Write. Be. - On the Road

Write. Be.

In fantasy - one of the most used and beloved formula's is the quest. The reader is taken on a journey in which the brave hero is tried and tested as he travels ever forward towards his ultimate goal.

Writing too is a journey.

One of my all time favorite books is Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander.

WARNING: Spoiler ahead!

In Taran Wanderer the main character Taran embarks on a quest to find his linage so that he may discover who he is, and what manner of man he is.

At the end he finds his ultimate goal - a magic mirror that will show him his true self. And then he learns that it was through the journey to the final end that he really found what he was looking for.

End of Spoiler

So being an Author is not a destination - it is a journey.

Each word we write is a stone in the path leading to the ultimate end of being an author. As we reach each milepost of our journey there is still more road to travel. More to learn, more to accomplish. It is along this journey that we will find who we truely are as writers.

Where are you in your journey?

Wisdom from a Writing Conference: Writing YA Novels

Janette Rallison gave some tips and tricks for writing YA novels at the LDSStoryMakers conference.

What I Learned:

I don't write YA. Really - I did learn that. I also learned a lot of tidbits that can be applied to all writing. Like that the reader should care about the characters and that the hero has to have a problem.

Also - girls read boy books but boys don't read girl books. So if you write a boy book you can hit the whole market. Actually - I realized I should have known that already since I read many a boy books growing up - and still do.

How I Plan to Apply It:

My current WIP is a Middle Grade novel target at boys. I think that a lot of what goes into YA is the same that goes into MG.

Write. Be. - Inspiration

Write. Be.

As a child I hated reading. Absolutely hated it. My mom would have to force me to sit down and do my reading school work. In 4th I was way behind in my reading level. Then I read The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. From then on I lived in the library. I read everything I could get my hands on. By the time I had finished 6th grade I was reading at a high school level. Way ahead.

The Boxcar Children inspired me to read.

I think I have always loved science fiction and fantasy. Growing up two of my favorite movies were The Last Unicorn and The Neverending Story 2 (side note - I did not read the books until I was much older). These movies captured my imagination and lead naturally into reading science fiction and fantasy.

The Last Unicorn and The Neverending Story 2 inspired me to love fantasy.

I have also always told stories. It started out as make believe and a natural love for talking. Shortly after I fell in love with reading I started to write my own stories. I still have the first one I ever wrote. It was about a mouse. I had been reading a lot of Brian Jacques at the time.

Reading inspired me to write.

What inspires you?

Wisdom from a Writers Conference: The Hero's Journey

Annette Lyon presented the hero's journey as a formula for plot that can be applied to any genre (at the LDSStoryMakers Conference:

What I Learned:

The hero's journey has many parts and elements that when utilized as a plotting formula can create a varied set of story lines. Elements of the hero's journey can be find in most any story.

How I Plan to Apply It:

I currently don't have a "formula" that I follow for plotting. But by attending many sessions on plotting I am starting to develop my personal method for plotting. It will probably never follow a formula - but I feel that some day I will be able to quantify my method and apply to all my work.