by
Zackery Humphreys
I consider myself a very organic artist.
Many of my ideas come from dreams or inspirations from other artists: Salvidor Dali, Ray Bradbury and Walt Disney are some good examples. When I get an idea, whether it is a character, an ending, or even just a line, I write it down either in my notebook or on my phone for later use. After that, I think about it quite a bit, usually as I'm lying in bed trying to sleep (which doesn't help my sleep schedule!) until I have a rough outline in my head with a few more ideas, which I, in turn, write down in my notes. After that, it's off to writing.
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Author Zackery Humphreys |
I prefer this more organic way of creating as it bleeds into my writing. Each sentence inspires the next, and the next, which can sometimes lead to the creation of more ideas as I go along. It's like stream-of-consciousness with punctuation. I prefer this to a solidified outline I may have already thought about ahead of time. It's more exciting to write organically and it's hopefully more fluid for the reader.
For the entire process, I continue lying in bed thinking, jotting down notes, and writing until the project is finished and I'm dead tired!
Speaking of “finished,” the question I've been asked probably more than any other is, “How long does it take you to finish a book?” Well, it took me seven years to write Epsilon A.R., from the first word to the final product. Enough time to nearly get through all of high school and college.