Benjamin Epstein's Blog
July 21, 2013
On Twitter
A few weeks ago, myself and the other authors of Center One gave interviews on Twitter. For those of you who missed this event, I am copy/pasting my interview here on the blog for your reading pleasure.
Enjoy!
. C1Books @C1Books Welcome Benjamin Epstein author of Captive of the Orcs #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @c1books Hi guys! Benjamin Epstein here. Yeeha! #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine Alright Ben you've been asking this all night so tell us about your plays a little before we move into The Captive of the Orcs #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Ha ha, good one Justin. I've been a playwright for La Canada Theatre, First Stage and other local theater groups. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I have a number of short pieces which is usually where my quick ideas go. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine @BenPEpstein So how is writing plays different from novels #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Novels require a lot of preparation, and you must practice description. Plays are mostly dialogue, and that's it. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books Did Captive of the Orcs come from one of your plays or is it an original on its own #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @c1books Captive of the Orcs is original. It would make a very difficult play. Movie... maybe.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein Are the teachings of your Clerics influenced by contemporary religions/philosphies? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell Yes, but I'm hesitant to say which ones. I attempted to depict two different "types" of religions in the book
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein Who do you want to read your book, and who do you expect to read your book? (Age groups, ect.) #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora I'd like anyone to read it. Heh, but I hope people who want ideas behind their fantasy adventure.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora So I would say YA to adult. Children too, if they can.
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @Benpepstein does the genre you read influence what you write
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige Yes, both fiction and non-fiction.
.
. Susan Cervantes @spcervantes @Benpepstein do you enjoy writing plays or novels best?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes Plays are fun for a small audience. But the sense of accomplishment of publishing a novel is much greater.
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine So what Fantasy authors inspire you the most? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine As a child I loved Piers Anthony. Today, I'd say the Dragonlance authors, Weis and Hickman. Though lately I was
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Very impressed with Poul Anderson.
.
. Lara Jones @larabookvampire @Benpepstein What is your writing process like? How do you begin?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @larabookvampire I take a walk to the nearest Starbucks, laptop in my bag. Buy a cup of coffee, plug in and FOCUS. If I can.
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @benpepstein I'm going back to the island question, your stuck, can take anything what will you take.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige Oh man. A chainsaw, probably. Maybe a cask of good wine do deaden the pain.
.
. Susan Cervantes @spcervantes what is your favorite book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes There are so many! I'm not sure where to start. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes I could list maybe a top ten, perhaps, lol. #c1books Expand
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein What was the hardest part to write in the book #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew In Captive of the Orcs, a lot was the middle, scenes which were not fully mapped in my head. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein It's when I feel I have to write from point A to point B, but I'm not sure how to get there. #c1books
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein Was it hard to keep Dallet so mild and not have him retailiate while writing about his character? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden Dallet is an interesting character study, because unlike most fantasy heroes, he can't fight anyone who upsets him. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein I think the mindset for him is to imagine the bully in grade school bigger than you who you couldn't fight. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden The stress of that made most of Dallet's internal monologue. I could experience the stress as I wrote it. #c1books
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @BenPEpstein do you plot the story before you start writing #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige I do my best. I like to have large "section" checkpoints to go through. If I'm going in random, it gets bad
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein If you get writers block, what do you get to get rid of it? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora I wish I had a good answer for that. One trick that helped was to do more background prep, which can spark an idea. #c1books
.
. SoranBlue @Bubblez44445 @BenPEpstein Do you have any personal friends,family, pets in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Bubblez44445 Generally no. I learned in college that writing about myself was bad, bad bad. Similar, maybe, but not the same.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein Do you have a certain image in mind when you think of the Orcs in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew Green skin with large tusk teeth coming out of their mouth. Wispy hair, angry expressions, muscles, and gritty.
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein I was impressed by the cover of your book, what did you think of it when you saw it?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden I was thinking: Wow! I got to find some way to put Orcs into evil, heavy armor soon. #c1books
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein Who do you think you would relate to the most in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora Both Dallet and Torak: Dallet for his intellect and pacivity, Torak for his rage. Torak is like my dark side.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benepstein Who was the most influence on you, in your past, for writing; a teacher, parent, or a sibling?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Good question! I had many good teachers, from 5th, 6th, and 10th grade who were big influences. Another: a former boss.
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine What is your favorite thing about writing?
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Creating something that WORKS and satisfies me. A finished scene or product can fill me with pride. #c1books
.
. SoranBlue @Bubblez44445 @BenPEpstein Who inspired you the most to write this book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Bubblez44445 Sadly, real world events. I realized there are a lot of Toraks in the world scene.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Imagine your characters are on survivor.Who will they vote out of the book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Dallet, no question. Nobody wants an out of shape brainiac who can't hunt or cook food. And he stinks at politics too.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein Captive starts out with a map of part of the world you created. Will Book 2 explore more of that world?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell Yes! We'll visit the human village of Snow Brook, the City of Brass Gates, and the throne of the Lads of Boragh
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein The luminean ethics, how did you decide to develop those?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew I studied some tracts of in-depth biblical and talmudic ethics. It may be more mainstream than you think.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Scariest thing you have ever read/written?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books 1984 when Winston Smith is trapped in the Ministry of Love, being tortured by O'Brien. I dread the "trapped" feeling.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Come to think of it, I guess that shows up in "Captive" too.
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein What do you hope to accomplish in the next book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora In Captive, we saw how the Orcs think of the Luminean Exiles. Sequel, they'll be more of the citizens of the
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora Imperial Commonwealth, who also do not like the Lumineans. Plus, the Orc tribal wars continue. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein What one word best describes you as an author?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Morality. My best friend and fan described by work as "morality plays." I just can't write without some kind of ethic.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew Ethics definitely come across in your books!
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew Yeah, I just can't write anything amoral. There has to be something to it. #c1books
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benepstein Best time to ask this then, name a topic that you refuse to write about.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein
. @RebekahMcClew I don't like using profanity, sex jokes, or toilet humor. I'm a real drag when I go to Comedy movies these days. #c1books
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein What do you hope to accomplish in the next book?
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpesptein What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Um... a really bad, D&D like short story in 4th grade. 5th grade, I wrote something better but it ripped off P. Anthony. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein I remember feeling guilty about it, even back then, that it wasn't my original work. My classmates liked it. #c1books
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein Give 3 great tips for newbie writers #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden Tip#1 READ, and not just fiction, read non fiction. Tip#2: Do not think your book will "save the world." #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein Tip#3: Don't write about yourself. You must be willing to make your characters suffer, and if the lead is you, you can't do it. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine How long do you spend on the average book working on it? #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Captive of the Orcs was about 4 years from start to publication. But it was on the shelf for a long time too.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Sequel will be faster. After all, I know where I'm sending it when it's done! ;)
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein How many books will your series eventually be? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell At least three. Then I'll pause and assess where things are.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein Who is your biggest cheerleader?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew My wife, my mother, my best friend, and the creative director from La Canada Theatre. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine Who was your biggest doubter?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I'm tempted to say "myself." Lol. Actually, the most damaging was my classmates from college. They hated my stuff. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein When did you first, without hesitation, call yourself a writer? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books When I moved to Los Angeles in 2003, realizing that writing was all I ever really wanted to do, and I had to try. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Who is your favorite author and is you writing style similar to theirs?#c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books My favorite author changes often during my life. As a teen, I liked Kurt Vonnegut. Some of my plays sound like his stuff #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books But not Captive. Captive makes me think more of... hm, John Steinbeck is coming to mind for some reason. #c1books
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew How do you keep from resenting your duties, every human’s sleeping requirement when you have to stop writing to take care of them? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew I rarely write before bed. That late, I'm just too tired. Writing time is short, but I have obligations. Its life #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine What would you ask your fellow authors if you could? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I would ask them... hey, want to get together for a barbecue? #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein What do you think people search for in a book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books A good story, and ideas or ways of seeing the world that make things fall into place.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein So who is your favorite villain, or do you prefer monsters?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell One villain who always fascinated me was Sybok from Star Trek V, a not very well received movie. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell I was fascinated by a villain who used raw charisma and compassion to get people to follow his lead. #c1books
Reply
. C1Books @C1Books Thank you @Benpestein we look forward to your next book after Captive of the Orcs! #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein You're welcome, C1. It's been fun. #c1books
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Enjoy!
. C1Books @C1Books Welcome Benjamin Epstein author of Captive of the Orcs #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @c1books Hi guys! Benjamin Epstein here. Yeeha! #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine Alright Ben you've been asking this all night so tell us about your plays a little before we move into The Captive of the Orcs #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Ha ha, good one Justin. I've been a playwright for La Canada Theatre, First Stage and other local theater groups. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I have a number of short pieces which is usually where my quick ideas go. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine @BenPEpstein So how is writing plays different from novels #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Novels require a lot of preparation, and you must practice description. Plays are mostly dialogue, and that's it. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books Did Captive of the Orcs come from one of your plays or is it an original on its own #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @c1books Captive of the Orcs is original. It would make a very difficult play. Movie... maybe.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein Are the teachings of your Clerics influenced by contemporary religions/philosphies? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell Yes, but I'm hesitant to say which ones. I attempted to depict two different "types" of religions in the book
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein Who do you want to read your book, and who do you expect to read your book? (Age groups, ect.) #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora I'd like anyone to read it. Heh, but I hope people who want ideas behind their fantasy adventure.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora So I would say YA to adult. Children too, if they can.
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @Benpepstein does the genre you read influence what you write
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige Yes, both fiction and non-fiction.
.
. Susan Cervantes @spcervantes @Benpepstein do you enjoy writing plays or novels best?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes Plays are fun for a small audience. But the sense of accomplishment of publishing a novel is much greater.
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine So what Fantasy authors inspire you the most? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine As a child I loved Piers Anthony. Today, I'd say the Dragonlance authors, Weis and Hickman. Though lately I was
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Very impressed with Poul Anderson.
.
. Lara Jones @larabookvampire @Benpepstein What is your writing process like? How do you begin?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @larabookvampire I take a walk to the nearest Starbucks, laptop in my bag. Buy a cup of coffee, plug in and FOCUS. If I can.
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @benpepstein I'm going back to the island question, your stuck, can take anything what will you take.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige Oh man. A chainsaw, probably. Maybe a cask of good wine do deaden the pain.
.
. Susan Cervantes @spcervantes what is your favorite book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes There are so many! I'm not sure where to start. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @spcervantes I could list maybe a top ten, perhaps, lol. #c1books Expand
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein What was the hardest part to write in the book #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew In Captive of the Orcs, a lot was the middle, scenes which were not fully mapped in my head. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein It's when I feel I have to write from point A to point B, but I'm not sure how to get there. #c1books
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein Was it hard to keep Dallet so mild and not have him retailiate while writing about his character? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden Dallet is an interesting character study, because unlike most fantasy heroes, he can't fight anyone who upsets him. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein I think the mindset for him is to imagine the bully in grade school bigger than you who you couldn't fight. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden The stress of that made most of Dallet's internal monologue. I could experience the stress as I wrote it. #c1books
.
. Ronda Paige @rondapaige @BenPEpstein do you plot the story before you start writing #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @rondapaige I do my best. I like to have large "section" checkpoints to go through. If I'm going in random, it gets bad
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein If you get writers block, what do you get to get rid of it? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora I wish I had a good answer for that. One trick that helped was to do more background prep, which can spark an idea. #c1books
.
. SoranBlue @Bubblez44445 @BenPEpstein Do you have any personal friends,family, pets in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Bubblez44445 Generally no. I learned in college that writing about myself was bad, bad bad. Similar, maybe, but not the same.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein Do you have a certain image in mind when you think of the Orcs in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew Green skin with large tusk teeth coming out of their mouth. Wispy hair, angry expressions, muscles, and gritty.
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein I was impressed by the cover of your book, what did you think of it when you saw it?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden I was thinking: Wow! I got to find some way to put Orcs into evil, heavy armor soon. #c1books
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein Who do you think you would relate to the most in your book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora Both Dallet and Torak: Dallet for his intellect and pacivity, Torak for his rage. Torak is like my dark side.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benepstein Who was the most influence on you, in your past, for writing; a teacher, parent, or a sibling?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Good question! I had many good teachers, from 5th, 6th, and 10th grade who were big influences. Another: a former boss.
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine What is your favorite thing about writing?
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Creating something that WORKS and satisfies me. A finished scene or product can fill me with pride. #c1books
.
. SoranBlue @Bubblez44445 @BenPEpstein Who inspired you the most to write this book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Bubblez44445 Sadly, real world events. I realized there are a lot of Toraks in the world scene.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Imagine your characters are on survivor.Who will they vote out of the book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Dallet, no question. Nobody wants an out of shape brainiac who can't hunt or cook food. And he stinks at politics too.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein Captive starts out with a map of part of the world you created. Will Book 2 explore more of that world?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell Yes! We'll visit the human village of Snow Brook, the City of Brass Gates, and the throne of the Lads of Boragh
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein The luminean ethics, how did you decide to develop those?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew I studied some tracts of in-depth biblical and talmudic ethics. It may be more mainstream than you think.
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Scariest thing you have ever read/written?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books 1984 when Winston Smith is trapped in the Ministry of Love, being tortured by O'Brien. I dread the "trapped" feeling.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Come to think of it, I guess that shows up in "Captive" too.
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein What do you hope to accomplish in the next book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora In Captive, we saw how the Orcs think of the Luminean Exiles. Sequel, they'll be more of the citizens of the
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @SkittyPandora Imperial Commonwealth, who also do not like the Lumineans. Plus, the Orc tribal wars continue. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein What one word best describes you as an author?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Morality. My best friend and fan described by work as "morality plays." I just can't write without some kind of ethic.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew Ethics definitely come across in your books!
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew Yeah, I just can't write anything amoral. There has to be something to it. #c1books
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benepstein Best time to ask this then, name a topic that you refuse to write about.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein
. @RebekahMcClew I don't like using profanity, sex jokes, or toilet humor. I'm a real drag when I go to Comedy movies these days. #c1books
.
. SkittyPandora @SkittyPandora @BenPEpstein What do you hope to accomplish in the next book?
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpesptein What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books Um... a really bad, D&D like short story in 4th grade. 5th grade, I wrote something better but it ripped off P. Anthony. #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @BenPEpstein I remember feeling guilty about it, even back then, that it wasn't my original work. My classmates liked it. #c1books
.
. Mason Linden @MasonLinden @benpepstein Give 3 great tips for newbie writers #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @MasonLinden Tip#1 READ, and not just fiction, read non fiction. Tip#2: Do not think your book will "save the world." #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein Tip#3: Don't write about yourself. You must be willing to make your characters suffer, and if the lead is you, you can't do it. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine How long do you spend on the average book working on it? #c1books
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Captive of the Orcs was about 4 years from start to publication. But it was on the shelf for a long time too.
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine Sequel will be faster. After all, I know where I'm sending it when it's done! ;)
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein How many books will your series eventually be? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell At least three. Then I'll pause and assess where things are.
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew @benpepstein Who is your biggest cheerleader?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew My wife, my mother, my best friend, and the creative director from La Canada Theatre. #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine Who was your biggest doubter?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I'm tempted to say "myself." Lol. Actually, the most damaging was my classmates from college. They hated my stuff. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein When did you first, without hesitation, call yourself a writer? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books When I moved to Los Angeles in 2003, realizing that writing was all I ever really wanted to do, and I had to try. #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein Who is your favorite author and is you writing style similar to theirs?#c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books My favorite author changes often during my life. As a teen, I liked Kurt Vonnegut. Some of my plays sound like his stuff #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books But not Captive. Captive makes me think more of... hm, John Steinbeck is coming to mind for some reason. #c1books
.
. Rebekah @RebekahMcClew How do you keep from resenting your duties, every human’s sleeping requirement when you have to stop writing to take care of them? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @RebekahMcClew I rarely write before bed. That late, I'm just too tired. Writing time is short, but I have obligations. Its life #c1books
.
. Justin Dine @Justin_Dine What would you ask your fellow authors if you could? #c1books
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @Justin_Dine I would ask them... hey, want to get together for a barbecue? #c1books
.
. C1Books @C1Books @benpepstein What do you think people search for in a book?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @C1Books A good story, and ideas or ways of seeing the world that make things fall into place.
.
. Ashley Chappell @AshleyNChappell @BenPEpstein So who is your favorite villain, or do you prefer monsters?
.
. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell One villain who always fascinated me was Sybok from Star Trek V, a not very well received movie. #c1books
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. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein @AshleyNChappell I was fascinated by a villain who used raw charisma and compassion to get people to follow his lead. #c1books
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. C1Books @C1Books Thank you @Benpestein we look forward to your next book after Captive of the Orcs! #c1books
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. Benjamin Epstein @BenPEpstein You're welcome, C1. It's been fun. #c1books
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June 8, 2013
On my daughter
Today is the one week anniversary of my daughter's birth. That's right. Sarah Margaret Epstein was born, June 1st 2013, at 7:15 pm.
Sarah Margaret is the most wonderful baby in the world, but I'm just a little biased.
She has a wide range of interests, including sleeping, eating, stretching, and making doo doo.
When I sing "Take me out to the Ballgame" to her, she likes to give me skeptical look like I'm crazy.
She likes to sleep all day and stay up all night. Kinda like her father. She cries when she's hungry, and that's it.
It would be easy for me to wax poetical here about the benefits of children, how they are our message to the future, and a continuous link on the chain from Adam (or whoever your favorite cro-magnon ancestor is) to the next generation. But rather than worry about the challenges of raising a good kid, I'll be rocking her in my arms, singing every silly childhood song I can think of. The values teaching can wait a little bit, for now.
Sarah Margaret is the most wonderful baby in the world, but I'm just a little biased.
She has a wide range of interests, including sleeping, eating, stretching, and making doo doo.
When I sing "Take me out to the Ballgame" to her, she likes to give me skeptical look like I'm crazy.
She likes to sleep all day and stay up all night. Kinda like her father. She cries when she's hungry, and that's it.
It would be easy for me to wax poetical here about the benefits of children, how they are our message to the future, and a continuous link on the chain from Adam (or whoever your favorite cro-magnon ancestor is) to the next generation. But rather than worry about the challenges of raising a good kid, I'll be rocking her in my arms, singing every silly childhood song I can think of. The values teaching can wait a little bit, for now.
March 27, 2013
On the Facts
I heard a very interesting lecture the other day, which has some implications that I think we should all take to heart.
You ever notice one of the first things people say when they argue with each other? "Show me the facts."
This is what we believe will settle the question. People like to say this about Science. "Absolute facts," they call it. Of course, new theories are conceived of, while old ones are knocked down.
So I'd say we all have our positions, our beliefs. And they are all completely verified and advocated by the facts. The facts we know about, anyway.
And that is a very tiny piece of data.
One of the most depressing things I find in public dialogue these days is the every day habit of demonization. That is, if someone disagrees with me, they must be evil, ignorant, stupid, cruel, heartless, despicable, and locked up for the good of society. They possibility that they may be subscribing to a different set of facts than the ones I use to set up my life doesn't attract consideration. Maybe their fact rebutt mine. Maybe they ignore mine. Maybe they pretend to answer mine, but do not.
But classifying other people as evil? Why is this so predominant in our discourse?
I'm tempted to go into examples, but that would likely betray my own biases, and I'm not ready for that yet. Perhaps I lack the courage, or the arrogance, to beat my own drum and demand people follow my ideas, else I'll call them ignorant and wicked Ben-phobes.
Or maybe, I should wise up and stop exposing myself to Facebook.
You ever notice one of the first things people say when they argue with each other? "Show me the facts."
This is what we believe will settle the question. People like to say this about Science. "Absolute facts," they call it. Of course, new theories are conceived of, while old ones are knocked down.
So I'd say we all have our positions, our beliefs. And they are all completely verified and advocated by the facts. The facts we know about, anyway.
And that is a very tiny piece of data.
One of the most depressing things I find in public dialogue these days is the every day habit of demonization. That is, if someone disagrees with me, they must be evil, ignorant, stupid, cruel, heartless, despicable, and locked up for the good of society. They possibility that they may be subscribing to a different set of facts than the ones I use to set up my life doesn't attract consideration. Maybe their fact rebutt mine. Maybe they ignore mine. Maybe they pretend to answer mine, but do not.
But classifying other people as evil? Why is this so predominant in our discourse?
I'm tempted to go into examples, but that would likely betray my own biases, and I'm not ready for that yet. Perhaps I lack the courage, or the arrogance, to beat my own drum and demand people follow my ideas, else I'll call them ignorant and wicked Ben-phobes.
Or maybe, I should wise up and stop exposing myself to Facebook.
March 10, 2013
On Lizzy's blog
I identify as a writer, and I think I can give a few points on how to put a story together. I have some ideas on how to maintain a writer's schedule. I even have a few guesses on better ways to send queries.
But when it comes to marketing, I'm clueless.
Still, I'm doing what I can to find reviews for Captive of the Orcs. So far, I'm circulating across the internet, to see if I can get my name out there.
So I'll mention again the story of the above blog post, which I mentioned rather hastily.
Lizzy Lessard's website is a pretty interesting collection of book reviews, and author interviews. Her monthly contest is to post ten amusing questions, and do a book giveaway for the author who wins. And in addition, she'll post their answers to her questions. I mean, I guess I can't expect her to keep them private as her own personal entertainment.
So what kind of questions are they? The humorous creative types. If your characters were on Survivor, who would be voted out? Misunderstood monster.... what taboo part of society would I change... et cetra.
So.... I entered. And I won.
If you missed out in the last giveaway for Captive of the Orcs, you have a chance to win another copy from Lizzy. Go to her website, register, and you can score a free copy of my book.
And if you'd like to read my contest-winning answers, follow the link.
http://www.lizzylessard.com/10-things...
Hope to see you there.
But when it comes to marketing, I'm clueless.
Still, I'm doing what I can to find reviews for Captive of the Orcs. So far, I'm circulating across the internet, to see if I can get my name out there.
So I'll mention again the story of the above blog post, which I mentioned rather hastily.
Lizzy Lessard's website is a pretty interesting collection of book reviews, and author interviews. Her monthly contest is to post ten amusing questions, and do a book giveaway for the author who wins. And in addition, she'll post their answers to her questions. I mean, I guess I can't expect her to keep them private as her own personal entertainment.
So what kind of questions are they? The humorous creative types. If your characters were on Survivor, who would be voted out? Misunderstood monster.... what taboo part of society would I change... et cetra.
So.... I entered. And I won.
If you missed out in the last giveaway for Captive of the Orcs, you have a chance to win another copy from Lizzy. Go to her website, register, and you can score a free copy of my book.
And if you'd like to read my contest-winning answers, follow the link.
http://www.lizzylessard.com/10-things...
Hope to see you there.
March 7, 2013
10 Questions
Hello everyone.
I did a little online interview with Lizzy Lessard's website. Whoever answered her ten humorous question best, gets their answers posted and a book giveaway.
So if you want a free copy of Captive of the Orcs, you can go to her website and enter.
Or, if you just want to see my cunningly clever answers, you can take a look too.
http://www.lizzylessard.com/10-things...
I did a little online interview with Lizzy Lessard's website. Whoever answered her ten humorous question best, gets their answers posted and a book giveaway.
So if you want a free copy of Captive of the Orcs, you can go to her website and enter.
Or, if you just want to see my cunningly clever answers, you can take a look too.
http://www.lizzylessard.com/10-things...
February 18, 2013
On Physical Fitness
On Physical Fitness
Finally hit the gym yesterday after a long absence. And man, am I out of shape.
Actually, I'm more in shape than before I started jogging with my wife. Still, after the hiatus, the stamina goes away, I had a massive headache, and all the rest of those wonderful exercise symptoms. Still, after some food and a nap, I realized I hadn't felt so clear headed in weeks.
I never had a talent for athletics. I had asthma pretty bad when I was a kid, and a little bit of running would tighten up my lungs and leave me gasping for air. Needless to say, this did not make me a fan of exercise. Or sports.
And not being good at sports led to the constant humiliation of the "picked last" for P.E. teams. I sure was glad when I hit junior year of High School, and could wave goodbye to gym.
Still....
Some years ago, I was listening to the radio, and heard a story about a new school reform. Now normally I think most of the new "education" ideas do about as much good as hole in the head, but this one actually had merit. Students competed against themselves. They would do their best with the Nautilus equipment, record their scores, and spend the rest of the semester working to improve them. So Powerful Peter and Couch Potato Craig didn't get graded by how much Peter pulverized Craig. Rather, they had to improve their scores, no matter where they started.
What a phenomena. That would have been handy when I was a kid.
But you know, physical fitness is often taken for granted when we read literature. Or movies. We don't blink that often when we read that Grog the barbarian's arms were as thick as tree trunks, or that he tossed cars around like paper dolls. I'm not sure if we ever saw Grog exercise, but we take for granted...
...and then strength has that other contrast, intelligence. I doubt it was John Steinbeck's idea originally, but take someone like Lennie from Of Mice and Men. We don't have much difficulty imagining the huge Lennie, strong as an ox, but with the mind of a child. I wonder what gym Lennie went to. Or Hagrid from Harry Potter. Not that he was as simple minded as Lennie, but he still had the childlike innocence to contrast his giant stature.
Intelligence, on the other hand, are how kids like me tried to console ourselves for our inability to do the proficient number of pull ups... or to do pull ups at all. "Oh, I may not be strong, but I'm smart!" Ah, but intelligence is a capacity that cannot be measured. Not simply anyway. I never had faith in IQ scores. And I've met plenty of people with graduate degrees and not a lick of common sense.
Even so, I measured this contrast in detail in my book. Torak, the Orc. Strong, fast, good with his hands, an able fighter, hunter, and survivor. He's illiterate. Uneducated, unsophisticated, but are these true marks of intelligence? Then there's Dallet. Uncoordinated, weak, no stamina, but an avid reader, and knows a great deal of material about culture, history, and.... he doesn't know how to skin a rabbit in the wild. When it comes to survival knowledge, he's stupider than Torak.
Who's the real smart one here?
Finally hit the gym yesterday after a long absence. And man, am I out of shape.
Actually, I'm more in shape than before I started jogging with my wife. Still, after the hiatus, the stamina goes away, I had a massive headache, and all the rest of those wonderful exercise symptoms. Still, after some food and a nap, I realized I hadn't felt so clear headed in weeks.
I never had a talent for athletics. I had asthma pretty bad when I was a kid, and a little bit of running would tighten up my lungs and leave me gasping for air. Needless to say, this did not make me a fan of exercise. Or sports.
And not being good at sports led to the constant humiliation of the "picked last" for P.E. teams. I sure was glad when I hit junior year of High School, and could wave goodbye to gym.
Still....
Some years ago, I was listening to the radio, and heard a story about a new school reform. Now normally I think most of the new "education" ideas do about as much good as hole in the head, but this one actually had merit. Students competed against themselves. They would do their best with the Nautilus equipment, record their scores, and spend the rest of the semester working to improve them. So Powerful Peter and Couch Potato Craig didn't get graded by how much Peter pulverized Craig. Rather, they had to improve their scores, no matter where they started.
What a phenomena. That would have been handy when I was a kid.
But you know, physical fitness is often taken for granted when we read literature. Or movies. We don't blink that often when we read that Grog the barbarian's arms were as thick as tree trunks, or that he tossed cars around like paper dolls. I'm not sure if we ever saw Grog exercise, but we take for granted...
...and then strength has that other contrast, intelligence. I doubt it was John Steinbeck's idea originally, but take someone like Lennie from Of Mice and Men. We don't have much difficulty imagining the huge Lennie, strong as an ox, but with the mind of a child. I wonder what gym Lennie went to. Or Hagrid from Harry Potter. Not that he was as simple minded as Lennie, but he still had the childlike innocence to contrast his giant stature.
Intelligence, on the other hand, are how kids like me tried to console ourselves for our inability to do the proficient number of pull ups... or to do pull ups at all. "Oh, I may not be strong, but I'm smart!" Ah, but intelligence is a capacity that cannot be measured. Not simply anyway. I never had faith in IQ scores. And I've met plenty of people with graduate degrees and not a lick of common sense.
Even so, I measured this contrast in detail in my book. Torak, the Orc. Strong, fast, good with his hands, an able fighter, hunter, and survivor. He's illiterate. Uneducated, unsophisticated, but are these true marks of intelligence? Then there's Dallet. Uncoordinated, weak, no stamina, but an avid reader, and knows a great deal of material about culture, history, and.... he doesn't know how to skin a rabbit in the wild. When it comes to survival knowledge, he's stupider than Torak.
Who's the real smart one here?
February 9, 2013
On Anger
On Anger
As I write this, there's a lunatic running around Southern California. A fired police officer who is taking out his rage by shooting his former coworkers. And their fiancee's. And their children.
He posted a manifesto, justifying his violence. He recounts every wrong done to him, every decision, every fight, going back to his school days. He urges reporters to follow up on the corruption that drove him off the deep end. He calls all former fellow officers "high value targets" with a separate paragraph for different races and sexual orientations How he justifies the murder of caucasians, africans, hispanics, asians, lesbians. And he gives Hillary Clinton a 2016 endorsement.
What a guy.
Anger is an emotion I am well familiar with. That, and grudges. I've held onto grudges my whole life. It's a vanity, you know. It's a way of allowing ourselves to be right, and to hell with the rest of the world. I am right, so I do not need to listen. I was a victim, so I do not need to be merciful. After all, I have Justice, and Right, at my side.
What a vanity.
But I know rage. I don't want to go into detail on my personal vendettas. But I remember those fits of anger. Fury so heavy that I can't sleep at night. Frustration at past wrongs that my fists clench and shake, that I pound the bed, slam my head on the pillow. Some of my anger was towards people who really did wrong me. Some may have been issues where I was partially at blame. The worst, I think, was the anger where I know I did something wrong, but blamed every one else anyway.
It's too hard to admit my own mistakes. Especially those that have large consequences.
Once I had such a traumatic event that the people involved were literally giving me nightmares. Even in my dreams, I couldn't escape being hurt again and again by these people. And in my fantasies, I started imagining retalliation...
Thou shalt not murder.
Scoff at the Bible if you wish. I know plenty of people who do. I see it on Facebook all the time. A pack of superstition. Silly stories that could never have happened. Outdated ideas for a primitive Bronze age culture.
Thou shalt not murder.
I knew something was wrong with me. This kind of anger was not right. An image came to my head: no one other than Moses himself, coming down from mount Sinai, carrying two stone tablets. On these stones were laws dictated to him by no one other than the Creator of the Universe.
And among those ten commandments, there is one that calls out, the most unforgivable, the one whose violation destroys entire worlds, whole lineages. The one that seems so obvious when you're seven years old. But you forget, when you're fully grown, so certain you're right, having suffered wrongs that no playground bully could ever imagine. And you dream that in your rage, you're connecting to a supreme value called "Justice."
Thou shalt not murder.
And I force myself out of bed. I drink a glass of wine, and I'll have another glass, or cough syrup, or anything to distract my mind from rage. And even if I am right about the wrongs done to me, I do not have the right to violate the laws of G-d. Especially that one. No matter how important I think I am.
What scares me about this Dorner is that when I see him, I see an anger a thousand times stronger than mine... but I still know a grain of it I see a sense of vain injustice as large as the ocean, compared to my little drop. But I still have a drop.
Oh, I know anger. I know injustice, even in my own small sphere of life. I know what it's like to be ruined by lies, by false accusations. Yes, not bearing false witness is another commandment. But if someone broke that one to ruin me, I have no right to break one of my own.
I studied this when I wrote Captive of the Orcs. One of my lead characters, the orc Torak, is ruled by anger. He'll respond to insults with violence. He'll respond to wrongdoing with murder. His slave Dallet tries to sooth these mad reactions, like a feeble conscience on the shoulder of a devil. Jiminy Cricket had it easy.
Thou shalt not murder.
We've heard of the Hatfields and the McCoys. The blood feuds that kill entire extended families, tribes, nations. You wrong me, so I kill you. And I killed yours, so you kill five of mine. And then I-
Eye for an eye and no more. Tooth for a tooth, and no more. Again, the Bible implores us to seek what we lost: that, and only that. No matter how much this creep Dorner feels he was wrongfully fired... and maybe he was for all I know... it gives him no right to pronounce a death sentence on someone's child.
What vanity.
I hate anger. I know the emotion well, and oh, do I hate it. What chains it brings! Wrecking our happiness, our relationships, our very thoughts. All in the worship of a certain idolatry. A certain worship of a false god. An idol that separates us from the Lord, from our fellow man, from our own family.
And what is this false idol that the angry person worships? Himself.
If there's anyone I ever offended, hurt, or wronged when I was lost in my own anger, I am sorry. I may never have the courage to say it in person. I may be writing it on a meaningless blog that no one reads. But I am sorry nonetheless.
As the sages of old say: "Who is strong? He who conquers himself." Dorner, you are a weak, pitiful, evil man. You should pray that G-d has mercy on your soul, because I know that I would not.
As I write this, there's a lunatic running around Southern California. A fired police officer who is taking out his rage by shooting his former coworkers. And their fiancee's. And their children.
He posted a manifesto, justifying his violence. He recounts every wrong done to him, every decision, every fight, going back to his school days. He urges reporters to follow up on the corruption that drove him off the deep end. He calls all former fellow officers "high value targets" with a separate paragraph for different races and sexual orientations How he justifies the murder of caucasians, africans, hispanics, asians, lesbians. And he gives Hillary Clinton a 2016 endorsement.
What a guy.
Anger is an emotion I am well familiar with. That, and grudges. I've held onto grudges my whole life. It's a vanity, you know. It's a way of allowing ourselves to be right, and to hell with the rest of the world. I am right, so I do not need to listen. I was a victim, so I do not need to be merciful. After all, I have Justice, and Right, at my side.
What a vanity.
But I know rage. I don't want to go into detail on my personal vendettas. But I remember those fits of anger. Fury so heavy that I can't sleep at night. Frustration at past wrongs that my fists clench and shake, that I pound the bed, slam my head on the pillow. Some of my anger was towards people who really did wrong me. Some may have been issues where I was partially at blame. The worst, I think, was the anger where I know I did something wrong, but blamed every one else anyway.
It's too hard to admit my own mistakes. Especially those that have large consequences.
Once I had such a traumatic event that the people involved were literally giving me nightmares. Even in my dreams, I couldn't escape being hurt again and again by these people. And in my fantasies, I started imagining retalliation...
Thou shalt not murder.
Scoff at the Bible if you wish. I know plenty of people who do. I see it on Facebook all the time. A pack of superstition. Silly stories that could never have happened. Outdated ideas for a primitive Bronze age culture.
Thou shalt not murder.
I knew something was wrong with me. This kind of anger was not right. An image came to my head: no one other than Moses himself, coming down from mount Sinai, carrying two stone tablets. On these stones were laws dictated to him by no one other than the Creator of the Universe.
And among those ten commandments, there is one that calls out, the most unforgivable, the one whose violation destroys entire worlds, whole lineages. The one that seems so obvious when you're seven years old. But you forget, when you're fully grown, so certain you're right, having suffered wrongs that no playground bully could ever imagine. And you dream that in your rage, you're connecting to a supreme value called "Justice."
Thou shalt not murder.
And I force myself out of bed. I drink a glass of wine, and I'll have another glass, or cough syrup, or anything to distract my mind from rage. And even if I am right about the wrongs done to me, I do not have the right to violate the laws of G-d. Especially that one. No matter how important I think I am.
What scares me about this Dorner is that when I see him, I see an anger a thousand times stronger than mine... but I still know a grain of it I see a sense of vain injustice as large as the ocean, compared to my little drop. But I still have a drop.
Oh, I know anger. I know injustice, even in my own small sphere of life. I know what it's like to be ruined by lies, by false accusations. Yes, not bearing false witness is another commandment. But if someone broke that one to ruin me, I have no right to break one of my own.
I studied this when I wrote Captive of the Orcs. One of my lead characters, the orc Torak, is ruled by anger. He'll respond to insults with violence. He'll respond to wrongdoing with murder. His slave Dallet tries to sooth these mad reactions, like a feeble conscience on the shoulder of a devil. Jiminy Cricket had it easy.
Thou shalt not murder.
We've heard of the Hatfields and the McCoys. The blood feuds that kill entire extended families, tribes, nations. You wrong me, so I kill you. And I killed yours, so you kill five of mine. And then I-
Eye for an eye and no more. Tooth for a tooth, and no more. Again, the Bible implores us to seek what we lost: that, and only that. No matter how much this creep Dorner feels he was wrongfully fired... and maybe he was for all I know... it gives him no right to pronounce a death sentence on someone's child.
What vanity.
I hate anger. I know the emotion well, and oh, do I hate it. What chains it brings! Wrecking our happiness, our relationships, our very thoughts. All in the worship of a certain idolatry. A certain worship of a false god. An idol that separates us from the Lord, from our fellow man, from our own family.
And what is this false idol that the angry person worships? Himself.
If there's anyone I ever offended, hurt, or wronged when I was lost in my own anger, I am sorry. I may never have the courage to say it in person. I may be writing it on a meaningless blog that no one reads. But I am sorry nonetheless.
As the sages of old say: "Who is strong? He who conquers himself." Dorner, you are a weak, pitiful, evil man. You should pray that G-d has mercy on your soul, because I know that I would not.
February 3, 2013
On Writing
One of my fellow Center One authors suggested that if I write a blog post about writing, she would repost it on her own website. So, in the interest of cross-pollination, that will be the subject of my current essay.
The funny thing is, I haven't often been asked about strategies for writing. Not that I'm exactly sure what the best way is. I think there's a lot of stereotypical responses one could get: The types you might find from books, or creative writing classes. Funny thing is, my old College classes nearly destroyed my writing forever. My confidence was shattered when I was an undergrad, and I lost all conviction to my own opinions. If it wasn't for my mentor during my literary internship, I don't know if I ever would have gotten it back. How that happened is a story I'll save for another time.
But if I were to teach a writing workshop, and decide on a way that was generally helpful for aspiring writers, what would I say? Let me suggest some important components, without much of a sensible order.
#1: Coffee.
Yes, I am serious. For me, writing without this glorious little stimulant is like driving a car without gas. I might be able to roll downhill in neutral, but not much more than that. Most of my work was composed in the local Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I find very little gets done at home. Too many distractions. But if I uproot myself and go in public with the intention of getting work done, it's more likely that I'll get a few pages of worthwhile material. Not a certainty, of course, but it's a little trickier to waste time. Though hardly impossible.
Once I made the separation of home for rest, and coffee shop for work, I grew more productive. And it gives my day some regularity.
#2: The slush pile
This is something I learned back during the above mentioned internship. If you don't work in the editing business, or a related field, I'd recommend a little gem of a book by Denny Martin Flinn: "How Not to Write a Screenplay." Flinn gives a front row seat to the mistakes of unskilled authors. Flat dialogue. Terrible description. Non-sensical plots. Too much or too little exposition. Overwriting. Underwriting. Lack of word variety. But my descriptions are not doing this justice. Nothing can make you appreciate a good book until you read a bad one.
That may well be a problem with your old High School English class. Remember how Mrs. Jones gave you great works to read by Shakespeare, Dickens, Twain, Melville? Works with enough genius and profound insight to withstand the test of time? But if she had you read, say, the short stories left behind by the previous graduating class, maybe you'd have an appreciation for the type of dreck that ends up on the desk of an overworked, underpaid editorial assistant, in a company that's looking for one good manuscript in a pile of a thousand bad ones.
It's a life changing experience. And if you realize that when you submit your own query for publication, even if your work is wonderful, it's going to be tough for that intern to pick it out from the other incoming envelopes. Needle in a haystack indeed! And how do you really know that you're better than the rest?
And I ask the same questions of myself: Do I have talent? Or am I just another egomaniac, hoping that my little thimbleful of ability can compete with the likes of a J.K. Rowling or a Steven King, let alone the literary voices that still echo from previous centuries? Sounds awfully presumptuous on my part, even if I recognize that at one point, King and Rowling were also first time writers, and undiscovered.
When you become conscious of what the incoming manuscripts are like for the editing company, it may grant a bit of humility to your own efforts. Not that I'm saying you should give up writing. Every author hopes that they're the cultural inheritors of an J.R. Tolkien, or a Virginia Woolf. But we may be another Joe and Jane Unknown Writer, fated to obscurity. So be it. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn that the world doesn't revolve around us.
#3 Literacy
Let's be honest: we have moved from a literary culture to a visual one. Television is accessible to all. And if not TV, there are movies, video games, and other modes where moving images replace using your eyes to track the printed word.
The worst offenders of the above slush pile are those, I think, spend their time watching television, to the point that they can tell you more about the Kardashians than the works of Agatha Christie. (By the way, can someone tell me who the Kardashians are, and why people pay attention to them?)
I don't make any claims to be widely familiar with the literary canon, and I am conscious of large gaps in my own reading history. And I am aware of how many hours I misuse in my leisure time that could be better spent with books. Still, I do remember reading Crime and Punishment and Don Quixote during long commutes aboard the New York subways. Not to mention Moby Dick, Treasure Island and the Bible during my dead time in one of the most boring jobs I ever had. And though I was a little old for Harry Potter when it came out, I still made my way through the series. It's foolish to be unaware of a cultural phenomenon, past or present.
Ah, but here I am again, offering criticism for potential writers, in the form of pointing out the same bad habits I struggle with. And who am I to be giving this sort of advice? Is this just my pedantic side of me, the part that wants to lecture and sound high minded, without giving actual description of the craft?
Maybe so. So tell you what. I'll write another essay soon, on some of my personal tricks that probably won't work for anyone else but me. Call it my coming attraction.
The funny thing is, I haven't often been asked about strategies for writing. Not that I'm exactly sure what the best way is. I think there's a lot of stereotypical responses one could get: The types you might find from books, or creative writing classes. Funny thing is, my old College classes nearly destroyed my writing forever. My confidence was shattered when I was an undergrad, and I lost all conviction to my own opinions. If it wasn't for my mentor during my literary internship, I don't know if I ever would have gotten it back. How that happened is a story I'll save for another time.
But if I were to teach a writing workshop, and decide on a way that was generally helpful for aspiring writers, what would I say? Let me suggest some important components, without much of a sensible order.
#1: Coffee.
Yes, I am serious. For me, writing without this glorious little stimulant is like driving a car without gas. I might be able to roll downhill in neutral, but not much more than that. Most of my work was composed in the local Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I find very little gets done at home. Too many distractions. But if I uproot myself and go in public with the intention of getting work done, it's more likely that I'll get a few pages of worthwhile material. Not a certainty, of course, but it's a little trickier to waste time. Though hardly impossible.
Once I made the separation of home for rest, and coffee shop for work, I grew more productive. And it gives my day some regularity.
#2: The slush pile
This is something I learned back during the above mentioned internship. If you don't work in the editing business, or a related field, I'd recommend a little gem of a book by Denny Martin Flinn: "How Not to Write a Screenplay." Flinn gives a front row seat to the mistakes of unskilled authors. Flat dialogue. Terrible description. Non-sensical plots. Too much or too little exposition. Overwriting. Underwriting. Lack of word variety. But my descriptions are not doing this justice. Nothing can make you appreciate a good book until you read a bad one.
That may well be a problem with your old High School English class. Remember how Mrs. Jones gave you great works to read by Shakespeare, Dickens, Twain, Melville? Works with enough genius and profound insight to withstand the test of time? But if she had you read, say, the short stories left behind by the previous graduating class, maybe you'd have an appreciation for the type of dreck that ends up on the desk of an overworked, underpaid editorial assistant, in a company that's looking for one good manuscript in a pile of a thousand bad ones.
It's a life changing experience. And if you realize that when you submit your own query for publication, even if your work is wonderful, it's going to be tough for that intern to pick it out from the other incoming envelopes. Needle in a haystack indeed! And how do you really know that you're better than the rest?
And I ask the same questions of myself: Do I have talent? Or am I just another egomaniac, hoping that my little thimbleful of ability can compete with the likes of a J.K. Rowling or a Steven King, let alone the literary voices that still echo from previous centuries? Sounds awfully presumptuous on my part, even if I recognize that at one point, King and Rowling were also first time writers, and undiscovered.
When you become conscious of what the incoming manuscripts are like for the editing company, it may grant a bit of humility to your own efforts. Not that I'm saying you should give up writing. Every author hopes that they're the cultural inheritors of an J.R. Tolkien, or a Virginia Woolf. But we may be another Joe and Jane Unknown Writer, fated to obscurity. So be it. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn that the world doesn't revolve around us.
#3 Literacy
Let's be honest: we have moved from a literary culture to a visual one. Television is accessible to all. And if not TV, there are movies, video games, and other modes where moving images replace using your eyes to track the printed word.
The worst offenders of the above slush pile are those, I think, spend their time watching television, to the point that they can tell you more about the Kardashians than the works of Agatha Christie. (By the way, can someone tell me who the Kardashians are, and why people pay attention to them?)
I don't make any claims to be widely familiar with the literary canon, and I am conscious of large gaps in my own reading history. And I am aware of how many hours I misuse in my leisure time that could be better spent with books. Still, I do remember reading Crime and Punishment and Don Quixote during long commutes aboard the New York subways. Not to mention Moby Dick, Treasure Island and the Bible during my dead time in one of the most boring jobs I ever had. And though I was a little old for Harry Potter when it came out, I still made my way through the series. It's foolish to be unaware of a cultural phenomenon, past or present.
Ah, but here I am again, offering criticism for potential writers, in the form of pointing out the same bad habits I struggle with. And who am I to be giving this sort of advice? Is this just my pedantic side of me, the part that wants to lecture and sound high minded, without giving actual description of the craft?
Maybe so. So tell you what. I'll write another essay soon, on some of my personal tricks that probably won't work for anyone else but me. Call it my coming attraction.
January 27, 2013
On Images
On Images
I'll admit it now: I am a terrible artist.
My stick figures are on par with those drawn by a pre-schooler, except I am embarrassed by them while the child is having fun. My penmanship remains as shoddy as ever. Perhaps in an older time I would have had the motivation to fix it, but in this age where writing is done through electronic devices, it seemed less necessary.
I have trouble appreciating art too. Oh, I go to museums on occassion. And I examine the paintings, trying to understand their meanings. Some are obvious enough that I can work it out. But abstract art works? I have no idea.
Not that there aren't some that blow me away with their beauty. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, my adorable wife and I visited an art store in the Planet Hollywood mall. I still recall a picture there, the most astounding Autumn scene I have ever seen, trees with leaves of orange and yellow so real I felt that I could reach into the painting and touch them. The store owner said she could give us a special deal for only $20,000. Yes, that was quite a bit above our vacation budget.
Yet, as a writer, I am called upon to describe. I'm sure ever author faces their own challenges. Some may struggle with plot, others with rewrites, and some with heart-felt language that doesn't sound like a science journal. I'm not saying coming up with colorful, descriptive imagery is my largest challenge, but making something visually come alive is a tricky task.
When I imagine the differences between myself as I am, and what I would be like if I were an artist who made realistic pictures with a paintbrush, the main distinction is that if I were an artist, I would know how to see. Perhaps as a writer, I know how to break things up in words. It is even as intrinsic as my own thoughts. I think in words. Some people think in pictures: a concept that is nearly as confusing to me as describing music to a deaf person. But sometimes even the deaf can feel vibrations in sounds, and sometimes I have flashes of visual beauty, or even visual accuity. If I were a doctor, I could imagine committing latin names of illnesses to memory. I can visualize calculating the proper dosages of medications with mass and grams. But studying someone's skin in search of a slightly off-color redness to indicate a certain condition? That sounds the hardest of all.
My novel is the story of Torak, a young, green skinned Orc, light on his feet, strong on arm, quick to anger, who carries a spear on his back that he can pull out in a quick motion for a fight. He wears a mix of rags that he can wear as coverings when it's cold, or tie around his waist when it's hot. He carries a skinning knife in his belt, and wears a bone necklace with the skull of a rodent as the hang piece. His hair is rough and unwashed, sticking in clumps, tied together with bands of different colors. Like most Orcs, he has pig-like features, and tusk-like teeth that come out of his mouth
But what does he look like?
My novel is the story of Dallet, a human who is enslaved by Torak. But a word like "human" is as generic as can be. Dallet is well-read, and in his knapsack he carries books that he studies as often as he can. He wears worn robes, and a grey-brown travelling cloak, the holes repaired with home-done stitching. This is the dress of Dallet's people: the Luminean Exiles, a despised group of pious nomads who no longer have a homeland. Dallet studied books all his life, but never done so much as skin a fish for dinner. He taught children to read, but never learned how to handle a weapon, start a fire, or build a camp.
But what does he look like?
Like I said, I am not an artist. But I'm as curious as anyone to see my characters. If anyone wants to try their hand at illustration and send me a copy, perhaps it will be used in websites for the future, and I'd be happy to credit good pictures. I'm interested in what people can come up with.
I'll admit it now: I am a terrible artist.
My stick figures are on par with those drawn by a pre-schooler, except I am embarrassed by them while the child is having fun. My penmanship remains as shoddy as ever. Perhaps in an older time I would have had the motivation to fix it, but in this age where writing is done through electronic devices, it seemed less necessary.
I have trouble appreciating art too. Oh, I go to museums on occassion. And I examine the paintings, trying to understand their meanings. Some are obvious enough that I can work it out. But abstract art works? I have no idea.
Not that there aren't some that blow me away with their beauty. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, my adorable wife and I visited an art store in the Planet Hollywood mall. I still recall a picture there, the most astounding Autumn scene I have ever seen, trees with leaves of orange and yellow so real I felt that I could reach into the painting and touch them. The store owner said she could give us a special deal for only $20,000. Yes, that was quite a bit above our vacation budget.
Yet, as a writer, I am called upon to describe. I'm sure ever author faces their own challenges. Some may struggle with plot, others with rewrites, and some with heart-felt language that doesn't sound like a science journal. I'm not saying coming up with colorful, descriptive imagery is my largest challenge, but making something visually come alive is a tricky task.
When I imagine the differences between myself as I am, and what I would be like if I were an artist who made realistic pictures with a paintbrush, the main distinction is that if I were an artist, I would know how to see. Perhaps as a writer, I know how to break things up in words. It is even as intrinsic as my own thoughts. I think in words. Some people think in pictures: a concept that is nearly as confusing to me as describing music to a deaf person. But sometimes even the deaf can feel vibrations in sounds, and sometimes I have flashes of visual beauty, or even visual accuity. If I were a doctor, I could imagine committing latin names of illnesses to memory. I can visualize calculating the proper dosages of medications with mass and grams. But studying someone's skin in search of a slightly off-color redness to indicate a certain condition? That sounds the hardest of all.
My novel is the story of Torak, a young, green skinned Orc, light on his feet, strong on arm, quick to anger, who carries a spear on his back that he can pull out in a quick motion for a fight. He wears a mix of rags that he can wear as coverings when it's cold, or tie around his waist when it's hot. He carries a skinning knife in his belt, and wears a bone necklace with the skull of a rodent as the hang piece. His hair is rough and unwashed, sticking in clumps, tied together with bands of different colors. Like most Orcs, he has pig-like features, and tusk-like teeth that come out of his mouth
But what does he look like?
My novel is the story of Dallet, a human who is enslaved by Torak. But a word like "human" is as generic as can be. Dallet is well-read, and in his knapsack he carries books that he studies as often as he can. He wears worn robes, and a grey-brown travelling cloak, the holes repaired with home-done stitching. This is the dress of Dallet's people: the Luminean Exiles, a despised group of pious nomads who no longer have a homeland. Dallet studied books all his life, but never done so much as skin a fish for dinner. He taught children to read, but never learned how to handle a weapon, start a fire, or build a camp.
But what does he look like?
Like I said, I am not an artist. But I'm as curious as anyone to see my characters. If anyone wants to try their hand at illustration and send me a copy, perhaps it will be used in websites for the future, and I'd be happy to credit good pictures. I'm interested in what people can come up with.
January 19, 2013
On Humiliation
On Ridicule
Ravi and Elaf had a quarrel, and refused to speak. Cleric Fila met Ravi, and told him that Elaf wept, saying that he wronged his friend Ravi, and did not know how to ask forgiveness. Cleric Fila then visited Elaf, and told him Ravi wept, knowing he wronged his friend Elaf and did not know how to ask forgiveness. By this method were the two men reconciled.
-Cleric Itut's Tales of the Exiles
I saw an opinion article in the newspaper this morning. The subject was gun control. But I'm not writing about gun control in this article. In fact, I'll leave it to your imagination if the author was pro or con.
But what I noticed wasn't the author so much. It was how he handled his argument.
The first six paragraphs were full of mocking, condescending ridicule of his ideological opposites. Not a summarizing and a response to arguments. Just a series of insults. They're "children." They're "ridiculous." They're "insignificant, hysterical, foolish, absurd."
Somewhere in paragraph seven, one of the arguments was mentioned, and attacked. Superficially attacked. The meat of the argument was unaddressed. It was the clothing, the presentation, that was ridiculed.
And people wonder why our discourse is uncivilized these days.
One of the 10 commandments is "Thou shalt not murder." Among the interpretations of this commandment is the sub-category: thou shalt not publicly humiliate another human being. Humiliating someone is comparable to murder.
Why? Well, there are sub-reasons. One is that embarrassing someone has a similar reaction to murdering them: their skin turns pale white. Another is that murdering a person's reputation is a wicked deed. Perhaps not the same extent as snuffing out a life, but a wicked deed all the same.
Naturally, it runs rampant across our culture. We don't debate anymore. We don't argue. We ridicule. We embarass. We attack children of our ideological opposites. We use children to pretend their innocence validates our positions.
Take the above snippet. It's not just guilt that keeps us from reconciliation. It's pride. It was not only the argument between Ravi and Elaf that kept them from making peace. Neither wanted to be embarrassed. Fila's cleverness finds a way where both can be friends without losing face. If we cared as much of preserving the dignity of our fellow people, whether they be friends or rivals, I think we'd fix a lot that's wrong with the world today.
BEGIN PLUG:
(The snippet is from my book, "Captive of the Orcs," More are available, so order your copy today!)
END PLUG:
Thanks for reading, another post coming next week.
Ravi and Elaf had a quarrel, and refused to speak. Cleric Fila met Ravi, and told him that Elaf wept, saying that he wronged his friend Ravi, and did not know how to ask forgiveness. Cleric Fila then visited Elaf, and told him Ravi wept, knowing he wronged his friend Elaf and did not know how to ask forgiveness. By this method were the two men reconciled.
-Cleric Itut's Tales of the Exiles
I saw an opinion article in the newspaper this morning. The subject was gun control. But I'm not writing about gun control in this article. In fact, I'll leave it to your imagination if the author was pro or con.
But what I noticed wasn't the author so much. It was how he handled his argument.
The first six paragraphs were full of mocking, condescending ridicule of his ideological opposites. Not a summarizing and a response to arguments. Just a series of insults. They're "children." They're "ridiculous." They're "insignificant, hysterical, foolish, absurd."
Somewhere in paragraph seven, one of the arguments was mentioned, and attacked. Superficially attacked. The meat of the argument was unaddressed. It was the clothing, the presentation, that was ridiculed.
And people wonder why our discourse is uncivilized these days.
One of the 10 commandments is "Thou shalt not murder." Among the interpretations of this commandment is the sub-category: thou shalt not publicly humiliate another human being. Humiliating someone is comparable to murder.
Why? Well, there are sub-reasons. One is that embarrassing someone has a similar reaction to murdering them: their skin turns pale white. Another is that murdering a person's reputation is a wicked deed. Perhaps not the same extent as snuffing out a life, but a wicked deed all the same.
Naturally, it runs rampant across our culture. We don't debate anymore. We don't argue. We ridicule. We embarass. We attack children of our ideological opposites. We use children to pretend their innocence validates our positions.
Take the above snippet. It's not just guilt that keeps us from reconciliation. It's pride. It was not only the argument between Ravi and Elaf that kept them from making peace. Neither wanted to be embarrassed. Fila's cleverness finds a way where both can be friends without losing face. If we cared as much of preserving the dignity of our fellow people, whether they be friends or rivals, I think we'd fix a lot that's wrong with the world today.
BEGIN PLUG:
(The snippet is from my book, "Captive of the Orcs," More are available, so order your copy today!)
END PLUG:
Thanks for reading, another post coming next week.
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