Status: Writing Chapter 20 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (Quiet day.)
Listening to: "Track X" by Sheep on Drugs; "No Love Will Heal" by In Strict Confidence; "Maniacal" by KMFDM
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 173)
TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING THE BOOKS YOU INTEND TO WRITE
When the Price of Freedom is completed sometime in 2011 or 2012; I'll either be looking at an impressive personal record of 1 million words, or I'll be pretty damned close! (lol)
But the point of writing the first book in this six-book saga isn't to simply shoot for a million words, but to tell a story. I've already crossed the threshold by achieving a new high in any of the books written so far. But I still have a long ways to go.
Of course, I'll have people tell me that I should cut my book down and fit it into the space of a breadbox. but seriously everyone: Who am I writing this book for? An industry that doesn't want the book anyway, or for a small eclective group of readers--whom might enjoy something a little different from usual fare of commercialized literature?
I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me--in terms of editing--but for right now...I need to focus more on finishing the book instead of worrying about all the little details about publishing, marketing, and shrinking it down so massively that what is left is completely unrecognizable to the average reader with an 8th grade reading equivalent. (Sad but true. There are studies that show that some Americans can't read past the 5th or 6th grade level these days.)
13 years ago, I couldn't have imagined doing something on a scale this large. My maximum ceiling limit back then was 60,000 words (like today's minimum allotted word counts by agents and publishers), and I was having a bitch of a time trying to break 100,000 words.
Nothing I wrote seemed to be working! lol
No...
Scratch that.
The problem wasn't the word counts. It was me.
My mind simply hadn't evolved to a point where I started to see things differently with my writing. Doors inside my mind were still very much closed off and I was just plodding along the best I could.
Sometime in 1999, I finally did it though.
I hit the magical number of 100,000 words! (Okay, so it was 99,500. But close enough. Is anyone going to roast me alive for stretching things out a little here? >g<)
But the problem was, my book back then wasn't good enough. It needed some work. However, I couldn't see that.
Couldn't see beyond my own limitations. It took the words of one editor to finally unlock the doors to greater potential within me.
I spent the next 10 months rewriting that book and broke through another milestone while doing it: 200,000 words!
But even then, I wasn't done with the book. While the novel was being looked at by my second agent, I suddenly had an ephinany; a revelation like none other: I had this "urge" to go back and rewrite that book over again and make it better!
So began another long journey into what would become 300,000 words. (With some spare change included of course.)
And that book was none other than The Starchild.
But why 1 million words (potentially) for The Price of Freedom and only 300,000 words for The Starchild and its sequel; Starchild Duel?
Quite frankly, it's because of the way I've approached each storyline by the extent each saga will run: One will always be longer than the other by design. Not by simple default.
For example: Stories of the Dead Earth is a first-person POV saga that limits itself by the simple fact that the storylines will be shorter and the action fast-paced. So the maximum word count for this saga shouldn't breach no more than 125,000 words maximum. (I'm shooting for 110,000 conservatively.)
The Starchild saga could easily breach 400 to 500,000 words--eventually. 300,00 words (for right now) is the absolute ceiling limit for the first 2 novels in this 30 book series. (I planned out this saga some 10 years ago with some storyline modifications over the last 4 years.)
The Price of Freedom is so much different than anything I've ever gone and created. This saga involves a much deeper and more richer storyline than what I have currently running in both The Starchild and Stories of the Dead Earth. (Which was my answer to people's nagging persistence that I write 'shorter novels'.)
And it has taken me to new levels of storytelling than I ever thought possible. Add the erotic romance elements into the mix, and you have something that makes those classic 'Civil War' novels look like a walk in the park. (The books that were titled by each state's given name; Texas!.)
Tooting my horn a little? Yes and no. I am proud of what I've gone and accomplished as a disabled individual and as a writer in question. But I'm not going to glorify this as a new publishing standard and hope to hell that people will follow me and emulate what I've spent the last 4 years trying to finish.
In fact, I would advise against trying in the first place. Seriously here folks. Don't even try!
Writing expansive tomes that stretch hundreds of thousands of words takes years of practice and a deep understanding of your craft.
Simply jumping on the band wagon and declaring in a broad voice; "I want to be like So and So!" isn't going to make your book any better.
Wanting to be like someone and understanding what they really wrote are two different things here. I've come across newbie writers whom want to be like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, but they lack the general understanding of what they've gone and written.
No single book that they've published is one and the same. Each storyline or plot will be different from last book. And in time, the next generation of novels that they publish will take on a life completely apart from the very first novel that they spent years writing and publishing.
Which is why I don't want to copy or be copied by anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps.
Each of my novels may have a singularly running theme in the beginning, but over time?
Everything changes.
But you also have to have a deeper understanding of what I'm writing as well--and be prepared to encounter (and deal with) the myriad of track changes and pitfalls that each book has engrained within.
For example, The Starchild explores the beginnings of the legendary Starchild of Ancient Lore; and Isis McGowan's thrust into that unsuspecting mantle. The 14-year-old girl is plagued by both uncertainties, challenges, setbacks, and everything under the sun--while grappling with the repercussions of having virtually unlimited power at her fingertips.
Pretty straightfoward, right?
Think you can duplicate the book down to a science?
No.
And why not?
Because while you may be able write something similar in style to The Starchild you won't be able to grasp the subtle nuances and inflections embedded into the novel itself.
And what's more, Starchild Duel completely blows off the cover to what sequels should be and read like!
Here you have a much different storyline which deals with personal confrontations, past events, but also has a much darker tone to the overall storyline than the last book.
This novel is a "no holds barred" entity--where anything goes and there is no line drawn for anyone involved in that conflict.
Which makes trying to duplicate The Starchild that much more difficult. If you were expecting to find the same pattern in the second book--from the first one--prepare to be vastly disappointed.
The same applies to The Price of Freedom. While the first novel may illustrate a generational war being fought on many levels and fronts, the second book; The Catalyst of Freedom will completely deep-six that notion entirely--throwing off any hope of trying to ensconce into that one entirely.
Stories of the Dead Earth may be a little easier on the surface (based on its fantasy orbits), but the storyline elements itself may prove to be a migraine for even the most enthusiastic entrepreneurs of "copy and paste".
If there is one thing I enjoy doing the most, it is to make my work as layered as possible.
I know most people will complain in the near-future that my works are to "wordy" for their tastes, but this is the way I approach my writing. Prose should be used to tell a story; not to limit oneself by getting your point across in the fewest words possible. (Where's the fun in that? lol)
With Stories of the Dead Earth, I took my cues from both fantasy, religion, and a multitude of my favorite RPG games--and combined that knowledge to create what has become a very fun and exciting adventure!
Most aspiring writers only look at the one thing which they like about their favorite author; the one thing which they want to adopt and integrate into their own works.
Not what makes that book so universally recognizable under the surface.
There is so much more to writing a novel or copying someone else--than just first-time impressions.
"I want to write horror like Stephen King!" I hear from the majority of new writers.
"I want to write a book like JK Rowling!" (Personally, I hope not. 10 years of dealing with that insane book craze is enough for me. Can we go onto something else that won't make my hair go gray prematurely? lol)
But do they know how to write those kinds of books or what it takes to reach that kind of level of professionalism?
Most likely not.
Which brings me back to my own books. I know enough of my own storylines and plots to see where everything is going to fit--not to mention all the deep-seated nuances and inflections contained within. People can try and copy what is The Starchild, what is The Price of Freedom (good luck going for that 1 million words kids!), but unless you can truly understand what I am trying to write--or what King and Rowling wrote and published--the best you can come away with is more of a pale copy of the original--that is nowhere near as good.
This is why I am such an ardant advocate of sticking with what works for you; while trying to stay as original to your books as close as possible.
Unfortunately, few people ever listen to me anyways. It's like I'm talking to a brick wall or a room full of deaf people. (No offense to the deaf!)
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
THURSDAY'S MUSINGS. (PART 2)
Status: Writing Chapter 16 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (News hasn't started.)
Listening to: "Sugar Steps" by Kama Sutra; Visions of Ibiza--Disc 1.
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: BUCKING THE TREND
As I discussed earlier at the beginning of the last entry, there are people out there who want to either sanitize or severely trim my books so that they read better, sound better, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I remember coming across someone yesterday in one of my writer groups; telling everyone that her book was 195,000 words, but she managed to get it down to 120,000.
She said that it sounded better, read better, and was more "action-packed".
The sad thing about this example is this writer may not even know her own true potential--if she keeps axing out all the important parts to her novel; if she keeps streamlining her work to fit a standard template for publishing.
I've seen this many times over the years, where writers have novels ranging from 150K to as much as 300K--but in the end...?
They end up taking so much out of it.
And for what? To fit in?
The point of being a writer isn't to destroy what you've gone and created for the sake of money, the premise of being traditionally published, and the potential to become one of those famous authors who can live independently on their own self-absorbed income.
The point is to tell a story. To build a foundation for yourself and your work.
Naturally, I have people tell me that I cannot hold onto everything I write, but I do--because I am telling a story. Not just writing a novel.
The use of words is more than just an illustrious example of going for the Big Cheese and impressing your peeps on the internet.
We use them to express ourselves, to illustrate our creations, and most importantly--to tell a story.
But if we strive to limit ourselves in our pursuits of that, then we limit ourselves in our own potential as a writer.
How do we profess to be published authors, if we continue to take out the most important parts to our novels--by toning down our words, trimming out every bit of prose and replace it with choppy; non-connected sentences and phrases?
It may look good and passable to the untrained eye, but for those of us whom write and weave our tales into telling tomes which enrapture our respective audiences...?
Inside, I'm screaming!
For example?
In my first generation version of The Starchild, there is a scene between Isis and Bayen at a place called Observation Park.
This is the first opening sentence to it:
"...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been to. The trees in the park gave way to a translucent dome that showed a panorama of stars and a pure white moon..."
To anyone reading this, this would sound okay, right?
Wrong!
This opening paragraph just sucks! Why? Because it doesn't show anything!
It doesn't go into depth, doesn't express the whole feeling of actually being there, and doesn't impart anything important to the reader.
It lacks detail, it lacks depth, and it lacks impact.
But this example is what publishers want for their books! Overall, the majority of the novels we read today are done in this particular format.
This streamlined example is what goes into most writers' exposes when they complete their books.
Here is the updated version to that same scene. And while you may instantly notice that there is no mention of the dome, the trees, or the stars in the opening scene, most of what went into Observation Park's description had been taken out for something more sublime and easier to assimiliate:
"...The very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world. From her point of view, that’s exactly what it was. And this raw sense of feeling left her breathless as a result..."
What's changed between the two examples? Quite a bit!
In the 10 years since this book was completed, the style and voice in which I had been stuck with had suddenly transformed into something which exudes more confidence, more imagination, and more emotion.
The first opening words to the first example: "...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been in..."--had been replaced with, "...the very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world..."
4-5 years ago--this particular change had taken place because I had started to see things differently about the way I was writing. It wasn't something which I was desperate for, but it was a natural evolution in my abilities and writing.
And I took that opportunity in May of 2003 to reconstruct The Starchild completely from scratch by rewriting the 2nd draft version into something new.
But this new version was much different than the old-version. The old version was more compact, more direct--and didn't offer the reader a chance to do much of anything--except to plow right through the novel at a breakneck pace.
This second example illustrates how my writing style transformed into something else. Something which is lacking in the current media mainstream of novels.
The first example only used 2 short sentences to describe the opening scene (which was on page 105 of the first draft), and didn't use more than one powerword to impact the reader with. (Breathtaking)
The second rough example used three sentences to revamp the opening scene with (which was on page 480 of the third draft). But they aren't short sentences either. They are elaborately spun pieces of prose.
By drawing out the scene into something the reader can picture inside their heads, the reader can get a good, solid grasp of what's really going on.
This isn't what publishers really are after. They want books that are quick and to the point. Namely because readers these days have woefully short attention recall, and the older generation of readers aren't reading as much as they used to. (Not to mention that teens these days are spending more of their reading time on the 'net, on their games, and other techno-distractions--that reading has become something of a lost 'art' these days.)
The second example also uses a revamped version of breathtaking by using the word breathlessly to describe an emotional state.
When was the last time your character freely expressed themselves in one manner or another--rather than just blindly rushing through the whole scene or the process altogether?
Dollars to doughnuts, they haven't. And if they have, the moment in question was much too fleeting to pay it any mind; for both the author and the reader.
Oddly enough, I find that the second example needs some further tweaking--which is yet another clear example of my abilities evolving further still.
But...
The second example has been transformed from what was a bland form of writing into a more emotional core platform which gives Isis McGowan a sense of realism and physical presence.
Which the first example clearly lacked.
This is what is meant by "bucking the trend" in writing.
By doing something which rubs against the grain of conventional thought and due process.
This is what the industry and many of my critics are so dead set against wanting to see happen.
Being traditionally published may be good and all for the aspiring writer whom craves nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, but what it will always boil down to is whether or not that published plebe has the ability to convey themselves well as a master story-teller.
Doing a rush job on the whole thing won't get any of us any closer to our said goals. Because once you write something and complete it, you really aren't finished with the project in question.
You're just starting a process that only scratches the surface.
If you really want to shine, then you have to really grasp what you've written. Not just how well it reads to you, but every little crack, every little nuance--until (at some point)--you're really certain that this is what you first envisioned when you started out.
Because if it isn't...?
Then you still have a lot of work ahead of you until you do.
And that's the truth.
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (News hasn't started.)
Listening to: "Sugar Steps" by Kama Sutra; Visions of Ibiza--Disc 1.
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: BUCKING THE TREND
As I discussed earlier at the beginning of the last entry, there are people out there who want to either sanitize or severely trim my books so that they read better, sound better, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I remember coming across someone yesterday in one of my writer groups; telling everyone that her book was 195,000 words, but she managed to get it down to 120,000.
She said that it sounded better, read better, and was more "action-packed".
The sad thing about this example is this writer may not even know her own true potential--if she keeps axing out all the important parts to her novel; if she keeps streamlining her work to fit a standard template for publishing.
I've seen this many times over the years, where writers have novels ranging from 150K to as much as 300K--but in the end...?
They end up taking so much out of it.
And for what? To fit in?
The point of being a writer isn't to destroy what you've gone and created for the sake of money, the premise of being traditionally published, and the potential to become one of those famous authors who can live independently on their own self-absorbed income.
The point is to tell a story. To build a foundation for yourself and your work.
Naturally, I have people tell me that I cannot hold onto everything I write, but I do--because I am telling a story. Not just writing a novel.
The use of words is more than just an illustrious example of going for the Big Cheese and impressing your peeps on the internet.
We use them to express ourselves, to illustrate our creations, and most importantly--to tell a story.
But if we strive to limit ourselves in our pursuits of that, then we limit ourselves in our own potential as a writer.
How do we profess to be published authors, if we continue to take out the most important parts to our novels--by toning down our words, trimming out every bit of prose and replace it with choppy; non-connected sentences and phrases?
It may look good and passable to the untrained eye, but for those of us whom write and weave our tales into telling tomes which enrapture our respective audiences...?
Inside, I'm screaming!
For example?
In my first generation version of The Starchild, there is a scene between Isis and Bayen at a place called Observation Park.
This is the first opening sentence to it:
"...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been to. The trees in the park gave way to a translucent dome that showed a panorama of stars and a pure white moon..."
To anyone reading this, this would sound okay, right?
Wrong!
This opening paragraph just sucks! Why? Because it doesn't show anything!
It doesn't go into depth, doesn't express the whole feeling of actually being there, and doesn't impart anything important to the reader.
It lacks detail, it lacks depth, and it lacks impact.
But this example is what publishers want for their books! Overall, the majority of the novels we read today are done in this particular format.
This streamlined example is what goes into most writers' exposes when they complete their books.
Here is the updated version to that same scene. And while you may instantly notice that there is no mention of the dome, the trees, or the stars in the opening scene, most of what went into Observation Park's description had been taken out for something more sublime and easier to assimiliate:
"...The very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world. From her point of view, that’s exactly what it was. And this raw sense of feeling left her breathless as a result..."
What's changed between the two examples? Quite a bit!
In the 10 years since this book was completed, the style and voice in which I had been stuck with had suddenly transformed into something which exudes more confidence, more imagination, and more emotion.
The first opening words to the first example: "...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been in..."--had been replaced with, "...the very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world..."
4-5 years ago--this particular change had taken place because I had started to see things differently about the way I was writing. It wasn't something which I was desperate for, but it was a natural evolution in my abilities and writing.
And I took that opportunity in May of 2003 to reconstruct The Starchild completely from scratch by rewriting the 2nd draft version into something new.
But this new version was much different than the old-version. The old version was more compact, more direct--and didn't offer the reader a chance to do much of anything--except to plow right through the novel at a breakneck pace.
This second example illustrates how my writing style transformed into something else. Something which is lacking in the current media mainstream of novels.
The first example only used 2 short sentences to describe the opening scene (which was on page 105 of the first draft), and didn't use more than one powerword to impact the reader with. (Breathtaking)
The second rough example used three sentences to revamp the opening scene with (which was on page 480 of the third draft). But they aren't short sentences either. They are elaborately spun pieces of prose.
By drawing out the scene into something the reader can picture inside their heads, the reader can get a good, solid grasp of what's really going on.
This isn't what publishers really are after. They want books that are quick and to the point. Namely because readers these days have woefully short attention recall, and the older generation of readers aren't reading as much as they used to. (Not to mention that teens these days are spending more of their reading time on the 'net, on their games, and other techno-distractions--that reading has become something of a lost 'art' these days.)
The second example also uses a revamped version of breathtaking by using the word breathlessly to describe an emotional state.
When was the last time your character freely expressed themselves in one manner or another--rather than just blindly rushing through the whole scene or the process altogether?
Dollars to doughnuts, they haven't. And if they have, the moment in question was much too fleeting to pay it any mind; for both the author and the reader.
Oddly enough, I find that the second example needs some further tweaking--which is yet another clear example of my abilities evolving further still.
But...
The second example has been transformed from what was a bland form of writing into a more emotional core platform which gives Isis McGowan a sense of realism and physical presence.
Which the first example clearly lacked.
This is what is meant by "bucking the trend" in writing.
By doing something which rubs against the grain of conventional thought and due process.
This is what the industry and many of my critics are so dead set against wanting to see happen.
Being traditionally published may be good and all for the aspiring writer whom craves nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, but what it will always boil down to is whether or not that published plebe has the ability to convey themselves well as a master story-teller.
Doing a rush job on the whole thing won't get any of us any closer to our said goals. Because once you write something and complete it, you really aren't finished with the project in question.
You're just starting a process that only scratches the surface.
If you really want to shine, then you have to really grasp what you've written. Not just how well it reads to you, but every little crack, every little nuance--until (at some point)--you're really certain that this is what you first envisioned when you started out.
Because if it isn't...?
Then you still have a lot of work ahead of you until you do.
And that's the truth.
THURSDAY MUSINGS. (PART 1)
Status: Writing Chapter 16 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Early Morning News
Listening to: "Platina" [Mauritis Paardekooper Mix]; Nokturnal Mix Sessions by Blue Amazon
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: IT'S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT
To many times I've had people tell me that in order to be published, I would have to axe a lot in my completed tomes; just to satisfy the whims of some big-name publisher.
If I said my book was 400,000 words, I would have someone tell me to axe it all the way down to 80,000.
1 million? 75,000 words.
Why? Because most people cannot comprehend the scope and depth of the books that I write. They still see things in the classic black vs. white construct: Where everything has to be set in stone, and there is no going around it.
But there is.
In this day and age, the advent of the internet and the advancement of printing and digitial technologies has made our ability to reach out to the masses even more simplistic than ever before.
But very few people have been able to catch onto that fact. The majority are still entrenched in the old ideals of: 'everything has to be done the other way; there is no easy to way to do things'.
So when the question of my enormous word counts crop up, people aren't looking at the glass half-full, they are looking for ways to kill a storyline that has taken me years to build, mold, and fashion.
And why?
The writing I do does not follow conventional logic. Call what I do as unconventional. Call it illogical.
But don't call it mainstream.
Because that's not what it is.
In the mainstream, we are all told what to say, what to read, and what to write.
ESPECIALLY WHAT WE WRITE.
We have a set pattern before us, a mold, a model, from which to draw on--in order to follow the common status quo.
We cannot deviate from that set pattern.
When you run into someone like me who has never entered the arena with eyes open or never had a writing class in his life, you're bound to discover that doing it the old-fashioned way suddenly gives way to new and radical ideas.
Thoughts and the "rebel without a cause" routine which has most of the traditionals and their supporters bristling with poisonous thoughts.
Results?
You're bound to get your collective ass kicked because you are flying in the face of common sense and kiss-ass mentalities. Plus, you are defying an edict which had been laid out decades before any of us were even born.
So enters the attack dogs and the naysayers--damned determined to upset your little apple cart by telling you that you cannot do this, cannot do that--and everything else designed to kill any forward momentum on your projects.
Why?
Because you have to follow the rules. It's all about the rules.
You can't break them. You can't bend them. And you certainly cannot go around them.
In order to be successful, you have to do what they want. No debate. No discussion. End of story.
But setting yourself apart from everything that has been a driving force behind and industry that's as old as time itself--it doesn't come easy.
You have to make sure that what you're writing doesn't infringe on what's already out there. You have to make sure that every step you take has the desired result.
And not many people will understand your intent to go in that other direction.
Being different isn't a weakness. It's a strength that no one else has. It also gives you the opportunity to showcase that special talent that you've been painstakingly developing all your life.
And whether people will truly understand that, isn't up to you to decide.
It's their ball. They can play it however they want.
But the most important thing is that you don't stop doing what you've set out to do.
Even if it defies logic, common sense, and tradition.
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Early Morning News
Listening to: "Platina" [Mauritis Paardekooper Mix]; Nokturnal Mix Sessions by Blue Amazon
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: IT'S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT
To many times I've had people tell me that in order to be published, I would have to axe a lot in my completed tomes; just to satisfy the whims of some big-name publisher.
If I said my book was 400,000 words, I would have someone tell me to axe it all the way down to 80,000.
1 million? 75,000 words.
Why? Because most people cannot comprehend the scope and depth of the books that I write. They still see things in the classic black vs. white construct: Where everything has to be set in stone, and there is no going around it.
But there is.
In this day and age, the advent of the internet and the advancement of printing and digitial technologies has made our ability to reach out to the masses even more simplistic than ever before.
But very few people have been able to catch onto that fact. The majority are still entrenched in the old ideals of: 'everything has to be done the other way; there is no easy to way to do things'.
So when the question of my enormous word counts crop up, people aren't looking at the glass half-full, they are looking for ways to kill a storyline that has taken me years to build, mold, and fashion.
And why?
The writing I do does not follow conventional logic. Call what I do as unconventional. Call it illogical.
But don't call it mainstream.
Because that's not what it is.
In the mainstream, we are all told what to say, what to read, and what to write.
ESPECIALLY WHAT WE WRITE.
We have a set pattern before us, a mold, a model, from which to draw on--in order to follow the common status quo.
We cannot deviate from that set pattern.
When you run into someone like me who has never entered the arena with eyes open or never had a writing class in his life, you're bound to discover that doing it the old-fashioned way suddenly gives way to new and radical ideas.
Thoughts and the "rebel without a cause" routine which has most of the traditionals and their supporters bristling with poisonous thoughts.
Results?
You're bound to get your collective ass kicked because you are flying in the face of common sense and kiss-ass mentalities. Plus, you are defying an edict which had been laid out decades before any of us were even born.
So enters the attack dogs and the naysayers--damned determined to upset your little apple cart by telling you that you cannot do this, cannot do that--and everything else designed to kill any forward momentum on your projects.
Why?
Because you have to follow the rules. It's all about the rules.
You can't break them. You can't bend them. And you certainly cannot go around them.
In order to be successful, you have to do what they want. No debate. No discussion. End of story.
But setting yourself apart from everything that has been a driving force behind and industry that's as old as time itself--it doesn't come easy.
You have to make sure that what you're writing doesn't infringe on what's already out there. You have to make sure that every step you take has the desired result.
And not many people will understand your intent to go in that other direction.
Being different isn't a weakness. It's a strength that no one else has. It also gives you the opportunity to showcase that special talent that you've been painstakingly developing all your life.
And whether people will truly understand that, isn't up to you to decide.
It's their ball. They can play it however they want.
But the most important thing is that you don't stop doing what you've set out to do.
Even if it defies logic, common sense, and tradition.
Monday, January 7, 2008
MONDAY WORDS OF WISDOM.
Status: Writing Chapter 14 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: News Hour with Jim Leher
Listening to: "Addicted [Mushroom Dub]"; Nokturnal Mix Sessions by DJ Moda
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: CHARACTER CONFLICT
This is something which I posted to one of my groups last night:
I create conflict simply because I'm enamored by death and destruction. Macabre it may sound, but chaos, misery, and despair have always been constant companions in my life.
I've never known a true moment of peace in life, my days are consumed by worry about whether or not I'll have a place to live, food on the table, and the usual necessities which I find to be a comforting blanket of security.
But I also know that when conflict comes into my writing, I just don't add conflict to move the story along--filler as the case may be--but it comes at a critical point in the story arc.
Or it's used as a launch pad for the rest of the story--a key element in what's transpiring.
I use conflict to illustrate a, well, conflict for my characters; a dilemma, a moral incongruity--something that draws the reader into the book--not just skimming the pages and hoping for the best.
Some people adamantly believe that conflict is the only way you can keep someone riveted. And I'm like, "This is a novel, not a Hollywood-style shoot-em-up movie."
This is where the lines of common sense blur. No one really understands that conflict is just a part of the novel, not the whole enchillada.
It's much like the tide: Conflict ebbs and flows. You can't have it constantly crash, because it is draining and tiring on your target audience.
You have to give them time to recharge, relax, and recover. Hitting them incessantly with conflict is just going to cause them to put the book down.
This may not be what the big guns say, but from someone whose treated conflict as a second skin to better writing, you quickly learn that conflict has its place in the book. It's not the whole reason why the manuscript exists in the first place.
But in part...? It plays an important role. The trick is to keep it smooth and mellow. Yes, there is a time for when your character needs to make a critical judgment call, needs to shoot the bad guy, or needs to escape to fight another day, but you can't do that--if all you have is never ending conflict.
You don't just write a book to impress your fellow peeps. You write a book to build upon your foundation of knowledge and understanding of your craft.
Not what the industry lays out as irrefutable canon.
If you have an intimate awareness of what your literary pursuits are--and where they will go--then these parts of a novel (conflict included) will have their rightful place in your storyline.
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: News Hour with Jim Leher
Listening to: "Addicted [Mushroom Dub]"; Nokturnal Mix Sessions by DJ Moda
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: CHARACTER CONFLICT
This is something which I posted to one of my groups last night:
I create conflict simply because I'm enamored by death and destruction. Macabre it may sound, but chaos, misery, and despair have always been constant companions in my life.
I've never known a true moment of peace in life, my days are consumed by worry about whether or not I'll have a place to live, food on the table, and the usual necessities which I find to be a comforting blanket of security.
But I also know that when conflict comes into my writing, I just don't add conflict to move the story along--filler as the case may be--but it comes at a critical point in the story arc.
Or it's used as a launch pad for the rest of the story--a key element in what's transpiring.
I use conflict to illustrate a, well, conflict for my characters; a dilemma, a moral incongruity--something that draws the reader into the book--not just skimming the pages and hoping for the best.
Some people adamantly believe that conflict is the only way you can keep someone riveted. And I'm like, "This is a novel, not a Hollywood-style shoot-em-up movie."
This is where the lines of common sense blur. No one really understands that conflict is just a part of the novel, not the whole enchillada.
It's much like the tide: Conflict ebbs and flows. You can't have it constantly crash, because it is draining and tiring on your target audience.
You have to give them time to recharge, relax, and recover. Hitting them incessantly with conflict is just going to cause them to put the book down.
This may not be what the big guns say, but from someone whose treated conflict as a second skin to better writing, you quickly learn that conflict has its place in the book. It's not the whole reason why the manuscript exists in the first place.
But in part...? It plays an important role. The trick is to keep it smooth and mellow. Yes, there is a time for when your character needs to make a critical judgment call, needs to shoot the bad guy, or needs to escape to fight another day, but you can't do that--if all you have is never ending conflict.
You don't just write a book to impress your fellow peeps. You write a book to build upon your foundation of knowledge and understanding of your craft.
Not what the industry lays out as irrefutable canon.
If you have an intimate awareness of what your literary pursuits are--and where they will go--then these parts of a novel (conflict included) will have their rightful place in your storyline.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
SUNDAY IRONY.
Status: Writing Chapter 14 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: American Dad
Listening to: "Canaan" by Mindless Faith
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: ART IMITATES LIFE
Watching this episode of "American Dad" where Steve Smith becomes a famous author; and ends up hating it--gave me some insight on what I've been dealing with trying to get published myself.
I particularly liked it when Steve's dad said he wrote over 3,000 books about "Patriot Pigeon" fighting evil wherever he went with his red, white, and blue turds of justice--and then showing his son the TEN THOUSAND REJECTION LETTERS he had collected for his books; before finally getting accepted himself!
(And I had like 100 so far over the last 8 years.)
Suffice to say, I'm laughing my butt off over this one.
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: American Dad
Listening to: "Canaan" by Mindless Faith
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: ART IMITATES LIFE
Watching this episode of "American Dad" where Steve Smith becomes a famous author; and ends up hating it--gave me some insight on what I've been dealing with trying to get published myself.
I particularly liked it when Steve's dad said he wrote over 3,000 books about "Patriot Pigeon" fighting evil wherever he went with his red, white, and blue turds of justice--and then showing his son the TEN THOUSAND REJECTION LETTERS he had collected for his books; before finally getting accepted himself!
(And I had like 100 so far over the last 8 years.)
Suffice to say, I'm laughing my butt off over this one.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
SATURDAY SURPRISE.
Status: Writing Chapter 14 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Football! (GO SEAHAWKS!)
Listening to: "What I've Done" by Linkin Park; "Doomsday Clock" by Smashing Pumpkins (From the Transformers movie soundtrack)
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: INVITE TO SUBMIT AGAIN IN 2011.
The last of the query submissions for The Price of Freedom have finally run their course and this one rejection was a bit of a surprise.
From the Spiridon Literary Agency:
"I’m glad you’ve a project you feel so positive about. But from a publishing perspective, it is best to wait until the book is complete before approaching an agent. An agent is someone who tries to sell an already complete book to publishers. You need to finish writing this, revise it, and make sure it is in top form before submitting to agents. A few years is a long time. When it’s complete, you can query again if you like based on what is done.
Thanks again and best wishes."
I just hope that Alethea doesn't mind when it comes back nearly three times the current word count amount. (Of course, I'm not planning on submitting this book again until after I get The Starchild up and running. I'll need the extra funds to help with the editing of POF.)
I still have lots to do with the book. :0)
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Football! (GO SEAHAWKS!)
Listening to: "What I've Done" by Linkin Park; "Doomsday Clock" by Smashing Pumpkins (From the Transformers movie soundtrack)
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: INVITE TO SUBMIT AGAIN IN 2011.
The last of the query submissions for The Price of Freedom have finally run their course and this one rejection was a bit of a surprise.
From the Spiridon Literary Agency:
"I’m glad you’ve a project you feel so positive about. But from a publishing perspective, it is best to wait until the book is complete before approaching an agent. An agent is someone who tries to sell an already complete book to publishers. You need to finish writing this, revise it, and make sure it is in top form before submitting to agents. A few years is a long time. When it’s complete, you can query again if you like based on what is done.
Thanks again and best wishes."
I just hope that Alethea doesn't mind when it comes back nearly three times the current word count amount. (Of course, I'm not planning on submitting this book again until after I get The Starchild up and running. I'll need the extra funds to help with the editing of POF.)
I still have lots to do with the book. :0)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
WEDNESDAY NEWS.
Status: Writing Chapter 12 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: News!
Listening to: "Numb" by Linkin Park
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
TOPIC: PUBLISHING TRANSFORMS EVEN MORE
I find this a bit interesting--simply because I've known for quite some time that on-demand, self-publishing, and e-publishing would finally transform the way we approach the topic of traditional publishing.
It just took awhile before things began to catch up in terms of affordability and technology.
Not to mention time.
Before, it used to mean waiting years or even decades to finally be picked up. But print-on-demand technologies has made it so that the final curtain to publishing could be made available to all aspiring writers and authors--no matter whom they are.
And--as the below article shows--things have gotten better so that the stigma of being self-published or e-published is no longer a major concern.
***
NEW YORK - Getting a book published isn't the rarefied literary feat it once was.
New printing technologies are making published authors of legions of aspiring writers, a population that once toiled for years on tomes that might not see the light of day.
The vast majority of today's instant authors may sell only a few dozen copies of their books, but on-demand publishing is letting thousands realize the ambitions of generations of would-be writers.
On-demand publisher Lulu.com has churned out 236,000 paperbacks since it opened in 2002, and its volume of new paperbacks has risen each month this year, hitting 14,745 in November.
Retail giant Amazon.com got into the game this summer, offering on-demand publishing through its CreateSpace, which was already letting filmmakers and musicians burn DVDs and CDs.
The programs are easy for just about anyone to use: Authors select basic options, including the book's size, binding style and paperback or hardcover. After the manuscript is uploaded, users go to a page where they select a font and design the book's cover. Even after a book has been printed they can fix typos for later printings.
Unlike vanity publishing, in which aspiring authors pay to have their books run on traditional presses, on-demand publishing doesn't have to cost writers a cent.
Publishers produce books only after they're ordered and paid for, which eliminates overruns and the need for warehousing. They charge for printing, or take a cut of sales, and they set up payment systems, online bookstores and Web marketing tools.
Some authors publish on-demand books in hopes of catching the eye of a major publisher. But not all writers who use on-demand publishers aspire to write the great American novel.
The system also allows small businesses to print high-end brochures, screenwriters to shop their scripts around and others to assemble wedding and other special-event books for friends and family.
"I'm just amazed I have the book in my hand," said Catherine Dyer, a 49-year-old Atlanta resident who co-authored a cookbook with her four sisters through Lulu.com. "I knew trying to get a traditional publisher would take ages. With this, I knew at the onset I could have a book in my hand."
"You Want Me To Bring a Dish?" — the sisters' 104-page cookbook — sells for $22.76. They've ordered about 100 copies to stock stores around Atlanta and are promoting the book through local signings and radio appearances.
Dyer's already brainstorming ideas for a spinoff.
"Cause I know I can get it published," she said.
The challenge for authors now is getting the word out about their work.
"It's all about the marketing and distribution. We realized early on that that was the bigger challenge," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO of Blurb.com, an on-demand publisher with 11,000 available self-published titles.
To help authors, Blurb automatically creates widgets that can be dragged and dropped onto other Web sites.
What makes self-publishing viable is the Internet, which gives writers instant access to audiences that share their same interests, no matter how obscure. Authors also use online communities such as blogs, MySpace.com and others to market their works.
"It used to be, if you created a book about an obscure topic, your audience was limited. Now maybe you're part of an online gardening community, and you already have an audience of 5,000 who care deeply about roses," Gittins said.
For most aspiring authors, a book deal with a major publishing house remains the ultimate dream, however.
Big companies like Random House Inc. or HarperCollins Publishers can promote authors on a national scale and get titles in major bookstores. Professional editors also polish copy in the traditional publishing world, a step that can transform a manuscript into a best-seller or perhaps a masterpiece.
"The value and cachet of being with a larger house is still something authors value," said Tina Jordan, vice president of the Association of American Publishers.
Users of Amazon.com's CreateSpace are listed the same way as literary giants online. Keyword searches will pull up self-published books along with those of Grisham, Shakespeare, Hemingway or Rowling.
The writers are willing to live with drawbacks that would drive a purist crazy. Printing quality can vary, with images possibly emerging denser or brighter in some copies. Some in the industry say the quality of on-demand publishing has improved greatly and few would be able to distinguish the difference from those printed on traditional presses. And on-demand books are priced according to their length, making them pricier than books printed en masse.
But Gittins said shoppers are willing to pay a little more for a book tailored to a specific audience.
"It's really an opportunity for people to get their creative content out there to millions of people," said Stacey Hurwitz, spokeswoman for CreateSpace.
______
On the Net:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10ls9o008/*http://www.Lulu.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10m65k9fa/*http://www.Blurb.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10s0tjjln/*http://www.createspace.com
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: News!
Listening to: "Numb" by Linkin Park
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
TOPIC: PUBLISHING TRANSFORMS EVEN MORE
I find this a bit interesting--simply because I've known for quite some time that on-demand, self-publishing, and e-publishing would finally transform the way we approach the topic of traditional publishing.
It just took awhile before things began to catch up in terms of affordability and technology.
Not to mention time.
Before, it used to mean waiting years or even decades to finally be picked up. But print-on-demand technologies has made it so that the final curtain to publishing could be made available to all aspiring writers and authors--no matter whom they are.
And--as the below article shows--things have gotten better so that the stigma of being self-published or e-published is no longer a major concern.
***
NEW YORK - Getting a book published isn't the rarefied literary feat it once was.
New printing technologies are making published authors of legions of aspiring writers, a population that once toiled for years on tomes that might not see the light of day.
The vast majority of today's instant authors may sell only a few dozen copies of their books, but on-demand publishing is letting thousands realize the ambitions of generations of would-be writers.
On-demand publisher Lulu.com has churned out 236,000 paperbacks since it opened in 2002, and its volume of new paperbacks has risen each month this year, hitting 14,745 in November.
Retail giant Amazon.com got into the game this summer, offering on-demand publishing through its CreateSpace, which was already letting filmmakers and musicians burn DVDs and CDs.
The programs are easy for just about anyone to use: Authors select basic options, including the book's size, binding style and paperback or hardcover. After the manuscript is uploaded, users go to a page where they select a font and design the book's cover. Even after a book has been printed they can fix typos for later printings.
Unlike vanity publishing, in which aspiring authors pay to have their books run on traditional presses, on-demand publishing doesn't have to cost writers a cent.
Publishers produce books only after they're ordered and paid for, which eliminates overruns and the need for warehousing. They charge for printing, or take a cut of sales, and they set up payment systems, online bookstores and Web marketing tools.
Some authors publish on-demand books in hopes of catching the eye of a major publisher. But not all writers who use on-demand publishers aspire to write the great American novel.
The system also allows small businesses to print high-end brochures, screenwriters to shop their scripts around and others to assemble wedding and other special-event books for friends and family.
"I'm just amazed I have the book in my hand," said Catherine Dyer, a 49-year-old Atlanta resident who co-authored a cookbook with her four sisters through Lulu.com. "I knew trying to get a traditional publisher would take ages. With this, I knew at the onset I could have a book in my hand."
"You Want Me To Bring a Dish?" — the sisters' 104-page cookbook — sells for $22.76. They've ordered about 100 copies to stock stores around Atlanta and are promoting the book through local signings and radio appearances.
Dyer's already brainstorming ideas for a spinoff.
"Cause I know I can get it published," she said.
The challenge for authors now is getting the word out about their work.
"It's all about the marketing and distribution. We realized early on that that was the bigger challenge," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO of Blurb.com, an on-demand publisher with 11,000 available self-published titles.
To help authors, Blurb automatically creates widgets that can be dragged and dropped onto other Web sites.
What makes self-publishing viable is the Internet, which gives writers instant access to audiences that share their same interests, no matter how obscure. Authors also use online communities such as blogs, MySpace.com and others to market their works.
"It used to be, if you created a book about an obscure topic, your audience was limited. Now maybe you're part of an online gardening community, and you already have an audience of 5,000 who care deeply about roses," Gittins said.
For most aspiring authors, a book deal with a major publishing house remains the ultimate dream, however.
Big companies like Random House Inc. or HarperCollins Publishers can promote authors on a national scale and get titles in major bookstores. Professional editors also polish copy in the traditional publishing world, a step that can transform a manuscript into a best-seller or perhaps a masterpiece.
"The value and cachet of being with a larger house is still something authors value," said Tina Jordan, vice president of the Association of American Publishers.
Users of Amazon.com's CreateSpace are listed the same way as literary giants online. Keyword searches will pull up self-published books along with those of Grisham, Shakespeare, Hemingway or Rowling.
The writers are willing to live with drawbacks that would drive a purist crazy. Printing quality can vary, with images possibly emerging denser or brighter in some copies. Some in the industry say the quality of on-demand publishing has improved greatly and few would be able to distinguish the difference from those printed on traditional presses. And on-demand books are priced according to their length, making them pricier than books printed en masse.
But Gittins said shoppers are willing to pay a little more for a book tailored to a specific audience.
"It's really an opportunity for people to get their creative content out there to millions of people," said Stacey Hurwitz, spokeswoman for CreateSpace.
______
On the Net:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10ls9o008/*http://www.Lulu.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10m65k9fa/*http://www.Blurb.com
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_hi_te/storytext/business_of_life/25746480/SIG=10s0tjjln/*http://www.createspace.com
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