Ray Chilensky's Blog
April 16, 2017
The devolution of liturature
I've been reading a lot of fiction from the Victorian Age lately and I'm becoming convinced that people were, in general, more intelligent (or, at least, more intellectually disciplined) in that era than we are today. Right now, I'm reading the 'The Coming Race' written in 1871 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
This book has been smeared, maybe even suppressed, because it became popular within Nazi circles is absolutely fascinating. It deals with subjects that we would now consider science fiction by describing how an alien society developed its unique customs and culture and not the just the technology and gizmos that so much of science fiction gets distracted by today.
Like most of the literature in that era, it tells the story in a flowing, eloquent way that is a pleasure to read in and of itself. It seems to me, after reading this material, that somewhere along the way modern society has lost its reverence for the written word and the patience to read something that takes the time to be eloquent. It's a shame, really.
This book has been smeared, maybe even suppressed, because it became popular within Nazi circles is absolutely fascinating. It deals with subjects that we would now consider science fiction by describing how an alien society developed its unique customs and culture and not the just the technology and gizmos that so much of science fiction gets distracted by today.
Like most of the literature in that era, it tells the story in a flowing, eloquent way that is a pleasure to read in and of itself. It seems to me, after reading this material, that somewhere along the way modern society has lost its reverence for the written word and the patience to read something that takes the time to be eloquent. It's a shame, really.
April 6, 2017
Hello again.
I quite frankly forgot about this feature of Goodreads but I will make an effort to keep this blog updated on at least a monthly basis.
In this entry, I want to announce the debut of my latest novel 'Seventh: Blessed Warriors Book One'. It tells the story of the Selkirk family: a family of demon hunters from an ancient bloodline of demon hunters. The book centers on Cadell Selkirk; the youngest of the seven Selkirk brothers. As the seventh son of a seventh son Cadell possesses abilities and power beyond that of other Blessed Warriors and therefore carries a greater burden. When he meets Evelyne Corey, a seventh daughter of another of the seven Blessed bloodlines he gains a new and powerful ally in his fight against Hell's demonic forces. But, until meeting Cadell, Evelyne was ignorant of her Blessed heritage and has to be taught to use her power and the skills of a Blessed Warrior quickly before a new wave of demons is unleashed on mankind.
I invite you to enter the world of The Blessed Warriors. It is a dark and savage world, but it is also a world of heroism and hope. Raise your swords, take heart, and join the fight!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
In this entry, I want to announce the debut of my latest novel 'Seventh: Blessed Warriors Book One'. It tells the story of the Selkirk family: a family of demon hunters from an ancient bloodline of demon hunters. The book centers on Cadell Selkirk; the youngest of the seven Selkirk brothers. As the seventh son of a seventh son Cadell possesses abilities and power beyond that of other Blessed Warriors and therefore carries a greater burden. When he meets Evelyne Corey, a seventh daughter of another of the seven Blessed bloodlines he gains a new and powerful ally in his fight against Hell's demonic forces. But, until meeting Cadell, Evelyne was ignorant of her Blessed heritage and has to be taught to use her power and the skills of a Blessed Warrior quickly before a new wave of demons is unleashed on mankind.
I invite you to enter the world of The Blessed Warriors. It is a dark and savage world, but it is also a world of heroism and hope. Raise your swords, take heart, and join the fight!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
July 10, 2016
greetings and Felicitations
Hello, and welcome to my Goodreads blog . I want to thank you for showing interest in my writing. Hopefully you have read one of my novels or short stories and wanted to know a bit more about the mind behind them. Or perhaps you have clicked on this page to decide if my work is worth taking the time to read. So, on this page, I thought I’d tell you a bit about my approach and philosophy about writing and storytelling so you know what to expect when you open the first page of one of my works. There will also be occasional updates about related events and works in progress.
First, I write the types of stories that I want to read. In general I prefer to read series or epics. I love it when an author builds a detailed, in depth world that a reader can dive into and live in for a while. I like stories with so many characters that there needs to be a list of them in the back of the book. I love it when one of those huge casts interacts in believable, entertaining and evocative ways. Give me such cast and I almost don’t care what the plot of book is. If the characters are strong and well developed the story could be about watching paint dry and still be good. So there tends to be a lot of characters in my work, because I like the literary alchemy of writing the relationship dynamics and dialog among the members of a large cast.
When it comes to plots, I like intricate, multi-layered stories that make the reader ask questions. I like to read (and, of course write) stories that will have readers read a chapter of a book at night and then be pondering all of the possible implications of what they read while they’re at work the next day. I don’t like to be spoon fed each and every plot point. I like being able to puzzle them out for myself. I don’t like books that read as thought the author assumes that the reader is an idiot, so that’s not the way I write.
I believe that a book can dramatic, dark, and even dire in tone without being depressing. There’s a tendency among creators of fiction, both in literature and film, to assume that for a character to be ‘real’ and well developed a character has to be damaged or tortured in some way. There is an assumption that to be interesting a character must come from a broken home, have been abused, or suffered some other kind of major trauma and be defined by that trauma in order to not be ‘two dimensional’. I dispute this. While many of my characters have extremely hard lives in their background stories and have their share of emotional scars, I never write them as being defined by those harsh backgrounds or scars. My main characters rise above their life’s trauma. They are defined, and define themselves by their strengths, and they are always seeking to overcome their weaknesses, not make excuses for them.
While most of my subject matter is dark, I try very hard to make sure that my writing is never depressing. My protagonists meet the darkness with which surrounded them with direct, forceful action to make their fictional situations better. They support one another and although they may become discouraged they never give into despair. The settings of my stories may be dark, I make my protagonists lights in that darkness.
I hope, dear reader, that this philosophy appeals to you. Enjoy my work and please feel free to send me feedback. I love hearing from my readers.
Best wishes, Ray Chilensky
First, I write the types of stories that I want to read. In general I prefer to read series or epics. I love it when an author builds a detailed, in depth world that a reader can dive into and live in for a while. I like stories with so many characters that there needs to be a list of them in the back of the book. I love it when one of those huge casts interacts in believable, entertaining and evocative ways. Give me such cast and I almost don’t care what the plot of book is. If the characters are strong and well developed the story could be about watching paint dry and still be good. So there tends to be a lot of characters in my work, because I like the literary alchemy of writing the relationship dynamics and dialog among the members of a large cast.
When it comes to plots, I like intricate, multi-layered stories that make the reader ask questions. I like to read (and, of course write) stories that will have readers read a chapter of a book at night and then be pondering all of the possible implications of what they read while they’re at work the next day. I don’t like to be spoon fed each and every plot point. I like being able to puzzle them out for myself. I don’t like books that read as thought the author assumes that the reader is an idiot, so that’s not the way I write.
I believe that a book can dramatic, dark, and even dire in tone without being depressing. There’s a tendency among creators of fiction, both in literature and film, to assume that for a character to be ‘real’ and well developed a character has to be damaged or tortured in some way. There is an assumption that to be interesting a character must come from a broken home, have been abused, or suffered some other kind of major trauma and be defined by that trauma in order to not be ‘two dimensional’. I dispute this. While many of my characters have extremely hard lives in their background stories and have their share of emotional scars, I never write them as being defined by those harsh backgrounds or scars. My main characters rise above their life’s trauma. They are defined, and define themselves by their strengths, and they are always seeking to overcome their weaknesses, not make excuses for them.
While most of my subject matter is dark, I try very hard to make sure that my writing is never depressing. My protagonists meet the darkness with which surrounded them with direct, forceful action to make their fictional situations better. They support one another and although they may become discouraged they never give into despair. The settings of my stories may be dark, I make my protagonists lights in that darkness.
I hope, dear reader, that this philosophy appeals to you. Enjoy my work and please feel free to send me feedback. I love hearing from my readers.
Best wishes, Ray Chilensky
