So, how do you write? Do you listen to music while you write? Does it help you to think? Or do you get ideas from songs you've heard?
Me, I can't listen to music while I'm writing. I will start writing down the lyrics if I try. And, even if it's orchestral or classical music, I get distracted by it. White noise (such as the sound of my fan and my AC going full blast) is okay. Anything more structured than that, though, and my mind latches on to it. I can't even bear to have people talking in the background (which drives my room-mate crazy because I'll close the door to the computer room if he's on the phone while I'm writing which means I get all of the delicious AC to myself while he sweats to death in another room). However, I do often find myself listening to music to get through difficult chapters or writer's block. Often, I can see parts of my story or even the entire thing in general being set to particular songs.
At the moment, I'm on a nostalgia kick with my music so my song list includes Led Zeppelin (yeah, Stairway to Heaven is on there), Blue Oyster Cult (Don't Fear the Reaper), Sarah McLachlan
(seriously, don't judge me when I'm all melancholy), Iron Butterfly (again, don't judge), Pink Floyd, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. When I get to a part that I'm having trouble writing, I'll often pop my headphones on and listen to a few songs, just letting the words and the melody help me work through the block. Yesterday, while listening to Building A Mystery, I managed to come up with a way to bridge two parts of my story that was better than what I had in my outline.
So, how about you? Is music a hindrance or a help to your writing?
-- G.K.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Why Do You Write What You Write?
So, as the title of the post says: why do you write what you write?
As authors, I'm sure most of us have been asked "where did you come up with the idea for that story?" I know I've heard it a fair few times myself. And, the truth is, my story ideas generally gang up on me and mug me at about 2 am, pulling me out of sound sleep and saying "think about us. Write about us. Start plotting that outline. Yeah, you have to get up in a few hours to work, but so what?"
As for what I write: I'm pretty solidly in the fantasy and sci-fi camps. I do write urban fantasy and some historical pieces but mostly, I'm working in either a realm of magic or a realm with science so advanced it could be mistaken for magic. Romance and love may be a subplot in my stories (okay, frequently it is) but it's never the main plot. Bringing down evil empires, stopping the bad guys, wrestling with inner demons -- those tend to be my main plot drivers.
Why do I write fantasy and sci-fi? Because those are the two genres that I think grab people the most and take them to the highest of heights, the lowest of lows, and leave you breathless, wishing and dreaming and growing so attached to the characters that you (as a reader) want to learn more. They also give the writer the most room to work with and the most tools to use to build a world that might look a bit like Earth (if you squint) but operate under completely different laws. You can also do a lot of fun things with magical systems (such as making them very complicated so that you have to keep track of what is allowed and what is impossible) and societies. Often, when I'm writing a historical period piece, I find myself struggling to make the society believable because, since it's so close to my own (being on Earth), I tend to start projecting modern assumptions into a society that isn't modern. When I write fantasy or sci-fi, I'm able to avoid that stumbling block altogether even if some of the action takes place on Earth.
I'm a big-time world builder. I think I enjoy planning my stories and plotting them out as much as I enjoy writing them. I got started in this when I was a teenager and had to write my own Dungeons and Dragons modules and campaigns because I couldn't afford to buy the pre-made sets. From there, my own imagination and love of reading took off and I would get bored if I tried to write a novella or longer work set on Earth. In time, I have gotten off that crutch but still, I enjoy creating my own worlds and sharing them with my readers, sometimes doing things that would be so far beyond imagining in a human-only Earth-based society that it requires a completely different planet and culture to pull it off.
So, what about you? What do you write and why? Inquiring minds want to know!
-- G.K.
As authors, I'm sure most of us have been asked "where did you come up with the idea for that story?" I know I've heard it a fair few times myself. And, the truth is, my story ideas generally gang up on me and mug me at about 2 am, pulling me out of sound sleep and saying "think about us. Write about us. Start plotting that outline. Yeah, you have to get up in a few hours to work, but so what?"
As for what I write: I'm pretty solidly in the fantasy and sci-fi camps. I do write urban fantasy and some historical pieces but mostly, I'm working in either a realm of magic or a realm with science so advanced it could be mistaken for magic. Romance and love may be a subplot in my stories (okay, frequently it is) but it's never the main plot. Bringing down evil empires, stopping the bad guys, wrestling with inner demons -- those tend to be my main plot drivers.
Why do I write fantasy and sci-fi? Because those are the two genres that I think grab people the most and take them to the highest of heights, the lowest of lows, and leave you breathless, wishing and dreaming and growing so attached to the characters that you (as a reader) want to learn more. They also give the writer the most room to work with and the most tools to use to build a world that might look a bit like Earth (if you squint) but operate under completely different laws. You can also do a lot of fun things with magical systems (such as making them very complicated so that you have to keep track of what is allowed and what is impossible) and societies. Often, when I'm writing a historical period piece, I find myself struggling to make the society believable because, since it's so close to my own (being on Earth), I tend to start projecting modern assumptions into a society that isn't modern. When I write fantasy or sci-fi, I'm able to avoid that stumbling block altogether even if some of the action takes place on Earth.
I'm a big-time world builder. I think I enjoy planning my stories and plotting them out as much as I enjoy writing them. I got started in this when I was a teenager and had to write my own Dungeons and Dragons modules and campaigns because I couldn't afford to buy the pre-made sets. From there, my own imagination and love of reading took off and I would get bored if I tried to write a novella or longer work set on Earth. In time, I have gotten off that crutch but still, I enjoy creating my own worlds and sharing them with my readers, sometimes doing things that would be so far beyond imagining in a human-only Earth-based society that it requires a completely different planet and culture to pull it off.
So, what about you? What do you write and why? Inquiring minds want to know!
-- G.K.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
And Now For Something Completely Different: Writing Contest!
That's right! We are holding a Writing Contest during the month of August. So, get your pencils ready, round up your beta-readers, and get cracking on a short story with a steam punk theme and you might just win a $50 Amazon gift card as well as the chance to see your work included in one of our short story anthologies!
The rules are fairly simple: write and submit a story with a steam punk theme and setting. We will have categories for M/M pairings, F/F pairings, and M/F pairings as well as a category for "no romance." Once your story is finished and you've made all the tweaks to it you think it needs, email it to us as an attachment (.docx, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc only, please). In the body of your email, please include your legal first and last name, your postal address, the category you're entering, your pen name (if you have one) and the title of your story. Also, be sure to label the subject line "Steampunk Contest Entry" so we know what you're sending. Stories should be at least 2,500 words and no more than 30,000.
The submission period will begin August 1, 2013 and end August 31, 2013. You can read the full rules and conditions here.
Best get cracking immediately! We're looking forward to reading what you've got!
-- G.K.
The rules are fairly simple: write and submit a story with a steam punk theme and setting. We will have categories for M/M pairings, F/F pairings, and M/F pairings as well as a category for "no romance." Once your story is finished and you've made all the tweaks to it you think it needs, email it to us as an attachment (.docx, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc only, please). In the body of your email, please include your legal first and last name, your postal address, the category you're entering, your pen name (if you have one) and the title of your story. Also, be sure to label the subject line "Steampunk Contest Entry" so we know what you're sending. Stories should be at least 2,500 words and no more than 30,000.
The submission period will begin August 1, 2013 and end August 31, 2013. You can read the full rules and conditions here.
Best get cracking immediately! We're looking forward to reading what you've got!
-- G.K.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Um, hello there
Well, since I'm new here and my role is to add content to this blog (amongst other things), I guess I'll go ahead and introduce myself. I'm the newest person here at The Rooster and the Pig and I hope to be here for a good long while. Forever, if possible. And, while we're at it, you can call me "G."
Yes, as in the seventh letter of the alphabet. It's short for "G.K. Masterson" which is my name. I am a writer -- mostly swords and sorcery fantasy but I do cross over into science fiction, urban fantasy, and historical fiction. I've been writing ever since I had enough manual dexterity to grip a crayon -- though it did take a few years for my writing to make any sense. I've written four novels but only have one published: Twilight of Lanar'ya. I do dabble in fan-fiction just for the stress relief when I get writer's block. I've been reading since I was three years old and have a rather impressive library as well as a Kindle nearly filled with books. If you're curious as to what kind of books I read...I'll read just about anything.
So, enough about me. I'm sure that, over time, we'll all get to know each other quite well. I will be looking for new talent to add to our collection of authors so if you've got a story ready, we'd love to see it. You can find our submission guideline here. We do accept anything (within reason) as long as it's in English (or a close enough facsimile that we can puzzle out).
Donc, allons-y!
-- G.K.
Yes, as in the seventh letter of the alphabet. It's short for "G.K. Masterson" which is my name. I am a writer -- mostly swords and sorcery fantasy but I do cross over into science fiction, urban fantasy, and historical fiction. I've been writing ever since I had enough manual dexterity to grip a crayon -- though it did take a few years for my writing to make any sense. I've written four novels but only have one published: Twilight of Lanar'ya. I do dabble in fan-fiction just for the stress relief when I get writer's block. I've been reading since I was three years old and have a rather impressive library as well as a Kindle nearly filled with books. If you're curious as to what kind of books I read...I'll read just about anything.
So, enough about me. I'm sure that, over time, we'll all get to know each other quite well. I will be looking for new talent to add to our collection of authors so if you've got a story ready, we'd love to see it. You can find our submission guideline here. We do accept anything (within reason) as long as it's in English (or a close enough facsimile that we can puzzle out).
Donc, allons-y!
-- G.K.
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