Hello, Readers! Clevenger here.

As Graham told you, I got a chance to run down to Alabama and spend some time with him for his birthday. It was a wonderful time!

I’ve been fortunate to be able to make a run about once or twice a year to see him. I would love to make it more often, but with work and family (not to mention a 10 hour drive), the trip does have its limits. But it’s always worth it.

It was during one of these trips that the infamous conversation that birthed Manticore’s Shadow happened. So it fit that we approached the end of this project that we did the same. And with us sitting across from each other, we put in 4 days of blazing work. But unlike Graham, I think that a lot of it was inspired because of the “hopping” we did.

When we were at the cafe in Barnes and Nobles we reviewed our notes, made a checklist and decided what items we needed to address… and then we looked at some book covers to get inspired as to what Manticore would look like. Then we drove over to the local game store. While there, we started making actual changes. Adding lines and dialog, tweaking relationships, digging deep. Surrounded by the creative space of a game store with dozens of people playing TTRPGs and card games, surrounded by thousands of miniature figures and terrain pieces, I was inspired. I could tap into that love of fantasy that inspired Sainan.

That’s who I am. I’m a wanderer.

Heat doesn’t affect me. I’m an iguana at heart. So I actually tend towards outdoor locations during the summer, and indoor things in the winter. But I’m all about the experiences.

My dream vacations involve seeing historical or geological marvels. Going to old cities, museums, theatres, and others is what I love to do. And when I get back to the hotel, I grab my laptop, sit on the balcony and write. Without the inspiration of stimulus from all around, my juices get thin. So my vacation is really about recharging the batteries and creative flow.

If I were to pencil in my idea of a “dream writer retreat” I would want to break it up into segments. I would want a morning at the cafe, quiet and isolated. A serene location where Graham and I could sit (laptop to laptop) and hash out a few ideas and generate our task list. Then, we would run over to a bookstore or game store where we could camp out in the corner and knock out a few of those agenda items we just identified. A break and then we would hit a museum or show and gather ideas that inspire new elements in our world. We finish the night with a whiteboard room, brainstorming all our plot points and ideas, hashing out inconsistencies and making notes to what will make them more real.

I would then take a moment to myself and then jot down the last remaining elements, all to start it over again. In a way, it’s very similar to Graham’s, except that I want a few “distractions” for my brain.

The only thing that I would have changed for last week’s trip was to break our trip a bit more. We buckled down on Friday and hashed out 12-13 hours of work. Then we did about 4 hours on Saturday and took the night off for birthday celebrations. Sunday and Monday again, we went back to 12-13 hour days. I would have loved another “off” night between those two. I work best in “bursts” with little recharge points between.

As far as a “Writer’s Workshop” or “Writer’s Retreat” I agree, that it would have been MUCH cooler to have been able to do that early in Manticore’s Shadow. And maybe it is something Graham and I can do when we crack down on our NEXT novel or series. I actually speak in public for a living, so I’ll handle the “crowd” management for the two of us!

Which leads me to my last little dream. I am actually the most excited about the possibility of going to conventions. Comic Cons, Game Conventions, Pop Culture events, and other gatherings excite me. I’ve attended them for years (GenCon in Indianapolis, IN and C2E2 in Chicago, IL). I’ve got my eyes on big events and would love the idea of rubbing elbows with other creative artists like Brandon Sanderson, Wendy and Richard Pini, Matt Mercer, and the other members of Critical Role. I hope to one day see a person come to a booth (dressed as Symon or Jesse or Thorn) and tell me that they connected to our story. It will be a work day, that I enjoy SO very much.

Well, I’m rambling now… so I’ll leave you to next time. What dreams may come next?

Be Kind.

-Clevenger