CL WERNER ON WRITING: An Interview

I met C.L. Werner, in the virtual world, while writing for FLASHING SWORDS EZINE wa-ay back in, eegad, 2006-ish. (When Howard A Jones was editor so...a while ago.) I had read some of his shorter works for Black Library, which led to picking up some of his novel-length works, the first being the Matthias Thulmann: WITCH HUNTER omnibus. Once I read that, I was hooked.

So without rambling like a fanboy, here is Mr. C.L. Werner...

Oh, and his most recent work is the image above: LORD OF UNDEATH

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CREATIVES HELP BOARD: When did you first realize that HEY, THIS WRITING THING. CREATING FANTASTIC TALES. WELL...IT KIND OF ROCKS!

CL WERNER: The first piece of writing I can recall working on was in elementary school. I did a Sherlock Holmes story that ran over fifty pages of loose leaf. So I guess that would be the first thing I wrote. The 'bug' as it were didn't really hit me until I was finishing up high school. I tried my hand at horror short stories, submitting to any magazine I'd stumble on. Nothing landed and over the course of the next ten years the only things I placed were in small press magazines like Eldritch Tales and Cthulhu Codex. Not until I had a piece accepted into Black Library's Inferno! Magazine did I really get that sense of finally creating something that would have a wider reach.

CHB: What was your very first published piece?

CLW: My first published work was a scenario called 'The Old Dark House' for the Call of Cthulhu RPG which was published by Pagan Publishing in Alone on Halloween. That was in 1991. I didn't have another paying published piece until 1999 with 'A Choice of Hatreds' in Inferno! #22. That was the first piece of fiction that I was paid for writing.

CHB: There may be probably many obvious answers, but compared to that first piece, how has your writing, writing skill, writing focus changed?

CLW: I think any writer will improve as they continue to tell stories. The more you read, watch, experience – all of that will inform new ideas and characters. Any book or movie can teach you new things about style and pacing, tone and direction. What works to sustain a mood or what makes for an engaging character. To be certain, you can also learn a great deal about what doesn't work from these things too. A badly written book can be even more instructive than a well-crafted masterpiece, highlighting things to avoid and some of the pitfalls that can sabotage a narrative.

Over the years, I think that the biggest thing which has changed in my writing is an appreciation for different perspectives. To be certain there are rare instances of a character who is unabashedly evil, but for the most part everyone believes themselves to be justified in what they are doing. A thief rationalizes his robberies, a tyrant has a defined rationale for his manifold oppressions, a tyranid has – well – the expansion of the species. Each character, no matter how despicable, is something I try to approach as an individual, to make them more than just a one-note simulacrum of villainy. It makes the contrast all the more vivid and unsettling when a murderer has all these fine qualities yet at the end of the day is still the perpetrator of heinous crimes. And by the same token, it is equally disarming when the noble hero is endowed with some less than sterling attributes.

CHB: What is your writing routine? Tons of coffee? A full nights sleep then hit the keyboards?

CLW: Much of my writing is done at night, when it is quiet outside and the air is a bit cooler. The dark, I suppose, lends itself to some of the grim things I write about. Sometimes I'll have marathons where I write for nine and ten hours at a stretch. Other times it is difficult to stay at it for two in one sitting. The dreaded curse of writer's block can sometimes be mitigated by jumping ahead in the narrative and coming back to the problem spot, which is usually best approached after stepping away for a little while. I find if I try to jump without that break it causes a sense of disorientation – a befuddlement so far as the pacing of the piece goes. I'm always very aware of pacing and try to ensure scenes are neither too ponderous or too abrupt (unless of course that is the intended effect).

On the matter of coffee, I'll likely be branded a heretic but I can't stand the stuff. Even the smell of coffee disturbs me. In hot weather I resort to energy drinks and in cold weather it is lots of tea.

CHB: Are you a plotter or a pantster? (I hate that latter word for folks who loosing plot and fly by the seat of their pants, but, meh, guess it fits.)

CLW: Detailed outlines are something I always try to work from. As mentioned above, I find that having a map of where the story is going will allow me to jump ahead of any problem spot I encounter. When I start a new chapter, I'll go to the outline and break down each individual scene and then lay them out in sequence within the chapter. Then, as I write, I can see at a quick glance how much material is yet to go. I can judge the pacing more closely, so if a scene with a dragon eating goats runs into a thousand words I can then evaluate how much more story I'm trying to fit into the chapter. Except when I'm going for a particular effect, I try to keep chapters between 5,000 and 6,000 words, which I feel is the ideal size for a reader to tackle over their lunch break, riding the train home from work, or some other situation where their time is restricted. If I find that there's a bit more story than I still have room for in the chapter, I'll evaluate if a scene should be moved into the subsequent or preceding chapter. Working like this, I've come to attack a novel in blocks of three chapters at a time – which is fine early on but becomes a problem if your deadline is in arrears.

CHB: What is the best way to market one's written work, in your opinion.

CLW: To be honest, I'm not certain what the best way to market one's work is. There are so many options out there these days. The scope of anthologies and magazines to submit short stories to is much broader than it was in the days before the internet. There are a great many small and mid-range publishers out there that either have open submission windows or will have 'open calls' at set periods of the year. This includes some of the tie-in publishers as well, so if a writer is an enthusiast of a particular game or film series or what have you, then it might not be remiss to keep one ear to the ground.

Online retailers have made self-publishing a much more feasible enterprise for those of us without hefty inheritances to squander or wealthy relations to exploit. The pitfall of this route is that the onerous of generating buzz and advertising the book falls on the author, and not all of us are so skilled at marketeering as we are at composing. Beyond the time involved writing the book, there's usually some manner of fee for listing the volume with the retailer.

One thing that I was always advised against, and which I will pass along, is to be very wary of any business that wants you to pay them to publish your book. This is different from services that offer editing and formatting – in this instance we're talking about businesses that promise to do everything but write it. There's a reason that so-called 'vanity presses' have a bad reputation as they can be predatory and promise far more than they deliver. Approach anybody who wants you to pay them to be published with a wary eye and do your homework before agreeing to anything.

CHB: Words of advice for new writers?

CLW: The first and most important thing I'd advise any new writer is to look very long and hard into why you want to write. If it is for the passion of story-telling, if it is something you'd do even without a dime of remuneration, then I think it is something you have to pursue. Constantly improve your craft, when you read the work of someone else, analyse it like a mechanic taking apart an engine. See what makes something effective work and see how you can develop your own technique to be as effective. When rejection comes, and sadly it will, try to see if there is any hint to how to improve in the editor's feedback – but by the same token recognize when the fault is simply that it wasn't the kind of story that was right for that particular market.

If you are pursuing a career as a writer for the financial aspect, go in understanding that a great many authors have to maintain day jobs to make ends meet. The big celebrity authors who make a zillion dollars a year are very much the exception rather than the rule. It is a very fortunate creator who can achieve a degree of success where they can comfortably extricate themselves from the daily grind and devote all their resources to writing. A goal to pursue, but also a caution to bear in mind.

CHB: What does being able to write, to put the story "on paper" do for you? (Obviously put a little extra cash on the table, but what else. Myself personally, it often gives me something to look forward to when the day job and life are rough.)

CLW: For myself, personally, being able to write gives me a sense of accomplishment. It is the one thing in my existence that at all excuses it. I've seen for myself that my writing has helped carry readers through tough times in their lives, providing them with an escape from their troubles even if only for the briefest spell. I've had a few writers say they drew inspiration from my own stories and that helped them develop their own skills and pursue their own publication. It is a very humbling thing to consider having such an impact on somebody's life and ultimately makes it worthwhile. Even if you don't become rich, even if your work doesn't become famous, even if you fear there will be no posterity to leave it to, you can still help others through your work. Sometimes you're even blessed enough to find out about it. It's the old adage about the stone thrown into a pond – you don't always see the ripples or where they go, but the ripples are there just the same.

Thanks for your time, Clint.


AUTHOR BIO
C. L. Werner has written a number of pulp-style horror stories for assorted small press publications, including Inferno! magazine. Some of his Black Library credits include the Chaos Wastes books, the Mathias Thulmann: Witch Hunter novels, the Brunner the Bounty Hunter trilogy, and the Thanquol and Boneripper series. Currently living in the American south-west, he continues to write stories of mayhem and madness set in the Warhammer World.

AUTHOR LINKS
Website
Facebook

Some other great interviews with C.L. Werner (not associated with this blog)
The Bloghole Interview
Interview on Snowbooks Site
MengelMiniatures Interview

You're Not A Writer

Artwork by Frederic St-Arnaud (aka starno) www.frederic-st-arnaud.com

 

No one believes in you as a writer. Not until you hit it big time in the literary lottery it seems. You are just out there on your own, in your own little world, your own little insanity castle writing your fantastical shit. Most people you talk to wonder where do you pull this weirdness from, and why you feel the need to spill it all out on the blank page, perhaps pursue publication of it, maybe hope to make a little bit of a dime or two from it, maybe get a good review (justifying your insanity) or even a bad review (perhaps giving you a lessons learned on how to improve your craft).

 

But again, no one gives a shit that you are a writer. (Well, except possibly your other writer kin.)

 

But you know, I don't give a shit about those who do not see me as a writer, as a viable writer, as a bread-earner writer. If I was doing it all purely for cash and fame, I'd be saying fuck everyone and going off and living in my own little cave, by my own fucking little self, and writing and writing and writing...and probably playing Minecraft now and again.

 

But I don't roll that way. Being without peeps in life cuts part of your writer off from hearing stories and ideas of others who don't write like you do. You can have experiences by yourself, but a whole lot more when you drop and keep yourself SOCIAL.

 

But I'm not feeling so social because no one believes in me as a writer.

 

Unless I strike that literary pot of gold, make the NY Times Bestseller list, JJ Abrams and Michael Bay come running after me for film rights, and all that.

 

THEN, oh yeah ya bastards, then I'm a writer, baby.

 

....

 

....

 

Fuck that and fuck you naysayers.

 

I am a gourd-darn writer. Been doing it for years. Been doing it since I could pick up a pencil and put it to lined paper and spill my boiling brain down upon it.

 

I'm a work-in-process. I'm trying for bigger and better things. I'M TRYING.

 

This writing thing, it's always been part of me. It is part of what makes me, me, and what makes me the somewhat crazy, fun loving, fun natured, foolish and caring person I am. It has made me open my eyes to the world around me, absorb it, enjoy it. It has made me happy to be alive, to have a great wife, great kids (they actually believe in me...my oldest likes to go out for lone bike rides with me to find out what is on my writing docket) and step outside in the morning, even when having to go to the DAY JOB.

 

It's a strange stress to have a writer in the family, I am sure of it. But, ya know, this is a safe pastime, somewhat inexpensive pastime (I am making money on some of this, not gobs, but have to spend some to get myself out there, to be noticed). Better than going out with the guys and getting drunk and getting into trouble.

 

Anyway...

 

You're not a writer.

 

Fuck that.

 

You are a writer.

 

You are a writer. Believe in yourself in that, and write on.

 

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Peter Welmerink writes shit, cool shit, Viking berserker shit and Post-Apocalyptic kick ass Military shit...and also some cool action-adventure shit based in the state and area he loves: West Michigan.

 

His current Post-Apoc Military series is TRANSPORT:

 

 

 

TRANSPORT (Book One)
Amazon http://amzn.to/1DOQNPl
B&N http://bit.ly/1xDXMck

 

TRANSPORT (Book Two) HUNT FOR THE FALLEN
B&N http://bit.ly/1titw5T
Amazon http://amzn.to/1vq0ORF

 

TRANSPORT (Book Three) UNCIVIL WAR (done, in publisher's hands and coming soon)

 

Publisher: Seventh Star Press LLC

Cover artist: Jason Conley
B&W Illustrations: Tim Holtrop

 

Trailer created by: Kylie Kerosene

Copyright 2015 Peter Welmerink & Seventh Star Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTpihZe2FN0

 

 

 

Other places to understand my writers insanity:
grandrapidsaltered.blogspot.com
peterwelmerink.com

 

 

Steven L Shrewsbury Five Things Learned Writing PHILISTINE

 

by darkheroicfantasy

 

 

 

The Philistines, a mysterious warrior people known now for mainly one man: Goliath. The giant.

 

 

Goliath. A name grander than even the man himself. You've heard of his infamous end at the hands of a shepherd as written in a famous book, but what of the life of the man himself? What book tells his tale?

 

 

A warrior among warriors, a son of a god, a living legend. Goliath, the warrior champion of the Philistines. On the battlefield, he runs like a horse, wields killing instruments no normal man may heft, and revels in the fear his presence evokes. Off the field, his will is immutable, his trust invaluable, and his appetites unbearable. Goliath. This man knows no challenge.

 

 

But such a reputation will not discourage all men. Scheming rulers and generals, prophetic priests and powerful cults, dauntless warriors looking to make their own legend. Monsters. Gods. For one seemingly un-killable, at the very least, these things can ruin an otherwise pleasant day.

 

 

Along with his shield bearer, Abimelech, and soldiers more in awe than they are useful, Goliath will set out on missions for kings, face foul magic users, and walk in the shadows of mysterious halls. History tells us Goliath died at the hands of an Israelite.

 

 

Goliath may have something to say about that.

 

 

Philistine is the first Tale of Goliath, set in the same world as Steven Shrewsbury's novels such as Overkill and Thrall, and his Blood and Steel: Legends of La Gaul short stories.

 

 

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Every novel writing experience should be educational, right? Wow, that sounds like I went to a kid’s pizza place to crank out one of the bloodiest books I’ve ever done. I doubt any writer, unless they have a stick forever lodged in their keister, really sits down to start a novel and says, “What will this teach me?”

 

However, one would have to be the Other Brother Daryl to really say you’ve learned nothing penning a novel. For example, with a first novel, one will learn you don’t what the heck you’re doing? We all have written a few we thought were as good as sliced bread, or at least the gift shop of the Great Pyramid, but were really closer to the men’s room in a Portuguese cathouse. Hopefully, the lesson learned there was: “not gonna try that again.”

 

One discovers and grows if one has enough bullets for more than a single book in one’s head. One also uses the word ONE too often instead of talking as one really does, but I digress.

 

When asked to write a blog on five things I learned while writing my epic PHILISTINE I agreed, at first, to convey a few thoughts and promote the book further, and, secondly, because I really don’t want Peter Welmerink to post those pictures. [Me, post pictures of you in your skivvies and cowboy boots shoveling a ten foot during a little Illinois snow? I can’t believe you’d think I’d do such a thing. LOL—PJW]

 

Anyway, onward to the Five Things I Learned Writing PHILISTINE.

 

1. This book is gonna be bigger than I thought.

 

A book is as long as it needs to be. I don’t write with the idea of many sequels and stretching it to be a bridge to another tale. PHILISTINE would be a good story, one I’d wanted to tell since I was a kid, and my books usually run 75K to 90K words tops. From the scope, the cast, the tale and the layers, I had a feeling I was in real trouble with my usual method for writing a first draft, then subsequent ones.

 

I get focused and crank away on an idea, pumping that sucker out in roughs in a month. I don’t try and get it perfect the first time out. I tell the tale and dress it up purdy later. The year I sat down and wrote Philistine, I had written a horror novel in the month of February, a rough of another in May. But Philistine’s first draft, that took me all summer and then parts of October.

 

I oft return to a trip through a festering draft I left behind, but PHILISTINE plagued me for years, not months.  

 

2. I’m not bright enough NOT to have an elaborate codex of the work. Most writers have a God complex. If they won’t admit it, then they are liars. However, I haven’t considered myself such a stroke that I cannot bend in my ways. It was clear I was no where near intelligent enough to keep track of so many gods, peoples, clothing, locations, customs, etc. without a guide for myself. The scope became broad for the work and I had to adapt. Usually, my brain is restricted to one piece of paper as a CAST and many hand written notes in binders.

 

PHILISTINE has a twenty page add-on of info.  

 

 

 

3. I’m going to do more drafts on this monstrous sucker than I have ever done before. I really enjoyed the realm/place this book was in so much I dragged my feet leaving it. My usual walk-through (as I call them) second draft is: read it, tidy up, and see that it all makes sense and add as I go. This system was a tad strained with Philistine, a work that was double my usual length. But I started to like the realm, the place near 1000 BC. (Bite me, you modern BCE dorks. Get pissy about my non-conformist ways after I’m dead).  

 

4. These characters, for good or ill, were real to me. I could see their faces, see them sweat, smile and die. I could see the hulking Goliath, his shield-bearer, Abimelech, the expressions of the soldiers, the coyness of the goddess Malak.

 

5. It was fun to write about an antihero, even if many might not like him. I wonder if such a grudgingly likeable guy as Goliath will play in Peoria or Sphincter, NY. He isn’t a great romantic, and has a great deal of ego, to the point it blinds him at times. While an easy guy to root for in a fight, Goliath isn’t a pleasant fella.  But, you might just find him hard to resist.

 

I think Waylon Jennings was quoting Mae West when he said, “Sometimes when I’m good, I’m bad. But when I’m bad, I’m the best you ever seen.”  

 

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STEVEN L. SHREWSBURY lives, works, and writes in rural Illinois. Over 360 of his short stories have appeared in print or electronic media along with over 100 poems. 9 of his novels have been released, with more on the way. His books run from Sword & Sorcery (OVERKILL, THRALL, BEDLAM UNLEASHED) to Historical Fantasy (GODFORSAKEN), Extreme Horror (HAWG, TORMENTOR, STRONGER THAN DEATH) to Horror-Westerns (HELL BILLY, BAD MAGICK, and the forthcoming LAST MAN SCREAMING).

 

He loves books, British TV, guns, movies, politics, sports and hanging out with his sons. He’s frequently outdoors, looking for brightness wherever it may hide. 

 

 

 

 

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Connect with Steven Shrewsbury on Facebook and WordPress

 

 

 

 

 

Crymsyn Hart: Five Things I Learned Writing DEATH'S DANCE

By darkheroicfantasy

 

 

 

 

Being a psychic, you would think talking to the dead was a walk in the park. However, it’s not always that simple. The hooded specter haunting me is one I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. One day, he appeared in my bedroom mirror. Good. Evil. I don’t know what his true intentions are.

 

Enter Jackson, ghost hunting show host extraordinaire, and my ex, to save me from the big bad ghost.

 

From there …well… it’s been a world wind of complications. My house burnt down. I’m being stalked by an ancient evil and gotten myself back into the world of being a ghost hunting psychic. Jackson dragged me, along with a few other psychics, to a ghost town wiped off the map called Death’s Dance.

 

From there things went from bad to worse.

 

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What are the five things I learned from writing Death’s Dance? That’s been a question I have contemplated even before being asked to do this. Death’s Dance was a long journey for me that took me down many roads that I wasn’t sure I could walk.  But I did and I learned quite a few things, but for now I’ll only list five.

 

1. Considering this is my first straight up horror novel in ten years, I learned that I could get back to my roots and not focuses solely on writing paranormal romance. Although romance has been the genre I have been writing in these past eight years, it was not what got me started. Being able to go back into what I love is wonderful.

 

 

2. The first chapter of Death’s Dance was taken from a dream I had one night and originally was going to become some demonic creature coming to get my main characters. However, when I started writing more I realized exactly who the figure in the mirror was going to be and it wasn’t a demon, at least not in the sense I assumed it would be.

 

3. Once I finished Death’s Dance, I already had the second novel in my head and wrote it next. However, I also had a great spinoff idea that came from the first novel and from there I learned that not one book could contain the reapers.

 

4. This book took the longest for me to write only because I had other projects that happened in between. However, by taking my time on the book, I was able to get more in touch with the characters than I had been before learning the twist of the plot and that there could even be somewhat of a love story within the book. Although that wasn’t what I was going for, it motivated the characters. So I followed them deeper into the rabbit hole into my own private Wonderland.

 

5. Sometimes even death for a grim reaper isn’t really the end.

 

 

 

Where to purchase DEATH'S DANCE:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

 

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Crymsyn Hart is a National Bestselling author of over seventy paranormal romance and horror novels. Her experiences as a psychic have given her a lot of material to use in her books. She currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her hubby and her three dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s curled up with the dogs watching a good horror movie or off with friends.

 

To find out more about Crymsyn:

 

Website: http://www.ravynhart.com

Twitter: @crymsynhart

Blog: http://www.crymsynhart.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crymsynhart

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crymsyn-Hart/e/B002BMJ1Z0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1405515745&sr=8-1

Tim Marquitz: Five Things I Learned Writing EXIT WOUNDS

by darkheroicfantasy

 

 

 

Actions have consequences. For Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg, those consequences involve prison. Specifically, an extraterrestrial prison where he and pretty much everyone he cares about are now trapped.

Bereft of weapons, magic, or a good lawyer, Frank plots a break out but the indigenous convicts and draconian guardians stand in the way. With time running out on Earth, Scarlett battling to control the mess left behind, Frank must find a way home before he ends up serving a life sentence.
 

1. Evolution is a must…but not too much, mind you.

When you’re writing anything, there’s a need for evolution within the characters and world, as well as the concept. It doesn’t have to a massive shift, the great quake of 1906, but it needs to be felt, to be noticed subconsciously, at the very least. The reader has to grow with the character, advance with the world or you’ll lose your readers. They need change to hang around, but never too much, which is the catch.

Go from bad guy to hero in the span of a book, and people are going to run their back on you. Go from pauper to prince, you’ll get the same reaction. While readers want to see these changes, they have the inherent understanding that life is difficult. They want to see the wrinkles forming, not turn the page and realize the guy they’ve been following the last few hours is suddenly older and graced with wisdom. No, they want to feel the miles trodden underfoot and suffer the bumps and bruises of that growth.

2. Originality is a burden not everyone appreciates.

As much as everyone openly pines about and lauds originality in fiction, there’s an even larger group of people who are hesitant to try it. They want different, but in small, easily digested bites that don’t upset the balance of the genre they’ve come to love. They read it for a reason and don’t want to muckabouts coming in and reinventing it too much. Genre boundaries often exist as a guideline for the readers as much as they are a border for authors. It’s okay to dabble across the line, but step too far and you’ll lose folks.

3. Subtlety is often your enemy.

Sometimes people just want to be smacked in the face with what’s going on it a book, and that’s okay. I’m often guilty of being too subtle, tossing a single line into a book that explains everything early on while the reader is still trudging through the rest of the story. And while that one line was brilliant—bias in full effect here, obviously—it can often be too subtle for a reader to recall. As such, for all its supposed brilliance, I’ve stumbled in weaving the plot together in the only way that matters: that the reader get it. It might well have been literary perfection, but if the reader overlooks it and never puts the pieces together, you’ve failed.

4. It’s okay to take a step back if your next is two steps forward.

Retreat IS an option. For me, writing the Demon Squad is a fairly linear task, each book building on the previous in an effort to eventually create a satisfying conclusion to the series. That said, you can’t just ramp up story after story, each building tension, and never have it break. That works for trilogies and standalones, but a series requires an ebb and flow of high and low, of action and introspection, of redemption and failure. Not every book can ratchet the series up in the same way, with the same intensity. It’s okay to take it down a notch, make a story less impactful upon the world and more personal to the character, but always bring it back up. Life is a roller coaster, full of dips and climbs and sudden falls. Your story shouldn’t be any different.

5. Go your own road.

While I mentioned earlier that originality is a burden, there is, and always will be, only one of you. While few appreciate a work so original it becomes a chore to comprehend, always—always—let yourself bleed onto the page. In the end, it’ll be your voice that makes the difference between a reader settling in or putting your book back on the shelf. Make everything you write a part of yourself, bring your experience and voice and loves and hates to your work, and people will gravitate to the honesty on the page.

***

Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, the Blood War Trilogy, co-author of the Dead West series, as well as several standalone books, and numerous anthology appearances including Triumph Over Tragedy, Corrupts Absolutely, Demonic Dolls, Neverland's Library, and the forthcoming No Place Like Home and Blackguards.

The Editor in Chief of Ragnarok Publications, Tim most recently compiled and edited the Angelic Knight Press anthologies, Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous and Manifesto: UF, as well as Ragnarok Publications' Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters.

Web Presence:

www.tmarquitz.com

https://www.facebook.com/tim.marquitz
https://twitter.com/Marquitz
http://tmarquitz.com/blog/