Ask the Author: T.B. Schmid
Answered Questions (11)
T.B. Schmid
Middle Earth, where I'd retrace the journeys of both Bagginses.
T.B. Schmid
Do we have to choose just one? That's a long list, starting with William Shakespeare, and moving through Mark Twain, Tolkien (of course), William Forstchen, Stephen R. Donaldson, Tom Clancy, Terry Brooks, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Pierce Brown, Katherine Kurtz, Patrick O'Brian, and Michael Crichton. I could probably go on for awhile :)
If I could only sit down and interview one? Shakespeare, because so much of what we think we know about him and his work is speculation.
If I could only sit down and interview one? Shakespeare, because so much of what we think we know about him and his work is speculation.
T.B. Schmid
My children, both of whom are such wonderful, amazing people, each a universe unto themselves: beautiful and complex galaxies spiraling at their core surrounded by ever-expanding frontiers of endless possibility.
T.B. Schmid
Thanks for your question, tolkienfan. No, I'm not a veteran (many thanks and respect to those that have served, especially on this day after Veteran's Day!). I've been fascinated by sailing ships, pirates, etc since I was a kid, but what really drove me to research and learn the details was the Aubrey & Maturin series by Patrick O'brian (https://www.goodreads.com/series/4033...). I can't say enough positive things about the series, and highly recommend them to anyone who's ever longed for the open sea.
T.B. Schmid
Thank you! We're glad you liked it, and appreciate your enthusiasm. A release date for Book Two hasn't been set yet, but we are hard at work on it, so stay tuned!
T.B. Schmid
I am currently working on a collaborative project with another Goodreads author, D.F. Monk. We both had these two separate ideas kind of rattling around in our respective mental attics and one night we just started tossing them around and found that they fit pretty well together.
T.B. Schmid
The more you write, the more you write. It requires momentum, so set achievable goals to write on a regular basis, then increase those goals over time. Start small if your Big Idea seems too daunting to tackle - don't get hung up on trying to get it perfect on the first try. One of my favorite college professors once said something that has stuck with me ever since: "There is no such thing as a final draft." You can always revise your work. You're not engraving things in stone, so don't be afraid to write a really bad sentence or two (or ten) just to get/keep things moving.
T.B. Schmid
Stepping through the portal inside my head into other worlds and taking people with me.
T.B. Schmid
I am currently working on a fantasy series with a partner - another Goodreads author, in fact: D.F. Monk. The working title for the series is presently "Ruine", which is the name of the world on which it transpires. Our story takes place a few centuries after the gods of this world wiped themselves out in a civil war. Mankind has been digging himself out of the rubble, rebuilding old empires and expanding new ones. In the course of this expansion, they discover that things are not as they have led themselves to believe, and the Godswar may not be over quite yet...
T.B. Schmid
I listen to music. I find that movie scores work the best, and will actually compose scenes as I listen to particularly dramatic pieces.
T.B. Schmid
I use a combination of methods. For starters, I try to write every day, with a very modest goal of 1000 words per day. If I can hit that consistently, I get into a rhythm and actually wake up in the morning excited to get in another session. Many times I also find that writer's block comes from wanting to attack a new piece of a story perfectly, so you prevent yourself from starting because you run through too many different scenarios in your mind. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my writing instructors (a lonnnnng time ago) was that nobody gets it right on the first try; you will ALWAYS need and want to revise what you've written. In that sense, I try to approach a story as if it were a sculpture or a painting - I start off with rough cuts or brush strokes and gradually revise and refine my work. As it improves, more ideas tend to follow, until the "sketch" begins to look like a rendering. The rendering is usually the point at which I begin to get excited about what I've created, and that positive energy and feedback leads to the really good stuff, just like adding color, depth, background, shadows, etc. to a painting. I just keep reminding myself that there is nothing to prevent me from changing whatever I'm writing to improve it; the trick is to keep moving, to maintain some type of momentum and you'll roll right through those blocks.
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