From the Fiction Desk

The study of Martial Arts, no matter the style, is a journey of the mind and the spirit into self-discovery. Students come to martial arts for various reasons with various misconceptions. The student begins to unlearn what they think they have learned before they came to the art. They learn the technical aspects first and then they learn the framework and how to develop plans for defense and for attack. First they learn these by mimicry of their instructors and then they begin to add their own self expression into their katas (forms), techniques and sparring. They continue to relearn and rediscover what they thought they knew and understood only to see it from a new light. They embrace the martial art no longer out of the reason and misconception that they had when they first started their journey, but out of a self-discovery they have had on that journey that has transformed their mind, their soul and their understanding of who they are.

If this sounds vaguely familiar to a writer, do not be surprised. Writers go through the same process of self-discovery about who they are and why they commit themselves to a hard road of constant learning. Our reasons for putting ink on paper should change over time. Many beginning writers come to the art of writing out of misconceptions they thought they knew and soon learn the truth about writing. Some writers, as some marital arts students, leave when they discover that it is not what they thought and it is not for them. Sometimes they do not want to develop the discipline that is required or that they don’t want to face the failure that comes with learning and discovery. The new writer learns by looking to classes and books on writing, by emulating their favorite journalist, author or poet. Then after a long journey they discover themselves and their true voice.

A Black Belt is meant to be a sign of mastery of yourself and an understanding of the art that always changes. One should never buy a Black Belt ranking, though sadly this does happen in some schools. A master writer is like a Black Belt in the art of writing. They have gone through the trials and tribulations and discovered that they have the discipline, self-discovery, and an understanding that their art always changes. It can be argued that some “buy” their way into publication because of fame or power. Yet, just as with those who have bought their Black Belt, they have missed the journey and will never understand what they never realized they missed.

Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for more information on the articles, blogs, non-fiction books, stories, novels, and poetry I write.

In past blogs, I have quoted the Science Fiction author and editor Ben Bova who described the writing of a novel is like laying a medieval siege to a walled town. I constantly learn that this metaphor is accurate. I am currently laying siege to one town and preparing for others. In the past I have been able to complete a single novel (from plot to rough draft only) in three months. The writing of one novel (Dark Medicine), however has taken far longer. This period of nearly thirteen months from plot to rough draft has been a constant reminder of the long siege and what can happen should you not be prepared.

When an army goes to lay siege to an enemy town, they have to prepare their supplies of food, ammunition, clothing, tents, and morale. In writing, the writer must prepare his mind for the long months ahead and his energy for the writing. If the siege takes longer than the military or the writer plans, resupply becomes the greatest problem. I will leave the military siege and methods of resupply to authorities better than I to describe. In the case of the novel, the resupply comes to me by diversion—allowing my mind to take leave and work on a second shorter term project (like a short story or poetry or even something that has nothing at all to do with writing).

These respites become even more necessary when I discover that I start hating and resenting the novel as there may be other projects I need to be working on or feel the need to get the story out the door and to someone for publication while the window is open for it. A novel, like the headstrong enemy, is not so ready to surrender its town to the conqueror. The supply of willingness to grant yourself disciplined leave to let your muse and your mind rest from the long war is even more critical than the supply of determination or emotional strength, for if you run out of this the novel will die on the table.

Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for more information on the articles, blogs, non-fiction books, stories, novels, and poetry I write.

Poetry and story writing may not appear on the surface to share that much in common. The truth is that they share a lot in common. Our earliest stories, be that of the bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Tale of Genji, or the legends of Hiawatha, Beowulf, tales of Charlemagne and other great heroes in every culture had been formed and told in poetry. Poetry makes the story easier to remember, to share it with those future generations. In some stories, the poetry may not be so easy to see and in others the words may not be so easy to understand at first as their meaning may have changed over the centuries—and yet they endure the test of time. The “Word Dance” of poetry helps create the stories and hold it together. It also helps to form the framework that makes it memorable.

In the word dancing of poetry, the rhythm of the words give the story a symmetry that keeps the pulse of the story beating and helps create the tension and release of suspense. If you question how this is possible, try listening to your favorite movie or TV episode. Don’t look at the screen. Just listen to the dialogue and even the special effects (thinking any booms or car noises or whatever as words). Give it a try.

The use of poetry to tell stories in modern day continues in our music, our books, and even in our television and movies. It helps give the dialogue and the action of the tale a semblance of memory and allows us to dissect it when thinking back to it or even retelling the story. Try not to let your mind and your creativity dance to the beat of the words that you hear or read and you will find it quite impossible.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to my blogs, articles, stories, and poems I write.