I’ve heard people say, “Writing begets writing” (if you know the origin of this excellent quote, please let me know in the comments!). I find this to be absolutely true. For me, writing doesn’t just lead to more writing. It leads to more creativity in general.
Traveling along the writer’s path, I’ve learned so many new skills to support my craft and make books that I’m proud to put out in the world. These skills have opened up new creative outlets for me that I’m having tons of fun with.
I’m working on a puppet version of one of the aliens in my Department of Homeworld Security series. I have an idea for a web comic based on a monster from the world of the Blades of Janus (and I have a Tumblr dedicated to the drawings I make of these monsters, along with a really fun version of the Dwellers Database from the series). I’ve set up a Zazzle shop so I can make mugs and hoodies and such for myself (and anyone else who’s interested).
I’ve been having a lot of fun with all of this so far. And my writing-tangential creativity just hit a new level. Because last night, I set up a YouTube channel.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this. I’ve been wanting to set one up for a long time—ever since I came up with an idea for book trailers for the Homeworld series involving sock puppets (it’s a work in progress). And I’ve been working really hard lately to learn how to make videos that are high enough quality to share with my beloved readers <3
For the past few months, I’ve also been setting up a teeny audio studio with the help of friends who know tons about the subject. I’m extremely blessed to be surrounded by people with diverse skill sets who are willing to share their knowledge with me.
My parents taught me about vocal performance from a very young age, and I even took classes on the subject in college. There’s a special place in my heart for sitting in a room of people and actually speaking my stories. The gasps at just the right moments, the laughs, and even the scowls (“How could you do that to my favorite character?!”)…
But mostly, it’s about the feeling of channeling my stories in an even more immersive way than through my keyboard. Using my voice, different emphasis and accents—I love performing my stories almost as much as creating them. And now, I’ve figured out how to use imagery along with my words to hopefully add more depth to my stories. I am beyond excited to have a way to share that with you.
The first post goes out tomorrow. Please wish me luck on this new adventure in my writer’s journey!
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