WCMarchese

Sometimes there are so many things going on around me that this invisible film seems to surround my mind. I call it The Fog, though there are other names I call it. Mostly annoying. During this time period, the only thing I can do is edit, or simple things. I can write, but most of the time it comes out pretty bad. If there is a deadline, this is the worst. Sometimes it clears just before the deadline ends, which just happened recently. Which is why I’m writing this now.  I was lucky, though. I got out of it just before I had to send something off. I was able to finish and get it out there. Thank God without a muddled mind.  My day job has been very taxing recently and it's taken a bit of a toll on my creativity. I liken it to a picture that is forming on a computer screen. Back when the internet was dial up, pictures came up pixilated, then slowly sharpened as more data came through. That's how my work looks before I edit and sharpen and slap on some un

We all dream of going back to our jobs one day as a best selling author, not having to wake up at certain hours, making our own time to work, and gloating?  Well, maybe a little. At least to those who said you couldn't do it.  But just going back and seeing what, or where, you came from--how far you've advanced.  How you've achieved your goal.  Thinking about that scenario, my imagination conjured up someone giving a seminar about self improvement.  I imagined someone standing in front of a group, talking to them about how he/she made it, right from where the audience was sitting.  Of course, this imaginary character had an inkling of what he was to become--knew where the road would lead. They wore it as though to become that goal, not the mere worker ant in a huge colony of worker ants.  We can all do this, today. At our jobs. Anywhere.  If you want to be a writer, you tell yourself you are one.  Feel it.  Walk around as though it is your life

There is a point where a story just might not work. But what to do?  Keep going?  Or do you count your losses and make things simple? (A dd anything else that may help with changing a story.)  Some rewrite, some edit. There are arguments against each, good and bad. If you can make it work, then so be it.  If the story get too complicated, you run the risk of muddling things up. Some can handle that type of writing, keeping up with twists and turns--they may expect it. Then there are those who may struggle.  They might want you to do all the heavy lifting and give them every detail.  It's hard to know what an audience wants, as they vary greatly. There are many people in this world. All walks of life, beliefs, etc. You want to try and cater to all of them.  You may grow a niche audience, and then you will know what they want to read. Do a demographic, if possible. There are many tools out there with social media and such.  There is always the problem where you might

I don't know how to put this well, but i'll take a wack.  T here is an agreed standard, a collective audience perceives certain things.  For instance. Two characters see something. One makes a joke towards that "something." Now how do you make that "something" relate universally to your reader?  Pop culture may play a role, and the invisible point can be time specific--meaning something at this point in the 50s, won't make as much sense as it does now. Though, if done well, it can still relate.  The joke, or instance, will be weighed on an invisible scale, and the reader will decide if the scene rings true, or not. Is the joke funny? Would that particular character actually say something like that?  So you have the popular joke that a majority of people get. Even those who don't totally get it understand the joke to some degree. Because it rings true, they've heard someone say it, or act this waywin life.  It's like, have you eve

I was talking to a writer friend the other day, and this crazy thought popped out. You go into this fog, and things happen. Some things you know, some you don't understand. But they happen. And when you come out and your regular brain turns on, you look back and think, was I doing that? Was I in that world seeing those things? This is an abstract subject, but it happens to writers alot. It happens to me. Especially when I go into a day-dreaming trance. These thoughts help you think and create, they help your dialouge ring true, among other things. The trick is representing those crazy thoughts into word for others to understand. In a way, you can say we are interpreters of other worlds we are able to tap into. We all get those awesome ideas, and sees our stories like a movie, but can we get that brilliant masterpiece onto paper in a way that does your thoughts justcie? That's up to your talent and how much you practice your craft. Are you able to harness those t

I probably hit on this subject before in another post in one way or another, but I've been thinking about it lately and have new thoughts.  I always tell all that come to me when they've been rejected send it on to the next place.  Onward and upward.  Easy to say when it's not happening to you, but you have to follow this. You can't just give up.  It's rough. Even I feel those moments of extreme rejection, a feeling we all go through.  It happens to all of us. Some of the big time authors went through a lot of it. Dean Koontz always comes to mind. He had about 75 rejections after his first short story acceptance.  But why does it hurt so bad?  Maybe because we feel it's personal, even just for a moment. It could be prior experiences that shape this feeling, as well.  What I know is, most rejections aren't because of quality, or anything personal, but simply because the story didn't fit with what the pub had in mind. Maybe the writer didn&

It's midweek yes again. And sometimes I feel I am hefting dead weight. Though there are those moments my mind is going I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can. Sometimes a nice cup of coffee does the trick. Chocolate and  sweets are another go-to. I quit sugar for the most part January 1st, so that's out of the question. So what's a writer to do for some energy? Writer's have gone to drinking, but probably for more than just a needed energy boost. Then there's vitamins amd eating healthy, and it's true, but I can feel the pure energy seekers thinking, oh please. I want something now! It's true, though. Because of migraines I take a B complex and it does give a little boost. But I'd have to say, time and time again. It would have to be coffee. Nice and strong, smooth, and maybe even a leaf, for good measure. How do you get that boost for writing?  Leave a comment in the section below, or hit me up on Twitter @Wcmarchese. Hope to see you there.

Last night I was working with a feverish frenzy, sorry for the cliche.  But I was.  Why?  Because I thought the deadline for a story I was working on had been Thursday, the 15th. 14th, actually, because the publication is on the other side of the world.  So I put everything on hold and pecked at my keys.  To add to this, I was asked to do an extra podcast from the one I already do on Friday.  Normally i'd be chuffed (as my English friend likes to say), but this was only going to take more time away from the writing.  On top of that, I needed to learn a program that lets me broadcast from Twitter on to YouTube live.  Long story short, I figured it out enough to do what needed to be done, it went off pretty well (I'll be messing around with the controls on YouTube hopefully soon), and all was happy.  Except for that nervous muse nagging me, "We've got to get this story done, I know your limitations!"  I reserved my energy, bec

I always tell people at work I can’t wait for 7pm, when I get to leave for the day. I’ve even made a prior blog post about wishing your life away by longing for quitting time.  But then someone came up to me, after I made the joke: "How's it going?" "It'll be better at 7pm!", and he told me I must have a pretty good life if I want to get away from work so badly. That was great perspective!  And not only because it sparked a blog post for which I had no idea what to write about.  I’d never looked at wanting to leave work in that way. It was a new POV. Just like in stories.  And while there may be many different perspectives to see it from, yours was the one chosen for that particular tale because you thought it was best told that way. Sometimes, however, you may want to tell it from a few different perspectives. Different characters going through the same scene in their own way. If the characters are that entertaining, why not?

I’m at the point where it’s getting rough. I see what those writers mean who say “if I knew better I’d never have gotten into writing.” Even thoigh I see what they mean, I still love writing.  You should love it. This is what you want to do. So much so that you would suffer just to cut off a piece of the pie.  Right?  I guess in the long run writers, the ones who are in it 'till the end, have nothing to worry about. Because those who don’t stick around--because they can’t handle it--will drop off the grid and the playing field will be open. Of course new talent will flood in, and within time, after taking their knocks, will have to answer the same question. Why do it all? And if it is not worth it to them, they will move on. Or this will be a side hobby of a sort. And that’s fine. That’s how it has to be. Otherwise there would be too many writers on the scene. Besides, as the saying goes: no pain no gain. There is no solid formula for this, either.

Happy Monday!  Hmmm, well, maybe not. But it will be over soon. Trust me.  I had a dream about zombies, but with a twist. Not your average zomzom story. To be honest, I don't remember half of it. A short story?  It may become something, or it may not.  It's funny how dreams sometimes lead to great stories, and sometimes they fizz out.  I think it's the feel of what was happening at the moment. Waking up in the dark, perhaps?  I know people who have sleep paralysis. Not a fun thing from what I've seen on documentaries dealing with the subject.  Do you use your dreams for story material? How does it work out for you? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @Wcmarchese Hope to see you there.  WCM

You could be as positive as can be, but that one comment from a jealous indiciindi can put you in a mood that strikes down your endeavors. At least for a bit.    You know those people. I’ve talked about them before.   Energy Vampires.   Just being around them sucks all the positive thoughts from your soul, and even spare energy.  You feel like you can’t do anything. Their negative views have a tendency to make sorrow and depression cool. It can weigh even the most positive of us.   Successful people know how to deal with these characters, they keep them far away. Use them in their stories as charachars to meet untimely deaths. Haha.    It’s healthy.   But then there are the ones who see you are succeeding at what you do and choose to sabotage.   It seems like it can’t happen. And yes, it hurts a lot when you find out it’s the closest ones that perpetrate this mayhem. But once you know how to look for these individuals, and keep them far away, you can re