Superheroes? Oh...dear...

A long while back, I posted about a number of real life "superheroes" who patrol various cities in costume and try to fight crime. We even have one here in Denver called Wall-Crawler. 

CNN recently did a report on these...folks...and their organization, which is called the Allegiance of Heroes. 

Now, as much as I admire their guts and determination to fight crime, even hunting down rapists in the sort, does anyone else think that someone is going to get killed doing this? That they're going to get in over their head and get shot or run down? 

Or are you wanting to sign up already?



I see that smile.

Even more book covers...

Check this link out for a plethora of publishing company Penguin's classic Science Fiction book covers. It starts in 1872 and moves all the way up to the 1970s. Each piece of art comes with a summary of what inspired it and when it got published. Enjoy!

I see that smile.

Conquering the dreaded blank page

Just the other day, I started on a brand new story. Admittedly, this was after a few weeks of prep work, building the world I want it set in, sketching characters and laying it a rough plotline. Some writers don't even do that. They dive right in from Word One and don't even think about outlines. That's perfectly fine. Whatever your method of starting a new story, whether short, novel or anything in between, you will always have that moment where you are staring at a blank page.

That first word leads to the first sentence, paragraph, page, and eventually, the first draft. Sometimes that blank page is daunting, and can seem like the worst hurdle to get over in the whole writing process. For me, it can be a great excuse to avoid actually starting the story, and instead spending more time outlining. Sooner or later, though, I have to start writing, otherwise it will never get done and I'll lose any momentum I might feel.

For those who struggle with the blank page as well, here are a few things I do to help make the transition easier:

1. As I mentioned before, I do a lot of prep work. Usually at least a couple week's worth. That way I have a mental foundation of storyline, world and characters that I can jump off of. I'm not having to pause every other sentence to make up something brand new. A lot of the material is already there, like lego blocks, and now I can arrange them however I want. 

2. I set mini-milestones. Normally I write in chunks of scenes, or chapters. My goal is to finish a single scene at a time. But a whole scene can be daunting. So what I do is, after getting an opening paragraph or two, I jump down a half-page, or full page and write a bit of action or conversation that happens later on in the scene. Then, perhaps I'll jump down another page or two and write a few lines that will end the scene. Now all I have to do is go back and fill in what's missing. And since I have certain turning points or bits of dialogue to work toward, my writing is more focused. 

3. I don't write chronologically. This relates somewhat to setting the mini-milestones. Often, when I have a few lines defining the middle and end of a scene, I'll jump to those and flesh out those sections before I even finish the beginning of the scene. Then I'll go back to the beginning, add a few paragraphs, then go near the end and work more there. It's almost impossible for me to start at line one and go straight through to an ending without hopping all around. Not sure why, but there is benefit to this kind of writing style. Since I have an idea of what's coming near the end of a scene, I can add more details or hints or specific actions at the beginning that tie into the ending, making the pace better, the plot more logical/cohesive, or the mystery that much more satisfying for the reader (hopefully).

So there are a few ways to make filling out the white space easier on yourself. Obviously, not every trick works for everyone, but hopefully you'll find something here that might be useful.

What are your methods for helping yourself get that first page fleshed out?

I see that smile.

Robots

Science fiction is full of so many robots, it's hard to keep track of them. But here's a handy list

that runs down through the years, pointing out such classics as Doctor Who's K-9, all the way up to the Transformers and several movie favorites. Plus, check out this visual compendium and see if you can identify which robots are which simply by their silhouettes.

I see that smile.

Sci-fi becomes a restaurant reality

The upside if this kind of restaurant interface becomes widespread is it will make eating out a much more fun and interactive experience. Plus it continues the advancement of table-top computer usage, getting people used to operating a system with more than just a keyboard and mouse.


Downsides? Well, it'll put quite a few waiters out of a job, plus families already have a hard enough time enjoying good time and conversation together without being further distracted.


Would you eat at a place with this kind of environment? Would you like this to become more common?


I see that smile.

Bad Book Covers

Just a few days ago, I threw up some links to a few sites that review book covers, and some folks talked about how they can't help but visualize the covers to their stories, even though they realize any kind of art might not live up to their (or the reader's) imagination.

Well, if a good cover image can help get a book noticed, what happens when the image turns out...not so good? Maybe campy. Or just a jumble of story elements thrown into a picture.

Here is a visual list of Bad Book Covers for you to peruse. Maybe you won't think these are all bad, since art in itself is a subjective media. But many of these could definitely use some help. I think a favorite is the one for The God Emporer of Dune, on page 3. The comment says it all. 

I see that smile.

Our Zombie Lord, who art in heaven...

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. There are many different versions of the Bible out there already. Do we really need another one? Especially one where people edit the Scriptures to include...zombies? I can just envision that fifty years in the future, after the economy collapses and plunges society into the dark ages again, that someone will come across a printed version of this zombiefied-Bible and think it's the real deal. That'll be an interesting spin on religion.

Besides, doesn't the book of Revelations already provide enough of an apocalyptic scenario, what with the moon turning red as blood, demon locusts and earthquakes, without adding in zombies?

A few sample verses:

Exodus 1:7 And Joseph died because a Zombie got a hold of him and tore out his liver. Then he rose again to chase and eat all his brethren, and all that generation, until somebody wised up and smashed his head with some stale matzoh in a copper pot.

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that shuffleth not in the gait of the zombies, nor standeth and stareth at nothing in the way of zombies, nor eateth the brains of the scornful.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for their brains shall be eaten first.

So...um...your opinion? Zombies=Better? Or does this genre need a bullet to the brain before it infects other literature?

I see that smile.

Book cover links

Back in town. My grandfather's surgery went well, considering it involved having his ribcage split open and other such tasty details. Thanks to all who sent notes of encouragement.

Sliding back into the blog this week with a few links on one of the most important things concerning a novel. The plot? The characters? The author's marketing platform?

No. The book cover. 

The book cover is one of the most important things? Yup. Know why? Because it's the first thing that you're going to see when you come across a book. If you've never heard of a story or author before, then the images and layout are going to be your first impression, no matter how good the plot is. 

There are several blogs out there that list and review different book covers across all genres, and they are fascinating to look at. There is a whole psychology behind catching people's attentions with that dust jacket. What elements fail? What succeeds? Is it too busy? Is the title font too small? And, if you actually pick it up and read it, does the cover communicate what the story is about accurately? 

Here are two great blogs to keep track of:

...By Henry Sene Yee Design

and 

The Book Design Review

And while you are browsing those, here's a question for the authors who come across my blog: When you are writing a story, do you ever sit back and daydream about what kind of book cover it might have, should it get published? Does that ever affect a scene? Do you ever visualize what a character might look like, should they get illustrated, or have you ever picked out a particular artist or style and clung to the hope that they're the ones that get picked to provide the cover for you?

Okay. That was more than one question. But have at it. I think many of us know the importance of a good cover...so what would yours be?

I see that smile.

Outta town

I'll be around, just sporadically. Visiting family, especially my grandfather who is having open heart surgery tomorrow. Thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Happy a-few-days-until-Easter!

I'm a sucker...and an editor's choice

A little something to salve the wounds of my gullibility. Heh. Some of you wondered if my last post about the Frito's sponsorship of the Online Writing Workshop was an April Fool's Joke of my own. It was a joke, but one OWW successfully pulled on me with their recent newsletter update. Thank goodness that their plans to provide snack-food incentives for reviews was a prank, though one I fell hard for.

On the flip side, some fun news is that with their real newsletter update, I learned that one of my chapter submissions for my latest fantasy manuscript, The King of Cooks, was picked as an Editor's Choice. John Klima, editor of Electric Velocipede, was kind enough to select the chapters out of the monthly submissions and give a great review of them--pointing out what he enjoyed and pitfalls I need to fix or watch out for. Thanks to John and OWW for that!

Now, back to work.

I see that smile.

The Fritos Writer's Workshop?

Hmm. I have mixed feelings about this. As many of you know, I've been part of the Online Writing Workshop for almost a year now, which requires a paid subscription, but has not only gotten me a ton of marvelous feedback on my work, but has also put me in touch with a community of great writers. 

The OWW's most recent announcement states as follows:

"As part of its value marketing efforts, Frito-Lay has offered to become a major underwriter of the workshop.  This will increase the visibility of Frito-Lay's brands within a powerful market segment (writers who snack) and will also allow OWW to make some improvements in how the workshop operates."

Now, foremost, I have no problem with a particular brand or series of advertisements on a website that offers a valuable service. Pandora is one such site that I use almost every day, despite the plethora of ads that run on it. That's fine. It's smart marketing. 

However, I'm dubious as to the extent of the reward system OWW and Fritos is planning to set up, as well as some of the product placement incentive they are arranging.

"Starting in a month or two, every member will be awarded five bags of Fritos® brand corn-chips for every 100 review points acquired.  After that, OWW will ship you one bag of Cheetos® for every 20 review points you earn."

And you cannot decline to receive these, for administrative reasons. While I'm all for free food, I'm not sure this is going to make me want to review more. I review when I come across a story that catches me, or that I feel I can help in some way with feedback. I certainly hope that stocking the snack pantry doesn't become

There was also this further note:

"Starting soon, every submission that mentions a Frito-Lay product by name (with registered trademark symbol) will earn an extra review point when it is reviewed.  This should encourage review of those submissions, which should encourage you to take advantage of this great new OWW feature."

Umm...so...I will either start seeing Prince Dorito invading the castle to rescue Princess Frito, or it's going to turn out that the invading aliens are allergic to delicious bags of chips, preferably with cool Ranch flavoring, and so the Earth is saved by the sound of a billion bags being opened at once. 

-sigh-

Anyways, what are your thoughts? Is this a wise move on OWW's part? Are they taking it a wee bit too far? Or will it just be something most participants ignore, as we've learned to do with the rest of the advertising that pervades our society?

I see that smile.

3 volumes? 2 years?

Sadly, that is the timetable set for the last book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, which--since Robert Jordan passed away--is being finished up by one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson.

The last book, A Memory of Light, has been announced by Tor as being split into three volumes that will be released over two years time. 

Brandon Sanderson gives his own spin on why this is a necessary step, even though I'm sure many fans of the series will be impatient to reach the series end at long last. And no, despite what you might think at first glance, this isn't just a trick the publisher is pulling to try and milk folks for more money. Having tracked Sanderson's progress on the story through constant updates on his blog, he has warned that this kind of division might become necessary, as the word count kept climbing until it rivalled the Tower of Babel. Perhaps a little more patience will do us some good, and I have great faith that both Sanderson and Tor are doing all they can to finish the Wheel of Time in a way that would make Robert Jordan proud. 

I see that smile.