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Spotlighting local author: David B. Coe
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David B. Coe is following in the trodden steps of J.R.R Tolkien and Stephen R. Donaldson. Coe is the master of new worlds that are filled with sorcerers, oracles and mages. Creating these new dimensions, Coe transports readers and redefines the laws of reality. “Creative writing is a crazy way to make a living, but I have been very fortunate, and I love it.”
What is it that drives a story for Coe? “Good characters make people scream, rage and fall in love. If the characters are flat, the story won’t work. Characters are what I strive for. I spend a lot of time working on my characters and listening to them.
“I outline my stories less now because I am more comfortable with my craft. But I do trust my characters. In fact there is scene in Rules of Ascension, where my character told me something about her life at the end of that book that was completely unplanned. It was something I didn’t want to happen, but it was what it was. I typed the words and went ‘oh wow, look what she just did’ and I followed [that story line] for seven more books.
“Sometimes you have to listen to [your characters], but there are times that you reign them in. It’s instinctual, but that isn’t to say the instinct is always right – they can lead me into a narrative cul-de-sac.” So how does Coe know when they are leading him into creative bliss? “It occurs during those moments when I am writing the story and it’s flowing; there is an ease to that day’s work.”
Does Coe often get lost in the flow of his writing? “Writing, well it’s funny. We see writers portrayed in movies where in one scene they are waiting for the muse to strike and in the next scene they type for twenty-eight hours and forget to eat.” That isn’t always the case. Sometimes writing flows from the writer, and other times they are pounding away at the keys on the board willing the muse to come.
Coe loves what he does, but it is work. “I treat [my writing career] as a job. I get up everyday and put my butt in the chair, and I write. I won’t let myself be finished for the day until I have 1500 words. I don’t wait for the muse to smack me on the forehead. There are a lot of talented writers, people with more talent than I have, who aren't making it. But I've managed to make a career for myself through perseverance and hard work.” In fact in fourteen years Coe has completed thirteen novels by way of his determination.
“I begin writing in the morning and I quit late afternoons, but I don’t write on the weekend. The life we have [as a family] goes a long way towards my not taking myself too seriously.” Family is what drives and sustains Coe. His wife encouraged him to write his first novel and continues to be a champion for his works.
As for those other supporters, his characters, “they feel very real to me. They keep me up nights sometimes, like my kids do. They are with me when I am not writing. It’s easy to step away from the computer and quit writing [when needing a break], but the characters, they are still talking to me.
“When I have to kill one off or say goodbye to one at the end of a series, it can be really wrenching. But, that’s why God invented prequels – to write about something you’ve already lost. We all deal with loss in our real life and every character has his, or her, time when I can write their story and feel comfortable living their life with them.”
Readers often walk the line of losing themselves in the identities of the characters they discover through a novel. Does this ever happen to Coe when he is meeting his cast? “There have been times when I have fallen in love with my characters love interest and that’s a little awkward. I’m happily married and I feel bad for flirting!
“There have also been times when I have become so enamored of a magic system [I’ve created] that I will see something happen in the real world and think, ‘if I only had that magic I could fix that’.”
Crafting a great story is more than just willing the characters, plot and conflict forth. “I do a fair amount of research. I have various books – about castle life, weaponry, etc in my library. [As a writer] you do far more research than you ever show your readers. If I don’t know what the character needs to know, then I expose myself as a neophyte. You’re creating an ambiance; anything to jar your reader out of the ambiance pulls them away from the level of ability.”
What elements, besides character, define good writing for Coe? “Narrative flow - the ebbing and flowing balance of tension is the element I find most important after character. I like to think of a book as a lengthy piece of music. There are times you want to end a chapter where notes aren’t resolved and it builds tension. There are moments of resolution just as there are sour and good notes.”
What drew Coe to the genre of science fiction? “Part of it is just what I was reading. At the time I was reading Tolkien and Stephen Donaldson’s work. That was when I wanted to become a writer. I loved Donaldson’s style. The stories are dark and brooding and disturbing at times – the world was so real. Tolkien wrote what I wanted to read, Donaldson wrote what I wanted to write; creating worlds and magic. He showed me there are other ways to do it, with a grittier edge.”
What dreams does Coe have for his stories? “Every writer has ambitions of winning awards or making in onto the New York Times Best Seller list. The fact is that happens for very few writers. There are so many writers who would love to sell a story and I have been very fortunate.
"I would love to see one of my books made into a movie, but you can't plan for something like that because you don't know how markets and tastes will change. If I can just continue to write and be published; be able to continue seeing my work in print – that would make me happy."
The economy affects all industries. “This is a really tough time for so many writers. This is as rough a market as I have seen in my 14-15 years working within the publishing world. There are two major trends. One: we are experiencing a tough economy where people are hurting and money is tighter, and twenty-seven dollars for a hard cover is a lot to spend.
“Two: a technological trend has emerged. Publishing is dissolving before our very eyes. I see various readers [like Kindle and eBooks] coming on the market, and I can see books disappearing in another decade. If someone had told me records would go away and music would fit in a shirt pocket, I would have laughed at them. But, my daughter still loves music; she just receives it in a better way. If we can read books, but not kill trees, how can I say that is a bad thing?”
What advice does Coe have for up and coming writers? “Write. Be writing all the time, even if you have a day job. 250 words an evening is one page double spaced. Just write, make it a habit that you do everyday. Expect to do it and enjoy doing it and you will.
“Read. The best way we learn what works for a reader is from our own reactions as a reader ourselves. The more we read the more we understand what works intuitively. If you want to write because you have to, because the characters in your head won’t let you eat or sleep and it is the one thing you love to do more than anything else, then pursue it.”
Coe loves to create his intricate magical worlds more than anything else in the world. To escape into one of them, visit his website at: http://www.sff.net/people/davidbcoe/. David is also a contributer to the Magical Words blog site (http://magicalwords.net), which is a blog on the craft and business of writing fantasy. Coe maintains the site with fellow fantasy writers Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, and C. E. Murphy.
Images courtesy of David B. Coe's websiteRelated Articles:
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