Ask the Author: Matthew D. Ryan
Answered Questions (7)
Matthew D. Ryan
As she gazed upon the mirror, stricken, her flesh bubbled, peeled, and turned a moldering grey. She dropped the mirror, fell to her knees, and retched - expunging both blood and filth, as well as her very soul!
Matthew D. Ryan
I usually don't get writer's block. I get writer's burnout. I can keep writing if I choose, I just won't enjoy it at all. Usually, I take that as a sign to take some time off and do something else, unless I'm at a critical juncture, in which case, I just try to slug it through. The worst, though, is when I get depressed. That can occur without warning and can be devastating to my writing schedule. I think I've lost as much as three months that way, which is very frustrating.
Matthew D. Ryan
There's a lot of perks--like having a flexible schedule, etc...--but the thing I like the most is having an outlet for my creativity. I get to construct worlds and people, monsters and magic systems, and I get to explore myriad realms of fantasy.
Matthew D. Ryan
Write. Write. Write. And edit. Edit. Edit. Also, join a writers' group and get feedback on your work. And be persistent.
Matthew D. Ryan
I am currently in the editing stage of Book IV of my series "From the Ashes of Ruin," a book tentatively entitled "The Citadel." It continues the story of Coragan and his companions as they travel into the dreaded planeshard of Morgelliard in pursuit of Morgulan, the dreaded tyrant from the past. I also just completed the first draft of another novella, and I have two more short stories in the works.
Matthew D. Ryan
A lot of it involves brainstorming and hard work, particularly with longer works. However, for shorter works like short stories or novellas, I may just find inspiration in an image of some sort. For example, I once wrote a short story entitled "Soul of the Sun" after contemplating a photograph in my den of a sunset. "Prism," I think, was largely the product of brainstorming, although I did have the idea I wanted to write something completely different.
Matthew D. Ryan
I had to sit down and brainstorm, actually. I wanted something weird and different. It was partially inspired (but only in a loose way) by other authors I've read. I wanted an alien setting, with a unique "magic" system. It took a while of concerted effort, but I like the result.
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