This week, for the first time in a long time, I requested a book from the library.
Actually, I requested a few, but the majority of them were E-books (because I'm impatient and wanted to read them right away). Two of the E-books I'm reading currently are "The Ritual" by Adam Nevill, and "Wyrd and Other Derelictions", also by Adam Nevill. I figured I should start reading what I want to write, and he seems to be somewhat within that genre/style. They are really well-written monster-horror stories, and I'd definitely recommend them, for those not faint of heart.
The one paperback book that I physically went and picked up from the library building (REAL old-school, I know) is a guide to writing that someone on social media suggested, called "Story Genius." I thought it sounded cheesy, but after reading the preview on Amazon, I decided to give it a go.
Turns out, it's a really good book. It talks a lot about human biology and how to write stories that basically trick the human mind into wanting to keep reading. It's the kind of psychological manipulation that I can get behind.
I'm learning a lot of stuff about writing that I'd never considered, to the point where I can now look back at the books that I've previously written and identify their big issues. The main problem that I'm noticing is that the way I start to develop book ideas is organized incorrectly.
For example, when I wrote "The Key to Yamal" (my first book, bless its soul), I wanted it to be a story where a group of teenagers go on an epic adventure through a fantasy world, fighting monsters, making friends, and falling in love. Once I had an outline of all these amazing events, I plopped in a melange of characters and started writing.
Little did I know, this methodology will always fail. While a reader may pick up a book because of the plot, they will always continue reading because of the characters. Thus, I need to start the writing process by developing the characters, then building the plot around them.
Actually, I think that's why my book "St. Caleb's" was undoubtedly the most engaging book I've written - unlike my other works, the protagonist drives the plot, instead of it driving him. That's mostly because I treated that book like an improv scene and came up with most of the scenes off the top of my head.
Anyway, I'm trying this strategy out with my new book project (which I briefly mentioned last week), and it's going well so far. It's hard work, of course, but no artist ever got anywhere without working their butt off.
Also, a few query rejections have come back for "Uhyre", which is to be expected. I wouldn't be surprised if no agent accepted it, because even for that book, the plot often pushes the characters around.
But alas! I shall not worry my little head over such trivialities; I'll move on to the next project, determined to make it my best work yet. And one of these days, an agent might say yes.
See ya next week!
- Tyler
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