I’m going to give you a little advice dear reader. I’ve made the biggest mistakes in my life because I tried to turn myself into something I thought the world wanted me to be. My most anxiety ridden moments happened because I thought that I needed to define myself by someone else’s standard rather than just living by my own. One of the things that writing has taught me is that I need to quiet myself, that is when I hear my characters voices most clearly. The point I’m trying to make is this. Happiness is a subjective state. What makes one person happy might not be true for another. The only person you need to please is yourself. When I tried to shape myself to reach somebody else’s standards, all I got was depressed. Shape your world. Don’t let the world shape you.
The Badass Problem.
I’ve discovered something I’ve coined ‘The Badass Problem.’ I have a penchant for wanting my characters to be Badass; I want them to always know what to do and I want them to always come out on top. There’s a problem with that sort of thinking. Life just doesn’t work that way. People make mistakes and screw up. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they succeed. But they always grow, and they learn. Where’s the balance between reality and fantasy that must be judiciously observed so that the audience does not lose interest? That is ‘The Badass Problem.’
Any thoughts?
The Problem with Evil: A Point of View
Evil is an unacknowledged part of every human soul. Everybody does things they shouldn’t. Everybody has selfish “Me’ moments and seductive, and easy. Sometimes, We all want to do things the easy way. Understanding why is important. People have reasons for the things they do. They might not be valid reasons, they might no even be what you, or I, would consider sane reasons, but, nonetheless, they’re reasons have to be understandable and compelling. Why is this person like this? Why do they view the world the way they do? Revenge? have they been wronged in the past? Is the world so incredibly screwed up that only they can fix it? If so, Why? Backstory plays a key roll. The reasons need to be easily understood by the reader. There’s the rub. We like to flirt with evil. We like to poke it with a metaphorical stick and see if it moves. Good & Evil are simply points of view. A good villain is a hero in his own mind. He behaves in such a way in order to achieve his goal. The same could be said for the hero. When both of these people believe they’re firmly planted in the roots of righteousness, conflict grows naturally. Evil is a part of every person. What makes it compelling is that like good, it is rooted in our own point of view.
Embarrassment
I want to talk about embarrassment. Its a hard thing with which to contend. We all have to deal with it many times in many situations. The trick to coping with embarrassment is to understand that it is an internal force. Embarrassment works by eroding the foundation of self-esteem. If a person is comfortable with themselves the actions of other people can’t embarrass them.
a couple of weeks ago, I went to the mall for coffee with a friend. I needed to wait. So I ran around the mall for a while. While I was doing that, three different children asked their parents What was wrong with me. Each of their parents chastised them loudly enough for me to hear. I was neither embarrassed nor offended by their question, in fact, I would have gladly answered them. The children asked their question because they saw someone who looked different and wanted to understand why, not because they wanted to cause pain or embarrassment.
If our society wants children to learn tact and discretion, they need to be given an opportunity to exercise and hone that skill. We also need to teach them that being different is alright. One of the ways we can do that is to indulge innocent childish curiosity. What do you think those kids learned by being chastised the way they were? They could have learned not to look at or speak with people in wheelchairs. They may ignore them in the future. That doesn’t make my life easier, and, more importantly, it won’t make their life easier either. It will only perpetuate their ignorance and fear. We need to let children be children, despite potential embarrassment. If we do that, life will be better for everyone.
The Purpose of Metaphor.
What is the purpose of a metaphor? I was taught that memories are like signposts for stories. They are points on a road that connects ideas. This is especially useful when writing fiction because a well chosen metaphor can bridge the gap between reality and fantasy. First talk about something about in the fictional world and use a metaphor to tie it, with a strong knot, to something the reader understands, so that it draws them more deeply into the narrative. It is possible, however, to use to many metaphors. You bog down the story and the audience becomes board. How do I strike the proper balance between action and exposition?
Any ideas?
Happy new Year
Happy New Year Everyone!
I’ve had a relatively productive year. I am very proud of finishing a fifth draft of my manuscript and sending it to a Beta reader. Its hard for me to put myself out there like that. So, when I get up the nerve to show my work to someone, I feel proud. Writing has been challenging but its a challenge I can meet. What are some of your resolutions for 2106?
Star Wars The Force Awakens
Star Wars is my favorite movie franchise. I loved the original trilogy. I even liked the prequels. Star Wars is one of the things that got me into Fantasy. So, as you can imagine, I loved this movie. It was familiar and new at the same time. The old character and the new characters meshed well. I felt it was symmetrical with what had come before. I am happy.
Passion
A life lived without passion is a life unlived, that sounds like a quote. I don’t remember if anyone actually said it, but that doesn’t make its message any less true. Passion makes life worth it, it gives us a reason to get up in the morning and opens us to the joys of Life. Its the that powers the engine of human endeavor. That’s why I’m writing, its a passion project. But, I have always believed that one of the most important skills one can cultivate within oneself is the ability to maintain perspective. The fires of passion must continually be stoked to warm the coils of joy in our hearts. Even though fire can warm, it can just as easily burn. Passion must be controlled, life must be balanced and controlled. If not passion will burn you. But if you control your passion it will warm you your whole life.
Holidays.
As the holidays draw near, I find myself thinking of nostalgia, and remembering the past. The holidays bring me feelings of excitement and longing like a there year old hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa. The holidays have always been a central point about which my life turns. They give me a sense of continuity to my life. The holidays evoke nostalgic feelings that anchor me in my chaotic world, an anchor I find myself needing more and more. Happy Holidays everyone. I wish you calmness and peace.
Quest For The Query Letter
There’s more to making books then writing words on paper. There’s editing, where shape and carve the words until they’re the best they can be. There’s marketing where the work is made attractive to others. The Query Letter is an integral part of the marketing process. A query letter, at least as I have begun to think of it, is a lot like a cover letter for a job. Its the vehicle that the writer can use to make a first on the agent or editor.
So how how do I write the perfect query letter? I need a hook. I need something to capture their attention. What would make them want to read my book?
my book is about an Elf who struggles with himself. He’s got a personality like fine wine, in small to moderate doses it can bring happiness and joy, too much of it though, and it can get him, and those around him, in trouble. The commencement of the story finds him as a conflicted Elf in a world of humans. He’s frightened, he’s frustrated, and maybe even slightly bitter. Like The Hero With a Thousand Faces, he’s pulled into something that is so much bigger than he is, he can barely grasp it. He fails, he learns, he succeeds and grows. I think what makes him unique is he gradually learns to take his weakness and turn it into strength. We meet him at the end of the story, and he has everything stripped from him, but he’s able to embrace what he once thought of as a weakness and turn things around, that makes him unique and relatable at the same time.
I think that one of the greatest things that people struggle with is understanding that the difference between weakness and strength are a matter of perspective. At the end of the story, my character realizes that but still understands that its a balance he must maintain for the rest of his life. If I can make people understand what is unique about him and make that come through in a query letter, I have a chance of attracting an agent.