In episode 12, I analyze why I got stuck writing my newest project (codename: Dragons, for now...) I violated some of my inner understanding of my own writing process, and though I've stubbornly tried to push through anyway, I'm finally taking a step back to reevaluate. Little surprise, I'm spending too much time trying to Outline/Plot the project, when I don't even sufficiently "know" my characters yet.
I get stuck on this need for the right balance of character and plot. We always need strong characters. That's largely how we connect with a book through our shared human experience. It's also why series do so well, when they follow some of the same characters around that we have gotten to know so well. But for me, I don't want my story to become subsumed by this wandering experience in the life of a character with little appearance of plot giving structure. I certainly don't want the character to change who they are because of plot restrictions, create awkward illogical rationale for why someone is doing something...just because the plot dictates. And a major fantasy novel by an indie writer did just that for me. Let's examine.
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Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
Epic and Fantasy, but not Epic Fantasy, King's series is an intriguing divergence from many others. I very much enjoyed this unconventional fantasy novel, and the audio book version was superb.
A question for the writer's and super readers: King leaves many questions unanswered. How does he get away with it? I have my thoughts, but I want to hear yours.
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Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
The Brainstorm Podcast with fantasy author Clifton Hill is about writing, genre fiction and moral quandries.
In Episode 7, join me as I ponder how to choose a system of peerage for the world of Kip the Quick. While you can take example from the real world, maybe you don't want a Duke, Baron, Count, Viscount, and so on. Maybe you want it a little more simple...like Game of Thrones.
That's right. Ole Georgie kept it simple in Westeros: outside of the "Warden" title and that of the King, he spent his time on complexity on pretty much everything else.
As an aside: You'll once again hear me reference Kip's Return, and how great the progress was going at 99k words. Well that was 2016, and while it is finally done and in the hands of my copyeditor, the book ended up a LOT bigger.
So, what peerage system did you pick for your fantasy story and why?
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Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
In Episode 6, it's time to dive into a Writer's Analysis of the different types of Point of View, called POV, and how I use 2 different types in Kip's Return, the sequel to Kip the Quick, when most books only use one.
I also disect a literary tool that JK Rowling uses fabulously well in the Harry Potter books, it keeps her books "relatively" lean, keeps the story moving and is something I really want to incorporate more for my own books. I don't know what you would call it in writing, perhaps "Tell" not "Show", but there's more to it than just using the "Tell Technique", and for that reason we'll simply call it the Hollywood Montage. (Until someone tells me I'm stupid.)
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Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
In Episode 5, I'm returning to review more of the HBO series Game of Thrones, listen to the first part in Episode 4.
It's been years since I read the Song of Ice and Fire series, and a couple years at least since I read A Dance with Dragons. Intriguing to see the differences between book and TV series, that or I remember the books differently. While this might have been a bad thing with some book adaptations, the characters, the story, the acting is all so well done that instead it is just a fascinating comparison of what they chose to do differently.
The show absolutely rips through book 1, there's more nudity and sex in the show than I would have anticipated, and Renly is gay? Either I really missed this in the books, or Martin was very, very subtle with his hints. And the Hound is a pretty boy?
Quick Note: When I watched the series it was 2016 and there was a special on Hulu to add HBO for $5/mo. I think the price is now something like $15.
Sorry, more Roadnoise on this episode, and for the near future. Eventually I'll get to recording new content, and I'll do that (or at least try to do so) from home.
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In Episode 4 I talk about FINALLY starting to watching the Game of Thrones. After being a fan of the books for years, anxiously checking Martin's blog on a weekly basis for months and then years looking for that fateful update on the next book, I was pleased to seethat the HBO series is not just well done, but off to an excellent start.
Also, some brief fun talking about another sci-fi, fantasy, genre fiction podcast called Functional Nerds, run by Patrick Hester and John Anealio...or at least it was. I've been a bit out of touch of late and it looks like John Anealio had to step away. I'll miss you John. Hope you're well.
Fun mentioned links: - George R.R. Martin is not your bitch: https://johnanealio.bandcamp.com/track/george-r-r-martin-is-not-your-bitch Song inspired by Neil Gaiman's infamous quote. - Functional Nerds podcast: www.functionalnerds.com
Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
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In Episode 3, it's time to geek out over Thor Ragnarok. Yes, I know, not new, but I watched it again recently, and this podcast was originally recorded in 2018. You know you love the movie, relive the fun and adventure with me.
MAJOR SPOILERS!!! But hey, we're well past the statue of limitations here.
If Thor is the God of Thunder, is Hella the Goddess of Blades?
Has anyone noticed that I called this the "Clifton Journal" at first? Just winging it, shooting from the hip, what can I say.
Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
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Every author I've met starts their journey to learn the craft of writing with a story. These stories are their "Golden Ideas", often these ideas are too large, too ambitious and take too long. Learn the craft of writing faster, by writing short. Short stories let you experience the trial and error of creating a full story/character arc much faster. And doing so helps you learn the full writing process and valuable life lessons (I would dare say) much faster than sticking with writing a full length novel as your first piece of work.
It is a lesson I learned the hard way.
Short stories mentioned that are enjoyable reads and good examples of what can be achieved in the short form: Erik Wecks' Eighty-Three is an inventive story of time travel. Time travel in a way that I haven't seen before. Available in the Anthology: The Time Travel Chronicles, with multiple other authors. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XIY2EC
Touchstone by Sonia Orin Lyris. I read it for free on the Baen Books website, but they must have changed the formatting at some point because now it looks atrocious. Story is awesome, so just change the size of your browser (if on a desktop, phone is probably fine.) https://www.baen.com/touchstone. You can also buy the story here for your device: https://lyris.org/book/touchstone/
Learn more about Clifton's Fantasy Novels: www.CliftonH.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cliftonhill
Hello dear reader, I have a new project that is really an old project, but it is finally, slowly coming your way.
Welcome to the soft launch of the Brainstorm Podcast!
I've been a podcast listener since before it was cool, and have had a desire to put out a podcast for some time now. I even recorded maybe 15 to 20 episodes back in 2018, but never took the time to put them together and launch. Well, that time is now.
But what will it be about?
No big surprise there: writing, genre fiction and moral quandries. Let me explain...
Genre fiction - reviews/analysis; books, but also movies and TV
I've been a book reviewer for multiple notable sites, including some that
are now long dead, and slightly buried. I've reviewed for SF Signal,
Grasping for the Wind, SFF World, and I will bring some of my reviews to the podcast.
I like to analyze what I like in a book, what I don't, and why, and I intend to go deep.
Writing tips
I'll break down my writing methods; what works and doesn't; habits, the whole lot. At times I've disagreed with the Writing Excuses team (awesome as they are), and there may be some episodes where I analyze their episode and give my own thoughts on the matter.
Sometimes we'll go into marketing and the business side of things.
Moral quandries
Fiction is great for looking at life from a different
perspective, stepping outside the normal framework of our preconceptions
and being able to think with fresh, unbiased eyes. I don't want to just
talk about books and media, I want to go deeper. Let's analyze the
connections and wisdom we can find within fiction to real life.
Sci-fi and fantasy stories are often of the What-If? And can
serve as cautionary tales and opportunities to explore what might
otherwise remain the unknown.
Not to be confused with the creepy looking movie with my name in the title, rather this is a post of: What have I been up to?
No shooshing, one-eye.
I realize that I have been awful quiet. Life does that sometimes, but the writing has never stopped. Just my ability to go outside of the writing and do book reviews to my expected level of quality, or to wax on about the craft of writing has become surprisingly challenging. Truth be told, I have become highly concerned with government overreach into our lives, sticking their hands increasingly into the realm of the education of our children, mandating what people can or can not do, and privacy concerns with Big Tech as well as censorship of lawful speech. If this all continues, then I question how we, as a nation, will continue to be a Free people. For that matter, as world events continue, that concern extends to all corners of the globe.
But getting deeper into that here is not my intent. (Check out my Twitter feed if you are of a mind—assuming it isn't censored by now.) These world events have taken much of my time and thought over the last couple of years, and I really need to take a break and explore my writing and genre fiction, to find the joy that is there in the written word, and share that joy with you.
It's nice to sit down at the keyboard and compose my thoughts and convey them out into the ether for those that find such things to be of interest. All...two of you? I haven't blogged for quite a while, and while I've spent more time on social media than I should have, I haven't found the enjoyment there that I may have once had.
So, suffice it to say, I have been busy, but the work of writing has continued. Kip the Quick's sequel is finally at long last done. At over three times the size of the first book, clocking in at 178k words, Kip's Return is a sizable story, but then the consequences set in action by the first novel have scope and depth that Kip must unravel in his desperate attempt to escape the dread result of his actions.
It's an exciting book, thrilling, full of Kip's wit, and we also explore two other characters that have their own sides of the story to tell, so the POV is expanding. When I realized that the book needed more than just Kip's POV, I had to ask myself if it was really appropriate for multiple first-person POV's. And in the end, it wasn't. Kip's voice is unique, and he IS the story. Someone else with a first person view just wouldn't have worked. So I went third person POV for the other two characters. And in the end, I think it worked our marvelously.
We also get more into the magic of the world; there is a lot of fun mystery here and for the attentive reader there is much to learn, hidden in the text.
So, where are we with the actual deliverance of this book into your hands? Well, it's with my copyeditor, and unfortunately she became very popular at some point between later last year and when I finally got her the manuscript, so unless her schedule frees up, I won't have the book back from her until late 2021, or early 2022. This will mean the book will take till 2022 to actually be in stores. This is, as you can imagine, disappointing. It has already been nearly 5 years since I released book 1. But...life.
And I think I've learned some things along the way.
So what do I do between now and then? Well, I'm nearly done with a Kip short story that takes place between book 1 & book 2 that I'll be looking for a magazine publisher for, and there is a middle grade story idea that I really want to tackle to share with my kids (and one day soon, you.) With the time available, it would make sense for me to write as much as I can of the last book in the Kip the Quick trilogy, but I need to take a bit of a break first.
I'm also undertaking the beginning of a podcast, this is just the soft launch, when I get things all squared away, we'll have a grand launch. Red carpet, local celebrities...you know, the works!
Well, that or I'll just make a blog post with pictures of all of the above and call it a day.
Fond wishes that you are finding positivity and joy in 2021.
In listening to episode 7 of the Functional Nerds podcast (just to make sure I didn't blow it, I'm not THAT narcissistic) I had some additional thoughts on the impact of online video portals like Hulu, Youtube, and Netflix. Thinking about how TV will change, I posted a reply to the podcast (copied below). But if you haven't listended yet, go over to episode 7 first and give a listen:
I'm finding listening to myself on the 'cast as a very weird experience. I sound more intelligent and ridiculous then I expected, all at the same time.
In further thought on the subject of Hulu and Youtube, it seems that in the very near future we will see TV die as we know it. As convenient as Tivo and Cable/Satellite On Demand services are on the TV to many, I think the ability to merely choose and click (whenver you want, from a larger library) will win out. Meaning that Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and others will become portals into video-media worlds just like a channel is on TV to a series of programming. As fast as things are moving, I wonder if we'll use Tivo anymore in ten years.
All those built-in network cards to modern TV's will probably become more and more worth while as we turn to the net for our video entertainment. I only hope the great pipelines on the back-end can hold up under the onslaught.
Up until now I think the podcast has been PG rated at its worst, apparently my first appearance was a bad influence and the 'F' word was uttered with blatant Bob Saget vehemence. I thought I behaved myself, but apparently my sheer presence was enough to subvert...very weird.
Unbelievable but true, you can listen to me spout (occasionally) along with the Functional Nerds at http://functionalnerds.com/2010/04/episode-007/. Listen to us talk about: Hulu's new subscription service, books, TOR turning 30, slushpiles, and much more...
It was a fun experience, and my very first podcast.
You may ask me, "Why? Why? Oh dear (deity of choice)...why?"
Why do a podcast? Well, because my confused friend, it is good to be part of a community and to talk about those things we hold dear to our nerdly, artistic, little hearts.
So, a little bit of excitement for me is that later this week I'll co-star as a new Third Nerd for Patrick Hester's Third Nerd Army on his and John Anealio's Functional Nerds Podcast. It's just a one shot thing, but maybe if I behave myself and laugh at their jokes and say how clever they are they'll ask me back (or maybe they won't if they read this...hmm...).
If you haven't checked out their new podcast yet, they talk about all things of Nerdly goodness, there is focus on Apple products and a fair amount of talk on music. They also spoke so highly of new author Blake Charlton's first fantasy novel Spellwright that I decided to check it out and was very pleasantly surprised (he has a free excerpt to read on his website—recommended read for most any fan of fantasy).
I don't know what we'll speak on yet, but it is bound to be a varied list.
Anyways, I look forward to the podcast, and hopefully manage to come off as somewhat coherent. But we'll see.
