Kevin J Anderson, Rebecca Moesta & Roger Zelazny on Author Word-Count Targets

Morning Worship - 12/28/14

At Science Fiction conventions, husband-and-wife authors Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta often encourage young writers to make the most of their free time, even if it only means snatching a free five or fifteen minutes to write. Personally, I find contributing anything to a sustained narrative difficult in such a short amount of time. It seems as if it takes me ten or fifteen minutes to read through what I wrote the day before before I can resume where I left off. But I often find myself exhausted creatively by the time I finish my target word count, and if I still feel in the groove, and continue onward, I later find myself so addled that I'm wrung out emotionally and intellectually for the rest of the day. 

The late, great Roger Zelazny stated this approach in slightly different terms. Instead of setting aside a single block of time to write (say, for example) 1,000 words, carve out four smaller blocks throughout the day to write 250 words each. That may only amount to a few sentences or a paragraph at each sitting, but at the end of the day, it all adds up. If you're like me, it will probably take you time to get your creative juices flowing, but hopefully that initial writing period will prompt further ideas that will aid successive writing spurts. 

With each year's beginning, I ponder how I can do things differently, how I can make my efforts more effective, and more readily achieve my goals. Chief among those, of course, is my desire to get my novels published. I'm wondering if I can use Anderson, Moesta, and Zelazny's advice to help me achieve more than I have in the past. How I go about putting that idea into practice, however, remains to be seen.

In the meantime, I have put the above writers' advice into practice in a related but different way. My wife and I have attended church infrequently of late. As an added enticement to attend, I've started bringing my sketching kit to these services. Anglican worship, with its communal readings, prayers and singing, doesn't necessarily allow for a great deal of sketching-time. But in the little time available to me in last Sunday's worship service, I did this simple sketch, and began coloring it in. I then took about fifteen more minutes later on to finish the coloring. It's not anything much, but I may add to it at a later date. Still, it's something I wouldn't have done if I hadn't taken my sketching materials and used the limited time available to me to be creative.

Hopefully, that's something I'll remember each day as I sit down to write.

Dragon Dave

Stephen King’s Dilemma

In his memoir On Writing, Stephen King wrestled with the fact that, of all the novels he had written, the overwhelming favorite was The Stand.  While he was glad his readers liked the post-apocalyptic tale, this was his second published novel.  He believed he had grown immensely as an author since he had crafted that early work, and by the time he wrote On Writing, had published an astounding number of novels.  He had invested all his stories with imagination, creativity, and passion, and believed some of his later novels represented his best efforts as a writer. Yet by an overwhelming majority, readers loved The Stand more than any of his later stories.

Over the last few months, a few of my posts have attracted more page views than the norm.  In my Pages section, you can find a link to my current Top Ten posts.  The first four, all about authors working today, have garnered an astounding number of page views.  Fans of those popular authors evidently liked what I had to say and recommended them to their friends.  Four of my seven-part series on Ritz Cinema also got a large number of hits.  I attribute the popularity of those posts less to the James Herriot connection (or my particularly beautiful prose), and more to the fact that Ritz Cinema is a very special place, and therefore, like Steven Brust, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, and David Malki, has a passionate following.  My original intention for my blog, to write about particular works of fiction, is represented by only one entry: “Envying Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber.”  I’m not sure if this is because people like what I had to say, or if they were searching for images of Luke’s lightsaber.  

Blogger has its foibles, some of which I’ve discovered since I started using the Pages function.  One inconsistency I noticed long ago, however, was that the number of page views listed in my Posts section was often different than the numbers represented in the Statistics section.  In many cases, the number of page views is higher on the Posts list than it is in the Statistics section.  One entry in particular, “As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 1,” has enough page views on the Posts list that it should reside in number eight on my Statistics section’s Top Ten page.  Yet it doesn’t appear there.  I suppose it doesn’t really belong in my Top Ten anyway, as parts Two and Three only have half as many page views, and “As Time Goes By Jean’s House” frequently appears under search terms that drew people to my site.  This may also explain the popularity of “Catching a Glimpse of Norman Clegg’s House.”  The latter post, which initially attracted average interest, has steadily risen in popularity in the months since I wrote it.  In reading it, I can see why fans of the TV show “Last of the Summer Wine” would like it.  But “Norman Clegg’s House” also shows up regularly under Searches that led people to my blog. 

I apologize to all you “As Time Goes By” fans: I don’t know the address the TV crew used for the exterior of Jean’s House.  (Nor do I know the exact address of Norman Clegg’s house, but I believe the second location the production used was a cottage behind The White Horse Inn, if that’s helpful).  Part one of my three-part entry is about exploring the residential and commercial area of London known as Holland Park, and parts two and three cover the actual park.  The Dutch Garden within the park was an important place for us to visit, as it is there that Lionel first pursues Jean, and realizes that he wants to get to know her better.  (Even if you’re not a fan of the TV show, it’s a beautiful garden, and the entire park is worth a visit).  At least I know that I’m not the only one who still loves a show that started twenty years ago, and aired its last reunion show seven years ago.

One entry that I particularly love, but hasn’t gotten many page views, is my entry “Leaning on Steven Brust.”  While it’s somewhat derivative of “Steven Brust: My Ultimate Weapon,” it not only relates to my struggles as an author, but to Grand Master Robert Silverberg’s own struggles during the 1970s.  I wrote it later in April for those who enjoyed "Ultimate Weapon."  Yet, as Stephen King found with his published novels, what resonates with readers often astonishes the writer.  I know my affection for Jupiter Project, If the Stars are Gods, and The Stars in Shroud surprised Gregory Benford.  His favorites tend to be novels like Timescape and Artifact, SF stories about working physicists such as himself. 

From a business side of things, it makes sense for an author to look backward, study what books have sold the most, and attempt to cater to those tastes.  From an artistic standpoint, it makes sense that a writer should ignore past successes, and follow his muse wherever it leads him.  I hope I never find myself in a place where publishers will only buy one particular type of story from me.  Stephen King’s dilemma (and every popular writer’s dilemma), is that the type of books he longs to write may not resonate with his readers as much as some of his other types of stories.  This phenomenon should not be ignored or discounted.  As readers, we should sympathize with those writers who can only sell one type of story.  But at the end of the day, it’s an author’s job to serve his or her readers, whatever stories they’ve come to love, and for whatever reason they treasure them most.  At this point, the fact that anyone out there loves anything I've written brings me joy.  It’ll be my job to remember that, should I win a publisher’s attention, and see my novels published.  

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 1

Still Leaning on Steven Brust

Dreaming of Kevin J. Anderson

Last night, I dreamed of Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.  The couple sat in my kitchen (not my actual kitchen, nor did I recognize the scenery outside the windows), and Kevin told me that I must give up my Christianity, and any potential return to Church involvement, if I wished to make it as a published writer.  Instantly I began to argue with him, this great man who has published over one hundred books.  I explained to him how my Faith was important to me, how it informed my work and my worldview, and how it didn’t clash with my ability to write.  Only when I woke did it occur to me that Mr. Anderson, that most prolific of successful authors, had given me advice, and I hadn’t even bothered to consider it.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I don’t often dream of Kevin and his wife.  Nor do I believe, even if we lived in the area, that he and I would find we have much in common.  I’m not even suggesting that Kevin would offer me that particular piece of advice.  The fact is that my life right now is rather solitary, and I’ve been musing for some time on a potential return to some type of Church involvement.  This time it would be different, a part of me argues.  I would manage my time better: I would limit my participation in various events and activities.  At least I’d have people to chat with every once in a while, even if I had little in common with them, and consequently they didn’t mean that much to me (or me to them).

Earlier this week, I found myself deeply touched by Steven Brust’s progress report on his latest novel, Hawk.  This favorite author of mine has been going through a difficult period, not only from ongoing dental issues (a continuing source of great pain and expense), and medical issues that have necessitated an operation this week.  As if this weren’t enough, he’s had to deal with some “dramas” in his friends’ lives, and right now his sister is also in the hospital.  Yet, amid so many worries, and so much pain and turmoil, he’s continued to wrestle with a novel that seems to defy him at every turn. 

This reminded me of something Piers Anthony wrote long ago, which sent me off to my bookshelf.  In his Author’s Note for his 1983 novel On A Pale Horse, he writes about how his father-in-law’s long period of suffering eventually landed him in the hospital, where it was finally determined he needed abdominal surgery.  The man’s prospects were 50/50, but he pulled through, was allowed to go home, and gradually recovered.  Unfortunately, Piers’ mother-in-law, who had been worn out by all this, got sick and went into the hospital, where she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Six weeks later, she passed away.  A few months after this, terrible pain descended on Piers, and he had to go into the hospital.  Although it turned out to be nothing worse than a kidney stone, still this derailed his life for a few days, and disturbed his normal functioning for some time.  Yet, during all this, he kept writing On A Pale Horse (a novel about Death personified), as well as other novels.  He published three books a year during this period, and his books frequently appeared on the bestseller lists.

I enjoyed rereading his generous sixteen-page update on his life.  He interjected, at several points, that he had needed to break off writing it to perform normal duties on his backwoods home in Florida.  His family kept horses, he chopped wood to feed his old-fashioned stove, answered fan mail each day, dealt with his agent and his publishers, and faced numerous other distractions.  Yet despite all that he dealt with during that year, both normal and abnormal, he kept writing, submitting, and publishing. 

To my chagrin, I have not dealt with all that life has thrown at me nearly so successfully.  I’ve allowed things like Church involvement, family dramas, and illnesses to sidetrack and derail my writing efforts.  I don’t think last night’s dream was trying to tell me literally what I needed to do, but I think my subconscious was reminding me to keep my life simple right now.  Even if it’s a solitary existence, I know I cannot deal with distractions nearly as well as Kevin, Steven, and Piers.  That’s why they’re my writing heroes, and I’m an unpublished nobody.  Well, that’s okay, at least for now.  I’m not terribly concerned about having lots of friends.  I don’t hunger to be a riot at parties.  I just want to finish my novels, submit them, and start down the road to publication.  Keep staring at the goal ahead, and keep walking toward it everyday.  Perhaps, when I start publishing on a regular basis, I can look around, and involve myself in other pursuits and activities.  If not, if I have to continue to place all other aspects of my life on hold to maintain my focus, well, at least I’ll have achieved my major goal in life.  At the end of the day, that’s what we should be spending our lives doing, isn’t it?

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Steven Brust’s Update on Hawk

Piers Anthony’s Latest Author’s Note

Princess Leia's Hospitality

In case you're wondering, that's
Princess Leia on the bottom right.
But you knew that, didn't you?

In The Lost Ones, volume 3 of Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta’s Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights series, Jacen and Jaina travel back to Coruscant on a break from their training at Luke Skywalker’s Jedi academy on Yavin 4.  One evening they invite their friend Zekk, a street urchin, to join them in the palace for dinner.  Zekk arrives in his best clothes, and enters the dining room with Han Solo, Princess Leia, their children Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin, and the family of the visiting ambassador from Karnak.  The formalities and proprieties are observed, and then dinner is served. 

Zekk devours everything set before him.  He finds the tastes strong, the textures pleasing, and the selections of much higher quality than he usually enjoys.  Then C-3PO notices that what Zekk mistook for a colorful selection of greens was actually a bouquet set before each diner.  Seeing that Zekk is mortified, Leia breaks in on C-3PO’s fussing and says, “I’m glad you liked the salad, Zekk.”  She takes a frilly purple-green leaf and munches it contentedly.  Han’s eyes bulge at his wife’s behavior.  Then he unexpectedly jerks, and with another glance at his wife, begins to eat his bouquet.  The children follow suit, and soon everyone around the table has devoured their salads. 

I imagine most of us had mothers who worked hard to make our friends feel welcome.  But has there ever, in the history of mankind, been a mother who treated her children’s guests, in so royal or noble a fashion, as Princess Leia?

I wonder what the authors' mothers were like, to have inspired Kevin and Rebecca to depict such a response.  I mean…wow.

Pondering a truly noble mother,

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

Young Jedi Knights: The Problem of Pain

Envying Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber

Envying Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber

Jacen Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, has a problem.  He knows he’s ready to wield a lightsaber, but his instructor, Luke Skywalker, insists he’s not.  We learn this in the first scene of Shadow Academy, the second novel by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta in the “Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights” series.  When his uncle walks into his office and discovers his nephew battling imaginary foes, Jacen is startled.  In his rush to extinguish the blade, Jacen drops the weapon.  He apologizes for getting carried away while he waited, but cannot help himself.  Again, he asserts he is ready to take up the weapon of the Jedi Knights.  When Luke counsels him to be patient, Jacen leaves dispirited. 

WARNING!  Although this post doesn’t cover the novel in depth, or reveal any major plot points, it does reveal what occurs in the final scene: another discussion between Jacen and Luke.  You have been warned.

Throughout the events of the novel, Jacen will be forced to take up a lightsaber, not only to preserve his own life, but that of his friends.  He some gains proficiency with the weapon, but using it takes him into dark territory, mentally and emotionally speaking.  Thus, in the final scene, when Luke hands him his lightsaber and asks him to demonstrate what he’s learned, Jacen refuses.  He recognizes that he’s physically capable of wielding it, but he’s not yet ready for the accompanying responsibility.  From now on, he will trust Luke’s judgment.  When his uncle decides he’s ready, only then will he pick up a lightsaber again.

At first, I had difficulty accepting Jacen’s decision.  The boy might only be fourteen, but he had used the weapon repeatedly, had gained some expertise with it, and he had used it appropriately: to defend himself and his friends.  Furthermore, he recognized the responsibility attached to the use of the lightsaber.  Ergo, he was ready to wield it, or at least begin a course of supervised instruction.

The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that Anderson and Rebecca had ended the novel correctly.  Maturity isn’t earned in the short term, nor is wisdom gained in sudden insights.  Knowing the right thing to do doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to do so.  As the old saying goes, many are called, but few are chosen.  However, that doesn’t mean that in the long term, you cannot forge yourself into the person capable of being chosen.  While you may not even be currently ready to begin a course of instruction, if you work hard to gain the necessary underlying skills, and seek to adopt the proper mindset, eventually you will be ready...to begin.

Looking back now, I realize that I started writing my first novel before I had the appropriate skills or mindset to do so.  Had I done better research, instead of simply assuring myself I was ready, and leaping right into the work, I might have finished the novel sooner.  More importantly, it might have been something publishable, instead of a manuscript languishing in storage.  Had I found better authors as role models, and studied not only their craft but also their approach, I might be a published author.  But I leapt in, before I was ready...to begin.

Still envying Luke’s lightsaber,

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta: Consummate Professionals