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Realm Makers 2017 Recap

Greetings, fellow adventurers! As you’ve probably realized by now, I have returned! And boy, do I have stories to share about Realm Makers. I’ll try not to make a novel out of this post, but no promises.

Day 1

My parents and I woke up at an unholy hour (3 am, to be precise) to get to the airport on time. I’ve never flown before, aside from a few times in tiny crop duster planes, so this was all new to me. Despite being a complete newbie, flying turned out to be pretty straightforward. Follow the signs, ask for directions if you need to, and be on time. Easy enough. And thanks to Gravol and air plugs (these little rubber ear plugs that help with the changing air pressure), I made it with zero nausea.
From home I flew to Vancouver; then to Santa Ana, California; and finally to Reno, Nevada. I had a window seat during two of those flights, so I got to watch the flat prairies turn into the Rockies, and the Rockies turn into the Sierra Nevada range. I’ve never seen brown mountains before! (And I can now write airport scenes more accurately, so yay for that!)
Riding the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, I overheard conversations behind me about vampires and fictional races and how to find critique groups, and I couldn’t help but grin. It was so unlike anything you’d hear on a regular bus, I just knew I was in the company of writers. I was finally at Realm Makers.
When I arrived at the hotel (which was huge and had a casino on the main floor–it reeked of cigarette smoke there), I met Lisa Canfield, long-time friend, blogger, and one of my roommates! We had supper with an assortment of Realmies, then retreated to our room for an early night.

Day 2

Me and Lisa nipped across the parking lot for breakfast first thing in the morning.
Pre-conference day! I met a bunch more people, including Victoria Grace Howell! It was so surreal to be meeting online friends and fellow bloggers, and glimpsing familiar authors in the crowd.
Me and Tori! Apologies for the fuzziness in the photos. Hotel lighting isn’t the greatest.
The first half of the day was David Farland’s pre-conference workshop on creating a winning writing career. I learned SO. MUCH. Midlist authors vs. super lead authors, pen names, global markets, being a fast and consistent writer, growing my skills in concept/plot/prose, the neurobiology of readers, reaching a vast audience, writing beats . . . I scribbled a dozen pages of notes on this class alone!
David Farland, pre-conference workshop
Sometime that afternoon, I met my friend Mary Horton, who’s just as sweet in person as she is online!
With Mary Horton
Later in the day, the conference officially began, kicking off with an agent and editor panel where they answered questions we wrote in. One thing I was reminded of is to write the story I am passionate about, rather than worrying about trends, and that’s what will set me apart.
Ted Dekker’s opening keynote was next. If you’ll remember, he’s one of my favorite authors, so I was massively excited to hear him in person! I found he was as dynamic and powerful in his speaking as he is in writing. He’s been on an incredible journey and come to learn so much about who God is, what it means to be one with Him because of Jesus, and the power of our own perception. Much of what he talked about was similar to things he teaches in The Creative Way writing course, but it stirred my hunger for knowing God, clarified my vision, and provided a breath of fresh air and peace.
Ted Dekker
After that, Carla Hoch held a fight workshop. It was super informative, because she was teaching real fighting skills in order to help us write better fight scenes. It was also super hilarious, especially since she was demonstrating everything on the emcee, Ben Wolf! Some of the practical things I took away were: everything is a weapon, the deadliest person is the most willing person, and the first thing you should try to do when approached by someone aggressive is RUN.
Carla teaching us how to break Ben’s wrist with nunchucks.

Day 3

I had a lovely breakfast in the lobby with Mary H. and her mom, and then hurried off to my first class of the day: Robert Liparulo’s continuing session called “Embrace the Strange.” Sadly, I missed about half of his teaching throughout the conference because, being a newbie, I scheduled all my appointments during class times. But what I did hear was so encouraging and inspiring. He talked about how to write strange stuff without chasing people away (hint: hide the weird among the ordinary, the familiar, and the universal, especially universal human emotion). But the biggest thing I took away from his classes was this: trust yourself as a writer. And don’t hold back those good ideas you’re saving for fear of emptying your bag of tricks. Write those twists, those amazing characters and plots and ideas, now. And trust God to give you more for the next novel.
In the middle of that first session, I slipped out for a mentor appointment with David Farland. I asked him for advice on getting from where I am now to where I’d like to be (writing as a career), and got some great tips for how to prepare myself and grow my skills.
My next class was one on networking by Mary Weber! I was expecting social media strategies and marketing platforms, but what she taught was so much better: publishing is relational. Networking is just making friends. Of course she went way more in depth than that, but it was a wonderful reminder and eye-opener.
At lunch, I sat with Mary, Jonathan Trout, and a whole group of teens, a few I know from Goodreads and whatnot. They’re such a fun group, and I ended up hanging out with them a lot more during the conference.
Right after that, I had a class on plotting a bestselling series by David Farland (apparently I signed up for a lot of his classes, LOL). I know I’ll definitely be referring to my notes whenever I get back to working on The Prophet’s Quest and its sequels!
Next I had another of Robert Liparulo’s sessions. I missed part of it again for my first ever appointment with an agent. I was a bit nervous, but no more than I’ve been for job interviews, and the pitch went decently well. I was told my writing was good, so that’s a plus!
That evening was the awards banquet, where almost everyone showed up in costume, and I dressed as Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time! Aaaaand here comes the onslaught of pictures.
With Mary (as Bilbo), and roommates Brianna da Silva (as medieval peasant) and Lisa (as Arwen) // photo courtesy of Mary’s camera



Will all my roomies: Liv K. Fisher (as a fairy), Lisa, and Brianna
With Cassia Schaar (as Annabeth) and Olivia Hofer (as herself)
With Tori (as a fem Graham)
With Jonathan Trout (as Robin Hood, minus a bow)
With Hann R. (as herself)
With Keturah Lamb (as herself)

I didn’t catch their names, but when I asked Flynn Rider and Rapunzel for a picture,
Flynn said, “As long as you get my nose right,” to which I replied, “As long
as you give me the smolder.” This is the result.
Snow White and the cutest dwarf I have ever seen!

Author Jill Williamson (as Gamora) and her husband (as Star Lord)
With Jill

I met so many others too–I just don’t have room for all the pictures! There were characters from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Disney, and more. I saw Dr. Strange and the Ancient One (actually Scott and Becky Minor, who run the conference!), Katniss Everdeen, Belle, Gandalf, Wolverine, people in steampunk costumes, and so many others I either recognized or had never seen in my life. I’ve never been a part of any cosplay event before, but it was really fun to strike up conversations with perfect strangers based solely on the fandoms they represented!

As the banquet wound down, I got a chance to meet and talk to author James L. Rubart. He’s a super nice guy. We had a great conversation and I walked away encouraged!

Day 4

First thing in the morning I had a half-hour session with editor/author Lindsay A. Franklin for my ten-page critique. It was amazing. She was so encouraging and supportive, offered awesome advice, and was just really fun to talk to! (And her first novel is coming out in 2018, you guys! Be on the lookout!) Based on her comments and ideas, I’ll be reworking at least part of The Brightest Thread. Improvement is an exciting thing!

Afterwards, I had another pitching appointment. This one went very differently than planned, because as it turned out, TBT isn’t the right fit for this agent. But we had a good discussion in which he asked questions to stir my creativity and help point me in the right direction, so it was still a helpful learning experience!

I then caught the tail end of Robert Liparulo’s final session. Following that was a class on character motivations by Lisa Mangum, which offered practical tips for defining characters’ values, goals, and ambitions, and thrusting them into conflict and growth.

That afternoon, I sat in on a panel about reaching readers. The advice was aimed more for already-published authors (always keep copies of your books in your trunk; never be without a Sharpie for signing them; etc.), but it was still informative.

My final class that day was another one by David Farland, this one about building a magic system! One of the best things I took away was the idea of using magic to explore morality–what is the right use of all that power?

Then we had some free time! I hung out with friends in the vendor hall/bookstore and agonized over which books to buy. With limited room in my suitcase, deciding was hard. And then for supper, my teen friends kidnapped me right out of the hotel for deep dish pizza and deep conversation to match. I had so much fun with them! (They were fascinated by my Canadian currency. ‘Twas hilarious.)

picture provided by Jonathan Trout

Then it was back to the hotel for Ted’s closing keynote and Q&A (so good!) . . . and then, the reason I had packed probably ten pounds of books along: the book signing!

I got Storm Siren signed by Mary Weber! She’s like the nicest human bean ever.
Ted Dekker! I got Mortals signed by him. (Most of the Dekker books in my
house belong to my dad. I actually own very few of them myself.)
I didn’t have any of Robert Liparulo’s books with me, nor did I have room in my luggage to buy one, so he signed my notebook for me. XD

I also got a couple of books signed by Jill Williamson (she’s so friendly) and Kyle Robert Schulz (fellow Silmarillion Awards host), though I didn’t get pictures.

And then, to close it all off: the NERF WAR. I didn’t stay for nearly all of it, because I had a ridiculously early flight the next morning, but I stuck around long enough to play several rounds of zombies vs. survivors. Despite being tired, it was hilariously fun! (Seriously, when do you get to see a whole roomful of mostly adults running around shooting foam darts at each other? And having serious strategy huddles before each round of the game?)

Liv and I, happy assassins

Day 5

I got four hours of sleep and woke up at 4 am to catch my flight to Salt Lake City. I was exhausted and threw up once, but my next two flights went smoothly. By suppertime I was home again.

* * *

And that was Realm Makers 2017! Sorry for the beastly length of this post. There was just so much I wanted to share with you. Realm Makers was encouraging, inspiring, jam-packed, worth the money, and so. much. fun. I learned a lot and met so many awesome people. When others ask me what the highlight of my trip was, I’ve been telling them it’s the people. It’s being around so many other writers. The energy of a huge room full of individuals who love story, speculative fiction, and Jesus. People who get me. People amongst whom small talk consists of more than just “Where are you from?” and “What do you do?” but “What do you write?” It was an amazing conference, and I hope I get to go again next year!

Subplots and Storylines – July 2017

(I almost wrote 2018, you guys. Scary.)

Hello! Whew, it feels like a massive party has been happening around here, what with the fantastically epic SilmAwards going on! I hope you’ve been having as much with it as I have. (If you missed it, click HERE to check out who won the Wisest Counselor Silmaril.) The awards take a break over this weekend, but then on Monday, the next post will go live!

If you’re looking for a schedule of the awards presentations, Deborah has a handy one right here.

In the meantime, S&S is coming to you a week early. “What!” you say. “July isn’t over yet!” I know, but in a matter of days I depart for Realm Makers (which will require a recap post, trust me). And after that’s over, I’ll be away on family holidays and shan’t return to the internet until sometime during the first full week of August. Hence the early post.

July thus far has been a little less crazy than previous months. We celebrated Canada’s 150th and my dad’s birthday. One afternoon, I went out for a spontaneous coffee date with two friends I hadn’t caught up with in a long time, and it was good to step away from writing for a couple of hours. I spent a fun day shopping in the city with my mom and sisters. The week after that, I took my brother to the city too, and we enjoyed shopping, watching Spider-Man Homecoming, having milkshakes, and listening to a super long, super amazing playlist he put together for my novel The Brightest Thread. (I love my family, guys.)

Another highlight was strawberry picking. Come on, who doesn’t love getting down on their hands and knees between the rows and hunting down the brightest, reddest berries? But the best part is eating them afterward. Strawberries everywhere–with cream and sugar, with ice cream, with yogurt, with cake, with waffles and whipped cream, with French toast. EVERYTHING. Strawberries have a way of making it feel like summer (so does pea shelling, which we’ve also been doing).

(*looks at above paragraphs* Apparently I can talk about food for just as long as I can talk about life happenings. Ha.)

Oh! Before we move on, I have to share one of the biggest things that happened this month. You know how I applied for college this fall? Well, recently I was told that I was put on the waiting list–I would have to wait a full year to get in. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But all the delays in my life thus far have ended up being really good things, and God has used them to take me down better paths than I had set out for myself. So I was resigned to spend a year working at my job, trying to get my writing out there, and seeing what unexpected opportunities God might bring my way.

But a week after getting that email, I got another one saying I’ve been accepted after all! A few students dropped out, making room for me this fall! Classes start at the end of August (which is ridiculously close, you guys). It’s a two year course in business administration. I never would have thought of taking something like this, but I’ve come to realize that a) this can help me start a financially stable career, and b) this will also help me in the writing/publishing field, because authors are essentially small business owners! Anyway, this is a big answer to prayer! And life is going to be changing yet again in just over a month.

On the Screen

Yep, you guessed it again: more Once Upon a Time. Still slowly going through seasons 2, 3, and 5. After a decidedly blegh episode in season 5 (called Ruby Slippers, for those who may be wondering), the season is looking up again. Or rather, looking very bleak for the characters, but much more exciting for me. Can’t wait to see the last few episodes!

I mentioned it above, but I must say it again: I saw Spider-Man Homecoming in theaters and LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! There was a tad more language than I expected, but other than that, this was the perfect Spidey flick. I love Tom Holland’s performance, because we finally have a Peter Parker who looks and acts exactly like a high school teenager. Don’t get me wrong, Andrew Garfield was fantastic (and Tobey McGuire . . . eh, he gets points for being cheesy and nostalgic), but Tom Holland brings out the things that make Spider-Man Spider-Man.


The movie was funny, endearing, down-to-earth, and still had its intense moments. I was literally on the edge of my seat near the end. That plot twist. Wow. And it was so great having Tony Stark around for a bit. I love seeing him play mentor. The villain had a more grounded/realistic backstory than some, the high school dynamics were the best, and Ned was a hilarious best friend/”guy in the chair.”

I wish I had a more cohesive mini review to share, but my thoughts are all over the place. It’s one of those movies I have to see again!

On the Page

Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz
Probably the best Alex Rider book yet! It still feels like a kid playing James Bond, but this book had a more complex plot. I think Alex is growing up. He discovered more about his father, was faced with some pretty difficult choices, and had to get out of even worse scrapes than before. My favorite scene was near the beginning when he’s stuck in a flooding prison cell in Venice! Kind of reminded me of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation a little bit.
Four stars.
Solitary by Travis Thrasher (audio book)
I read started reading the Solitary Tales back in 2013. I remember loving it back then. The writing style isn’t particularly beautiful or complex, but that’s why it’s so easy to fly through. Listening to the audio book over the last couple months (what can I say? my drive to work is too short), I couldn’t speed through the story, but it was cool to “reread it” now that I know how the whole story ends.
I’d forgotten how dark and hopeless it gets, but I don’t mind because I know that Chris, the main character, is embarking on a journey to find light. Even if he doesn’t know it by the final page of book one. Meanwhile, the web of secrets strung over the little town of Solitary is intriguing and terrifying. It’s still suspenseful the second time around, because I don’t remember all the ins and outs.
Anyway, back to the audio format: four stars for this one. The book itself gets five stars, but I enjoyed the narrator of the last audio book I listened to (Crazy Dangerous) more.
Reapers by Bryan Davis

I’m in the middle of it right now, and expect to finish before I leave. I’ll have more thoughts to share in next month’s S&S post, but for now I’ll say that the pace is picking up, and I’m quite enjoying myself! Phoenix is a very different protagonist than most of Bryan Davis’s. He’s still principled, but not to the extent of someone like Billy Bannister or Adrian Masters or Nathan Shepherd. (Although I’m still figuring Phoenix out, so don’t take that as my final say on the matter.) I look forward to seeing where the second half of the book goes!

On the Writing Desk

As you know, the Silmarillion Awards have been going on this month, which sort of counts as writing–at least part of it.

Other than that, I clocked my writing time again this month: about 30 hours spent writing and/or editing The Brightest Thread. As I edited, I wrote in a few new scenes and added touches of description, contributing another 6,665 words to the manuscript. Now it stands at precisely 68,727 words. Not quite as close to my 70k goal as I wanted, but at this point that’s all I have in me to add. After days of slow progress, including taking my laptop along on the drive to and from church a few Sundays, just to get more writing time in, it’s a relief to be done!

I think The Brightest Thread is the strongest novel I’ve written to date, despite the fact that it’s also the shortest. I’m excited to pitch it next week and see what kind of feedback it gets! Even an unfavorable reaction is a learning experience, so it’s impossible to lose out.

In other writing-related doings, I finished up session 12 of The Creative Way (the writing course by Ted Dekker I’m slowly going through). I also designed business cards and wrote up a one sheet for the conference!

Farewell for now, my friends!

Although I’ll be using the internet whilst at the conference, after that I’ll be unplugging for a week. You won’t see me around here for a little while. However, I hope to schedule a few posts to go up during my absence, so it won’t be completely quiet on Adventure Awaits.

One of the scheduled posts will be for the end of the SilmAwards on July 29th. All of you are welcome to join in as well with your own posts (blog or otherwise) to celebrate all things Tolkien and fantasy! There are no rules. Feel free to write a tribute to Tolkien, pen an ode to Samwise Gamgee, start a discussion about favorite elements of fantasy, share a collection of quotes, include a gif or two (or three hundred) from Lord of the Rings, make a list of favorite fantasy novels, or whatever you like! (Remember to use #SilmAwards2017 on social media!) I’ll catch up on it all when I return.

Take care, my friends! I look forward to sharing my adventures with you! And if any of you are coming to Realm Makers–I’ll see you there.

How has your July been? I hope you’re having a fantastic summer. Bet you’re craving strawberries now, thanks to me.  If you’ve seen Spider-Man Homecoming, what did you think of it?

Subplots and Storylines – June 2017

What ho, questing June bugs! I’m pretty sure June was struck by lightning when the particle accelerator exploded, because it went by in a flash.*

*Ahem. Lame reference to The Flash show. I couldn’t resist. Also I have no idea why you are June bugs today. I had coffee this morning, so I guess you have my cup of joe to thank for the offbeat humor.

Happy Canada 150, by the way, to all my fellow Canadians!
(graphic made by little sis, lostfairy)

It’s crazy! We just flipped the calendar page yesterday, didn’t we? And now we have to flip it again? I’m constantly amazed at just how much can transpire in just thirty days.

The month started off with Rooglewood Press announcing their fourth and final fairy tale retelling contest: Five Poisoned Apples! I have yet to develop even a sliver of an idea, but I would love to enter later on this year. That cover is drop dead gorgeous. A few friends of mine are starting to work on some seriously incredible entries too, from what I’ve heard.

Some of my college classmates and I spoke at an elementary school chapel, even though college is over by now. It was supposed to be our teacher’s thing, but we students had come up with the lesson before grad, so some of us decided to participate anyway, even though we weren’t required to be there. Lots of fun! The best part was an object lesson involving blenders.

Afterwards, I spent the day catching up with a dear friend. Pizza in the park, rants about the trials of customer service, smoothies, and a heart to heart = my kind of outing.

I somehow managed to lose my voice, but just for a day. A stupid cold lingered all during the month of May, but then it came back over a weekend this June–a weekend I was working, a weekend the store had a big sale . . . so that means trying to talk to lots of customers. The old folks couldn’t hear me, one guy asked if my voice always sounded like that or did I have a cold, and several ladies gave me tips to get rid of it (tea, sleep, a cold drink–I think she meant alcohol??–vitamins, honey, etc.). All in all it was quite amusing, although manning the till was not a good idea.

Later in the month we threw a belated party for my mom’s birthday! I haven’t planned or hosted a party in ages, but it ended up a success anyway, and we had the perfect weather for eating outdoors.

Father’s Day also happened–rather low key this year, but still very good.

This week I took my middle sister to the city for a girls day out. We spent over an hour in a bookstore (I bought The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall and Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand–thank you for the recs, my Goodreads friends! I can’t wait to read these summery slices of goodness) . . . went for pizza . . . explored walking trails in the park because when it smells like rain, it’s the best time for adventures . . . and ended off the day with London fogs and macarons in a cutesy little tea shop while it began pouring outside. A lovely time!

And last but not least, I finally sent in my application for the college I want to go to this fall.

Storylines on the Screen

Once Upon a Time – parts of seasons 2, 3, and 5
Still watching it in three different groups: season 2 with all three siblings, season 3 with my parents and sisters, and season 5 with just my sisters. (I’m reminded of how Neverland is one of the best parts of the show EVER. The character conflict is spot on, and Peter Pan is fantastic.)
Rogue One
My second-ever Star Wars movie–go me! I knew in advance that this would be a feelsy movie. Let’s just say it lived up to those expectations, and maybe even surpassed them. There goes my heart in a million pieces on the floor, guys. Jyn, Cassian, and Bodhi were my favorite characters, so if you’ve seen it, you know why I had to sweep up the pieces! And now I can’t decide whether I like Rogue One or The Force Awakens best.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
I rewatched it with my whole family. It didn’t make me cry this time, but it was still gorgeous. For more thoughts, visit Subplots and Storylines – April 2017.

Storylines on the Page

The Shadow Throne // Jennifer A. Nielsen

Within fifty pages, I was scared for every single character on the good side. I loved how this book–and the whole Ascendance Trilogy–managed to be witty, intense, and still have a heart. As always, Jaron is full of sass and clever plans. At one point, when asked what he has up his sleeve, he replies, “Catastrophic levels of bad behavior.” And that about sums it up.

Okay, but before I move on, it bears mentioning that while I did predict the twist at the end, I still loved this final instalment! If you’re looking for a romping, sarcastic fantasy adventure with a handful of great plot twists, look no further.

The Reluctant Godfather // Allison Tebo

What a delightful, hilarious take on the Cinderella story! Check out my review for more thoughts.

The Raven King // Maggie Stiefvater

(Apparently all the books I read this month have matching titles!)

I’ve had difficulty reviewing all four books in the Raven Cycle, but this one was the hardest. In The Raven King, there’s a sharp dichotomy between the magical prose and subtle character development (which I adore), and the frequent swearing, elements of the occult, and now homosexuality (which I cannot endorse).

Without spoiling who or what, I’ll just say that one of my favorite characters was ruined by the gay relationship added to the book. It was saddening.

The ending was also kind of anticlimactic after all the buildup, but in a way it was supposed to fall a little flat. And yet because of that, it didn’t fall flat enough for a long enough time, because by the very end it felt like pretty much everything was solved. The sacrifices made didn’t have the lasting consequences I expected. Certain threads weren’t wrapped up satisfactorily, either.

But the things I did like are Blue’s very relatable longings/frustrations, her developing relationship with Gansey, Gansey’s backstory, more explanations for magical things, and the way that Maggie Stiefvater made me feel things without outright telling me what to feel. Her prose, while not quite to the level of the previous three books, is downright amazing. Plus the cover is gorgeous.

In conclusion . . . I don’t really have a conclusion. This book left me feeling something, left me thinking about it long after I closed the cover, which is the mark of an impactful book. Now if only I could figure out just what kind of impact it had.

(for a few more thoughts, including some spoilers, check out my Goodreads review)

Storylines on My Own Pages

This was the month I planned to add 50,000 words to The Brightest Thread! To keep myself on track, I logged my progress both in words and in time spent writing. This month, I spent over 43 hours on TBT and added 29,238 words to the manuscript. This brings it up to 62k . . . not quite what I’d aimed for, but it was still the best writing month I’ve had this year!

I continued going through TBT from start to finish, basically retyping a mix of the very first novella draft and the polished novella draft, while adding in new stuff along the way. Buuuut by the time I reached the end, the story was still only 55k long. So I took half a week to read over what I had so far and gain a wider perspective. And then I jumped right back in, working on some spot cleaning sort of editing here and there, incorporating a few small subplots, etc. That’s where I’m at right now.

I originally wanted to get this novel up to an 80-90k length, but considering how I feel like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas at the moment–and considering the fast approaching deadline called Realm Makers–I’m aiming for 70k.

It seems a bit low for the genre, but I’ve been scouring lists of typical industry standard wordcounts. YA, it seems, ranges anywhere from 55-80k, though some lists mention the genre is tending to run longer these days. Fantasy in general ranges from 90-120k. My questions is: what about YA fantasy??? A 70,000-word novel ends up under 300 pages, if I estimated that correctly. And I can’t remember the last time I picked up a fantasy novel that small. However, I think that for the sake of having something to pitch at the conference, a 70k novel isn’t bad, and if an agent shows interest but suggests lengthening the book, that can be done at a later date.

(For all of you nonwriters, I’m sorry for the boring stats and wordcounts. Such is the writer life.) (I also apologize for taking longer to reply to comments this month. When I’m focused on something, I’m obsessively focused.)

Anyway, it’s been a very intense month of patchwork writing/editing, and I really, really hope that the result turns out well. It would be nice if I had time to send the story to beta readers before I leave for the conference, but that will have to wait until afterward. In the meantime, my July writing plans are to:

  • write those last 8,000 words
  • do a quick round of editing
  • prepare a pitch (along with written material such as a query letter to hand out)

Farewell to June and hello to July

The first three weeks of July will be full of TBT work and conference prep, and then at last I shall fly to Nevada for Realm Makers!

And here on the blog, I’ll be posting mostly on Mondays instead of Saturdays, because a certain special thing is going on in July, and you all get to be a big part of it!

That’s right, it’s the second annual Silmarillion Awards!

I would explain all the rules here, but this post is getting long enough. Come back on July 3rd, however, and the fun will begin! In the meantime, start thinking of all your favorite fantasy characters!

How was your June? Is it just me, or is summer just flashing by? (Oops, another Flash pun. After finishing the second season last month, I must be suffering withdrawal.) How many of you will I see at Realm Makers? How many of you are pumped for the Silmarillion Awards?!

The Steadfast Pen Blog Launch & Interview!

In my last post I promised a special guest was coming. Well, joining us today is my younger brother, Josiah! He just launched his blog, called The Steadfast Pen, this week. To celebrate his splashdown into the blogosphere, I’m interviewing him about his perspective on creativity and life, two of my main topics here at Adventure Awaits.

You may remember him from Four Elements of a Successful Villain, a guest post he did here over a year ago. Or you may recall that he and I shared college adventures recently. You may also be unable to forget that, ahem, darling picture of him and I dressed as Mario and Princess Peach (featured in S&S May 2017) .

Josiah neglected to give me an official bio for this post, leaving his introduction in my very capable hands. (I’ve known the guy for nineteen years, so I’d like to think I’m an expert at this sort of thing.) Josiah is the creatively inclined, fastidiously detailed, uproariously funny person responsible for many a brainstorming session or Marvel fest in my household. Stories were what paved the way from our squabbling phase of siblinghood to the friendship phase we enjoy now. He’s got a quirky sense of humor, an affinity for puns, and a boatload of patience developed by the trials of having three sisters.

Without further ado, please welcome Josiah Dyck to the stage!



Tracey: Art and life have a way of intersecting. How does your life
influence your art, and how does art influence your life?

Josiah: Interesting question! I think that my life influences my
art—or, more specifically, my writing—in a host of different ways. When I
struggle in life, I can work those struggles into my writing. My story The Tournament of Convicts is a good
example of this. The main character fights against the feeling of never seeing
his dreams come to pass. This is something I’ve had to fight as well, and that
makes it more poignant in the story. Another scenario is for my first book in
The Portal Chronicles. One of my characters, Mark, tries to prove himself
because he wants his parents to be proud of him. I can relate to this, which
strengthens the story’s emotion.

If there are things I’ve wondered and want to work out,
stories are good places to do that. For example, Of Beauties and Beasts toys with the concept of actions and
consequences, especially when said actions were bad, but the intentions were
good. Darkened Slumber deals a lot
with honor and asks if someone can be honorable when they’ve killed someone
else. Maelstrom is going to be
focused on grace versus judgement, especially when people don’t deserve grace.
Being able to figure these things out on the pages of a novel is always a joy
to do in the end.

Through this answer, I think I’ve also partially answered the
second part of this question. By working through the struggles and questions I
have, my art influences my life when I find the answers. Also, when one is a
writer, one pays attention to different things than most people would. I
sometimes try to remember how someone looks so I can incorporate part of them
into a character. I’ll notice quirks, habits, and mannerisms—all worth noting
should I someday want to use them. I could go on, but I think I’ve rambled on
long enough for this question, seeing it’s only the first one.

Tracey: You write, but you also engage in a number of other creative
outlets—both as creator and as an audience member. What creative art forms
influence your writing?


Josiah: ALL OF THEM. Well, I should specify that every art form I
engage in has an impact on my writing. That includes books, movies/TV shows,
music, video games . . . There are art forms (e.g. dance, theater,
painting/drawing) that either don’t have any influence, or only a bit, but
maybe that’s because I don’t participate in these outlets. I couldn’t tell you
which one has the most power in my writing, but what I do know is that my
writing is indeed impact by the major forms of art I engage in.

Tracey: Soundtracks are a big favorite of yours, and I know that
asking you to pick a favorite is cruel of me . . . but tell us. What’s your
favorite soundtrack? (You can stab thank me later.)

Josiah: Ha. Ha. Ha. You just had to pull this one, did ya? I can’t
pick one favorite, because I’ll think of another and think to myself, “Oh yeah,
there’s that one, and that one, and that one . . .” Pretty soon, I’ll be saying
all of my soundtracks are my favorite.
But whenever I’m asked this question, one soundtrack often
comes to mind, so I’ll just use that one. If someone were to ask me what you
just did, I might be tempted to say that the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack (the
extended version of it) is my favorite. “Why?” you might be asking. Because
Junkie XL is a phenomenal composer, that’s why. You start off with lots of
intense or suspenseful sequences, filled with scratchy strings, pounding drums, and
eerie sounds I can’t properly describe. Then, out of the blue, an emotional
theme appears in the music. You’re hit with tracks that seem to be influenced
by classical music. Suddenly, this soundtrack is very different than what you
initially thought. It’s just so amazing! Hans Zimmer himself describes the
soundtrack as being “absolutely phenomenal and mind-blowingly brilliant.” Which
should tell you something about the Fury Road score.

Tracey: If you had a theme song that played whenever you walked into
a room, what would it be?
Josiah: I have legitimately thought about this beforehand, and all
my answers are goofy ones. Like, if I walked into a room and the Imperial March
started playing, or the Black Rider theme, I’d find that absolutely hilarious. But
if I were to seriously consider a theme, maybe Rohan’s theme? Or perhaps Ballad
of the Goddess from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Ooh, there’s also the
LEGO Ninjago overture! So many to choose from, and I don’t which I’d pick. I would
probably change it . . . a lot.

Tracey: Who are some of your fictional heroes, and why?

Josiah: Obviously, the first one on this list is Captain America.
He’s such a patriotic hero who upholds his morals, and when he’s made a
decision, he’s determined to stick with it. He was one of the first superheroes
I saw in a movie, and I couldn’t help but love his character. I just don’t
understand people who think he’s lame. Obviously, such people don’t know a
great hero when they see one.
Another hero would be the Flash—as in, Grant Gustin’s
version. He strives to be a noble hero, but at the same time, he’s also very
human. He makes mistakes and doesn’t always admit it right away. He wrestles
with the punches life keeps throwing his way. I love the combination of
hero/human, because then I look up to him and identify with him. He’s a
relatable character, and that makes him awesome.
Finally, Charlie West from Andrew Klavan’s Homelanders
series is one of my heroes. He’s fiercely loyal to his country and will go
great lengths in his fight for it. He’s also got a family, friends, and a
girlfriend who he loves and wants to protect. I cheered for him throughout the
whole series. He has to be one of the most memorable protagonists I’ve read in
a book series. (I don’t know about you, but I’m detecting a theme here.)
Captain America // The Flash // Charlie West featured on the cover of The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

Tracey: If you could spend a day with any character, yours or
someone else’s, who would it be? And what would your day together look like?

Josiah: Gah, this is so hard. I think I’m going to cheat and say I’d
love to hang out with the three main characters from my Portal Chronicles
books: Mark, David, and Warren. They would be so much fun to spend a day with!
We would probably do things like go watch a movie in theaters and then rave or
rant about it afterward; we’d play video games and probably do it loudly; we
would go to a cozy café, sit down with beverages, and just talk about life. Now
you’re making me wish I could actually do this. You wouldn’t happen to know how
to make book characters come to life, would you?

Tracey: You’re a very detailed movie-watcher. What things do you
look for or notice first in a movie?

I’ve never really thought about this. I guess one of the
things I notice is the music. Because I love soundtrack and am always on the
lookout for something new to listen to, I’ll pay attention to the movie’s
score. This, however, doesn’t happen all the time. There usually has to be
something that triggers it. One case of this is in Big Hero 6. During the chase
scene in San Fransokyo, the music changes from orchestral to electronic with
electric guitar. My ears perked up, and I decided to give the soundtrack a
listen.
San Fransokyo

There are other things I look for, such as an opening that
catches my attention, characters that I can feel emotional about, a gripping
plot, cool camera angles, realistic sets, et cetera. Like I said, I haven’t
even thought about this before. I suppose I’ll be paying more attention to that
now.

Tracey: You don’t hesitate to follow the advice, “Kill your
darlings.” Talk to us about character deaths—what is their value, how do you go
about it, what to avoid, etc.

Josiah: Ah, yes, I do tend to kill off a number of my characters. I
think they’re valuable because they heighten the emotion of the story, and
that’s our number one goal as writers: to give the readers an emotional
experience. Plus, there are other reasons for killing off a character.
Sometimes you need to raise the stakes and show the danger of what the
protagonists are doing. Other times, a villain’s demise is just satisfying.

The way I do deaths, if I want the readers to care, is to give
them plenty of reasons to become attached to said character. When readers love
characters, the scene of their death will be so much more powerful. There are
some character deaths where I do it “at a bad time,” if you will. If the
protagonists are at the crux of the plot, when things are getting darker and
hard, kill one of them off. Make things even more difficult for the others.

Another idea to do it is when there should be satisfaction,
like when a final battle has been won. Mortally wounding a character just at
the end increases the emotion. Or perhaps things are finally looking up for
your character; kill them, and your readers will become frustrated—in a good
way, of course. I’ll even give the villains a bit of humanity to spark even a
little bit of emotion from the readers.

However, here is my major precaution in character deaths: if
they’re supposed to matter, do not do
them just because.
See, when it’s a minor character, you can kill them off
easier because they don’t matter as much. But when it comes to major
protagonists, or even antagonists, tread carefully. Killing them off
willy-nilly doesn’t incite emotion in the reader if there’s no reason behind
it. I have to remind myself of that too sometimes. Whenever you’re debating
removing a character permanently, always ask yourself, “Do I have a sufficient
reason for doing this?”

I could give more advice, but this answer’s getting pretty
long. I guess I’ll just have to do a whole post on it sometime.

Tracey: If you couldn’t write, what would you do?

Josiah: I’d probably be a filmmaker. I would save up and get a nice
camera, establish a small crew, and make all sorts of movies. Even now, though
I am a writer, I wish I could pick it up as a smaller hobby. I think it’d be a
lot of fun to do.

Tracey: Quick—sort yourself! Which faction from Divergent?
Which race from Lord of the Rings? How soon would you die in The
Hunger Games
? Which Pevensie are you most like from The Chronicles of
Narnia
? (I’d ask you which Harry Potter house you’re in, but neither of us
has read it. #behindthetimes) (I took a quiz once, and I’m apparently
Gryffindor?)

Amity faction
Josiah: According to a test, I’m part of the Amity faction, but I
might prefer to choose Dauntless. I’d either be an Elf or a Skin-Changer. I’d
like to think I would win, but realistically, I’d probably die somewhere in the
middle. Eh, probably Edmund, after he’s done the whole betrayal thing. (I did
the HP house quiz, and I’m fairly equal in all the houses, which means I can
choose my own. Yay . . .?)

Well, thanks for allowing me on your blog, Tracey! I had a
lot of fun with this interview.

Tracey: So did I! Thanks for stopping by, bro! To all my fellow adventurers, head on over to The Steadfast Pen to read Josiah’s very first post. Hint: if you like pizza, you’ll get along just fine. Feel free to leave him some comments, here or there (or both!). I think I can persuade him to loiter around my comment section and chat with y’all. 😉