Tag Archives: novels

Why am I Not Writing?

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I haven’t seriously worked on a manuscript in quite a while. I don’t know why. I’m sure there are things that I can talk to my therapist about this that could get to the heart of it. But it’s Sunday morning and I don’t see her until later this week. Time to think about this on my blog.

It’s not that I don’t have ideas. I’m constantly thinking about my writing. I’m constantly mapping out plot lines, characters and locations. I have big plans for my manuscripts and the world that I’m creating. The work is there, it’s just waiting for me to do it.

I have a writing partner who is burning through one of my past manuscripts, improving it with every comment she makes. I appreciate her to no end. I know that I’m eventually going to have to start coming up with new stuff for her to read. Yet, I don’t do it.

It’s not that I’m not writing at all. It’s just been this blog and short stories. I haven’t gotten into the nitty gritty of a novel or novella. The issue could be that I’m not being kind to myself. That I’m allowing my inner thoughts to tell me that not all writing is created equally and because it’s not a novel, it doesn’t count. But writing is good no matter what you do. It helps free up your mind and lift your spirits. Which is why I don’t want to poo-poo non-novel writing, that would by extension make fanfiction not legitimate when it is.

It could be the size of the project. I know that it’s a number of tinier projects but even with just one part of it, sometimes it feels a bit too much. Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way. The short stories I’ve been writing are more like building up speed. I’ll get back to the novels once I get these stories out.

That could be it, because I do feel a little backed up when it comes to writing. I wrote in my journal last night for the first time in about six months. The act of it, made me want to do it more. So, I’m going to try and make it a daily thing. Turn myself into a regular old Doug Funny. I’m going to follow this idea for a while and see if it pans out. I’m just going to write until I literally can’t anymore. It’ll be a happy journey no matter the destination.

Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward, the classic that should have been

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I’m sure if I was better versed in fantasy I would know that there are several books like this with the same concept. Villains having to do the right thing because the heroes don’t realize they’re dooming the world. But the one I ended up coming across was Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward.

From the cover, you know this book is going to rock. Our concept is simple, a wizard Mizzamir and his band of heroes saved the world by killing a great evil. Mizzamir has also started using his powers to forcefully remove the want to do evil from people. Because of that, nights are growing shorter and lighter. The world is “whiting out” as it were but no one can think that because everything is so much better.

Enter two of our villains Sam and Arcie, a human assassin and depressed dwarf thief, respectively. They get captured and Arcie gives Sam a contract to kill Mizzamir, this motivates Sam to break free and the two of them go on the run. They run into a druid named Kaylana who explains how the world is ending and the way that they can save it, by opening something called the Black Gate. It’ll release evil back into the world and balance it out.

What proceeds is a well written, funny and altogether great story. They encounter a sorceress who just loves being evil but has some real pathos about her, a silent black knight and a centaur bard who doesn’t know much about what’s going on but he is a double agent for the heroes.

It’s just such a bummer that this book didn’t get off the ground and become a series or that Eve didn’t write more than three books(I just found this out, I never actually looked it up until now). Because she’s an excellent writer. The book flows with wonderful character moments, it’s funny(there’s a moment where they encounter a village of Smurflike creatures and do what we all want to do and cuts a tree down so that they get crushed) and she utilizes the concept to its utmost. Just because evil is gone doesn’t mean people are better. And shows that forcing people to change isn’t this great and good thing. That there is a truly horrific cost for all of it. And just because “evil” is gone, doesn’t mean that people are better. There’s an exceptionally well written scene where Sam is out and about at night and hears a woman being sexually assaulted, which he steps in to save her from. This could easily just be a save the cat moment but it then rolls into Sam discovering a power that becomes a major plot point.

Mizzamir is a great villain because he’s not over the top but he’s so sure that he’s right. He looks upon the villains with pity that reeks of hypocrisy and snobbiness. The rest of his crew are more overtly antagonistic towards the villains and seek to harm them. They make for two distinct and interesting antagonists that feel like viable threats.

My main complaint honestly is that some things are not delved into as much as I would like. My sister has told me that she doesn’t need things like that and that it’s a personal issue of mine. Maybe it is but if the main complaint I have for a book is that I want more of it, then it’s something special.

It’s available on kindle and audible so read it if you can. A paperback version will run you about 86 bucks because it was only a first pressing. I got it for about forty back in 2004. I don’t regret spending that at all. Read it and enjoy it my friends.