W: Way of Kings

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Don't forget to visit the IWSG blog for some inspiration on writing.

The Way of Kings is the first book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives with the second titled Words of Radiance. And both those titles are the names of books referred to within the book. Pretty cool. The world in this series is subjected to desolations which are some kind of collapse of the planet and society which occurs every so many hundred of years and throws civilization back to the stone age and kills 90% of the people. One such period is on the way.

If you're not familiar with Sanderson, he is one of the most prolific fantasy authors I know. He writes fast and his books are terrific. If I had to pick one author to read, it would be Sanderson. I'm going to stop fan-girling now. In this series, rumored to be ten books long, the first book weighed in at slightly over 1000 pages and the second one at 1100. And every page was interesting. The characters are heroic but flawed, the history behind the story doled out piece by piece, and the fantasy world

introduced a piece at a time. Sanderson starts with a handful of characters, all heavily involved in their own dramas and parts of a widening war and then draws them all together. Some meet during the first book but by the end of the second most of the main characters have joined forces, The stormlight is actually part of the magic used by people within the book. It's very unique, dangerous and pretty cool. Sanderson also keeps multiple projects going at the same time. Steelheart is the first book in his YA science fiction series, The Reckoners. It's awesome!

Lesson: If your story telling skills are good enough, your characters interesting enough and your plot complex enough, you can write a story that's very, very long. (If you're Brandon Sanderson). If you want to write long books or keep multiple projects going, you need to work hard at writing. Being prolific can really help your career. If you're going to read 1100 page books, it's easier to do on a Kindle than hold that huge book. And a clever, fitting name for a book rewards readers as if they've learned a secret by reading the novel that those who haven't read it can never know.

Some quotes from The Stormlight Archives

“Strength does not make one capable of rule; it makes one capable of service.” 

"Too many of us take great pains with what we ingest through our mouths, and far less with what we partake of through our ears and eyes.”

“To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.” 

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” 

Do you like reading long books? Who is the most prolific writer you know? Do you have trouble picking a title for your books or know a book with a very clever title? Can you tell by this post who my favorite fantasy author is? 

The Next Big Thing

Thanks to David Powers King who passed on The Next Big Thing to me. I've put it off for a few weeks because of the super duper blog fests I've been enjoying as a participant and a visitor lately. Time to catch up with this before next week's Monstrous Monday Blogfest sponsered by Tim Brannan at The Other Side.

Now to anwer the questions about The Next Big Thing

1. What is the title of the book I'm working on?
The Heir of Futhark, Book #4  and the final installment of The Futhark Chronicles.

2. Where did the idea come from?
This ending for this series has been in the plan since I wrote the first book four years ago.

3. What genre does it fall under?
This is classic epic fiction where the hero and heroine must save mankind from an evil entity with magical abilities.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your main characters in a movie adaptation?
I want Henry Cavill as Cage Stone. I'm sure it will be a bigger role for him than Superman. And Amanda Righetti from The Mentalist will be a perfect Sabelline Shelton. She's tall and built like an athlete.

5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?
Cage and Sabelline search desperately for a means to defeat the god-like being they're released into the world before all mankind falls under its evil spell.

6. Will it be self-published or represented by an agent?
This is the series I reclaimed from a publisher who decided to take their business in the direction of celebrity books after they published the first two books in the series. I'll be self-publishing it.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft?
About seven months, which is about normal for me.

8. What other books within the same genre would you compare it to?
I would compare it to Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn in that the fantasy world isn't huge and sprawling though there is more magic in his story.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I've always loved fantasy. Like most fantasy lovers, at some point I read Tolkien and the rest is history.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
If you read the first books in the Futhark saga, all the mysteries and questions will be answered in this final book. By the last page, you'll understand the history of Futhark and the direction the world is going. There's action, love and death. There's sadness and triumph though the final victory comes with great cost. I hope you all want to know how it turns out.

Thanks, David, for passing this on to me. Talking about it helps get me motivated to get those edits done.  Part of this if for me to pass this on.

Let me introduce by friends to a writer who is a newly published author. Gerry Trust has been a friend of mine for many years and I'm so happy for her success and never say quit attitude.

Stop over and see what David is up to. He's a very busy blogger and has something new up almost every day. I'm glad I found him through some blog hop or other.  Check out Gerry Trust and wish her luck.

Changes

I was wondering what I should blog about today and while my mind remained blank, my gaze fell upon my keeper shelf. I'm lucky enough to have build in book shelves in the room I've taken for my writing office.  Most of the books on my keeper shelf are hard backs of various genres.  My focus on writing is mostly on fantasy though I still have some romance novels working.  My keeper shelf is filled with fantasy novels.  I noticed the shelves have become disorganized, mostly because my eldest son is constantly taking down a few of the books and reading them and then putting them back carelessly.  But the top shelf is till neatly in order. Why?

from FB

I realized the books on the top shelf haven't moved much in the last year or more.  Why? Because I haven't reread them and now I realize I probably never will.  They are hard-backed books which means they cost a bit.  I couldn't wait for them to come out in mass market and all of them had been purchased before I had my ereader.  I sat up late into the night reading some of them and now I can't remember why I so eagerly anticipated their release.  They're well-written books by successful authors but I have no current desire to read them again. It's my taste that has changed. 

New authors have won my heart. I can't wait for Brandon Sanderson's next novel.  Brent Weeks has earned his way onto my keeper shelf. I've really enjoyed Paul Hoffman's dark fantasy series.  Peter V. Brett had been keeping me impatiently waiting for his next book.  In the past year I've passed up new books by authors I've followed with unwavering devotion in years gone by.  They haven't changed the quality of their writing but I've abandoned them. Why?

I think there are two reasons. The first might be that they still write the same type of stories as they always have.  For some of them, their books have started to sound too similar with plots barely reworked from their previous books.  Perhaps they've had a recurring character who seems to make the same mistakes or encounters the same challenges as in the past.  They're just not new enough and I feel cheated or bored.

A second reason might be my desire to read new authors and discover what voices and plots are currently popular with the fantasy audience.  Many of the stories I've sought out recently have darker plots as good battles evil.  Some have magic used in ways I've never considered.  I'm amazed at the creativity and imagination of some of these writers.  Brandon Sanderson amazes me with the scope of the tales he weaves, his world creation so intricate and full of depth I beyond envious of his talent.

So some of my reading habits have changed.  Have you stopped reading a favorite author and why? For what reasons? What draws you to a new writer and then keeps you as a fan? 

I'm Going As Fast As I Can

If you're a fan of books written in series, you know the frustration of waiting for the next book to be released.  I read many different genres and there are many authors I eagerly await their next work of fine prose.  In mystery and suspense, I love, Preston and Childs, John Sandford, Lee Child, Elizabeth George and James Rollins.  Most of these writers produce a book about once per year. I can live with that.

My first love is fantasy and perhaps in no other genre do authors torture readers with long waits between books.  Patrick Rothfuss made us wait four years between the first book in Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fears.  I'm not sure how long I've waited for Terry Goodkind to come out with his next Sword of Truth book.  I couldn't even guess how long Brandon Sanderson will make us wait for the book following that ten-pounder, The Way of Kings.

I think a big question on fantasy readers' minds is how long it will take George Martin to write the next book in Fire and Ice series.  We waited six years for A Dance of Dragons.  The series if a very involved book with a huge world and a cast of thousands but six years?  I'm wondering if having his books made into an HBO series will inspire him to write faster.  Or, worse case scenario, might it slow him down? 

My fantasy books aren't as long as the big stars I mention as examples. Usually they're about 100,000 words rather than 2K.  It does take me about a year to complete one.  But I'm also working a full time job and raising a family.  Could I do better?  Probably if I let some things go, but as of right now, I'm working as fast as I can.

How long does it take you complete a book? What is the longest you've waited for the next book in a series? What book, besides your own, are you anticipating right now?

S: Series, Gotta Have Em

Fantasy lovers, readers and writers, expect series.  Between world building, invented civilizations, and the never ending battle between good and evil, fantasy stories have trouble staying between the covers of a four hundred page novel.  Fantasy fans want a story rambling and running through many books.  My first fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, is four books long.  I like a series of three or four books but I've enjoyed many that are ten or more books long.

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series is still going strong after a dozen heavy tomes. The late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is being finished by the super talented Brandon Sanderson.  I think that series is at number fifteen.  The final installment will hopefully be released at the end of this year.

Harry Potter is YA's answer to fantasy lovers.  I took my second son to at least six midnight release parties for those books.  He was old enough to drive to the last one by himself but I went along anyway.  Fantasy lovers can't wait for the next book in their beloved series to come out.

Romance readers also enjoy series but the stories are different.  Usually, but not always, romance series are stories set in the same place or world but with different protagonists in each book.  Often the couple in a second book is introduced as secondary characters in the previous book.  Couples sometimes make guest appearances in new books in the series, fulfilling a reader's believe in the happily ever after of favorite characters and their relationships.

Readers pick up a second book in a series because they trust the author to create an engaging tale based on the content of the first book.  The author has a responsibility to ramp up the intensity and preserve the integrity of the characters.  The author and publisher also must deliver the series in a timely fashion.  If the reader has to wait to long for the sequel, they can lose interest and find something else to read.

What is your favorite series?  Have you read a series that disappointed after the first few books?  How long have you waited for a sequel and how much time is too long?

Last Day of Break

I rewarded myself for finishing a rough round of edits by taking most the weekend off from any writing work.  I've spent the last hour putting things back in place on my desk, making little stacks of to do chores and planning my next week's goals.

Like any writer, a reward break means reading.  Normally in a four day weekend I might have read three or four books but this time I only read one.  I didn't get started until Friday night but once I started I couldn't start.  The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is difficult to pick up, physically. How much does a 1000+ page hardback book weigh?  Three pounds on Amazon.  If you can, I strongly advise reading it on your e-book reader.  On the flip side, it's nearly impossible to put down for those of us who love an epic fantasy and incredible world building.
Sanderson has the knack of dribbling hints and clues to the mysteries of his world but never quite giving it away.  Each time something is revealed the reader had one of those 'aha' moments.  One of my sons and my daughter were bugging me about finishing the book so they could start.  I told them I was on page 650 and still wasn't sure who the good guys and bad guys were.  But each chapter became more tense for me as a reader not only because of the intricate plot but because of Sanderson's characters.  No person in his books are sterling heroes or dark demons.  Their flawed and filled with self-doubts.  They love and hate, not always for the right reasons or the greater good.  Their situations are impossible, often physically and emotionally.  As a reader I couldn't help but worry as the storyline tortured the characters with hope and then slapped them with despair and pain.  And as someone who has read all of Sanderson's books, I knew no one was safe.  No one was too heroic or central to the story that they must survive.  No one person would save the world and pick up the crown of victor.  And like all great fantasy stories, the history of the created world is slowly revealed and clues given to past events influencing the present. 
So after reading one thousand pages, the last one hundred the chocolate sprinkles on the ice cream, I can't wait for the next book.  So how long will it take Mr. Sanderson to write the next one? Too long for this fan.
Have any of you read a book written recently of such a size?  Is fantasy the only genre who gets away with such a thing and leaves its readers screaming for more?

The Spice of Variety

Most writers are also voracious readers. We love the written word and not only when we're the one penning, I mean typing, it. Visit your favorite author's blog regularly and sooner or later you're going to read about her TBR pile. That means To Be Read for you lucky folks who read every book as soon as you get it. I have a small stack compared to some people I know. I glanced at it before starting this post, thinking about which book I might start next. Not that I'm ready to start another one.
Currently I have two different fantasy novels started. The Wells of Ascension is the second book in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. He's a must read writer if you love fantasy. The other fantasy novel is the fourth and final book in a series by Greg Keyes. The Born Queen is wrapping up his series, The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. I usually don't read two of the same genre at the same time. More likely if I'm reading two books one is a fantasy, my favorite, and the other is either a romance or a suspense novel. I even through an occasional horror or even a western in there as well as a literary offering. I have some favorite authors in all those genres but am open to trying new ones. My daughter even talks me into sampling her young adult books.
I believe it's important for an author to venture outside their chosen genre in her reading. Reading suspense has taught me to make my own story telling more edgy. Reading romance helps me keep my dialogue interesting and realistic. The few literary titles I select remind me how school reading requirements need revamped but also often introduce me to dark insights into human nature I can incorporate into my characters. The young adult books remind me how each chapter must move the story forward or you'll lose your audience quicker than your teen can text message 'r u maken food 4 nune?'
So what do you think? Is it important for an author to read across the spectrum or does it make a better romance writer to read only romance? Should a fantasy author stick with their own area? There are hundreds of books I would read if I had time. Do you as an author read what you don't write/