Matthew Wayne Selznick is a guy with many hats. He's a musician, editor, podcaster, voice actor and independent creator. He also happens to be an author. I was first introduced to his work by way of Podiobooks.com: a site where you can download FREE audio books. He was one of the first people, along with Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins, who put their book online with weekly podcast episodes.
I listened to Brave Men Run and I was completely blown away. Brave Men Run is the story of Nate Charters. Born different, unsure of his origins, he’s an outcast at Abbeque Valley High School, a self-proclaimed “boy freak” with few friends and low self-esteem. When the Sovereign Era dramatically dawns, Nate finds himself in a quest to discover the truth: is he more than he seems, a misfit in a miraculous and powerful new minority… or something else entirely?
Naturally, whenever I am blown away by a book, I research the author.
I was there when Matt decided to write further adventures called Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights, paying $1.99 to read each episode, which had some pretty cool side notes.
Right now he's doing a video blog chronicling his current writing endeavor; a fantasy-adventure novel called Light of The Outsider. This will be the second book he has written, which I'm told is the hardest to write. That hasn't been the case with me. Mr. Dead Eyes was 250 pages while Wearing Donnie Torr just zoomed by at 336 pages. My third novel, however, is stuck in the mud. It's stuck at 40 pages still...after all this time.
So watching these videos has been very informative for me. He offers tips, advice on the craft and what his daily word count amounts to. If all goes well, he has said that he will have an 80,000 word draft by the end of April.
So, in essence, there's a whole lot that Matthew has going for him. He's a cool guy, brilliant writer and, as I had learned, worked for ten years in Borders Books and Music. Anybody working that long must've read a lot. The more reading you do, the more knowledge you'll accumulate on what makes a good book.
Recently, I decided to call in to his Video Blog, after hearing that he's read a book called The Hero's Journey. I've been avoiding this book for quite some time, afraid it would suck all the originality out of my future characters, as it shows you the structure and similar paths all heroes take. Check it out.
You can also call into Matt's show by dialing 1-757-DIY-MATT.
And watch the other videos, there are 8 all totaled. Good luck with the writing Matt, and thanks for putting my fears to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment