~
It's a whole new world.
My family and I have officially made the move. We're in a new house, in a new section of the state of Wisconsin, in a whole new mindframe. Things have been hella hectic these past couple of weeks, and as such I've not been around much. I hope you understand.
The work has suffered tremendously these past twenty days or so, and I'm finally to the point where I can catch my breath and readjust - so to speak. I'm using this new living situation to map out some new writing routines that will hopefully have me getting much more work done than my last ones. In the past, I was merely "getting the work done" on a semi-daily basis, with no real structure when it came to the time of day. Now, I'm in a situation where that'll change. 5:15 in the AM is the new start time, and the finish time is whenever those one to two thousand words are finished. Starting so early let's me get the ball rolling when the house is quiet, and will definitely put the hammer down on me to finish before the family gets up and going for the day. Starting right away in the morning will also keep me from staying up until three or four in the morning and being drained and dead throughout the next day.
Call me older. No, call me wiser.
At any rate, the work starts again tomorrow. The books are still on track, and I won't be doing - or not doing - anything on my end to hold up the publishing schedule.
Did I mention I have my own, private office on the main floor of our new house now? The only problem with it, as I've come to find out, is that I have too many books for the available shelving. What to do? Get rid of some books? Ha! Hardly. I'm looking into how best to build some permanent bookshelves into the walls. That'll be coming in the forseeable future. I haven't lived in an old (built circa 1902) house for a long time. Lot's of old woodwork. Hardwood floors. Lot's of nooks and crannies. Solid oak doors. Locks that only skeleton keys could touch. All the little accents that new houses lack. I'm digging it more and more.
Okay. Lot's to do, but I just wanted to check in to let you know that I'm not six feet under, and I'm not avoiding ya'll. I hope you're well. I'll talk to you soon.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
And Then There was Nothing
~
Wow. Cleared out. Vamoose. All gone...
Well... almost. The truck came and took away virtually everything in my house today. Ten hours of loading boxes yesterday, and about six hours of loading the 'big' stuff today. And now it's all gone. For a few different reasons, I'll still be residing at the house - mostly to tie up loose ends - until the end of next week when I'll join the rest of my family in our new house in the north country. Until then, I've got my dog, my cats, and my computer to keep me company, and that's literally it. Hmm... seems to me that that time would be best spent doing some uninterrupted writing... and that's exactly what I intend to do.
Before that, however, a few of you sent in some questions after the offer laid out in my last blog post, so let's get to those.
Tiffany asked: "Scott, if you could only write one genre, what would it be? And don't just say dark fantasy because it has elements of everything else in it!! If you really, truly, HAD to choose one genre, what would it be?"
Well that's a tough one isn't it? You're right to think that I would choose dark fantasy if given the option. Dark fantasy is vague enough that you can branch out into aspects of horror, fantasy, and even elements of science fiction and space opera, and still be well within the confines of the genre's qualifications - at least from my perspective. And, of course, that's the appeal of Dark Fantasy, isn't it? There really isn't anything set in stone that says that such and such qualifies as being part of the genre and such and such doesn't. Though, really, the same is true for horror - though horror might be a bit more restrictive. All a story has to do to be eligible for the horror moniker is to instill an element of Fear in the reader's mind; now, that fear can be instilled through a variety of ways including but not limited to the use of suspense, the intimation of bodily or mental harm upon the protagonists, the use of supernatural beings or entities, or supply a generous injection of the unknown - because that, as all of you I'm sure are well aware, is what is most frightening to us as human beings.
The Unknown.
Often, that Unknown comes in the form of Death - (note my over-use of capital letters to achieve a lackadaisical attempt at emphasis) - the threat of Death, or the uncertainty of it's finality. Human beings hate being out of the loop, and death is one of those things that the thoughts and musings that take place in the dark little hidey-holes in the backs of our minds refuse to look on as final.
But I'm getting off track.
Before I answer your question, however, let me make it clear that to me genre classifications are a first-rate yawn fest. Of course they help in finding new authors that write the kind of things that you like to read - as in you know where to look at your local bookstore or online, and yet most of my favorite authors downright refuse to be classified by the sheer variety of their voluminous amounts of work. Authors like Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, and even Clive Barker, make themselves hard to pigeonhole to a specific genre.
"What?" you say. "But Clive Barker is a horror writer...?" Really? I'd argue that Imagica is more fantasy than horror. I'd argue that the books of the Abarat are straight ahead fantasy, not to mention Young Adult. I'd argue that Sacrament is horror, but in a subtle sense.
"What?" you say. "But Neil Gaiman is a fantasy writer...?" Really? I'd argue that short stories like Closing Time and Shoggoth's Old Peculiar are terrifying. I'd argue that Good Omens and even Stardust indicate that he's a skilled humorist. Oh, and he writes children's books too... and then there's that comic book thingy... and the screenplays...
Matheson writes everything from fantasy to science fiction to teleplays to horror to westerns to...
Ellison... well, Ellison is Ellison.
All is to say that to me, a writer is either a good one, or a writer isn't. Harlan Ellison hates being termed a "speculative fiction" writer. It narrows what he does in some sense. He is a Writer and nothing more... or less.
I am a Writer.
If, Tiffany, you chloroformed me some evening, bound my hands and mouth, shoved me in the trunk of a 1976 Oldsmobile, waited until I awoke, and poked toothpicks under my fingernails, I might, might mind you, say that if I truly had to choose one genre and only one, I might tell you that that genre would be horror: the classification isn't quite as broad as dark fantasy, but it's close.
Don't fence me in.
And now to the second question. Antonym Mouse (I assume that's an alias) wrote:
"Hello Scott! First off, I just read the Feast of Catchville for my high school Wisconsin literature class, and I ABSOLUTELY /LOVED/ it. I didn't think one ever got truly good books assigned to them to read in school, but I was so very wrong.
Secondly, I am also an aspiring writer. As a young author, the work of others greatly interests me. So, a few questions. When did you really start to know you wanted to write? Did you know then that you wanted to write in the horror genre?"
First off, let me say how thrilled I am that high schools are teaching Catchville. Ah, to mold, slash, infect young minds is a wonderful thing! (Bwa-ha-ha-ha!) Seriously, though, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mouse. I was trying to think back to the assigned works that affected me most in high-school, and the one that came to mind first was The Metamorphosis by Kafka. No, it wasn't contemporary, but it still had the grit and "newness" of a larger literary world beyond what was usually taught.
When did I know I wanted to write? Hmm... I think I always possessed an innate desire to be creative. Whether it was through words, through art, through acting, or through music, the Humanities have always spoken to me in a way that no other calling could have.
Though I always dabbled in all of those creative endeavors at the same time, I went through what you could call "primary" phases with each one. In high-school, I was primarily a music and art guy. Lots of playing bass and guitar with a band some friends and I put together, and lots of drawing when I was alone in my room, allowing my existential teenage angst to bubble up into a full boil. When I reached college, the acting bug hit full tilt, and I was in a few university productions. However, college is when I realized that writing came easier to me than any of the other creative disciplines; it was also when I realized that it was the one thing that I mined the greatest amount of pleasure from. It was also when it hit me that I could do it professionally.
There's a point in your life where you suddenly realize that you're an adult, and that there's a world of opportunity open to you. Sure, we're all told that we can do anything we want when we get older, but I don't think that the concept really sinks in until you've ridden a few dozen miles in the saddle. At some point in my university experience, it genuinely occurred to me that I could write a story that other people would want to read, that I could in some small way entertain, educate, and possibly open other people's minds to my own skewed way of thinking. When that kernel of a thought did occur to me, it was like the walls came down and I could see clearly for the first time. Of course! I'm a writer!
Easy to think. Harder to do.
But that's what weens writers from the ranks: the willingness to spend the time and put in the ridiculous amount of unrecognized work just to tell a story. Part of me is very glad that I entertained the notion of being a rock star, of being a world famous artist, of being a star of stage and screen before I realized I wanted to devote my life to writing - and writing well. However, there's also a part of me that wishes that I would have realized that I wanted to do it earlier - perhaps when I was in high school - so that I could have started cutting my teeth on the nuts and bolts of it all from the get-go.
But what are ya gonna do? No regrets and all that.
Did I know from the start that I wanted to write horror? Hopefully you've read this entire post and gleaned an impression as to my opinions on genre classifications. But what you're asking is a different animal, and the answer is, nope. I first tried writing science fiction, or more accurately, I tried writing space opera. Sitting down at the keyboard, I strenuously tied a rambling narrative of about 200 thousand words together over the course of about a year into something that vaguely, possibly, resembled something that - if you squinted from a distance - might have resembled a novel.
But it was great practice. It forced me to sit down on a regular basis and perform the physical act of tapping my fingers against a collection of keys. Believe it or not that's one of the hardest things to do as a writer: simply put everything else aside and write. The experience also allowed me to prove to myself that I really could finish a novel-length work. Now, at 200k, I overdid it a bit, but that's all right. It was something I needed to excise before I could move on to the "next thing".
When did horror come up? Somewhere around 1992 I got my hands on a big old book called The Stand by Steve King. I'm sure you've heard of it, and if you haven't, rectify that fact.
Prior to reading that book, my idea of horror was a narrow one. It centered around monsters and ghosts and the usual Bogey Man kind of generic. The Stand showed me what could really be done with the horror genre - how far it could be stretched and how deeply it could saturate the human mind.
I was hooked.
After reading King's tale of "Cap'n Tripps" and Randal Flag, I realized that horror was the conduit through which I could best tell the stories I wanted to tell at the time. I immediately started work on the tale that would eventually become Swaybuck.
Any-hoo - horror bit me at the right time and place. Did I stick with it exclusively? No. Will I return to it? Absolutely. I love to read and write it. As a young writer, Mouse, I think you need to flap around for a bit in the genre muck. Write what you like to read, but don't imitate what you're reading. Understand what's been done in the past, and build on it - take it in new directions and surprise yourself. If you surprise yourself as a writer, you'll definitely surprise your readers.
I hope that answers your questions. Thanks again to both Tiffany and Antonym Mouse for writing in. Anybody else - feel free to drop me a line with whatever you want to know.
And now... back to work.
Wow. Cleared out. Vamoose. All gone...
Well... almost. The truck came and took away virtually everything in my house today. Ten hours of loading boxes yesterday, and about six hours of loading the 'big' stuff today. And now it's all gone. For a few different reasons, I'll still be residing at the house - mostly to tie up loose ends - until the end of next week when I'll join the rest of my family in our new house in the north country. Until then, I've got my dog, my cats, and my computer to keep me company, and that's literally it. Hmm... seems to me that that time would be best spent doing some uninterrupted writing... and that's exactly what I intend to do.
Before that, however, a few of you sent in some questions after the offer laid out in my last blog post, so let's get to those.
Tiffany asked: "Scott, if you could only write one genre, what would it be? And don't just say dark fantasy because it has elements of everything else in it!! If you really, truly, HAD to choose one genre, what would it be?"
Well that's a tough one isn't it? You're right to think that I would choose dark fantasy if given the option. Dark fantasy is vague enough that you can branch out into aspects of horror, fantasy, and even elements of science fiction and space opera, and still be well within the confines of the genre's qualifications - at least from my perspective. And, of course, that's the appeal of Dark Fantasy, isn't it? There really isn't anything set in stone that says that such and such qualifies as being part of the genre and such and such doesn't. Though, really, the same is true for horror - though horror might be a bit more restrictive. All a story has to do to be eligible for the horror moniker is to instill an element of Fear in the reader's mind; now, that fear can be instilled through a variety of ways including but not limited to the use of suspense, the intimation of bodily or mental harm upon the protagonists, the use of supernatural beings or entities, or supply a generous injection of the unknown - because that, as all of you I'm sure are well aware, is what is most frightening to us as human beings.
The Unknown.
Often, that Unknown comes in the form of Death - (note my over-use of capital letters to achieve a lackadaisical attempt at emphasis) - the threat of Death, or the uncertainty of it's finality. Human beings hate being out of the loop, and death is one of those things that the thoughts and musings that take place in the dark little hidey-holes in the backs of our minds refuse to look on as final.
But I'm getting off track.
Before I answer your question, however, let me make it clear that to me genre classifications are a first-rate yawn fest. Of course they help in finding new authors that write the kind of things that you like to read - as in you know where to look at your local bookstore or online, and yet most of my favorite authors downright refuse to be classified by the sheer variety of their voluminous amounts of work. Authors like Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, and even Clive Barker, make themselves hard to pigeonhole to a specific genre.
"What?" you say. "But Clive Barker is a horror writer...?" Really? I'd argue that Imagica is more fantasy than horror. I'd argue that the books of the Abarat are straight ahead fantasy, not to mention Young Adult. I'd argue that Sacrament is horror, but in a subtle sense.
"What?" you say. "But Neil Gaiman is a fantasy writer...?" Really? I'd argue that short stories like Closing Time and Shoggoth's Old Peculiar are terrifying. I'd argue that Good Omens and even Stardust indicate that he's a skilled humorist. Oh, and he writes children's books too... and then there's that comic book thingy... and the screenplays...
Matheson writes everything from fantasy to science fiction to teleplays to horror to westerns to...
Ellison... well, Ellison is Ellison.
All is to say that to me, a writer is either a good one, or a writer isn't. Harlan Ellison hates being termed a "speculative fiction" writer. It narrows what he does in some sense. He is a Writer and nothing more... or less.
I am a Writer.
If, Tiffany, you chloroformed me some evening, bound my hands and mouth, shoved me in the trunk of a 1976 Oldsmobile, waited until I awoke, and poked toothpicks under my fingernails, I might, might mind you, say that if I truly had to choose one genre and only one, I might tell you that that genre would be horror: the classification isn't quite as broad as dark fantasy, but it's close.
Don't fence me in.
And now to the second question. Antonym Mouse (I assume that's an alias) wrote:
"Hello Scott! First off, I just read the Feast of Catchville for my high school Wisconsin literature class, and I ABSOLUTELY /LOVED/ it. I didn't think one ever got truly good books assigned to them to read in school, but I was so very wrong.
Secondly, I am also an aspiring writer. As a young author, the work of others greatly interests me. So, a few questions. When did you really start to know you wanted to write? Did you know then that you wanted to write in the horror genre?"
First off, let me say how thrilled I am that high schools are teaching Catchville. Ah, to mold, slash, infect young minds is a wonderful thing! (Bwa-ha-ha-ha!) Seriously, though, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mouse. I was trying to think back to the assigned works that affected me most in high-school, and the one that came to mind first was The Metamorphosis by Kafka. No, it wasn't contemporary, but it still had the grit and "newness" of a larger literary world beyond what was usually taught.
When did I know I wanted to write? Hmm... I think I always possessed an innate desire to be creative. Whether it was through words, through art, through acting, or through music, the Humanities have always spoken to me in a way that no other calling could have.
Though I always dabbled in all of those creative endeavors at the same time, I went through what you could call "primary" phases with each one. In high-school, I was primarily a music and art guy. Lots of playing bass and guitar with a band some friends and I put together, and lots of drawing when I was alone in my room, allowing my existential teenage angst to bubble up into a full boil. When I reached college, the acting bug hit full tilt, and I was in a few university productions. However, college is when I realized that writing came easier to me than any of the other creative disciplines; it was also when I realized that it was the one thing that I mined the greatest amount of pleasure from. It was also when it hit me that I could do it professionally.
There's a point in your life where you suddenly realize that you're an adult, and that there's a world of opportunity open to you. Sure, we're all told that we can do anything we want when we get older, but I don't think that the concept really sinks in until you've ridden a few dozen miles in the saddle. At some point in my university experience, it genuinely occurred to me that I could write a story that other people would want to read, that I could in some small way entertain, educate, and possibly open other people's minds to my own skewed way of thinking. When that kernel of a thought did occur to me, it was like the walls came down and I could see clearly for the first time. Of course! I'm a writer!
Easy to think. Harder to do.
But that's what weens writers from the ranks: the willingness to spend the time and put in the ridiculous amount of unrecognized work just to tell a story. Part of me is very glad that I entertained the notion of being a rock star, of being a world famous artist, of being a star of stage and screen before I realized I wanted to devote my life to writing - and writing well. However, there's also a part of me that wishes that I would have realized that I wanted to do it earlier - perhaps when I was in high school - so that I could have started cutting my teeth on the nuts and bolts of it all from the get-go.
But what are ya gonna do? No regrets and all that.
Did I know from the start that I wanted to write horror? Hopefully you've read this entire post and gleaned an impression as to my opinions on genre classifications. But what you're asking is a different animal, and the answer is, nope. I first tried writing science fiction, or more accurately, I tried writing space opera. Sitting down at the keyboard, I strenuously tied a rambling narrative of about 200 thousand words together over the course of about a year into something that vaguely, possibly, resembled something that - if you squinted from a distance - might have resembled a novel.
But it was great practice. It forced me to sit down on a regular basis and perform the physical act of tapping my fingers against a collection of keys. Believe it or not that's one of the hardest things to do as a writer: simply put everything else aside and write. The experience also allowed me to prove to myself that I really could finish a novel-length work. Now, at 200k, I overdid it a bit, but that's all right. It was something I needed to excise before I could move on to the "next thing".
When did horror come up? Somewhere around 1992 I got my hands on a big old book called The Stand by Steve King. I'm sure you've heard of it, and if you haven't, rectify that fact.
Prior to reading that book, my idea of horror was a narrow one. It centered around monsters and ghosts and the usual Bogey Man kind of generic. The Stand showed me what could really be done with the horror genre - how far it could be stretched and how deeply it could saturate the human mind.
I was hooked.
After reading King's tale of "Cap'n Tripps" and Randal Flag, I realized that horror was the conduit through which I could best tell the stories I wanted to tell at the time. I immediately started work on the tale that would eventually become Swaybuck.
Any-hoo - horror bit me at the right time and place. Did I stick with it exclusively? No. Will I return to it? Absolutely. I love to read and write it. As a young writer, Mouse, I think you need to flap around for a bit in the genre muck. Write what you like to read, but don't imitate what you're reading. Understand what's been done in the past, and build on it - take it in new directions and surprise yourself. If you surprise yourself as a writer, you'll definitely surprise your readers.
I hope that answers your questions. Thanks again to both Tiffany and Antonym Mouse for writing in. Anybody else - feel free to drop me a line with whatever you want to know.
And now... back to work.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Questions? Comments? Scathing Rebuttals?
~
Where did summer go? About a week ago, we hit ninety degrees (92 to be exact) for the first time all year. Yesterday morning it was in the low 40's, and tomorrow morning is supposed to be in the high 30's. While walking Wally earlier this evening, I counted seventy-three Canada geese in a field near my house. Just before sunset, they all took off, honking and hooting, headed south towards warmer environs.
I continue to pack up everything we own. The first phase of the move takes place this coming weekend. Also, this weekend marks the release of Metallica's latest album, "Death Magnetic." I feel like a kid on the week before Christmas. I've been listening to the band since 1988. I've seen them live 17 times. I've been in the front row half a dozen times, and I've been in the last row of stadium seats more than once. I had a chance to meet all four of them in 2003, and they were just as down to earth as I thought they'd be. The early releases from this album already mark it as the best stuff they've done since "...And Justice For All," and I couldn't be happier. I'm 35, and hearing new music by my favorite band still makes me feel like it's twenty years ago, when I was fifteen and hearing them for the very first time. As Martha Stewart might say, "It's a good thing."
Ren finally put up the interview I did with him a few weeks ago on the website. You can find it under the Extras section of www.scottfalkner.com.
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I might be organizing some sort of live Q&A in the near future. Well, after thinking about it a bit, it kind of occurred to me that doing it "live" was a bit pointless. After all, in this day and age it's hard enough to schedule time to do anything we might enjoy, (Tivo's and DVR's are incredibly popular for a reason) much less make certain that you're free to sit down and chat with yours truly. Anyway, what I thought I would do instead is just make it ABUNDANTLY clear that you guys, my readers, are MORE THAN WELCOME to ask me questions via a number of ways:
1. You can post them here on The Daily Cave. You don't have to sign up for anything. You can even post anonymously. Below each post where it says 'comments', you can click on that and either leave a comment or question for me.
2. If you're a myspace member, you can post questions or comments on that version of The Daily Cave, or else just send them to me via my myspace account, or post them in the form of a myspace comment.
3. Email us through the website. All you have to do is go to www.scottfalkner.com, go to the Contact section, and click on the Contact icon.
From now on I'll make a point to address any and all questions posed through the above outlets.
And lo and behold, we've already got one. One of my longtime friends and readers, Tam shot me this question via myspace at the end of my last blog entry:
"I wonder if you write/paint while listening to music and does it inspire you?"
Great question, Tam. And thanks for asking it.
This is a question I've heard asked a lot of writers and artists. Not too long ago, I was listening to an NPR interview with Maurice Sendak. The reporter asked him the above question, and he answered that while writing he needed absolute silence. While doing his initial sketches, he usually listened to music, and while painting/coloring his pieces he watched television. Author, Kealan Patrick Burke has said in the past that he can't have anything on in the background as it provides too much distraction. Brian Keene writes with a variety of different kinds of music playing.
To each his own, I guess.
Personally, when writing I do like to have music on, but it can't be anything with words. Usually, it's classical music, or some soundtrack or another. I feel like the music helps me to detach from the real world; it's almost like an invisible barrier, cutting me off and allowing the imagination to flourish. If the music has words, I likely know them, and the words to the songs get into my head and infect the words I'm trying to write.
Does that make sense?
Painting is a completely different story. I usually paint with a variety of different kinds of music, and when I say variety... My musical tastes vary wildly. Most people who know me are convinced that all I listen to is the heavy stuff: ie. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and the like. Don't misunderstand, I love all of those bands, but there's a plethora of other types of music that I like, and I'd be doing myself a great disservice to limit myself to only one genre of music.
Let's do a quick experiment. I'll throw my ipod on shuffle, and write down the first ten songs that come up:
1. "You Can't Bring Me Down" by Suicidal Tendencies
2. "Useful Idiot" by Tool
3. "Amor Volat Undique" from Carmina Burana by the Cleveland Orchestra
4. "Enter Sandman" live from Calgary by Metallica
5. "The Map Room - Dawn" from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" soundtrack by John Williams
6. "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" by Megadeth
7. "Soul Eater" by Danzig
8. "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
9. "Caribbean Blue" by Enya
10. "Reason Why" by Rachael Yamagata
So there you have it. Probably not as varied as I would have liked just for the sake of making my point, but varied enough.
As far as inspiration goes...
There was a point several years ago where I considered writing a volume of short stories all based on individual songs. That idea never came to fruition, but the possibility is always there. In a more general sense, of course I'm inspired by music. In my mind, that's the reason I listen to it. When it comes to classical music, the moods and feelings it incurs are definitely appreciated and remembered. Those same feelings and moods are then tapped into when applying the same to my own pieces of art - that being either with words or with paint. As far as 'popular' music goes (for lack of a better word) often the lyrics and/or the aggression of a lot of the music I listen to spurs me on. The majority of the popular music I listen to deals with some pretty heavy themes - as in it's not just about scamming on some skank "in da club". Not that there's anything wrong with that type of music if you're into it, it's just that I'm more drawn to music and lyrics that address bigger issues in personal lives and the world at large, and I constantly draw inspiration from music such as that.
Does that answer your question? I hope so, and thanks again for posing it, Tam.
So, now it's up to the rest of you. Feel free to fire off anything on your mind about writing, painting, music, or anything else. The only thing that I'd ask is that if you're inquiring about a certain part of a book that I've written, and the question might spoil details for someone who hasn't read it, then ask the question via the Contact button at the website, or send me a private message through myspace. Thanks in advance.
Where did summer go? About a week ago, we hit ninety degrees (92 to be exact) for the first time all year. Yesterday morning it was in the low 40's, and tomorrow morning is supposed to be in the high 30's. While walking Wally earlier this evening, I counted seventy-three Canada geese in a field near my house. Just before sunset, they all took off, honking and hooting, headed south towards warmer environs.
I continue to pack up everything we own. The first phase of the move takes place this coming weekend. Also, this weekend marks the release of Metallica's latest album, "Death Magnetic." I feel like a kid on the week before Christmas. I've been listening to the band since 1988. I've seen them live 17 times. I've been in the front row half a dozen times, and I've been in the last row of stadium seats more than once. I had a chance to meet all four of them in 2003, and they were just as down to earth as I thought they'd be. The early releases from this album already mark it as the best stuff they've done since "...And Justice For All," and I couldn't be happier. I'm 35, and hearing new music by my favorite band still makes me feel like it's twenty years ago, when I was fifteen and hearing them for the very first time. As Martha Stewart might say, "It's a good thing."
Ren finally put up the interview I did with him a few weeks ago on the website. You can find it under the Extras section of www.scottfalkner.com.
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I might be organizing some sort of live Q&A in the near future. Well, after thinking about it a bit, it kind of occurred to me that doing it "live" was a bit pointless. After all, in this day and age it's hard enough to schedule time to do anything we might enjoy, (Tivo's and DVR's are incredibly popular for a reason) much less make certain that you're free to sit down and chat with yours truly. Anyway, what I thought I would do instead is just make it ABUNDANTLY clear that you guys, my readers, are MORE THAN WELCOME to ask me questions via a number of ways:
1. You can post them here on The Daily Cave. You don't have to sign up for anything. You can even post anonymously. Below each post where it says 'comments', you can click on that and either leave a comment or question for me.
2. If you're a myspace member, you can post questions or comments on that version of The Daily Cave, or else just send them to me via my myspace account, or post them in the form of a myspace comment.
3. Email us through the website. All you have to do is go to www.scottfalkner.com, go to the Contact section, and click on the Contact icon.
From now on I'll make a point to address any and all questions posed through the above outlets.
And lo and behold, we've already got one. One of my longtime friends and readers, Tam shot me this question via myspace at the end of my last blog entry:
"I wonder if you write/paint while listening to music and does it inspire you?"
Great question, Tam. And thanks for asking it.
This is a question I've heard asked a lot of writers and artists. Not too long ago, I was listening to an NPR interview with Maurice Sendak. The reporter asked him the above question, and he answered that while writing he needed absolute silence. While doing his initial sketches, he usually listened to music, and while painting/coloring his pieces he watched television. Author, Kealan Patrick Burke has said in the past that he can't have anything on in the background as it provides too much distraction. Brian Keene writes with a variety of different kinds of music playing.
To each his own, I guess.
Personally, when writing I do like to have music on, but it can't be anything with words. Usually, it's classical music, or some soundtrack or another. I feel like the music helps me to detach from the real world; it's almost like an invisible barrier, cutting me off and allowing the imagination to flourish. If the music has words, I likely know them, and the words to the songs get into my head and infect the words I'm trying to write.
Does that make sense?
Painting is a completely different story. I usually paint with a variety of different kinds of music, and when I say variety... My musical tastes vary wildly. Most people who know me are convinced that all I listen to is the heavy stuff: ie. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and the like. Don't misunderstand, I love all of those bands, but there's a plethora of other types of music that I like, and I'd be doing myself a great disservice to limit myself to only one genre of music.
Let's do a quick experiment. I'll throw my ipod on shuffle, and write down the first ten songs that come up:
1. "You Can't Bring Me Down" by Suicidal Tendencies
2. "Useful Idiot" by Tool
3. "Amor Volat Undique" from Carmina Burana by the Cleveland Orchestra
4. "Enter Sandman" live from Calgary by Metallica
5. "The Map Room - Dawn" from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" soundtrack by John Williams
6. "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" by Megadeth
7. "Soul Eater" by Danzig
8. "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
9. "Caribbean Blue" by Enya
10. "Reason Why" by Rachael Yamagata
So there you have it. Probably not as varied as I would have liked just for the sake of making my point, but varied enough.
As far as inspiration goes...
There was a point several years ago where I considered writing a volume of short stories all based on individual songs. That idea never came to fruition, but the possibility is always there. In a more general sense, of course I'm inspired by music. In my mind, that's the reason I listen to it. When it comes to classical music, the moods and feelings it incurs are definitely appreciated and remembered. Those same feelings and moods are then tapped into when applying the same to my own pieces of art - that being either with words or with paint. As far as 'popular' music goes (for lack of a better word) often the lyrics and/or the aggression of a lot of the music I listen to spurs me on. The majority of the popular music I listen to deals with some pretty heavy themes - as in it's not just about scamming on some skank "in da club". Not that there's anything wrong with that type of music if you're into it, it's just that I'm more drawn to music and lyrics that address bigger issues in personal lives and the world at large, and I constantly draw inspiration from music such as that.
Does that answer your question? I hope so, and thanks again for posing it, Tam.
So, now it's up to the rest of you. Feel free to fire off anything on your mind about writing, painting, music, or anything else. The only thing that I'd ask is that if you're inquiring about a certain part of a book that I've written, and the question might spoil details for someone who hasn't read it, then ask the question via the Contact button at the website, or send me a private message through myspace. Thanks in advance.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Moving Interviews Contents Highlight
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Summer's End has brought many a change in the Falkner household. For the last month or so, I've been living alone while my family has moved on up to our new locale. We're in the process of closing on a new house, and I'm in the midst of packing away stuff I'd forgotten we'd owned. How does one acquire so much stuff?! At any rate, what with getting the kids enrolled in school and all the other hoopla that accompanies a big move, things have been a bit hellish.
Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to have a book finished by now as well.
When the official release for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" came out yesterday, I was asked by one of my long-time readers if I could reveal the table of contents. Yeah. I sure can. Here they are:
1. A Whiter Shade of Death
2. Solid Evidence *
3. What Should Not Be
4. Mad Martin *
5. A Simple Haunting
6. Lupine Lover *
7. Operation Valkyrie
8. The Other *
9. Of Hyla Japonica
10. Dig and Delve
* These four stories were including in the promotional chapbook, "Graff: Tales from the Hunt," but all four have been revised and expanded for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff".
While thinking of how we could amp up the website - I get bored with things very easily - and connect with you guys a bit more, Ren and I realized that we hadn't done a scottfalkner.com interview in a while - in a year or two at least, and what with the recent release of "Delving: Assassins" and the upcoming Graff Collection release, it might be a good time to do another one. So, last weekend, Ren came down to the house and grilled me for a few hours on all the latest going's on. That interview, the third or fourth scottfalkner.com interview - I'm not sure which, will be put up on scottfalkner.com this weekend.
In addition to that, in order to get some input from you - the reader - in the next few weeks I'm going to be doing a live Q&A, where you can get the skinny on all the stuff you've wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask. Details are still being worked out, but keep checking back to find out when and where.
I'll leave you guys with one of the highlights of my past week:
Summer's End has brought many a change in the Falkner household. For the last month or so, I've been living alone while my family has moved on up to our new locale. We're in the process of closing on a new house, and I'm in the midst of packing away stuff I'd forgotten we'd owned. How does one acquire so much stuff?! At any rate, what with getting the kids enrolled in school and all the other hoopla that accompanies a big move, things have been a bit hellish.
Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to have a book finished by now as well.
When the official release for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" came out yesterday, I was asked by one of my long-time readers if I could reveal the table of contents. Yeah. I sure can. Here they are:
1. A Whiter Shade of Death
2. Solid Evidence *
3. What Should Not Be
4. Mad Martin *
5. A Simple Haunting
6. Lupine Lover *
7. Operation Valkyrie
8. The Other *
9. Of Hyla Japonica
10. Dig and Delve
* These four stories were including in the promotional chapbook, "Graff: Tales from the Hunt," but all four have been revised and expanded for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff".
While thinking of how we could amp up the website - I get bored with things very easily - and connect with you guys a bit more, Ren and I realized that we hadn't done a scottfalkner.com interview in a while - in a year or two at least, and what with the recent release of "Delving: Assassins" and the upcoming Graff Collection release, it might be a good time to do another one. So, last weekend, Ren came down to the house and grilled me for a few hours on all the latest going's on. That interview, the third or fourth scottfalkner.com interview - I'm not sure which, will be put up on scottfalkner.com this weekend.
In addition to that, in order to get some input from you - the reader - in the next few weeks I'm going to be doing a live Q&A, where you can get the skinny on all the stuff you've wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask. Details are still being worked out, but keep checking back to find out when and where.
I'll leave you guys with one of the highlights of my past week:
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
EXILE Announcement
~
Finally! The time has come to announce the new book.
First, the official stuff...
*************************************************
Finally! The time has come to announce the new book.
First, the official stuff...
*************************************************
WHO IS HELMAN GRAFF???Readers have been asking that question since the release of
Scott F. Falkner's very first book. Finally, the mysterious hero from "The Feast of Catchville" is back doing what he does best in ten tales of terrifying adventure.
Facing off against lusty werewolves, maniacal clones, Nazi death machines, billionaire vampires, and much more, Helman Graff uses wits and weapons to vanquish his enemies with a
minimum of mercy.
"EXILE: The Collected Helman Graff"
by Scott F. Falkner
Illustrations by Cover Artist Nathan Fehlauer
From Stone Garden Publishing
JANUARY 2009
*************************************************
Cool, eh?
I'm pretty stoked about it. I'm just putting some finishing touches on a few of the stories and the book will be complete. If you've never read "The Feast of Catchville" or any of the "Delving" titles, don't worry about it. You don't need any knowledge of those to fully enjoy "Exile."
I'm really lucky to have Nate Fehlauer doing the artwork for the book. His work is amazing, and I've just found out that he'll probably be doing an illustration for all ten of the stories in the book. Too cool. Okay, if you want to read more about the book, or check out some wallpapers based on Nate's art, head on over to my site, (www.scottfalkner.com).
It looks like we'll have something new and kinda cool on the website sometime this week. It's something that we haven't done in a while, and maybe you'll get a kick out of it. Stay tuned.
Back to work. Back to packing. Back to anxiously awaiting "Death Magnetic"...
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