Masochism as a way of life

As a writer, it's often very difficult to get honest feedback. In my opinion, there are two types of dishonesty when dealing with criticism of your work. The first is the most obvious and common -- people just don't want to:

a) be mean
b) get on your bad side
c) harm a friendship/relationship
d) all of the above

It's actually really selfish. I know that sounds weird, because, after all, this person took time out of their life and busy schedule to read something for you. However, being less than honest is the opposite of being helpful, it literally harms your ability to properly edit and shape your work. Why do they do this? So that they aren't uncomfortable. That's selfish. It's better to say, "I don't feel comfortable critiquing your work."

The second type of dishonesty comes through disinterest. An uninterested party will often give your work just a cursory review, leading to poor feedback that can be just as dangerous. The critique masquerades as a powerful, impartial examination, but in reality it's just a sloppy glance that leads you astray.

You really have to be on your guard for both these types of input.

You also have a responsibility to both properly and specifically inform your reader what sort of feedback you desire, and you must accept the critique with grace and courtesy.

When you hand something to someone to read, be honest as to what you're looking for in return. Unless they're from an MFA in English program somewhere, they've never really been trained how to give feedback.

My first reaction on getting feedback is to always argue the reader's conclusions. I desperately want to defend my work and it's validity. I think it's just natural - the way parents often defend their kids before knowing the whole story. Put the feedback aside after you read it. Calm down. Read it again. Never respond immediately. Technology seems to drive us towards our baser responses, and it would be so easy to fling off an e-mail into the wired. Don't do it.

The reality is -- I'd rather someone say my piece just doesn't work, than to get some false praise that keeps me engaged in a fruitless pursuit. Value honesty.

So, to me, writers must have a certain masochistic streak. The only way our works get better is if they're torn down. It's a very organic thing, though -- like growing muscle. If you want to write, you're going to get hurt. But, to paraphrase Pink (wow, NEVER thought I'd ever type that ... I should take a screenshot), just because you're hurt, it doesn't mean you'll die. Keep at it.

And, find someone good to give you feedback!

I love all the bits and pieces

My last blog spoke a bit to the concept of world building. I love how compact, creative expressions can create a world - a song, a poem, or even a painting. I long for my writing to be even partially as concise as those forms.

While not considered a particularly literary pursuit, I have really enjoyed some of the worlds expressed through board games! I've always loved video games, but there is something visceral about the tactile nature of board games - the pieces, the cards, the dice, or whatever each individual game may bring.

A lot of people think of Monopoly or Life as being the essential board games; those people are missing out. I highly encourage you to check out the web site for Board Game Geek. You'll see a list for The Hotness on the left hand side. You'll be blown away by the variety and scope of the games listed. Besides that, some of the art is AMAZING.

I bring this up because I've long thought about creating a game in an unusual world I've been thinking about. Cooperatively competitive ... Meaning, you do better the more you work with others. I would love to support the world with short stories and novels, but I think I want to start with the game. More on it later!

The world is the thing.

As I await the fate of Blackburn Burrow, I'm working on several other projects. One is a sci-fi anime homage called Gaia 4. While I have a first draft screenplay done, I really consider that more of an outline for the novel. It gave me ample opportunity to develop the characters voices, while creating dynamic, moving plot.

However, unlike books, film uses cheats to world build. You're given visual clues with connotations as to the social and political nature of the culture. The written word allows you to go so much deeper. World-building is one of the greatest joys of writing. It also takes a heck of a lot of work and is filled with myriad pitfalls. If you build a certain pillar of the culture, you can't just go an ignore it several chapters or books later. As a reader, I despise that kind of retcon, and I constantly endeavor to never force my readers to face such a disconnect.

Gaia 4 has the subtitle The Last City -- and, that's exactly what it is, an isolated and completely insular colony. Knowing that, and knowing what is to come, it was important to generate a mechanism to explain why there hadn't been more of a cultural shift in the society, especially when faced with the constant stresses they've endured. The answer has to be completely organic.

So, I had to begin at the establishment of the city and accept that the city's "history" may actually change the story I envisioned. A story is a huge puzzle; the pieces have to fit. If you force something into your story that doesn't belong, it really affects the integrity of the whole narrative.

Just a little something I was thinking about.

Don't forget, you can download copies of the Blackburn Burrow comic for free through Amazon! The art is amazing. Definitely worth checking out.

Where to grab Blackburn Burrow ...

Today was pretty exciting - I was interviewed by a local news anchor regarding Blackburn Burrow and Amazon Studios. It's exciting that things are still moving along!

I realize I should probably make it easier for everyone to pick up new copies of the comic, so here you go -- links to the first two issues. Get the Kindle version if you have a Kindle or an iPad or tablet with the Kindle app (the app is free) -- it really looks great!

This is the link to read the comic in the browser:
Issue 1
Issue 2

Links to the comic for Kindle at Amazon.com:
Issue 1
Issue 2

I'm also ecstatic that I was able to rewrite the opening to Shiloh's Way ina manner that finally makes me happy. The whole original intro was driving me nuts.

Anyway, this is the part where I promise to blog more! No, really ... I promise!

Did I miss it?!??

So, Blackburn Burrow blew up yesterday, and my blog missed it.

You know, this is the problem having a real job while trying to get a real job writing while still working in my writing and ... well, you know -- playing video games. In other words, the blog needs more attention, especially if I want to really keep everyone up to date.

So, here's the deal: Amazon Studios released the first issue of the Blackburn Burrow comic based on my screenplay! It's a great step in the right direction of selling the screenplay and building interest in it at the same time. It was written by Ron Marz with art by Matthew Dow Smith.

Pretty much everyone covered the release, from the LA Times to Bloody Disgusting. Even better, it shot up to #1 in the Kindle store for free comics/graphic novels. Twitter had tons of messages flitting about and the people in the forums I visited really seemed to enjoy the issue.

It is quite a bit different from my screenplay, but that's Hollywood. It will continue to evolve and change. This really makes me want to complete the novel I'm working on of the story, not to force the movie that way, but just so that the original vision lives on. I'm fine with the changes. It's exciting to see how people deal with the characters I created.

It's been fun coming into contact with some amazingly talented people, too. Idnlove to work with someon them, but I'm so terrible at promoting myself and pushing for those sorts of endeavors. I really need to step up my game.

Sadly, this is a business where if you don't talk about yourself, no one will talk about you ...

I'm just so bad at talking about me. Scary.

Anyway, if you want the first issue, head to Amazon! It's free!

Snip, snip, snip -- cut more!

Cutting about 10% out of my novel was pretty brutal. However, to be brutally honest, the 10% I cut really sucked. That's the technical term. I'm in the process of writing an entire new chapter, then properly linking it into the rest of the text.

It's not actually all that difficult, but you can run into continuity errors if you screw up.

However, having actually optioned something now, I think it's time to get this book out there and move onto something new. The publishing business is a mess right now, though. It's very, very difficult to get someone to read your writing, let alone print a book of it.

It used to be a real negative to publish your own work; a lot of people still try to force that traditional schema on people. To me, though, it's really like an audition to get picked up by a publishing house. If you can find some modicum of success in digitally publishing for the Kindle or the like, you'll get picked up. At the very least, you might make a little bit of spending money.

So, to that end, I'm actively seeking out people to help me get the manuscript in order. Primarily, I'm trying to find the right artist for a cover and someone to edit/proofread the darn thing. So, here's fingers crossed that it goes well. It's a brand new world.

Moving right along

Exciting things are happening, even if my writing has been a bit slow recently. The most exciting for me was my first mention in Publishers Weekly. They published an article on Amazon Studios upcoming plans, including the digital comic of my script Blackburn Burrow. You can read the article here.

My screenplay The Bandit Hero made the finals over at the Story Pros contest, which was unexpected. And, I just submitted a series proposal to Amazon Studios. However, I really need to start to work on my books a bit more. Still, there are a lot of positives going on. Now, I just have to find time and space to write a lot more.