Today's Earworm: The Damaged Ones by 9ELECTRIC
Today's Date: February 27, 2017
So I was reading Stephen King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams story collection and before each story is a note about that story.
Well, in the note before the story, A Death, which is story 6, he talks about how sometimes stories come to him. He also talks about how a story comes to him in parts, a cup and a handle in the note before story 3, Batman and Robin Had an Alteration.
This...this sparked a thought in my head because he talked about how he often had visions of a kind of a character gathering. He talked about The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams which offered a metaphor, or a parable if you want to think about it, where there is a fire with a single character sitting there. And more characters would come with more fuel for the fire until they're all shown by the fire.
Well, apparently for A Death, he saw a man with a man trying to read a newspaper by a kerosene lantern.
And then of course, I'm going "How do I come up with my stories?"
Thus, this blog came to be. Because I have talked about my Plot Hike (which is how I build a story up instead of the Plot Moutain) and somewhat on how I get my stories, I wanted to actually talk with you guys on how I come up with stories.
Note: I am publishing this blog post on my livejournal fanfiction update page, so if you somehow found it there, no, I'm not stealing my own post from myself. Don't worry.
So...how do I come up with my stories?
Actually, any kind of way.
I've been known to just randomly think up an idea. Take Black Veiled Saviour for example. It's a murder mystery with undertones of homosexual romance, and it's one of my favorite stories in work. And the idea was sparked by Black Veil Brides song Saviour. It gave me Bo, who is one of my main characters as he thought about his future lover, Alexx.
It was a very interesting prospect, so I went back and relistened to the song. This time, I got an image of Alexx, in his original form since he's since changed a few times, of him sitting down and writing a letter to a fan of his musical group.
I wrote that story and if you go to my livejournal, here, you can read it.
For a few other stories, they actually started out as a role play that I was doing with friends. Take Follow Me Down. It's what I call a modern day dark fantasy kind of story. It started out as a role play with a few friends that kind of bombed because some things went down and I don't speak with one or two of the people any more.
It was based off a darker version of the Alice in Wonderland world, but has since changed to a point where it's not based off of anything but itself and history for a few of the character types. I'm still world building and figuring out characters, but I have a good base for the story itself, which is nice.
I also just...daydream them into existence. I'll be listening to music and playing solitaire or I'll be watching something mindless (or anime, one of the two), and suddenly I'll get a scene in my head that I'll play out. It gives me a jump point to create a story from since it's usually the first chapter and/or scene in the story.
From there, I build the world accordingly and figure out the characters by writing small bits and pieces here and there.
It's all about what I'm doing at the time. Stories do tend to just pop up in my head and then disappear if I don't write them down. But if I'm meant to write or I write it down, I'll poke at it and figure out what I want to do it.
After all, I'm not Stephen King. I can't wait for the cup to my handle when it comes to my stories and novels guys. It just doesn't work well for me to just wait.
To note: Next monday I'll be starting my Camp Nano prepping for April! Yay! Fun times to come. I hope you take a few minutes and check out that blog post and join me in the fun of writing.
My question for you guys is: how does your stories come to you?
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
"Write ONLY What You Know!"...Err, no
Today's Earworm: Dream On (cover) by Blacktop Mojo
Today's Date: February 20, 2017
So, I'm sure most writers when they've started out has heard the whole "Write what you know" line right? Well, it's not inherently wrong. It's really not! I promise. It's actually good advice. You should write what you know.
What I'm not fond of is the fact that a lot of people, such as teachers, fellow writers, and just those who are in our lives, all seem to use this saying in the wrong way. You can usually hear it. They say "write what you know" but you can still hear that "ONLY" in there, can't you?
It's grating. Cause you may not know something but you still want to write it, don't you? Well then, write it.
And here is where there's going to be a bit of well meaning sarcasm. You do know...that there is a service online called Google right? You can open a new tab and type in google.com, which will take you to a search page. From there, you can type in what you want to learn about and find hundreds of pages of sites that can tell you all about that subject.
Or you know those buildings with all those books? Where you can get a card and borrow those books for a couple of weeks? There are a lot of books about all sorts of subjects in that building. It's called a Library.
And you know, learning about something new? That's called...research.
Okay, I'm done being rather sarcastic. Something about people not remembering that we never stop learning. Even as adults. If you're not learning something, it can get really, really boring in life.
What I'm saying is that even if you don't know a subject, you have a wide variety of ways to learn about that subject.
You want to learn about the paranormal? Go to google, go to Bing, go to the library. Lookup 'paranormal', 'ghosts', 'supernatural'. I'll bet you ten to one that you'll find more than a few options.
You want to learn about fairies? Again, go to google, bing, library, where ever and look up 'fairies'. You'll find a lot of options again.
You have a lot of options at your finger tips guys. It's not that hard to find that information. Even before the internet, I was able to discover so much about my favorite subjects. Books were my best friends. Book stores, libraries, yard sales, what have you.
I researched.
And I learned.
What? Did you think Tolkien know everything about the beings that he wrote? No. He used his life to build the world that he created in his stories, and memories of the books that he enjoyed through his life to create the beings within.
He learned about that world as he built it.
Do you think your favorite author knows everything about their story when they first start building?
No. They to learned, researched, what they are writing. They build and grow. They don't say "Oh, I don't know this so I can't write this".
So when I hear "Write only what you know!", I have to say "No". I'm going to write what I want to write and I don't know anything about that, I'll research.
It's the 21st century, guys. Ignore the idiots who try to stunt you and learn what you want to know.
Today's Date: February 20, 2017
So, I'm sure most writers when they've started out has heard the whole "Write what you know" line right? Well, it's not inherently wrong. It's really not! I promise. It's actually good advice. You should write what you know.
What I'm not fond of is the fact that a lot of people, such as teachers, fellow writers, and just those who are in our lives, all seem to use this saying in the wrong way. You can usually hear it. They say "write what you know" but you can still hear that "ONLY" in there, can't you?
It's grating. Cause you may not know something but you still want to write it, don't you? Well then, write it.
And here is where there's going to be a bit of well meaning sarcasm. You do know...that there is a service online called Google right? You can open a new tab and type in google.com, which will take you to a search page. From there, you can type in what you want to learn about and find hundreds of pages of sites that can tell you all about that subject.
Or you know those buildings with all those books? Where you can get a card and borrow those books for a couple of weeks? There are a lot of books about all sorts of subjects in that building. It's called a Library.
And you know, learning about something new? That's called...research.
Okay, I'm done being rather sarcastic. Something about people not remembering that we never stop learning. Even as adults. If you're not learning something, it can get really, really boring in life.
What I'm saying is that even if you don't know a subject, you have a wide variety of ways to learn about that subject.
You want to learn about the paranormal? Go to google, go to Bing, go to the library. Lookup 'paranormal', 'ghosts', 'supernatural'. I'll bet you ten to one that you'll find more than a few options.
You want to learn about fairies? Again, go to google, bing, library, where ever and look up 'fairies'. You'll find a lot of options again.
You have a lot of options at your finger tips guys. It's not that hard to find that information. Even before the internet, I was able to discover so much about my favorite subjects. Books were my best friends. Book stores, libraries, yard sales, what have you.
I researched.
And I learned.
What? Did you think Tolkien know everything about the beings that he wrote? No. He used his life to build the world that he created in his stories, and memories of the books that he enjoyed through his life to create the beings within.
He learned about that world as he built it.
Do you think your favorite author knows everything about their story when they first start building?
No. They to learned, researched, what they are writing. They build and grow. They don't say "Oh, I don't know this so I can't write this".
So when I hear "Write only what you know!", I have to say "No". I'm going to write what I want to write and I don't know anything about that, I'll research.
It's the 21st century, guys. Ignore the idiots who try to stunt you and learn what you want to know.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Let's Talk...Info Dumping
Today's Earworm:
Today's Date: February 13, 2017
Yes, I know, I'm doing quite a bit of the Let's Talk Series, right? Well, the reason why is because I'm rewriting the Settling Down to Write Series and I want to get most of them done before moving on to something else.
But why am I here to talk about information dumping and just what the hell is it?
Well, it's what it sounds like. It's when you dump a lot of information into a short space of time. Or in a piece of writing, when you put all of your information into only 2 to 10 paragraphs. When you write a story, you want to tell the story, but that includes building up the setting, the characters, the plot, and kick starting it all.
But you want to spread the information out. You don't want to just go "here, have all this information about the main character and the setting that you're going to forget because there is just to much".
Look, we retain information a lot better when it's introduced slowly and it's woven in around the story itself, which we're enjoying.
So when a sudden flood of information happens, it throws off a reader and makes it hard to remember those details. Which doesn't exactly make a reader want to read the book after that.
Which is a bad thing since as writers, we want them to read the book. And then, hopefully, tell their friends to buy and read the book so that we can make more money to continue to write amazing books that will have them coming back for more.
But how do you stop just dumping the information out?
It's actually very easy to dump the info so you might not notice it...until you go back to reread it. So, as to stopping it while writing it, you need to keep a note on what you've introduced during that chapter and what you need to yet introduce. And then keep an eye out just chunks of text filled with thoughts and ideas.
It's all about keeping introductory points down in each chapter. For me, as a rule of thumb, I tend to keep it to one to two interconnected introductory points.
What do I mean by that?
Well, in the prologue of Bad Dog, I introduce my Idiot Villain and what he is doing. Pretty much I have him sitting in his 'home' and going over a list of herbs and ritual items that he needs. That's an interconnected introductory point. It's introducing my character and introducing what he is doing at the moment.
Another chapter has him burying a body and meeting a werewolf after he has done so. Again, these are interconnected introductory points. Even if they don't look like it at first glance, they are.
Unfortunately, I have something like 10 introductory points that all branch off of one point in the first official chapter. I need to figure out what points I want to go over in that first chapter and go through the other points later on in the story, spread out.
Dialogue is your friend for a lot of things, but you also need to weave in the details that make up the world into the story itself.
It's kind of annoying trying to remember to weave instead of just going "here, have at it". As easy as it may be to just give a reader all of the details, again, it turns them off. So, remember to edit. Spread out your points. And keep an eye out for an information dump.
I'm still fixing my own dump. A week after I found it.
Today's Date: February 13, 2017
Yes, I know, I'm doing quite a bit of the Let's Talk Series, right? Well, the reason why is because I'm rewriting the Settling Down to Write Series and I want to get most of them done before moving on to something else.
But why am I here to talk about information dumping and just what the hell is it?
Well, it's what it sounds like. It's when you dump a lot of information into a short space of time. Or in a piece of writing, when you put all of your information into only 2 to 10 paragraphs. When you write a story, you want to tell the story, but that includes building up the setting, the characters, the plot, and kick starting it all.
But you want to spread the information out. You don't want to just go "here, have all this information about the main character and the setting that you're going to forget because there is just to much".
Look, we retain information a lot better when it's introduced slowly and it's woven in around the story itself, which we're enjoying.
So when a sudden flood of information happens, it throws off a reader and makes it hard to remember those details. Which doesn't exactly make a reader want to read the book after that.
Which is a bad thing since as writers, we want them to read the book. And then, hopefully, tell their friends to buy and read the book so that we can make more money to continue to write amazing books that will have them coming back for more.
But how do you stop just dumping the information out?
It's actually very easy to dump the info so you might not notice it...until you go back to reread it. So, as to stopping it while writing it, you need to keep a note on what you've introduced during that chapter and what you need to yet introduce. And then keep an eye out just chunks of text filled with thoughts and ideas.
It's all about keeping introductory points down in each chapter. For me, as a rule of thumb, I tend to keep it to one to two interconnected introductory points.
What do I mean by that?
Well, in the prologue of Bad Dog, I introduce my Idiot Villain and what he is doing. Pretty much I have him sitting in his 'home' and going over a list of herbs and ritual items that he needs. That's an interconnected introductory point. It's introducing my character and introducing what he is doing at the moment.
Another chapter has him burying a body and meeting a werewolf after he has done so. Again, these are interconnected introductory points. Even if they don't look like it at first glance, they are.
Unfortunately, I have something like 10 introductory points that all branch off of one point in the first official chapter. I need to figure out what points I want to go over in that first chapter and go through the other points later on in the story, spread out.
Dialogue is your friend for a lot of things, but you also need to weave in the details that make up the world into the story itself.
It's kind of annoying trying to remember to weave instead of just going "here, have at it". As easy as it may be to just give a reader all of the details, again, it turns them off. So, remember to edit. Spread out your points. And keep an eye out for an information dump.
I'm still fixing my own dump. A week after I found it.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Bouncy Brain and Writing
Today's EarWorm: We Have It All by Pim Stones
Today's Date: February 6, 2017
So the last couple of weeks I have a bad case of what I call "Bouncy Brain". It pretty much boils down to when you can't really focus on anything much less a single story that you're supposed to be writing.
Yeah. Doesn't always happen, but when it does happen, hooo boy does it hit and hit hard. As it has in the last week. I have actually cleaned my room (and mind you, I shifted rooms in December okay?) up some more. My shelves are now pretty much organized and covered in books, knick knacks, and clothes that I wear since I don't have a working dresser any more.
But that's fine.
What's not fine is the fact that I can't focus on anything. Seriously. It took me like an hour of going between files to find something to write on the 28th of January okay? It was that bad. It gets kind of ridiculous really. I currently have three different tabs open to various files and my fellow Writing Groove chatters are all highly amused by the fact that I'm complaining about my bouncy brain.
...Okay, it's closer to bitching, but I try to toe that line. I'm not that mean.
Hell, if I could focus, I would be reading something from Necia that she sent me to get my opinion on. As I told her, if I felt I could focus on her story for longer than ten seconds I would be all over that. I would have shut my computer down, I would have phone in hand and I would be buried under my blankets are I read.
Yeah, the Bouncy Brain is strong with me now.
But...where does my bouncy brain come from?
Well, it comes from the fact that I have, as I've spoken about before, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, or AADD. Mind you, I'm used to ADD but I forget that I am an adult and that I do have AADD instead of just straight up ADD. It all comes out to the same thing but my version is less ruled by hormones and is, most of the time, controllable. And if I was on medication, I wouldn't be taking what most teens and pre-teens take.
Or at least their strengths and amounts.
For me though, as I've told a few people, when I get a bouncy brain, it's like my ADD (Yes, I'm pretty much dropping the Adult A from that because it's easier for me) and my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) are duking it out in my head. On one side, I want to write. On the other I want to clean and write and read and plan...well, I'm sure you can see where I'm going with that.
It is also compounded by the fact that I have hypergraphia which is rooted in my OCD.
If you don't remember what hypergraphia is, it is the compulsive need to write. It can have its origins in Bi-polar, OCD (as is with my case) and other mental issues. It's pretty much an outlet for our brains.
For me it's connected to my OCD and it's something that I've had since I was a teen and starting high school. What started out as English assignments and badly written poetry turned into a real love of writing and an unfortunate need to do it.
Often.
Every day if possible and for hours on end.
So when I get bouncy brain it drives me insane. Well, more insane than what this world is doing to my white-knuckle hold on that thread.
Of course, I suddenly have a new dystopian novel running around in my head. Not like I don't already have a duology sitting around in my head.
Okay, to move on from my complaining, right now I'm in the "ooh! Shiny!" phase of my bouncy brain. Which means that it took me two hours to write this short little piece while watching one of SHN Horror Networks Resident Evil playthroughs (Resident Evil 6 pt 1 to be precise), rereading through "Bad Dog" and writing down the information on there, and moaning about bouncing brain.
So for now, I'm simply going to ask: Have you ever gotten bouncy brain? And if so, how did you deal with it? Tell me. I'm curious. :D
Today's Date: February 6, 2017
So the last couple of weeks I have a bad case of what I call "Bouncy Brain". It pretty much boils down to when you can't really focus on anything much less a single story that you're supposed to be writing.
Yeah. Doesn't always happen, but when it does happen, hooo boy does it hit and hit hard. As it has in the last week. I have actually cleaned my room (and mind you, I shifted rooms in December okay?) up some more. My shelves are now pretty much organized and covered in books, knick knacks, and clothes that I wear since I don't have a working dresser any more.
But that's fine.
What's not fine is the fact that I can't focus on anything. Seriously. It took me like an hour of going between files to find something to write on the 28th of January okay? It was that bad. It gets kind of ridiculous really. I currently have three different tabs open to various files and my fellow Writing Groove chatters are all highly amused by the fact that I'm complaining about my bouncy brain.
...Okay, it's closer to bitching, but I try to toe that line. I'm not that mean.
Hell, if I could focus, I would be reading something from Necia that she sent me to get my opinion on. As I told her, if I felt I could focus on her story for longer than ten seconds I would be all over that. I would have shut my computer down, I would have phone in hand and I would be buried under my blankets are I read.
Yeah, the Bouncy Brain is strong with me now.
But...where does my bouncy brain come from?
Well, it comes from the fact that I have, as I've spoken about before, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, or AADD. Mind you, I'm used to ADD but I forget that I am an adult and that I do have AADD instead of just straight up ADD. It all comes out to the same thing but my version is less ruled by hormones and is, most of the time, controllable. And if I was on medication, I wouldn't be taking what most teens and pre-teens take.
Or at least their strengths and amounts.
For me though, as I've told a few people, when I get a bouncy brain, it's like my ADD (Yes, I'm pretty much dropping the Adult A from that because it's easier for me) and my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) are duking it out in my head. On one side, I want to write. On the other I want to clean and write and read and plan...well, I'm sure you can see where I'm going with that.
It is also compounded by the fact that I have hypergraphia which is rooted in my OCD.
If you don't remember what hypergraphia is, it is the compulsive need to write. It can have its origins in Bi-polar, OCD (as is with my case) and other mental issues. It's pretty much an outlet for our brains.
For me it's connected to my OCD and it's something that I've had since I was a teen and starting high school. What started out as English assignments and badly written poetry turned into a real love of writing and an unfortunate need to do it.
Often.
Every day if possible and for hours on end.
So when I get bouncy brain it drives me insane. Well, more insane than what this world is doing to my white-knuckle hold on that thread.
Of course, I suddenly have a new dystopian novel running around in my head. Not like I don't already have a duology sitting around in my head.
Okay, to move on from my complaining, right now I'm in the "ooh! Shiny!" phase of my bouncy brain. Which means that it took me two hours to write this short little piece while watching one of SHN Horror Networks Resident Evil playthroughs (Resident Evil 6 pt 1 to be precise), rereading through "Bad Dog" and writing down the information on there, and moaning about bouncing brain.
So for now, I'm simply going to ask: Have you ever gotten bouncy brain? And if so, how did you deal with it? Tell me. I'm curious. :D
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Monthly Writing Update - January 2017
Today's EarWorm:
Today's Date: January 31, 2017
Next Update: February 28, 2017
This is the first round of my Monthly Writing Up. This will happen on the last day of every month. That means if there is 28 days in a month, it will be on the 28th. If there are 30 days in a month, it will be on the 30th. If there is 31 days in a month, it will be on the 31st.
I'm sure that you get the idea yes?
Anyways, this is the first round and I'm still figuring out how I'm doing this, so work with me and comment if you find this easy to read.
Thank you.
I'm not really sure on how I will end up with the lay out but this is the first try. I'm pretty much going to do a day by day hit of what words I got.
So, let's start this round.
January 1: 1,579
January 2 to 5: No words. Busy
January 6: 250
January 7: 1,679
January 8 to January 11: No words
January 12: 1,868
January 13: 1,404, Edited
January 14 to January 16: No words
January 17: Edited, 203
January 18: No words
January 19: 1,596
January 20: 2.030
January 21:
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 27
January 28
January 29
January 30
January 31
Today's Date: January 31, 2017
Next Update: February 28, 2017
This is the first round of my Monthly Writing Up. This will happen on the last day of every month. That means if there is 28 days in a month, it will be on the 28th. If there are 30 days in a month, it will be on the 30th. If there is 31 days in a month, it will be on the 31st.
I'm sure that you get the idea yes?
Anyways, this is the first round and I'm still figuring out how I'm doing this, so work with me and comment if you find this easy to read.
Thank you.
I'm not really sure on how I will end up with the lay out but this is the first try. I'm pretty much going to do a day by day hit of what words I got.
So, let's start this round.
January 1: 1,579
January 2 to 5: No words. Busy
January 6: 250
January 7: 1,679
January 8 to January 11: No words
January 12: 1,868
January 13: 1,404, Edited
January 14 to January 16: No words
January 17: Edited, 203
January 18: No words
January 19: 1,596
January 20: 2.030
January 21:
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 27
January 28
January 29
January 30
January 31
Monday, January 30, 2017
Let's Talk...Image and your Writing
Today's EarWorm:
Today's Date: January 30, 2017
First and foremost I must apologize for language but there isn't really many ways of saying some of what I have to say guys. There isn't enough OOMPH in them.
My my, has it come to the end of the month? Yes, yes it has. While you're reading this, I am most likely at my doctors, talking to her and doing my thing. That is, as long as you're reading this the day that it goes up.
To move away from my doctors appointment, let's talk about the image that a writer projects and how they can differentiate from what a reader may think they are.
Okay, say you find a writer who writes the creepiest, spookiest, mind bending horror that you've ever seen. Your first thought, most likely, will be of a person who is Gothic. They must wear all black, forsake the sun, and live in a world of darkness and horror. They're sarcastic and have the driest, darkest humor in the world and hate everyone who doesn't share their thoughts and opinions.
Right?
Wrong.
They don't?
Not to toot my own horn, but no. Okay, yes, I'm Gothic, but I can't really do the whole Gothic look since my skin hates daily makeup. But I try whenever I can really. I am actually a very nice person. Yes, I can have biting humor but that comes more from the way that I was raised and the fact that I have a bunch of male cousins who hated the fact that I could insult them in all sorts of ways without them realizing that I was.
I have so many cousins. Like...2 first cousins are girls okay? I had to learn how to smack down egos after all. But my family is also full of sarcastic, and you'll have to excuse my language here, assholes, so it's also a kind of learned behavior.
But outside of family and close friends, I'm really rather nice. Or I can fake nice if I don't like them for whatever reason. It's called "Social Politeness" and "Manners".
See what I mean about me having a sarcastic streak running through me?
But truthfully, thinking something of a writer is kind of a stereotyping.
Another example: a fantasy writer. Your first thought is D and D, Magic the Gathering, and a house filled with fairies, dragons, and wizards in books, statues, and clothes.
A mystery writer tends to be someone who is forever reading case files and talking to cops about how their jobs work.
A sci-fi writer must be a massive geek writing in their basement rooms while their mom's make them dinner, right?!
Nope. All of that is wrong. On so many levels.
I actually don't just write either blood filled horror stories, or mind-fucks that can leave you shuddering for days (and I have done that before), but I also write Dystopia Post- and Pre-Apocaylptic, Erotica, Paranormal Romance, and, for shits and giggles, mystery with a splash of romance.
I'm not a one-trick pony and most writers aren't. Not fully. Yes, they stick mostly to their chosen genre, but other genre's slink into their stories or occasionally
So how do writers work against stereotyping?
We network. We socialize. We utilize all of the possible platforms available to us. At least when we have time and we're not slaving away for your enjoyment.
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Snapchat, Youtube...the list goes on and on and on! We have so many options of interacting with our fans in a fast way outside of e-mails, blogs and websites.
But we also go to writing conventions, various other kinds of conventions where our writings would be welcomed (genre conventions like YaoiCon for those who write homosexual based stories, Sci-fi and horror conventions, and others). It's a matter of what we write and what we do.
What we, as writers, do have to project is an image of professionalism. Our writing, our novels, our works are our business after all. We have to be professional. We have to have a certain attitude that we show to the rest of the world, especially if we're just starting out and don't have many readers.
After all, honey draws more than vinegar. And I'm not talking bees.
But if a writer has a shit attitude, then it's going to come out in a variety of ways. A tweet that shouldn't have been tweeted. A facebook rant that is just the wrong idea to put up. A bad timed social hissy fit.
In this day and age? This follows a person around and for a writer, who needs to be able to interact with their readers on, at the very least, a polite level, it hurts their business, new or old.
Cause really? No one wants to deal with a writer who is an asshole of the highest caliber okay?
I know I certainly don't, and I have dropped writers like a fresh out of the oven and still in the aluminum foil hot potato for their bad attitudes. There are somethings that I can forgive. Liking a bad candidate for the current political season, liking a horrible book, having a bad opinion, that's all fine.
The moment you treat a fellow human being like shit? Or you do some mud-slinging? We have issues. And I'm less likely to read you.
Doing anything that's just wrong? And I ditch you without saying goodbye. Your books are gone from all of my platforms. Your twitter/facebook/whathaveyou are unfollowed/unliked and blocked. Your name becomes a fuzzy memory for the rest of my life: It's there, but only enough to remember that no, I don't want to spend my good money on your stuff.
And that's the same thing with a lot of readers.
So a writer needs to project a face of being polite and, if at all possible, and of being well educated. Especially in this day and age.
Because it's the writers who see the way things are and we're the ones to offer an escape to those who need it by offering worlds in their chosen genres.
So, writers, Image is everything to your readers. And remember that your opinions are just that: yours. Don't fall into the "my opinion is right and you should all agree with me" kind of image. That will just be screwing yourself after all.
Readers, you can disagree with a writers opinions. That's fine. And if you don't agree with them but you still enjoy their reading, feel free to stop following them on social media but keep up with their writers facebook pages (which are usually free of anything but writing related things, or at least I hope so) and their websites.
Just remember: Image. Is. Everything. To both the writer and to the reader.
Today's Date: January 30, 2017
First and foremost I must apologize for language but there isn't really many ways of saying some of what I have to say guys. There isn't enough OOMPH in them.
My my, has it come to the end of the month? Yes, yes it has. While you're reading this, I am most likely at my doctors, talking to her and doing my thing. That is, as long as you're reading this the day that it goes up.
To move away from my doctors appointment, let's talk about the image that a writer projects and how they can differentiate from what a reader may think they are.
Okay, say you find a writer who writes the creepiest, spookiest, mind bending horror that you've ever seen. Your first thought, most likely, will be of a person who is Gothic. They must wear all black, forsake the sun, and live in a world of darkness and horror. They're sarcastic and have the driest, darkest humor in the world and hate everyone who doesn't share their thoughts and opinions.
Right?
Wrong.
They don't?
Not to toot my own horn, but no. Okay, yes, I'm Gothic, but I can't really do the whole Gothic look since my skin hates daily makeup. But I try whenever I can really. I am actually a very nice person. Yes, I can have biting humor but that comes more from the way that I was raised and the fact that I have a bunch of male cousins who hated the fact that I could insult them in all sorts of ways without them realizing that I was.
I have so many cousins. Like...2 first cousins are girls okay? I had to learn how to smack down egos after all. But my family is also full of sarcastic, and you'll have to excuse my language here, assholes, so it's also a kind of learned behavior.
But outside of family and close friends, I'm really rather nice. Or I can fake nice if I don't like them for whatever reason. It's called "Social Politeness" and "Manners".
See what I mean about me having a sarcastic streak running through me?
But truthfully, thinking something of a writer is kind of a stereotyping.
Another example: a fantasy writer. Your first thought is D and D, Magic the Gathering, and a house filled with fairies, dragons, and wizards in books, statues, and clothes.
A mystery writer tends to be someone who is forever reading case files and talking to cops about how their jobs work.
A sci-fi writer must be a massive geek writing in their basement rooms while their mom's make them dinner, right?!
Nope. All of that is wrong. On so many levels.
I actually don't just write either blood filled horror stories, or mind-fucks that can leave you shuddering for days (and I have done that before), but I also write Dystopia Post- and Pre-Apocaylptic, Erotica, Paranormal Romance, and, for shits and giggles, mystery with a splash of romance.
I'm not a one-trick pony and most writers aren't. Not fully. Yes, they stick mostly to their chosen genre, but other genre's slink into their stories or occasionally
So how do writers work against stereotyping?
We network. We socialize. We utilize all of the possible platforms available to us. At least when we have time and we're not slaving away for your enjoyment.
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Snapchat, Youtube...the list goes on and on and on! We have so many options of interacting with our fans in a fast way outside of e-mails, blogs and websites.
But we also go to writing conventions, various other kinds of conventions where our writings would be welcomed (genre conventions like YaoiCon for those who write homosexual based stories, Sci-fi and horror conventions, and others). It's a matter of what we write and what we do.
What we, as writers, do have to project is an image of professionalism. Our writing, our novels, our works are our business after all. We have to be professional. We have to have a certain attitude that we show to the rest of the world, especially if we're just starting out and don't have many readers.
After all, honey draws more than vinegar. And I'm not talking bees.
But if a writer has a shit attitude, then it's going to come out in a variety of ways. A tweet that shouldn't have been tweeted. A facebook rant that is just the wrong idea to put up. A bad timed social hissy fit.
In this day and age? This follows a person around and for a writer, who needs to be able to interact with their readers on, at the very least, a polite level, it hurts their business, new or old.
Cause really? No one wants to deal with a writer who is an asshole of the highest caliber okay?
I know I certainly don't, and I have dropped writers like a fresh out of the oven and still in the aluminum foil hot potato for their bad attitudes. There are somethings that I can forgive. Liking a bad candidate for the current political season, liking a horrible book, having a bad opinion, that's all fine.
The moment you treat a fellow human being like shit? Or you do some mud-slinging? We have issues. And I'm less likely to read you.
Doing anything that's just wrong? And I ditch you without saying goodbye. Your books are gone from all of my platforms. Your twitter/facebook/whathaveyou are unfollowed/unliked and blocked. Your name becomes a fuzzy memory for the rest of my life: It's there, but only enough to remember that no, I don't want to spend my good money on your stuff.
And that's the same thing with a lot of readers.
So a writer needs to project a face of being polite and, if at all possible, and of being well educated. Especially in this day and age.
Because it's the writers who see the way things are and we're the ones to offer an escape to those who need it by offering worlds in their chosen genres.
So, writers, Image is everything to your readers. And remember that your opinions are just that: yours. Don't fall into the "my opinion is right and you should all agree with me" kind of image. That will just be screwing yourself after all.
Readers, you can disagree with a writers opinions. That's fine. And if you don't agree with them but you still enjoy their reading, feel free to stop following them on social media but keep up with their writers facebook pages (which are usually free of anything but writing related things, or at least I hope so) and their websites.
Just remember: Image. Is. Everything. To both the writer and to the reader.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Let's Talk...Free Writing
Today's Earworm: Picture Me Rollin' by 2Pac
Today's Date: January 23, 2017
So today, we're gonna talk about free writing. And I'm not talking about what writers do when they have no idea what they want to write, and just open a new file and let the words go.
No, I'm talking about all the little goodies that you get randomly from some authors on their blogs, or on their sites.
I'm talking about flash stories, drabbles, and bits that you get for free to entice you into buying their books from them.
For that matter, I have some free writing that I'm working on creating for all of you, but it's taking me a bit of time. Mostly because I lost my little booklet with the drabble ideas in it for a while there. I have it again, and I'm back at writing the darn things. And editing them to death.
To move on, why do writers have free writing on their blogs or sites?
Well, now days, sites like Amazon have a nice little feature where you can get a sample of a book. But really? That's not a firm way of knowing the writer's style and ability. That's a good way of seeing if the book interests you and is what you want, but does the style of the writer make you want to come back for more? Who knows.
So most writers have started to create free bits on their sites and blogs, allowing the reader, you, to check things out. To read and see if their style is something that you would be interested in.
Most free writings that I've seen usually range from just under a thousand words (for a flash fiction) up to nearly 2 thousand (for shorter pieces). And they may even be a part of an interconnected story line which can show you just how they can weave a tale.
We do this to draw in new readers in the hope that they'll buy our books. That they'll tell their friend about this great new writer that they just found and want to share! That our blogs and sites will be shared all over the place and introduced to new people. We put things out there like that to help grow our small corner of the community.
It's a way to show off our skills. It's like we're saying "Hey! Look! I can write really good! Check out this story that I wrote and tell me what you think". Even these short pieces of fiction take time. Not as much as novels or novelettes or novella's take. Or even a short piece for an anthology. Because yes, those take time to write and edit and the such.
The free writings, we're usually writing, editing, letting sit, editing again and posting within a week's time since most of us do post such things weekly. It doesn't truly take much time for most of us to have a nice polished short bit. Longer pieces, yes, it takes time. A lot of time. But not so much the shorter pieces.
And again, we do this to show off our writing skills, as a way of thanking those who have taken the time to buy our stories, our books, and to draw in new readers.
Free writing is another way for us to draw attention to ourselves. Simple as that.
Today's Date: January 23, 2017
So today, we're gonna talk about free writing. And I'm not talking about what writers do when they have no idea what they want to write, and just open a new file and let the words go.
No, I'm talking about all the little goodies that you get randomly from some authors on their blogs, or on their sites.
I'm talking about flash stories, drabbles, and bits that you get for free to entice you into buying their books from them.
For that matter, I have some free writing that I'm working on creating for all of you, but it's taking me a bit of time. Mostly because I lost my little booklet with the drabble ideas in it for a while there. I have it again, and I'm back at writing the darn things. And editing them to death.
To move on, why do writers have free writing on their blogs or sites?
Well, now days, sites like Amazon have a nice little feature where you can get a sample of a book. But really? That's not a firm way of knowing the writer's style and ability. That's a good way of seeing if the book interests you and is what you want, but does the style of the writer make you want to come back for more? Who knows.
So most writers have started to create free bits on their sites and blogs, allowing the reader, you, to check things out. To read and see if their style is something that you would be interested in.
Most free writings that I've seen usually range from just under a thousand words (for a flash fiction) up to nearly 2 thousand (for shorter pieces). And they may even be a part of an interconnected story line which can show you just how they can weave a tale.
We do this to draw in new readers in the hope that they'll buy our books. That they'll tell their friend about this great new writer that they just found and want to share! That our blogs and sites will be shared all over the place and introduced to new people. We put things out there like that to help grow our small corner of the community.
It's a way to show off our skills. It's like we're saying "Hey! Look! I can write really good! Check out this story that I wrote and tell me what you think". Even these short pieces of fiction take time. Not as much as novels or novelettes or novella's take. Or even a short piece for an anthology. Because yes, those take time to write and edit and the such.
The free writings, we're usually writing, editing, letting sit, editing again and posting within a week's time since most of us do post such things weekly. It doesn't truly take much time for most of us to have a nice polished short bit. Longer pieces, yes, it takes time. A lot of time. But not so much the shorter pieces.
And again, we do this to show off our writing skills, as a way of thanking those who have taken the time to buy our stories, our books, and to draw in new readers.
Free writing is another way for us to draw attention to ourselves. Simple as that.
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