My second love before writing is animals. I love animals of all kinds. I have worked at animal shelters and vets as well as volunteered at animal shelters and wildlife rescue groups. My love for animals has extended to my online presence. I have written several articles about animals which I have contributed to various websites. One such informative article is about rabbits and hares which I wrote around Easter one year. Check out my Squidoo page at http://www.squidoo.com/fun-information-rabbits-and-hares.
About the Author
Nothing dampens my creativity more than the day to day grind at the corporate monster. After a long day of work, it is so easy to procrastinate on writing. My brain is already half-dead at this point anyway. So how did I do it?
Writing my book was not easy. Even though I had the story in my head for years, it took me over a year to actually write it. I was lucky enough to have extra time at night. See, I worked the night shift as a 911 operator. My shift started at 10pm. It was busy for the first four hours but after 2am, it was almost dead. Since I had to be ready for phone calls, I couldn’t just leave my desk. So some nights when I wasn’t joking around or gossiping with my coworkers, I wrote my book.
But that luxury didn’t last long. 911 was a stressful job and I had to quit. Any job I held afterward was less stressful but more time consuming. As a result it took a lot longer to write my second and third books.
In order to keep myself from procrastinating too much, I made certain that I had specific time set aside for just me. No one was to interrupt me during that time. Sometimes I just wasn’t in the mood to write so I goofed around. But most of the time, I buckled down and just did it.
Anyone who tells you they have “secrets” to finding time to write are just trying to sell you something. The true “secret” is discipline. You have to commit and stick to it as much as you can. Never give up. You will have bad days where you get nothing done, but you will have good days too. And the more good days you have, the sooner you can finish your book.
Writing does not come easy for me. While I may daydream a lot, converting my imagination into a story is difficult. Daydreaming is easy. Creative writing is not. Once I get all the hard work of research and outlining the story down, I have to be in the right frame of mind in order to write creatively and from the heart. So how do I get myself into that mindset? Here are a few of the most common ways which work for me:
Read Short Stories
Reading short stories written by other authors can be very inspiring. I don’t copy their ideas, but their ideas sometimes open my mind and get that creative wheel churning.
Join a Writer’s Club
Other writers can be a great inspiration for writing. I have established relationships both online and off. So I have a great source of people where I can read their work, get good tips, and receive constructive criticism.
Look At Art
This is unique to me as I am a fantasy writer. Looking at fantasy art of dragons, fairies, and men in knightly armor sometimes gets me in the right mood for creative writing.
Watch a Movie
Sometimes I watch movies for inspiration. Even though I have seen Lord of the Rings a hundred times, watching it again can get my imagination going.
Make a To-do List and Time Table
This is a very important thing that I need to do in order to write. I have to set aside time and dedicate myself to that time. If I don’t set a time and a time table, I tend to procrastinate.
Just Do It
If I do not have any creative juices flowing when my time to write has come, I just do it anyway. My work is not at its best when it is forced. But sometimes just the act of writing gets me in the right mind set.
Some of these techniques work and sometimes they don’t. And some work better than others. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill. But the biggest key is to keep trying.
What do you find inspiration to write?
It has been a few weeks now since I have worked on getting my fantasy novel in a format which I can put on Smashwords. It’s really not all that difficult since Smashwords gives detailed step by step instructions. But once again, I have found myself procrastinating. I am too tired, too busy, or I just can’t motivate myself. I am also very distracted with a fantasy novel I am reading.
I just finished reading “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss and am now reading the sequel, “The Wise Man’s Fear”. I just can’t put it down. I am so engrossed that almost everything else is taking a back seat.
As I am reading his fantasy novels, I am once again reminded of my striking inadequacy as a writer. Patrick Rothfuss writes so well. I am compelled by the characters and sucked fully into the story. The characters are more than believable, especially the main character who has a tendency to speak and act without thinking of the consequences. The dialog between characters flows naturally and are not at all awkward or prone to give long boring discourses. The story is a fictional biography of sorts so it is a bunch of small stories within one big long story. As a biography, the main character has both good times and bad. And even when he is having good times, I still want to read more to see what other trouble he can get himself into.
In my imagination, the main character in my book is just as compelling. I have had his story in my head for so long that he is often in my dreams. During the day when I daydream, I think of yet another adventure he can get himself into. But I am not so sure that this character is as compelling on paper. Did I write him as well as I imagine him? Are his character and his story believable? Are the relationships between him and the other characters convincing?
I may not be as good of a writer as Patrick Rothfuss and other well-known fantasy authors. But how will I know unless I get my fantasy novel out there for you to read?
Star Trek has to be my all-time favorite TV series. When I was younger, it was the old Star Trek with Captain Kirk and Spock. When I was older, it was Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine. My other favorite science fiction TV shows include Buck Rogers, V (old and new), Quantum Leap, Battlestar Galactica (old and new), Alien Nation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Sliders, and Babylon 5.
My favorite fantasy TV shows include the Highlander series, Xena the Warrior Princess, Hercules, Firefly, and Legend of the Seeker. I was hooked on Xena. In fact, I met the real life Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor)’s mother in Austin, Texas. We were in a courtroom waiting room waiting to be called as witnesses on two different criminal cases. She asked me about what I liked to watch on TV. I told her I didn’t watch much TV and thought it was a waste of time, especially with all the stupid stuff on. Then she specifically asked me about Xena. “I love that show!” I exclaimed, not yet knowing she was Renee O’Connor’s mother.
At first, I didn’t like the Highlander series, but somewhere in the middle, I got hooked. I liked Hercules okay, but I only watched it because it was on right before or right after Xena. Legend of the Seeker was good, but not as good as the books it was based on (Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series). The Legend of the Seeker was fun to watch in its own right, so long as I didn’t get caught up in how different it was from the book. Since I don’t watch much TV (as compared to a lot of other Americans) I didn’t even know about the TV series Firefly until my friend Shauna told me to watch the movie Serenity. Right after watching that movie, I purchased the TV series Firefly.
Great shows like these make me wish I had cable so I could watch more. But then I’d be watching TV instead of writing! These and other great Sci-Fi / Fantasy TV series can be purchased at Amazon.com.
My early favorite fantasy movies were the Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Legend, and NeverEnding Story. When I feel like watching a fun, lighthearted movie with music, I will watch the Labyrinth again and again. The Labyrinth is still one of my all-time favorites. As I got a little older, I enjoyed Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, The Beastmaster, and other similar more adult and more violent-type movies.
When Lord of the Rings came out on the big screen, I was super excited. If I had the money at the time, I would have been one of the people waiting in line at midnight wearing a costume. Lord of the Rings left a lot of the book out, but it still left a lot in. I wasn’t too thrilled about the way they made Gimli a clown, but I loved the dynamics between him and Legolas. I thought the actors who played Gandalf and Aragorn were perfect. The CGI of Gollum and Treebeard were awesome.
Other great fantasy movies which inspired me include Highlander, Willow, The Princess Bride, Kull the Conqueror, Spawn, Final Fantasy, The Chronicles of Narnia, Stardust, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Ella Enchanted.
My all-time favorite science fiction movie is Star Wars. I also liked StarGate, Serenity, Matrix, Star Trek, Avatar, and others.
These and other great movies can be purchased at my Amazon a-Store, http://astore.amazon.com/fantasy-sci-fi-movies-20. Since it is an Amazon store, you can be assured that it is a safe and secure site.
Books, movies, and television opened my imagination and inspired me to write my own fantasy novel. So who are the great sci-fi and fantasy authors who inspired me? No, not the author of Harry Potter. Although I do like Harry Potter, I wrote my first book before I ever even knew who Harry Potter was.
The first fantasy author I read was J. R. Tolkien. I loved The Hobbit! Lord of the Rings was a bit difficult for me to get through when I was young, so it wasn’t my favorite then. But when I was older and read it again, I loved it even more than The Hobbit.
The first sci-fi author I read was Isaac Asimov. I can’t remember any one story specifically. He wrote so many. But as soon as I was done with one, I’d go back to the library and get another.
I also love books by Frank Herbert, Jack Whyte, David Farland, Terry Brooks, Jennifer Fallon, and Brent Weeks. Patrick Rothfuss wrote a great fantasy novel, “The Name of the Wind”. His next book, “The Wise Man’s Fear” is finally out and I am waiting in anticipation for my Amazon order to arrive.
My all-time favorite fantasy author and epic series is the “Sword of Truth” series by Terry Goodkind. Robert Jordan’s epic series “The Wheel of Time” is also great, but I sort of lost interest in the long delay after book eleven.
Find all these books at my Amazon a-store at http://astore.amazon.com/fantasyauthors-20.
Will you recommend some other great fantasy authors?
About the Author
Dawn Ross is currently a resident of the wonderful state of Kansas. She spent her childhood in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon and her teenage to young adult years in the scenic hill country of Texas. Dawn graduated from high school in 1991. She continued her education at Austin Community College, majoring in commercial and studio art. Next to writing, art is her favorite hobby. She specializes in drawing/painting predatory wildlife, scenery, portraits, and fantasy art. Dawn enjoys reading history – especially medieval European history. Her love for ancient times and her interest in the novels written by modern fantasy authors has inspired her to write her own epic fantasy adventures.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Author Dawn Ross 