So I am a part of an online writing group!!! Which is way cool. And one of the other authors got on and asked for volunteers {eeek, save Prim!} to write posts for him and then he'd do one for you. I did mine for him {which I might post on here someday...}. So here is his:
Introducing: Oliver Dahl
I don't think the story of how I started writing is very different from anybody else's. Perhaps it just started earlier than most. I remember when I was in Kindergarten, and even earlier, that I really enjoyed reading nonfiction books. I liked learning new things. Whether it was pirates or castles, I enjoyed learning more about these cool things! I recall being quite fond of the Eyewitness series of nonfiction books. Their cool pictures along with interesting tidbits of info on rocks, swords, and more were my favorite. The first real books I wrote were mock ups of my own series of books, quite like the Eyewitness series. I would take printer paper, draw a few pictures in crayons, and write short sentences off to the side explaining what was going on. I remember looking through them a while ago and laughing at a stick figure frowning behind prison bars. The caption read, "In the dungeon you die."
From there, I moved on to the Magic Tree House books, and followed those up until book 30 or 40, always getting the newest one at the book fair every year. I enjoyed the fantasy element. (Looking back, I realized that these books are pretty much Doctor Who for kids... Minus the Doctor, aliens, and instead of a Police box TARDIS, it's a tree house. Okay, they're not that much alike, but I can draw a few similarities, okay?)
This got me on my fantasy/fiction kick. I got into Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, and fell in love with the way he wrote, addressing the reader, while using humor and sarcasm to express unique ideas. To this day, this series is one of my all-time favorites.
More books followed. Alex Rider, The Underland Chronicles, (by Suzanne Collins... Check them out!) the Transall Saga (by Gary Paulsen) and Holes. A lot of my love for reading, and for the genre of books that I enjoy now, came from my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Bivens.
After reading book after book day after day, I discovered the writer's adage, "Write the kind of book you would like to read," by myself. I had read all these books, and seen all these movies, and they were all awesome! But... I felt like I could make something even more awesome. Something with elements from every story I had ever enjoyed. Something with dragons, fairies, wizards, sword fighting, AND airplanes! This story idea, originally written in messy handwriting on notebook paper is now The Stone Chronicles, a 550+ page epic that needs another rewriting. I still love it so much, and I don't want to ever let go of it.
Once I started seriously writing this book, more ideas came to mind. I would write them down in a notebook whenever I had them. None of them seemed to be quite as good as "The Stone Chronicles," so I never really suffered from wanting to abandon the book to write something else. That is, until The Dreamers.
When NaNoWriMo 2011 rolled around, I didn't realize what it really was until almost halfway through November. When I realized that you had to write something completely new in the month's time, I got excited. I had a good new idea that I thought I could pull off pretty well! I distinctly remember purposefully walking to my room, opening a new document, and getting started without a problem. In that last half of the month, I wrote almost 30,000 words, and the first draft of what is now "The Dreamers."
I think that about sums up how I started writing. I sure don't plan on stopping any time soon.
About Oliver: Born in 1998, Oliver Dahl is the oldest of five children and lives in Idaho. Previous to finishing middle school, The Dreamers had earned him the a spot as one of Idaho's Top 50 Idaho authors (2011). The title of Idaho's Student of the Year (2012) preceded both the publication of Dahl's second novel, The Nightmarers, and the completion of his freshman year of high school.
Oliver's books have spent time in the top percentages of books on Amazon.com. Authors like Brandon Mull, Obert Skye, and Richard Paul Evans own autographed copies and have expressed interest in The Dreamers. Dahl is also an awarded musician and engineer. In addition to these accomplishments, he has twice as many Oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio, and has won the Tour de France as many times as Lance Armstrong.
Links:
Facebook Page: Click here to view my page.
Twitter: @OliverWDahl.
YouTube: Click here to view my Channel.
Amazon Author Page: Click here to view.
GoodReads Author Page: Click here to view.
Google+: Click here to add "The Dreamers" to your circles.
Tumblr: check out what I think is funny at www.oliverwdahl.tumblr.com!
Imgur: pictures (usually funny) www.oliverwdahl.imgur.com
DeviantArt: See what I'm drawing over at www.oliverwdahl.deviantart.com
I'm on Riffle! Check out my profile.
Well, there you have it folks!!! Hope you are enjoying this fabulous Wednesday weather!!!!!! :D
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Bingo! Write what you like and what you would like to read, not what others want. ;)
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