Blogger Interview!

The Director over at Castles, Quills and Cameras is hosting blogger interviews, and I got picked as the first one! Go check the post out on her blog, or read the interview here after the jump!






TD: What first made you want to start a blog?


Farjag: Well, my sisters began reading a bunch of girl-authored blogs about biblical
womanhood, and sewing, and hairstyles… ad nauseum, and I thought to
myself: “Self? You should write a manly blog about writing!” So I did. And after a
bit of a choppy start, here I am.


TD: What's the funnest thing about blogging for you? What about the hardest?


Farjag: The most fun thing? I don’t know if I would call it fun, but when I’m writing a
new post, and God shows me how I point it back to him… that’s just the coolest
feeling ever. It reminds me that all my work should be for His glory, and that it is
only by His grace that I can even write at all, let alone well.


TD: Your poems always give me chills- what's your inspiration when you write
poetry?


Farjag: I tend to use a lot of description in both my prose and poetry, and my poems
usually tend to flow from that. I begin by describing the image or scene in my
mind, and then see where the words go. I think the main thing that inspires me,
though, are words. I often have to dig deep for the right ones, the ones that by
their very nature carry a sense of history and epicness. ‘Flicker’ and ‘flame’ go
deeper than ‘waver’ and ‘fire.’


TD: What are your favorite movies?


Farjag: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, hands down. Other contenders would be Gods and
Generals, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Eagle and Inception.


TD: Okay, the fact that The Eagle is one of your favorites earns major bonus points with me! :)


Recently you blogged your opinions on coffee/tea/cider. Any other strong opinions concerning overrated beverages/food? ;)


Farjag: Well, I have noticed that most burger joint burgers look nothing like their pictures
on the menu board. I have, however, found that Backyard Burgers’ burgers…
well, they look just as appetizing on your plate as in the advertisement. :)


TD: I know you play violin- favorite stuff to play?


Farjag: Anything fiddle. I love folk music, anything Irish or historical American is going to
have me fiddling in no time. Oftentimes I’ll just let the music do it’s thing and just
play whatever comes to my fingers. I love playing old hymns too.


TD: And while we're on the subject- do you plan on posting videos of yourself
playing the violin?


Farjag: Truth be told, I hadn’t thought about it :) I shall have to consider it now!


TD: How long have you been novel writing?


Farjag: I have been novel writing since early 2006, when I wrote my first full-length story
as part of a challenge given to me on my birthday.


TD: What's your writing preference: computer or paper?


Farjag: The computer. It’s faster and easier to share and edit. I do, however, often write
out snippets in my writing notebooks for use later on. Most of my brainstorming
takes place on paper, and then the actual drafts are typed.


TD: Do you ever specifically listen/watch anything for inspiration?


Farjag: Can’t say I watch anything, it would make me think about the story it is telling,
and not mine. But listening… you betcha! Thomas Bergensen does some
really amazing stuff, and he and Nick Phoenix do even more amazing stuff on
their Two Steps From Hell albums. I also like listening to movie soundtracks,
especially if they’re by Hans Zimmer.


TD: Favorite genre to read?


Farjag: I really enjoy fantasy, though historical fiction has been one of my staples as well.
Generally, though, I will read anything that is well-written and interesting.


TD: Favorite genre of movies?


Farjag: I enjoy watching all types of movies, but I guess my favorites are period pieces,
war movies, and just about any movies that has swords in it. :)


TD: Again, a blogger after my own heart... :P Okay, worst question- favorite book of all time?


Farjag: Yea… tough one there. I generally tend to list authors rather than specific
books… makes thing easier :). Based on the physical state of the actual books, I
would probably pick The Lord of the Rings (My copy is a one-volume paper back
edition that has been taped back together at least twice), but I think the one I
actually could read over and over again would be Jules Verne’s The Mysterious
Island. I’m not sure though.


TD: You're interested in architecture- any specifics in that field?


Farjag: Not particularly, but civic buildings interest me (libraries, fire stations, town halls,
and the like). What I would truly love to do, however, would be to design movie
sets, or maybe even 3D game environments, but I’d be just as happy designing a
a private home as Rivendell.


TD: You know what, maybe I should sign you on for set design once I actually make another movie. ^_^


Anyway. Do you have any thoughts concerning.... 


Sleep?


Farjag: Get it. Otherwise you’ll turn into a zombie and I’ll have to sic my wolfhounds on
you. :)


Christopher Paolini, writer of the Eragon books?


Farjag: Guy focuses too much on his world and not enough on his plot and characters.
I mean, what’s the point of the dwarves choose their new king if Eragon’s just
going to end the book right back where he started with a few new spells and a
new sword under his belt? (Brisingr, I’m looking at you!) :P
I personally don’t think he copied as much from Lord of the Rings as Star Wars
with a few added connections thrown in. (Copied isn’t the right word, but “inspired
by” didn’t work my sentence structure :P)


Donuts?


Farjag: Give me stomach aches and unpleasant memories of Homer Price if I eat more
than one


Thomas Bergersen?


Farjag: His music is what epic is made of. Period. End of story. Go look him up.


(I agree. My favorites of his are Homecoming and Heart (or, "<3"). And I just bought Gift of Life. Man, that guy....)


Okay, back on track- your thoughts on Kindles (and similar electronic reading sources)?


Farjag: I personally prefer a hardbound book, but I don’t have a problem with them, and
if I ever publish anything, it will probably be only for them at first. They should
make electronic books with aged pages and typeset font, though. That would be
way cool.


Vampires? :P


Farjag: Were way cooler when they weren’t stuck-up teenagers with love problems. And
werewolves are better anyways. I mean, being allergic to garlic, light, holy water,
silver bullets, stakes and the like gets old pretty quick. Besides, I think turning
into a wolf is way more awesome than having a sparkly face. :)


TD: Finally... you've been blogging for a long time- any advice for new bloggers?


Farjag: Long time? *cough* I’ve, uh, been blogging steadily since September of last year.
Though I started the blog in December of 2009, there are only twelve posts for
those entire two years. Hardly blogging. :) I would by no means count myself as
an expert blogger. I actually consider myself a novice compared to most of the
other bloggers in the Christian writer’s circle I’ve found myself in.


But I can still give advice:
1) Pick your topic. Those first two years suffered because I wasn’t really sure
where I wanted the blog to go. Was it going to be about my life? My writing?
My reading? The epic in life?
2) Like anything else, get on a steady schedule and keep at it. When I decided
I wanted to really blog, I blogged nearly every day for almost a month.
Then, once I it had become a habit, I toned it down to every other day or
thereabouts. Pick a schedule that works for you.
3) Find your voice. And don’t say leetspeak and obviously improper grammar is
your voice. Cause it isn’t. You personality shines through your writing all the
better when it is well-crafted.


TD: If you had one thing to say to other aspiring Christian authors and/or filmmakers,
what would it be?


Farjag: I’d put my hands on their shoulders, look them in the eye, and tell them: “You
have the Greatest Story inside you. Let it shine through. Keep your gaze fixed on
the Eternal Author and Director, and He will guide your hand and voice as you
seek to tell the stories He has placed in your mind.”


Farjag: Thanks a ton for giving me this opportunity, D.! It was an honor to sit across from
you in my mind and answer your questions as I would have answered them had
we been talking face to face. May your quill stay ever sharp, and your inkpot ever
full!

TD: Oh no, Sir Farjag, it's you who should be thanked! I'm blessed to know a blogger like you :) Lord bless you as you continue doing all things wholeheartedly for His glory.