By Laura Koenig | Echo
He hadn't won the Editor's Choice award. He just knew it. The acquisitions editor returned his novel manuscript before the awards banquet, telling him to send it to her for more feedback. He thought that was the end, and disappointment gnawed at his stomach. As the banquet pushed forward and the award winners were announced, one particular name rang through the hall: Luke Wildman.
Winning the Editor's Choice award from the Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas group was just the beginning of a long journey for junior professional writing major Luke Wildman. The journey started in June, when Wildman, along with other professional writing majors and department chair Dennis Hensley, traveled to Wheaton College for the annual Write-to-Publish conference.
At the conference, the students had the chance to connect with a variety of agents, editors and publishers. After researching the key people attending the conference, Wildman determined that he wanted to pitch his novel, "Days to Destruction," to Rowena Kuo of Brimstone Fiction.
"Brimstone is exactly what I wanted: a traditional, royalty-paying speculative-fiction publisher, one that produces for the general market," Wildman said.
However, Kuo was a popular editor at the conference. She was judging the Editor's Choice award, giving the winner a full edit of his or her book and the option to publish it with Brimstone Publishing. Even with this pressure, Wildman still managed to talk to her for a short amount of time, explaining his book to her with a thirty second pitch.
"I usually describe 'Days to Destruction'as a mystery thriller in a fantasy setting," said Wildman. "It takes place in a city called Telenine, where a pagan idol has just been unearthed beneath the palace. This idol appears to come alive and swears vengeance against the city."
The protagonist, Kale, has some doubts about these gods. He thinks there is something bigger in play. As he searches for the truth, his city is torn apart by government corruption and religious conflict, and his family is put into constant danger.
Wildman caught Kuo's interest with the novel he finished during his sophomore year at Taylor. She encouraged him to attend her manuscript and proposal critique groups. After staying up all night to piece together a proposal, even having technology problems right before another pitch, Wildman continued to hold Kuo's attention, and-to his surprise-earned the Editor's Choice award at the end of the conference.
Wildman is now beginning the process by self-editing his book, and plans to send it to Brimstone soon for their editing. Throughout this process, he is learning about some of the challenges of writing, specifically overcoming the urge to moralize his stories.
"I'm working to make the ending less 'What did we learn today, kids?' and more in line with Robert Jordan's philosophy about stories," said Wildman. "They should give us questions rather than answers."
Wildman finds it rewarding when his words stir up different emotions in people through his characters and meaningful reflections of life.
"Whether that's joy or wrath or grieving-that's when I know that the whole, frustrating menagerie is worth it," said Wildman.
This semester, Wildman is studying abroad in York, England at York St. John University. This transition has not hindered the process with Brimstone. He is inspired by the rich history surrounding him, like York's Roman city walls and York Minster.
Even while soaking in England's vibrant past, Wildman finds the experience scary.
"Here I am, struggling to craft an entire world, but compared with the layered complexity of real history and culture, it's like I'm fiddling with Lincoln Logs," Wildman said. "I'm getting some good ideas for my fantasy worlds, but I'm also understanding how much they pale in comparison with the real thing. Which I guess is how they should be: reflections."
The writer is also discovering that he is a "pantser"-a writer who writes by the seat of his pants. However, his book's complexity forced him to sit down and outline the plot. He is learning how to be content with knowing how all the pieces fit together instead of needing to be constantly thrilled with the process of the discovery.
As Wildman works through the process of editing his own work and using the feedback of others, he looks forward to the coming journey of working with Brimstone Publishing to edit his manuscript with the final goal of seeing the name of his novel on bookstore shelves.
But for now, he is enjoying the rewards and satisfaction of writing while looking for ways to overcome the challenges.
"When it flows smoothly, I really enjoy writing," Wildman said. "On some days, writing is anything but smooth. It is painful and stubborn and scary, because what if all that effort is futile? What if I'm saying something that isn't worth telling? It's a lot like faith: you just trust that the end result will be worth it."
You can follow the publication progress of "Days to Destruction" on Wildman's blog: lukelawwildman.blogspot.com.
