The First Time I Was Paid For My Writing

Posted: November 15, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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There comes a time when a writer achieves something that says, “My writing is really worth something.” And that’s the first time we’re paid for something we wrote.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, was first paid for his work when his novel, A Princess of Mars, was published in the serial magazine All-Story. For the serialization rights, Burroughs was paid four-hundred dollars, quite a bit of money back in 1911, and an even bigger sum for a struggling husband with two kids to feed. Years later, with several successful science fiction, fantasy, romance, and western stories under his belt, Burroughs would claim it all paled to the feeling of accomplishment he felt when he recieved that check for $400.

Similarly, I was first paid for something I wrote in my senior year of high school, when I wrote a short story for a magazine called TEA, A Magazine. The short story I wrote, which I had geared towards this very magazine, was called Summers with Grandmother Fumika, and was about a young girl in Japan who hosts a tea ceremony for a fox spirit with her grandmother. The magazine paid me $100 for the story, and published it in their Winter 2011 edition, with a little illustration in one corner of the fox spirit to boot.

That $100 felt like a gold brick to me. And even though I haven’t gotten any paid pieces since, I think that no matter how successful my short stories or my novels may possibly become, I’ll be like Edgar Rice Burroughs, feeling the most pride for a small sum of money.

What about you? Have you ever been paid for your work?

What did it feel like?

A Single Lecture Goes A Long Way

Posted: November 15, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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Yesterday I was working on two writing projects. One was my short story for my creative writing class, Animal Child (I’ve decided to stop calling it Doll’s Game, because that title’s no longer relevant), and the other is chapter forty-five of my serial killer thriller Snake (don’t marvel, thrillers are notorious for having many chapters buch each chapter is incredibly short). Both times, I plugged in my earbuds and started listening to lectures given by Deepak Chopra, a leading expert in alternative medicine and spirituality to improve your life. The lectures, available as hour-long videos on YouTube, each had different topics. The one I listened to while working on Animal Child was about how to improve your physical and mental well-being. The other, which I used to finish chapter forty-five and start chapter forty-six, was about how through certain forms of meditation, one can radically change their outlook on life.

I can honestly say I remember almost nothing from either one of these lectures, except the second one featured some stuff that reminded me of string theory’s ideas on vibrations shaping our world, and only because I finished chapter forty-five at a certain point in the lecture and bothered to watch and listen for a few minutes.

You see, those lectures hypnotized me, but not into meditating on the nature of life. Instead, the lecture became a background noise, while I focused on the world of the story that formed within my head and on putting that world down on paper (or to be more precise, bits of data that the monitor made to look like paper with words on it). It was interesting, because not only was I very relaxed while listening to this lecture, but I was writing much more easily than I had been recently. The story just seemed to flow onto the page, so that I was finishing much more quickly than I’d expected, and I don’t think I got distracted once!

I’ve written before on how listening to people talk on a show helps me to write, but this was different, where I only was listening to people speaking, and I wasn’t being distracted by visuals to go with the speaking. In fact, I dare to say this was an optimal state of mind to be writing in, where I’m hypnotized by the ongoing monologue of the speaker and focused on the work before me. I wonder if you did an EEG or an fMRI of my brain, what parts of my brain would light up, and what sort of brain waves would be most active. Of course, this sort of state has its drawbacks: a friend of mine saw me in the library while I was working on Animal Child and tapped me on the shoulder. I swear, I nearly umped out of my skin, I was so startled.

But even if I’m easily shocked while I’m in this hypnotic state by external distractions, it’s an interesting state to be in. I think the next time I try to write while listening to a lecture, I’ll do a TED talk, see if I can become immersed listening to different experts talk about their ideas or projects. I also wouldn’t mind listening to audiobooks of stuff like Paradise Lost or The Odyssey, which would definitely suck me into that state after a while. Anyone know any websites where you can listen to those sort of things for free? I’d be happy for recommendations.

I Do Okay Writing Both Sexes

Posted: November 15, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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You know, I’ve never had any problems writing from the perspectives of either boys or girls. It’s never been an issue for me, and yet I hear from writers all the time about how they’re males and they just can’t get into the minds of their female characters, or for some women, they just can’t figure out what motivates their main character’s boyfriend. I kind of feel like an outsider in these conversations.

Granted, I think most writers feel more comfortable writing characters that are more like us, and that includes gender. It’s easier to relate to someone with the same likes, dislikes, and struggles, and it can be difficult at first to get into the head of someone with a completely different sort of life. But I think with time and experience, it gets a little easier.

Take me for example: I’ve had both time and experience learning how women think. I grew up in a house with several women in it, and that’s not including pets! I kind of got used to women early on, and some of these women, including my mom, were big and positive influences on my writing (this is also where my beliefs on women’s rights were formed, but that’s no surprise, right?). And to add to that, I grew up watching a lot of shows that featured women characters as leads playing out the traditional male role of fighting evil, such as Sailor Moon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With all that input, I got an inkling on how to write from a female perspective.

And you know what? It showed! Some of my early short stories featured women in lead roles, and they got praised for how realistic these girls I wrote seemed. It was a big boost to my confidence, and it’s why a lot of my works–such as my short story Doll’s Game or my science-fiction novel Reborn City–feature female protagonists.

So yeah, I’ve had the time and experience, enough that I can write some decent female characters. And I’m sure that with time and experience, I’ll be able to write all sorts of characters and make them all feel real. Just a matter of time, right?

What about you? Do you have trouble or ease writing for the opposite sex?

Doll’s Game: Done For Now

Posted: November 14, 2012 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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I just finished with the first draft of the rewrite of Doll’s Game. And yes, I said I was renaming it “Animal Child”, but you all are more familiar with the title Doll’s Game, so for now I’ll continue calling it that. The new version of the story is four pages shorter, and doesn’t cover as much ground as the earlier version. And unlike the original version, I like this one much better. In fact, I think this draft kicks the old draft’s butt, and actually stands the chance of being published somewhere, which I certainly don’t mind.

Well, now it’s time for the next step in the process for short stories I’m trying to publish: I save the story and put it away for later, when I can edit it with fresh eyes. I’m pretty sure that when I do the edits, I’ll be doing a lot of work on the middle and ending sections of the stories more than the beginning section, just because those sections involve important character important, so I have to make sure those sections are good sections.

In the meantime, I have some projects and papers to write for class, and then I have work to do on my novel-that-is-in-its-final-stages Reborn City and my novel-in-progress Snake. Of course, the former requires more work than either of the latter, which may mean I’ll have less time to devote to NaNoWriMo. Ah, the troubles of a college student.

I have to go now, so I’ll write more later. Happy Wednesday.

I’ve Got A Superhero Identity

Posted: November 13, 2012 in Living and Life
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I’ve got a secret I want to tell you: I’ve joined an online group of superheroes. We create our own missions and go fight villainy and corruption in (insert city here). So if you are reading my comments and see someone calling me Judgement, you know why.

So I’m going to take this oppurtunity to tell you about my superhero identity (feel free to click away if you feel this post is too geeky for you): I’m called Judgement, and I’m an antihero of sorts. I’m also what’s called an N-Feed, meaning I absorb emotional energy from myself and from others in order to fuel very amazing abilities. In my case, I absorb negative energy–anger, fear, despair–in order to fuel powerful telekinesis and energy blast abilities. In addition, my form changes a little like the Hulk when I really make use of my abilities, except I turn black with gold designs imprinted on my skin, my hair grows out and becomes pale white, my teeth become fangs, and my eyes become yellow (drawing to be scanned in and uploaded later).

I just used my powers to help me get through life (a little like Peter Parker), but I fell in love with a girl…who’s father was an investigative journalist who got a little to close to something big and as a result was killed and his daughter crippled. Between taking care of my girl and taking classes/using my writing to pay the bills, I go out as Judgement to find what my girl’s dad found–and bust a few heads while I’m at it.

My catchphrase is “Feel my wrath”, and as a side effect of my powers, I become a little sadistic when I’m fighting my enemies. However, I have help in fighting crime and keeping my darker side from getting the better of me: in addition to my friends in the league, the Revengers, there’s an underground community of N-feeds who look out for each other, even the darker ones who sometimes put the safety of N-Feeds everywhere in jeopardy.

So, feeling like you don’t want to read my blog anymore? Your loss. I’m still having fun. In the meantime, I’ve got a mission at the DA’s office to carry out. Feel my wrath!

Rewriting “Doll’s Game”

Posted: November 13, 2012 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m working on editing the short story I’m writing for my creative writing class, Doll’s Game. One of the biggest criticisms I got on that short story when we workshopped it was that for a little girl who’s been held captive and abused for most of her life, she adapts to the outside world rather quickly.

So now I’m writing a version of the story showing the events of the main character’s first few days on the outside through her perspective, and since she hasn’t had much human contact, she has a rather unique point of view that’s been challenging to write. Then again, I like the challenge, so what’s the problem?

I’m also trying to rename the story, seeing as in the act of a total rewrite, a title that worked under one circumstance doesn’t work under another. Since kids growing up in the sort of environment my main character is growing up in tend to be feral, I’m going with “Animal Child’ for now, but it’s subject to change. Hopefully a better title that fits the direction of the story will come along.

Anyway, I better get back to work; I’m two-thirds of the way with this rewrite, and I need to do a little more if I want to get to three-fourths. Wish me luck.

The Power of a Symbol

Posted: November 11, 2012 in ideas, Reflections
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What does this image mean to you?

I started watching The Dark Knight trilogy recently. I’ve seen all the films, but never one after the other, especially with the most recent one, and I thought I’d see them with a new perspective if I watched them as an adult than if I watched only the first two as a teenager. I do have a better understanding of the concepts presented in the films, but I also started thinking about something apparent througout the movies: the power of symbols.

Symbols do a lot in The Dark Knight films, making the men who use them more than just men. Batman is a symbol of fear to the criminals of Gotham, something that can’t be tamed or limited by rules and regulations. The Joker is a symbol of chaos, a psychopath with a sadistic streak who destroys for the sake of destroying…and getting to wear a skirt. Harvey Dent is both a symbol of how one can be twisted and how one can be a lighthouse for good. There are numerous more examples I could use, but let’s face it, Batman is rife with people-as-symbols, and The Dark Knight trilogy goes to great lengths to point that out.

This has made me think about some of the major symbols that men and women embody in some other works of literature and film that I admire. The Phantom of the Opera is both a symbol of fear of the unknown, and a symbol of tragic beauty. V from V for Vendetta has become a symbol for overthrowing tyrannical government through unconventional means (whether that government is tyrannical or not depends on which hacker you ask). Lelouch Lamperouge, the protagonist from my favorite anime Code Geass, symbolizes both mystery, the struggle of every oppressed Japanese man, woman, and child, and finally unconquerable rebellion. Heck, I’m not even Christian, but I can see what Jesus and the cross do for so many Christians around the world!

Even in my own works, there are people who act as symbols. The Snake is a symbol of rebellion against the Camerlengo family, a symbol that some are willing to use to their advantage (see my excerpt a few posts back). And in a work I plan to write someday and a work that I plan to make my personal magnum opus, the main character references the Phantom of the Opera when he decides to take on the evil government in the story, becoming a symbol of revolution by donning a mask and doing things others can’t (I would have him reference Batman, but this guy is operating about a year before Batman ever hit the bookstands).

So what does this tell us, besides that the only examples I can think of are men? Well, that humans-as-symbols are extremely powerful, especially when they are able to cause a stir, a wave in a criminal underworld or in the working staff of an opera house. They represent that which is impossible, that which can’t be imagined, that which shouldn’t come to pass but passes anyway. Why? Well, that depends on a number of reasons. But the point is, a symbol is a powerful thing, and when a man embodies it, it becomes even more so.

“Doll’s Game”–Beginning the Revision Process

Posted: November 10, 2012 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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In my creative writing class, I have to do a revision exercise due two days after my workshop date. Yes, that means I have to turn in a new draft on Sunday. By noon, too. Jeez, what if I want to sleep past one in the afternoon?

Well, I can’t sleep in that late apparently, not without getting a lowered grade. So I did my revision exercise and I plan to send it in after I finish writing this post. What I had to do was take a certain section of the story and, taking into account all the suggestions I got on the day of my workshop, rewrite it. And that’s what I did, editing one of the early sections of Doll’s Game. And now, I think I’ll work on the rest of the short story, doing an entirely new version of the story based on all the feedback and critiques I got on Friday.

What does that mean, though? Basically I’ll be writing an entirely new story with the same main motif at the center. What was that motif? A girl raised in captivity by her kidnapper gets free and gets a real shock when she escapes. The original story focused on her entire life after she escaped, but now I’ll be focusing on her time in captivity, and what happened immediately after the escape.

And yes, I do write that sort of creepy subject material. Why? I blame a childhood trauma I wrote about several posts back.

But back to the main theme of this post: I’m basically doing an entire rewrite. At the center will be the main character and her experience, but it’s less about her lfie growing up after her trauma and more about what happened immediately afterwards, which is just as terrifying, if not more so, than her time in captivity. Imagine how terrifying an unfamiliar world might be after escaping one that was familiar but filled with pain and fear. It’s horrible.

Which works to my strengths, since I’m writing disturbing material whenever I’m not writing a term paper or something along those lines. But still, it’s going to be quite a lot of work.

Oh well, that’s the challenge I’ve taken up, isn’t it? And besides, I’ve got about a month. If I work now, I should have plenty of time to do any necessary revision. And if I get a good grade, who knows? I may seek to get it published somewhere. I’m not sure where, though; even hardcore horror magazines might pass on a story involving this sort of story if they feel it’s a little too disturbing for their tastes.

Well, wish me luck. I’ve got some work to do.

Review: Skyfall

Posted: November 10, 2012 in Review
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British theatrical poster for “Skyfall”. Looks kind of…nostalgic, doesn’t it?

BOND IS BACK!

And he’s better than ever, showing that in an age of enemies without countries and cyberterrorists with no faces, Bond can still kick ass and take prisoner. Daniel Craig returns as Bond, but this time the serious spy comes with quips and self-referential humor. After faking dead for a while after a failed mission, Bond returns to England to defend M and MI6 when the latter comes under attack by Javier Bardem’s Silva, who apparently has a history with M (a really weird history). A tight plot spanning the globe from Istanbul to London to Hong Kong and Macau and finally a climax in the Scottish Moors that would’ve made Emily Bronte say “My word!”, Skyfall shows that the Bond era is not dead, but coming back with full force.

Craig is in his element aa s slightly older, unshaved, tired 007, who still will go to great lengths to help his country and his boss. We also get to see an entirely new side to Bond, one that’s not England’s killing machine or what every man wants to be, but a more human side only briefly glimpsed in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Casino Royale. Javier Bardem fulfills his villain role by being creepy. He’s also possibly bisexual, definitely Oedipal, and you don’t want to see him without his dentures in, but above all, he’s just creepy, especially as he goes about trying to kill (or possibly be reunited with and forgiven by) M. Speaking of which, Judi Dench is still one of my favorite Ms, a cold, calculating leader who, underneath it all, really cares for the agents she employs. You will not believe what happens at the end of the movie with her character.

In addition, there are some newcomers that definitely deserve mention. For starters, Naomi Harris as Eve, who will definitely be making some appearances throughout the movie and will appear in later films as–you guessed it–Moneypenny. Saw that one coming, didn’t we? Ben Whinshaw takes the role of the Q character, redefining the role as the young computer genius who prefers the power of a computer over the agents of the field, but seems to like Bond well enough. He’s also filled with some self-referential humor, especially when we see him make a quip about exploding pens. And Ralph Fiennes, formerly known as both the Red Dragon and Lord Voldemort, gets a very important role in MI6, one that brings Bond back to its early days (that’s a hint, if you don’t get his role yet). And Albert Finney plays Kincade, the gruff Scottish gameskeeper of Bond’s boyhood home. Although he’s not a secret agent, we can see where Bond picked up his shooting and joking skills.

The plot, like any Bond film, went all over the place, but it was much better than anything I saw in Quantum of Solace. To say the least, I’m looking forward to what happens in the next couple of films, especially if director Sam Mendes comes back, because he obviously can present a strange, sprawling storyline without boring or confusing Bond fans. In addition, Thomas Newman’s soundtrack is simply excellent, working in the old Bond theme with new music that reminds one of The Dark Knight Rises. Overall, this is one of the best Bond films I’ve ever seen.

For managing the old Bond of espionage, womanizing, and awesome storylines with the new Bond of shadowy organizations, cyberterrorism, and showing that old dogs can learn new tricks, I give Skyfall a 4.8 out of 5. Well done, Mr. Craig, Mr. Mendes. Well done.

Oh, and before I forget, my friend Michael Geletka and I went in costume to see this movie, I as James Blond, he as Dr. Geletka. It was great. We should have our own film.

Rami Ungar and Michael Geletka as James Blond and Dr. Geletka in the new movie “No Country for Bad Hair”, out this March. Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality, innuendo, and 80s hair.

“Doll’s Game” Post-Workshop

Posted: November 9, 2012 in ideas, short story, Writing
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Alright, so I just got back from lunch, and now I’m writing about what happened at the workshop, where Doll’s Game was discussed and we talked about ways to improve it. Surprisingly, people didn’t hate it. Some actually liked it, and one person said that compared to the other stories we’ve read this semester, mine was “a breath of fresh air” (I’m going to chalk up that last part to the fact that I’m probably the only person besides the teacher in the class who’s ever been published, so I might have a little more experience than my classmates).

However, there were plenty of things to be improved upon. One was that my story spans about twenty years, summarizing unimportant bits while going into detail about life-changing bits. The gist was that all this information would make a great book as well as a novel (not that I’d write such a novel; in addition to the projects already in progress, I don’t want to write something that has nothing to do with horror). However, my classmates and my teacher recommended that instead of making a novel, I should focus on when my character Renee is eight years old and her life is changed forever, which sounds challenging and interesting to write.

There were some other parts that were pointed out as implausible, and now that I think about it, I can see the logic in this. So I’ll have to fix those areas up as well.

So I’ve got to do some rewriting to do, starting with a short revision exercise that I’ll do over the weekend. Finally I’ll turn in a rewrite in early December, and aftar I get the grade…well who knows? Maybe I’ll have something publishable. Fingers crossed and hope for the best, right?

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