Smoky Inspiration
Posted Saturday, 02/04/23
When I reach a frustrating impasse with In the Shadow of the King, I go outside to sit on the back steps and have a cigarette. I know it's unhealthy, but my head clears and then fills with ideas for the next scene 99.9% of the time, thereby allowing me to resume my writing pace. This weirdness occurs three of four times a day, even if it's raining or snowing outside.
I think it's because of the sheer size of the book and all of the intricate details I have to track, otherwise I could blow through it at a faster rate.
(Above): Samples from the character spreadsheet for In the Shadow of the King. Click on images to view larger sizes in a new window.
Pure fiction is much easier to write as opposed to peppering the text with real facts from history.
