Jesse Teller is a dynamic writer working toward a publishing career. He's turned writing from a hobby and outlet to a daily endeavor. In addition to his focus on fantasy novels, he runs a weekly writer's group, manages a blog and Facebook page, and continues deeper development of his original fantasy world.
What do you do to recharge your creative energy?
It may sound strange, but not working helps me recharge.
When I grow close to the end of a book, I usually make a break for the
end. I call this End of Book Mode. My wife gives me license to work as
often and as long as I want to in order to get the book done. It may
last a day, or two weeks, but I write with few breaks until it is
finished. When I finish a book, I take two weeks off. They are usually
torture for me, because I feel most alive when I am working on a project.
But by the end of EOBM, I'm pretty burned. I have found that denying
myself for two weeks makes it so that when I do get back to writing, I am
chomping at the bit. The ideas just come flowing.
What motivates you to keep writing?
My
motivation to write comes from my absolute love of the work. The
content, the genre, the characters and the process, all make me so
excited and happy that I can't stop. I have a unique relationship with
each of my characters. I know things about them that no one will ever
know and that knowledge drives me to keep working, to get back to it, to
never give up on them. The money and possible fame that might follow is
not really the point.
What reaction do you hope to inspire in others?
I hope that others, when they read my work, will find the
strength to go on. When I was a teenager, and into my young adult life, I
was pretty miserable and falling apart. Fantasy provided an outlet for
escape, but also a forum to discuss what was going on in my life, and the
issues of my background and childhood. I hope my work reaches the
lives of people that are going through the same emotions and
experiences. The themes I deal with most are hope and despair. They
are wrapped into every word I write in one fashion or the other. I
hope these themes infused in my work help other people past the
hardships of their own life. A truly great book can change a person's
life.
Why do you prefer your genre?
Fantasy is a
beautiful genre. It allows for anything, anything at all you want
to talk about, anything you want to see happen, or anything you
want to describe, can be done with fantasy. If you want a creature from
ancient time, so terrible as to give a reader nightmares, where else can
you go but sci-fi and fantasy? If you want miraculous beauty, intense
enough to save a world, look no further. True and pure innocence can be
set next to absolute debauchery, and neither is out of place. Fantasy
gives me the colors vibrant enough to paint whatever I need to paint. It
is freeing and life-affirming.
Any personal experience or moment that brought you to this craft?
The moments that brought me to writer are plentiful. When I wrote my first story, and my teacher, Mr. Olsen, told me I had a talent, I became a writer. That had almost died, when my freshman teacher in
high school, Mrs. Hegg, discovered that I wrote, and pumped the love of it
back into my life. Writing for the high school newspaper, work I did in
college, bad poetry I wrote in days gone by, all of these things brought
me here and kept me here. But the moment I decided to really take it
seriously, the moment I became who I am today, was when I decided I was
in love with a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and I
needed to take my life and myself more seriously to get that
woman to see who I wanted to be, instead of who I was. That was the
defining moment for me. Without it, I'm a hobbyist.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
If I could go back in time and talk to my younger self, I would tell him to
take it all more seriously. If I had really worked and cared about it
all ten years earlier than I did, I wonder what I would be doing now. If I
had worked before I did, it blows my mind to think about what I would be
doing now. If you are dabbling in art, or writing, or any creative field,
really judge whether it is something you want to invest yourself in, and
get started as soon as possible. Find a reason and cling to it. Let
yourself grow around it like a tree growing into a fence. The fence is
now part of something that is natural and enduring. Art can change a
person's life. It can give a person direction and purpose. If you are at
all interested in it, embrace it as soon as you can, and get to work!For more about Jesse Teller's work:
Blog: Mumbling to Myself
Facebook: Path to Perilisc
Additional creatives featured on Kreative Joose:
Mark Montgomery, illustrator
Mark Montgomery, illustrator
Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it
ReplyDeleteup what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing.
Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers?
I’d genuinely appreciate it.