What Does Your Story Say?

When I initially began writing, I was purposed to write stories with meaning. Not just fluffy fun tales of over-powered heroes saving damsels in distress, beating the familiar evil villain, and then riding off into the sunset with said damsel. It was too cliched. Too fake. Too fictional.

Hence that amazing quote by Anais Nin on the title of my blog. “Not what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.” There could be many reasons why we might not be able to say something, but in our writing we can most certainly elaborate on them. Explore and expound for others to read and comprehend.

I’ve thought about changing that quote a number of times in the past, but I can’t get past the truth it speaks. It guided my tentative steps into serious writing. As fun as writing fan-fiction and ghost stories can be, sometimes I needed to write something with substance. Something concrete, addressing a personal issue or belief. I attempted a lot these in the past, ranging from Christianity to relationships to my greatest fears.

Here’s an excerpt from a piece of writing I labelled The Past:

The Past…

…is like a dark cave, contaminated, murky, fearsome place, one that we cordon off and try to forget about, ignoring the signs all around us that point back to it. But we cannot escape it. We sometimes linger at its entrance, gazing within the dark confines to see what can be seen. Safe enough. Safe enough away from what we know is within its depths. We know of the familiar creature within, one that bares an undeniably resemblance to ourselves, except for its blank dead eyes, dead in trespasses and sins, blinded from the truth willingly.

I was in a dark place for a while.

Self vs Other

These days I seem to be driven by concepts that are ‘out there’ rather than close to me. Removing self from the story and characters to create something outside of me. It’s much easier to ignore introspection. To escape to books and movies and music and art.

I could only hope to recreate those sensations in my readers. However, what I failed to notice, was that each creator of those inspirational  works had their own directive to their creation, a source that guided their work. It not only made them unique, but I as the recipient of their creativity, was able to experience what they experienced much deeper and fuller.

Combining self and these external sources, can create something beautiful. For example:

• Adele’s soulful musical style was inspired by her own heartbreak, relationships, and a desire to making up for all the lost time through nostalgia and melancholy – yet she was inspired by Amy Winehouse and the album Frank.
• Masamune Shirow (Masanori Ota) is a qualified oil painter, and creator of Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed. He writes thoughtful post apocalyptic cyberpunk futures with female protagonists – inspired by (and creator of) erotic art.
• Stephen King’s stories involve the “every day man” thrust into a horror-fueled adventure, with running commentary on abusive, religious mothers (or priests) – the king of horror was inspired by other kings of horror H.P. Lovecraft and Richard Matheson.
• Quentin Tarantino’s non-linear stories driven by gore and satire, are a manifestation of his creative mind – inspired by old music, where he uses the music to create scenes in his head and bring them to life.

Prolific creative figures who have combined their own experiences with their inspiration to produce amazing works.

When I make a film, I am hoping to reinvent the genre a little bit. I just do it my way. I make my own little Quentin versions of them.

~ Quentin Tarantino

Truth in Fiction

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying every story I write will be an obscured memoir of things I want to say but can’t say. I am saying, however, that there will be elements of ‘my truth’ to each story. Drawing from me and drawing from outside of myself to create. Ultimately sharing my truth in fiction, and still having a great story to tell. Combined with world building and character building, I can fully embrace a character and world without feeling like a stranger in my own story.

Like a ghost in a shell.

---

What does your writing process entail? How much of yourself do you put into your stories? Is your main character usually you or a version of you, or do you draw other people as your characters? What’s your inspiration?

Advertisement

Inspiration – Recreation into Writing

Recreation is an important part of my life. When you spend 8 hours a day writing as your job, and then get home and plug into your own personal writing (or articles as a freelance writer), the brain can burn out very quickly. So I try to invest some time into other fun activities to clear the mind. This involves reading, watching movies or series, playing on the Xbox or my 3DS, listening to music, making music, playing tennis or socializing with friends. You may have noticed that I never post on weekends, because those are my “tech free” days when I put my laptop away and spend the time doing other things. We all need a break.

Inspiration

I spent the last week reading and watching movies, barely touching any fictional writing. I got to finally watch the Assassins Creed movie (better than I thought!), finally got around to watching the original Ghost in the Shell anime movies (mind blown), and delved into three really grand books. Here’s the fascinating thing that happened while I was engaging my mind in something other than writing; I got inspired.

This wasn’t the “I need to write this amazing idea.” kind of inspiration. It wasn’t a feeling of intense desire to create. It wasn’t incorporating what I’d just seen and read and wanted to translate it into my own novel. No, this was far more profound. I was inspired to be true to myself.

You Are What You Write

Think of the stories you have written. Think of the books you read. There is a part of you that is drawn to those particular genres, a part of you that wants to create stories around that specific topic or train of thought or idea. It’s your idea formulating, brewing, churning and growing in your mind until you put it down in a (somewhat) coherent form.

I realised, in my quest to write mind blowing stories with amazing characters and fantastical worlds, that I was losing what was most important in my writing: me. I was so focused on pleasing everyone else, I forgot about pleasing me. Two weeks ago I wrote the article “Appealing to the Reader“, and I said the following about my need to write:

I want my stories to mean something to everyone.

And I saw the following statement as a negative thing:

I was writing for myself and hoping others would enjoy the story as much as I did.

I forgot that I am part of everyone. If my stories don’t mean anything to me, then how true can I be to them? It would explain why I ended up hating the stories I was writing because at the end of the day I was writing them for everyone else and not for me. I think that’s a major mistake.

Inspiration from Recreation

I remember thinking I was fit, you know, physically, because I played tennis although at that point I hadn’t played in months. A friend suggested I join this training thing at a Nature Reserve close to where I live. So Saturday morning I drove up to the place, kitted out and ready to exercise. I actually did fairly well but I couldn’t move my arms for two weeks afterwards. I’m not exaggerating. Anyway, one of the things we had to do was run I think 5km, and I was so focused on the path in front of me, I forgot to notice the beauty around me. It was only when I intentionally looked around to take in the rising hills, the spreading flora surviving the summer heat, the gnarled trees covered in dried moss, and the varying plants around me that I noticed the surrounding beauty. Then I thought “Now I know how to describe this type of environment in my future writing.” and filed them away in my brain.

Watching Assassin’s Creed and Ghost in the Shell inspired my story telling. Both these movies have fascinating storylines that play on this idea of self. Who we are. How we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Although completely different contexts (historical fiction VS cyberpunk) they both touch on different aspects of this idea.

I read an amazing book this week called Killing Gravity by author Corey J. White. It was fast paced, written well, and carried a particular mood through each setting. I was noticing the writer’s style, how the environment was described, how characters were portrayed, the world building aspects and a number of elements that made the novella work. Not surprising that Corey stated the following for his inspiration:

I can’t remember why I decided the main character would be a psychic space witch, but when it came to thinking about how Mars’ telekinetic abilities worked and the scale of destruction she could cause, I took inspiration from Akira.

More generally, I’ll take inspiration from anything and everything, including song titles, lyrics, books, comics, articles, and graffiti.

 Yesterday I wrote a 1000 word short story while listening to Gothic instrumental music from YouTube. My upcoming novella “Innocence” was inspired by an online prompt and drew elements from a number of horror books I read. Dying multiple times in Dark Souls almost spawned quite a gritty short story. Images on Deviant Art and artists I follow on Instagram inspire some of my stories.

My point is this: don’t take the things you do outside of writing for granted. Everything feeds into everything else. Pay attention to the world around you. More importantly, love what you write!

---

What inspires you when you’re writing? What has that inspiration led to?

Friday Fiction: Self Improvement Friday

Image courtesy of: https://youngadultscifi.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/plots/

Happy Friday!

Sadly I don’t have a story for you today because my boss has been so gracious as to let us have self-improvement Friday today. So I have been spending my morning reading up on writing and editing, listening to podcasts, including one by Joe Hill (author of Locke and Key – I love this comic book!) and researching the Science Fiction genre. I love it!

Listen to Joe Hill’s podcast here: 10 Minute writer’s workshop with Joe Hill

I’m preparing to submit short stories to a whole list of publications and one of them has the space theme: Houston we have a problem. So I’m reading up on what is science fiction – well I know what it is but what is it? What makes a story science fiction? Is it space ships? Aliens? Half burnt men in black robes and breathing masks choking people with some metaphysical force? Surely not. So I’ve delved into it a bit more.

*

If you have been on my blog in the last month, you know I have been raving about an amazing writing book – On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It will be my first non-fiction book review for the next Wednesday Book Review. My boss gave me more books to read on improving writing, one of which is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. As a writer, you need to read a lot and not just books for fun but also self improvement books that will guide your writing.

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” ~ Samuel Johnson

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.” ~ Ray Bradbury, WD

*

Although I don’t have a story for you, let me give you some insight into my writing process. I doesn’t look like this every time but it’s one of the main ways I brainstorm:

The Prompt

Houston we have a problem.

Okay so what does this prompt bring to mind:

Crash (so obvious)

Propeller system isn’t working as it should (probably not even called a propeller system. Also. Obvious.)

Jammed space jam into the control panel lever that sends me home (okay some humour… also something about a malfunction seems to the main idea/theme)

An alien ship has attached itself to mind and is reeling me in (we’re in space after all it’s plausible – also note I said mind not mine – error or my brain being sneaky?)

I have flown too close to the sun (Icarus!)

I am being attacked (obvious too)

Running out of oxygen/fuel/food/energy (hmmm interesting premise)

Virus has infected the crew (ok Dead Space how did you sneak in here)

One of the crew is a serial killer with a penchant for blood and we cannot escape (over done? Probably)

The Research

I don’t want to be calling things incorrectly (like propeller system… I’m probably thinking propulsion) so I ask memory for some insight.

Memory recalls Star Ocean (I love this game!) and some of the themes it carries. It brings an image to mind of a long eared priestess in flowing blue robes. On the side I read something about religion and the following ideas came to mind:

Religion. Sect. Think Star Ocean priests in blue robes praying to some foreign god in space.

Prompt: Astronaut alone in his own ship. Houston we have a problem his statement before he crashes.

Story: They see a pod flying towards them. They think the prophecy is coming true of “a being from beyond the vale”

Religion adopt him into their sanctuary.

Yes I know I misspelled “veil” but this is inconsequential to the writing and brainstorming process.

Next I question the great and wise Google for some insight. She overwhelms me with insight.

I also remember I get emails from Wattpad Science Fiction group and this leads me to: How to Write Science Fiction. It is a great, insightful resource just to help me get my bearings on a couple of things. This is the list I compile:

Communication. Time/Age/Distance. Travel. Food. Energy. Fuel/Refuel. Resources

History. Where. When. How. Why.

Evolution.

Implementation

From here my mind has already started putting bits and pieces together and a story has formed. Here’s an excerpt from a very rough draft. You can see from the brainstorming where the story stems.

“Those nations were Samaria, Judea and the rest of the earth. But today we know there is more to nations than what we see here on earth. So I will implore you once again to heed my call to the word of God. The nation of Zeraiyus and the nation of Lweoyrigew and the nations in sector 01286 all need to hear the gospel. The good news. They need interplanetary missionaries.”

Space priests. That’s right. I’ve never heard nor read anything that dealt with this idea and in my particular way. So there’s my story. I don’t know where it’s going, but I at least know the setting.

Writing

So from here onward it’s putting words down and running with this idea. Who knows where it will lead?

---

What is your brainstorming process? How much effort do you put into your research?

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday!

Are you happy it’s Monday? Why not? Did you know that Attitude determines Altitude? If you are down in the dumps and your attitude displays that then the day will be like that too, and how hard you are willing to work will reflect that attitude. So let’s turn it up!

So now that we’ve got that out of the way I will move forward to the post itself.

Auburn Collaboration Announcement: The Meeting of Two Minds

Auburn? What’s that about?

Auburn is a short story I’d written in response to a Writing Challenge from…well from quite a few months ago, that asked aspiring writers to come up with a short-story that could be turned into a short film – should the judges like it. Of course my creative juices kicked in and I developed this whole story and character and concept, only to see the gut-busting disclaimer that said my country could not participate in the challenge. And so off my story went into the “Maybe-One-Day” drafts, and soon it was forgotten; that is, until the day I decided to peruse through my drafts for some inspiration, something to satisfy my itchy fingers and I came across Auburn. Mind you it was not called Auburn then and in fact it had no title, not until I’d altered the story.

So what’s this Collaboration thing you mentioned in the title? What are you announcing!?

Well Auburn was written in an effort to alleviate the itch, the thirst, the need to write and so I merely took my draft and turned it into what it is now. Where was I heading with the story? No idea! But I knew I couldn’t leave it where it was, I mean seriously! (You can find the first part of Auburn here Auburn Part 1 – maybe you want to read it first then come back here?) I just had to continue and so still unsure as to where I was going, Part Two began to form but it was missing an important element – where is this story going. Ah but after an interesting preaching/teaching class I attended, one of the guys’ “practice sermon” gave me the perfect ingredient, and so the second part was born (You can read that here – Auburn Part 2)

Still haven’t said what you are announcing, buddy! (Agh jeez get to the point already)

Well a friend of mine (and fellow blogger, check him out here: Life in Light of Eternity) read the Auburn series and he got really excited about a potential idea he had and when we met he said to me though not in these words, “Dude! I got an idea for Auburn…Parallel Universe.” And from then on he divulged his idea on the possibility of him writing an alternate version of Auburn that runs concurrent with mine . The second part of Auburn gave the protagonist two choices that boiled down to the concept of Darkness or Light. So after some talking (and brainstorming) we have gone on and decided that FRIDAY we would post our alternate versions of the same story, with him writing about the protagonist taking the Dark path while mine takes the Light path. We will then alternate versions with each new part so that we each get to explore the “Other Universe”.

Meeting of Two Minds

Meeting of similar minds is really what it is. Tyron (Tyrosha) and I have a lot in common and most times have similar ideas, concepts etc and I really look forward to working with him on this collaborative project. He has really been my inspiration in writing this third part and I am glad that his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me too. You should really go check out his blog, he posts some deep stuff there that gets you thinking.

So yes, check back Friday and see what the collaborative efforts of Silvayrosha/Tyronthato (Fusion of Silvanthato and Tyrosha haha – also gets to explain the head image xD) have produced. We would love feedback (any, really) on the stories. Thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to hit us up on the comments! You can also follow us so that you can get all the updates and future versions of this Auburn Saga.

Monday Inspiration

I wouldn’t be surprised if writers, in general, had moments when they wondered what it is they were writing for. Does personal satisfaction push fingers to type, or are they driven by a particularly personal point they wish to get across to readers? Do they write to escape within the fictional and ( sometimes non-fictional and introspective) worlds that words create? Or is it to attempt to prove their English teacher wrong after being told that they had no future as writers? I don’t know, but what I do know is that we are all driven by something to write. I came across this link on a blog that I am following which really got me thinking about my writing: http://james-smythe.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-new-and-would-be-writers

It is, as the name of the link states, an open letter to new and would be writers of which many of us, especially here on the blog-o-sphere, fall under. So when a successful writer reaches out to us to offer advice, should we not at least consider it, and even be moved to take it? As I progress in writing my novel, Junk Yard Angel (which has been on a standstill for a while now ), I asked myself why I was writing it. Yes I was writing it because it’s what I’ve wanted to do for years (write a novel that is) and finally  I am in the process of it but what really spurs me on, what fire fuels my desire to write this novel, what exactly am I hoping to achieve with this novel – and I found this quote helpful from the above link:

“You got into this to write. I tell myself that, when I am feeling sad about this – and I do, frequently, I won’t lie – but you got into this to tell the best story that you can, in the best way possible. You got into this to push yourself, and to try to affect people… 
…And you, ambiguous writer, have to believe in whatever it is you’ve written, because that’s all that matters. Make it the best it can be, put your heart into it. That’s what matters. Heart doesn’t sell books – luck and money sells books – but heart means you’ll be proud of it, and that you can stand by it.” 

Maybe as you read through the letter, you will find something that stands out for you to take in and use, helping you along on this adventure that is writing. Read through the letter and let me know what you think by commenting below – let us benefit, inspire and grow with one another as writers!

The Sword of the Spirit – Novel

An inspired scribe once called it the sword of the spirit, a powerful tool to use in any battle one would face. Yet mine lay by my bedside table; unused. I eyed it warily, aware of its power yet unable to utilize it. How could this leather-bound, collection of letters, historical events and biographical writings hold such a power? Surely there must be a secret to how it must be interpreted in order to gain access to the power within. Can it even be trusted? Do the words within this ancient book really possess so great a power that they can completely change lives? Or is there something more to it all…

~Excerpt from The Sword of the Spirit – 1st Draft ~

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
in addition to all, taking up the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE Spirit, which is the word of God.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

---

This is a novel I have been working on for over a year now based on Ephesians 6: 10-20. I must admit that its been an erratic journey and the inspiration ebbs and flows and at times I stop and wonder where it’s all going. However I will not stop working on it because I love what it represents to us; protection all the time. We rely on  a strength that is not our own in order to stand firm against an enemy greater than us but nowhere near as great as the source of our strength. We prepare ourselves for the daily battles we face, courageously, knowing that God has put in place means by which we can stand firm and again those means rely heavily on Him who provides those means. It’s like an endless circle (redundancy for EMPHASIS hehe) of submission and faith on our part, trusting God and His promises, which is something I want to explore and present in this novel. It is one thing to know what the pieces of armour are and one thing to pray them on each morning in preparation for the day, but it’s another thing to see what having that armour on looks like. Let me end with lyrics of a wonderful song that I hope encourages you! Have a blessed week!

O church, arise and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain;
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is “Love!”
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev’ry side,
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—
An inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict’ry march continues till the day
Ev’ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev’ry stride,
Give grace for ev’ry hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When, with Christ, we stand in glory.

 ~ Image courtesy of: http://godsbreath.net/JUNEDEVOTIONS.aspx ~