Writer of the Month

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We are very proud of our novelists, poets, and, general authors here at Sacred-Literature so we're going to give everyone a chance to know more about them. How did they get their start in writing? What or who inspires them?

Because there is an interview involved, we ask that any who want to participate in our WotM program do so by noting below. Many pieces of your work are reviewed.

:icongsjennsen:

Interview
In five words, how would you describe yourself? Writer. Gamer. Geek. No, nerd. No, geek – it sounds cooler. Futurist. Wanderer.
Are you a professional author or an amateur author?  Amateur. That isn’t to say that I wouldn’t love to make a little money at it one day; but I will keep writing no matter what.
How did you get your start in writing? In general? By reading. As I kid I preferred nothing more than to be left alone with my nose in a book, and I’ve continued to read voraciously as an adult. Science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, non-fiction (especially astronomy books), I’ve read them all.

The more recent, serious writing? The Mass Effect game series. The first time I played ME I was blown away–by the galaxy, the alien species, the vivid characters, the gorgeous and varied planets–and most of all by the protagonist. But as revolutionary as it was in many respects, it still felt like it only hinted at the full measure of the characters and their universe, at the stories that could be told. Suddenly, I wanted to tell them.
Who or what inspires your? Music, for one thing. Not particular lyrics, but the right kind of music can take me to a place, mentally, where I can imagine great things. And of course you have to imagine it before you can write it.

Also, spacescapes – galaxies, nebulas, planetary art. There are artists here on Deviant Art that create breathtakingly beautiful pieces. Sometimes I’ll look at one and think, “I have to write a story that happens there.” Then the story will practically write itself from the features of the scene. Of late I’ve started attempting to go in the other direction – creating art that depicts the scene in my head. It’s very much a skill in progress.
What piece are you most proud of?The final arc of the Mass Effect 3 storyline in “If It Meant Living” (Ch. 70-72), without a doubt. Like so many people, I was unhappy with the game’s ending and wanted to try to fix it. I think, I hope, I did a bit more than that. I received so many amazing notes of thanks and appreciation from readers who had been disappointed, even hurt, by the game ending and had found some measure of gratification and resolution from my story; I was overwhelmed and humbled.
What piece embarrassed you the most? Well, the first 5 or 6 chapters of “If It Meant Living” – they don’t embarrass me as such. But it had been years since I had written anything other than for work; I was like a toddler taking her first clumsy steps; they’re so tentative and superficial. I read them now and all I can see is how much more they could have been. So I’m very grateful to readers that stuck with the story through my growing pains, while I remembered how to do this “writing” thing .
What advice do you have for others who are just starting out (if applicable)?Nobody is good at all facets of writing at first. If you want to improve, consider your favorite authors or novels. What is it, exactly, that makes you enjoy them so much? Maybe one author writes snappy, pitch-perfect dialogue; maybe another describes environments and scenes with such vivid detail that they come alive in your mind. Study how they’re doing it; critically and objectively. Then, work to emulate their style; borrow what they do and integrate it into your writing, until it comes naturally for you.

Pieces
If It Meant Living-1: Beginnings
If It Meant Living – Chapter 1
"Beginnings"

Title: If It Meant Living – Chapter 1:  "Beginnings"
Author: Graceyn
Game: Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2
Characters/pairing: femShep/Kaidan
Disclaimer: Bioware owns all rights to Mass Effect and its characters
Content Warning: Violence, Language
Author's Note (Updated!):  As this fic is appearing in new #Groups and people may be coming to it for the first time, I wanted to cover a few things. First, "If It Meant Living" IS complete: 72 Chapters, covering the entirety of the ME trilogy and stretching a little beyond the end of ME3.  The chapters get longer, the story gets more deep and complex...my writing gets better ;). It's a long way to read, but I can promise you it will be worth it - every step of the way, and at the end.  The "stock" Author's Note on later chapters will say that the story is canonical with respect to major events, and it is...mostly. Until it
IIML: Beyond-Ch1: Quantum Signals, Old Mysteries..
If It Meant Living: Beyond - Chapter 1
“Quantum Signals, Old Mysteries, and New Stars”

Title: If It Meant Living: Beyond – Chapter 1: "Quantum Signals, Old Mysteries, and New Stars"
Author: Graceyn
Game: Mass Effect Trilogy
Characters/pairing: femShep/Kaidan
Disclaimer: Bioware owns all rights to Mass Effect and its characters
Content Warning: Language, Violence
                                                                                          “Far better it is to dare mighty things.”  – Theodore Roosevelt
Eldir-za~Mli-Harmoné took several hours to admire the richness of the deep green hue of Tormo-B4’s sky. It was the green of the sprawling forests of Palacent, or perhaps the auroras over Namosta every twelfth cycle.  One day, once this Hub teemed with life, once Tormo-B4 had received its true name, great poets would travel here to write of the sky.
Every so often he checked on the progress of the Constructors, thoug


Current Signups will close on March. 15, 2012. I will go over all applicants and the work in their gallery then. If you have signed up for the previous month, you do not have to sign up for this month.

Past Writer of the Month:
Oilux|Sylphermizt

Credits
Branch Brush created by: The Black Cell
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Comments29
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Ezri-Krios's avatar
This was a great interview, thanks guys! :highfive:

Oh, I'm really new here, but can I sign up as well please?