You the fire,
I the ore,
Heating me,
I transform…

You the stone,
I the sword,
Grinding me down,
I sharpen…

For ages we have imagined. How might a person fly? Or how could a person communicate with another over long distances? How could a deadly illness be defeated? And as we imagined we experimented. A few of us employed belief. They leapt off cliffs, attempted telepathy, or experimented with ritualistic surgery – all with disastrous or less than extraordinary results. Others applied reason, the long process of trial and error, the recording of observed results – success or failure. Bit by bit the darkness was rolled back by those with the courage to see and search for truth in the world and to use their reason to the benefit of all. (more…)

She’s a fair dream — writing,
When the muse sings clear,
As larks at dawn,
She’s fair as sunlight on seafoam.

She’s like the ocean,
A slate when still,
Cold as knives in her dead season,
Riled with passion when spirits gust over her.

Many seek her,
But are unready for the hard work of water,
Questing for the great ocean,
They see instead her vastness,
But fail to know the long ages it took to make her.

Many more seek to rule her,
Some by taming the rivers that feed,
Others by claiming the sea for their own,
But all boundaries crumble to her gentle touch,
And she knows no master.

It is wisdom instead to dance with her,
and to laugh,
For we become her,
Or make for her but one season,
As she will ever endure.

A fair dream writing,
To grin at all the would-be poets,
And laugh at all profiteers,
Who only dream of dreaming,
And never touch the sea.

The part I wrote last night came as a complete surprise. I love it when that happens. It’s almost like you’re watching a movie as opposed to writing a story. You have all these ideas swirling around. Then they come together in a way that’s totally unexpected. For me, that’s the best part about writing.

There are few things that can seem more difficult for fantasy writers than finding the right names for characters. It can be mind bogglingly infuriating! You have this perfect character concept but the only word your mind spits out is ‘Joe’ or ‘Sue’ or ‘Shrilanka.’

Why names?

I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten the question –”How do you find names for your characters?” — at a school visit or on myspace. So I’ll let you guys take a look at my notepad and, hopefully, it will be helpful to you.

When I approach a character, I think it’s very important to get a sense of feel. At a very young age the name I gave this concept was ‘mojo.’ Mojo is an old voodoo word for spirit or magic. As it relates to the process of character creation, I feel it’s completely appropriate. My idea for mojo came while developing characters for role playing games in early high school. So, no, Austin Powers did not influence me. Quite the contrary, I feel he bastardized a perfectly good word! (more…)

I have come to the conclusion that I am dangerous. Not dangerous in the traditional way. I’m not terrible or monstrous. I don’t grow fangs or breathe fire. I’m just dangerous in the way a person who is heedless of risk can be dangerous. If I love something, I love it. If I want something, I pursue it. If I believe in something — I believe at all costs. In short, I am dangerous to myself. (more…)

While attending Marscon, I had the honor of sitting as a guest on two panels — one a writing workshop and another a panel discussing the roles of heroes and villains. As I’m somewhat new to panels, I was a little nervous and wondering if I’d have anything of worth to contribute.

But as I entered the first panel I quickly relaxed. Allen Wold — a veteran guest and author of numerous titles quickly jumped in providing a clear format for the workshop. Those attending the panel had 10 minutes to write a story hook of 100 words or less. After, the panelists — including me — would provide feedback.

No worries! This was certainly something I could do.

After 10 minutes, there was a little hesitation and then attendees began to read their hooks. In all, I found them to be fantastic and felt good about my comments. It’s a very hard thing giving writing feedback. You want to try and take the writer’s best interest to heart. You, generally, do your best to pierce through the writing to find their goal. Inevitably, your perception is imperfect and you are forced to lean on your own experience. My rule of thumb is to provide suggestions based on the understanding that if it doesn’t work then the writer should toss my suggestion.

Overall, I felt I really helped. Writing can be very difficult. You must proceed with only the power of your imagination and will as a support. It’s seldom that others are even able to give you any kind of a ‘leg up’ even if they want to. It’s always seemed strange to me that something so public must at first be the most solitary event a person can experience. (more…)