This is my stop during the blog tour for The Heaven Falls series by Christopher C. Starr. The Heaven Falls series contains 2 books so far: The Road to Hell and Come Hell or High Water. This is an epic fantasy/ religious fiction series.
This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 10 till 23 January. See the tour schedule here. And check out the giveaway at the bottom of this post.
by Christopher C. Starr
Genre: Epic Fantasy/ Religious Fiction
Age category: Adult
Blurb:
My name is Lucifer and I was first…
…and, yes, I am that Lucifer. Fall from Heaven, Prince of Darkness, ruler of Hell, Satan, the Devil, the Adversary, and a thousand other names.
Forget what you think you know. You’ve never heard this story before—not from me. Others have tried. None of them got it right.
See, I don’t want you.
I’ve never wanted you.
I want Him.
Everyone else is just in the way.
Top Ten Ways to Combat Writer’s
Block
I used to think writer’s block
wasn’t a thing, you know? That it was some excuse writers made so they didn’t
or wouldn’t finish the projects in front on them. My experience with writer’s
block was that it was a self-inflicted wound: it was usually the product of me
not being willing to write the story the way it needed to be written. It was me
not willing to be honest about what needed to be said.
I experienced my first real bout of
writer’s block about 2 years ago and it genuinely lasted for 2 years. I
couldn’t hear anything or see anything. Doubt became my constant companion and,
though I’d written 2 books, I didn’t believe I could write the third. Didn’t
believe I was talented enough. The truth is I wasn’t being honest with me and
with the story. The way I wanted book 3 in my series to “feel” was very
different than what the story needed me to do and that impasse froze me.
I’m writing again now and the list
below are strategies I used to get through my block.
1. 1. Stop trying to write and just write it. So this is the biggest and best idea I have. Get out of your own way and just write the damn thing. I believe stories choose their writers and the sooner you stop trying to write it, stop trying to make it perfect or as good as some other writer or match the idea that’s in your head, the better you’ll be. Be happy with imperfect. Live with less than awesome. You’ll get there. Just put words on the page.
2. 2. Write something else (another idea). So sometimes step 1 doesn;’t work and you, like me, can’t see or hear the story you’re trying to write. Cool. Write something else. Choose another idea. Play with those other things floating around in your head (we all have them). Take a little bit of time and let those other ideas breathe a little, like wine. Give them so air. You may find that exploring this other story will give you insight into the one frozen on the page.
3. 3. Write a scene from your favorite movie. OK this one is personal for me. My process is to write a screenplay before I begin writing my novels. I think cinematically and the screenplay helps me focus on showing not telling, dialogue, pacing, action – all the things that are core to how I want my books to feel. When I’m stuck, I’ll watch a movie and try to write out a scene. How would I articulate what just happened? How would I make it my own? It gets the juices flowing.
4. 4. Write in waves (20 minutes of writing vs 20 minutes break). Break up your writing into milestones. I’m a huge “responsibility before reward” person and a lover of Legos. I make myself earn time building: for every minute I write, I get time to build a ship or something. Set a timer and write for 20 minutes then walk away. Watch a show. Take a shower. Go back to work. 20 minutes is far easier than hours.
5. 5. Try dictation. Full disclosure I haven’t tried this one because I have to see the words but dictation may be a lot easier. Use the speech-to-text feature on your phone or invest in real dictation software like Dragon Dictation and talk through your story. Tell it to yourself like you would to someone who’d never heard it before. Work through the muddy bits. It removes the stigma of sitting in front of an empty page and tends to go a lot faster than typing.
6. 6. Write what you do know – choose those parts that are familiar. So you’re stuck at a part of your story, huh? Skip it. Move ahead and write the next scene, the next part you’re comfortable with, the next part you can see. You might find that the future scenes inform the one you’re working on and still keep the story moving forward.
7. 7. Start at the end and work backwards. You know how your story is supposed to end, right? Write that. Write your climax as though you’d written everything else. Then write the scene, the chapter before that. Treat it like a mystery, letting your story reveal itself to you. You might be surprised at what you find out.
8. 8. Write an interview with your characters. Step
away from your story and get to know your characters a little better. When I’m
stuck, I’ll often ask my characters why. I’ll interview them and get their
perspectives on what needs to happen, motivations, how they feel. Inevitably,
this changes what I thought needed to happen – and speaks back to that idea of
incongruence. Knowing my characters better helps me craft a story that makes sense
and is truer to who they are.
10. Choose a writing prompt. Writing prompts are,
to me, great ways to get to know your characters and your stories better. Most
writing prompts lack specificity: they could be about anything or anyone. But
if you place your characters within the prompt or use your world, your stories
circumstances, as the basis for the prompt, you’ll get a depth you never knew.
On Reddit, there is a Writing Prompts thread – check it out.
Links:
- Goodreads
- Books2Read Universal Link
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Apple
- Google Play
by Christopher C. Starr
Genre: Epic Fantasy/ Religious Fiction
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 11 December, 2020
Blurb:
My name is Lucifer...
I told you my story in The Road to Hell. It was only the beginning.
Now the war in Heaven is over; the damned souls have fallen. All is as it should be. But Heaven is a fractured, broken husk. The Host is silent. The angels do not sing. The Father does not speak. All of it is frozen. Dying.
Except for Michael. Michael the Archangel is busy hunting. Everyone.
And I’m in Hell. This horrible place is a living cauldron of agony that engulfs the damned and burns them for eternity. And in the midst of all this chaos is me. But don’t despair: this is just a means to an end.
A means to The End.
The Father made a mistake and I’m going to make Him end it. Because I know what scares the Father. And when you know what someone fears, there’s no limit to what you can make them do.
My name is Lucifer and I will be the last.
Links:
- Goodreads
- Books2Read Universal Link
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Apple
- Google Play
Christopher C. Starr is the author of The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer, the first novel in the Heaven Falls series. These stories examine God’s relationship with Heaven and Earth, told through the eyes of the angels. The next book in the series, Come Hell or High Water, will be released December 2020.
Chris makes it a point to look at the dark side of his characters, both heroes and villains, and his work explores the “grey”—that place where good and evil come together in all of us.
When he’s not writing, Chris enjoys comic books and movies, staying away from cemeteries, and poorly participating in P90X. He lives in Austin with his wife, two kids - the Boy and the Honey Badger - and a pack of dogs. You can check him out at http://christophercstarr.com or join the conversation at https://facebook.com/groups/heavenfalls
You can find and contact Christopher C. Starr here:
- Website
- Facebook page
- Facebook group
- Amazon
- Goodreads
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Heaven Falls series. One winner wins a signed set of both The Road to Hell and Come Hell or High Water. US and Canada only.
I have a stop on the tour and started The Road To Hell. Awesome book!
ReplyDelete