fantasy Archives - Page 5 of 12

What to Write Next?

May 29, 2013 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

I’m in an interesting phase of the writing process. It’s the world-is-my-oyster phase; the time between writing projects. What to write next?

I’ve finished writing Book III of the gift trilogy, Book II is about to be published, but as I learned after I finished writing Book I, the ideas don’t just stop because the book’s done. They flood in, rudely interrupting thought and sleep and other moments they choose.

But this time around, with the trilogy complete, the possibilities are even bigger. Do I start a brand spanking-new project or continue with Emelynn’s story in the trajectory in The Gift? Do I continue writing in the fantasy thriller genre or do I change genres? What about the narrative? Do I continue with first person POV, or switch it up with multiple POVs?

There are so many possibilities for how and what to write next and so few hours in each day. What to do? It’s a time of asking questions, researching and brainstorming.

What would you do next?

2020 update: I did, in fact, continue Emelynn’s story. The Gift Legacy stands complete at 7 books. You can read about the books here.

What readers are saying about Secret Sky:

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Readers Beware!

May 23, 2013 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Readers Beware!

I thought writing fiction took imagination; apparently reading fiction is imagination’s poker equivalent of, “I’ll see that bet and raise you.”

At least that’s the impression I get from the speculative feedback coming in from people who’ve read Awakening. Readers are buying chips, taking seats at the card table, and throwing all they’ve got into their bets.

A typical opening starts with… “I’ll bet that such-and-such happens,” or … “I bet so-and-so will do this.” And then they present a wild-ass twist that would never have crossed my mind. I don’t have a very good poker face and many times I’ve had to peel my eyebrows out of my hairline. I’m happy to say that some of these crazy suggestions are really good. Bent, but good.

It’s yet another reminder that once you publish your book, it’s not yours anymore.

So readers beware! I’m taking notes and names. What you say can and will be used in a future book.

Your favourite author is probably on-line. Go ahead—give them some crazy-ass feedback. They’ll love it.

What readers are saying about Secret Sky:

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Write What You Know

May 16, 2013 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Write what you know is one of the classic nuggets of advice to writers. There’s much to learn when you write a book and more still when you publish it. Not all of the learning is fun, but it’s never boring.

One of the more interesting things I learned was how much of myself I inadvertently reveal in my writing. It seems I’ve written more than one quirk of my own into my characters.

Friends who know me well, point them out: The giant mug of tea, the out-of-control hair, the boring clothing choices, and the main character’s propensity to get lost are just a few. It seems I’ve taken the adage, write what you know to heart.

Now that I know I do that, and since I’ve already mined my own foibles, I’ll move on to more fertile ground. In future, if you find yourself reading a book of mine and a character description is a little too close to home, go ahead, raise an eyebrow. You might even think, hey, wait a minute, I resemble that remark.

If you ask me, I will, of course, deny it.

Have you read a character that hits a little too close to home?

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Time Thief

May 3, 2013 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Time Thief

There’s a thief in my neighbourhood. He’s been lurking around the house and in the garden. At first I didn’t notice, the thefts were merely minutes here and there, but now glaring holes gape where time used to be.

Some days I wonder how I spent all that time before I discovered writing.

Last week disappeared in the snap of a finger as I completed work on the second proof of Revelation. And that theft came on the heels of a whirlwind that ate up weeks while I finished the latest draft of Redemption. Snippets of time evaporated over a half-finished press release, a draft email announcement, and countless Internet searches.

Last night I wandered around the gardens with a glass of wine in my hand and was distracted by their sorry state of neglect. I used to spend hours each day yanking weeds, deadheading, pruning or digging in compost. There’s no end of things to do in a garden. It was never a chore until writing pushed it out of the way.

Where did the time go?

The same can be said for projects around the house. A bolt of fabric I intended to make into deck cushions three years ago lingers out of sight in a closet. Water stains from a skylight leak that happened two years ago glare down at my writing perch.

Even day-to-day chores get put off. The vacuum only comes out when I can write my name in the debris on the floor. Running out of underwear is the new gauge for when laundry gets done, and it’s only the threat of a neighbour dropping by that gets me out of pyjamas. And don’t even get me started on cooking. That old passion has taken a back seat right next to gardening.

How did my life get so busy? I used to enjoy leisure time. Now I can’t remember what leisure time felt like. It seems I’ve caught the full-on version of the writing bug. It has me in its grip and won’t let go. I really need to work on this thing called balance.

And on that note, I must go and kill me a weed, but I’ll be back.

What steals your time?

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