Today I welcome David M. Brown to the Green Porch. We always knew there were a lot of us around, but it just so happens that there is another DMB currently promoting a soon to be run away hit novel. So as a salute to Freaky Friday (Monday version), we’re swapping blogs for the day. But this doesn’t mean that up is down and hot is cold, or that you should go to work in your spouse’s clothing. So just enjoy the post!
These days I seem to define myself as a writer/author/novelist so often that it’s easy to forget that I was once a reader, video gamer, film lover. Well, I say was but in truth I still am; it’s just that those things become buried so easily under the ongoing manuscript, the reviews I need to check through and the piles of money I’m making. Hands up if you spotted that the last one was a red herring? Okay, I admit I’m not making much money from writing just yet (ever optimistic!) so I’m also spending several hours a day fielding the day job.
In truth, I think it’s been a long time since writers were just, well, writers but I don’t think that’s confined to this profession alone. I think we’re all multi-taskers. It’s just the way modern life goes: we’re on the bus tweeting, eating a sandwich and trying to read a book or we’re putting out breakfast for the kids, watching the news, ironing a shirt. Life is fluid and constant and we’ve adapted ways to get the most out of our time. Or not. But that’s another blog for another day!
Anyway, long ago before I was a writer, before I was even in work, before I had even been to university, I was inspired by many things and some of those things ultimately led to me becoming a writer. Be warned, it’s probably not the profound list you were hoping for:
The Lord of the Rings – I’m sure I’m not alone in my love of Tolkien and for many years The Lord of the Rings was my favourite book. Its place was finally usurped by Norwegian Wood a few years ago but it still remains a firm favourite, not diminished by the cruel (but hilarious) summing up of the book in Clerks 2.
Final Fantasy – I love RPGs even today but I’ve yet to find one that can dent my allegiance to the Final Fantasy franchise. Thankfully I still have some of my PS2 favourites to go back to. They’re slushy and melodramatic but they’re also great fun. Except for that bit that it always takes twenty attempts to do.
Military history – Actually, I love many aspects of history but ultimately I love the tales of armies outnumbered fifty to one who still snatched defeat because they were amazingly good tacticians. I’m the first to admit I struggle to write emotional scenes but give me a pen and a battleground description and I’m there!
I’d love to get all deep now and talk about the twenty or so other things that moved me to take up this ‘art’ but unfortunately it really does come down to a few books about Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, encounters with hobbits and hours spent on the Playstation. It could be worse. I could be a fireman because I enjoyed weeing on things. More noble but perhaps not so easy to explain…
If you’d like to ensure that I don’t switch to the firefighting profession, you may like to take a look at my book, Fezariu’s Epiphany, or check out my website The Elencheran Chronicles or blog The World According to Dave.[divider]
So what sorts of things have inspired you to reach beyond the mundane? Let us David M. Browns of the world know.