The Informer

Motivation vs. Discipline
by Nephele Tempest

Are you a writer? Do you aspire to be one? Whatever your current status and goals, you have a set of motivations that drive you. Perhaps you’ve loved telling stories since childhood and the ideas are piled up inside your brain, pushing you to let them out into the world. Maybe you’re a wordsmith who enjoys crafting sentences and creating a beautiful flow of text. Or maybe your motivations are a combination of things, such as a love for storytelling, a fascination with research, and a  driving need to work a flexible job that you can perform at home or while traveling.

Whatever your reasons for becoming a writer, you likely have a list of things—large and small—that motivate you to sit down at your computer and work on your manuscript. There’s the bigger picture, which includes your desire to be a writer in general, and the smaller one as well, which might be a combination of a challenging scene you’re dying to write and a deadline looming on the horizon. These things join forces to motivate you, to make you want to get down to the actual work of writing.

But what happens on days when you don’t want to write? Days when you don’t feel like it? Maybe you’re not quite sure what comes next in the story, or you had a late night and just the thought of being creative makes your head throb. Or it’s possible your day job requires you to put in some extra hours this week, and the only way you can squeeze in your writing time is to stay up an extra hour before going to bed each night. And you really don’t want to do that.

It happens. No matter how much you love to write, no matter how strong your desire to succeed, you are only human, and it’s impossible for a human being to be highly motivated about something every hour of every day. This is where discipline comes into play.

Discipline gets a bad rap in terms of the words we use. It tends to have more of a negative connotation these days, bringing to mind parents who believe in spankings, or long prison sentences. But somewhere among those numbered dictionary definitions is the one I need, meaning self-control, or orderly or prescribed conduct. Discipline is the thing that gets you to the keyboard when you’d rather not get out of bed in the morning.

People have two basic modes of conscious behavior: Things they do automatically, and things they think about before deciding whether or not to move forward. The things that come automatically didn’t always do so. Your parents reminded you to brush your teeth for years, most likely, before you truly adopted the habit. It probably took a few years of your childhood for you to get out of bed without prompting and get ready for school, but that habit helped train you for getting ready for work later on.

As an adult, you’ve developed your own set of routines, and it probably took a certain amount of discipline to put them in place. You may not always feel like hitting the gym, but you make yourself go because your health and fitness are important to you and because you understand the dangers of breaking that habit. Likewise, you don’t always wake feeling excited about going to your day job, but you go because you’re a responsible person who needs to pay their bills, and because your coworkers count on you. So where does writing fit on your scale? Is it something you do daily, automatically? Or is it something you think about and then decide whether or not to move forward?

If you wish to make writing your career—if you want to be serious and professional about it—you need to treat it as you would any other important, nonnegotiable aspect of your life. Behave like a professional writer from the moment you determine that’s your ultimate goal. You don’t write because you happen to feel like it that day; you commit to writing because it’s important and you set the time to do it. Then you show up and do the work. Don’t wait to feel inspired. Don’t take time off simply because you’re feeling less motivated that day. You need to treat writing as a profession if you want it to become one.

Agents of the Roundtable
 

What is the most awkward moment you've ever had as an agent?

DEIDRE KNIGHT: My most awkward moment as an agent was probably when I was taking pitch sessions and a woman asked me to sign a non-disclosure before I’d hear her pitch. I wasn’t unkind, but firm, in explaining why that wasn’t the right way to handle a meeting with an agent. And then she burst into tears. I felt awful, needless to say.

New Clients On the Block

» Patricia Sands: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Evangeline Denmark: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» JC Welker: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Dill Werner: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Emma Barry: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Tricia Tyler: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» JC Hemphill: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Sales Roundup

» Simplified Chinese rights to Rachel Caine's Great Library trilogy, to Trustbridge in a nice deal, by Clare Chi at The Grayhawk Agency on behalf of Whitney Lee at The Fielding Agency in association with Lucienne Diver

» Susan Meier's THE BEST MAN'S FAKE FIANCEE, in which an American with a crush on her wealthy Spanish boss agrees to pose as his fiancée for his brother's wedding and finds herself truly falling in love, to Megan Haslam at Harlequin Romance in a nice two-book deal, by Melissa Jeglinski

» French rights to the next installments in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series, SHARDS OF HOPE and ALLEGIANCE OF HONOR, again to Bragelonne, by Anne Lenclud at Lenclud Literary Agency on behalf of Elaine Spencer

» Z.A. Maxfield's MY COWBOY FREEDOM, the next title in the My Cowboy Heart series, featuring an ex-con who arrives looking for a fresh start at a Texas ranch but instead finds love with a gentle giant, to Cindy Hwang at Berkley in a nice two-book deal, by Deidre Knight

» Z.A. Maxfield's HONKY TONK TEMPTRESS, featuring a heroine whose mission is to make it in country music while negotiating the challenges of her husband's new boyfriend, her own wild past, and being a good mother to the son she adores, to Cindy Hwang at Berkley in a two-book deal, by Deidre Knight

» Sharon Wray's debut romantic suspense series, to Steve Feldberg of Audible, in a nice three-book deal, by Kristy Hunter and Deidre Knight

» Kerry Schafer writing as Kerry Anne King's I WISH YOU HAPPY, in which a young woman becomes enmeshed in a complicated friendship with a suicidal stranger, again to Jodi Warshaw at Lake Union Publishing in a nice two-book deal, by Deidre Knight

» Caitlin Seal's TWICE DEAD, in which a murdered and resurrected seventeen-year old must overcome her prejudices against necromancy, master her abilities to become a spy, and stop the plot to drag her homeland into war, to Monica Perez at Charlesbridge in a nice two-book deal for publication in 2018, by Lucienne Diver

» Mia Siegert's debut, JERKBAIT, to Steve Feldberg of Audible, by Travis Pennington

News

» N. K. Jemisin's THE FIFTH SEASON won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Its follow-up, THE OBELISK GATE, received an excellent review from B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy blog.

» BLOOD OF THE EARTH by Faith Hunter made the USA Today Bestseller List.
   .... .... 
» Deidre Knight's BUTTERFLY TATTOO was chosen as a featured anchor title for their new NOOK Press Presents, a list of recommendations handpicked by Barnes & Noble editors.

» NPR did a special article on Ramez Naam's NEXUS.

» Christie Golden's WARCRAFT: DUROTAN and STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE were both Locus bestsellers for August.

» Chloe Neill and Faith Hunter chatted about their new releases on USA Today's Happy Every After.

Genevieve Cogman’s THE MASKED CITY earned a spot on the Publishers Lunch September Library Reads List.

» Mia Siegert discussed the deeply personal inspirations behind her debut novel JERKBAIT on Barnes & Noble's Teen blog.

» INK AND BONE by Rachel Caine was listed on Early Bird Books’ 13 Books Like Harry Potter for Adult Readers, and its follow-up, PAPER AND FIRE, was listed on BookBub's 14 Books to Read If You Love Ray Bradbury.

» Romantic Times made DANGEROUSLY CHARMING by Deborah Blake a Top Pick, and called her a “rising star.”

» Christina Henry's RED QUEEN made Locus Online’s 2016 Dragon Awards Shortlist for Best Horror Novel, while N. K. Jemisin's THE FIFTH SEASON was nominated for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Apocalyptic Novel.

» FLESH AND SPIRIT by Carol Berg and THE KILLING MOON by N.K. Jemisin were listed in 60 Essential Science Fiction and Fantasy Reads from Lady Business.

» Smart Bitches, Trashy Books listed THE SIGHT by Chloe Neill and THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin as “books we’re excited about”.

» Amazon's Fall Reading: Most Buzzworthy SFF Books of the Season include THE MASKED CITY by Genevieve Cogman, CURSE OF THE LAND by Faith Hunter, and THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin.

Author Interview

Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at his laptop, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats.

He's the author of The Clockwork Empire series as well as his latest series, The Books of Blood and Iron.


TKA: Please share a bit about BONE WAR and The Books of Blood and Iron. What was your inspiration behind the series and how did it all come together?

Steven: Twenty-some years ago, I worked as a janitor in a meat locker. Blood, bones, and gobbets of meat were spattered everywhere. This kind of job gives your mind time to wander, and I was squeegeeing the floor one day when a bit of Danish folklore wandered through my head. Trolls work with stone, and they get little splinters in their eyes that cloud their vision, which means they see themselves as beautiful, even though they're ugly, and they see their homes as delightful, even though they live in squalor.

What would happen to a troll who lost his splinters? Would he see the truth? Plenty of humans live in squalor and don't seem to notice. Do they have splinters of their own? Out of this came Danr—Trollboy—who is half human and half troll.

Aisa started as nothing but a figure cloaked in rags standing on a hilltop watching Danr while the wind stirred the loose ends of her clothes. It was a cool image, but who was this woman? Why did she wear rags? Why did she watch over Danr? The answers to those questions created her character, and she went places I never imagined possible.

Talfi was originally stolen from Norse mythology. As recompense for damage done to the goats that pull his chariot, the god Thor takes a teenaged boy named Thjalfi away from his family and makes him an immortal servant. I always liked that character, and tried to swipe him wholesale for IRON AXE, but Talfi got away from me and evolved into the Boy Who Forgot to Die.

Although all the books are primarily about Danr, the emphasis changes in each book. IRON AXE is all Danr. BLOOD STORM focuses more on Aisa. And BONE WAR looks at Talfi.

TKA: What have you enjoyed most about writing the series? On the flip side, what is one serious obstacle that you had to overcome while crafting the novels?

Steven: I loved writing sweeping settings and epic magic. Underground kingdoms, orcs riding giant serpents, shapeshifting duels, merfolk, magic swords, the homes of gods, conversations with Death herself, all told from the point of view of ordinary people. This kind of fantasy was in short supply when I was growing up, and it's what I was dying to read. It was awesome to write it.
 
Another great thing was looking at how the characters changed. Danr changes quite a lot between IRON AXE and BONE WAR, and so does Aisa. It really shows in BONE WAR in the scene when Danr and Aisa have been dumped outside Balsia, and they get into an argument about their relationship. It's a conversation that neither of them could have had back in IRON AXE, and watching that change has been incredible to me.
 
The difficult part for all three books was the saggy middle. Like a lot of authors, I get bogged down in the middle of the novel. I know where the story is supposed to go, and I know how it's supposed to get there, but it feels like it's taking so LONG. It's the worst part of writing!

TKA: Please share a bit about your approach to writing. For example, do you follow any structures or writing rules?

Steven: Definitely! I'm a total outliner. I have to break everything down chapter by chapter, even scene by scene, or I get lost. The outline lets me layer in clues, foreshadowing, and character development because I always know what's coming up. I've only written two novels (out of 23) by the seat of my pants, and I was sweating those two all the way! As an experiment, I once tried writing a short story without figuring out the ending first. It was a disaster—the worst thing I'd ever written. Never again.
 
I keep a strict discipline about my writing. Early in my career, I followed the "write every day" rule to get me started, and that serves me well even now. I realized right quick that if I wrote a page a day, I'd have a novel done in a year, and if I wrote two pages a day, I'd have a novel in six months. And when I have an outline that tells me what's going to happen next, it's easier to produce those pages.

TKA: With all the changes that have gone on in publishing over the past few years, which do you find most exciting and which are most frustrating?

Steven: Like a lot of authors, I find ebooks exciting and frustrating. It gets frustrating to hear people talk about how ebooks will make us all rich. Like anything else, they make a tiny few people rich. Everyone else is lucky to make beer money. I have a hard time setting aside my teacher hat, so I find myself explaining over and over that ebooks aren't a portal to eternal happiness.

On the other hand, I love being able to download an entire library to my pad. The last time I moved, it was to a much smaller house, and I didn't have room for all my books. I was forced to donate nearly all of them. But I found it was more freeing than anything! Nearly any book I need is on my pad at a moment's notice. The books don't collect dust, they don't take up space, I don't have to move them ever again, and I have instant access. Wow!

TKA: On that same note, your how-to book WRITING THE PARANORMAL NOVEL came out in 2011. With so many industry changes since then, what is one main thing you would add to it if you rewrote it today?

Steven: I think I would add a section about levels of blood and gore and death. And a section on fantasy sex. GAME OF THRONES has changed everyone's perceptions of what fantasy should be, and gore and sex seem to be a big part of that now. I actually thought about doing more with these topics in The Books of Blood and Iron, but quickly realized I didn't want to write that kind of story.

TKA: Will there be any more Books of Blood and Iron? Once you're finished with the series, what are your long-term plans as an author?

Steven: I would love it if there were! (Is Roc reading this?) The ending to BONE WAR deliberately leaves room for another book, and the world of Erda has lots left to explore. I'm also trying to expand into more mainstream fiction. At the moment, I'm working on a YA novel and on an adult novel set in the Hollywood of the 1930s. Outline first! I'm dying to see how these characters come out.

Visit Steven's official website, follow him on Twitter, and join his fans on Facebook.

Author Tip of the Month

Alli Sinclair is the author of MIDNIGHT SERENADE, the first book in The Dance Card Series.

Alli's tip:

Sometimes a world we’re creating doesn’t feel right because we don’t have a good grasp on the setting. However, if you think of your setting as a character, you can make the world more believable by using elements such as culture, landscapes, environment, history, or a different era. A setting is like a human—it can have flaws or a shady past, or evoke love and longing. Settings can profoundly influence the actions and feelings of other characters and add forward momentum, making an ordinary story extraordinary.
 
In my books I use dance and music as a character. I chose dances that are an intrinsic part of a country’s culture—tango and Argentina; flamenco and Spain; and the Ballets Russes in Paris. These dances are so tightly woven into the country’s cultural history and identity that it would be impossible to set these stories elsewhere. And that’s the secret to knowing if you’ve used setting as a character—the story wouldn’t be the same if you moved it to another culture, location or time period.
 
So writers, if you’re struggling with your story, imagine it set in a different time period, culture, or location. If the change in setting excites you, then get researching and you may just break through your block. And readers, maybe next time you choose a book, go with one that’s set in a destination or era you wouldn’t normally read. Who knows—you might just find a ticket to a new and exciting world!

To learn more about Alli, visit her official website.

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