The Force Is Strong With This One

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but I'm a big Star Wars fan. I won't say I'm the biggest, because I don't watch everything that has Star Wars stamped on it and my room is not a wall to wall shrine to the movies. I've also taken issue with the prequels and its spin-offs since my mom and I first saw The Phantom Menace in theaters, and I've refused to watch any of the animated Clone Wars stuff. I do love and quote from the original trilogy, though, and Han Solo will always be my favorite Star Wars character.

So you'll understand why it's a Big Freaking Deal that I won the opportunity to be there for the new Disneyland Star Tours preview event.

When I found out through the Twitterverse that the Disney Parks Blog was holding a contest to treat 1,200 winners to attend the "Star Tours Early Departure" at Disneyland, I made a quick hyperspace jump straight to the contest page and signed up for my chance to win. I knew the odds of winning were slim, but Han Solo was right. Damn the odds, I was going to try anyway. And guess what? It paid off! I'm going to the preview event!

Now, I should also mention that, when I heard that Disney and Lucas were going to be updating the ride, I was pretty upset. As dated as the original was, I had a lot of fond memories of that ride, and knowing that I'd never be able to relive those memories on the Starspeeder 3000 spurred all sorts of emotions that fed the Dark Side in me.


(I'm on the right, and while you can't see it very well, I'm scowling at the sign.)

This is going to be good for us, though. Not only will I be able to experience before the general public whether or not it'll be as bad as I fear it'll be, I can blog about the whole thing. (See how I made this relevant to my writing blog?) I'll try to take as many pictures as they'll allow and ride as many times as I can so I can relay to you, loyal followers, if this is going to end up being another case of Lucas setting fire to my childhood memories, or if this will be a triumph over the Empire.

I'll find out on May 20th!

A Letter to Teenage Me (1 of 4)

Dear 13-Year Old Me,

Happy birthday! You’re a teenager now, with all your teenage years ahead of you. This will be a very important time in your life, though you don’t realize it just yet. I wish I could actually hand you this letter, to help you navigate the sea of adolescence and come out the other side a man, but that power is beyond me today. It’s probably just as well. Would helping your younger self count as generosity or selfishness?

Anyway, I thought I’d give you some advice to help you in this all-important year. Granted, some of this advice is pretty obvious, but as I’ve learned over the years, I could be pretty dense in my youth. You do, however, have a great intuition about people. Never doubt your feelings about who to let in and who to keep away. Odds are good you’re right. Cherish the friends that you make, and keep in touch with them always, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Regardless of how shy you are, trust your instincts when it comes to people like Rick, Laura, Tony and Becca.

You don’t know this yet, but you’ll be moving to California before the school year ends. I know, you finally got comfortable in middle school over the past two years, you’ve made some great friends, and you might even have a crush that feels the same way about you. You’re not going to want to go, but you have to realize that your parents need to go where the work is. It sucks, but there it is. Remember when I told you to keep in touch with your friends? You’ll be glad you did. You’ll learn more about your middle school crush than you ever had in Indiana, and she’ll even get over her own shyness enough to send you a picture or two. Be genuine in your correspondence with her. Don’t try to impress her. Just be you, whoever that is right now.

Oh, and when Becca gives you that going-away gift on your last day of school before the move? For the love of all that’s good, don’t show ANYONE. Not your classmates, not your teachers, and certainly not your parents. You can show Rick, that’s fine and he’ll keep quiet about it, but no one else!

When you get to California, you’re going to be in for a shock. Two years in Indiana showed you what an ideal school system should do for your education. The time you have left in middle school will show you what a broken educational system does to its schools. On the plus side, you’ll come off like the brainiac you could never be in Indiana, you’ll finally get to show off in band class, and you’ll make some pretty nice friends. On the other hand, you’re not going to learn anything new, you won’t get to feel at home in middle school before it’s over, and you’re pretty much going to have to start all over again in high school. It’s just the way it goes, I’m afraid.

High school is where you’ll finally start to come into your own, strangely enough. It’s also going to be the first and only school you’ll attend from the first year to the last. Congratulations! You’ll make some good friends this year, mostly among the upperclassmen, oddly enough. Don’t worry, that’ll change. Most of the friends you meet this year will remain in your life long after you leave high school, for better or for worse. Just be yourself and don’t try so hard to be liked. You’ll do fine.

I should probably wrap this up, but I have one last piece of advice for you. Remember everything right now. Remember it as though the fate of the world depends on it. Remember every detail, every sight and sound, every person you meet, and experiences both good and bad. Remember how this time in your life makes you feel. You’ll be glad you did many, many years from now.

Sincerely,

The Future You

I Surrender!

So, I'm finally on Goodreads. I know, it took me long enough, but allow me to offer an explanation as to why I was so resistant for so long.

As surprising as it may seem for a technologically savvy guy like me, it takes me damn near forever to get with the program. I was just getting on MySpace when everyone was switching to Facebook as the social network of choice. I only got on LinkedIn and Twitter last year, and those were work-related decisions. If it seems like I'm consistently behind the curve when it comes to what all the cool kids are doing online, it's because I really am.

Goodreads was no exception. I know a few authors on there whose blogs I read and whose work I respect, and I think to myself: "Self, you can't even keep track of your blog in a timely manner, how do you think you're going to have time to give reviews of all those books you've read, too?" Then I started this crusade to self-publish a small anthology of my short stories, and took a closer look at all the avenues available to me as a means of promoting my anthology. I have my loyal followers here on my blog, and on Facebook and Twitter, but I want to reach people who might not know me or my work.

Thus, I finally started listening to the people telling me I should be on Goodreads and actually made an account for myself.

My profile is still young, but it'll grow as I get to know the site better and load up on books I've read. I also look forward to upgrading it to an author account once my anthology is up on Kindle! I just hope I can keep up with this AND all the other sites I'm juggling AND do my rewrite AND...

Oh, before I forget, here's my profile so you can hunt me down and see what I'm reading and what I've read!

R. B. LeMoyne's Favorites




More of R. B.'s books »

The Hero's Journey - Return With the Elixir

I know, I’ve really been dragging my feet writing these last few Hero’s Journey entries, and this one was no exception. It’s bad for me, being a blogger and taking forever to write up some really meaty material that has meant a lot to me in the process of writing and rewriting my novel. Maybe I’ll do a follow-up post to this part of my blog where I dish on all the mushy stuff I want to say about The Hero’s Journey, or even a bit about the archetypes found in the course of the Journey, but right now it’s time to delve into this one final stage of the grand epic. That’s right, it’s time to Return With the Elixir!

The Return stage is essential to resolving a story, because everyone has to go somewhere once all is said and done, and more often than not it’s a return to the Ordinary World. Harry Potter returns to 4 Privet Drive to live with the dreadful Dursley family, and Percy Jackson returns to his loving mother and another school year. This brings the story full circle and offers an excellent opportunity to illustrate just how your Hero has changed and grown on his Journey. Showing how people react to your protagonist in this moment as a contrast to how they reacted to him at the start of the story will do more to convince your reader that there was character development than if you simply state in the narrative that he’s different. Remember, the key is to show, not to tell.

If your Hero was sent out to find something or someone, this is where he returns triumphant with that object or person of note to transform the Ordinary World into something better than it was before. However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes the Hero doesn’t return to the Ordinary World. Sometimes, for whatever reason, he stays in the Special World. (Can anyone say sequel? How about series?) In this case, the narrative, not the character, returns to the Ordinary World to illustrate how the absence of the Hero is felt by those he left behind. If there is a sequel to this story, the Special World then becomes the Ordinary World and vice versa, shifting the status quo of your narrative dramatically.

Let’s wrap up Rob’s story using this stage of the Hero’s Journey. His Return With the Elixir takes the shape of his novel, the Elixir he’s been seeking for the longest time. With that monumental accomplishment in hand, he returns to his life feeling more empowered than ever. He knows he has what it takes to write a novel-length work, and he knows he can see it through to the end. That confidence and self esteem bleeds through in his demeanor. No longer is he blindly stumbling through life dreaming about what could have been or might be. He’s been there, he’s done it, and he returns to the people who know him revitalized. He seems more energetic and vibrant, his excitement about writing infectious to those around him. He rejoins his friends at the gaming table, but his creative energy is no longer bound solely to that arena. Now his thoughts turn toward the next great adventure: Editing his first draft for publication.

And that, my loyal followers, completes our exploration of the Hero’s Journey! As a reminder, this is by no means a complete analysis of the Journey. I’ve hit the highlights here, but there are many books that delve into these sections in greater detail than I’d care to inflict upon you in the pages of my blog. If you’re inclined to learn more, however, I’d suggest reading the original material by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces or, if you’d prefer something more modern and not as dry, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. And, as always, if you have questions or comments about any stage of the Hero’s Journey, please leave them in the comments section below!

One more thing: Always remember that the Hero’s Journey is never really over. The ending of one story is but the beginning of the next.

Until next time, safe Journey!

Quick Take on HBO's Game of Thrones

Seriously? I've only posted once this whole month? There goes my theory that more time = more blog posts. Just so I don't end the month with only one post to show for it, I'm going to share my latest discovery.

HBO's new Game of Thrones series has me completely hooked from the first episode. In fact, I was so impressed with it, I watched the first episode three times and the second episode twice (so far). I've been trying to steer clear of any book series that's not finished (I didn't read the Harry Potter books until the 7th was released), but I may have to make an exception for Mr. George R. R. Martin and his A Song of Ice and Fire series.

The second episode also gave me my new favorite quote, as delivered by Tyrion Lannister: "A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone..."

An Exciting Announcement

Since the effort is underway, I feel confident in finally making this announcement and keeping myself accountable here. The rumors are true: I'm currently working on getting The Everyday Divinities Project short stories to your e-reader of choice!

Now that I've made that bold declaration, let me give you the story behind it.

I'd always had it in my mind to take the short stories here on my blog and package them in one convenient and easy to read file format. I imagined all of them collected on one .pdf with a great layout and design, made available here to anyone who wanted it. The problem I had with that, however, is the same problem I have with theatrical releases of TV shows like The Simpsons and The X-Files: Why would I want to pay money for something that I could get for free?

The answer, of course, is that you'll be getting something better than what you'd get for free. Granted, that's another bold statement coming from me, but hear me out.

While I'm still going to pursue the traditional publishing route with my trilogy after I iron out its kinks, I want to get the ball rolling with my fictional world. I want to start putting The Everyday Divinities Project out there where everyone can find it, not just those who stumble across my site. And I want to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. The divinities demand it, and who am I to deny them their request?

To make this possible, I'm broadening the scope beyond just a .pdf release on my blog. I'm looking into the .mobi format for Kindle, maybe even a spot in the new Kindle Singles if the finished product meets their submission guidelines. I'm looking into the .epub format for other e-readers like the Nook, because I hate monopolies and I believe in the literary equivalent of wide theatrical release over limited engagements. That's not a guarantee that it'll be available in all of those formats, but I'm definitely putting in my research. And yes, I'm still looking into putting an easy to print .pdf up here, too, for those who want a dead tree edition.

Whatever the format, you'll get an anthology of my short stories, all under The Everyday Divinities Project umbrella. Well, almost all of my short stories. The Copier won't be in there because I have other plans for that particular tale. The other five will definitely be included, though. More than that, my previously unedited stories are getting the spit and polish treatment right now so they'll be print-worthy. That's right, three of the five stories in this anthology may actually be notably different in the final product! Add in an introduction to the anthology, some honest to goodness layout and maybe even a spectacular cover, and you'll have a fine piece of e-publishing from yours truly.

I should get back to it, though. Break is over, and there's still much work to be done before an actual release date is announced!

Finally, A Breakthrough!

The past couple of months have been torture for me and my little kidlit trilogy. Every chapter I wrote felt like I was pulling teeth, and read like it, too. It was dull, dry, and completely lacking what made the first draft so much fun to write. I know writing can be a chore sometimes, but really, if I don't like writing it, why would anyone want to read it?

I started thinking it was because I switched the narrative from first person to third, but that shouldn't have made that big a difference. Sure, I was losing the conversational tone of my main character's inner thoughts to guide the story, but gaining the ability to follow other characters should have added all sorts of awesomeness to my narrative. The problem I was really having is that I had lost my narrative voice and didn't know how to bring the fun back.

That's when I came upon the solution at last, the missing puzzle piece that would not only make my story fun to write again, it would make for a much more engaging read than in any of the previous drafts. Plus, it will draw the reader even deeper into the fictional world I've created, and that's definitely a good thing. I can't tell you what this magical solution is just yet, but I hope to have more news on this soon.

Oh, and I should also have some good news relating to my short stories soon. Stay tuned, exciting things are on the horizon!

Between the Lines - The TV and the Remote Control

Ladies and gentlemen, loyal fans of all ages, I present to you the second part of my Between the Lines series! Since I kicked this feature off with The Alarm Clock, I thought I'd follow up with the second short story of The Everyday Divnities Project...

The TV and the Remote Control

To start, a little background on why I wrote this story. After The Alarm Clock story introduced the concept of gods attached to inanimate objects, I wanted to show a little of the "behind the scenes" action that goes on when someone uses your average household appliance. As adults, we're all familiar with how remote controls work. As kids, however, we sometimes make up fanciful explanations as to why some things work the way they do. Our ancestors did the same thing with everything from natural disasters to physical ailments, attributing it to unseen forces wielded by powerful divinities. Why not turn that same fanciful thinking to something as mundane as turning on the TV? This story, then, is my way of explaining that process through the lens of my fictional world.

It should also be noted that this is another case of not being objective about my writing. Why I thought it was a good idea to edit my own writing before putting it up is beyond me. Previous drafts of my novel were always read by other writers and creative folk, and their suggestions always made my writing stronger. I'll eventually come to realize that and run future stories past someone for editorial critiquing, but that won't happen until The Desktop and Laptop Computers story. Sadly, you'll have to suffer through my poor judgment until then.

Also, this story features more human narrative than the last one, bookending the story with familiarity. While I strive to make my divinities more human by mirroring their world with that of the adult working world, and thus easier for an audience to connect with, I also wanted to create more of a connection by putting some more human faces in there. Remy and Lily were characters from the original draft of Inanimate Gods that didn't survive the transition from single novel to trilogy. Rather than continue to use the boy from The Alarm Clock in this story, I decided to reuse these two characters here for some diversity. Also, any similarity between this Remy and the one I'm friends with is purely coincidental and completely unintentional. (Hi, Remy!)

As for the divinities themselves, the choice to mirror their work with your typical office procedures was an easy one. Ancient mythology often mirrored the societies that created them, giving the ruling gods their own domain, subjects, and symbols of power and authority. They were just like the people who created them, subject to the same character flaws that governed humanity, with some exceptions. In creating the divinities that govern inanimate objects, one only has to look around their own home to realize that we're talking about hundreds of thousands (and that's a modest estimate) of divinities, with domains as diverse as cars, tables, pens, sporks, buildings, chairs... you get the point. We're not talking about twelve deities who can sit on top of a mountain and get the job done, we're talking about a sprawling pantheon of gods who, from top to bottom, could function very much like any modern corporation. You'd have the chief gods on top plotting the course of things, and the lesser divinities on the bottom who enact that vision. The details might change in the divine realm, but the overarching structure of a corporate pantheon made sense when compared to our modern world.

Finally, on the decision to use How I Met Your Mother as the TV show Remy wanted to watch. I confess that I've never seen the show once, despite the fact that two of my favorite actors are on the series. I just needed the name of a funny, sitcom-style show for him to watch, and that was the first name to pop into my head. Sometimes it's just that simple.

Do you have a question you'd like to ask about The TV and the Remote Control story? Go ahead and post it in the comments section below, and I'll post the answers on this very page!

Tell the Truth Tuesday, Belated Edition

I was busy on Tuesday, when I should have written this, so very busy with geekiness and my beloved. You'll just have to find it in your heart to forgive me as I come clean about a few things today.

1. It's been very windy here toward the beginning of the week, and I think it blew around a whole lot of crap that doesn't like me. Because of this, my allergies have convinced my nose to go on strike. Hopefully, the nasal work force will be back to work soon, and preferably before I run out of tissues.

2. I still haven't finished my rewrite. I KNOW! I hadn't finished it last year, when I said I would, and now it's 3 months into 2011 and I'm still not done with it! But to be honest (because this IS Tell the Truth Wednesday Tuesday), I think it'll be better for it. I've decided to change up the voice of my narrator, which was feeling pretty blah and you don't want blah in your YA novel. I've also decided to add back in a character I'd originally written out, because he adds a lot of tension and drama, and it kind of needs more of that in the middle part.

3. I did, however, finally FINALLY read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and I need to get the rest of them now. I'm such a sucker for Greek mythology, and this gives it a great modern twist that I really enjoy. If you heard that the movie wasn't very good (or saw it for yourself), I'm here to tell you that the book is leagues better than the film adaptation. Is it too early for a reboot? Can we call it a do-over? Or can we at least hand out copies of the book to everyone who saw the movie as a way of apology?

4. Intensely excited for the upcoming book of The Dresden Files later this year, called Ghost Story. Jim Butcher is one of my literary heroes, because it took him 9 years to sell his first Dresden story, Storm Front. (Just 3 more years to go for me! *cheers*) Harry Dresden is a fun character to read about, and Mr. Butcher's novels keep getting better and better with every book. If you're caught up on the series and can't wait to find out what happened after the last book's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, you can read the first chapter of Ghost Story here!

5. In non-book news, I bought Season One of the awesome zombie TV series The Walking Dead. Though I haven't read much of the comic books, their televised adaptation is, at the very least, exciting and engaging. It makes me wonder why it's taken them this long to realize "Hey, zombie movies are popular. Zombies are blowing up (literally and figuratively) in comics and novels. Why don't we make a zombie TV show?" If you have the means, and you're not squeamish about corpsified people shambling about over the 6(!) episode season, I highly recommend it.

6. Also, I bought that and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Six through Amazon ON MY PHONE. And the only reason I bought them is because they were more than half price. Who could resist? I know I couldn't, and though my wallet begrudgingly gave up the money, he's glad they were at such an amazing price.

7. My allergies are killing my concentration. Time to wrap this up.

8. Wow, this entry is linkalicious. So much good stuff made by good people for you to check out! And I'll be shameless and mention that, if you're tempted to buy any of the awesomeness linked above, a portion of the money made through those Amazon links goes to support your penniless writer as he works tirelessly in the literary forge to craft for you the very best YA urban fantasy novel he can. (What? I have to pay for photocopies of my manuscript somehow, don't I?)

9. I actually thought about linking to my Windows 7 phone up there in #6. I think my allergies are making me a little link-happy.

10. I'm putting together a steampunk outfit over the course of the year. This is not relevant to writing at all, but certainly fits my geeky pursuits. So there.

OK, time for me to dive into the comfort of my bed so I can sniffle myself to sleep. More goodness coming later this month, mark my words. Which are already marked. In this blog. ...Yeah, I'm done.

The Hero's Journey - Resurrection

The end is nigh! THE END IS NIGH!

No, really, it is! The Journey is nearly complete. We’re heading back home to the Ordinary World, but we’re changed by the trip. Our old selves are gone, replaced by a new self that incorporates all that was experienced along the way. This, then, is our Resurrection.

A lot of Heroes undergo a Resurrection in the course of their Journey. Typically, this happens toward the end of the story, at the climax. The Hero appears to have died, but returns renewed to the fight to finish off the villain and lead his allies to safety. It’s no coincidence that some of the best stories incorporate this into the final part of their narrative. Not wanting to spoil some of those stories, I won’t spell out any of the greatest examples of Resurrection in storytelling, but I will direct you to some excellent books that illustrate this phase of the Journey so very well: The Princess Bride, the Harry Potter series, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, just to name a few.

The most obvious case of Resurrection is the aforementioned literal meaning, an actual death and rebirth situation. Seemingly vanquished, the Hero is miraculously healed and leaps back from the brink of death to finish off the Shadow or otherwise right a wrong. Not so obvious is the metaphorical Resurrection. This would be the death of an old way of thinking or being, something that isn’t as easy to see on the surface but nevertheless affects the Hero in a deep and lasting way. This happens most commonly in love stories, but it can happen in any sort of story where the stakes aren’t quite as epic as risking life or limb for the sake of humanity/the planet/the universe/etc. Regardless if we go with literal or metaphorical, it can’t be an arbitrary Resurrection. Such a monumental event needs to happen organically within the framework of the story, and the rejuvenated Hero who emerges should resonate with what has happened in the story thus far. Nothing ruins a mood more than random death, and the new way of being that emerges must make sense when put in the context of the narrative.

The metaphorical example of Resurrection fits perfectly in Rob’s ongoing story. Now that he has a novel in the bag, his old mode of thinking – that he can only write short stories – has perished in the wake of his accomplishment. He knows it’s a goal he can achieve, and he hungers for more. The hesitant aspiring writer has given way to a confident author, a change that isn’t as dramatic as coming back from the dead, but is just as life-changing in his world.

I hate to say it, but our Journey is finally reaching its conclusion! We’re turning off of the great literary freeway and taking the few surface streets back home, where we’ll share our tales with those who were left behind, entertaining and instructing them with our adventures, making their world that much better with the wonders we bring back. Coming soon, the final stop - Return With the Elixir!