J.B. Sommerset

Hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving!  Today I want to talk about what I hate: editing. Some of you might like this process, I do not. But I also acknowledge that despite my grievances with it, editing is necessary. Today I am going to walk you guys through my process. Right now, I am working on  The Lost Pilgrim . I have been editing it for almost three months.  The editing process can be so frustrating, and long. In part, because I am a busy person, I have a lot of work to do in my novels, and editing isn’t my strong point. For me, it doesn't come naturally, and I empathize with people who have the same issues I do. So, I decided to share some of my editing processes.   Understand that when a piece is done and ready for the editing process, it usually takes longer to edit than it did to write (if that isn't true for you, then you are one of the lucky ones). When I wrote  Mid-Life Mike , it took me nine days to write all 180 pages, but it took me well...

 

A voice is one of the most important parts of writing. It makes the story interesting, compelling, and recognizable. It's important to cultivate your voice as a writer but also be flexible with it, and let it change when needed. Voice is what all the greats speak through when they write. Voice is crucial to good writing. Here's my take on it; how I see the subject of voice.   Your voice isn't defined, it's found, it's heard, and transmitted through your writing. Some "experts" will tell you to look to others; ask yourself who would you want to narrate your story?  Spoilers: the answer is always Morgan Freeman. This process is important, but only for the sake of experimentation and exploration of who you are as a person, not a writer. It's a good writing exercise, nothing more. Indulge in it from time to time, but when you are serious about finding your voice, abandon it!   A writer's voice should never sound like someone else. The voice of a writte...

One of the things I like the most about fantasy books is the art. A lot of my favorite authors include amazing art with their literature. Take Terry Pratchett for example, he had amazing artwork, especially in the “Disk World” series. Another good example is J.R.R. Tolkien . He wasn't only an author but an artist, and the original  " Lord of The Rings" had his art on the cover. I still find something comforting about the original art of Tolkien. In my own works, I draw a lot of maps. The Lost Pilgrim, one of my upcoming fantasy works, includes some of my own art (some of which are in my gallery). Here is a teaser, (a partial map) I hope you enjoy it!   Cheers!

More good advice from Hank Green. I might have posted this a while ago, but it does deserve a re-listen. So here you go, I hope you glean something from this. Cheers!

One of the most important things to develop as a writer is style. So, what is style? Simply put, style is the unique flavor by which you write.  That's all well and good, but what does that mean?  Right, that's about as simple as I can put it. However, it can be explained in more detail. To encapsulate it in more complex language, style is the strokes with which you paint the picture, it is the instruments you choose to play the music, it is the medium you make the sculpture out of and it is the mode in which you convey your thoughts. Some would say there are four styles by which you can write ( expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative ), and they would be correct, at least academically. I am not speaking to that, I am speaking to the way by which an author brings his or her work to life.  There is no wrong, or right way to do it. Your style as a writer is developed as you go, it's in how you choose to build a story or work. And just like with painting, it will ...