Ask the Author: Fred Gracely
Answered Questions (8)
Fred Gracely
I meditate to see what comes into my mind from who-knows-where or do something else creative, like painting or wood working. Get's the creative juices flowing. Fortunately, writer's block is rare for me. I'm kind of a nut, so my problem is more about controlling all the competing ideas that keep popping into my head.
Fred Gracely
1) learn the difference between a story and a situation and 2) just write a ton. Somehow, over time, your voice just develops and it starts to flow in ways that surprise you, but it takes lots of time. Lots. Years upon years. If you love writing, that's not a problem. Just keep at it. You'll get there.
Fred Gracely
That all through-out my day, I can day dream about scenes, dialog and plot twists that I can't wait to spin up using delicious wording.
Fred Gracely
I'm writing a sequel to Misfit's Magic and editing another novel called Moon Spirit. I'm very excited about both, but time to write is in short supply these days. Being an author is a full time job, and I already have one of those writing software. My solution is to sleep very little, which probably isn't a great thing :)
Opening for Moon Spirit:
MAX BERGER woke up drenched in sweat on the cold black and yellow linoleum floor beneath his cot in the Adolescent Boy’s Dormitory of Helpren Principal Foster Care Facility – otherwise just known as Hell.
"Not again..." he moaned.
Tangled up in pythons made of twisted blankets, Max felt as if he had been wrestling demons in his dreams, which in a way, he had. Third night in a row too, each night worse than the last.
This book is very different. It's more of a mystery with fantasy elements: Moon Spirits, Shadow Spirits and a demon named Ramoteb. It's told from multiple view-points too. Really fun to write, and the story tethers back to an ancient tale from back in the early days of civilization.
Opening for Moon Spirit:
MAX BERGER woke up drenched in sweat on the cold black and yellow linoleum floor beneath his cot in the Adolescent Boy’s Dormitory of Helpren Principal Foster Care Facility – otherwise just known as Hell.
"Not again..." he moaned.
Tangled up in pythons made of twisted blankets, Max felt as if he had been wrestling demons in his dreams, which in a way, he had. Third night in a row too, each night worse than the last.
This book is very different. It's more of a mystery with fantasy elements: Moon Spirits, Shadow Spirits and a demon named Ramoteb. It's told from multiple view-points too. Really fun to write, and the story tethers back to an ancient tale from back in the early days of civilization.
Fred Gracely
I was a the museum of science studying a human skeleton hanging on a rack with a sign before it reading "do not touch", so, of course, being in mischievous mood, I looked around to make sure I was not being watched and poked it. A minute later, as I floated upward, I watched the guards trying to wrench the bony fingers from around the neck of my dead body.
Fred Gracely
Overcoming panic attacks when I moved alone to Boston at age 22. I started having them shortly before I left, and I had made such a big deal out of the big move, that I felt compelled to go through with it anyway. It was terrifying living in a big city (I grew up in cornfields, kind of) while dealing with this disorder. I had a lot of misadventures trying to be ok during that time (working as a cook and taking classes) and eventually found the help I needed to get my anxiety under control and be ok. I think it would be a great book splaying that whole sequence out. Lots of interesting psychology and personal adventures / adversity to include.
Fred Gracely
Reading to my children and really watching the writing and the story as I read aloud made me fall in love with wordsmithing and story crafting. I'm also a VERY slow reader (mild dyslexia), so I hear the words when I read silently too, otherwise, they move around like the staircases in Hogwarts. It's odd, but I kind of like it -- it gives me an appreciation for good writing since I consume it deeply.
Fred Gracely
I always felt like a misfit when I was growing up. I just didn't fit in and everyone else seemed special in some way. I tried hard to be special too, but I was too lost and confused to make anything work. So, the idea for a story about a boy who is SPECIFICALLY not special (due to a curse) and has to overcome it just felt like a fitting idea.
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