This tip is a person.
His name is Randy Ingermanson.
Randy
Ingermanson is a
theoretical physicist and the award-winning author of six novels. He has taught
at numerous writing conferences over the years and publishes the free monthly
Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, the largest electronic magazine in the world
on the craft of writing fiction, with over 32,000 readers.
I first met Randy through Camille Eide, another writer friend I'd just met in a shuttle bus on our
way to my first Mt. Hermon Writers' Conference in March of 2008.
I remember the meeting (which is more than I can say about
most random events in my past) the way you remember some seemingly
insignificant moment in time for no apparent reason. At the time I had no reason to think this guy would matter
to me, even though Camille said good things about him and I trusted
Camille's judgment. It was just one of
the kind of casual introductions you always get at writers' conferences, which
is one of the best reasons for going to them.
But I digress.
Randy just happened to be sauntering by as Camille and I
stepped out of our transport. She
greeted him, and, gracious person that she is, she introduced us. He said all the right things, and then ducked and ran, like
the introverted geeky kind of a person he is. I turned away, thinking no more
of the meeting, eager to enter into the conference experience at Mt. Hermon, my
favorite writerly place to be.
As it turned out, I would run across this amazing man off
and on for the next six years, sometimes in person at conferences, and sometimes
online. He has made an impact on my writing career, and I think you'll find him helpful too.
Here are seven reasons you'd like to be Randy's friend. They're in descending order, except for
number seven, which I think really belongs at the top of the list, but I have
to put it at the bottom because it's a whimsical reason, and we writers don't
put much store in whimsy, at least about the writing process, even us fiction writers, especially if we're
beginners. (Yes, I know. That sentence could do with some editing.) Whimsy is kind of fun, and we writers can't afford to have fun. We're too busy trying to be
discovered. We must be serious. So here are six serious reasons (and one un-serious,
dis-serious, anti-serious whimsical reason) why you should become
Randy's online friend:
1) He knows tons of stuff about the writing
business. As his bio claims, his e-magazine is the largest electronic magazine in the world on the craft of writing fiction. And 32,000 readers can't be wrong. (Randy would probably
argue with that claim, since he's a statistics expert, among other things.)
2) He shares what he knows clearly and simply. He writes so clearly that the publishers of
the prolific "For Dummies" series asked him to write their Writing Fiction for Dummies book, which currently ranks #8,720 on the Amazon
best seller list. When you consider that
Amazon sells well over 6,000,000 books, that's a pretty high rank. I checked my Zinovy's Journey rank, which I do now
and then, just for fun, and it's a whopping #873,693, almost exactly 100 times
less popular than his Dummies book. I'm sure there's a reason for that.
3) He's created the Snowflake method. It's a template for plot building. If you're beginning a novel, or even just wanting to go with an idea you have, this tool
might be useful to you. Check it out at the link above.
4) He answers questions on his blog. Not every question. He's a busy guy. But I was fortunate, again through my friend,
Camille, to get into one long line-up for his advice, and what I learned helped
solve a writing problem that had stumped me for months.
5) He knows about
other interesting stuff too. Because
he's a science and technology geek, he sometimes analyzes wild and weird issues
on topics totally unrelated to writing.
He is a truth seeker. His
research is extensive, his arguments cogent, and his thoroughness is enough to
make your eyes cross. But the best thing about his writing on these often
controversial topics, the thing that makes them so worth reading, is that he
disagrees with his opponents with humility and respect. What a great internet world it would be if all writers, especially Christian ones, would
model this approach.
And now, last but should be first, is the best
reason to connect with Randy:
7) He's funny. I was very sad to hear that Sam, the plumber,
like his irritating distant cousin, the Wicked Witch of the North, has apparently
recently dissolved into a puddle of water on the floor. There's a rumor he might be resurrected, or
reconstituted, whichever the case may be, but for now we'll not be regaled with
his exploits any more.
Sam's demise is documented here. I'm trying to find a link to the whole series
of blog posts about Sam, Randy's infamous plumber/nemesis/friend, because they
are so much fun to read, but I've gotten lost in the complex maze of internet
addresses available on Randy's website and can't find a link.
If you're afraid you might be beginning to take this writing
thing a little too seriously, I recommend you check out the Sam story. It might help you reevaluate your priorities
and refocus your writing.
Which is the whole point of this blog, after all: Your
Writing. Any of the links I've given
above will help you get on with the writing task.
So check them out, connect with my friend, Randy, and enjoy.
