Author: Eric Warren

Sunday is typically my get things done day. Laundry, chores, calling Mom. But I’m also finding it is a good day for blog posts. Though I don’t want to commit to doing one every Sunday because I tried something like that on my last blog and it didn’t work so well. No more long-term commitments, posts come when they come.

Continue reading “On Being Prepared…”

I was recently encouraged to create more personal blog posts, so here we go. Two in a row.

Continue reading “On Being Productive…”

So I don’t do many personal posts, but for some reason today, I felt like maybe I should. It’s Sunday, why not? And I wanted to talk about why I decided to become a writer.  That’s pretty basic, right? What could go wrong?

Many people will tell you they became writers because it is in their blood. They started writing when they were young, or they graduated from college with an English degree or they retired from their career and decided to pen the great American (or English or Brazilian or Polish) novel. But for me it was none of those. I started writing for one reason: money.

And before you start laughing, hear me out. When I started toying with the idea of writing in the summer of 2014, I didn’t know the first thing about the business of being an author. I didn’t know about agents, conferences, none of it. I genuinely thought I could write a story, get a few people to read it, polish it, and then somehow magically get it published. Screw the details, I’d deal with them later. I’d heard the community was small, and if I could just finish a manuscript, then I could probably get it out there. At the time, I didn’t even know if I could write a book, but I was dying to try. And I was having some issues regarding money. Not trouble necessarily, but I thought if I could provide a supplemental income, all the better.

Believe me, I know all this sounds unbelievably naive and shallow. And it was. I was. I didn’t care about the craft itself, I cared about getting paid.

So I spent seven months penning my very first novel. And yes, I finished it. Around 80K words. When I was writing I wasn’t even sure I’d make it, but somehow, it happened. And then I spent another month editing and cleaning it up.

And then I gave it to a few people to read.

Here comes the big surprise: it was terrible. No, I was not the next Stephen King or even the next Stephanie Meyer. My friends didn’t hate it, but they didn’t love it either. And I got a lot of advice. I needed to join a writer’s group. I needed to educate myself. I needed to learn the business. And all of that sounded like more than I was willing to take on. I was just looking for a paycheck, and I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision. Money was no longer as big of an issue as it had been when I started, so why not just quit? Why not move on to something else and put my energy where I wasn’t wasting my time?

Because I fell in love.

I fell in love with writing. Not right at first and not all at once. It was gradual. I don’t think I even realized it until I was on my third book. I found not writing difficult, as if I were wasting time when I could be writing…when I could be creating. And I realized I loved crafting stories, and that maybe I had always been meant to do this, and never realized it.

As a kid I was so disappointed I couldn’t draw. I tried, I practiced and I just had a very hard time with it. I longed to create fantastic things on paper, and I couldn’t make it happen. No matter how many times I drew Garfield he never looked right. But writing, writing was easy. It came naturally, so much that I didn’t even realize it. Whenever there was a writing assignment in class I breezed through it, no problem. For fun I wrote stories about magical creatures under the earth. So many words came from my hands that I ended up writing two “books” about said creatures. And then I started writing sequels to my favorite movies. And all of this before I was even in high school. It was all for fun, for no reason at all. Writing was like breathing, it was simultaneously effortless and necessary.

And then high school came along and all of my writing went into reports and analysis and all that crap which only continued through college. And by the time I was done with school I had completely forgotten how much I’d loved creating. How much I’d loved being an artist.

Even though my initial motivation was greed, I consider myself so amazingly lucky that I found my way back. I could have very easily walked through the rest of my life never rediscovering what I loved, and what a miserable existence it would have been. In fact, I remember envying people who had found their “talent” and wishing that could be me. I don’t envy people anymore. I know who I am and what I’m supposed to be doing. And even if I never sell a word I will keep writing until the day I die.

Because I am in love. And I will never forget again.

A second year of this amazing show has come and gone, and I find myself just a little sad because it all went by so quick.

Last year, on the day DFWcon 2016 was over, I purchased tickets for this year. I had two reasons for this: 1) the price was at an amazing discount for a very short time and 2) I knew without a doubt in my mind I was coming back. But life does strange things sometimes and by the time December rolled around I’d realized I probably wouldn’t be able to make it back to Texas in May.

So what happened? Well, the stars aligned sometime around the beginning of April and my schedule opened up. Lo and behold, I was going! And I was so excited. The 2016 show was my very first writer’s convention (and the subject of the very first post on this website) and it changed me. Truly changed me. It opened my eyes to a community I’d only barely touched, and it dramatically improved my knowledge of writing over the course of two days (with one awesome mixer thrown in for good measure). Without DFWcon I never would have written my third book. Or, more accurately, it would have come out a lot worse. And I never would have attended Writer’s Digest’s NY convention, which led to me writing my fourth novel. So in a nutshell, DFWcon began a domino effect that has made me an infinitely better writer. But it also introduced me to a wonderful group of people whom I was desperate to get back to. Texans, ya’ll crazy.

So did my second DFWcon measure up? After all the experiences of the past year, would its influence hold? Was it even worth it to continue to attend a convention halfway across the country? The answer, is obviously, yes.

I realized something this year, something I think last year I was too green to see. A writer is only as good as the people supporting him or her. This job (and it is a job for most of us, we are trying to make money) is lonely, solitary and hard. But it is the community that keeps me going. And seeing all those people I met last year has only steeled my resolve to work even harder. If I had to do all this alone, in a vacuum, I would have given up long ago. But I am now reinvigorated, ready to charge the gates of hell with my sword raised high and beat the ever loving shit out of Satan himself just because I can.

Okay, that may be just a little hyperbole. But you get the idea.

It also helped that I moved my lens a little this year. Instead of focusing solely on craft-related classes, I attended more on how to navigate the life of a writer. Classes like Annie Neugebauer’s Building Your Writer’s Bio and Eric Ruben’s Legal Issues for Writers. And because it wasn’t re-treading what I’d learned last year, everything was still fresh.

But, the people. My friends. They were who this past weekend was really about. This year I was much more confident going in, and I found people recognizing me after a year of interacting online. And I felt at ease…at home. New York was nice, but everyone was all business. This community is like a family in the truest sense of the word. If I could I would spend all of my time sitting around playing FLUXX, or talking about how much 50 Shades of Grey sucks even though I read the entire thing, or even helping a few people get a couple extra minutes with a literary agent. The only terrible thing was it all had to end, and so I have to stretch out a forty-eight hour period to cover the next thirteen months (the next show isn’t until June 2018).

So until then I will look back with fond memories and keep my nose to the grindstone. Maybe that will make the time pass just a tiny bit quicker.

Wow, remember this post? Back when I was still young and green and full of hope? My how the time flies. But guess what. DFWcon starts in three days! *Head explodes from excitement*

But in all honesty I am so very grateful and excited to be attending DFWcon two years in a row. This year marks the 10th anniversary, so I know it will be something special. Last year was such an eye-opening experience, not only by what I learned but by who I met. It is as if my life is split into two, pre-DFWcon and post-DFWcon.

Without this convention, I never would have had the courage to attend the Writer’s Digest Convention in New York, never would have written my third (and fourth!) novels both in under a year (well, I may have, but they would have been as shoddy and haphazard as the first two), never would have had the confidence and resolve to continue to push on despite the lack of interest from agents and I never would have met such a wonderful group of friends who now make up a majority of my writing life (writer friends are the best because we’re all introverts, lol. Well, most of us).

I can’t even imagine where I would be without this show. So not only am I incredibly excited about departing for Dallas in two days, I am so very grateful for everything his show helped me accomplish and pushed me to become. Because without this first domino, none of the others would have fallen into place.

I can’t wait to see what this year will bring.

It snuck up on me! The Writer Conference season is here and it’s coming up quick! Last year my experience began with DFWcon in Fort Worth, Texas. Unfortunately this year I thought I wouldn’t be able to go due to other commitments, but last week my schedule opened up! Texas here I come!

This has also put me into something of a scramble to get everything ready, but I already feel much more prepared since I know what to expect. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces as well as a few new ones and honestly I cannot wait. This year the show is in Dallas, which I only got a taste of last year and I hope I carve out some time to do a little exploring. All in all, I expect it to be a great show.

Oh yeah, and there’s the Gong Show and a bunch of Agents there or something but who wants to hear about that 😉

You know, I wanted to do an obligatory New Year’s post, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write one. I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions as a rule; I tend to believe if you want to change something in your life, you shouldn’t wait until the new year to do it. So that being said, nothing has really changed for me 😀

I’m still charging forward with all the writing I can manage, and just a few days ago finished my fourth novel (rough draft only). This is the one I alluded to in my last post (see: Lightning Has Struck My Brain) and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I did more prep for this one than any other book I’ve written and I feel like it definitely helped. I was able to finish the rough in approximately six and a half weeks, and I more or less stuck to my initial outline, with only a few major changes.

This was also the first time I followed a true structure in terms of beats for the book, incorporating things like: Point of No Return, Re-dedication, and Darkest Night. Incorporating these elements has really made a difference in how I structure the story, and I believe it makes for an overall stronger presentation. I will definitely be using these in the future.

So now it is back to editing for a while and preparing for Conference Season. It looks like I may only make it to one out-of-town con this year, but you never know. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is never try to predict the future.

Do you remember this iconic quote via the imbecilic Smee in 1991’s Hook? It has always stuck with me, the moment when Smee is trying to imitate his Captain which leads to dire consequences for Peter Pan’s son.

Movies do this to me a lot. A scene or a bit of dialogue, or even just an action will stick with me for years and years, and come up at the strangest times. So today (well, actually a few days ago) I am like Mr. Smee where I feel like I’ve struck gold.

Coming upon a new story for a novel is a strange process, especially because I am so new at it. I keep a list of ideas (as I’m sure many of us do) from which I plant seedlings of ideas occasionally when something strikes me. And now, while I have one book out for editing and other off to Beta Readers I am finding myself in something that amounts to downtime. So I was perusing my list of ideas and nothing really stood out at me. Nothing “spoke” to me and that was fine. I was content to play video games or build something out of Legos instead.

But then…I was complaining to a fellow writer (love ya, KLE) about having to read a book my mother gave me about life as a nurse–my mother is a nurse–and how much I did not want to read it. Then, from out of nowhere, the idea hit me. An idea that I can’t get out of my head; an idea for which I have already put close to 5k words to paper about just on backstory alone. I know this will be my next book, and I am so freaking excited about it. The story is there, calling to me, and it is that pull we writers feel, the desire to transform this story from its place in the ether to the page where it can be shared with everyone, that drives me.

Not only that, but I’m scared. This is a little outside my norm and I have no idea if I know what I’m doing, but I’ve heard that if you aren’t a little scared then you have no business doing it. Nothing great ever came from being comfortable. So with that, I am officially working on novel number four. And I couldn’t be more excited.

Little did I know when I started this year I would be spending a good chunk of it preparing and attending writing conferences. I always knew they would be part of my future at some point, but this was the year the conference bug kicked in and told me to get off my butt. Continue reading “And With That…Conference Season Is Over”

Well, that’s not 100% true. I was nominated any time there were extra chores to be done (only child = primary target) or sometimes emails tell me I’m nominated for at least $250,000 but I think there’s something fishy about them. But to be nominated for something substantive and I actually appreciate-that is a rarity!

The irascible SoloRein (haha, jk, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to use that word) has so eloquently nominated me for a Sunshine Blogger award. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Sol (@SolHom) at DFWCON this year and I look forward to seeing her yet again next year. She’s become a valuable Beta Reader for me and I hope I at least provide a little of that value back to her. So on to what this is all about! From her site:

“The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are inspiring and bring sunshine into the lives of their readers and fellow bloggers through their blogspace and/or their social media.”

And while I have no doubt someone vastly more qualified than I will win (is there a winner? Who knows, doesn’t matter), I thought it would be fun to participate, after all, this is what it’s all about. Here’s how it works:

• Name drop and link to the blog of the person who nominated you.
• Answer the eleven questions from the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate up to eleven wonderful bloggers and write (or borrow/steal) eleven questions for them to answer.

So here we go (who doesn’t love talking about themselves? Me! So this is gonna be weird!):

1. What do you snack on while you’re writing?

Anything I can find. I like Doritos but they’re dangerous. If I were to eat them while I wrote I’d go through a bag a day, so I reserve them for weekends only. Sometimes I will eat peanuts, sometimes whatever is left over in the fridge. More often than not, I have nothing to snack on at all.

2. What’s your favorite location for maximum creativity and productivity? How often are you able to visit this setting?

My desk, in my house. It is here I have nick-nacks to play with when I need to think, it is also pretty quiet. I can’t work in public, even with headphones. There is too much going on and too many people moving/walking around. I work best in my own environment at home. Here I can write for 8-10 hours if I need to.

3. What is that one weird trick you can do? You know, the one you’d kind of like to forget, but your friends always bring up at parties after a couple of drinks?

I can name every Transformer released from 1984 until 1988 if I’m asked (it never happens) or I can recite the entire script of the 1986 Transformers Animated Movie if asked (also never happens). Though I’m not sure if these apply because no one ever asks me to do it and I don’t think I’d like to forget it. Other than that, I don’t really have many “tricks” per se. However, if you get a couple drinks in me I’ll start throwing out financial advice like its no one’s business. I don’t really know why.

4. Tell us about the project you’re most proud of completing.

Well, I am quite proud I’ve written three books despite the fact they haven’t been published yet. Other than that, I guess I’d have to say I’m most proud of the Transformers convention I created from scratch and hosted back in 2013. (Jeez, again with the Transformers!) We had nearly 1000 attendees, and I am proud to say everyone had a wonderful time and congratulated me on such a successful show. Unfortunately I didn’t want to devote my life to holding conventions, so it was a one time thing, but something I am very happy to have done.

5. Which clique did you hang out with in high school? If you could go back, would you hang out with the same crowd or choose different friends?

Hehehehe. I didn’t have a clique, I had three so-so friends. My graduating High School class consisted of 24 people, we weren’t large enough to form cliques, everyone interacted with everyone else on a daily basis. And if I could go back I would vehemently refuse, I am happy to leave High School in the past. Every time I start wishing time machines existed I think about High School and realize that, nope, I’m happy living in a world where time moves in a fixed line (probably).

6. How have you improved the world during your lifetime?

I’m not sure I have, that is a big part of why I write. I no longer want to be merely a consumer of culture, I want to add to it, no matter how small my contribution. Other than that, I rescued a dog, he lives here now, he’s very happy. So that’s something.

7. Teleportation. Would you do it? Why or why not?

All day long. I would own the teleportation company cause I’d be using it so much. I love traveling, but I hate driving…so yeah, puts me in a weird place. I guess I’m impatient.

8. What is your favorite stupid joke?

Two men walk into a bar, the third ducks.

9. What charitable organization do you think more people should support?

Animal rescues and animal shelters. They are at the mercy of our society and it is our job to ensure our own selfishness doesn’t destroy the lives of innocent animals and wildlife.

10. What is one topic you would never be able to write about? Why?

This is going to get a little gross, but a woman going through her menstrual period for the first time. Not only do I not want to write about it, but I have absolutely no way to understand what that is like. Not to mention doing any sort of research on the subject would probably land me in prison. Everything else in our world I could probably stand to cover if I really needed to.

11. Name three things that are always in your fridge.

Vegetables

Soy Sauce

Monster Ultra Energy Drinks (gotta stay awake to write!)

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And that’s it! A big thanks to Sol for nominating me! Here comes the part where I list my own eleven questions. Urge…to….steal….growing….must….resist…

1. What is your most embarrassing secret? Haha, no, kidding. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing with your life?
2. Do you use any special tricks in your writing? Anything you’ve figured out over the years that helps in some way?
3. What does your ideal writer’s space look like?
4. Do you enjoy killing off your characters if the mood or circumstance requires? Why or why not?
5. Do you have a routine or something you do when you get writer’s block or get stuck somewhere?
6. What is your favorite type of book to read? Doesn’t necessarily have to be genre, just something about a book that will always draw you in, no matter what.
7. If someone were to ask you: “Should I become a writer?” what do you tell them? Why?
8. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
9. What is your favorite “non-writing” activity?
10. It is 10,000 years in the future. Humanity is a burning husk. Somehow your work has survived and aliens have translated it so they can read it, but they only have enough power to translate one story. Which story would you choose to survive humanity for another civilization to read?
11. Hollywood wants to turn your book into a movie, BUT in the process they want the right to rewrite it as they see fit for the screen without your input. What do you do?

Now for the fun part, I get to nominate others. I am glad I can nominate as few people as I like because I don’t know that many writer-bloggers (yet)!

First I’ll nominate Katherine L. Evans over at KLE. We had the opportunity to meet at DFWCON (seeing a trend?) and I can absolutely say my life is better for knowing her. Sometimes you find people who just get you, and she has been an invaluable friend in the few months I’ve known her. She’s also a very talented and prolific writer!

Second will be Katherine’s sister, Asher Lee, another DFWCON buddy and very talented author not to mention all around awesome person. Not only is she uncommonly generous, she holds what seems like an unending stream of stories.

Rounding out this holy (or is it hellish?) trinity will be Becki Fornwalt AKA Novelarnia. Guess where we met???? Becki is such an upbeat and confident person, I wish I could get an IV of her infectious energy every day. She and I have tossed ideas back and forth for a couple of months now and I can’t wait to see what her next project looks like.

Fourth up for nomination is my pseudo-mentor: Jay Requard. I met Jay through our local Writer’s Group back when he was the head organizer. Jay has a passion for this work like I’ve never seen and he now works for an Independent Press while still managing to find the time to write (note: I DID NOT meet Jay at DFWCON, but yeah he was there anyway :/)

Fifth….hmmm. This is where I would normally nominate Sol herself. Can’t do that though, but it still counts in my list! Consider yourself re-nominated!

Number Six will be Laura Maisano! Come on down! I’ll give you three guesses where I met her…Laura has her shit together let me tell you. Check out her website for more info, but…yeah. Very inspiring. 🙂

Nomination number Seven goes to Nicole Wilson. I had the opportunity to meet her (where else!) in Texas but I found out she will also be attending the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC this year as well, so I look forward to reconnecting again.

Number Eight is Misty Mikes. I wish I’d had more time to get to know her during the conference, but at least I manage (or try) to keep up on Twitter.

Nine is going to be Kimmie Easley, who is someone I would describe as a good soul. Along with her partner-in-crime Sarah Bale (you need a blog Sarah!) she was one of the first people I met at DFW due to their awesome intro-social. A great person and fantastic author!

My final nomination (I think 10 is a good, round number) will be Theresa Glover. Someone who, like Jay, I met through our local Writer’s Group, she has recently joined the organizing committee and puts out some truly amazing work.

Wow, okay so I got more than I planned on! Great. If only 10% of the people nominated respond, it will be interesting regardless because these are all very awesome people! Also, not all of these sites are exactly blogs, but I only know so many people! (Technically this site isn’t a “blog” either, but I like writing random thoughts every now and again).

Cheers!

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