A True Character

       The Knight in Shining Armor, The Dastardly Wizard or Emperor who wishes to end the Hero's existance, the Fair and Lovely Maiden who gets kidnapped five to many times, the boy who meets a girl, loses her, and wins her again, and the lifeless side-characters who are merely used as imagery. These are all examples of what one should avoid when creating characters. These Archtypes are the tried-and-true examples of most escapist literature, and although they may be easy to create, they leave the reader feeling disconnected from the piece. If you are a writer, you want to create memorable characters that will leave audiences and fans breathless with their words and actions, and as a reader, you want to experience the thrill of meeting a character who you come to respect and adore in a piece of writing. No one wants a perfect hero... no normal man or woman could ever relate to a perfect protagonist with absolutely no flaws or secret agendas so why make one? It is the hero with flaws, with weaknesses, and desires that he/she cannot have, it is these heroes that captivate readers. We want to see a fallen hero rise back up after being beaten, a man or woman who is willing to own up for their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions. While you're at it, why make the villian entirely evil? Why not give the reader a perspective on good and evil, maybe everything isn't as black and white as it once appeared. There are always shades of moral gray in between the black and white, why not exploit it? Always remember that side characters can be just as influential as main characters, and in some cases, even more influential. Remember to flesh out side characters, their mannerisms, their dialogue, their actions... make everything about them as life-like as the primary protagonist. Remember that the character you create is always a piece of yourself, a mental representation of your beliefs, thoughts, or even your physical being. The character is a part of you... why not make it as unique as you are? Cheers - The Illusive Writer

The Death of Modern Literature

          The title sounds ominous, I know, but I feel that this is an important point to address. As much as I am a fan of I-Pods, Kindles, and other popular tablets, I have a strange and utter fear that they will someday replace modern books altogether. Time and again, I see and hear people talking about how many books they have stored onto their Kindles and other storage devices along with more and more popular book stores in my community closing up shop because no one visits them anymore. Why spend twelve dollars on a book from a store when you can buy three or more for the exact same price instantly in any location? There are advantages and disadvantages to Electronic-Books or E-Books but to me, nothing will ever replace the sensation of cracking open a brand-new book. The smells and sounds it projects when you open it for the first time, the euphoria you recieve when you read the first sentence, all of these sensations are slowly being stripped away from younger readers as more and more companies push their electronic products onto the market. It makes one wonder is this truly is the death of the Age of Literature and the true dawning of a purely technological Era, a society which is completly desensitized to books and writing when downloading and typing are the new natural order of things. Will there ever come a time when this comes to pass? Possibly. I just hope it dosen't occur in my lifetime... - The Illusive Writer

My thoughts on "Joint projects"

          Today's topic of interest is something that has been on my mind for awhile. I like to label them: "Joint Projects". For those who don't know, Joint Projects are books in which two talented writers with different or similar writing styles work on a single book together from two different perspectives or in two different ways, and combine the best ideas from both into one piece. Although this sounds good on paper, I have always had my doubts about the idea... I think their is a barrier of creativity when two people work on a project. One person may think one way while another thinks in an entirely different way about a situation, causing stress and conflicts about certain areas of a book. Even with these drawbacks, Joint Projects can become very successful. If the two writers have a common idea and are 100% in synch, the idea could become something spectacular. In my opinion, I tend to shy away from the "Joint Project" topic myself, but if someone I knew or respected greatly asked me to help them with a Joint Project I think I may accept... But in any case, There are Pros and Cons to joint projects, I guess it is up to you whether or not it is worth the risk or not, cheers - The Illusive Writer

The Importance of Perseverance

          Greetings to all, I am in a melancholy disposition, so, I thought it was time to address an important issue that has been on my mind recently. Perseverance. Far too many times have I seen talented writers struggle to get an idea down to paper or try to force the imagery inside their heads onto the paper or screen in front of them. These two points are common obstacles that get in the way of writers, painters, composers, or any creative mind for that matter. The important thing to remember is that although this is common, one must never submit to the stress of what I like to call a "Creative Block" or a "Writer's Block". Take a walk, listen to some music, talk to people, excercise, play some video games, take a minute to do whatever it takes to relieve your stress. Who knows, maybe the idea you have been searching for or the word that has been on the tip of your tongue will finally reveal itself to you! Never throw away that idea you can't seem to finish, NEVER. Keep it close, try to revise it, fix any areas that seem odd or misplaced. That piece you may have just scrapped might be critically acclaimed some day! "One man's trash is another man's treasure" after all... If you are discouraged, maybe this will help: A while back, I had an idea... it was for my first novel, I had around two-hundred pages written down, but I scrapped it because I did not think that the beginning or the overall plot was processed well enough. I wrote down countless of ideas for books after that, all scrapped. Over a series of months, I had scrapped four or five well thought-out novel ideas and finally found myself at the feet of my original piece. I took some time, relaxed, and suddenly in the middle of math class (of all places) the idea hit me like a train. I suddenly went on a writing spree, and now I am back to around one-hundred pages and I've have never been happier while writing it. If I can do it, you can certaintly do it too! Cheers - The Illusive Writer 

The Love of Sacrifice and the Sacrifice of Love

        Sometimes one must reflect on an event to really experience it fully. Sometimes in life to take a step forward you have to take two steps back to see where you have been in order to clearly see where you are going. This poem is about an experience I am currently undergoing and it is also what I will tell myself in order to never give up, and to never back down. No matter how many times I shall get knocked down, like the mighty Phoenix I shall rise back up with even more determination. When life fights against you, you fight back, and prove that you are stronger.

  You look over at me, and smile again,

I try to fake a smile, tell me when will this end?

We are "Birds of a Feather," yet we can't flock together,

My soul is crippled due to this ungodly weather.

Every smile you give is a knife to my chest,

But I smile back thinking "It's just for the best,"

We want to be together,

Your the rope to which I'm tethered...

But I only wish that they could see,

The love for you that is in me,

It clouds my judgement yet fills my heart

Why can't they see that nothing will ever tear us apart?!

But for now I sit and see,

And hope I shall never be,

The source of your forbidden agony.

The Importance of Creativity

                Creativity is slowly dying. It's depressing but true, more often than not I see more and more talented individuals falling into the same endless cyle of rehashing used ideas but suger-coating them with various "herbs and spices" to make it seem original. As I writer, I know it is difficult to find origial ideas for story concepts, poems, short stories, novellas, etc. However, this is no excuse for laziness. We must work together as a unit and family of like-minded writers and creators to help each other create masterpieces of our own design, not rehashed clones of another's hard work. If you are having trouble coming up with a completly original idea, then ask others for help and support, friends and family are great sources of ideas for you to brainstorm about. As a dedicated writer, nothing angers me more than plagiarism, if you cannot come up with an idea of your own, then why steal from someone else? I would much rather come up with a terrible story idea and get it shot down than to steal another's amazing idea and take credit for it. The very thought makes me sick. If all else fails, try to find a support group in your community to help edit and brainstorm ideas for a story idea that might be formulating inside of your head. Remeber, however, to not take too many ideas to heart, even if it is a close friend whose opinions you trust, the story is YOUR piece, not theirs, so remember to make it your own. Give it your own flavor, your own spunk, if you will, and always remember to have fun with it, why write if you hate the idea your working with? Cheers - The Illusive Writer

In regards to President's Day

Hello to all, and happy President's Day! Where would we be without leaders? People who guide and protect us from harm? The answer is nowhere, for each and every one of us needs another to help guide us and protect us from harm. While you relax this weekend, remember to give respect where it is due, towards our leaders and protectors. For if they didn't exist, it is a posibility that we would not as well.

Progress

I finally worked up the nerve to share a small section of my first book with my friends the results were... all positive! So far everyone loves it! Thank you all for supporting me! - The Illusive Writer

Love's Requiem

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Here's a personal poem by me to help commemorate the occasion:

"Love like a Melody,

Love like a Fantasy.

Love does not Procrastinate,

Nor should it toy with one's fate,

Love is precious, always kind;

but always remember to keep in mind,

The pain of Love, and the pain of Loss,

It corrupts the heart like trees with moss.

And if your love and you must part,

Don't hide your tears, nor harden your heart"



The Day of Love

Hello fellow writers and friends. As you all know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day; a day of Romance, Peace, and Love. As we partake in the festivities tomorrow, let us not forget the true meaning behind the special day. Love. Some of us trivialize the meaning of the term: "Love" when we really shouldn't. To humans, Love should be one of our most powerful emotions, for who is not willing to do anything for the one that they love? It is a day of self-sacrifice, remembrance, joy, and happiness. Now it's your turn, what is love to you? Something trivial or something necessary? Comment or leave me a message below, Cheers, and have a happy Valentine's Day - The Illusive Writer 

In the works

The past two days have thankfully been very productive for me! The first sixty plus pages of my first novel are finally finished. Now onto the next 240 some... It really seems like the road in front of me is really starting to become visible. If any one is paying close attention to this blog, I want to hear from my fellow writers! What are your interests, your favorite things to write about or even your favortie genres to read! I'm curious to see what you all will come up with, cheers! - The Illusive Writer

The Origins of my Name

If you are wondering why I chose the name, "The Illusive Writer", you are probably not the only one, so, I have written a personal poem, to help clear things up.

"They call me the Illusive Writer, for what reasons? I'm not sure,

They see me lift my pen and write, for as much as my hand can endure.

It is a passion of mine, you see, for my thoughts to flow into words.

Some say they run like rivers, others proclaim they fly like birds.

However, it matters little to me,

What it is the people see,

As long as what their eyes surmise,

Does not result in my own demise.

As 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'

I seek to make my work add up to mortal man's measures.

I will perfect my work until the end of my days,

Till the Angels float down and carry me aways.

For now I am sworn to one woman, her name is 'secrecy'

For I am the Illusive Writer, and that's my cup of tea," 

The Beginning of my Journey

  Greetings, and welcome to my first blog! I am the Illusive Writer, a young student on a quest to become a New York Times Bestseller, I know it is a long shot, but I believe I have what it takes to climb my way up there. In time, I hope to grow my fanbase and prove to all of you the scope of my abilities as both a writer, and a human being, thank you. -The Illusive Writer