Okay, it's not quite that simple. I want to know what started you writing, how you ended up here at :writers-club:, and why you chose to be here. Also, what kind of genres do you usually write? Are you more likely to write a 500 word essay or a 3 page book? Let us get to know you and your writing style - whatever it may be!
Also, there's a 1 vote minimum for journals to go through for members. I'll make it higher if I feel this is being abused. I want discussion, but remember this is a group for people who want to write. It might not be their strongest talent. Be patient and helpful.
Right now, we have very few people checking the back room. If you want to help out with this problem, send a note to :Brinckmyster: and we'll be grateful for the help!
Apparently, I need to try to pay more attention!  ^^;

I apologize to all those who have recently attempted to do anything here in the past two years. :cry:


Apparently, I need some more helpers! Please send a note to me :iconbrinckmyster: if you are interested in helping out. I will TRY to be more attentive. However, I definitely can't do this by myself and my co-founder hasn't been on dA in even longer than I have! Let me know if you are interested in helping me out with submissions or other things that might get us going again.

One again, my apologies for being absent for quite so long!

Brinckmyster
Good day Writers-Club.

Our interview segment is back, all thanks to this very special author I stumbled upon. When I saw the raw talent he possesses I thought to myself ‘he deserves recognition’ and what better way to do that than to share his passion with his peers – our marvelous writing community!

This group has been in hibernation for a while, building up towards a new age, and that age has come right now with this sudden breakthrough. Be prepared for awesome things to come.

Without Further ado, I present to you:

Eben Prentzler, also known as Umuntu :iconumuntu:


Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m known as Umuntu, or some people call me Umi.  Although I do write under my real name.  I’m one of those people who are very passionate about their writing.  I have dabbled in many genres of writing before just to broaden my horizons.  I must say however that I found my strength in fantasy writing.  I even composed and self published at least two novels in this genre.  And there are many more to come.
While I don’t write on my main project, I turn to short stories to keep the flow going.

Go me :)

What drives you to write; what is your muse?

This is an interesting question actually.  I have never actually thought about what my muse could be, or what drives me to write what I write.  I had to juggle this question around for a while to come to an answer.  When it comes to the big world that I have created and all the characters there in.  I truly believe that is the characters that call for me to write more about them.  Either that or I’m talking too myself too much...like that is a bad thing ;)

I have to admit though, there have been some dreams that I had before that served as muses before.

When did you figure out you have the ability to write?

Another good question.  When I was in High School, I didn’t see myself very interested in literature actually.  Even with English as my second language, it didn’t really appeal to me.  I did however get a good praises from a creative journal entry I composed in my final year of school.  Not knowing the better, I just shelved the praises and continued with my life.  It wasn’t until I believe 1998 when I really figured out that I could write, or in that time think I could write.  I started out with very badly written fan fictions of The Lion King, then it just went on from there.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

To be honest, when I started out with the writing of my fan fictions.  My inspiration revolved solely around that my readers thought of my work.  The more they liked it, the more I felt the need to give them more.  But then came the day when I found my true inspiration.  Believe it or not, my inspiration lies in the movies.   I’m a true fanatic when it comes to movies.  They inspire me, for they show me what I truly want for my writings.  For it to be portrait in that format.  It drives me and inspires me to write more, to become better.  To be of such a calibre that my writings find success in that field.

Tell us about your writing process.

My writing process starts with the end of the story.  I know exactly how the story will end before I write it.  Then comes the second most difficult part of my writing process: How will the story start.  Followed by the most difficult process, creating the characters and naming them.  Once that is out of the way, the writing is actually a breeze.  I write down my first draft, but I still take my time when I write.  Sometimes I will just stare at the screen, not writing at all, but thinking of what must still happen and how it will happen.  Expanding the story in my head. I want to make sure what I write sounds good, even if it is the first draft.

When the first draft is finished, then I will take a break from that story and work on something else to clear my mind.  So that when I come back to the first draft, I come with the mind set to polish off the story and make it sound better than it was before.  It is a long process which I believe I overdo sometimes, but in the end it is worth every minute of the time that I spend on my writing.

Then comes the fun part, letting someone else rip it apart with comments and criticism so that you can improve even more.

What is the best tip/tips you can give to a fellow writer?

Don’t let anyone get you down.  If you truly believe that you have the passion and creativity for writing, don’t let anyone step on your dreams.  Yes, there will be people that will criticize you in the worst kind of ways that will hurt your pride.  Ignore them and rather concentrate on people that are truly there to help you with good criticism and creative input.

When you think you are stuck, don’t ever give up.  Just focus yourself on your goals.  And of course, a nice helping hand from friends and family doesn’t hurt.  Although you would think that writing a good story is a solo thing, you will be surprised to find how much the people close to you can inspire you to go further than you ever thought.

Questions about the author's work:

Tell us about your main story and characters.

Oh, my biggest under taking at the moment is The Royal Archive Saga, which is a Chronicle Of Solo. www.lulu.com/shop/eben-prentzl…
It is a four book saga that follows three generations of royal family whom battle an evil curse.  It all starts with the first character Prince Kasi.
This medieval fantasy story will introduce you to the depths of my mind. It will show people another look at magic and how the multiple gods that created this world are introduced to the very real risk that everything they worked for can be destroyed by one case of mere revenge.

To which character can you relate the most and why?

Another outstanding question.  Originally, I would have said that the character, Umuntu, would’ve been the one that I can relate to the most, because he was so much like me.  But now after I wrote so much of this series.  There is a character in the fourth part of this saga.  His name is Kura and I believe that I relate more to him than anything else and why do you ask:
Quiet and conservative writer whom doesn’t give up on his goals.  Introverted, and a hopeless romantic.

What inspired you to write this story; how did you get the idea to write this?

To be completely honest, I don’t know how got the idea for this story.  As you might recall, I started out with writing horrible fan fictions at the start of my writing career.  The writing may have been horrible, but the plots were sound enough, but needed work.  Then over the past seventeen years I have been working these plots, adding new ideas and characters.  And finally it shaped into what is now my passion.

What kind of reader will enjoy your work?

I believe that the majority of young adults should enjoy my works, but I have found by doing some minor research that even the older adults enjoy what I have written so far.  I’m hoping to pull another fantasy loving people into my own world.

Please give us a short excerpt/extract/piece of your story.

From Chapter 7:

Kaburu opened the door before the guards’ heavy knocking broke it down.  He faced four guards, but couldn’t actually tell them apart.  For Kaburu all the Howlers looked the same.  Small, clad in armour and wielding their swords, trying to intimidate the world.  “Can I help you?”
The guards shoved him out of the way.  “Out of the way old man,” one of the guards said, pointing his sword at Kaburu.  “Search the place!”
One of the guards headed towards the kitchen, another to the bedroom and the last one searched living room area itself.
“How dare you enter my house without permission?” Kaburu said sternly.  “What is the meaning of this?”
“We are looking for a murderer, so shut your trap or we shall shut it for you,” the guard replied rudely.
The guard who was searching the living room quickly finished and headed towards the storage room door.  He pulled the handle and pushed the door, but nothing happened.  He pushed harder and harder but the door wouldn’t budge.  “Old man, this door doesn’t want to open.”
“What’s behind that door?” the head guard asked the farmer.  “What are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Kaburu said.  “That is my storage room.”
“Open it!”
Kaburu walked towards his storage room, with a sword pointed at his back.  “I don’t know what is wrong with you Howlers,” he started.  “Brute force isn’t the only solution, you know.” He stopped in front of the storage room and pulled the handle.  “Let’s take this door for example, instead of using all you strength to push and break it open.” Kaburu pulled the door opened.  “Just a light tug would’ve opened the door”
“Don’t be a smart ass,” the head-guard growled, pressing the sharp tip of his sword against Kaburu’s flesh.  He pushed past the farmer and entered the storage room.  His eyes immediately fixed on Ahali, who had her hands hidden deeply in a big tub of water.  He sheathed his sword and quietly walked towards the Pride-Keeper, while the rest of his guards entered the storage room and started to look everywhere, breaking jars and shelves as they continued.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

I felt that this more light-hearted part of the story could appeal to people without giving away too much of what happened before and what will happen after.

I wish to thank Azzuenwolf :iconazzuenwolf:  for giving me the chance to speak out to the people in this interview. I hope that it has been a good experience for everyone, as it was for me.  As a last word, I just want to say.  Remember not to let anyone step on your dreams and keep on working on what makes you happy.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

What a way to start up a new season of writing, wouldn’t you say? Thank you Umuntu for giving us some of your time to do this interview with me, I believe you are a true inspiration as an author who has finished many works, and the time we spent together you showed me true passion as a rising author battling his way towards his dreams. And I am honored to have not only spend time with you, but to learn from you as well.

If you want to read the work of Umuntu, please use one of the following links to escape to a brilliantly written fantasy: (one I have the pleasure of reading right now)

www.facebook.com/OfSolo/timeli…  

www.lulu.com/spotlight/UmiDaLi…

www.amazon.com/EbenPrentzler/e…

Umuntu :iconumuntu:


I'm looking forward to finding my next victim, any takers?
Good day writers of Writers-Club

What exactly is inspiring you to create today and what frustrates you most in trying to connect? This is a warm hello to Deviantart artists in every field then, where work inspired by my novels like Firebringer, but especially my wolf fantasies Fell and The Sight, made me sit up and admire, with pride too. I hear there are only around six writers who have captured feral wolves in story, which to me I think is something about trying to touch the integrity of animal nature, and the questions and challenges it throws up for man too. But I love wolves and have ‘met’ several both in the UK and the US. I especially love some of the amateur work that has been done here to bring my characters to life.

Sadly though not all is especially happy in the artistic wolf pack, or in terms of modern publishing and platforms!  Which is why this is also a kind of clarion call of the wild, straight to you,  fans, creatives and artists in every field, to help me try and fight back.  So to news of an attempt to create a grass roots publisher, Phoenix Ark Press, which might even draw you in professionally in future. For instance it was seeing fan art here that made me think it might be worth trying for a graphic novel of The Sight one day.

So the launch of a new crowd-funded Kickstarter project called Dragon in The Post.  You can see a couple of films at  www.kickstarter.com/projects/1…  ,  that went live a couple days ago and has already taken us up to 27%.   But it only last 30 days, so I can only achieve a goal with your passion and help and so light a kind of bush fire out there, as word spreads. Is a grass roots publisher even possible? I don't know, but it is worth a try..  This book isn’t wolves, it’s a younger fantasy about Dragons, cutting doorways into a magical world, Blistag, that I want made into a real book and sent to you in the post.  Hitting that goal would also open a doorway on a publisher though, and my more epic nature stories waiting in the background too, like Light of The White Bear, which certainly has wolves in it and reappearances of favourite characters too.  There is also work for non-fiction readers, younger and older, but part of the point is my deep frustration with mainstream publishing, as a highly published writer myself, and the platforms that dominate us all now, and usually charge a lot doing it.  It would be wonderful if you would spread the word then, but especially Back This Project, with whatever you can afford, because, as you will see, the attempt is much more than just one book and I really cannot do it without you.

I'm looking forward to doing some interviews here, or contribute on a project where I'm needed, chatting about many things, but as it says in the animation “Join the story, become part of the adventure…”

www.kickstarter.com/projects/1… Please click on the link to join the magic.

All best wishes, David Clement-Davies, London April 2014
David Clement-Davies:

Hello Writer’s Club,

How do you guys sit down with a blank page and start telling stories, what do you dream about and how do you make it happen?  Being a bit long in the tooth, I started years ago with novels like Firebringer, The Sight and Fell, that brought me some great adventures too.  It also seems to have inspired some really wonderful fan art, here, at Deviant Art, especially around my wolf books The Sight and Fell. I saw an example the other day that I thought could become a brilliant graphic novel, though the truth is I am the old fashioned kind of storyteller.  I have also  dreamt of my books becoming animated films. Which is why I just joined up though, won a dubious llama badge, but was also kindly invited here to talk a little about writing and also a new project I‘ve just started to try and break back into publishing at a grass roots level.  Which means you.

It’s at the Kickstarter crowd funder for the next month and called Dragon In The Post, that  you can see at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1….  At least I think it’s fun and much of the film is made with fan work.  It’s to try and fund, finish, edit and illustrate firstly just one book, about a dragon that arrives in an egg box and cuts a door into another world. But also to try and open some kind of magic door on a publishing and creative adventure in future, in fact a far wider dialogue,  via my online site at Phoenix Ark Press. It’s doing very well, just hit the popular pages at Kickstarter, and a great deal of that is already built on the passion and support of fans now coming of age. I bet you can be as frustrated as established writers about how it works, who you reach, in an increasingly competitive and noisy world, but just maybe I can start some kind of excitement and fire.  I don’t know yet, perhaps you can tell me.

All best wishes, David Clement-Davies, London April 2014


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Hi Guys

From me, Azzuenwolf, your group publisher, I would like to Welcome David Clement-Davies into our ranks. He is the published author of the above-mentioned books and the writer who personally changed my life with his truly amazing gift of creation.

I am part of his new project and potential publishing company, which means you are all part of it since we as writers stand together on the front lines of battle.

If possible, can you click on the link and see what our visions are,donate if you can and spread the word. This is a great opportunity for all of us because if the company launches, we will have a better chance of publishing under the name Phoenix Ark Press if the need is there.

David Clement-Davies has also agreed to do an interview with us so watch this space! I am planning to submit it the first weekend of next month.


Have a great day
- Azzuenwolf

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