Being A Writer #4: Fortune and Glory

Hey, everyone.

Due to the holiday I decided not to publish anything last week because I thought there would be adverse effects to my views, but now that the holiday is over, we can get back into the swing of things. Speaking of the swing, it hasn't been going well for me in my job search, and speaking of money, let's take a quick look at this week's Being A Writer.

Explanation

When it comes to just about anything, there are good and bad reasons for doing whatever it is, such as marriage, which should be done for love and shouldn't be done for money. Well, when it comes to writing a book, some do it for "good" reasons like educating, entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring others. But there are plenty of "bad" reasons why people write; two of those "bad" reasons include fortune and glory.

Unfortunately, there are some writers out there, often the successful ones who have both plenty of money and fame, who like to drive the point that writing isn't about getting rich or being popular. But here's the thing, while fortune and glory aren't "good" reasons for writing, they're still some of the reasons why we write--it's just the nature of the beast.

I think it could be argued that "fortune and glory" isn't as much about "riches and fame" as it is about "getting paid to do something you like and being recognized for being good at it." However, I also think that so long as you turn out a good story that people want to read, does it really matter why you wrote it? For my part, I know I write for good and bad reasons--I want to tell a story, but dammit!--someone had better pay me for it!

***

 



If you enjoyed this realistic Being A Writer post and you want to stay in the loop with whatever I write, please consider joining my mailing list, and if you agree with my logic, you can also support me on Patreon. Even $1 a month helps me keep writing for money.

Keep writing, my friends.

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Being A Writer #3: This Book Needs to be a Movie!

Hey, everyone.

Unlike last week's Being A Writer, this one is much more positive. And probably much shorter.

Explanation

When I first wrote Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens, when I finished it, I posted it to Inkitt where it got some great reviews, including one or two people saying it should be turned into a movie.

I quite enjoyed how emphatic they were about it, one claiming ROCCO "needs" to be a movie. It says quite a lot about your writing when the audience approves of it being turned into a motion picture. I know not all cinematic adaptations are homeruns, but when people are saying, "Someone should spend $100 million+ to bring this to life!" you can't help but take it as a compliment. You wrote a story and built a world that's worth hundreds of millions of dollars to somebody, and that could be your hundreds of millions of dollars.

But it's not just about the money. It's about the exposure and recognition. Movies have a wider reach than books, and generally, most cinematic adaptations are fantastic pieces of art and sometimes they're better than the book. The fact that there are people out there who believe your work is worthy of that sort of effort to properly imagine it and they believe you're good enough to be worldly acclaimed are significant feathers in your cap. Compliments like this are why we stay in the business.

The only thing better is if someone says your book is their favorite.

***

 



If you enjoyed this uplifting Being A Writer post and you want to stay in the loop with whatever I write, please consider joining my mailing list or even supporting me on Patreon. $1 a month keeps me from doing "real" work, and I really appreciate that.

Keep writing, my friends.

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Being A Writer #2: A Horrible Truth

Hey, everyone.

So this Being A Writer is a little dour and a little sour, and largely dependent on the individual writer, but for many it's true. Let's look at it a little deeper.

Explanation

Most of the world still carries a bias against self-publishing. To many, traditional publishing is the only way to go--apparently, if people front your cover design costs, you're worth being read. Unfortunately, this isn't a strict maxim. Ever heard of 50 Shades of Grey? I hear it's not that good. Meanwhile, Twilight, while written well, it doesn't deserve the hype. But I'm getting a little off topic here.

For many of us self-pubs, we hardly ever see any real money from our writing. Now, there are ways to boost the odds of course: Facebook and Amazon ads, press releases, podcast interviews, and even having a team of beta readers who buy the book first day and leave their real reviews a few seconds later. But if you're broke and don't have connections, and if you're not big into self-promotion, no one will really care about your book, even if it's the best book in the world.

But! Like I said, these are all conditional from writer to writer. Some self-pubs do quite well for themselves. However, I fall into the group of writers that write on a wing and a prayer. All I really have in my life are a few friends, who don't buy my books, and some family members, who are very supportive, but still don't buy my books. And the only family member I have who does read everything I've self-published doesn't even believe in my future as writer. So... yeah.

No doubt about it, regardless of what stage you're at when it comes to writing, whether it be outlining, writing, editing and proofing, publicizing, or you're already well-established, it is a challenging gig. And from what I hear, it's getting more difficult all the time for traditionally published writers. Apparently, the advance they give you is supposed to be used for advertising, and if the book flops, they may just take the advance back. Yikes...

But, I'd take a bad day at this over a good day of almost everything else. And my intention with this post is not meant to scare you or complain. I admit, I was not in a good place when I created this entry to the Being A Writer meme, but instead of letting this one get you down, use it as an opportunity to prove me wrong. Say to yourself, "Yes, they do. People do care when I publish a book. And they're going to buy it, and you, meme/Bryan C. Laesch, will just have to wallow in your failing career while I go on to make millions."

Good luck.

***

If you enjoyed this sobering Being A Writer post and you want to stay in the loop with whatever I write, please consider joining my mailing list or even supporting me on Patreon. $1 a month keeps me from doing "real" work, and I really appreciate that.

Keep writing, my friends.

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Being A Writer #1: Concerning the Word "Very"

Hey, everyone.

It's been a while since I last wrote an article for Let's Talk About Writing. Hell, this isn't even a Let's Talk About Writing article. This is a new thing I'm doing where I started to create memes as a means to raise awareness about my "brand." As a result, to help further increase awareness, I've decided to write blog posts further explaining myself for the memes I've come up with. I've already started with my INTJ posts and I decided to expand into writing. So, this is that. Let's get into it.

Concerning the Word "Very"

In some writing circles, they hate the word "very." I don't exactly know why, but my guess is twofold: 1. Because if you describe something as being "very big" or "very pretty," it would be simpler to use "huge" or "beautiful" instead, and 2. "Huge" and "beautiful" are only one word each instead of two, so it cuts down on your word count which in theory cuts down on how many pages need to be printed for your book, which I'm beginning to believe is totally asinine because words like "beautiful" are just as long as "very pretty" is in terms of space used.

Now, while I can appreciate the perspective that "beautiful" is superior to "pretty" and "huge" superior to "big," I personally believe that "beautiful" and "huge" are in their own classes of beauty and size. Ergo, it isn't a big deal to describe something as "very pretty" or "very big" because both are still within the realms of prettiness and bigness, they're just at the extreme top ends without having crossed into beautifulness and hugeness. And in some cases, I would argue that beautifulness and prettiness are not the same thing or that they're not on the same scale, meaning that a girl can just as easily be described as "very pretty" as she could "very beautiful" depending on which scale she falls.

Furthermore, things become even more jostled when you're dealing with an object or thing so big, the only way to describe it is as "extremely enormous" which is practically the same thing as saying "very big." It causes a good editor and eagle-eyed readers to go, "What? You couldn't find one word to take the place of 'extremely enormous?'" Thus, we find ourselves in a vicious cycle of trying to come up with single words to replace an adjective and its adverbial modifier the higher and higher up we go on a scale.

However, what ticks me off the most about getting rid of the word "very" is that I see it as a restriction of creativity. I am a writer and words are my tools. Why should I limit myself in the use of the tools at my disposal? Like I said above, there can be a philosophically and subtle difference between "very big" and "huge" that some people are aware of. Therefore, shouldn't I have access to both terms to use in their specific situations? To not do so would limit my creativity and possibly mislead my readers. The only defense I can think of to that point is that I shouldn't interfere with the imaginations of my readers. I should only give them enough detail to get them started, but then leave it there. But again, the limiting of creativity and subtle differences in specific situations. I can't get around those two.

Therefore, for the sake of my own mental stability, I shall choose to leave my options open and never exclude a particular word for I may need it one day. "Very" stays.

Keep writing, my friends.

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Let's Talk About Writing: 5 Tips for Writing Gothic Fiction

Picture from Pixabay

Hey, everyone.

So, I wrote a guest post for Serious Reading and it was "5 Tips for Writing Gothic Fiction." You can either read it there, or you can just read it down below. And just as a reminder, this post is brought to you by my new novels: Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens and Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight. You can buy ROCCO here and HOMCOF here.

The Post:

When I first started writing Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens (ROCCO), I was originally inspired by the music of the gothic metal band Nightwish and Capcom’s video game series Devil May Cry. As a result, I wanted to create a story that was both Gothic and had over-the-top action. Unfortunately, books aren’t a great medium for action so I had to tone that down a bit. But the Gothic feel was something I kept working on all throughout the writing process. I wanted to capture the majesty and beauty, but dark, uncomfortable feeling of what the Gothic is. Hence, this question arises: how does one write Gothic fiction? Well, I spent some time on this and I’ve come up with five tips to help you write Gothic fiction.

1. Dark but Beautiful

In order to create the perfect atmosphere for Gothic fiction, you must keep in mind the dichotomy of Gothic atmosphere: dark but beautiful, grim but poetic, scary but aesthetic, bleak but romantic. For example, imagine a castle completely made from black brick, tall and imposing with an almost otherworldly feel to it. Yes, it is scary, but its impeccable Gothic architecture with its pointed vaults, flying buttresses, stunning stained glass windows, and the heights its spires dare to reach out to all leave your character feeling awestruck and desiring more. The halls within are lit with golden candelabra with plush, violet carpets under foot, and the paintings, though grim and perhaps covered in cobwebs, are richly colored. Then in a bedchamber, there’s a four-poster bed laid out with black satin sheets. Your character lies on the bed and though he feels like he shouldn’t be there, he is tempted to sleep by the softness of the mattress and pillows. Suddenly, someone appears at his side—a lady in a corseted dress. Her eyes pierce his soul, but he is ensnared by her beauty and intense stare as if she has never seen anyone as fascinating as him. She offers him a glass of a dark colored wine and gets into bed with him. And as her lips move to his neck, he slowly begins to realize he’ll never be able to leave that Gothic castle, but then he thinks why would he ever want to? The Gothic atmosphere is everything a person could ask for, but not exactly what he wants.

2. Morbid and Macabre

Taking cues from writers like Edgar Allan Poe, you shouldn’t be afraid to dabble in the morbid and macabre. Themes like death, blood, and sickness are all pretty normal. There’s a bad case of tuberculosis running around town. Good. People are dying everywhere. Fantastic. Some of the people in town think the deaths are the result of witches and are planning a good, old-fashioned witch hunt which will definitely result in innocent people burning to death? Outstanding. The key is to take the morbid and macabre, and have them intrude on the lives of your characters. They should be familiar, but not so familiar that your characters stop caring when someone dies. Of course, you could make the price of those deaths impact your characters all the more by digging even deeper into morbidity by suggesting corpses are piling up, people are being buried in shallow, hastily dug mass graves which are being robbed by rabid animals, and that children are constantly being orphaned. Now, you don’t have to go so over the top with it like I suggest here; these are just ideas. But you shouldn’t shy away from a healthy dose of putrescence in a Gothic work.

3. Science and Superstition

Gothic fiction came into being in the Victorian period which was in the 19^th century. It was an interesting time because modern science was only just beginning to grab hold of the minds, hearts, and imaginations of the people. Much of the scientific fact that we take for granted today was still undiscovered back then. As a result, they still had their fair share of superstitions, and religious beliefs were much more prominent than now. So, in crafting the Gothic novel, being able to mix science and superstition will really help to capture the time period in which Gothic fiction was actually made. A good example of this combination is Mark Shelley’s Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein’s creature is an amazing accomplishment of science, but reanimating dead flesh brings with it all sorts of ethical and moral quandaries. Even in Frankenstein, the creature himself starts asking questions like whether or not he has a soul and what is Frankenstein’s responsibility to him? Is it like God’s responsibility to man? Science and superstition don’t need to be at odds in the Gothic novel but are rather just elements of the world. In my book ROCCO, the characters are demon slayers for a religious order, but since the book takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where our modern implements are only starting to come back into use, the characters do use firearms and grenades in their battle against the minions of hell. The two elements are blended together in harmony and hark back to a time when belief in both science and religion was not so strange.

4. Deep Imagination

One of the most iconic elements of Gothic fiction is to go beyond the physical world. In the Medieval period, the ends of maps read “Here there be Dragons” because they didn’t know what lurked at the edge of the map. But now with the ends of the map being filled in, we have to look for our monsters elsewhere. As a result, we have monsters that mean to do us physical harm, but their origin doesn’t necessarily lie within this realm. These monsters are beyond our own world and understanding, whether they’re beyond death or beyond the limits of our own planet. They’re at the edges of our sanity, within the deepest desires of our heart, beyond life, and beneath the sea or above the sky. Delve deep into the reaches of your imagination and see what you can find. If it terrifies you, you may just have your monster.

5. Read Gothic Writers

And the last tip I have is to just read other Gothic writers. I know it’s a bit of a cop out, but there’s something to be said for my telling you how to craft Gothic fiction and you being able to see Gothic fiction for yourself. Some of my favorites are Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and HP Lovecraft. But other examples include Bram Stoker, Ann Radcliffe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Victor Hugo, and Gaston Leroux along with many modern writers like Anne Rice and even Stephan King. Personally, I prefer the earlier Gothic works because their creepiness seems to have intensified with the passage of time, but read whatever you like.

While Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens had many inspirations, it would not be what it is without a strong Gothic element, and likewise with all the books in its series that will follow it. I also intend on writing many other Gothic works in the future. Perhaps I am infected or possessed with a Gothic spirit, but truly I tell you, I do not want to be cured or exorcised of it.

Keep writing, my friends.

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The Ten Supposed Mistakes Aspiring Creative Writers Make



Hey, everyone.

 

So, I know last week I said that this week's post I'd be doing one of two things. Turns out I'm doing neither of those. I found a third thing that fired me up. Basically what I've got here is a list of the "ten mistakes aspiring creative writers make." The people I took it from on Pinterest seemed to think it was correct. Me, I had a different take on it. So, let's look at the list, and I'll tell you why it's wrong or right.

 

 

Alright, so here's the list: 

 

1. Wondering how to find an agent or publisher before completing the project.

I don't think this is so much a mistake as it is just getting ahead of yourself. Without the project complete, why should an agent or publisher care about it? But, to tell you the truth, I've dealt with some pretty slow bastards in this business. Hell, I got a rejection letter from an agent a few weeks ago for a query I made like a year ago. I was kind of insulted by the whole thing because the agent actually tried to spare my feelings in her rejection, and I was like, "Bitch, I've already decided to self-publish this book. Address your email to 8 months ago when I might have given a sh*t." Now, I know there's no way she could've known that I had decided to self-publish it, but in this business, when you don't hear from someone for like three months, you automatically assume it's a "no." So, why bother even sending an email to tell them no if the email is dated from the year before? But anyway, there's no reason to contact an agent or publisher until you're finished, unless you know for certain it'll take them so long to respond that you can have it done by then. In which case, you do you and stick it to the system sideways.

2. Waiting for inspiration to hit.

This is a legitimate mistake. You should think of writing as a job; if you're not doing it, you're losing money. Sure, sometimes inspiration can hit like a lightning bolt, but often times you're better off either manipulating your inspiration to make it hit or just setting to work right away. Seriously, just do it. Just write right now.

3. Trying to write something "different."

This one I take issue with because I don't know why it's here. I thought my first novel, Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens (buy it here on Amazon), is different from most of the stuff out there. Now, maybe it isn't and that's why this point is here because nothing's ever really different, or maybe because in some general asinine way it's all different, I honestly don't know which way this one is trying to go, but I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to be different. It might take a while to write something that is truly different, but if you can settle for "different enough," it can totally be done. F*ck this point.

4. Using weak nouns and verbs, and passive voice.

Oh boy, here we go again with this sh*t. Honestly, it's a decent point to make, but so many f*ckers make it that we're beating a dead horse. Not to mention, most writers aren't guilty of using weak nouns and verbs. And I'm pretty sure I've even seen the "experts" use passive voice from time to time. There's just some sh*t you can't get away from once in a while. My other point of contention with this point is that I wouldn't be surprised if most new writers don't know what the difference is between a weak noun and a strong noun. This piece of advice is like saying, "Hey, don't be a square, be cool." There are so many different ways of being square or cool that without a definitive example, this point is completely useless.

5. Deciding not to read in your genre because you don't want to inadvertently plagiarize.

This is another one that I don't understand why it's here. It seems like a legitimate concern to me, especially if you already know the cornerstones and defining qualities of your genre. Now, you might be able to make a strong argument for that you're more likely to plagiarize because you don't know what's out there, but someone should just say that instead of this ass-backward way. On the other hand, this point could be trying to make the argument that because there's no such thing as an original idea, everything's inadvertently plagiarized anyway, so what's the big deal. I mean seriously, I'm working on a project with my uncle, and I showed him my new published novel Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens (buy it on Amazon here), and for a moment he was concerned that he may have been inadvertently inspired by my story because I told him before what it is about before. I thought his worry was redonk because I can see the clear differences between our two stories just fine--I don't know why he can't. It's only in the broadest, most general sense that the two stories are related as in they're both fighting evil. But honestly, I can't be sure what this statement is after because it's too damn vague to begin with.

6. Not outlining.

This is actually a legitimate mistake. Because I didn't outline Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens (buy it on Amazon here), it took me seven years to write. My other novel, Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight (buy it on Amazon here), I did outline and I managed to complete it in within a year. An outline keeps you on task and prevents you from wandering, either away or to a different part of the story, while you're working on the story. It helps you to focus on one point at a time as they become important to the developing story.

Take my uncle for instance: our project, no outline. Why? Well, his personality isn't easy to communicate with and he's got that artist thing where everything he does isn't good enough unless someone heaps tons and tons of praise on it, so if I'm not telling him it's good, he starts getting second thoughts. But what's really slowing us down is that only he knows for sure what the story is, but he won't tell me, and he seems incapable of getting any productive work down without me. It's quite frustrating, especially because I've completed multiple projects by myself, and I have a method that works. And a part of that method is outlining. So yeah, outline your story.

7. Not setting aside time to write.

Honestly, with point 2 already on this list, this point is really superfluous. Like I said, think of writing like a job; if you're not writing, you're losing money. So, how do you make sure you're making money? You write every day just like you would at a regular job. And because you have more stuff to do than just write, you're going to need to learn how to budget your time. And because of point 2, there's no reason to say any of this because most people are intelligent enough to work all that out for themselves eventually. It's honestly kind of insulting that someone felt the need to tell someone this.

8. Not knowing what you want to communicate.

This is stupid. This is really stupid. Because every writer gets, oh, what's it called again? "Writer's block," once in a while. It happens to the best of writers. It's not a rookie mistake at all. And sometimes you may know what you want to communicate, but you just don't know the words. Ain't no one said this writing sh*t would be easy. Or at the least, easy all of the time. That's why we proofread and edit. That's why we perfect our drafts before we publish them. Honestly, this isn't a big deal. I can tell you with all certainty that this is going to happen to you, but I can also tell you that it isn't a big deal because you'll get over it. Other writers always do.

9. Never reading a book or taking a class on the craft of fiction writing.

I don't really see this as problem. Some writers have never taken a class, and some writers don't read very often. Hell, if you can write and be successful without doing either of these things, you go, girl!  The universe isn't going to cease to exist just because you can write without ever taking a class or reading a book. Not to mention, everything you could ever need to learn about how to write English you can learn in your English classes. They all cover word order, punctuation, metaphors, adjectives, etc. And just because you've taken a class or read a lot doesn't automatically mean you're going to be a good writer or better than other writers. But, would taking a class or reading a book improve your chances of being a good writer? Certainly. But it's not a requirement.

10. Having an idea for an interesting situation but not having an interesting character.

This one is pretty dumb, too. On the one hand, I'm not sure most new or aspiring writers would be able to realize that they have an interesting situation and not an interesting character, or vice versa. So how are new and aspiring writers supposed to know? But on the other hand, I would think having one would beget the other. I have no idea how any one could possibly screw this up. Kind of like how when you put someone ordinary into an extraordinary situation: how would you expect them to respond? They may not be able to even at the start of it, but as they get more comfortable with the situation, they should become just as interesting as the situation itself. But, just like many of the others, without a definitive example, I don't know how this is supposed to help anybody. For the most part, I get the feeling like this list isn't meant to help anybody; it's just meant to take already experienced writers for a stroll down memory lane when they were terrible at writing. Or, this is a piece of clickbait to get you to go to someone's blog. Regardless, most of this list is really stupid. The only useful bits about it are outline your work, write every day, and don't tease people with unfinished work.

I know I was really sassy and kind of pissy during this blog. I was in a rush because I was trying to prep it for yesterday when I usually release writing posts, and I did watch a bunch of Team Four Star's Dragonball Z Abridged episodes right before working on this post, so I was still feeling that savage wit they use in their writing. But, anyway...

For next week, I hope to write one of the two things I promised for this week. I think the secret to getting them done and sticking to the plan of turning them out is to write them in advance. So, I'll try that and we'll see what happens. So, until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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Should You Write Fan Fiction?

Hey, everyone.

So, for this week, I'm going to be taking a look at fan fiction and trying to figure out whether or not you should write it. So, let's talk about writing.

For starters, let me tell you that I hate fan fiction. My biggest problems with it is that it is often written poorly, whether it be because of the punctuation, grammar, usage, or the story is just terrible, and because most fan fic writers out there write as if everything they've ever learned about writing came from reading erotica. Things are phrased weirdly, there's always a sexual tension, and there's a strange focus on the characters body parts.

Mostly though, I hate it because it's about ego--people are just writing a story with characters they like with a storyline that they want to see. And in doing so, their own impressions of the characters and their world is all they take into account, and you're likely to find non-canonical bull sh*t everywhere. I once read a Final Fantasy VII fanfic where the guy made Vincent Valentine a douchebag who drank beer and sat in his chairs backwards.

That's not who Vincent is.
He's a real cool guy.

But, I have to admit: I have dabbled in fanfic writing myself. I once tried writing a FFVII fanfic, and my first attempt at writing a novel was full of "homages," actually more like "rip-offs," to other works i.e. the game Drakengard, Van Helsing, or The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I was impressed with the fact I had written forty chapters or more, totaling over 400 pages before I stopped, but I knew I was ripping sh*t off. Hell, two other attempts I made at novels were other rip-offs. However, despite my past, I am vehemently against the practice of writing fan fiction. Why? What harm could it do me? Well, let's look at the list.

1. Non-canonical bullsh*t.

Alright, I admit that this has less to do with the actual writing of fanfics and more to do with the fact that I hate fan ships and people ruining my favorite characters on sh*tty as f*ck storylines. But honestly, if you like a character, why would you change said character to match your ideals and dreams? Probably because your an egotist, like I said before. If you have genuine care for a character, you would adhere to the established rules of the story's universe and not make your favorite character more bad ass than they were in the game, movie, or book, and you wouldn't make them fall in love with your waifu or husbando from that same medium. It's seriously BS.

2. Wasting an original story.

Fanfic writers use the characters they want and insert them into a story they want to see play out. I don't fault them so much for this because like all fans, I too am hungry for content and want more from my favorite shows, movies, and video games. But, if you're going to go through the trouble of making an original story, why wouldn't you also therefore make original characters, and then make yourself an original story story?

This one I fear has less to do with ego and more to do with laziness. Creating characters and a universe can be challenging, but writing a good story that doesn't break the rules of the universe and doesn't throw away the limits you've imposed on your characters is where the real challenge comes in. With a fanfic, writers don't really worry about this. They already have fully developed characters, their universe, and they have "sample work" in the form of the original media. Ergo, it's easier for them to write a story of their own when most of the hard work has been done for them. And, if they do happen to break the rules or throw away the limits, meh, it's their fic; they can do with it what they want.

So, all this complaining then begs the question: is there anything good about fan fiction?

I honestly can't say. I have read some fan fiction, and not all of it is terrible--just most of it. But for those pieces of good fan fiction, I have to ask, why write good fan fiction when you can change the names and basically invent an original story? It always comes back to that for me. If you're going to go through the trouble of writing a story, write an original story!

But anyway, like I said, not all fan fiction is bad. In fact, my sister has written a number of Resident Evil short stories. She even got some feedback from a fan who said that reading those fics always made her feel better on crappy days. The reader even printed them out and put them in a binder. Now, that's a pretty strong compliment. And, some people would argue that my RWBY fan project RWBY: The Novelization is fan fiction. The devout fanfic'ers on the site don't, but some of those losers actually took the time to tell me a show can only be "anime" if it comes from Japan. It's like, really, dude? You're going to be that much of a stickler. I understand disliking American attempts at anime because they almost always suck, but to be like, "It's not anime unless it came from Japan," I have to wonder about you.

Anyway, I do know that there are people out there who cherish my RWBY:TN. One of the reasons why I started re-editing and rereleasing it was because I had taken a break from writing it, which I needed, and I said I wouldn't be working on it for a while in favor of some of my original work. One of my readers actually commented saying she was disappointed because she liked The Novelization so much. I had no idea, and that's what got me working on it again. So, what are the redeeming qualities on fan fiction?

Well, for one, they help bring together the fandom and even brighten up a fan's day to read a well put together piece. Another boon is that so long as the fanfic writer doesn't violate the characters' character or the universe's laws, it can be a dandy little practice for people who want to try writing but are either scared to come up with an original story or don't have the time to put into creating an original story. It's also possible that by writing fanfics, some writers will evolve into writing full stories.

So, I guess there are some good things about fan fiction, but generally, I still hate it. Again, it keeps coming back to the idea of writing an original story. So much time and effort is spent writing a fanfic, just write an original story instead. I just can't get around that point.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Next week, I'm not sure what I'll cover. It'll either be on why I chose to self-publish my novels over traditional, or why it bothers me that it bothers other people that main characters have "plot armor." We'll see which one burns my ass more when I come back to writing a Let's Talk About Writing. So, until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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A Writer's Manifesto: What Is It and Why the Hell Do You Need One?

Hey, everyone.

So, if you're an Indie author, likely you know how some big name writers out there are trying to help us out with our own writing success. One such writer is Jeff Goins. This past week, he emailed all his subscribers and gave out free copies of his book 12 Steps to Make a Living Writing which details all the things writers need to do in order to be successful. Now, most of the tips aren't anything too secret or special: start a blog, get a mailing list, get more followers, etc. But one of his tips left me a bit puzzled and that was...

Now, this left me confused as hell, as is obvious by the two questions underneath, because I thought I knew what a manifesto is and I didn't understand what the hell it had to do with writing. According to him, a manifesto is "a summary of [our] worldview. It's a short, shareable document that quickly lets [our] readers know what [we] are and are not about."

That sounds simple enough, but you'll notice that Goins defines the word "manifesto" around another word: "worldview." Now, I thought I knew what a worldview was, too. But, according to Goins, a worldview is "the guiding statement that undergirds everything you write and why you write it." And again, I'm really f*cking confused. I've never thought about what I write and why I write it in some great cosmic sense. I write what I do because I want to. That's as far as it goes really. Now, there may be reasons besides that, such as the reason why I'm writing a novelization of RWBY, to expand my audience, or why I'm writing a beginner's guide to traditional archery, to introduce people to archery in a friendly manner and to expand my audience, but all things I write start foremost with the reason of because I want to.

 

Unfortunately, telling people that I write because I want to isn't very romantic. To some extent, I do feel a calling to be a writer, and not everything I want to write is random, some of it has a definite point such as another WIP that I'm calling "Struggles on and Meditations with the Catholic Faith." That's all about breaking down the harder to swallow beliefs of Catholicism and explaining why Catholics have them. So, the purpose is to enlighten others. But, I'm also writing that because I want to write it. Like I said earlier, I may have other reasons for why I write something, but generally I write because I want to write.

 

Now, some may ask, how does this cover the what I want to write. How do I choose to write what I do. Well, I write what I write because again, I want to--I'm interested in it. I'm interested in poetry, philosophy, romance, thriller, horror, gothic, fantasy, science fiction, plays, screenplays, and all the rest. There's no great metaphysical reason behind why I write. I write because there's nothing in this world I would rather do.

 

So, unfortunately, that's my manifesto: I write because I want to. Truth be told, phrasing it as "I write because there's nothing in this world I would rather do" is much more romantic, but it's the same thing. In fact, I may actually use that as my manifesto instead. But, the point is, I write because I want to, hence why I call myself Bryan C. Laesch, the Writer. I write for the sake of writing.

 

And to get rich.

 

Next week, I'm going to cover fan fiction and whether or not it's good to dabble in it or not. And, in case you didn't notice, the two ads on this post are of my two newly published novels: Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens and Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight. Click on'em. Buy'em. Do it!

Keep writing, my friends.

 

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There's Too Much Writing Advice On The Internet!

Hey, everyone.

So, in my last post for Cryptids and the Paranormal, I wrote a rant about something that bothers me about the paranormal community. And recently, I got the raw end of a business deal, so I'm feeling a little fired up this week. As a result, I've decided to rant about something that burns my ass when it comes to the world of writing, and that is...

That's right; there is too much writing advice out on the Internet. Whether you're a new writer starting out or you've been at this a while and you're looking for tips on current writing styles, there's a lot of information out there. It can especially get confusing if you think you knew everything or you had a style already worked out, and then suddenly, you start seeing tips that suggest just the opposite. So, what the hell are you supposed to do?

At first glance, the answer seems obvious: change your style to fit the recommendations. But, when professional and world renowned authors like Stephen King say that "he said, she said" is king when it comes to dialogue tags, but several pins on Pinterest have titles saying "Said is Dead," it gets quite frustrating.

Why would you use "asked" if you have
a question mark in the line?

I noticed something rather irritating about my own writing recently as well. See, I signed up to be a tutor for a local company. The first student they tried to set me up with wanted a crash course in grammar and punctuation. (I say tried, because I couldn't schedule a first meeting with her, and to my knowledge, neither have they.) Anyway, to make sure I was up to snuff on punctuation, I went looking for copies of Strunk and White's Elements of Style. Turns out you can download the whole book for free as a PDF. Anyway, as I was brushing up on the punctuation, I noticed a mistake I've been making with my commas. Apparently, I've been running my sentences on, when actually there's more than one sentence there and they need to be separated by a comma. Here's the example from Strunk and White.

I met them on a Cunard liner many years ago. Coming home from Liverpool to New York.

Strunk and White say it should look like this:

I met them on a Cunard liner many years ago, coming home from Liverpool to New York.

Looking at my last finished novel, I noticed quite a few places where I don't do that. To add to my confusion, I noticed places where I can't justify the rule; perhaps because they aren't two separate sentences. But the real chagrin came when I realized there were probably dozens or even hundreds of places where I've made this mistake in my first novel. Does this mean I have to go back and re-edit both books in their entirety even though I'm so close to self-publishing both of them?

No. While I admit I'm a perfectionist, something I realized was that no one had caught this error and called me out on. I'm sure I've made this mistake in my book Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan, and like I said, I've likely done this everywhere in ROCCO. But, no one on Inkitt, not even my beta reader, caught it. Does that mean that Strunk and White's comma is superfluous? Well, it could be. Strunk and White are only two "experts" of the rules of writing. Something that you must realize is that writing isn't a science. There are basic rules that everyone accepts as being the rules on how to write, but they're not immutable laws of the universe. They are subject to change as evidenced by the fact that there are multiple editions of Elements of Style, and some writers just straight up ignore them. I heard of an Indie author who doesn't use quotation marks at all. And, some of the rules for writing in Britain are completely different from those here in America. So, where does that leave me?

Well, being so close to self-publishing both books, I'm not going to go back and re-edit them. I probably will re-edit them some day, but not this day. Like I said, no one seems to have caught my blunder, so most people must either not care or don't notice. But, moving forward, I will be a little more careful. Coming back to "he said, she said" versus "Said is Dead," what does one do moving on from here?

I suggest you do what's natural for you and make up your own style as necessary. After all, unless you're an English teacher yourself, you're not likely to know all the writing rules, and there will still be times when you'll forget them or you'll be unsure of what to do yourself. So, follow the rules for the most part, but deviate when necessary. Something I've discovered while editing some pieces is that in order to obey certain rules and styles, I've had to make a sentence quite awkward. Instead of doing that, I say screw it, and just do it in the simplest way possible, even if that means adding words when you're trying to cut back, and even if that means using the abominable adverb.

Next week, I don't know what I'm going to cover, but I hope to have something a little more focused.

Keep writing, my friends.

How to Use Tarot to Write A Story

Hey, everyone.

So, while I was perusing Pinterest, I came across two images that used Tarot card spreads in order to create a character and build story. So, I'm going to test this out for you and see how it comes out. I'm going to be using Nordic runes and Tarot just for some variety. But, just so you know, there are typically 78 cards to a Tarot deck and there are only 24 or 25 runes per set, so the runes are more likely to repeat. I also chose to let inverted/reversed runes and cards affect my interpretation. And to distance myself from their pagan origins, I'll be calling my runes by their 4th century Gothic names instead of their original names.

All right, let's get started.

7-Card Story Starter

Runes:

1. Dynamic Character: Inverted Uraz (Challenge)
2. Fatal Flaw: Fe (Abundance)
3. Battle Opponents: Gaar (Harvest Time)
4. External Conflicts: Eyz (Movement)
5. Interpersonal Conflicts: Inverted Bern (Birthing)
6. Internal Conflicts: Waer (Transition)
7. Desired Goal: Sugil (The Divine Source)

Analysis:

So, looking at the runes, there are something interesting things here. For the character, I got an Uraz rune which means "challenge," but it was inverted which actually means a really rough challenge or "being gored in the game of life." The others aren't that difficult to figure out, but the one that's got me confused is that battle opponents came out as Gaar, which is a rune that typically references the harvest and includes themes like "time to grow," richness or ripeness, the fertile season, and festivity. Now, I have no idea how to write bad guys who represent such things unless I interpret things loosely. So, what do we have then?

Story:

A man who has had a difficult life is seeking a relationship with God. But, he has a problem: he's a miser who has collected an immense wealth and knows that if he wants to be closer to God, he has to get rid of his money. But, things become dire for him when his adversary, a crooked accountant, sends mercenaries after him to collect a "fee." To add to that, the man is a paraplegic and can only get around by wheelchair. Meanwhile, his wife is threatening to leave him if he gives up his money and abort his first child. All of these problems stem from the fact that he wants to make a change in his life from being material to being ascetic.

Story Analysis:

Sounds like it might make a decent drama, maybe even an action film. And what I ended up doing was interpreting the baddies as being "harvesters" with the whole idea of them coming to collect a non-existent fee. I decided to put him in a wheelchair to show off how challenging his life has been already. One could argue that his life is about to get really challenging with everything going on around, but I wanted a more direct interpretation of Uraz.

Alright, let's look at the Tarot cards I got.

Tarot:

1. Dynamic Character: Inverted Four of Swords (Recuperation)
2. Fatal Flaw: Nine of Pentacles (Gain)
3. Battle Opponents: The Devil (Material Bondage)
4. External Conflicts: Six of Wands (Victory)
5. Interpersonal Conflicts: Inverted Three of Swords (Sorrow)
6. Internal Conflicts: Nine of Cups (Happiness)
7. Desired Goal: Six of Pentacles (Success)

Analysis:

For the most part, this seems like a straightforward enough reading. But, the problem comes when we introduce those inverted cards. It's easy to assume that inverted or reversed cards or runes mean the exact opposite, but that isn't always true. Looking at the reversed Three of Swords, that means something along the lines of "a conversation that needs to happen," or "the revelation of a painful truth." And then, a reversed Four of Swords means "restlessness" or "burn-out," which unfortunately sort of contradicts what I just said about how a card upside-down doesn't just mean the opposite.

Course though, what you could do is say phooey to all that reversed business and only accept your cards or runes right side up. But, just for fun, let's try it with the reversed meanings.

Story:

Our character is burnt out on life because he's constantly seeking gain, he wants to be a success because he has a strong desire for nice things and possessions. He's constantly looking for a victory here or there, but is always unable to, and he's never happy with himself or his life. To make matters worse, his boss is hiding something from him that could make or break his future.

                                                                

Story Analysis:

Honestly, this one was easier to write because the factors are so interwoven. Unfortunately, because they're so interwoven, it's difficult to give them all their own distinction in the story. Basically, it's a story of a greedy bastard looking for his big break that get him whatever he wants. Do I really need a paragraph to put that together? No. The other problem with this story idea is that it is only the premise of the story and not much of a story by itself. I know the spread is called "Story Starter," but sometimes a book's premise is the easiest thing to come up with, and writers don't really need help with that.

Character Profile

All right, so the first one was more for a story starter, possibly the blurb/teaser you put on your book to make it sale. Sort of like a trailer for a movie. This next spread is more designed to build a character rather than to set a story.

Runes:

1. Hero: Inverted Utal (Home)
2. Outward Quality: Sugil (The Divine Source)
3. Inward Quality: Iiz (Danger)
4. Goal: Inverted Chosma (Flame)
5. Motivation: Fe (Abundance)
6. Stakes: Bern (Birthing)
7. Flaw or Need: Aza on its side pointing right (Breath [as in communication or from God])
8. Source of Flaw: Giwa (Exchange)
9. How the Flaw Affects the Goal: Waer (Transition)

Analysis:

At first look, none of these are all that confusing until you get to #7. Some of you may be wondering what the hell I mean by "on its side pointing right." Well, I used to read runes, and the way I practiced, I allowed for reversed runes and runes on their side. For runes on their sides, I read ones pointing left as being mostly reversed, and those pointing right, I read as mostly right side up.

So, what do we have?

Story:

Our hero is an outcast who seems very religious, almost like a cleric, priest, or monk, but he's either got a dark side, or he's a thrill seeker. Going with the idea he's got a dark side, his goal is to burn or destroy someone else because he's been promised a huge reward. If he doesn't, there's a possibility that an evil child will be born, but there's a problem: he can't really communicate with his god to finish his mission because the last item he offered as a sacrifice to his god was rejected, ergo he has difficulty trusting his god that doing this mission will result in his being reconciled and he's thinking of abandoning his faith.

Story Analysis:

This idea was interesting to start off with because he sounded like a good guy, but he may have actually been a bad guy. But, because the stakes surround a birthing, he could be a good guy who gets things done the wrong way, like a lot of 80's fantasy action heroes. So, I thought that this might make for an interesting fantasy story with a lot of grey morality. It actually sounds like the typical anti-hero story. I might bookmark this idea for later.



Tarot:

1. Hero: The World (Completion with the Universe)
2. Outward Quality: Ace of Swords (Seed of Victory)
3. Inward Quality: Inverted Four of Cups (Luxury)
4. Goal: Inverted High Priestess (Wisdom)
5. Motivation: Page/Jack of Wands (Exploration or Discovery)
6. Stakes: Judgment (Facing the Facts of Life)
7. Flaw or Need: Inverted Six of Pentacles (Success)
8. Source of Flaw: The Devil (Material Bondage)
9. How the Flaw Affects the Goal: Nine of Swords (Cruelty)

Analysis:

For this one, I said screw the potentiality of the reversed cards meaning a whole bunch of stuff, and I just decided to wing it. So, I'm going to read reversed Four of Cups, High Priestess, and Six of Pentacles as being the opposite of what they mean when they're right side up.

Story:

This guy is very similar to the guy from the rune reading and the other Tarot reading. He's a monk who lives as an ascetic. There's a mystic aura to him; when people meet him, they get the feeling he's destined for greatness, but he shuns the claims because he knows that greatness can lead to luxury, but as an ascetic, he's always uncomfortable when in luxury. Meanwhile, he's on an adventure to find a mystic artifact because he wants to hide it away from the world thinking it's dangerous for other people to have it as it may reveal some knowledge about the world that the world doesn't need. His flaw however is that he could definitely fail because luxury makes him uncomfortable because it's something that tempts him away from his proper path. As result, he seeks his goal with a tenacity and fervor that borders on mania, and he can be quite short with people who get in his way.

Story Analysis:

So, again, just like the rune reading, many of these elements stepped on each other's toes. Personally, I don't think you need to lay out a character's motivation if he has a goal because the goal should be the motivation. Sure, you can want to save the world because you want to save your family, but you're also saving the whole world. You can have a goal and a motivation, but it isn't necessary. And, the stakes should be obvious from what the goal is; you fail the goal, the stakes happen.

And then, looking at the character's qualities, those can very easily coincide with or be the same as the character's flaw. But I will admit that source of the flaw and how the flaw affects the goal are definitely interesting separate qualities that can add a layer of dimension to the story that many writers may not have thought about.

But, anyway, this story again strikes me as a fantasy story due to its themes and the character I got.

Overall Analysis:

I think the first method is much more streamlined; it's sort of like the abridged version of the second method. And, while they did turn out some interesting possibilities in character and story, I wouldn't rely totally on this method to create a story, or at the very least, to make a novel. I want a bit more control over my novel's story. But, both methods can help the writer think about virtues, vices, and character traits that a writer may not have thought of. Plus, you can choose to use what you want.

In conclusion, I may still use these methods to craft a story, but I'll keep my final say in what happens, and the story I create will be more along the lines of a short story rather than one of my precious novels. In general, I think both methods are somewhat useful, and I prefer the second method, but they're both fun. I encourage you to try them out for yourself and see what you get.

Keep writing, my friends.

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Why Grease's Story Sucks

Let's talk about writing.

So, some of you are likely Grease fans, and you may be upset by this bold declaration. Don't get me wrong, though, I too appreciate the great American musical. Sometimes grease is the word. It's got groove, it's got meaning. And there are times when it is definitely the time, the place, and the motion. Some days, grease is the way I'm feeling. I also pine for those summer nights where I stay out until 10 o' clock and make out with a pretty girl under the dock. And sometimes, I feel like I was born to hand jive.

But, despite all these good emotions, Grease does have a major problem--not as a musical, but as a story. You see, in all modern stories, main characters go through a change, an arc, a journey. Call it what you want, but by the end of the story, they're no longer the same person they were at the start, and generally, it's for the better. And who am I kidding, we the audience love it when they change for the better. And that's the problem with Grease. Despite its ten main characters, only one of them goes through a real character arc, one of them tries and reverts, and the others stay the same, more or less. Let's take a look at them.

1. Sandy and Danny

Starting with Sandra Dee, this girl is the closest thing we get to having a protagonist. Now, some may argue that Danny is actually the protagonist, but the reason why I say Sandy is the protagonist is because she's the only one who changes, and not for the better I may add. Sandy starts out as your typical girl-next-door type. She's fairly milquetoast, but what's wrong with a good, clean-living girl? Especially for the '50's. Absolutely nothing except for the fact that she falls in love with Danny who is the leader of the T-Birds, a gang.

Some people may have a hard time understanding that, but it's true--greasers were '50's gangs. Instead of wearing saggy pants, they wore leather jackets. Instead of wearing beanies, they greased their hair. And instead of low-riders, they drove hot rods and motorcycles. But the thing that both generations have in common is gang violence. Gats might be more popular today, but that may only be because switchblades aren't as efficient as taking down a rival gang. So, yeah, greasers were gangsters. We don't really see the T-Birds that way because the most violent thing they do is have an illegal drag race through a drain, but the greasers from The Outsiders are closer to the truth.


                                                                     


Getting back to our story, plain Jane, good girl, Sandy falls in love with gang leader Danny Zuko. The main drama of the musical is taken up with Danny trying to find ways to reform himself into a model student so he can be the kind of guy Sandy would date. He tries to shed his greaser visage for a clean-cut, all-American boy. And by the end, he succeeds. He becomes a jock and cleans up his image, but then Sandy comes out looking like every greaser's wet dream. Danny then goes back on his hard work and becomes a greaser again.

The issue we have here is that Danny made the effort to change, even though such a change wasn't really necessary--remember, he was everything Sandy wanted back when they met at the beach--but then he didn't need his "redemption" as Sandy lowered herself to his level, which again, wasn't necessary as she was what he wanted back at the beach. So, while Sandy may be a round character, she changed the wrong way and went in the wrong direction, and Danny may have been a round character, but he didn't have to be by the musical's end. So, what was all his hard work for? And if they accepted each other when Danny didn't need to be the leader of the T-Birds, why didn't Danny just cut the sh*t and be who he was then?

2. Rizzo and Kenickie

Rizzo and Kenickie is another example of characterization blue-ballsing. The big thing that happens between them is that Rizzo misses her period and it's believed that Kenickie knocked her up. Kenickie, trying to be a good guy, tries to accept the responsibility of his actions, but Rizzo pushes him away. She eventually takes him back, but not until her pregnancy turns out to be a false alarm. At which point, they celebrate. How? Well, I already said they get back together, but presumably they banged again later. Hey, if they did it in a car when they weren't really going out, of course they're going to do when they're serious about each other.

Now, Rizzo does go through a change of sorts by accepting her feelings for Kenickie, but so what? She stops acting tough--but did she really learn anything? Did she learn not to screw guys outside of marriage? Did she learn how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and how to not let her passions control her? There are no indications that she did, and there are no indications that Kenickie learned anything either. A fan of the show may give them the benefit of the doubt, but one of the rules of cinema is, if they don't show it, you don't know for sure. I know Grease was originally a musical, but the same principle still applies. If no one says anything different and there aren't any scenes demonstrating that their characters went through a change, no one can say with any degree of certainty that they did, and therefore it must be presumed that they didn't.

3. Frenchy

Honestly, Frenchy is the only person in the musical who makes a change for the better. But! She only makes that change for the better after making a change for the worse, which is kind of funny because I'm sure many real-life beauticians sh*t all over Frenchy's story because of how their career choice is treated. True, beauticians don't make a lot of money, but some do all right for themselves depending on the salon and specific industry. Which then begs a question: was Frenchy really incompetent or was hair just not her thing? Or, maybe all she needed was more study. And, why couldn't she go to beauty school after high school?

So, again, with Frenchy we see a lot of strange choices and actions, and none of them are really mutually exclusive. I suppose you could say that because she made a good decision after making a bad one, she did learn her lesson and make a change for the better. But her choices really weren't so terrible, so her story's a wash.

4. And the Rest

And the rest... while I can remember names and faces, I'm not going to talk about it because honestly, the other members of the T-Birds and The Pink Ladies, they really don't have much of a story or add much to the story. Sure, they have wishes, dreams, and desires, but they don't change by the end. As far as I know, Sonny is still a loser, Marty is still looking for an easy out, and Jan is still a glutton. She also reminds me of my Aunt Maria, but that's a different story entirely.


                                                                      


So, yeah... I remember the first time I saw Grease all the way through. Hell, I went to see it back when I was a Youth Minister and some of my members were in their high school's version of it. Unfortunately, I don't remember a lot of it. I also don't remember a lot of Grease and the order of the scenes is jumbled as f*ck in my memory, which indicates that a good chunk of the story was forgettable and further proves that the story ain't that great.

So, the lesson here is, don't write a story like Grease. Have your main characters go through a few challenges and develop into slightly different characters by the end of the story. You know, like how real do.

In next week's Let's Talk About Writing, I'm going to go over and try a peachy, keen idea on how to create a story with Tarot cards. Don't miss it.

Keep writing, my friends.

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