[caption id="attachment_101533" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Doc Pribadi"][/caption]
By: Moze
Books had power and influence over people with ranging with quantity, variety, and intensity. But who gave books such power? Who wrote them and managed every word to sing meanings and plots harmonically as to create marvelous books? The authors, of course. In my perspective, authors are masters of world-making, communicating, and language.
Why world-making? Firstly, world-making is such a hard thing to do. Here’s an example. As the author of the international best-selling book Graceling (By Kristin Cashore, author of Fire), it is like a skeleton. You need the outlines (the bones) and the plots (the muscles) to start a story moving. Yet there are rules to keep.
Geography, relationships, powers, and so on. For example, if an author creates a character in a book whose world is pure fantasy, when the character is tired, he can’t say “Goodness, I fell like I’ve just ran a marathon” because marathon is sports event named from a 28-mile plain in Greece famous for the battle that happened there. That means that the character knew something about Greece, but he shouldn’t since there is no Greece in the world he came from.
[caption id="attachment_101534" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Doc Pribadi"][/caption] When Cashore created Graceling (It’s her first novel, too, by the way. She was incredibly talented), she admitted the hardships when she finished the first chapter. An author knows the big plots, but it is hard to write more and more because the more you write the more restrictions and limitations are created. I learned a huge amount of world-making from her.
But notice that not all fictional books are like that. Their authors can also adapt the real world to the world he wants to create (for example read Michael Scotts best-seller series, the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel). Worlds hidden from ours are (at least in my experience) are the most commonly found in fiction books.
Why communicating? Because a good author should be able to put the correct words in the correct sequence and in the correct situation. That is how they can get the message from the book across to us readers. Talented authors gives better and more detailed messages.
Why language? Because putting the correct words needs knowledge. It is very hard to make a book when you don’t know the necessary words to make one, much less more detailed words (Try reading the Redemption of Althalus; it is an epic stand-alone novel). The more words you know, and the more you know how to use them, the better.
Why am I writing this? I wanted to tell the world why it should respect authors. Writing a book is not a minor talent. In fact, it is one talent that can give you power over people.
For example, the bestselling Christian novel, The Shack, reaches out to millions and people and can give them hope for the future. You can change the world through a book. Don’t be deterred by others if you want to write a book. Don’t let others intimidate you, calling you geek or naive or discouraging you from doing so.
My favorite author, Matthew Reilly, demonstrated that. When he first wrote his first bestselling book (all his books are best-sellers now) every single publisher in Sydney turned him down. In the end, he borrowed family money and printed 1000 copies. Immediately his fame exploded.
His fans originates from both his home country, Australia, and America. I am one of his fans, too. Reilly writes the fastest paced books in the world (want examples of the replies from famed organizations?
Here’s some: “King of Hardcore action” and “For stay-up-late, unputdownable ability, Reilly is the master” by bestseller author Brad Thor. “Rip roaring...There are thrills and spills galore...Outstanding.. A blind read.” By The Sun (UK), “Non-stop life-threatening action... not for the faint hearted. It’s a wild ride” The Daily Telegraph, Australia. See how incredible he is?). Now Reilly is married and has written over a dozen books (best-sellers, all of ‘em).
Indeed, never be deterred by other people. Not just in writing, but in the occupation you lve for as well. And for your own sake make the absolute best of it? Poor undergraduate student? You can write short stories to magazines, it can get you some extra money (happened to me once)! Try cooking! Work part-time in the job you really liked! Just a housewife? Set up weekly family watch hours! Family praying times! There is a lot you can do for the world. Perhaps,if you are determined to be better, the world can be a more beautiful place to live for others close to you.
If Reilly, a 17-year-old newly-graduated University student can write a best-seller that reached fans across the globe, then why can’t you?