Filed under: Art, Science Fiction, Synesthesia, Writing stuff | Tags: creative process, intuition, jim downey, literature, Science Fiction, Tetris, writing
If you’ve never attempted to write a long (as in book-length) work of fiction, it might be difficult to understand what the process is like. Worse, it seems like every writer out there has their own entirely different experience of the process. Or more than one experience of the process, to be more accurate. Lord knows I seem to go through many different stages.
Which is why it is hard to find any instruction manual about writing long fiction that is worth a damn.
But I thought I would share this insight from my current stage of working things out for writing the prequel to Communion of Dreams: it’s like playing 3-D Tetris.
Seriously, that’s what it feels like. Like each of the different components of the plot & characters is an oddly-shaped piece rolling around in my head, turning this way and that, looking to fall into the correct position relative to all the other pieces. And as I juggle each different piece I make small changes, looking to find the best way that each one fits together into a comprehensive whole.
And when a piece lands into place, if there isn’t a little ‘jolt’ of excitement, then I know that there’s something wrong, and that the piece really doesn’t belong there, no matter how well it seems to fit at the time. Obviously, at this stage everything is very intuitive – the more analytic and logical work will come later in the actual writing. But first, I have to build this internal sculpture, find the overall shape of the thing. Only once that is done can I really make much headway in trying to describe the form (to extend the metaphor a bit too far).
What’s good is that as I have been spending more and more time & energy mulling over these different components, these different pieces, I’ve been getting more and more of these little jolts of excitement.
It’s a very good feeling.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Feedback, Humor, Kindle, Marketing, Publishing, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, direct publishing, feedback, jim downey, Kindle, literature, reviews, Science Fiction, writing
I must admit that after my initial confusion, I found this rather humorous:
Reincarnation and Karma – An interesting framework for writing short stories with a common theme. Engaging, but a little repetitive at the same time. The medieval plague years were brought to life in one story, and I found that story the most engaging.
Sounds interesting enough, right? So why was I amused?
Because it was supposedly a review* of Communion of Dreams.
I mentioned it to my Facebook friends, who also seem to have mostly found it amusing, based on the comments and reaction to the review.
It also points up one of the problems with Amazon’s reviews, or any review, for that matter: pretty much, anyone can say whatever they want, and it just goes into the general pool of info out there. Permanently. For the most part I have had *very* positive reviews and reaction to Communion of Dreams, but there will always be some folks who don’t like any piece of writing or work of art. You’ve just gotta accept that, just as you can’t let praise be a distraction. In both cases you just have to take the feedback for what it’s worth, then get back to the work at hand.
Speaking of which . . .
Jim Downey
*Edited a couple hours later to add: Well, the review is now gone, so I deleted the hot link. I suppose the author logged into his account and figured it out. Or perhaps with it getting so many downvotes it was automatically eliminated. Still, it was pretty amusing.
Filed under: Alzheimer's, Amazon, Art, Feedback, Hospice, Kindle, Marketing, movies, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction | Tags: Alzheimer's, Amazon, blogging, care-giving, direct publishing, Edgar Allen Poe, free, jim downey, John Bourke, Kindle, literature, Mother's Day, Science Fiction, video
Lovely:
So, I haven’t discussed it a lot lately, but those who have followed this blog for a bit of time may remember that before I got Communion of Dreams self-published I was also involved in this other fairly massive writing project called Her Final Year, which was the result of being a care-provider for my mother-in-law (who had Alzheimer’s).
We’ve had some modest success with promotions for the memoir, and decided to try something to see whether we could expand on that a bit: another promotion this coming Mother’s Day. But this time it’s going to be something more: the chance to get three different books, all for free in the Kindle edition.
Three books? Well, yeah. Her Final Year. And my novel. The third? Sync, a brand-new novel co-authored by John Bourke, my co-author on Her Final Year!
That’s right, we’ve decided to do a little cross promotion – give everyone who is already familiar with one of the authors involved in these different books a chance to see some new stuff which is kinda-sorta connected. And the best thing is, that it is all FREE!
More details to be coming soon!
Jim Downey
*From Poe’s “The Premature Burial“, of course. Not that the story itself really has much to do with this post, but because the boundaries from one book mentioned to the next to the next are somewhat . . . fluid. They’re certainly interconnected. And I thought the animation was quite good.
Filed under: Art, Arthur C. Clarke, Astronomy, Carl Sagan, ISS, Kindle, Marketing, movies, Music, NASA, Promotion, Publishing, Science, Science Fiction, Space, tech, Writing stuff, YouTube | Tags: 2001, art, aurora, direct publishing, free, jim downey, Kindle, music, NASA, predictions, science, Science Fiction, space, technology, video, writing, www youtube
From Chapter 3:
Wright Station was one of the older stations, and its age showed in its design. The basic large wheel structure, necessary when centrifugal force simulated gravity, was still evident, though significantly altered. The station hung there as they approached, motionless. The aero slowly coasted toward a large box well outside the sweep of the wheel, connected to the wheel by an extension of one of the major spokes. This was the dock, and it was outside the AG field.
Sound familiar?
Though I do think that were someone to film Communion of Dreams, this scene would more closely reflect this reality, taken from the ISS:
Still, it is fascinating that we have already so deeply connected music with space imagery. And that what is seen as a pale blue dot in the distance is, up close, a living world with a thin sheath of atmosphere – a wisp, glowing green.
Tomorrow is a promotional day: the Kindle edition of Communion of Dreams will be free for any and all to download. Share the news.
Jim Downey
To paraphrase one of my favorite Babylon 5 characters: “I have seen what fame does, and I have seen what fame costs. The one is never equal to the other.”
Yeah, I’ve had just enough of a taste of that to agree. Not everyone is suited for instant and world-wide fame:
Kony 2012 campaigner Jason Russell detained for public rampage
One of the co-founders of Invisible Children, the San Diego-based charity that is campaigning for the arrest of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, has been hospitalised after police said he was detained for running around the streets screaming in his underwear.
Jason Russell, 33, was picked up by police in San Diego at around 11.30am on Thursday after they received numerous calls from the public about a man vandalising cars, being apparently under the influence of a substance and making sexual gestures.
* * *
A brief statement by the group in the wake of Russell’s detention said that being at the centre of a massive media storm may have taken its toll. “Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalised suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better,” said Invisible Children’s chief executive Ben Keesey in the statement.
A lot of people think that fame is the key to success, and so seek it out in just about any way they can.
Careful what you ask for.
Jim Downey
*Fame, (fame) makes a man take things over
Fame, (fame) lets him loose, hard to swallow
Fame, (fame) puts you there where things are hollow
Fame (fame)
Filed under: Alzheimer's, Amazon, Art, Feedback, Kindle, Marketing, Press, Promotion, Publishing, Religion, Science Fiction, tech, Writing stuff
Anticipation no more: the day is here, the article posted. Here’s how it starts:
The future, it has been said, is unwritten.
But this really isn’t so, at least to the degree that gifted local writer Jim Downey has penned a vision of what’s to come in his recent science-fiction novel, “Communion of Dreams.”
Downey once occupied space in these very pages as a Tribune arts columnist. His versatile, incisive writing style has been applied to topics that range from handguns to the humanity seen through the creases of Alzheimer’s disease — in September, features writer Jill Renae Hicks detailed the story of “Her Final Year,” a caregiving memoir Downey co-authored with John Bourke. By approaching the fictional worlds of “Communion” with his well-rounded cadre of concerns, Downey was able to draw out themes related to psychology, religion and spirituality, reminding us that no matter how technologically advanced we might become, our future will be a human one.
There’s more, and all of it very positive (to my eyes, at least.) Take a look, share it, comment on it if you’re a subscriber to the Tribune.
But more importantly, take advantage of today’s Free Kindle Edition promotion, and go download the book. Please. Please please please.
You help me out by doing so, both by pushing up the book’s ranking, and by just reading the thing. Because most people really like it, once they get into it. And if you like it, you’ll probably tell your friends. Or maybe “rate” or “like” the book on Amazon or on Facebook. Or maybe even take the time to write a review (there’s a new review just been posted overnight!). All of these things help me, and I very much appreciate it – why I’m willing to offer the book for free.
So, thanks again! Go forth and download!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Art, Guns, Heinlein, Press, Promotion, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction, Writing stuff
So, last week I got a series of questions from a reporter for the local paper, who is working on a story about Communion of Dreams. I spent a lot of time thinking about my answers on my drive to and from Iowa last weekend, and have been working on writing my responses in the last day or so. And I thought that it might be fun to share both the questions, and my answers, over the next several days.
Here’s the first question/answer:
1. First off, just clue me in to the first pieces of science fiction writing that really captivated your attention. Obviously, you’ve written in quite a few different contexts – how prominent a place does science fiction writing occupy in your heart? Do you feel as if you’ve applied any of the tools or ideas gleaned from this genre to other writing projects or pursuits (or vice versa)?
I very much think that good writing is good writing, whatever the venue. As writers, we’re always looking for clarity, insight, information – to convey something we know or feel to the reader. That holds true whether I am writing about a local artist (as I did when I was writing for the Tribune), or discussing my opinion of the quality of a given firearm (as I do for Guns.com), or sharing the emotional truth of caring for a loved one (Her Final Year), or opening up the possible reality I envision in fiction. So, in essence, all of my writing is related, though perhaps my imagination has been given greater play due to my reading/writing science fiction.
In terms of what science fiction grabbed my attention when I was young . . . well, that’s really hard to say. It’s been a long time, with a lot of life in-between. I know I liked the Heinlein ‘juveniles’. Dune was an early favorite. But by the time I was in early adolescence I was voraciously reading everything in the ‘science fiction’ section of my local library, hungrily devouring book after book.
More tomorrow!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Art, Book Conservation, NYT, Science, U of Iowa Ctr for the Book
I’ve mentioned book conservation a few times in the five years this blog has been up. It is, after all, my actual profession. And I’ve mentioned the University of Iowa Center for the Book (UICB), the program through which I got my professional training. And I’ve even mentioned Tim Barrett, a good friend and mentor at the UICB who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (the so-called ‘genius award’) a couple of years ago.
Well, there’s a very nice profile of Tim in this past Friday’s New York Times: Can a Papermaker Help to Save Civilization?
It’s a good piece. And I was lucky to have learned much about paper and craftsmanship from Tim. Very lucky.
That reminds me – I owe him a copy of my book. When he gave me one of his, and signed it, I promised that someday I’d return the favor.
Jim Downey
Communion Of Dreams 