Cloistered!

I'm a Type B personality and an introvert, so I tend to suffer in silence. Frankly, I put off my suffering... I procrastinate the anguish and depression until such time that no one else has to deal with it. I cloister myself. While this might seem more convenient, it really just makes me antisocial during times of mid-to-high crisis.

It's not because I'm afraid of relying on others or of "letting them in"; it's really more that I don't want to be burdensome. To borrow a phrase from Henry Rollins: in my infantile/Darwinian mind, the less you know about a problem you can do nothing about, the better. But assistance isn't the only reason we share our struggles, is it?

Other people understand, usually have been where we are at a stage in life, and can encourage us by showing they are better off today. It's one of the biggest benefits to having friends, a different perspective on your own life; a lens through which things don't look so bad. Or, even if they are, then a strong shoulder to wring out some of the misery.

You may or may not have seen some of my recent Twitter & Facebook posts that I'm currently unemployed. As of the end of January, I no longer had a "day job" and have been in the market for something new and equally well-paying. The search hasn't gone well or poorly, but as of today I still haven't secured a new job.

A friend reminded me this morning that I'd all but fallen off the planet for the past few weeks because I haven't signed into my IM clients. I've spent a lot of time on the computer but, frankly, I haven't been all that great to speak to. Trust me.

But cloistering myself isn't about avoiding people, really. It's about focus. I've done the same thing before when engaged in a battle with my WIP, or desperate to finish reading a book. These are the same moments when, as a kid, you took your flashlight and pulled the covers over your head to block out the outside world.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the shame and embarrassment of finding oneself unemployed, but these are localized. Why would I be ashamed or embarrassed to tell my blog audience who, for the most part, doesn't even know what I do for a living? It sucks not having a job, regardless of who you tell or don't tell. You still feel lazy and useless every minute that ticks by while you still have no job (and I do mean literally ticks by, as I have a nice clock reminding me, loudly, that it's getting close to 06:30 and I haven't surfed the job boards yet).

Ultimately, this post is half apology and half to inform. Much like Joaquin Phoenix, I'm still here. I'm not ignoring you, world-at-large. I just have a few things to work out at the moment, pun intended, and as soon as that's done we'll return to our regularly scheduled (or as close as they ever came to it) postings.

...As a side note, if you got a million of your friends to buy my book, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Have a great weekend...


If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

Things I've learned (so far) from writing a prequel

Many of you know my current writing project is a prequel for The Ninth Avatar. What you don't know is how little writing one book prepares you for writing the story that came before it. At least, that's been my experience so far. Unprepared, I wandered into the untapped regions of my world. There I found the cultures and ideas I couldn't include into my first foray. Those, and the looming desire for continuity.

A prequel has a special name because it is a special circumstance. As an example, read The Two Towers before reading Fellowship of the Ring; how different do you think the events in the "second" book would have seemed? What would you think of prior characters earlier in the chronology, before the events in between that shaped who you came to know?

Now, before you run off assuming I'm comparing myself to Tolkien, let me stop you. My story doesn't have the breadth, prestige, or notoriety of this paragon of the Fantasy genre. The problems I face, I believe, are also much different.

With previous work comes the expectation of tradition. Your writing style is merely a tradition that only you know about, and only you practice. Even if you don't realize it, hadn't considered it, you have a style. And that's what people are going to want*. And that's the mindset you have when you begin to write a prequel.

So much to worry about, so much to organize. It's not simply creating a set of dots to end where your other story began. For the story to stand on its own, it must feel different--even if the characters are similar and the setting the same. That's Page 1, Chapter 1, of the Sequel Manual, and it applies to prequels as well. Any book that you write must feel different from the last, even if it's not the next in a series. So far, I've written three very different books, so I'm hoping that trend carries to the fourth.

So, in this book, we get to take chances. Go places we might normally not, and meet people in the story that we normally wouldn't. Risk a little of the safety of familiar terrain and faces and forge into the unknown, because the rewards are plentiful. 

It should always be an adventure. Never let the constraints of where and when your other work starts to slow you down or stop you. If you make the connection and find it to be a bit wobbly, edit and rewrite until you have it solidified. Airtight & ironclad.

When you have that, nothing can stop you.

*We assume that's what readers want because they acquired a second book in the first place. Desire precludes acquisition in most cases, and it's a lone desire that makes a person pick up a book. Our goal, as writers, is to create what you want. We write every genre, every circumstance, every emotion in the ever-changing human pantheon. All we ever ask in return is that you read it, which you do, and for which we are eternally grateful.


If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

COSine 2011 Panel: Is Heinlein dated?

Panel Participants:
Connie Willis
Elaine Normandy
Kent Bloom (M)
Sarah Hoyt
Dan Hoyt

Micah has posted about this, as I spent the majority of the time walking Leo around to keep him calm-ish. Read her thoughts here.