It's Halloween, with my daughters looking forward to getting dressed-up as their favorite characters from movies, television or anime: a good opportunity perhaps to reflect on some of the literary characters that have inspired each of us over the years.
My own youthful literary inspirations came from a variety of authors and backgrounds, but shared a few repeating themes.
My favorite authors when I was young included J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, and Anne McCaffrey - but also included classical writers, such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, John Steinbeck, Victor Hugo, and of course William Shakespeare. These were authors whose books I sought out - not necessarily those that I was assigned to read in some class. Authors that had a story that needed to be heard, or who could create characters that resonated larger than life.
Looking back across those years, I can still point to specific themes that each book or author conveyed, and individual characters that I can clearly remember to this day - not all of them necessarily the heroes.
The central theme that I believe makes a character great, boils down to their humanity. Good or bad, young or old, its our ability to see a part of ourselves, of people we know in them. The flaws, the imperfections, that make us struggle and strive, those are the things that we desperately need to relate to for a character to be memorable. They might be a hero from the Lord of the Rings, or the darkest villain from MacBeth, but it's our ability to see our own imperfections mirrored in their persona that makes that character relatable to us, in ways that continue to inspire or appall.
Happy Halloween everyone. If anyone would like to share some of their own literary heroes, I'd love to hear from them.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Friday, October 26, 2018
A Word On Editing
As someone who has published successfully before, I have come to this endeavor with a certain degree of past experience with which to inform my writing process. I have also reviewed the practices of other published authors, and have found that for the most part, we all tend to share some of the same experiences and techniques.
For the benefit of anyone who has never published their work before, but who might be curious about the process, I can say that while there are several essential steps that go into it, the most essential ingredient for a successful outcome is editing. This is true regardless of whether we are talking about a work of fiction (such as my latest projects) or non-fiction (which I have published in the past). It is also true regardless of whether we are talking about publishing short stories, articles, or a full length book. Write, then re-write, then re-write over again. While I am sure that there are some successful writers in the business - somewhere in human history - that could produce a quality product in the first draft, I am certain that they are by far the minority: so rare as to be the subject of myth and legend themselves. So for anyone who is thinking of publishing their work, short or long, fiction or non-fiction, my advice is to re-write as many times as it takes until the words flow smoothly and evenly on the page. Write, re-write, and re-write again.
For the benefit of anyone who has never published their work before, but who might be curious about the process, I can say that while there are several essential steps that go into it, the most essential ingredient for a successful outcome is editing. This is true regardless of whether we are talking about a work of fiction (such as my latest projects) or non-fiction (which I have published in the past). It is also true regardless of whether we are talking about publishing short stories, articles, or a full length book. Write, then re-write, then re-write over again. While I am sure that there are some successful writers in the business - somewhere in human history - that could produce a quality product in the first draft, I am certain that they are by far the minority: so rare as to be the subject of myth and legend themselves. So for anyone who is thinking of publishing their work, short or long, fiction or non-fiction, my advice is to re-write as many times as it takes until the words flow smoothly and evenly on the page. Write, re-write, and re-write again.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Greetings and Salutations
Greetings dear readers,
I hope that this blog message finds you all in good spirits and good health.
I decided that in preparation for my foray into the world of fantasy and science fiction writing, that I should launch a blog where I could share my progress, and hopefully my successes, with prospective readers.
Unlike many first-time authors of fantasy and science fiction, this is not my first foray into writing. I had already published my first hardcover book, long before I ever thought seriously about putting my pen to paper as a writer of fiction. This will be, however, my first foray as a fantasy novelist, a decidely different form of writing from the historically-oriented works that I have published heretofore. It is a genre different enough, that I decided that it deserved its own blog page, Facebook page, and so forth - to provide me with an opportunity to reach out to this very different reader audience.
As someone who has published before, I can say that while writing is an enjoyable experience, it also demands a significant commitment in terms of time and energy to convert a vague idea or outline into a story and manuscript worthy of being published. I can say from my past experience that it is not something that I undertake out of any delusion that this is likely to be my full-time vocation and source of income. Rather, I write because I feel that I have something to say.
There are of course many reasons to write, and many sources of inspiration that might motivate individual authors. For my part, in all of my writings, I have always had the sense that there was already a story out there, waiting to be retold – a story that already existed and which wanted to be heard - and for which I was merely the conduit for its retelling. I can only hope that I have been up to the task of conveying this story in the manner and with the appropriate skill that it deserves to be told.
Kind regards,
J.W. Golan
I hope that this blog message finds you all in good spirits and good health.
I decided that in preparation for my foray into the world of fantasy and science fiction writing, that I should launch a blog where I could share my progress, and hopefully my successes, with prospective readers.
Unlike many first-time authors of fantasy and science fiction, this is not my first foray into writing. I had already published my first hardcover book, long before I ever thought seriously about putting my pen to paper as a writer of fiction. This will be, however, my first foray as a fantasy novelist, a decidely different form of writing from the historically-oriented works that I have published heretofore. It is a genre different enough, that I decided that it deserved its own blog page, Facebook page, and so forth - to provide me with an opportunity to reach out to this very different reader audience.
As someone who has published before, I can say that while writing is an enjoyable experience, it also demands a significant commitment in terms of time and energy to convert a vague idea or outline into a story and manuscript worthy of being published. I can say from my past experience that it is not something that I undertake out of any delusion that this is likely to be my full-time vocation and source of income. Rather, I write because I feel that I have something to say.
There are of course many reasons to write, and many sources of inspiration that might motivate individual authors. For my part, in all of my writings, I have always had the sense that there was already a story out there, waiting to be retold – a story that already existed and which wanted to be heard - and for which I was merely the conduit for its retelling. I can only hope that I have been up to the task of conveying this story in the manner and with the appropriate skill that it deserves to be told.
Kind regards,
J.W. Golan
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