daily to share gossip and chat about whatever teenage girls chat about. No, she is different. She can’t be bothered by such trivial matters. She is too mature. She is too sophisticated to spend her evenings that way. I’m sure of it. She is different - I can feel it.
I plan for her the next morning. Today we will finally meet. Today I will not take no for an answer...

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