The Sunshine Blogging Challenge
I was nominated! Here's my answers and some nominees of my own.
Shout out to
and for nominating me for this challenge!The concept is that you nominate writers and provide questions for them to answer. I’ve been nominated twice, so I’ll be answering both sets of questions.
EDIT 7/8 - I have tried to track down the original person who kicked off the challenge so I could give them credit, but alas, it seems this rabbit hole goes all the way to Wonderland and beyond. Even so, shout out to
, , and , who were some of the participants that led to my nomination by the folks above.Here’s my responses to both sets of questions:
Andrew Taylor’s Questions
Who or what is your biggest inspiration in the writing world?
I could easily list off some big names that inspired me years ago, but these days it really is all of you here on Substack. The writing community is where I spent nearly all my time these days in terms of reading (or reading books I’ve bought from people on here).
So, to all the up-and-comers here on Substack: thank you. You inspire me every single day.
Your favorite dessert, and drink (if you do)?
Strawberry cheesecake is one of my absolute favorites, though there’s really not any dessert I would say no to. The same goes for cocktails, haha, but at the risk of sounding like a stereotypical writer, I’m partial to a good whiskey, bourbon, or scotch on the rocks.
Pair it with a cigar, and I’m in heaven.
If you could live within the pages of a book, what book would that be, and why?
I don’t think I would. I get the concept behind this question, but as a writer, I don’t think I’d ever want to limit myself to one story. The whole reason why I love writing is that I get to live countless lives across innumerable worlds.
What is one lesson that you would want your readers to gain, after reading your stories?
That hope is always there, even when you can’t see it. All of my stories, even the most dire horror ones, are “tempered with hope.” If there’s no chance of success, what’s the point in trying?
There’s always a chance. You just have to keep going. If your heart’s still beating, your story’s not over.
Who is your favorite character?
It’s hard to pick since I love all my characters for different reasons, but I’ve become quite fond of Finton Merrybrook from my D’veen Tales. He’s just grown so much, and he’s such a nuanced character these days that I genuinely love writing him.
I also have a voice I use for him when I’m narrating D’veen Tales, and I love using that as well.
What is that one book that drastically changed your life, or your mindset about things?
Honestly, Pet Sematary by Stephen King comes to mind because it was the first horror book I read that wasn’t a Goosebumps book. It’s one of the earliest moments that I recall the desire to write horror stories of my own.
In The Circus Dragon’s book, dragons teach humans how to focus a part of their soul, called their intent, into crystal shards. If you were to put a piece of yourself into a crystal, what crystal would you choose, and why?
I would place my perseverance into the crystal. Like anyone, I’ve thought about giving up, but I never have. I’m proud of myself for pushing forward, especially with how difficult the last few years have been.
What is your motto when it comes to writing?
Keep writing. Even when it feels like all hope is lost. Even when it feels like it’s the worst thing you’ve ever written. Even when all you want to do is give up and walk away. It’s okay to take breaks, but don’t let it slip away. Keep writing.
What would you tell your younger self if you could meet them?
Things will never be easy, so stop waiting. Life is going to get a lot harder, but you’re going to get a lot stronger. You’re going to spend years wondering if you’re any good at this writing thing. You’re going to shout into the void for even longer, but if you keep pushing through, you’ll get where you want to go.
And honestly? You’ll be pretty damn proud of how far you’ve come.
What is one question you want to be asked? Ask it; answer it.
What’s one story idea you have that you’ve always wanted to write, but haven’t? What’s stopping you from writing it?
For me, the answer to this question is an old project from high school called Life is But a Dream. It was such an ambitious piece. Set across our world, the afterlife, and realms beyond. It was packed with incredible characters and creatures that I still think of as the best I’ve ever conceived.
The old draft from high school is gone, but the idea endures in my mind. After so many years, I’ve built it up as this impossible task. I keep telling myself I need to get better to do it justice. But who knows, maybe one day I’ll finally sit down to write it again from the beginning.
Derek James Kritzberg’s Questions
Do you have characters in your writing based or influenced by friends or family and do they know? And can you give an example.
I’ve definitely done this, and the most recent example is my sci-fi/fantasy realm of D’veen. A lot of characters in that world are based off my friends or people I used to know. For example, Melissari is based on my friend Melissa who I used to work with at GameStop many, many years ago.
Sarai is based on my girlfriend Sarah Rusch, AKA the Prompt Goddess. Jameson Netherwave is based on my best friend James Nethery, and there will be more to come, so I won’t spoil the surprise here.
What’s the weirdest source of inspiration you have experienced that profoundly influenced your work (can be one work or all your work)?
I think for me it’s music, and specifically live music. Don’t get me wrong, I listen to thousands and thousands of hours of Spotify while I’m writing, but it’s more to set the right vibe and to get me focused.
There are times when a track will inspire me with its lyrics, but I remember the first time I really felt myself impacted by music in a way that fundamentally altered my work was my experience at my first music festival.
Specifically it was a SLANDER set at Electric Forest. It was a religious experience. The cool night air. The thundering bass. The sweeping lasers. It filled me with emotions I didn’t know were possible.
I went on to write several pieces after that, and a lot of my poetry sort of calls back to those emotions I felt that night, and the way other live music sets have made me feel.
If you could bring one of your characters to life, who would it be, and why?
I’m going to nominate Finton here again because even though he’s deeply flawed, I feel like he and I could see eye-to-eye if he were real. I know he just wants best for the realm of D’veen, but the way he goes about it can sometimes be destructive in ways he’s not really aware of.
Now, you could argue that such personality traits are my fault for writing him, but he’s like this because he’s alone. Yes, he has friends, but there’s no one else like him. Spoiler alert: he’s one of the gods who created D’veen and he’s the last of his kind.
I’ve hinted at this in the D’veen Tales I’ve published, but it’s this key element of his character that makes it hard for him to connect with regular people. As a fellow creator, I think I could connect with him and help him see a better way.
Could any of your work be adapted to a video game and how would that game play?
I can think of several works of mine that would work well as a video game. My D’veen realm of course would make an excellent setting for an RPG, but I would also nominate my Eternal Hunt stories, which are about a roguelike video game of the same name.
Those games would be fun to play, and the added meta-narrative about them imposing the game’s curse on real world players would make for a really unique horror experience for players that really shatters the fourth wall.
What gets your writing engine running the fastest, and what grinds it to a halt?
A pair of headphones, some good music, and a drink (tea, coffee, sometimes whiskey) will do the trick more often than not. Until recently, stress was the thing that brought everything screeching to a halt.
I’ve since discovered ways to break the cycle of stress and burnout in ways that allow me to continue writing, but a couple years ago I went almost an entire year without writing anything. I felt like the spark had gone out.
I’m wary of that happening again, so I’m taking better care of myself. Stress is inevitable, but I do my best to manage it as well as I can so I have the energy and clarity to continue my work.
If you could go back 10 years, what’s the #1 piece of writing advice you’d give to yourself?
Don’t let anyone step on your passion, and if they do, get rid of them. You don’t need people like that in your life. I used to think that supporting my work was a bonus. A nice to have sort of thing. I used to believe it when people said I talk about my writing too much.
I used to think my passion was annoying. That was wrong. It was so, so, so wrong, and it damaged me in ways I’m still healing from. I know that now, thanks to this community, but I wish I had known it sooner.
The lord of writer’s purgatory visits you and says the literary gods require entertainment. A coin will be flipped - heads, you will trade places with a character experiencing the worst situation you have ever put them in. Tails, and you will swap places with a character put in the best situation you’ve ever written. What are these two situations, and what are you feeling as this coin slow-motion rotates in the air?
You know, there’s a moment in that original draft of Life is But a Dream that I wrote in high school where the MC thinks it’s all over. He accepts his end, only to discover that death is just the beginning.
That second chance. That answer to the question of what happens when we die. That sort of peace and understanding is something I would love to have.
Now, the worst situation? There’s a lot of options there, but I think that would have to be the moment in my current novel I’m writing where one of my POVs realizes he’s been infected by the Bennu parasite.
Once you’re infected, you become a ticking time bomb. You don’t know when you’ll turn, and when you do, it’ll rewrite your DNA until you’re a horrific amalgamation of flesh and bone. You’ll be aware the entire time, too. You just won’t be in control.
So, suffice to say, I’m feeling pretty nervous while that coin flips, haha.
Time for My Nominations!
Now comes the part where I nominate some folks to try their hand at this challenge. Should you choose to participate, here’s the questions I have for you:
What made you want to become a writer?
Do you remember the first story you wrote? What was it about?
What first brought you to Substack?
What are your writing goals for the rest of this year?
What sort of themes or takeaways do you hope readers get from your work?
If you could have dinner with one famous author or poet (living or dead) who would it be and what would you talk about?
Who is your biggest supporter and how do they inspire you?
What are three items on your writer’s bucket list that you hope to achieve?
What kind of music do you listen to when you write?
If you could travel to any time period, which one would you pick?
What’s one piece of advice you would give to writers just starting out?
And now, my nominees:
, , , , , , , , , , , and!Thanks again to Derek and Andrew for the nomination! And now, I leave you with my signature musical pairing. In this case, it’s the SLANDER song that rewired my entire poetry brain when I experienced it live:
Fantastic ANSWERS!
I just did one & didn't tag you cause I knew you had "stuff" happening. I didn't want to add to your plate.
Why are you so cool 😎🤣🤣