A Writer's Research

            Following what I was talking about a couple weeks ago regarding all the research a writer needs to do, I thought I’d go into a little more detail. I think a lot of people take what they’re reading for granted – I know I did before I started seriously writing.

            As a fantasy writer, I often have the luxury of just making things up as I go along, but even when I do that I have to write it all down in the encyclopedia of my world so I can reference them at a later date. Still, there are many little things – mostly minor details – that require research to bring a level of believability to the story, like how fast people can travel on foot or horseback over what terrain, the size of the world... I’ve even put quite a lot of research into the mythological elves, dwarves and trolls to see how I could tie them in to the common modern fantasy images of them.

The best example I can give, however, is a bit of research that occupied me for a full week in September of 2012. Looking back on it, I’m amazed it didn’t take longer! For the first two weeks of October, Harper Voyager (a branch of Harper Collins) was opening their doors to the public for manuscript submissions – the first time this had happened in over ten years. Needless to say, this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. There was just one problem... my first book was about 1500 words short of the minimum length. I needed to write a whole new chapter.

            I wracked my brain for weeks, trying to figure out if there was any part of the story I had missed, or anything significant I could add. At last it came to me: I’d been toying with ideas for designing games unique to my fantasy world and somehow my brain combined this with fortune telling as a method of foreshadowing. Overnight, my brain began insisting on designing a unique deck of cards that could be used both for games and reading fortunes. It sounds easy enough – I could just make it up as I go... but then, what if I needed it for something else? I wouldn’t have all the knowledge I needed. Not to mention there are enough fans of Tarot cards out there that I could easily tread on some toes if I didn’t do the fortune telling bit right.

            That was the place to start. Tarot cards. I‘d had a little exposure to them in the past, but what I really needed was to understand the science behind them. Most people who have had their fortunes read are amazed at the accuracy. How did this work? So, I found this wonderful website that taught me everything I needed to know about using Tarot cards and gave me many insights into the art – it inspired me so much that I went out and bought a Tarot deck so I could gain an even better understanding. Using the information I found on the site and in the instruction book that came with the deck, I began dissecting the meanings of the 78 cards and rearranging them into my new 52 card deck. This was very challenging because I wanted my new deck to be fully functional as a Tarot deck should anyone decide to use it that way. I did manage it and, if I do say so myself, I feel I did an excellent job.

            I now had the outlined meanings of my cards. I then arranged them into 7 suits (with 7 cards each) and 3 wild cards. Each suit had its own general significance and the progression of the card values (1 through 7) were made symbolic of a journey. I named the cards, then went on to the hardest part – describing them. I needed a description for each of the cards so I could know what they looked like, and each description had to reflect the meaning of the card. Luckily I could lean on the Tarot deck I’d bought for inspiration, but, man, was that ever tricky!

            Finally I had my deck of cards planned out! Ecstatic about this, I made up a mock deck on the backs of some old business cards (my clever mother never throws away anything that could come day be used for arts or crafts) and started designing the card game. I wanted something similar to poker, yet with a distinctiveness born of being developed on a different world. This was a challenge for me because I don’t play poker and have only a limited knowledge of its workings (mostly gained from watching Maverick). But I managed it and gathered my family to test it. They loved it!

Here are some of the cards in the mock deck.

What? I'm a writer, not an artist!

            So, over the course of the week I had developed a unique deck of cards and a game to go along with it. It was now time to write my new chapter. Ha! You’d forgotten that’s what this was all about, hadn’t you? All this work, just for a few details in one chapter of one book. Well, you’ll be happy to know that I wrote that chapter and loved every moment of it. I was then able to submit my book to Harper Voyager.

            It just goes to show how much work goes into some of the smallest things. Most people will never know about that work, but it is essential to making the story as believable as possible. Also, if I ever need to use those cards in another book, all the work is already done; sitting around and waiting to be useful. And, hey! Maybe someday I’ll have the art drawn for the cards so other people can enjoy them! Who wouldn’t want to play with a deck of cards that has 7 suits? Just imagine all the possibilities!

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Review of Midnight Days

            I recently finished reading Land of Midnight Days by Katrina Jack. For me, this was a special book to read because I had the privilege to read part of it before it was published and was able to contribute to some of the editing. I was also one of the people who encouraged Kate to keep chasing her dream at the times when the publisher and agent rejections were getting her down, as they do to all authors. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I’m in this book in my own little way, because there’s a certain graffiti dragon that never would have appeared had it not for me and a list of dragon books I was making.

            I don’t think I've ever read something classified as urban fantasy before, so this was a new experience for me. Interestingly enough, I don’t think I’d like the genre (though I’d need to read more of it to know for sure), but this book... this book is wonderful. It follows the story of Jeremiah Tully, a half-Elwyn (elf) mute musician who was abandoned by his family to be raised by an ogre of a man. From the first moment I encountered this character, he ingrained himself in my mind. He’d lived a life in which nothing good ever happened, yet he was still able to find happiness and peace within himself and his music.

            Every character in the book has their own unique, complex personality. As I read, I constantly had the feeling that there was far more to be known about each character and that they had interesting histories – often I discovered I was right as, throughout the book, bits of those histories were revealed. I’ll admit that there was one point where a character had a personality flip that, while it was built into the character from the start, happened a little too fast, but other than that one moment I found the cast of this book completely believable.

            The world in which the story takes place is so realistic that it could be taking place next door, were it not for the remnants of a demon army terrorizing the city. Katrina’s writing style immerses the reader in the book and assumes they already know everything about the world, but at the same time teaches what unfamiliar terms mean through what occurs – this is extremely difficult for an author to achieve. She also gives the reader an in-depth view of the poverty-stricken side of her world, showing just how bad the underbelly of society can be, yet she does so tastefully and without offending.

            The only criticism I can find for this book is that, in my opinion, it’s lacking a handful of commas that could make the reading a bit smoother in a few places. Other than that, I have to say that Land of Midnight Days is an excellent read and provides fast paced, page-turning entertainment. I invite you to join Katrina and her fascinating characters as they strive to survive in their world and maybe even save it.

            You can find Land of Midnight Days here and Katrina Jack's blog here.

            I hope you enjoyed my first book review. If you didn't, don't worry - I'm a slow reader, so it'll be a while before my next one.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Let's Start Off With a Bang

            Colleen was given the first two seasons of The Big Bang Theory for Christmas, so lately we've been watching quite a bit of it. Especially since we went and bought the next three seasons as well.

            Now, I've had a number of friends who've been recommending this show to me for years. Invariably, they've all said the same thing: “ You've gotta watch this show, it’s great! This one character, Sheldon, is exactly like you.” I've decided to take this as a compliment.

            For those of you unfamiliar with the show, Sheldon Cooper is a young genius (I make no claim of similarity here) who has a lot of peculiarities – he has a specific spot on the couch that he has to sit in, he is extremely sensitive about germs (don’t you dare touch his food!) and every day of the week has a specific theme that he needs to follow. In other words, I can relate to him a lot.

This has given me an immense admiration for Jim Parsons (the actor), Chuck Lorre (the writer) and Bill Prady (the other writer) for the amount of research they've put into creating this extremely idiosyncratic character. I'm sure a lot of people watch this show and think, “Haha, this guy’s funny, but no one is actually this weird!” while I'm watching it and saying (yes, saying, you can ask my wife), “He understands me!” I may be alone in thinking this, but I find it extremely impressive when writers and actors can create a character so odd that is still real enough that someone with some of the same quirks as the character can relate. That being said, while I understand where Sheldon is coming from, I've never been quite as bad as him – something for which I'm sure my entire family is extremely thankful.

            I'm sure you’re wondering where I'm going with all of this and, quite frankly, so am I. Probably the best thing I can do now is point out the phenomenal amount of research that needs to go into any writing project. When I started off writing, I simply made everything up as I went along. I write fantasy, that’s what I'm supposed to do, right? It’s not quite that simple though. What if I were to write about how fast someone was travelling on a horse and a horse enthusiast came along and read my book? The whole believability could be compromised by a single inaccurate detail. As a result, I've found myself researching the oddest things – from marching speeds to mythological and modern fantasy versions of creatures to what plants grow in what environments in what seasons. It’s amazing how many details there are that can make or break a good story.

            In conclusion, if you have access to it, I advise watching The Big Bang Theory; it is an excellent show. While you’re watching, you should also imagine what it’s like to live with Sheldon so you can feel sorry for my wife. Also, if you are watching the show on DVD, I suggest pausing on the white screen filled with words that appears for a moment after the credits. These are “vanity cards” written by Chuck Lorre and, in my opinion, are well worth the time to read.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Introduction

            As this is my first blog, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself and what you can expect to find here. My name is Jonathan Rutledge and I am a writer (among other things) under the pen name J.C. Rutledge. I'm a somewhat insane individual with a passion for fantasy, an uneventful life and a touch of O.C.D.

            What you’ll find here, well, even I'm not entirely sure of that yet! I’ll probably end up rambling on about any number of subjects relating to my scribbling, my chainmaille business (www.ringcrafts.com) and various random subjects that pop into my head. On the occasion that I finish reading a book, I’ll probably give you a review. Once in a while I might ask my lovely wife Colleen (yes, that’s where the C. in the J.C. Rutledge comes from, you caught me) to jot something down for you. On occasion I may give you something funny to read. On rare occasion, you might find it funny too.

            My goal is to post a new blog every Monday. Only time will tell how successful I’ll be; it may end up being cut down to only once or twice a month – after all, I have books I'm supposed to be writing, who needs a blog?

            Well, that should be all that’s needed for an introduction; I don’t suppose there will be many people reading this, so I hope the briefness hasn't left anyone disappointed. See you all next week!

J.C. Rutledge

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.