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jmhwritesstuff · 5 years

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Writer Ask

(I wasn’t tagged or anything, but I was bored and felt like rambling a little, so I just answered the whole list.)

What age-group do you write?

Mostly YA, but I occasionally border into adult.

What genre do you write?

Fantasy is my go-to, but I’ve dabbled in Contemporary, Horror, and Sci-fi from time to time over the years.

Do you outline according to big ideas or small details?

I’m not great at outlining, but if there’s ever anything (big or small) that I feel the need to write notes on, then I’ll do a little brainstorming so I have a document on hand if I need it.

Which do you prefer–line-editing or plot-revisions?

Plot revisions. It’s frustrating as hell, but I like to make sure everything is as it should be for the purpose of the story.

Do you write better with or without deadlines?

Neither, honestly. Deadlines don’t compel me to get things done, they just stress me out, and no deadlines also stress me out because … it just gives me more reason not to do anything, and then I just feel really bad about it, which makes me not want to do it more. It’s a never ending cycle that I desperately need to break.

What would be the biggest compliment you could hope to receive on your current WIP?

That it’s actually interesting enough to keep readers wanting more.

How long is your current WIP?

It’s still sitting at 40k, but right now I’m abandoning it for something new which is still in the planning stages.

What author would you be most excited to be compared to?

I have no idea. I guess any of the most well-known YA writers.

What do you struggle most with as a writer?

Consistency. I’m forever fighting with myself to get more words down and finish something.

Do you brain-storm story ideas alone or with others?

Mostly alone. Sometimes I have a friend who likes to bounce ideas around with me, but writing has always been such a lonely thing for me.

Do you base your characters off of real people?

Not really. I did it once, but now that I’m rewriting that particular novel, the characters have become their own people.

Is your writing space clean or cluttered?

A bit of both. I like to be organised but there’s not much room, so I just make do.

Do you write character-driven or plot-driven stories?

I think I always fall on the character-driven side. I try to focus more on plot when it’s necessary but it never feels good enough to me, so that’s pretty difficult.

Do you have a favorite writing-related quote?

Something about shovelling sand into a box to later make sandcastles? I don’t know. I’ve seen so many quotes about writing, but not many stand out.

If you transport your original characters into another author’s world, which world would you choose?

I’d like to see them in Throne of Glass. I think giving over my characters to SJM would be a fangirl moment for me, just to see what she would do with them.

Would your story work better as a movie or tv show? Why?

That’s hard to say. Freefall would probably be a movie. But the world of The Divine … maybe a show.

Do you make soundtracks for each story?

I’ve started to! I create playlists on Spotify for them.

If you could assign your story one song, what would it be?

When the Sun Goes Down - Tommee Profitt

Would you rather live in your characters’ world, or have your characters come live in our world?

Characters’ world. I wouldn’t want them to be ordinary.

What book would you love to see adapted for the big or small screen?

I don’t know. I’m open to any - my biggest gripe with most book-to-movie is the production teams behind them. It’s gotta be right. Stop messing with cheap production value on Fantasy.

Do you finish most of the stories you start?

Nope!

Has your own writing ever made you cry?

Yes.

Are you proud or anxious to show off your writing?

Neither, I guess. I like to show my stuff once I consider it a decent standard, and then I enjoy gaining feedback just to see if there’s anything I never considered or maybe missed.

When did you start considering yourself a writer?

Probably when I was around 17. I was writing a bunch of teen drama drabbles and got a lot of readers/likes/comments. That was when I think I really started to consider trying to make some kind of career out of it.

What books are must-reads in your genre?

Stuff by Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, Sarah J Maas, Laini Taylor. So, like, Throne of Glass, Mistborn, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Black Prism. There’s honestly so many, just scour goodreads and dive in.

What would you like to see more of in your genre?

Can I go with less? Like, don't get me wrong, Fantasy is my favourite genre, but the political intrigue part can get really heavy, and really drawn out, really fast. It’s my least favourite part about Fantasy, but unfortunately is a massive convention of that genre. Also, I think I clearly need to read more Fantasy that’s a bit more gruelling - I’ve read so many books that came so close to being dark and tragic, and then shies away from it to make way for happy endings. And Happily Ever Babies. No thank you.

Where do you get inspiration from?

I used to get it from other books, movies, and video games. At this point in time, though … I’m not entirely sure.

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you stress about choosing character names?

Not at all, really. If I don’t think of a name right away that I feel fits the character, then I give them a placeholder name until I find the right one.

Do you tend to underwrite or overwrite in a first draft?

Probably underwrite. Maybe even half and half.

Does writing calm you down or stress you out?

Mostly calms me down, depending on how much pressure I’m feeling that day.

What trope do you actually like?

Friends to lovers. Cold guy with violence in his veins actually has a soft heart. The Chosen One. Parents are conveniently absent. Slow burn. Protagonist has to die to save the day (but actually die).

That’s just off the top of my head. I’m okay with most tropes to be honest.

Do you give your side-characters extensive backstories?

I never used to, but I’m starting to build on that more these days.

Do you flesh-out characters before you write, or let their personalities develop over time?

I write down the basics such as appearance and/or particular quirks or personality traits. But most of the time, the personalities develop on their own, and a lot of what I originally intended them to be doesn’t work out.

Describe your old writing in one word.

Amateur.

Is it more fun to write villains or heroes?

I really enjoy writing heroes - I love giving them their darkest moments and their epic comebacks.

Do you write with a black and white sense of morality?

No.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to new writers?

Write what you want and take every single piece of writing advice with a grain of salt. Not everything you read or try to make your writing better will work for you, so find what does, and don't worry about what everyone else is doing.

What’s one piece of writing advice you try–but fail–to follow?

Set a wordcount goal every day and stick to it in order to form a better and consistent writing habit. I’ve tried and failed this countless times.

How important is positive reinforcement to you as a writer?

Personally, I don’t know. I think it’s important to know the difference between criticism and constructive criticism, though, and that you don’t have to make the changes suggested by others to what you’ve written or where you intend to go with the story.

What would you ask your favorite author if given one question?

How the hell do you do it?

Do you find it distracting to read while you’re writing a first draft?

Not at all. I actually think it helps me a lot.

Do critiques motivate or discourage you?

It’s subjective, unfortunately. Sometimes it’s helpful, and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you get feedback from someone who knows what they’re talking about, and sometimes you get utter nonsense. So … learn the difference.

Do you tend to write protagonists like yourself or unlike yourself?

There’s definitely some amount of myself reflected in them. I learnt that while studying self-reflection in prose at university a few years ago.

Our class basically had to sit around a table and discuss personal process within our writing and what messages we think we might be trying to convey within our work. It soon moved on to whether or not we imagine ourselves as the protagonists (because that’s a popular writer stereotype) in our stories. Most of our answers were ‘no’, but most of us did discover a lot of links between the two.

For instance, the majority of my protagonists have always been orphans. No parents, no siblings. I didn’t grow up without a family or siblings, but my familial relationships have always been super strained my whole life. Instead of trying to write positive familial relationships, it was easier to cut them out entirely and replace it with the Found Family trope instead.

How do you decide what story idea to work on?

Whichever one has been running around my head the most at the time is usually the one I end up getting the itch to write.

Do you find it harder or easier to write when you’re stressed out?

Harder.

What Hogwarts house would your protagonist(s) be in?

I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?

Nowhere. And that’s not trying to be self-deprecating. I’m literally struggling to hold on to my passion for it lately. You know how most writers imagine seeing their book on a shelf someday? I don’t get that. Not anymore. Or at least not at this point in time.

Would you ever co-write?

I would! It would depend on a few things, but I like the thought of it.

Are you a fast and rushed writer or a slow and deliberate writer?

Slow and deliberate. I’d like to be fast, but it’s just not in me.

Would you rather be remembered for your fantastic world-building or your lifelike characters?

I don’t know. Characters, probably.

#writer #writing #writer ask #writing questions #long post #jmhwriter

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artdjgblog · 4 years

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Innerview: Effie Lin / DPI Magazine (Taiwan)

November 2009 - January 2010

Photo: DJG (2009) by Cayla Kennedy (Age 5)

Note: Interview for a magazine feature.

01) What is your philosophy in your art world? I have to be a human first and a maker of things second. Sometimes the two court together really well. Sometimes they pick fights and choose sides. I sort of have a get up and go method and plan to always be working on my life and work, and to my best ability, given the resources at hand. It’s not that I have a complete lack of care, responsibility or feel disenfranchised or on the outskirts. Though, I do have my moments. Even in bad moments, when it’s probably not a good idea for me to be around me, I try to eventually spin a positive from that experience. They can be the most crucial moments as I learn a great deal once I get beyond their borders. I think that’s part of the process. Process is a big deal and we’re all a part of it. And there is such a thing as bad process equaling a positive in life and work. All I know is that I need to be honest and pure with how I speak inside and outside of the work I am putting on and off the table. Anyway, I’m not really a grouch or a slouch in both areas of life and art, but it is a constant work in progress. I think that thinking too much about it, or the idea of it in the larger spectrum, can become damaging, unhealthy and grow bean stocks further from the truth. Though, I might add that I understand how hard it can be to keep from big ideas and big thinking, it is. I like where it is that I’m at right now and it all stacks up to here. I just need to be making things until I move on to something else. And that something else will probably involve making things too. I love what I do. There is a bigger component to the little pictures that I’m here presenting. I just need to keep up and in the know of the tip toes and perhaps leave some behind in the only way I can try, that means being something like me. 02) What is your favorite medium and why? I feel that maintaining and manhandling a single medium would be quite overwhelming. I admire those that can do it, and do it skillfully. Not that I’m a special breed, but I don’t understand how some people can milk the same cow every day, for years. Every day is a little different inside and out and that fuels my mood of operation. I think that I suppose there is a definition when one looks at the work I’m doing, and the way I go about it, to easily pin me to a favorite medium. I like to use my hands and things around me to tell my stories. But, I don’t know much other than the day-to-day as my mind and energy wanders much on the map. I wake up and see what weather we’ve got. I believe much of it comes from growing up on a farm and spending a lot of time alone. A lot of people think that time is at a stand-still on the country clock. It wasn’t for me as there wasn’t really a cap on the kind of external culture and entertainment I could in-take and fuse with country living inside and out. Everything was a big pot of soup for me and it still is. I was always doing something and I still am. I also watched my Grandma make a lot of things by hand, and although not really an “artist”, she’s been a big influence on the work I’m doing. Another thing, I can’t be as involved with my work when there is a computer screen barrier involved. I can use a computer, but it is only like a nail gun to me. In my college studies while struggling with the introductory marriage of technology and design, I almost quit completely. Funny, before even getting on a computer I naively claimed to tech-savvy peers, “I am going to take the route that doesn’t employ computers.” Anyway, computers are cool and all but it is not how I like to really play. It didn’t help that around this time in my early 20s, I also had doubts about my artistic talent and identity. I also never felt comfortable visiting the design firms of my possible “future”. Some people find a home in them, but I couldn’t and wanted to be in a sense, a stay at home mother to my art. So, these factors led me to re-learn and go back to being a kid locked up inside and/or getting that kid to come back out…becoming an adult can be crippling. I started putting my identity back in the work at this time by leaving my human elements and story behind. I was also exposed to new kinds of external stimulus with art and culture and that helped me see things better too. I eventually had a calling to do my own thing completely, dropped out of school, moved to a big city and mixed it all together. Cities are big cooking pots anyway. But, on a personal level, I’m not done cooking yet. I’m kind of “mild” right now compared to most. I’m just one more guy carving a name on the cinder block and trying to pay the bills. 03) Could you talk about the exhibition post of “Showing My Sheep”? Could you talk about your creating concept? I was born and raised on a farm. We raised sheep and showed sheep at county fairs. I used to have a basketball court shared with the sheep lot. As a youngster I spent some time wanting to be a farmer and in many ways now I kind of am. I’d like to live on a farm again someday, mostly for quiet space, to have more animals and to have a big barn I can work in. I did my first retrospective art exhibition called “Showing My Sheep” after five years of working on my art odyssey. Yeah, that’s not a long time for a life or career overview, but it was important for me to show my whole flock of work together like that and up to that point. And in truth, a 5 year old sheep is middle age. The image on the exhibition poster is a quick scribble of me (or something like me) in sheep’s carcass/dress. I’ve always wondered silly about sheep walking upright and maybe a bit of my love of Gary Larson “The Far Side” comics is shining through just a bit too? But, there is more to this one as it is a tribute to my upbringing as it represents my sheepish nature and approach mixed with the “wolf in dress” image that I think we all catch and can’t catch up with, at least every now and again (notice the front legs and how they are also a wolf snout?). Another idea in this sheep image is how zombie-like an artist, anyone for that matter, slaves to their nature. I rummage a lot of thrift shops for unique papers and board game “play cards” to print on. Paper can add another dimension to something like a poster, in this case adding to the idea of the game of life and art I play. The board game this paper came from is called “Facts in Five: The Game of Knowledge”, thus adding to all the pieces of art and life that added up to the making of my 5 year retrospective. There is also the handwriting element of an anonymous other’s involvement that I find fascinating. Plus, there is the “grid” pattern that reflects a panel fence to keep the sheep in and out…breaking fences, doing my own thing, so to speak. If you squint you might even see sheep pellets, or what I used to refer to as M&M’s, as they would make for an interesting game of basketball. Did you get all that? There are lots going on in this one. Almost another 5 years after that exhibition and I wonder if I’m nearing the end…hmmm. You never know. 04) Which one of your work is your favorite? Or which one made you spend the most time and effort? What’s message you would like to convey through this work?? Favorite Work: My favorite piece of personal art was stolen at an exhibition in late 2004. It is the only thing of mine that wasn’t/isn’t documented (scanned, photographed) and I can’t recreate it. It is a simple little broken pen scribble drawing of a mentally handicapped water bison. His name is Mortimer. I made him in a couple minutes while on hold on the phone with the phone company. I busted a pen and let the ink spill. I’ve tried other drawings like it, but they turn out different. I have a lot of favorite works, but that one is the winner and loser. Time & Effort: I don’t think you really need “time” or “effort” to make something stick or feel, or even get something done. In fact, once I’m in the creative moment there is no such thing as “time” and “effort”. If you do something enough and love it, then it becomes another extension and you’re a paint brush for something bigger. Though, the words do become tangible when “life” stuff is thrown into the mix. This can’t be denied. Due to my so far 8 year schedule of day jobs, night jobs, marriage and the general day-to-day, I’ve always worked fairly fast and in small slots of time and many things at once, lots of things. It’s as much mental and military discipline as it is anything else and I just go for it. If it ever starts to feel like a chore, I try to take a short break or study up in other areas. If it ever becomes a chore out of my grasp, I’ll find something else to do completely. It can be struggling at times, but there is something good about the “life” stuff that I feed from. It can add fuel to the fire and makes me realize that I’m not always first in line. Sometimes it can be rough sitting on my hands while at the day job, but I’ll make up for it. In truth, there are never enough resources for the things I’d like to leave behind before I’m called quits. But, I sure try to make the best of “time” and “effort” while I’m here. I’ve made many posters and I love the fact that the poster has a shorter shelf live than something like the CD. I like experimenting with posters because if it gets swatted down, it only lived for a couple weeks and another will come along. They are kind of like flies. At three to five sessions, I try to court CD packages a lot longer. There are instances when an image instantly clicks in my mind when I’m told of an upcoming CD and that’s the final product, but most of the time I have to make them incubate and mature. I’ve always been fascinated with productivity and the human mind and mood, at least in my path. I often look at my timeline of work, wondering how different some of the things would have turned out had I did them on another day or even a minute later than I did them. The past few years, my music design output has shrunk some. I reached a certain point after 2006 to where I realized I needed to step back. I still do a few music projects here and there, but mostly just make a lot of visual art for myself. Which, I’ve always teetered on visual art. Maybe I’m trying to make up for Mortimer? I did start something different for me and in a medium that I’d love to pursue more. It wasn’t until this year (2009) that something really consumed me and that was a music video. It has been a great thing for me to be more patient with a project. Now, that’s a whole different extra innings of “time” and “effort”. 05) Which one of CD cover/album artwork is your favorite or make you really proud of? What is the concept? Could you talk about your creating process? Did you listening to the music when you working? I’ve been asked this question a lot. I always answer with: “Whatever Makes You Happy” by The Elevator Division. It’s something to feel proud when you accomplish anything, but even more when it is all done and duplicated by hand in one night. 250 CD packages were made out of hand-cut cardboard, spray paint, stencils, rubber stamps and glued inserts. The concept is a hand shooting off a missile finger. The music themes revolve around relationships on and off the battlefields of life and war and the cover image relays the idea of shooting off one’s options, as in, “Whatever Makes You Happy”. Conceptually (design-wise), it might be the best thing I’ve got in me and inspiration came at the last minute before production and during a great Midwest thunderstorm. Upon the last spray of paint in my basement (yes, I was stupid enough then to spray paint in an unventilated basement), there was a crack of lightning and I flew upstairs and out the door of my home and slid down the well-watered front lawn and into the gutter of the street with red spray paint all over me. The squatters on the porch at the supposed drug house across the street got a kick out it. It was a massive affair and I swore I wouldn’t do it again and then I did a near repeat 4 years later for another band, but not all in one night. I swore I wouldn’t do that again-again and then I kind of did it again two years later. So, I must be due up for another one soon. In the case of The Elevator Division, the band lived with me and practiced nearly every day directly outside my basement studio door at our home. There were several bands that this happened with. I usually don’t listen to albums that I’m designing very much and I rarely listen to them after they are a finished product. This is especially so when it is blasted in the flesh right next to me. 06) Why is sound/music important to our life? What is the most important for designing the album/CD cover? I’m not a fan of a lot of “noise”, but I like sound and I love music and I like some noise music. I love the idea and image of the album cover and making an album “feel” on the outside and giving it an identity. I find I have a detachment from the music and the memories when it is fused in our current in-between stage right now of technology and mp3 land. Even if they have a digital image shroud, they lack a hard identity to me as they float out in space and it makes me a little sad. I prefer a physical collection/body of music, with identity. I don’t want to get too far into this topic and I’ll add that both formats have their good and bad. And I love walking to and from work with a pocket overflowing with Bruce Springsteen songs (I have the records at home too). Along the same lines, I think that the idea of “cover art” or something physical isn’t going to die 100%, at least not in my lifetime. I do hope it doesn’t get even more eclectic-expensive like it kind of is looking. I love album art and I can’t really afford it. I just remember one of my earliest memories being the apple on records by The Beatles. That was/is important to me. I bit that apple and it has been good to me for 30 years now. 07) What had been the most challenging thing to you in art world, and how did you overcome it? I think I have challenges and things to overcome and then I tune into the news or watch certain documentary films. I realize there is nothing for me to complain about after that. Of course there are some personal issues that challenge me and my little world. A major one of is overcoming some of my social phobia. It’s made me who I am and probably factors to why I make the way I make, but it has kept me from getting in the ball game as much as I probably should have. Though, what is “probably should have”? Technology makes great networking devices, and is “the now”, but at the same time I always feel so exhausted and behind with it. I also don’t have resources to keep up with it (money, time and mind) but I’m trying bit by bit. Another thing I’ve always carried a heavy lump with is a day job. But, it’s the only way for me to stay afloat. Every year I spend more money than I make with art (currently, I have 24 cents in my DJG Pay Pal account). One way to overcome this is to stop entering high-cost art and design competitions, which was one way of being social with a lot of people. Well, from a global publishing stand point. Competition fees are rising so much these days. Another challenge is the business end of the art. I stink at business. Though, a lot of that has to do with not having enough time and not being the best at problem solving and math, plus always being broke. And I would rather just make more art. I’m a happy camper though and constantly doing my thing. 08) What are your future goals in the art world? Naturally, anyone who feels they’re sitting on something at home is going to set their sights on doing their own thing full-time and for full-time income. But, even if I never get there, I will be punching my own time card in some form or another. I’ll find peace. I’ll always be working on something and working on myself. I could easily keep my head down all day, dragging my wagon (and I kind of do), but I love the idea of sharing my work on a larger, global scale too. It is global on the internet, yet I easily butt heads with technology as it can get quite beastly. But, I appreciate it greatly as even a decade ago you probably wouldn’t have found out about me to get an interview like this. Thank you! I’ve met a lot of my initial goals and it’s easy to sit here and think about tomorrow but I need to work out today to make it there. I’d love to eventually put out an officially published book or lots of them (any bidders?). I plan to start with some handmade ones very soon. I’ll also finally be selling things on my web site soon. I’m currently working towards a 10 year retrospective show of my time in Kansas City, MO USA. I plan to show everything. Also, I will be working on more and more visual art in the coming year. I’d love to exhibit my physical work in more nooks and crannies of the world. I’ve been fortunate to do this a little bit, but nothing on a massive scale. I love the idea of ideas and imagery inspiring people. I also love the idea of relaying an interpretation of the world, while we’re all down here in this together. It’s kind of neat to think I’m leaving a little trail behind in this way and sharing that. Though, I’m not so confident art can change the world on a large platform, I do think it can help a little bit. Even if that means muscling up a smile that you can say was honestly spent. -djg

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