The Year of the Bear

Today we’re looking at ten really good books, and why I like them. Some inspire my writing, some are just inspirational, and some are just fun (see esp. Number 10). Maybe you’ve read some – you definitely should. Enjoy!

Saturday again, and we're continuing the theme of getting to know the author behind the book. My life is one that seems pretty normal to me, but with a few things that - once I start talking to people about it - are actually fairly unique. I've not included any of those in this list. Without further ado, 10 random facts about Daniel Dydek, author of By Ways Unseen.

I had wanted to save this post for around this time of year, because I knew I would have a newborn (he's actually almost a month old now) and my schedule would be even more hectic than it was - on top of having one course in a Master's program and looking down the throat of a second (course starts Oct. 1). And I wondered what my schedule by this point would actually look like. See, I like to be the guy that thwarts everyone's excuse. When you say: "I can't, because..." I want to be able to say: "I still do." Not to rub it in your face or make me seem better than you, but because I think we are each far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. Part of this blog is not to only tell the story of my year, but hopefully to inspire you to your best year - this year, and every year after. But to have our best year, sometimes we need to stare straight into the face of our adversity or our circumstances and say: "we still can."

Fantasy is definitely one of those genres that doesn't have a lot of credibility outside of its own sphere. For most of the world around us, they wonder why we waste our time. Fantasy is at turns an escape, demonic, frivolous, immature, nerdy...but most certainly not  literary, and not worth any real consideration. For those of us who write it, though, we can't imagine writing anything else. So if you're an "outsider" and looking maybe to come inside, here's 5 reasons to write fantasy -- which, oftentimes, will be enough reason to read it too.

When I started out as a writer in 1994, I was too young to care what I was getting myself into. Probably a lot of you are the same way. I'm not sure how many people hit their 20s, 30s, or 40s and suddenly think "hmmm, I think I'll be a writer." There may be some. For this post, though, I'm going to hand out some advice for people who are starting out calling  themselves writers -- who are starting to take that title more seriously, and what they can expect along the way.

Wonder Boys, 2001 I have heard of authors - and other creative types - who can't stand the question: "so, what's your inspiration?" Granted, maybe when you're famous or if you are über-creative, you get asked this question SO much, and you can't quite grasp at an answer, that it drives you mad. Fortunately for you all, I am neither famous nor über-creative (but I have fun). And I love answering this question.

Image by AlectorFencer I checked what today's topic was supposed to be, and let out a loud "hmmm." This one's a doozy, folks. Grab a tea or coffee and settle in. Let me tell you a little story.

Today we get to look at a few of the authors who have inspired me over the years. I started keeping a list, a year or two ago, of all the books I know I've read -- so far I'm up to 215. That's a lot of authors, and - truly - many of them have inspired me in one way or another. So, to keep it interesting, here's three influences on my writing, and the authors who showed me the way.

Day One, here it is! In all it’s glory, 10 things you probably didn’t know about By Ways Unseen.

Things will be getting a little bit back to normal around here, starting tomorrow: By Ways Unseen is out and available for purchase; blog tour is over; there's balloons and cake crumbs, and the last person is by the door saying good-byes and making sure their child doesn't run off and get lost. It's been great fun, and I thank everybody for coming. But there's no rest, to paraphrase, for the writer.