Today I have a guest taking over Stories & Sweeties! Everyone welcome Brian Rowe, author of Happy Birthday to Me! He'll be giving us some fun facts about himself, sharing a little writing wisdom, and lastly, I'll be giving away a copy of his book, so be sure to enter below!!
Ten Random Facts about Brian Rowe:
1. I was born in Sacramento, California.
2. I made a 92-minute feature film during my senior year of high school.
3. I was on the golf team in high school.
4. I've watched Scream 4…. 4 times now.
5. Sandra Bullock is my favorite actress.
6. My favorite novel of all time is Boy's Life, by Robert R. McCammon.
7. I've acted in some films, including some comedies directed by my friend Scott Gairdner, of Funny or Die.
8. I'm currently working on my Masters in English.
9. My favorite character of the Happy Birthday to Me trilogy is Kimber!
10. I'm currently outlining a new horror series of teenagers, and the first book, The Vampire Underground, is coming in Spring 2012!
On Writing:
I view writing a lot like how others view exercise—if I turn the practice into a daily ritual, after a while, it will feel as typical as eating breakfast and doing laundry. I don’t want to view writing as a chore in any sense; after all, it’s supposed to be fun. But facing that blank page every day is certainly daunting, and many wannabe writers feel too threatened by it to face the task of writing his or her first novel.
I was that way for a long time. I tried to write a novel once in high school, but felt too unsure of myself after five or six chapters, and I abandoned the project. I wrote short stories and screenplays over many more years but always felt too intimidated by the task of writing a novel to attempt it. Finally, after becoming inspired by an idea that I knew would work best not as a short story or feature script but as a book, I knew it was time to write my first novel. I was certainly scared, but one great man prepared me with some excellent advice, and that man was Stephen King.
For any aspiring writers out there, I recommend wholeheartedly Stephen King’s fantastic nonfiction book about writing, titled simply On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. In it the bestselling horror novelist not only discusses how he got his start writing and selling his books, but also discusses concise, important writing tips for budding novelists everywhere. I’ve read this book probably ten times over in the last few years, and I’ve tried to take most, if not all, of King’s advice in regards to sentence and story structure, grammar, dialogue, and, most of all, daily writing tasks.
What kept me for many years from tackling the seemingly enormous task of writing a novel was that it seemed next to impossible. It’s hard enough to write a short story. How in the world could I write a 70,000-word-plus novel? King spelled it out clear: write 2,000 words a day, every day, until you finish your first draft. A lot of writers, including myself, will work on a project for months and months, picking out hours at a time to do some writing, and then wait a week or longer to continue. It doesn’t matter what you want a write—a literary novel, chick lit title, YA paranormal romance, or horror rollercoaster ride—you can do it if you stop looking at the big picture and start looking at the small pieces.
I started writing my first novel Slate, influenced by the two years I spent working in feature film casting in Los Angeles, in early 2010, and looked at the task with both anticipation and trepidation. I had a brief outline of the plot, knew the first few chapters, the last few chapters, and some meat of the story in between, but I definitely didn’t know exactly how every storyline and character arc would play out. But I decided that I would start writing at least 2,000 words a day, every day, until I either finished the book, or died trying. The writing of my first book was difficult at times, yes, but it also turned out to be the most freeing and joyful experience of my creative life. When I finished the first draft, which stood at 108,000 words, I knew I had accomplished something special. But little did I know then, that the work of writing the book had only just begun.
That leads me to the important of revisions. Writing a novel is a process, a long one that takes months and months, and for some, years. If the hardest part about writing a book was completing that first draft, a lot more people would be doing it. But finishing the first draft is the first of many, many steps that will lead writing to a polished novel. I didn’t know it at the celebratory time I finished the first draft of Slate, but I ended up revising the novel in full over ten times in the course of the following year until I finally published it in March. My rewriting process begins like this: finish the first draft, print it out, put it in a binder, and don’t look at it for at least four to six weeks. I love to finish a project, put it away, and then work on something else for a while. Then, when I pull that first draft out of the drawer, it’s almost like reading something I didn’t write! It’s a great thrill, and it allows me to look at the words on the pages with a fresh eye.
I’ll spend a few weeks working on the second draft, and then put the manuscript away again. I’ll do this time and time again for six months to a year until I feel the material is ready to show to my closest friends and any fellow writers who’ll agree to review my work. After taking and using much of the feedback I receive, I’ll do one final polish, and finally prepare the work for eBook and print publishing (a whole other beast of a process!).
Happy Birthday to Me is my debut Young Adult novel, and it was something that I’d wanted to write for a long time. After my joy in writing my first book Slate, I knew I wanted to continue writing novels, and Happy Birthday to Me felt like the perfect second project. I spent nearly nine months working on this book, finally publishing it in April. It’s a funny, romantic supernatural tale that is truly for readers of all ages, and I’m so dedicated to this story and these characters that I am currently writing a sequel!
Eighteen months ago I wasn’t sure if I could even finish a novel. Today I’ve written three novels, I’m working on my fourth, and I’ve outlined nearly fifteen projects to be written in the next three to four years. I’ve become a writing fiend, and I’ve never been happier. I have Stephen King to thank for his inspiring wisdom, and all the readers and writers out there like me who love a great story.
Bio: Brian Rowe graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where he studied English & Film. He has written five novels, one novella, and one short story collection. His fiction has appeared in over a dozen magazines, including Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, Mobius Magazine, and Wilde Oats Magazine. He lives in Reno, Nevada.
Happy Birthday to Me has gotten some great reviews! Here are a few:
So you want to read Brian's work for yourself? I'm giving away one copy of Happy Birthday to Me to a lucky commenter! Just comment below and be sure to include your email address!
Edited to add: International entries welcome! Ends 10/25!
OH,...and they served cupcakes. :P
inspirations---Maureen let the secret out that there are tiny raccoons in her head that go forth and gather shiny pieces of ideas and information and bring it back to her head. xD Stephanie talked about how she researched Paris for Anna and the French Kiss just through books and movies and internet research and the awesome satisfaction of finally getting to travel there and finding that she'd portrayed it right. It was the perfect lesson for any aspiring writer: don't let anything stand in your way. Even if you can't travel to your story's location, there is always a way to make it come alive on the page. I was glad to have my daughter with me so she could hear all that, as she's decided she wants to be a writer someday!
inspirations---Maureen let the secret out that there are tiny raccoons in her head that go forth and gather shiny pieces of ideas and information and bring it back to her head. xD Stephanie talked about how she researched Paris for Anna and the French Kiss just through books and movies and internet research and the awesome satisfaction of finally getting to travel there and finding that she'd portrayed it right. It was the perfect lesson for any aspiring writer: don't let anything stand in your way. Even if you can't travel to your story's location, there is always a way to make it come alive on the page. I was glad to have my daughter with me so she could hear all that, as she's decided she wants to be a writer someday!
