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 |  This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Book Series (A Rant) This is my personal opinion, so this means nothing in the grand scheme of things except it is where I stand. First, I have to say, I get annoyed with book series a lot of the time. By the time the next book has come out I’ve forgotten what happened in the last book, or if I read them all at once, especially a long series, I get bored and forget who people are. I have enjoyed two trilogies (Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and West of Eden by Harry Harrison), and one series (Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy by Douglas Adams). That’s it. I couldn't finish Wheel Of Time or Game Of Thrones; too many characters, I needed a scorecard. I have a sextet of books (War of Powers) that falls apart in books 3, 4 and 5; that would have been a better trilogy. For me, give me a good stand-alone novel, where I can enter a world, lose myself for a week or so, and I'm happy. (Aside: okay, look at that: do all trilogies and most series need the word "of" in their titles?) Authors who write their books with the aim of it being a trilogy (or longer), especially beginner writers, I think miss the idea of what it means to write a story. And, especially these inexperienced authors, write the first book, leave it open-ended, and then the second never comes out. Just write a novel. Or novella. Or short story. Now, I have written one trilogy, but I did not go into it as a trilogy. I wrote the first as a stand-alone novel (125,000 words), and thought I’d finished it. However, my beta reader said, "What about XYZ?" which is mentioned in passing at one point. That got me thinking and it led to a second book (119,000 words). The same reader then said, "You mentioned PQR happening in both books. How did it happen?" Bang – book 3 (109,000 words). To be honest, the final book feels forced to me (though my beta reader liked it more than number two). Apart from that one collection, all my stuff stands alone. Okay, in short stories, I have a long series of over 100 stories with recurring characters, but apart from maybe a few short stories that are direct sequels to others, the idea is you can read any of them and not need to read any other. I also have a series which are narrated by the same character, and they come in an order of the character getting older, but they have been written (and 2 sold) as stand-alone as well as part of the longer, over-arching idea of a man telling tales before he dies. Back to my novel trilogy. For me, going into it like I did, writing three stand-alone books that are related, written because of questions that were raised previously, means I feel I do not alienate an audience. If someone only reads book one, then they are not left hanging. if they read books one and 2, they are not left hanging. Also, by doing it that way, if they didn't get written, the reader would not have actually missed out on something promised. Now, once you are an experienced writer, aiming for a trilogy (or longer) is fine. You will have your work and writing habits down, you will know your style, you will have an idea of how you write best, you will know how to develop plots and make characters interesting. But I do think that is something that comes with practice. To start your writing life aiming to be the next Tolkien (or George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan) is a fine ultimate goal, but, to my mind, should not be the initial goal. Build up to the trilogy. Start with short stories, then the stand-alone novel, then a few more of each, then hit the big magnum opus. Build up to it, is what I am saying. I am not telling you not to aim for it, but take your time getting there. In my opinion. |
| Why Recent Marvel Films Don't Work Okay, this is my two cents' worth... The first run of Marvel films could be summarised in ten words or less - they had a definite theme. Iron Man: Take responsibility The Incredible Hulk: Do what you can for the ones you love Iron Man 2: Earn your respect Thor: Humility is important Captain America:Duty is worthwhile Avengers: Teamwork is better than individuals Simplistic? Sure, but they were things the audience could latch onto and are so simple even if you couldn't put it into words, you understood what the film was getting at. Later films did this as well... but not the recent ones. Ant Man; Quantumania I think was something about family, but it was hard to work out. The Marvels: No idea. There was nothing there. And the recent TV series: Echo: Being disabled is not a disadvantage? I think? Secret Invasion: Not everything is as it seems. Maybe. Compare that to Wandavision and its theme of grief can be overwhelming, and Loki and everything has a consequence, and even Hawkeye and family is important, even the family we choose. So, yeah, that's why I think Marvel's films aren't as good. they've lost that simple message that was so easy to get behind. Oh, yeah, and the CGI looks like dog-shit nowadays. And some of the acting... dear God! |
| Progress Report So, last time I mentioned in passing my monster dictionary, the decade-plus long epic I am writing. This morning I received a book which saw me add around 500 more words and a few more creatures.  So, yes, well over quarter of a million words and 430 pages. In addition, we are talking 6382 names and 5160 individual creatures (or more; some creatures share the name, and some names refer to a group of creatures, so this number is under the actual amount). And, no, it is not over. my son found a Cryptid iceberg on reddit, so I now get to research some more creatures - heaps I don't have - and trying to work out which are scarypasta fictions and which are genuine cryptids and which are not quite cryptids but which people genuinely believe. Why do I think this will never, ever end? |
| Quickly This is a short one. A few people, with the best of intentions, have reached out to me about self-publishing, asking why I don't take my old stories and self-publish my own anthologies, why I don't publish my unloved novels/novellas on my own, give my magnum opus monster dictionary a real home, things like that. I do appreciate everyone's concern for my publishing future, and appreciate what you are suggesting and know that you mean well. However... I do not and will not self-publish. I will not explain my reasoning as it often leads to abusive and obnoxious discourse, and you do you. I am not going to try to change anyone else's mind. I have my own opinions and reasons for those opinions, and that is all that matters. But, note: I do not and will not self-publish. Not you. I. Me. So, thanks for your concern and your suggestions, but, really, please do not waste our (your and my) time. |
| Public Consumption Of Art Now, I have come to write a lot of my stuff with one eye to publication, gearing it towards the sort of things publishers and editors like, trying to make that elusive next sale. However, sometimes I write for me, knowing perfectly well the works will never be published anywhere, that they just defy easy categorisation or are too weird or strange for anyone to take a risk. Surprisingly, this makes up over half of my completed works. As someone who is trying to make a living as a writer, why would I write stuff that no-one (or very few) are ever going to read? This is a question I have been hit with a lot since I started this alleged career. And the answer is something that comes to many artists – because not every idea is a winner or commercial. How many times have musicians had their weird and wonderful songs released after their death? Some musicians recorded these things or wrote these songs just because they knew they had to get the idea out, but then, after they died, to milk the name for as much money a s possible, their estates released what was never meant for public consumption. Painters suffer the same indignity. And writers? Harper Lee’s posthumous book was never meant for the public, but there it is anyway. This is just the stuff that has become public. How much never saw the light of day, dying when the artist themselves died? This shows that this is common. I write because it is what I do. Not everything is going to be worth being viewed. But we are artists and sometimes we need to do things to get them out of our system. Maybe I should post some of these unsellable items here at WdC. Make them “no review” items and just see if people want to read weirdness. Or, more often than not, Robert E Howard pastiches, D&D based fantasy, Stephen King pastiches, and attempts at humour that only I find funny. So, I guess the point of this post is simple: not everything you create as a writer (or in any art) needs to be great and needs to be seen by others. Sometimes it is fine to just do things for ourselves. |
| Criticism and The Writer (Overcoming Idol Syndrome) I was chatting on Discord (as much as you can "chat" online), and the woman brought up that I had said something that changed the way she viewed herself, her writing and criticism. I was stunned that I had had even a small impact, and asked her what on earth I'd done. She then explained what I'd said to her, reminding me, and I thought, while it is fresh in my mind, I'd share it here. On those alleged talent shows like Idol, Got Talent, whatever, there is often a series of episodes at the start where the judges are shown going through the hopefuls, giving honest impressions. And sometimes - not often enough, in my opinion - the judges are brutally honest. "You are not a good singer." "You cannot hold a tune." "You sound like you're in pain." Those sort of comments. And every single time, the person who had just vomited out the words of a song in front of them says the same thing: "My mum/ grandma/ friends/ sister/ people at Starbucks say I'm really good!" And they storm off, vowing to make it as a huge artist and "show them all." And they never do. Of course not. This is what I referred to as Idol Syndrome. It is when those close to you tell you that you are good at something you clearly love because they don't want to upset you or destroy your dreams or whatever. They think they are doing the right thing. However, what it does is it skews your perception of your own ability. Sort of like an artistic version of the Dunning–Kruger Effect I know. I refused to take writing courses for a few years after high school because of the good grade that teacher in my final year gave me and all the amazingly positive feedback I had received from my friends. As a writer, I felt I could do no wrong. And then, of course, selling that first story and that first poem while still a teenager added to the egotism. I knew it all. And for the next five years or so, that was what I believed. Then I received some feedback from a publisher I'd sent a group of stories to. He was brutally honest but also encouraging, sending me pages of notes (by snail mail; this was pre-Internet, remember). He went to a lot of effort, so he must have seen something in me. However, I was angry. I showed my girlfriend at the time and she read the stories and the feedback, then went through each point he made and explained why he was right, comparing it to Stephen King short stories (she was as much of a fan as I was). Hearing it from her, someone I felt deeply for, hurt as well, but I also realised through her use of King that she was right. And that meant so was the publisher. Looking at what I did and what King did differently opened my eyes. It was the epiphany I needed. I was still angry, but now at my friends for lying to me, I confronted one of them, and he said that I was better than all of them and they thought it was just a thing I did, not realising how serious I wanted writing to be. But he also said they didn't want to upset me. They were shielding me from the truth and, in doing so, did more harm than good. So, yes, I was a victim of Idol Syndrome, thinking I was better than I was because people didn't want to hurt my ego., Instead, they hurt my development. Best intentions, sure, but not good for me as a writer. I know now that, as a writer, I am middle of the road. I am not truly terrible, but I am far from the top of the heap. And I am always trying to improve. That's why I use beta readers, why I trust the editors and take note of what they say at the publishing houses who accept my work, and why I do not ask my friends to read my work expecting decent feedback. Relatives? Well, my kids are brutally honest, so they're cool. Really, really brutally honest. Anyway, that is why sites like this (WdC) are vital for beginner writers. They may not like the feedback, but it is given to help them improve. And it is why I feel some reviewers here let down these writers by gushing over pieces that need work. No, I don't think we should discourage them, but telling them a work is worth 5 stars when it would struggle to get a C-grade in school class is not helping anyone. It is continuing Idol Syndrome. Then there is the opposite side of the coin - nit-picking and finding fault when there is none of note. People trying to bignote themselves by being overly critical. These are generally easier to spot and deal with though, and that is not the point of this diatribe. So, I would encourage more honest reviews. Let's make Idol Syndrome a thing of the past. |
| When I Changed My Writing Approach A few people gave commented on the publication credits list I posted: "20240114 The Boring List Post" .Thanks, those people. However, I didn't just start writing and selling. Yes, I had a sale early on (which isn't in the list because I do not know if it was published; I just got paid), but then there was a huge gap. I never stopped writing (never do), so what changed to make my stories go from "meh" to sellable? I think it's simple - in the early 2000s, after years of just writing, I had a discussion with a couple of people and we came to the conclusion that my characters were dull. I tried to make them livelier, but it didn't seem to work. Then, I had an epiphany, and I had it reading Colin Thiele for my class. It also made me realise why Harry Potter's first two, three books were so good (the rest were not bad, but the focus shifted to the big over-arching big bad coming back plot). I was writing about things happening. My method was to have an idea for some great thing to occur, and then throw everything around it to lead to this climax. I was writing about events. I was showing, yes, and, looking back, my descriptions were not terrible. But things were happening and the characters happened to be involved because the things had to happen to someone. Thiele wrote about characters first, and the things happened to them. Rowling wrote about Harry and the things that happened around him were what filled in the gaps. There is a subtle difference. My focus was the events; their focus was the people. I changed my stories from events happening to some people to people having events happen to them. The people became the focus. As soon as I worried about the people first, I started to sell my stories. An example would be Invasive Species . In 1998 I wrote a book about a dragon in Australia. The focus was a dragon in Australia. Fast forward 20 years and I wrote a book about a dragon in Australia. The focus was the people hunting it and their relationship. Guess which one sold, and which one is my biggest selling piece? But it's also there in my short stories as well - focus on the people who these things are happening to or around.So, that was the change. Characters first. Characters drive the tale. But there needs to be a tale. To me Tsiolkas' book The Slap is a novel-length character study, because there is very little happening and I find the book dull. It is, however, the sort of book Australian publishers love, and the Australian literati think is wonderful, but that is why Australia is not taken seriously as a place for writing. Themes and concepts over story. But that's another rant for another day. |
| Publication Okay, so the latest anthology I feature in has been released to Kindle (paperback to follow in a month or so). It is called Vinyl Cuts from Scary Dairy Press, and all of the stories within are based on songs. Mine comes from the classic by the Shangri-Las - 'The Leader Of The Pack.' I used the actual story told in the song and my short serves as a sequel of sorts. So far, feedback from fellow writers puts my story as one of the "mid" ones, but I think it is better than "mid," though not the best. Someone said it just wasn't scary enough. Oh well.
If you do decide to buy it and enjoy it, feel free to leave a review. And if I'm singled out as one of the goodlier writerers, then all the better!  |
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| External Writerings I So, it’s that time of the month when I do the whole self-publicity thing. This has been a good month for columns for me, writing for Weekend Notes, and I think I’ve got my eye in for SEO and the way the company who took us over last year wants things done. So, most of these are music columns. Every column you open gets me paid from the advertisers that fill the space, so long as at least one advert is allowed to come up. So, looking at them does help me! However, I like to think they are entertaining as well, exposing people to music they might not otherwise come across. Unfortunately, the other place I was writing for (not public) closed down at the start of January, meaning I have lost a chunk of that extra income I was relying on. So this is where I am focusing myself while I wait for short story markets to pick up again. So… Columns! Songs about freedom. Songs about smoking, written for the new year. Songs about gold. My personal favourite 8 wrestling pay-per-views from the second half of 2023. Songs about doors, also written for the new year. Songs about dust, written because I was sneezing. Quick reviews of 4 albums from the end of 2023. My favourite songs from 2023. More of my favourite songs of 2023, this time cover versions. Because it’s been 10 years, here’s my favourite songs from 2014. And to continue the theme, my favourite cover songs (and one comedy song) from 2014. And to finish, one that will have no relevance for anyone outside of the little area I exist within, but to show the sort of things I need to write to keep my head above water, a review/advertorial of a local event. And there we are, my columns from January, 2024. I am expected to do something for Valentine’s Day in February, so we’ll see what I can come up with that I haven’t done before. I do have some ideas, just have to see what I have in the music collection. Writing! |
| Australian Bush Poetry Australian Bush poetry is my preferred poetry form for writing and reading. I can enjoy a lot of other poetry, but this is what I like above all else. It is also a form of poetry not recognised as a distinct form outside of Australian academia and literary circles. As such, and because I have received some flak for saying I like it, I thought I would explain it. Now, I am not a poet. I might have sold 40-odd poems to various markets (mainly the local newspaper; they pay a bit), but it is just something I dabble in. So, if I misuse terms or technical language, sorry. So, what is Australian Bush Poetry? (Oh, it is also known as Bush Balladry, Outback Poetry and Heidelberg Poetry, though the only place I have heard that last one was at university. I think it’s to do with the Heidelberg School, the Australian artistic Impressionist Movement. Think Streeton, Withers and McCubbin. This why Dorothea Mackellar's 'My Country' is considered a part of Australian Bush Poetry.) It is a traditional poetry form is the most basic thing. But there are some distinctions that make it different, and things like rhyme and rhythm are constant and not to be ignored. We were told if you experiment with this form, it ceases to be Australian Bush Poetry and becomes a different poetic form. Now, this is according to the lecturers of my last university degree. I had known that I like this poetry style since I was in high school, but it took 30+ years for me to discover just what it is… First, it tells a story or relates a vignette. It is not about emotion so much as a device for portraying an event or incident in a manner that is pleasant to the ear. Often these tales are humourous (think Paterson's 'Mulga Bill's Bicycle'), and there are often human characters involved. Second, it rhymes. Normally AA-BB-CC or ABAB-CDCD-EFEF scheme, though sometimes even the ABCB-DEFE-GHJH can be used. But the rhyme is a huge part of it. Third, it has a definite rhythm. Each line has the same syllable count (plus or minus one). My second poetry lecturer at university actually said the syllable count should be at least ten (utilising iambic pentameter), though she did indicate that as few as eight syllables a line is allowable. She also said that very rarely would a poet go beyond 14 syllables, as then it becomes awkward to say out loud. This leads to the fourth point, and that is it is designed to be read and spoken out loud. There is a cadence to the speaking that the rhythm and words used dictate. This form of poetry dates back to the nineteenth century, and so it pre-dates beat poetry and poetry slams by decades. Though not available on YouTube, there is a United Etatian artist who has taken the classics of bush poetry and delivered them as raps, and it works. And Australian traditional country singer Slim Dusty released many as songs during his recording career. To close, here is an example. The all-time classic is A.B. “Banjo” Paterson’s ‘The Man From Snowy River’ (yes, upon which the film of the same name was based). As such, I will finish this brief explanation with a reading by famed Australian actor Jack Thompson. |
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