NEW WEBSITE IS UP

Check out my new website and blog out at robstennett.com

Who’s afraid of the iPad?

I have a core belief. If you’re going to write stories (which I do) you should read at least as much as you write (which I sometimes do). If writers don't read who will? But the question is what’s the best way to read novels? Well, the iPad (or kindle etc…) because you can cram so many books onto one tiny lightweight device. So why even have printed books anymore? Aren’t they obsolete? Aren’t they going away?

In this conversation someone usually tells me no they’re not going away. I love the feel of the book in my hand. I love holding the feeling of flipping through actual pages. I love their smell. I love pulling them out of my book bag so people at Strabucks can see what I’m reading.

These are great reasons to keep printed books. But I think I have a better reason—if the printed book goes away I may never finish a book again. It’s not that I have a short attention span. All things considered mine’s pretty decent, I’d say above average.

What paralyzes me is choice.

I recently got streaming Netflix on my Wii and now every time I’m watching a movie I can’t focus. I keep thinking there’s something better out there. I know I’m watching War Games but what if there’s something more relevant? They’ll probably do a remake of War Games in a year or two anyway. So then I got back to my instant queue where there ARE SO MANY MOVIES. I scroll through them and I think what is the best possible movie I could be watching at this moment.

It’s the same with an eReader. I feel like yes there are so many books but am I reading the best possible one? And honestly, I never think that when I’m reading a book in my hand. I never think: Is this the book I should be reading? It’s simply that I bought it or checked it out and so now I’m going to finish. I may not like it. I may hate it. But reading bad books is part of reading too.

How about you? Do you feel paralyzed by all the choices eReaders and On Deamnd. Or is that freeing to you?

SEAT OF THE PANTS vs ROAD MAP

There are two schools of thought on writing.

School of thought #1: Outline before writing a single word of your story. I’m talking detailed outline. Ridiculously detailed. You (the writer) should know exactly how long the car chase should be on page 35. You should know if the guy gets the girl or if the girl gets the guy before you write the first line of their snappy dialogue in the Paris Cafe.

Some believers in outlining are screenwriting gurus like Robert McKey STORY and Blake Snyder Save The Cat.

School of thought #2: Screenwriters seem to hold to school of thought #1. Novelists are more free wheeling. Like Stephen King one of the most underrated (yes I said underrated) writers around. He says that writing is like uncovering a fossil. In a first draft you should have no idea where you’re going. Just start writing and see what happens. Let the characters drive the story and they’ll surprise you and the rest of the audience.

Believers in seat of the pants: Chuck Palahniuck, Stephen King, E.L. Doctorow.

I used to believe strongly in the second line of thinking. But here’s the problem: There is so much to do in first draft. The writer creates setting, tone, dialogue, character, and then the plot. If the writer doesn’t know where he’s going he can have a mess on his hands.

You might this can’t happen to you. You might think: I’m better then that.

That’s what I thought. I thought my characters were good enough and my writing was strong (and by strong I think I mostly mean nuanced and bizarre) enough to fix it. I started writing without a strong plan. I was like Columbus sailing off without a map to trade spices. I said to myself, “I think India is that way, and if it’s not who knows maybe I’ll get lucky and discover a continent. Maybe someday they’ll even name a controversial holiday after me.”

I survived for a while. But in while writing my third novel this cost me six months. Six months of writing around 50,000 words that I just had to throw away. And you would think it was painful to throw away that many words. But truthfully, it was freeing. Because I knew how big a hole I’d dug and the only way out was to blow it up. I don’t even know if you can blow up a hole but that’s what I did anyway.

I had to start over and this time created an outline and really good novel. But I learned my lesson. It was like the D.C. Talk song I loved so dearly in eighth grade, “Some people have to learn the hard way.” That was me. I was Toby Mac taking my lumps. So now I tell my fellow writers: Have an outline. Have a plan about where your story is going. Know how the first act is going to end and what the hero must do to obtain his unreachable goal.

But does that mean school of thought #2 is worthless? No, I’m not that cynical. Quick example: The writers on LOST have talked about how Michael Emerson (AKA Henry Gayle who became Ben Linus even though he looks much more like a Henry Gayle) was just supposed to guest star. But his performance was so incredible that they wrote recurring role, and he became the show’s most interesting character. At least until season 6 where he just wanders around like a stray puppy, but seriously before that he was like evil, I mean Darth Vader evil, those buggy eyes still haunt me.

So what I’m saying is this: Have a plan. Have an outline but don’t be a slave to it. You’re the writer not the outline. If something worked in the outline but isn’t working on the pages, fix it. Leave room to discover. Create. Write. Because all writing is really by the seat of the pants—isn’t it?

RELEVANT'S BEST BOOKS OF 2009

The End Is Now made Relevant's best of 09 book list. Where did it end up on this list? Only one way to find out. Also some other very good books you should be reading on this list

ROB STENNETT NOVELS

Just for the record I am a novelist. Which means that I write books that are not truth, but rather make believe stories that point to much bigger, rewarding, and insightful truths.

My newest novel, is titled, The End Is Now. It is about Goodland, Kansas a town that will be the test market for the rapture. It is not pro-rapture or anti-rapture but simply and exploration of faith and humankind's fascination with The End Of The World. Here is the trailer:

My debut novel is titled The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher. I just did a piece for Relevant with Jason Boyett where he described the novel as "A brilliantly satirical romp in which a non-theistic real estate agent ends up the pastor of a megachurch." That's the best synopsis I've heard all week. Here is the trailer: 

SEX ADVICE FROM ROB STENNETT

Matthew Paul Turner a friend (as he says it we're Facebook friends, but we're also like minded authors in the CBA, I'd like to think of us as the Tito Jacksons of the CBA.) Anyway, I did a guest post for his blog Jesus Needs New PR (Rob Bell was on the morning, and Rob Bell is the Michael Jackson of the CBA). 

I was writing about a controversial topic, but didn't want to give an obvious answer. Would the obvious have been safer? Yes. But people turn off the hearing aids when it comes to obvious answers, and besides I think the question posted on the blog brought up real issues. 

Here's what I had to say at Jesus Needs New PR. 

MY LIST OF SHAME

I did a podcast with Screen Geeks yesterday. The resident comedian on the show, Ethan a guy who has brilliant insight into films AND is from Canada mentioned something that I thought was great. He called it, "His List of Shame." 

The idea is this: It's the list of his movies that he's ashamed to have never seen. The reason is if you're a movie Geek then there are movies that you just have to have seen like 2001, Easy Rider, and Treasure of Sierra Madre. But everyone has their list of shame. Everyone has movies that came out and you somehow missed and everybody talks about but you just smile knowingly because you don't want to admit that you haven't seen it. 

For movies here is my top 3:

1) Schindler's List

I've picked this up at the Blockbuster, had it on my netflix que, and think about renting it all the time. But I alway chicken out because it just seems to depressing.

2) Blue Velvet

How I claim to be in the know with David Lynch but still haven't seen this movie is something I should be ashamed of.

3) Singin' In The Rain

This is number 5 in the AFI all time list. All I know of this movie is from scenes in A Clockwork Orange.

And because I write novels, here are my top three on my list of shame:

1) Ulysses 

This is a masterpiece. And James Joyce is one of the most important writers who have ever lived. (At least for native English speakers like myself). But I'm not gonna lie this book intimidates me. 

2) Atlas Shrugged

I don't even really know what this book is about. I don't know how Atlas is or why he shrugged. I do know that I love 1984 and a Brave New World so it seems like I should read this book.

3) Twilight and (5 and 1/2) of the Harry Potter series. 

Not because these are literary classics necessarily, but just because they are on the cutting edge of pop culture. I write fiction and everybody talks about these books. So I should have read them by now. Shameful.

What's on your list? 

Not gonna lie. I would watch this show.