Unlike most of my blogs, I'm not actually going to write much in this one. Just show you a video. You could call it a VBlog (video blog), except the video isn't actually mine.
It's episode three of a series that my favourite author, Ted Dekker, is doing, called 90 Seconds with Ted. In this particular episode he answers two main questions: Do you ever get writer's block? Do you dream a lot? Both are particularly interesting. In this post I want you to focus on the first part. He has an interesting view on Writer's Block that I've never thought of before.
I couldn't figure out how to embed Facebook videos, so CLICK HERE to watch it.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Boundaries to your universe of ideas
Looking at the wide range of picture books on the shelf whilst at the bookstore earlier today, I got thinking. The ideas behind the books, for the most part, were really very basic. In fact, a lot of the books didn't have any storyline at all. From front to back, there was absolutely no point, no real idea, no nothing. You finished the book knowing nothing more than before you started. But, they're entertaining. In some ways, if you can write a whole book about nothing and still entertain people, you're a much better author than one who can express an excellent idea in a way that not many people can actually relate to.
As my wonderful girlfriend Ali was telling me the other day, a good author can take any idea and make it interesting and entertaining. If you can't do that, she said bluntly, then you can't be a very good writer. (Paraphrasing slightly.)
It comes down to style. Craftsmanship.
Ask yourself this: Are you telling the story, or is the story telling you? If you can master any idea, no matter how dull or exciting, into an entertaining and enjoyable read then you are the storyteller. But if the range of ideas you can possibly write about is restricted by your ability to turn them into good stories, then in reality your stories are telling a great, though depressing, truth about you and your writing skills.
With adult novels, in general, you can't get away with no storyline. But with children's books you can get away with everything. The sky is the limit.
As long as you can make the story great.
I've never actually written any children's books before, so I'm very new to all this. I'm going to get stuff wrong. But I do love kids books and these are the things I've noticed around me. This in particular I can guarantee you is true:
Which are you?
As my wonderful girlfriend Ali was telling me the other day, a good author can take any idea and make it interesting and entertaining. If you can't do that, she said bluntly, then you can't be a very good writer. (Paraphrasing slightly.)
It comes down to style. Craftsmanship.
Ask yourself this: Are you telling the story, or is the story telling you? If you can master any idea, no matter how dull or exciting, into an entertaining and enjoyable read then you are the storyteller. But if the range of ideas you can possibly write about is restricted by your ability to turn them into good stories, then in reality your stories are telling a great, though depressing, truth about you and your writing skills.
With adult novels, in general, you can't get away with no storyline. But with children's books you can get away with everything. The sky is the limit.
As long as you can make the story great.
I've never actually written any children's books before, so I'm very new to all this. I'm going to get stuff wrong. But I do love kids books and these are the things I've noticed around me. This in particular I can guarantee you is true:
A good author has few boundaries to their universe of ideas; a great author has none.
Which are you?
Friday, July 2, 2010
The WIP Begins
Welcome.
The name's Brandon. You may know me, you may have heard of me before or you may not know anything about me, whatsoever! Regardless of the current situation (being your knowledge of me), I hope that one day you'll see it all over the bookshelves.
The name's Brandon. You may know me, you may have heard of me before or you may not know anything about me, whatsoever! Regardless of the current situation (being your knowledge of me), I hope that one day you'll see it all over the bookshelves.
Brandon Nicholson
Maybe it'll even have a
No. 1 Best-selling Author
on it, too.
But let's stop dreaming, stop getting ahead of myself. After all, I have yet to actually finish an entire story, let alone begin the long and excruciating process of trying to get published. It doesn't hurt to dream, but if the dreams outweigh the work done to try and achieve that dream, you'll have a few problems. (Such as never moving forward.)
Switching from dream mode to work mode...
Right. Now let's focus on the work needed to be done. That brings me to the point of this here blog and that there Twitter feed. To be more or less specific, The WIP Space is where it'll all happen. The stories will be thrown around and torn apart up here. Ideas discussed, techniques and styles debated and developed. The Twitter profile, @BrandonJ42, is purely dedicated to my journey of trying to write children's books.
You heard me right, children's. Up until now, most people have thought that I was only interested in novels, but that's not the case. Adult fiction novels and children's books, that's what I want to write. I love them both.
Two weeks worth of holidays just began for me. And with it, I decided to throw myself into this project of a writing blog and starting to work on kids stories. I usually find excuses to put off writing, half of which are quite reasonable, but no more. If I want to get published, I've got to get moving now. It's a long road.
I'm a storyteller at heart. I can't stop that from coming out forever. So why not propel it forward?
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