The Holocaust Engine

The Holocaust Engine by David Rike and Stephen Patrick

Tag: #writerwednesday

What dreams may come?

October 14, 2020 /

For many writers, the ethereal landscape of the dreaming mind has generated countless wonders that amaze the dreamer and the reader alike.

Coleridge’s Kubla Khan sprang forth from an opium-influenced dream. Mary Shelley first met Frankenstein  while she was dreaming. Mr. Hyde (and Dr. Jekyl) crept up on a feverish Robert Louis Stevenson in a dream. Edgar Allen Poe was the master of dream-mining, putting the quickly evaporating tales into print to share with the rest of us (and cause a few nightmares, too).

Today’s question: do you take inspiration from your dreams? Ever woke up, scribbled down the nonsense and tried to decipher it? Nuggets of wisdom? Puzzles to unlock? or just gibberish? If so, tell us about the experience and the result.

Writing Wednesday #4

October 7, 2020 /

Who sits in your co-pilot’s chair?

When you set down to create at a desk, laptop, easel or workbench, do you have a partner? We’ll share ours below, but we’d love to see yours in the comments section, including any suggestions for keeping that co-pilot happy.

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David Rike and I write as a team; brainstorming, plotting and scheming across a variety of mediums. However, when it’s time to set down the story in ink, our writing practices diverge quite a bit. See below for a bit of insight on who sits beside us when we create.

STEPHEN PATRICK:

“There’s always a furry friend beside me. Curled up in my lap, on my feet, on the couch beside me, somewhere close by. My current muse, Ash, a silver/smoke Maine Coon, always keeps a close watch. I’m pretty sure he’s hunting for any words that try to escape.”

DAVID RIKE:

“no partners. minimal distractions.”

Writer Wednesday #3

September 30, 2020 /

“How” do you write?

For my writer friends, what is your preferred method for putting it all down for your reader? Ours are at the bottom, but please drop yours in the comments. We want to see inside your process.

  • Pencil + paper?
  • Ink + notebook?
  • Chisel + stone
  • Fire + blanket
  • In the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Not at all (writing words down robs them of the freedom to be what they want to be)

DAVID RIKE: I only write in a notebook these days if I’m somewhere interesting enough (beach or mountainside) to justify the extra step of typing it up later. Otherwise it’s on a laptop, in an empty room, with mood music.

STEPHEN PATRICK: Pen + paper. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere, specifically this one. I’ll burn through 2-3 each year (typically one in the Spring and one in the Summer), filling them with story seeds, character ideas, plot threads, lists, and all sorts of things. Sometimes they come to live in a work-in-progress. Other times they survive on the bookshelf until I hit a wall and skim through them, mining them for new ideas. I regularly find a solution to a problem that hasn’t arrived yet. Most recently, I’m using MS OneNote for the formal storytelling, using it to build up to a final draft in MS Word.

Writer Wednesday #2

September 23, 2020 /

This week’s question involves the “where” of writing. What is your favorite place to write, or Where do you do your best work?

DAVID RIKE: The Rocky Mountains.  Unfortunately, that creative process is limited to two weeks a year

STEPHEN PATRICK: I’m a “couch creative”, doing my best work curled up on cushions at the house (typically by myself). Pillows are optional, even the angle of typing (sitting, prone, etc) is flexible. Two related features are the hot cup of coffee or tea (depending on the time of day), and access to my current notebook (for reference) and one resource book (for inspiration).

For our fans, friends and other writers, drop your favorites in the comments. Where do you write? or, where do you read? Any tips for those looking for a better/best place to engage the written word?

Writer Wednesday

September 16, 2020 /

One of the best things about being a writer is having writer friends. The creative churn of new releases, WIPs, and discussions about what they’re working on is inspiring.

To celebrate the release of “The Holocaust Engine” by Evolved Publishing, I want to hear what my friends are working on. Drop your links, or even thoughts about that new WIP in the comments below.

Show us what’s out there and what’s coming.

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