Influences In My Life

Yesterday on his blog, Nathan Bransford posited the question: who have been the most influential people in your writing life?  Many people responded with authors.  For me, it's a balance between family, friends, and a few writers. 

I'm not going to list out everyone like some grand online academy awards.  I just have to say that my family and friends are wonderfully supportive, and I appreciate them every day. After the last 24 hours, I appreciate them even more.

I have 3 managers in my own career, two present and one past, who have been really influential as well.  They have all managed to live their personal lives to the max, while moving their careers forward.  When I think that I can't manage both, I think of their examples and soldier on.

Now for writers: 

• Many years ago I admired how Anne Rice had fused fiction and fact together so seamlessly that many people  I knew truly had trouble distinguishing which was which in her vampire novels.  I have aimed to do the same in my own work.  I have also re-read her earlier works when I need to revisit telling a story within a story.
• When I need to get my creativity going about the more fantastic aspects of my book, or need help with a sex scene, I read some Shana Abe or Nora Roberts' more Celtic/occult type works.
• When I need to lighten my mood, add a bit of quirkiness or levity, then I tend to read Madelyn Alt or Christopher Moore.
• When I'm getting a little creative with known facts and theories, it's Dan Brown that I turn to for help.

Now there are many other books I have read along this path, all with ties which in some way relate to my own book, although I have never seen anything very close to mine (phew!).  I read thrillers, fantasy, mysteries, Celtic themes, magical themes, mythological themes and anything else I think is even tangentially similar.  I'm actually a little concerned about how limited I have made my personal reading for so long.  I'll hopefully be able to expand my interests again but I'm not going to worry about that until I finish writing this work.

Celtic Zeitgeist

Or in Welsh, ysbryd y cyfnod. (OK so I actually don't know if the concept of spirit of the times can be coined in a more appropriate phrase in Welsh; I am completely dependant on Google Translate at the moment - but go with me on this one). Things mythological are in the air - first Percy Jackson and the Olympians hit the theaters then Clash of the Titans. Now we get to see a new, free MMO (massively multi-player online) video game based on Welsh/Celtic mythology ! This game is based on the Mabinogian - a collection of Celtic myths pulled from Welsh medieval manuscripts. These are tales of love and loss, sex and magic, proud warriors and feisty maidens. And a magic cauldron - how can you beat that!

So I keep writing and plugging along on my own Celtic mythology based book- up to 62,000 words now. This is a labor of love but it will be ready for prime time soon!

PS this link takes you to a contest to win some really great accessories to take your online gaming to the next level- the contest closes May 24. Good luck and have fun!

Timing

OK - I have not been writing for a month. I'm the in process of moving and a relative has passed so the timing hasn't worked and probably wont for a while longer.

But, in doing some light reading recently, I discovered something interesting. I have a pivotal event which happens on the Summer Solstice in the book, and I have since discovered some mythology stating that the Tuatha de Danaan crossed over on the Summer Solstice - this ties in beautifully with my book. I already intentionally had mythology layered onto history mixed into the fiction - and this just adds to the depth.

Fantastic!

Gwydion

So this weekend I had fun beefing up my character Gwydion. He's an important secondary character, but he didn't have much of a personality other than being smug. He's not done yet but I have a lot of great mythological parallels and he has a bit more depth now. Still so much more to do...but baby steps....