SPEAKER_00 0:00

Once you finish that first manuscript, it clears a mental block. At least it did for me, because before I wrote The Blacksmith's Boy to finish that first draft, I didn't know if I could do that. After I completed that first draft in late August of 2023, I then knew, oh, hey, you can write a manuscript. You can write a finished draft. And that has helped me the rest of the way.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Welcome to the Write It Scared podcast. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser, a formerly repressed creative soul, turned fiction writer, story editor, and author accelerator certified fiction book coach. At Write It Scared, we tell the truth about why writing a novel is so hard by acknowledging that most writers grapple with two stories. The one they want to put on the page to the best of their ability, and the often subconscious internal story that prevents them from doing it. This show is designed to help you identify and rewrite the internal narrative holding you back while you discover and write the story you want to tell and learn all the tools to help you do that successfully. Join me each week for a new episode where we'll talk about writing to deepen our understanding of the craft and of ourselves as writers. Writing a novel is an inside job that we do not do alone. Welcome to Write It Scared. I'm glad you're here. Let's dive in. Hi, writer. Welcome back to the Write It Scared Podcast. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser. Today we are talking about that messy place that many aspiring authors live. That place between the I want to write a book and I finished a book. My guest, debut fantasy author Bruce Buchanan, spent years starting and stopping and eventually giving up before he finally figured out how to finish his draft and ultimately published his debut novel. In this conversation, we get real about what actually keeps a story moving when life gets busy and the doubts creep in, and we dig into things that every writer wrestles with: finding momentum after false starts, figuring out where the heck the story should start, building a writing process that fits with your life and what to do when imposter syndrome hits you hard. So if you've got a story idea, but you feel like giving up, don't. This episode will give you the perspective and the practical tools that you need to start, keep going, and most importantly, finish. Let me give you Bruce's bio and then we will jump into our interview. Bruce Buchanan is the author of the new adult fantasy novel, The Blacksmith's Boy, and the forthcoming adult superhero novel, The Return of the Cerulean Blur. He is the communications writer for an international law firm and a former journalist, but he's always been a fan of fantasy and heroic fiction. His influences range from the novels of Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman and Terry Brooks to the Marvel comic stories of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with his family. Hi, Bruce. Thank you so much for coming on the Right It's Scared podcast. I am so happy to have you here today to talk about your debut novel. How's it going?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Things are going well, Stacey. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Right on. So you have a new novel out in the world. It's been out for, gosh, about a month now. And we're going to talk about that. But before we get into that, why don't you share a bit with our listeners about your journey to becoming a writer and a published author?

SPEAKER_00 3:34

All right. I would be glad to. It's it's been a long and somewhat circuitous journey to say the least. You know, I've always been interested in writing. I've, you know, actually I write for a living. I was a newspaper recorder for a number of years, and now I work in corporate communications in a you know in a writing, you know, focused job. So, you know, it's something I've I've done, but I've always wanted to write fiction. And I've tried a few times over the years, had a few things, short stories published here and there, but never really committed to it. Largely because I kept giving up. And that was for a variety of reasons. You know, I didn't have the time management skills, I didn't have the organizational skills, I didn't have the support network from fellow writers. And finally, about two and a half years ago, I decided that if I ever really wanted to get serious and get this novel written and get it out in the world, that that I just had to do it and I had to, you know, stop giving up. And so I did, and you know, I changed some of the things I'd been doing wrong. And that truth to be what I needed it to get over that hump and and get my manuscript written. And then it's all about getting it published, and that's a whole nother story. But you know, it's I started writing in early 2023, The Blacksmith's Boy, my new adult fantasy novel, and I finished it in late August that year. So, you know, five, six months or so.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

That was the first that was the draft, the rough draft.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

That was the first draft, yes. And it, you know, that I I didn't quite it was it felt like it was a big accomplishment for me at the time because I had never written a a full manuscript of of a novel. But the work was just beginning then. And that's uh, you know, I I knew there would be revisions and and uh I didn't know how many revisions I would make and all the the editing and rewriting that that goes into into that.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

But yeah, we call it rough with a capital R for a reason.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Amen to that. Yeah. One of the big things I struggled with was figuring out where to start the novel. I wanted to start as close to the action as I could, but I wrote a revised draft that I think started a little too late, and that we didn't have a good enough sense of of what you know the stakes were, what what the hero was trying to accomplish, or you know, how he got into this predicament. And a friend, mentor, fellow author, Shelby Reed read it and made exactly that point was you know, like, hey, Bruce, you need to back it up a little bit and paint a little more of a picture of why we're doing this and where we're going with it before you start out in into the hero's journey. And that proved to be great advice. And that was, you know, my initial instinct to begin with, but I second guessed myself, and I needed her to read it and and and tell me what I, you know, that uh that my revisions were wrong, and I need to go back. And I came up with a third version that started a little sooner, but still captured, you know, some of that necessary uh context and and and background.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

So yeah, and sometimes we have to, I mean we just have to write that background in that context just to get it down, just to understand it, to understand why the plight is personal and compelling for the main character. And then we gotta go in with the scissors and figure out how to make it personal and compelling for the character, but also intriguing for the reader. And that is no easy feat at all. So you said that in 2000, I think, 23, 2023 is when you decided to like get serious and kick this into gear. What was it that drove that decision for you? If if there was anything specific.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Well, I don't know that there was any like, you know, light bulb moments, but it was, but you know, my wife is uh really into painting and has always been, you know, so artistic. She's a writer herself, you know, sort of had that that creative outlet and has for a long time and does great work with it. And my son is a guitar player, that's his passion. I was like, well, you know, I really enjoy writing. I need a creative outlet as well. And so they were sort of my inspiration for for doing that. I'm like, you know, they're doing things that give them a lot of joy, and so I need to do that as well. So they inspired me to get serious about writing fiction.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah, sometimes it's just the timing of life, too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Oh, yeah. Oh, for sure. My first attempt attempt at writing this particular novel came when my son was a toddler. And yeah, I don't want to use that as an excuse because plenty of people, parents with young children, have written novels, but it just kind of proved that that that was that was a stumbling block. And I didn't have the time management skills at the time to make that work. But you know, when I picked it back up, he was in high school, you know, a lot more self-sufficient. So that was a big help. Had a little more free time on my hands.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Okay. Well, so in 2023, you started a new draft for this particular idea. But it was not the first time that you had attempted to write this story.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Correct. Okay. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

So tell us about the book.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Sure. It's a new adult fantasy, but the main characters are all between 18 and 21. They're in their adult roles in life, but they're still new to those roles, and they haven't quite figured it out yet. It is a heroic fantasy. A young man, Bach Omott, is a blacksmith's son, and he is his rural community's healer. He uses his form of magic called folk magic to attend to crops, you know, minister to the sick. He does a lot working with farmers, you know, with their their livestock and things like that. It's a you know, it's it's a pretty uh simple existence and one he thought he would be in the rest of his life. But he gets a summons from uh the kingdom's crown princess, Princess Isabella, who requests his presence in the capital, and he goes there, and it turns out that there has been this spell in a different part of the kingdom that has wiped out a swath of of farms and farm families. They're calling it the blight. And you know, if if it were to spread, it could cause a lot of destruction, a lot of chaos. It's something that they need to get a handle on. And uh so Bach is this unlikely hero who kind of gets drafted, and it's his first experience really away from home. It's it's Isabella's first time being in charge of like an important royal mission. And it turns out there's some pretty powerful people behind this this spell who don't want them to figure it out, and uh, things kind of get a little dangerous on the road. One of the big themes of this is that in this particular book, you know, the kingdom is very much split up among class lines, and and Bach is in the the serving class, the bottom of the social hierarchy. And so that's part of what makes him an unlikely hero. He's someone who normally wouldn't be associating with the people who he's on this mission with, but he has a certain set of knowledge that that might be helpful to them. And uh, we sort of get into that issue of class structures and you know unfair, you know, injustice sort of thing, you know, some things like that. I mean, it's not I'm not I don't want to say it's too heavy. It's not, it's an escapist fantasy, but there are some things that I kind of wanted people to think about a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

So sure. So what inspired you to write this idea?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Well, I to to paraphrase Willie Nelson, my my my heroes have always been heroes. And uh and and I've done a lot of thinking about, you know, I've always enjoyed stories about you know heroes and thought a lot about what makes a hero. And I've come to the conclusion that it's someone who strives to do the right thing even when that isn't the easiest route to go. There's the types of characters I I write about and that I enjoy reading about. You know, I I'm very much someone who who likes reading about good people trying to do the best they can. Doesn't mean they're perfect, doesn't mean they always make great decisions, you know, but just people who are trying to do the best they can, often under very difficult circumstances. And also like stories about friendships and overcoming tremendous odds. And so all those elements are kind of in there. Um my wife says that she can see like influences of things like Stand By Me and The Goonies and things like that, even though it's a fantasy novel, you know, that that those types of movies and elements are are in play and and not not even consciously, but just in the back of my mind, those those types of oh yeah, you're totally speaking my language.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

And and my decade.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yeah, that's mine.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, and plus they're fun, they're just yeah fun, right? Yeah, that's what escapist fantasy uh gives. I think is one of the beautiful things about it is it gives us just it's it's fun for fun. Yeah, and like the Goonies is fun for fun, it doesn't have to be anything else, that's enough, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Absolutely, and I hope this book is one thing. I I really thought about when I was writing it, editing it. I wanted this to be a fantasy that people who didn't normally enjoy fantasy would like. There's not a lot of complex world building or you know magic systems or some of the things that they that a lot of people really do like and you know do well, but I kind of thought that it that there are a lot of people out there who just kind of want a just a pretty straightforward story with relatable characters that just sort of happens to be set in a magical, mythical kind of place.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

And it's something for people to jump in and enjoy. And you have another one coming out, right? But for adults.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

I do. Well, it's I think it has a lot of the same themes and ideas, but it it does feature an adult protagonist. It's called The Return of the Cerulean Blur. And it comes out in May of next year, same publisher, Wild Inc. Publishing. And this is a redemption story for a middle-aged superhero. Her name is Susan Murphy, and as a young woman, she was a the the fastest person alive, uh, a costumed superhero in this world. But she made a terrible mistake and a tragic one, and that made her give up being the cerulean blur and kind of set her life into a downward spiral. She's battled depression, her marriage has dissolved, and worst of all, for her, she's become estranged from her teenage son. And he discovers her past that she was a superhero, and that actually starts to bring them back together. And because he's really interested in that and that and finding out that she has, you know, done this, and he's encouraging her to put the costume back on. At the same time, she wants to repair this relationship with her son, but her using her powers again gets the attention of a of someone from her past who has a personal score to settle. And the tagline for the book is for Susan Murphy to live, the cerulean blur must run again. And so it's a redemption story.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

Very clearly, adult superhero redemption. I love it. That sounds so cool. So, what's your writing process like now? I mean, what is it like for you to take a kernel of an idea and then complete a revised draft that you're ready to send to your publisher?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

I always tell people, do what works for you. There is no one path to doing this. But for me, one of the things I was telling, like I mentioned earlier, that I had to kick some bad habits for me. I have to be a plotter. I I have figured that out. I just can't go the pantsing route. It works for a lot of people. It just I just can't do it. So for each of my manuscripts so far, I am now taken to writing out a very detailed outline. And that doesn't mean that I I can't revise that as I get into the book, you know, because I do. But I I have to have that roadmap. And that's where I start from. And then, you know, we're all busy. So I I've learned that if I have a little bit of focused writing time every day, I can get a lot done. Yeah, obviously, if I have more than a little bit, that's that's better. But I try to take a minimum of 20 minutes a day, you know, turn off the phone, don't watch TV, no distractions, and just write and do that every single day. So that that's that's kind of my my process. That that's what works for me.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Yep. Everybody has a different way. And it takes a while to figure it out, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

And each book could be different too. I at least that's what I found in my personal experience. Is that some I have to plot more heavily. And some if I if I plot too much, this is mostly what happens to me. I can get the setup pretty solid, but then and then I have like these ideas for the rest of it, but then it kind of goes off the rails, and then I gotta revamp everything.

unknown 18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

It's a messy, a messy, messy process. So, what did your path to publication look like? Did you know that you always wanted to go the traditional route? Did you query? Did you how did it work for you?

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Oh, I had no clue what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to write a book, and I I was so naive about the publishing process, and I hadn't I had no idea how it worked. But then I discovered some fellow writers online, and you know that that was a huge help to me to have people to, you know, not only bounce ideas off of, but to steer me in the right direction in the publishing industry and to be there, like when you get those inevitable rejections to you know to cheer you up a little bit. But met some people with with Wild Inc. publishing, and they actually had an a call for submissions for a horror anthology. And I had a short story that I'd been kicking around, and I'm like, well, why don't I write it and submit it and just see what happens, you know. I uh what do I have to lose? And I did, and they accepted it, and that developed a dialogue with some of the people at Wild Inc. And I in particular, I started talking with Amy Nielsen, who's who's a literary agent as well as at the time she was working, she was all she's also a Wild Inc. author and was working on another anthology for them at the time.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Yeah, Amy's amazing, she's been on the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Okay, yeah, she's great. And then she introduced me to Shelby Reed, who was, you know, had had written who wrote Wild Inc.'s first novel, My Heart is Hurting, and it's an excellent novel if anybody out there wants to read it. And uh so the two of them, uh, you know, and and I started talking with them and and they introduced me, you know, to to some of the other people at Wild Inc. And you know, uh then I started talking with publisher Abigail Wilde, and finally I was like, well, why don't I see if they're interested? And so I sent so they asked for my my manuscript and I sent it to them and and chewed my nails for a couple of months while they reviewed it, and uh they said they wanted to to publish it. And that was just such a wonderful day when I got that that notification, you know. I decided at that point that they were a publisher I wanted to work with. I was going to, you know, sort of see what happens with them before I I did anything else with this manuscript. And and luckily they decided they wanted it. So it's been a great experience working with them. And like I said, got got some more irons in the fire there for for next year.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

That's exciting. So you had mentioned that you'd been writing for like 15 years on and off, and that your pattern was to not finish, which a lot of us can relate to. You are not alone by any means. And that's what really struck me about your story, is because you said you had given up. A lot. And then you were really, really glad that you didn't. And the heart of the podcast really is dedicated to telling the truth about why writing is is so hard and why we face those moments where we go, uh, maybe I should just put it down, or or the times when we do put it down and more way. And you know what the internal tape inside that's playing, that's telling us, that's driving those decisions instead of. So that's what I'd like to ask you about next. Can you share times when the creative process, the writing, has gotten hard? And when you felt like you maybe didn't belong there, wanted to quit. What was it like and and what helped you?

SPEAKER_00 22:40

Oh yeah. I actually gave up on this particular book in the past. And that's something I always regretted doing, but you know, I I just didn't quite know how to how to make it work. And then even on working on this book, you know, like I said, you know, I I queried some agents and didn't get anywhere with that. And, you know, I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know about these wonderful small presses out there that do great work. Really, I what I would say to any writer is you know, find a support network of other other writers who can give you advice and someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to and someone to to boost you when when you when you're feeling down. You know, obviously my my family has always done that as well. They've been very supportive, but a fellow writer who knows what it's like to get a rejection email, you know, sometimes it sucks, but you know, but you can commiserate about that and you know, say like, oh, don't worry about it. I got one of those this week too. Keep on keeping on, you know. I I would also just encourage people to find ways to get involved in the writing community, whether it's reading and reviewing someone else's book. That's something I've I've done. And and you know, I didn't realize how much it meant to other writers until I started doing it and then got and then now that people are are reading and reviewing my book, I now I get it. I'm like, okay, I get why this why this is such a good feeling for people. So that that's one thing you know you can do where you know, if it's helping out a writer's organization, a publishing house, anything you can do to get involved in the in a writing community is I think a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Yeah. You know, I was thinking when you were when you were speaking, it's kind of funny that writing is we tend to think of it so in such an insulary way compared to other activities that we do, right? Our work, for example, whatever it is that we do. I mean, we had to learn to do whatever it is that we're doing, right? We didn't just like pop out of the womb knowing how to practice medicine or knowing how to, you know, be a teacher or what what whatever have you, or a mechanic or anything like that. But so, and and in those roles, we tend to find people who will encourage us. We tend to find people who will critique us, we tend to find people who help keep us organized. We need all those pieces. So it's not any different when it comes to writing. We need somebody to inspire us, right? And that's often the authors that we look up to. We need people to critique us to help us grow. I right. And we need cheerleaders to be behind us and be there when it's when we're like, oh my God, why? Why am I bothering to do this? You know, I love the the quote that says, if you think you want to write fiction, you should just take an aspirin and go lay down and take a nap. But I think that's true of anything that is a challenge. I mean, there's just going to be times when it's difficult and when we have to, you know, we have to lean on other people. So the point that I'm trying to make is that writing's no different than anything else. It's a challenge. And when you have a challenge, you shouldn't feel bad about leaning on people, finding community. And that's actually the thing that makes it the most beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Or one of them.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Absolutely, no, it it absolutely, that has been such a rewarding thing for for me. And I have gotten so much help and leaned on so many people. So when other writers, you know, if if they need a faker for me or that, you know, support for me, I do my best to try to return that because I've been the beneficiary of so much.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

This is a pay in this is a pay it forward place. It really, really is. I know that the the ideology I had when I started writing was that people just wrote books. They were just good at it and they just wrote stories and they did it by themselves, right? Because writing is an isolated activity. You do it alone. Yeah. But the bringing the book into the world, or even the bringing the idea to the draft, actually, it's not done in isolation. It's not done alone. And that's why, like, the tagline for Write It Scared is writing a novel is an inside job we don't do alone. I mean, it comes from us, it doesn't flourish just because of us.

SPEAKER_00 27:21

So absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

So when you look back over the years that you've been writing, the years you've been involved in the creative process, what have you learned about dealing with your inner critic? Is there any tips or tricks or anything that you use to just, you know, stay in it?

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Yeah, I struggle with imposter syndrome and have for a long time. And, you know, deep down, I think that's a big part of the reason it took me so long to write this book. You know, again, I I think having that network of other writers can help you get through that because many of us deal with that that harsh self-critic, that inner critic. So having support from other writers can can really help overcome that. And and I will also say that it makes the inevitable setbacks and rejection a lot easier to stomach. Because you can look back and say, like, well, this didn't work out, but you know, that didn't work out at first either, and look where where it ended up, you know. I think the more you do it, the more that self-confidence builds up a little bit. I mean, not that not that the the imposter syndrome ever goes away, but it it gets a little quieter.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Yes. Writing is a practice. And confidence grows out of practicing.

SPEAKER_00 28:44

Well said.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Well, before we wrap up, I ask every guest, what is your wish for your fellow writers out there, maybe someone similar to you who has written, you know, for a long time, but for some reason or another is having a hard time kicking it into gear, going after what they really want. What what wish would you like to impart to them? What would you like to say to them?

SPEAKER_00 29:11

I would just say to keep going. You can do this. It you can make this happen. It's not easy, but it is doable, and there are people out there who will support you. And one thing I have have found in in addition to the book coming out next year that's that's signed. I've got a couple more things I'm working on as well, but I have that that are in you know in finished draft form that I'm I'm rewriting and you know taking out into the world. So I've now have four finished manuscripts. So once you do one, it gets a lot easier from there.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Oh, that's great. I totally agree. First books they teach us so much, and and one of the biggest things they make us realize is that we can take something and that didn't exist before and take it to be end. And that is an incredible feeling. I hope every every person out there who is aspiring to write a novel gets to have that feeling. And now look at you. You got four manuscripts, right? Behind you. Four manuscripts behind you. That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time today for coming on and talking to us about your books and your writing process. Where can listeners find you and find your books?

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Well, I guess the best place to find me is my website, Bruce Buchananauthor.com. Also, I am on the various socials. I am B Buchanan Womble, W M B L E on X, Twitter, whatever it's called these days. I'm uh also on Instagram at Bruce Buchanan7710, and I'm on Blue Sky. If you go to the Wild Inc. publishing website, they've got an author page there. Probably the author website's a great place to start, but you know, I'm not hard to find. I'm I'm out there.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Well, congratulations again on your debut novel and all of the novels that you have forthcoming. I'm excited for the world to read your stories.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

Well, thank you so much. It's a good feeling to have this one out in the world and know that there's there's more to come.

SPEAKER_01 31:30

Thank you for listening to the Write It Scared podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please make sure to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode. And please leave a review. Reviews help other writers like you find the voices and messages they need to hear to continue to write their stories. Let's lift each other up. Remember, you can be scared and still be unstoppable. I'll see you next week.