Ask the Author: Ryan Beaupit
Answered Questions (4)
Ryan Beaupit
I feel like I'm still an aspiring writer.
One thing I've heard a lot is that as long as you're writing, you're a writer. And in broad strokes, I think that's true. But when I think of it in terms of how you might introduce yourself to someone else, it can be hard to say, "I'm a writer" when you haven't had anything published or haven't been paid for what you've written or it's just a side hobby.
You know what kinds of questions are going to follow that statement and if you can't answer them, it's very deflating.
As far as advice goes, seeking out opportunities is what worked for me. It's something I'm really bad at and forced myself to do when I didn't have a job. Like so many other writers, I faced plenty of rejections. Plenty of false starts. But I ended up here and, wherever things go from this point, I'm ready for that journey, too.
Another part of this is recognizing that like so many other skills, there are other fields you could move into. It doesn't have to come down to being a "novelist." I wanted that, but I also have found a lot of value and enjoyment writing in other capacities. Helping out a friend with a murder mystery set up. Writing for online games. There's a whole world of writing opportunities out there. Even if you are dead set on writing novels, there may be fun and exciting stepping stones on your path.
One thing I've heard a lot is that as long as you're writing, you're a writer. And in broad strokes, I think that's true. But when I think of it in terms of how you might introduce yourself to someone else, it can be hard to say, "I'm a writer" when you haven't had anything published or haven't been paid for what you've written or it's just a side hobby.
You know what kinds of questions are going to follow that statement and if you can't answer them, it's very deflating.
As far as advice goes, seeking out opportunities is what worked for me. It's something I'm really bad at and forced myself to do when I didn't have a job. Like so many other writers, I faced plenty of rejections. Plenty of false starts. But I ended up here and, wherever things go from this point, I'm ready for that journey, too.
Another part of this is recognizing that like so many other skills, there are other fields you could move into. It doesn't have to come down to being a "novelist." I wanted that, but I also have found a lot of value and enjoyment writing in other capacities. Helping out a friend with a murder mystery set up. Writing for online games. There's a whole world of writing opportunities out there. Even if you are dead set on writing novels, there may be fun and exciting stepping stones on your path.
Ryan Beaupit
I think the ideal way is to treat it like sleep or hunger. Sleep when you're tired. Eat when you're hungry. Write when you're motivated.
That's how I tend to operate as long as I have the time to handle things that way. Writing Decline of the Dragons... I kind of forced the issue for the first draft. I don't think that was a bad decision, per se, but I know that a lot of what was in that first draft got changed or removed by the time it was published. I have no idea how big the correlation was between what I forced myself to write and what was affected in the editing process, though.
Writer's block is like really wanting to play a game but not having an opponent. Your brain and thoughts won't always work with you, so you have to get creative. Writing is inherently creative, so hopefully if you want to write, you can find ways to work around a block. I've used incentivization with food or games or movies. Go for a walk. Play with your pets. Listen to music. A mental reset tends to be the best thing for me if I absolutely need to push through a block.
That's how I tend to operate as long as I have the time to handle things that way. Writing Decline of the Dragons... I kind of forced the issue for the first draft. I don't think that was a bad decision, per se, but I know that a lot of what was in that first draft got changed or removed by the time it was published. I have no idea how big the correlation was between what I forced myself to write and what was affected in the editing process, though.
Writer's block is like really wanting to play a game but not having an opponent. Your brain and thoughts won't always work with you, so you have to get creative. Writing is inherently creative, so hopefully if you want to write, you can find ways to work around a block. I've used incentivization with food or games or movies. Go for a walk. Play with your pets. Listen to music. A mental reset tends to be the best thing for me if I absolutely need to push through a block.
Ryan Beaupit
This is a pretty easy one, actually. I won't get too deep into the details, but when I was a sophomore in high school, I was in a relationship with a girl. We were both really happy with each other, but her stepfather was incredibly controlling. There were fake emails and props and miscommunications. It went from a really fantastic relationship to kind of awful. The summer after that year, I spent most of it wondering what was going on and where she was and what was happening.
Cut to the start of my junior year (her senior year) and I showed up to school, went to her locker, but she wasn't there. We both played tennis and I was helping out the girls' team, so I held out hope that she'd show up there afterschool. She didn't.
And that was it. I did not see her or hear from her for years after that. I did not find her until the summer after my junior year in college. My college friends helped me track her down and find out where her job was. It was kind of surreal. I'd even written something for one of my college courses about this entire situation and the multitude of emotions I was going through.
It was a really fascinating adventure. I've told that story in great detail to enough people to know it fairly well. I still have dozens of notes that we passed back and forth to each other in chemistry class (where we met). I'm sure parts of it would have to be dramatized, but it's pretty close to ready in its existing form.
Cut to the start of my junior year (her senior year) and I showed up to school, went to her locker, but she wasn't there. We both played tennis and I was helping out the girls' team, so I held out hope that she'd show up there afterschool. She didn't.
And that was it. I did not see her or hear from her for years after that. I did not find her until the summer after my junior year in college. My college friends helped me track her down and find out where her job was. It was kind of surreal. I'd even written something for one of my college courses about this entire situation and the multitude of emotions I was going through.
It was a really fascinating adventure. I've told that story in great detail to enough people to know it fairly well. I still have dozens of notes that we passed back and forth to each other in chemistry class (where we met). I'm sure parts of it would have to be dramatized, but it's pretty close to ready in its existing form.
Ryan Beaupit
Decline of the Dragons spawned from a lot of different places. I was working off a relatively simple prompt initially and began developing ideas for the world in the run up to the outline. I remember the system of magic, in particular, was an aspect I spent a lot of time discussing with my then-partner.
I suppose, on a general level, I grew up reading lots of books with dragons in them that generally felt like singular entities. They were powerful, ancient, magical, and/or rare. I don't recall many times reading about dragons that were more prevalent. Or if they were, it was a reference to a time in history when there were lots of them. So, I started to wonder what a world would be like at that time. How would people and countries handle dragons being all over the place? What would those relationships look like? What conflicts would arise? And that train of thought ultimately led to the first concrete ideas I had about Decline of the Dragon's plot.
I suppose, on a general level, I grew up reading lots of books with dragons in them that generally felt like singular entities. They were powerful, ancient, magical, and/or rare. I don't recall many times reading about dragons that were more prevalent. Or if they were, it was a reference to a time in history when there were lots of them. So, I started to wonder what a world would be like at that time. How would people and countries handle dragons being all over the place? What would those relationships look like? What conflicts would arise? And that train of thought ultimately led to the first concrete ideas I had about Decline of the Dragon's plot.
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