Monthly Archives: May 2023

D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club, Declaimer’s Discovery Chapter 38 Part 2 -Episode 63 (2:36)

D. T. Kane reads the second half of chapter 38 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, Declaimer’s Discovery.

Into the Dragon’s Maw, Part V of The Spoken Books Uprising, now available: www.books2read.com/intothedragonsmaw

Support D. T. Kane (and get free books!): www.patreon.com/dtkane

If you’re enjoying the show and/or have already read some of D. T. Kane’s books, consider either purchasing an eBook or paperback or leave a review on Amazon or wherever you purchase books:

Follow this link to leave a review of the Acktus Trials, Part I of The Spoken Books Uprising: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38

The Acktus Trials, an epic fantasy novel, available now: https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

The first eBox Set of The Spoken Books Uprising, Parts I-III, is now available! It features two original essays about my inspiration behind the series and also artwork depicting Baz, Deliritous, and Rox. Buy here: https://books2read.com/spokenbooksboxset

Buy direct from my Pay Hip store and get the box set for $3.99! Or, purchase a signed copy of the Acktus Trials. https://payhip.com/dtkane

Parts II, III, IV, and V of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight: https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Part IV, Declaimer’s Stand: https://books2read.com/declaimersstand

Part V, Into the Dragon’s Maw: http://books2read.com/intothedragonsmaw

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this episode:
Deliritous (Del): Baz’s Master, Heir to Torchsire Library

Duke Farston Leamina: Leader of Leamina Library and Chair of the Triumvirate Congress

May 5, 2023 Fantasy Quote OTW

“Size defeats us. For the fish, the lake in which he lives is the universe. What does the fish think when he is jerked up by the mouth through the silver limits of existence and into a new universe where the air drowns him and the light is blue madness?”

― Stephen King, The Gunslinger

I’ve been reviewing some of my favorite writing advice lately as I deal with the ups and downs of drafting my next novel. Some days I feel great about it, others the self-doubt rears its ugly head. If you’ve been following along with my recent updates–including today’s–you’ll know that my current work-in-progress is turning out to be a bit of a behemoth. There are times when I feel like I’ll never finish it.

        So when I stumbled on this quote from The Gunslinger yesterday, it reminded me of some excellent advice I took to heart when working on my first novel. It also applies to many other types of work, not just writing. 

        When embarking on an extended project, you can’t constantly zoom out and review how far you are from the finish line. That only makes it feel like an insurmountable task. You need to develop tunnel vision. Writing a whole novel might seem impossible, but writing a hundred words is doable (or a thousand, or fifty–whatever daily goal works for you).* 

        In other words, you break the enormous task into small, easily achieved chunks, build momentum, then repeat until completion. Each day you’ll feel better having accomplished your micro goal and won’t feel the existential dread over the impossibility of climbing a mountain in a single day.

        Related to this is the somewhat clichéd principle that you need to enjoy the journey. Finishing a project is great, but the sense of accomplishment, or praise, or reward, or whatever it is that awaits at the project’s end is fleeting. A reporter once asked tennis star Chris Evert how long the thrill of winning Wimbledon lasted. She responded, “About an hour.” 

        Now, there’s nothing wrong with achievement, but just keep in mind that the high of reaching that goal will be fleeting. Most of your time will be spent working toward it, and what sort of life are you living if you only enjoy yourself during those ephemeral moments of accomplishment? So stop being anxious about reaching the finish line, and start enjoying the process of putting one foot in front of the other. 

*If you write just 250 words/day, that’s over 90,000 words in a year. There’s the first draft of your novel!

Do you have a favorite fantasy quote? Email it to me and I may feature it in a future installment of Fantasy Quote of the Week?

May 5, 2023 Photos of the Week

        This week, we’re playing around with the contrasts between black and white and color. Color can really draw the eye but it can also be distracting, and black and white allows you to focus more on texture and mood. These are just a few shots I took while strolling around the little village I live in last weekend.

D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club, Declaimer’s Discovery Chapter 38 Part 1 -Episode 62 (2:35)

D. T. Kane reads the first half of chapter 38 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, Declaimer’s Discovery.

Into the Dragon’s Maw, Part V of The Spoken Books Uprising, now available: www.books2read.com/intothedragonsmaw

Support D. T. Kane (and get free books!): www.patreon.com/dtkane

If you’re enjoying the show and/or have already read some of D. T. Kane’s books, consider either purchasing an eBook or paperback or leave a review on Amazon or wherever you purchase books:

Follow this link to leave a review of the Acktus Trials, Part I of The Spoken Books Uprising: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38

The Acktus Trials, an epic fantasy novel, available now: https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

The first eBox Set of The Spoken Books Uprising, Parts I-III, is now available! It features two original essays about my inspiration behind the series and also artwork depicting Baz, Deliritous, and Rox. Buy here: https://books2read.com/spokenbooksboxset

Buy direct from my Pay Hip store and get the box set for $3.99! Or, purchase a signed copy of the Acktus Trials. https://payhip.com/dtkane

Parts II, III, IV, and V of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight: https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Part IV, Declaimer’s Stand: https://books2read.com/declaimersstand

Part V, Into the Dragon’s Maw: http://books2read.com/intothedragonsmaw

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this episode:
Deliritous (Del): Baz’s Master, Heir to Torchsire Library

Captain Forzo: Guard in the Indomitable Army

Duke Farston Leamina: Leader of Leamina Library and Chair of the Triumvirate Congress