Daydreaming

As a boy, I daydreamed extensively. My imagination would create stories of heroism and adventure during times when I felt bored or upset. This would make me feel exhilarated. I would imagine myself as the protagonist experiencing these adventures as they played out in my mind. Despite not being an avid reader or writer when I was a boy, these ideas stuck with me as I got older. It was why I ended up pursuing a path towards writing. The early stuff was cliche and amateur. I knew that at an early stage. However, I stuck with it. I did more reading. I studied the styles of authors that I liked and continued writing my own material. It took many years, but I eventually had more confidence in the work. I was getting somewhere not only because I practiced at it, but because I got older and gained experiences all while not losing my imagination like so many do as they age. 

I'm still guided by my imagination as I write. I find myself daydreaming about amazing things as well as make believe challenges that I think about solving. If I didn't have that ability to think far beyond the confines of my own life, I wouldn't be writing the way that I do. 

When the Work Holds Up

Call it self-serving, but I like to go back and read my published work. It helps as a form of reference regarding my state of mind at the time of original inception. Although I can see much of my work as an evolutionary process, I also notice the aspects of my style that have been retained up to the present.

Although writers develop their craft over the years, there are always aspects that change very little. This is what I think is the essence of the individual writer's style: what kind of stories he wants to create and the reason why he decided to write in the first place.

After years have passed and endless hours have been spent creating stories, those of us who have produced a decent amount of work have the privilege of looking back to see whether or not that work still holds up in the present. For me, it does and I'm not going to stop.

Tools of the Writer

It seems simple enough. You're a writer. In today's world, all you need is a computer to type words--but that's not always the case. The writer who is serious about his craft will find various tools useful in the pursuit of the written word.

Notebooks, pens, audio recorders, typewriters, reference books, whiteboards, markers, note cards, and post-its. These are some materials writers will use for their process of creation. At the same time, the writer can use more than inanimate objects. He might have music playing in the background, a view from a window, an exercise regiment, and his gained knowledge through experience and practice.

There's more to writing than simply sitting down in front of tools to record words. It takes preparation. Each writer has a process. Some require more preparation than others. It doesn't always come easy. In fact, much time is spent in stillness without any words produced on the page or in the mind. Writing is like gambling. It's a winning and losing game from moment to moment.

A Literary Universe

All of my stories are part of a shared literary universe. This is quite evident in my work since the state of Arizona is typically the setting for my fiction. Characters, whether major or minor, have often made appearances in multiple stories. Even the more unusual stories like the ones dealing with a post-apocalyptic setting are part of this, albeit taking place in the distant future (Otherwise, I couldn't justify the existence of a shared literary universe when my stories tend to be about everyday life).  

I do enjoy the creation of seemingly standalone stories, but they are still part of my literary universe. I think this is because I feel like writing is an extension of life and life itself is it's own universe with people, places, and events. 

To me, it's fun to come up with connections to stories that seem like they're not initially related. I've thought more about the concept of the shared literary universe because a character from a couple of my short stories will have a prominent role in my next novel. This character has remained rather mysterious and I'm excited to expand her role and to reveal more about her. Who knows? I might write in a few surprise cameos in this novel. That's one of the fun aspects about a literary universe. Those who are familiar with my body of work can appreciate it further.  

The Kai Stories

I created the character of Kai Furuya as my literary alter ego. Before he was even a prototype in one of my short stories that evolved into my first novel, I had relied on samples from my personal experiences when writing my earliest stories. At the same time, I didn't have all that much interesting going on in my own life to make fully compelling stories. It was then that I decided to spice things up, but still keep the essence of my sensibilities.

Kai is not me and I am not Kai. Instead, we compliment each other. If we happened to meet at a party and started a conversation, we would be able to talk for hours and be in agreement about a great many things.

Varying degrees of sweetness, darkness, and neutrality can be found in both of us.  As I grow, so does Kai. We're the same age. Although we had troubles when we were younger, things have gotten better through gradual progression. We have the same hopes.  There are plenty of times when the writing is difficult for us.  We're not always good at expressing ourselves outside of writing.  There are few people who fully understand who we are, but they're the most important to us.  We're completely over the desire to impress others.  There's no need to prove anything to anybody.  We've gotten through many of the things that were awkward and difficult due to lack of experience. And yes, we do love our significant others because they are our equals and except us for our flaws as well as the best parts we save for them.

Kai's story isn't over because mine isn't either. Whenever I finish my newest proposed novel that will be a departure from my usual work, I plan to do another one about Kai.

Writing is All About Changing

As I've been making more notes and outlining chapters for my next novel, I noticed that many of these chapters would essentially serve as filler content. My idea was to make a series of novels with the chapters being in a more episodic format.  I've changed my mind now.  I'd rather write a standalone book with a definitive ending. Instead of being in the style of a TV show, this single book will be more like a miniseries. Doing research, I found that many miniseries were adapted from books, so this makes quite a bit of sense.

Countless forms of media rely too much on the series format and franchise building. Whatever happened to all the stories that stood on their own with a clear beginning and end? Why bother deluding the quality of a story by making sequels? While there are stories that benefit from continuations, it seems like many sequels today are just a way to make more money. Nothing should be made in an attempt to capture the spirit of an original work. It's almost never very successful.

Although I plan to write more stories centering on the protagonist from my debut novel, each story will have its own merits. "The Other Side of Grand," "Mochi Boy," and "Kotoba" all represent the progression of life. As the character of Kai is important to me, his story continues through my own experiences and views on life.

My next novel will merely be a departure from my usual work, but with my sensibilities intact.