  Fantasy
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This month I thought we'd take a break from the Hero's Journey, to interview an author on Writing.com whose works aren't read nearly enough  .
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Flikk  Well, I am Jasmine, a 19 year old English Literature student from the east of England. Nice to meet you ^_^.
How did you discover Writing.com?
Flikk You know, I can't even remember! I think it must have either been a random internet search or a recommendation from someone at the NaNoWriMo forums.
What do you like to do outside of writing?
Flikk Reading and writing take up a large portion of my life, but art and drawing is also a passion of mine, if I tend towards writing nowadays. I am a self-confessed geek who loves online RPGing (which I guess is still classed as writing :P) and computer games. I love music too, if I don't have any talent there. lol. So I content myself with listening.
What would you say is your biggest difficulty when writing?
Flikk Writer's Block! lol. I'm sure many people who love to write find the same thing - and it's so disheartening when that blank page is just staring at you. Other than that universal bane, I tend to start and never finish a lot, though this is something I try to use to my advantage by way of keeping a sort of ideas bank. Concepts come easily to me, but plots are another thing entirely. I'm my own worst critic and tend to question the validity of my ideas, which dampens my motivation for writing them and in turn leads to writer's block! Whenever I hear myself thinking 'that's no good' I take a step back and remind myself I'm writing for me and no-one else. Corny, yes ^_~.
Describe your writing process for the curious (and the nosy  )
Flikk I most definitely fall into that category of people who thrive in 'organised' chaos. I very rarely plan ahead or map out plots and characters in advance, though I do scribble lots of notes (and I mean lots!). I find if I know where I'm going with something I lose interest in writing it - I like the surprises you get by just writing as it comes and allowing it to develop slowly. The best feeling in the world is getting a great idea and not being able to type fast enough to spill it all out on the page. The downside is that this approach means lots of editing afterwards, and during - and occassionally it leads you right into a brick wall, but's it's the method that works best for me - an exploration rather than a blueprint.
I usually start with characters because I am a fan of writing and reading character driven stories. The world and the plot follow on from this and, as I said, I figure things out as I go. Sometimes I don't even write in a linear fashion which, in relation to the last question, is how I try to bypass writer's block. I write scenes as they come to my head and tie them in afterwards. They don't always fit, mind you, but at the worst I view it as getting to know the characters better.
So that's how I start. Whilst actually writing, I'm a fan of visual aids and music. I use pictures a lot for scenery - to flesh out the world in my mind so that I can describe it acurately and get a feel for the place. Music I tend to use to get a feel for the action taking place and really get into the right frame of mind. In case anyone's interested, some of the albums I use are from bands such as Within Temptation and Clannad. Some classical music is good too.
As a side note, I think one of the most important parts of the writing process is the research. It doesn't even need to be specific to what you're writing at the time, so long as it's something you're interested in. Sometimes a new concept can relight an old piece you previously thought had completely crashed and burned.
Who are your favorite authors or who has most inspired your writing?
Flikk Recreational reading has become a luxury lately, and most of my recent reading has been course material, which is not all bad and certainly enables me to read books I'd never normally pick up (which, come to think of it, I've always found an excellent piece of advice - to read outside your chosen genre). Margaret Atwood is a current favourite, though she doesn't write fantasy. If you like dystopian fiction, I definitely recommend her book Oryx and Crake.
But anyway, to start at the beginning, when I was younger, I loved reading full stop. Enid Blyton's Famous Five was my absolute favourite for a long time. I also loved C.S. Lewis' Narnia books. All staple reading that I'm sure many of us in the fantasy niche have and do enjoy ^_^ though funnily enough, I didn't manage to get through The Hobbit and never even attempted any of the LOTR [Lord of the Ring] books.
As I've gotten older, I've turned more and more to fantasy authors through the influence of my dad. I've read a lot of stuff, published books and authors here and on other writing sites, and I don't recall the names of all of it (not necessarily because they were bad, but because I suck at remembering that sort of thing >_<). I'm sure it's all influenced me in some way. I can't pinpoint it down because there's just so much from so many places.
Outside of other authors, I find influences everywhere - art, music, computer games, films - the list goes on.
What's your current favorite piece?
Flikk lol. Actually, I'm not entirely sure I have one, which is a horrible thing to admit! My WIP, currently untitled ["(Untitled)" ], is probably the most interesting and fleshed out thing in my port. The reason I shy away from saying 'favourite' is that I have a very love-hate relationship with it, and at this particular point in time it falls to the latter. ^_^ |
Exceprt:The sun bled in the sky, gouging its escape through the black sheet of night to flee from the carnage below. Dark clouds expelling tiny, frail snowflakes blotted the red streaked sky and sheltered the stars, wrapping the unsightly bloodbath in a layer of pale snow. Soon it would be veiled, hidden until thaw, and yet the spattering of red lingered as if a mirror of the setting sky. The bodies would be covered in a shroud of ice, the only burial they would receive, but the blood of their failed plight to survive would vein the snow and betray their presence: their sacrifice.
Excerpt:It was raining. A bold streak of lightening shuddered across the dawning sky, followed moments later by the low growl of thunder as the clouds rolled and shifted. Another summer storm. In a few hours the renewed sun would rise into cooled air and the day would commence as usual. The town would awaken and each individual would continue with their lives none-the-wiser. Work, sleep, work ,sleep; the cycle would repeat.
But not today. Not for everyone.
Exceprt: Her hand cushioned her cheek as she watched him sleep, her glistening emerald eyes studying his profile, painting a preserving mental image she willed never to forget. He looked so peaceful; content even, as he basked in his world of peaceful dreams. She wondered if he did dream where he was. She wondered if he dreamt of her. |
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From: dnukem
How do you create a good character(s) for a story??
A good way to start is to go people watching.  Go to a crowded place like a mall, pick a bench, take out your notepad and start writing down observations on a person that catches your interest (make sure you don't stare though, this is discreet observation ). Take notes on what they're wearing, their age, their way of talking (if you're close enough to hear) and their actions. Now take your observations and try to write a character sketch. Perhaps you saw someone standing still in front of what seemed to be a pretty boring window display, what captured his interest? Or perhaps you saw a couple walk by with angry faces, why are they angry? The questions who, when, what, why, and how will help you a lot here when writing the character sketch. Interesting characters almost always spark a story idea with me and it may be the same with you! Good luck and keep writing! |
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Fantasy: December 13, 2006 Issue [#1422]
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