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Showing posts from June, 2016

Creative Gallivanting

I read somewhere that it's good to just write down what comes to mind, and then you go back and edit it...and edit it etcetera. But the focus here is I'm going to gallivant and maybe make sense and maybe not make sense. I'm going to try to minimally edit, only glaring mistakes, and just write for the thought and what's on my mind. If you like what you're reading, please comment. If you want to gallivant yourself, feel free to. I do vet comments, I'm trying to keep this clean (at least the blog), so be aware. Sometimes I just want to hear the keys being tapped, and an idea may be squeezed out, so I'll see where this goes. I was thinking about old clicky keyboards and have a couple, so I was trying to find my PS2 keyboard adaptor--I seem to have lost it--and the last thing I know Windows 10 is not compatible with it yet. Now, I don't know if this is something they were going to include at a later date, so I'll test it. I really like my old

They Can't Duplicate You

I've noticed that a lot of stories today, and blogs, are almost a test. They are done to dip your toe in the water. But I've noticed that a lot of the writers are writing stories that are the same as other writers. This is good to start out, to test your story telling capabilities, but at what point do you shift into a different gear and start writing really individual stories? Where do you learn your voice and create a world for yourself? Sort of like Stephen King usually puts things about The Dark Towers and bits of that world into some of this other stories. Or how Emenem and other music artists have a world of certain characters that parade around their work. Korn came to be known for the bad things that happened to the lead singer and other little characters and voices that he sang as. Dean Koontz usually has a dog and lots of guns in his stories. I'm throwing these things out randomly, but hopefully you get the point. There is a style, a sound, a feeling you get

Muse

I was thinking, and with all the stress from the day job, added to that the stress of worrying about the writing career, how can one be creative? You hear people on podcasts and blogs and Twitter rant and rant about how it's hard to break into a successful writing career, or how the industry is changing and if you don't change with it you won't make it. Don't get me wrong, in there somewhere is a positive note, but for the most part it gets my heart racing a bit. Sometimes I feel I've procrastinated, or am procrastinating, and it's all passing me by. But it's not. The thing is this, do you have it? Can you write memorable stories that resonate with people that make them want to turn the page? And I'm not just saying this; I mean can you REALLY do this? Ultimately that's for the readers to decide, and a few others, but it can be done. There is a formula. And maybe it's not just one formula. Maybe it's a formula for each individual wri

Escape from Reality

I was thinking about something and it made me think. I don't want to depress people. I want to make them escape into a world. If they have a rough life, maybe I can make it less rough, at least for the time that person is reading my stories. But I've noticed that a lot of the stories these days, whether on TV or in book, are very depressing. And yes, there is a prevalence of decease and other maladies that are real, but don't we want to escape this sad stuff?  Instead of focusing on the sickness, it should be a brief thing that can be possibly overcome. But that's hard to do once the sickness has been introduced into the story.  Some examples are Breaking Bad (loved this series, so good). It's really not a spoiler to say that the main character, Walter White, finds out he has lung cancer, because the rest of the story is him trying to make money for his family before his demise. And this isn't even that bad. But there are many other instances.  Another tha

Rant

Sun is out and so is pollen, allergies. Perfect. I can't get into the writing mood well when I don't feel fairly well--unless something really grabs and pulls me along. That's OK, though. Just have to keep moving and using techniques to keep you going. So I am reading tweets and come across an article about what authors make. It's not that depressing, but when comparing how many writers are ripping and tearing at the pedestal to get to the top--or even make a livable wage--it can slap you hard into perspective. I've had people tell me they write only for the love of it, but ultimately you want to get paid for that work you've done. But then another mistake that is made is thinking the one work you do is going to be enough to sustain you in your career. You need many stories. And even more than that. From what I've seen, depending on which route you're going to go, independent, or the "Big Five," you have to have a lot of conten

Spam Folder!

A bit disappointed. I had summited a story to a place and they sent a rejection on May 23 rd , could have been submitting to other places, but this email went to my outlook spam. Not sure why. The thing is this particular magazine asked not to submit to other places. Guess I'll be checking my spam more often. Well, back to the drawing board. WCM