Chasing the Wild Unicorn � On creativity and one writers process

Why I write and how it starts

I am a novel writer. That’s what I do. I don’t write short stories or poetry. I write only novels because for me, it is an opportunity to explore a subject, theme or philosophical view point. Each novel I write starts out with the kernel of an idea and as I work through the novel I explore this idea.

My second novel explored the responsibility a man has toward humanity as a whole and my next novel explores a theme I call "The Generational Quest". What I mean by this is that individuals don’t have a purpose in life just unto themselves. Each individual is part of a quest for meaning tied into his or her bloodline -so the quest continues on through generations. A theme like this brings up a lot of questions like: How do the individuals realize they are part of a quest? How does the quest get passed down? Can quests cross bloodlines? What happens if a bloodline dies out? A broad philosophical question like this brings up a lot of questions and you can see why it takes a work of novel length.

The Actual Writing

The part of actual writing is relatively easy for me. I have a theme that I want to explore and the characters and situations just come to me with very little effort. By framing the work as an exploration of a question the story just moves forward of its own volition. Many times I have been utterly surprised to find out what happens and I have spent many evenings writing just to find out what happens next. The writing takes a life of its own almost from the very first page and the whole story is told with very little editing. This part of the writing has taken me anywhere from a month to a year to complete and I pay no attention to word or page count. I allow the story to flow however it wants to. If it’s only fifty-thousand words then that is what it is. If it is more then so be that too. The only self-imposed rule I have is that when I am writing the story I write at least one full page in the sitting. Often times this can take several hours and much walking around the house and looking out the window but I usually achieve this goal.

The process I Use

I write in a very linear fashion. For me, the writing bursts from me in a creative span that forces me to tell the whole story. So I write out the whole story from start to finish with very little editing. I start with the opening scene then just work my way through the story and I do this in a word processing program. But my novels can get relatively complex and over the years I have settled into a routine where I keep a spiral bound notebook on my desk. In it I write ideas, plot points, references and problems that I see as I am writing the story. I also draw pictures and maps in there to help me visualize places and characters. I use this notebook lightly during the story telling phase of the novel but I rely very heavily on it during the editing stage.

The One Golden Rule

I am a rule breaker because I pay very little attention to all the things people say about writing and I firmly believe that there are as many different writing styles as there are writers -and that every style is right. But there is one rule that I adhere to, and it works well for me. That rule is that I must write every day. It almost doesn’t matter what I write – just that I write. I always have at least two novels going at the same time so I can switch back and forth depending on where I am feeling the creativity flow but if the novel writing isn’t flowing I will write almost anything from journal entries to articles.

How the Process of writing has changed over the years

I wrote my first novel longhand on four spiral bound notebooks and it worked well for me at the time. My second novel found me making the transition, after about fifty pages, to the computer. And now I have settled into the combination of these two methods with the story on the computer and the notes, extras, observations and theme related questions to explore going into the spiral bound notebook. For me the important thing was the realization that I accept whatever feels right and not worry about any standard way of writing.

Why Epic Fantasy?

Upon first glance there may appear to be a contradiction between the theme of my work and the vehicle that I use. How can I use fantasy to explore questions about the meaning of life? But I don’t see that there is any contradiction at all. Epic Fantasy, going all the way back to Gilgamesh, has always been about tackling the big questions and exploring man’s place in the universe. Placing it all in a fantasy world allows me much more latitude in the where, what and how of the story.

 

<b>Will Kalif</b> is the author of two epic fantasy novels and is currently working on two more and has found the theme for his fifth novel in the genre of horror. You can read his writing and his articles on writing, epic fantasy, creativity and classical guitar at his website:<p>

<b><A href="http://www.stormthecastle.com">Storm The Castle.com - Creativity and Fantasy with an edge</A></b>

Reviews

[TLK]

I am very happy for you to be a novel writer. That is very novel.