"I like Joseph Campbell's advice to 'follow your own bliss.' Only you can figure out what that actually means in your life. Follow that sense of joy to the place it takes you that is all your own. That's when and where you find your voice. And once found, say what you have to say loudly and clearly. Speak from the heart concisely and persistently even when it seems like the world is ignoring you. If you really have something worth paying attention to, someone will eventually hear you. And when they do, they will have reason to listen to your unique voice. That's what worked for me anyway."
— Larry Marder, Writer/artist, Beanworld
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Everyday Divinities Project
Updated 12/23/2011!
Okay, I've collected my data, and I've worked out the format. Now I can let you in on this project I've been working on. But first, a little backstory.
My goal as an author is, ultimately, to share my boundless imagination with the world. Not just my friends, not just my geek and gamer community, but the whole world. I want to put my creations out there for the public to read and enjoy. I want to invite them into the world I've been creating for the past 6 years now, not in the nebulous future when my trilogy is complete and published and on bookstore shelves.
Inspired in part by some of my fellow writers - most notably Jess Hartley and her Shattered Glass Project, and Ed Valentine and his Play-A-Day project - I've decided to commit to a new writing project of my own. Not just a writing exercise (although it serves as that, too), and not just an excuse to post more to my blog (although it serves as that, too), this will introduce the online world to my literary world and show them what it is I've been working on all this time. Thus, The Everyday Divinities Project (EDP) is born.
Why Everyday Divinities? Because the world around us is filled with wonders that most people don't even notice, or otherwise take for granted. The alarm clock that sits on our nightstand, the coffee maker that helps us wake up in the morning, the TV set that educates and entertains us - all of them are modern-day miracles that are a part of our daily lives and deserve to be honored. I'm showing my respect to these creations by writing about them. Also, in the fictional world I've created, all of these objects are embodied by spiritual aspects (think along the lines of gods and goddesses of classical mythology) who have their own lives in a world apart from, yet very much connected to, our own. It's these divinities who make our everyday appliances and other objects work the way they should, and they tend to show their personality quirks through these objects when they aren't accorded the respect they deserve.
What sort of writing project is this? Well, those of you who follow me on Facebook may recall a post where I asked for your favorite inanimate objects. I took those suggestions, added them to others that I received from my Wed. morning group, and put the best of those on a master list of short story ideas. From that list, I'll write a short story featuring one of those objects and post it here on my blog. Each story will be set within the world of my trilogy, showcasing the object and its secret life within that setting. By doing so, I'll also get to develop my setting and character voices that much more, which will enhance the trilogy that I'm working on.
Will these stories end up as part of the trilogy? Indirectly, but not exactly. I've already got the main characters of my trilogy lined up, and the plot of each book is already outlined if not fully written. It's highly unlikely that any of these stories will be incorporated into the trilogy as it is now. Even so, they'll share the same world, so it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine any of these characters in the background of my trilogy.
Are you going to publish them at all? Already did! You can find five of the EDP stories collected in a digital book currently available on Amazon Kindle, and soon to be available in other e-book formats. Now you can have them all in one scrollable document instead of having to search them out on my blog!
Why are your stories on Kindle and not Nook? The Nook is far superior to the Kindle in every way. Obviously you've been talking to my friend Christina. But seriously, you want it on Nook? You've got it on Nook!
What about other e-reader formats? If you have a preferred e-book format, post it in the comment section below and I'll try to make it available here on my blog. I can't promise miracles, but it's important to me that my writing gets out to the widest audience possible.
So, that's The Everyday Divinities Project... or this branch of it, at least. It's too early yet to delve into the other aspects of the project, but rest assured, I'll keep you updated as it develops!
Okay, I've collected my data, and I've worked out the format. Now I can let you in on this project I've been working on. But first, a little backstory.
My goal as an author is, ultimately, to share my boundless imagination with the world. Not just my friends, not just my geek and gamer community, but the whole world. I want to put my creations out there for the public to read and enjoy. I want to invite them into the world I've been creating for the past 6 years now, not in the nebulous future when my trilogy is complete and published and on bookstore shelves.
Inspired in part by some of my fellow writers - most notably Jess Hartley and her Shattered Glass Project, and Ed Valentine and his Play-A-Day project - I've decided to commit to a new writing project of my own. Not just a writing exercise (although it serves as that, too), and not just an excuse to post more to my blog (although it serves as that, too), this will introduce the online world to my literary world and show them what it is I've been working on all this time. Thus, The Everyday Divinities Project (EDP) is born.
Why Everyday Divinities? Because the world around us is filled with wonders that most people don't even notice, or otherwise take for granted. The alarm clock that sits on our nightstand, the coffee maker that helps us wake up in the morning, the TV set that educates and entertains us - all of them are modern-day miracles that are a part of our daily lives and deserve to be honored. I'm showing my respect to these creations by writing about them. Also, in the fictional world I've created, all of these objects are embodied by spiritual aspects (think along the lines of gods and goddesses of classical mythology) who have their own lives in a world apart from, yet very much connected to, our own. It's these divinities who make our everyday appliances and other objects work the way they should, and they tend to show their personality quirks through these objects when they aren't accorded the respect they deserve.
What sort of writing project is this? Well, those of you who follow me on Facebook may recall a post where I asked for your favorite inanimate objects. I took those suggestions, added them to others that I received from my Wed. morning group, and put the best of those on a master list of short story ideas. From that list, I'll write a short story featuring one of those objects and post it here on my blog. Each story will be set within the world of my trilogy, showcasing the object and its secret life within that setting. By doing so, I'll also get to develop my setting and character voices that much more, which will enhance the trilogy that I'm working on.
Will these stories end up as part of the trilogy? Indirectly, but not exactly. I've already got the main characters of my trilogy lined up, and the plot of each book is already outlined if not fully written. It's highly unlikely that any of these stories will be incorporated into the trilogy as it is now. Even so, they'll share the same world, so it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine any of these characters in the background of my trilogy.
Are you going to publish them at all? Already did! You can find five of the EDP stories collected in a digital book currently available on Amazon Kindle, and soon to be available in other e-book formats. Now you can have them all in one scrollable document instead of having to search them out on my blog!
Why are your stories on Kindle and not Nook? The Nook is far superior to the Kindle in every way. Obviously you've been talking to my friend Christina. But seriously, you want it on Nook? You've got it on Nook!
What about other e-reader formats? If you have a preferred e-book format, post it in the comment section below and I'll try to make it available here on my blog. I can't promise miracles, but it's important to me that my writing gets out to the widest audience possible.
So, that's The Everyday Divinities Project... or this branch of it, at least. It's too early yet to delve into the other aspects of the project, but rest assured, I'll keep you updated as it develops!
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Hero's Journey - Refusal of the Call
To give our traveling metaphor a bit of a rest, I’ll take up another for just a moment. Say you get a call from someone out of the blue. Might be someone you know, might not. In any case, the call comes at an inconvenient moment – you might be with friends, you might be with a loved one. Maybe you’re in the middle of a project or on the line with someone already. Whatever the case may be, you have a choice. Do you answer the call, or do you ignore it and continue on with whatever you were doing?
That, at its core, is what Refusal of the Call is all about.
This is the moment in the Hero’s Journey where two paths present themselves to our Hero. He can answer the Call to Adventure, propelling himself into the unknown, or he can ignore it and continue on the predictable path before him. It’s a very important moment of the story, the first real test of our Hero. Which will he choose? Well, obviously he’ll go on to the adventure, but most people who are set in their ways don’t just drop everything to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow. They’re either happy with their status quo, or in denial about the need for adventure.
Heroes should resist the Call to Adventure, at least initially. They should be stubborn or resistant – maybe not overly so, but enough to let the audience know that this is a step that is not taken lightly. Let them get a taste of the consequences of inaction, and allow that to propel them forward into the journey. One example of this kind of Refusal – and you’ll have to forgive that this is a movie example, not a literary one – is in The Matrix, when Neo gets a literal Call to Adventure from Morpheus. Rather than follow his future Mentor’s advice, however, Neo’s Refusal of the Call leads to capture and a terrifying encounter with Agent Smith.
Refusal of the Call doesn’t always come from the Hero, however. Said Hero might leap at the opportunity to go on the grand adventure, but something – or someone – else is keeping him from taking that first step, causing the Refusal. Harry Potter would love nothing more than to escape from the custody of his aunt and uncle, but his guardians simply will not let him escape their cruel treatment by going to Hogwarts. They’re so adamant about their Refusal of the Call that they try to take Harry far away to keep the letters of summons from reaching him, but the Call is never so easily denied…
Finally, we have the ongoing Journey of our young Hero, Rob, and his own Refusal of the Call. Unemployed, he has a great opportunity now to break free of the soul-crushing retail job he’s been working and follow his dream – to write his first novel. Rather than rise to the challenge, he wallows in his own feelings of inadequacy and withdraws from family and friends alike, convinced that he’ll never amount to anything. His passive Refusal of the Call manifests in a self-delusional state of escapism, where video games and roleplaying games become his reality in an attempt to replace the pain of his circumstances. And all the while, the money dwindles with each bill that needs to be paid.
This Refusal gives us a glimpse of the downward spiral that is sure to be the destruction of our Hero if he doesn’t change his ways and rise to the challenge presented to him. Sometimes a Hero needs help facing that adventure, though, someone to teach and guide our protagonist on his Journey. Sometimes, the Hero needs a Mentor.
We’ll discuss Meeting the Mentor in the next installment of the Hero’s Journey.
That, at its core, is what Refusal of the Call is all about.
This is the moment in the Hero’s Journey where two paths present themselves to our Hero. He can answer the Call to Adventure, propelling himself into the unknown, or he can ignore it and continue on the predictable path before him. It’s a very important moment of the story, the first real test of our Hero. Which will he choose? Well, obviously he’ll go on to the adventure, but most people who are set in their ways don’t just drop everything to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow. They’re either happy with their status quo, or in denial about the need for adventure.
Heroes should resist the Call to Adventure, at least initially. They should be stubborn or resistant – maybe not overly so, but enough to let the audience know that this is a step that is not taken lightly. Let them get a taste of the consequences of inaction, and allow that to propel them forward into the journey. One example of this kind of Refusal – and you’ll have to forgive that this is a movie example, not a literary one – is in The Matrix, when Neo gets a literal Call to Adventure from Morpheus. Rather than follow his future Mentor’s advice, however, Neo’s Refusal of the Call leads to capture and a terrifying encounter with Agent Smith.
Refusal of the Call doesn’t always come from the Hero, however. Said Hero might leap at the opportunity to go on the grand adventure, but something – or someone – else is keeping him from taking that first step, causing the Refusal. Harry Potter would love nothing more than to escape from the custody of his aunt and uncle, but his guardians simply will not let him escape their cruel treatment by going to Hogwarts. They’re so adamant about their Refusal of the Call that they try to take Harry far away to keep the letters of summons from reaching him, but the Call is never so easily denied…
Finally, we have the ongoing Journey of our young Hero, Rob, and his own Refusal of the Call. Unemployed, he has a great opportunity now to break free of the soul-crushing retail job he’s been working and follow his dream – to write his first novel. Rather than rise to the challenge, he wallows in his own feelings of inadequacy and withdraws from family and friends alike, convinced that he’ll never amount to anything. His passive Refusal of the Call manifests in a self-delusional state of escapism, where video games and roleplaying games become his reality in an attempt to replace the pain of his circumstances. And all the while, the money dwindles with each bill that needs to be paid.
This Refusal gives us a glimpse of the downward spiral that is sure to be the destruction of our Hero if he doesn’t change his ways and rise to the challenge presented to him. Sometimes a Hero needs help facing that adventure, though, someone to teach and guide our protagonist on his Journey. Sometimes, the Hero needs a Mentor.
We’ll discuss Meeting the Mentor in the next installment of the Hero’s Journey.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Quick Take On The Shattered Glass Project
I'm spreading the word - not only is Jess Hartley an awesome writer and editor in the gaming community, I believe her project is an exciting sign of things to come for writers/ authors in the future. Lend your support to The Shattered Glass Project and support writers who think outside the box!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Quick Take on the Future
The Everyday Divinities Project is coming. You'll never look at your world the same way again.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Quick Take on the Gem Series
It's always a pleasure to see fellow writers rising up in this age of blockbuster movies and mindless TV shows. Keep your eyes peeled for The Gem Series, coming soon!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Quick Take on Roleplaying Blood Elf Paladins
I like to keep tabs on my writing, especially writing that I'm proud of, and that goes double for anything I put on the internet. So, I looked up a little piece I wrote for the roleplaying community of World of Warcraft called Chivalry and the Blood Knight Order. Aside from the original posting on Sentinels server forum, and a reposting on both Moon Guard server forum and the WoWfiction.net forum that I was previously aware of, it's been added to at least two other WoW guild forums (here and here) as a roleplay guide for those who want to play chivalrous blood elf paladins.
Not bad for a little fan-made pet project.
Not bad for a little fan-made pet project.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Hero's Journey - The Call to Adventure
O Beloved Blog, my deepest apologies for neglecting you, but a penniless writer has to earn some pocket change for food from time to time. Now, where was I? Oh yes...
Okay, so your audience has been introduced to your main character, and you’ve established the world that he’s comfortable in. Now it’s time to shake things up and get the ball rolling. We need a catalyst, some event that disturbs the status quo or pushes the character out of his comfort zone. Something needs to spur the story on, and that’s just what this phase is – The Call to Adventure.
This stage of the journey takes its name from the time-honored tradition of the Messenger delivering the Call to the Hero in question, or the more modern equivalent of the urgent phone call or text, but this direct approach isn’t the only way that the Call can manifest. It can come from friend or foe, in person or via letter (or email). It might not even be an actual summons to action. It could be a warning to stay away, which provokes the Hero’s curiosity and propels him into action instead of dissuading him. Whatever form it takes, it intrudes upon The Ordinary World and disturbs that comfort that surrounds the main character.
For me, this was a tricky stage to contemplate in terms of my own story. The Call isn’t something you can just toss out there and make the Hero latch on to, it needs to affect him on such a level that it cannot be ignored. Subtle calls can still achieve this by watering the seeds of change laid out in the previous phase, but there must still be some event that makes this Call evident to the audience. The key, I believe, is making it personal. There needs to be some tie between the Call and the character (and, by sympathy, the audience), some sort of impact that makes him want to pursue the grand adventure and draws us further into the story. For Harry Potter, it was that first letter inviting him to Hogwarts. For Robert Langdon, it's someone approaching him for his expertise in symbology. If there’s no good reason for the protagonist and he goes along on the adventure anyway, your audience will wonder why he’s even bothering to begin with. Make it relevant and personal, and your audience will appreciate it.
To illustrate this point, we’ll go back to our young Hero, Rob. We’ve established his life, his routine, now it’s time to shake it up, which his boss does nicely. Due to an influx of new employees who are willing to do the same work for much less pay, he’s released from his job with a professional smile and a promise of a good word to whichever employer he works for next. Devastated because he’s never been fired from a job in his life, Rob staggers back home and drops himself onto his couch to ponder where he’ll be getting his next paycheck.
The Call to Adventure is clear here – there’s a great deal of potential laid out for Rob by the simple act of being released from his job. The comfort zone of his routine, of his existence, is breached and the unknown has been introduced. How the Call is answered, and more importantly if he answers it, remains to be seen.
We’ll discuss the third landmark of the Hero’s Journey in my next entry, Refusal of the Call.
Okay, so your audience has been introduced to your main character, and you’ve established the world that he’s comfortable in. Now it’s time to shake things up and get the ball rolling. We need a catalyst, some event that disturbs the status quo or pushes the character out of his comfort zone. Something needs to spur the story on, and that’s just what this phase is – The Call to Adventure.
This stage of the journey takes its name from the time-honored tradition of the Messenger delivering the Call to the Hero in question, or the more modern equivalent of the urgent phone call or text, but this direct approach isn’t the only way that the Call can manifest. It can come from friend or foe, in person or via letter (or email). It might not even be an actual summons to action. It could be a warning to stay away, which provokes the Hero’s curiosity and propels him into action instead of dissuading him. Whatever form it takes, it intrudes upon The Ordinary World and disturbs that comfort that surrounds the main character.
For me, this was a tricky stage to contemplate in terms of my own story. The Call isn’t something you can just toss out there and make the Hero latch on to, it needs to affect him on such a level that it cannot be ignored. Subtle calls can still achieve this by watering the seeds of change laid out in the previous phase, but there must still be some event that makes this Call evident to the audience. The key, I believe, is making it personal. There needs to be some tie between the Call and the character (and, by sympathy, the audience), some sort of impact that makes him want to pursue the grand adventure and draws us further into the story. For Harry Potter, it was that first letter inviting him to Hogwarts. For Robert Langdon, it's someone approaching him for his expertise in symbology. If there’s no good reason for the protagonist and he goes along on the adventure anyway, your audience will wonder why he’s even bothering to begin with. Make it relevant and personal, and your audience will appreciate it.
To illustrate this point, we’ll go back to our young Hero, Rob. We’ve established his life, his routine, now it’s time to shake it up, which his boss does nicely. Due to an influx of new employees who are willing to do the same work for much less pay, he’s released from his job with a professional smile and a promise of a good word to whichever employer he works for next. Devastated because he’s never been fired from a job in his life, Rob staggers back home and drops himself onto his couch to ponder where he’ll be getting his next paycheck.
The Call to Adventure is clear here – there’s a great deal of potential laid out for Rob by the simple act of being released from his job. The comfort zone of his routine, of his existence, is breached and the unknown has been introduced. How the Call is answered, and more importantly if he answers it, remains to be seen.
We’ll discuss the third landmark of the Hero’s Journey in my next entry, Refusal of the Call.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Quick Take on Clash of the Titans
Okay, this is less of a quick-take and more of a mini-rant. It's also about a movie, but since it's based on mythology, I figured you wouldn't mind if I indulged just a little.
It bothers me that kids today think that the movie Clash of the Titans owes something to the video game God of War, even after a quick internet search gives the original 1981 release date of the movie this one is based on - long before God of War was a glimmer in a developer's eye. And then, of course, there's the original Greek myth of Perseus...
Now, I'm not saying video games are bad. Far from it - I indulge in them as well, though my interest runs more to the RPGs these days. (Even in games, I love a good story!) I do believe, however, that kids should have a greater understanding of the inspiration behind them. Perseus was getting into adventures involving gods and titans long before Kratos arrived on the scene, and there's a ton of other Greek myths that are just as exciting. I suppose what I'm saying could be summed up by four simple words: Gamers, know your roots!
I know, I know, I'm due for the next stop on the Hero's Journey road, but I just had to get that off my chest.
It bothers me that kids today think that the movie Clash of the Titans owes something to the video game God of War, even after a quick internet search gives the original 1981 release date of the movie this one is based on - long before God of War was a glimmer in a developer's eye. And then, of course, there's the original Greek myth of Perseus...
Now, I'm not saying video games are bad. Far from it - I indulge in them as well, though my interest runs more to the RPGs these days. (Even in games, I love a good story!) I do believe, however, that kids should have a greater understanding of the inspiration behind them. Perseus was getting into adventures involving gods and titans long before Kratos arrived on the scene, and there's a ton of other Greek myths that are just as exciting. I suppose what I'm saying could be summed up by four simple words: Gamers, know your roots!
I know, I know, I'm due for the next stop on the Hero's Journey road, but I just had to get that off my chest.
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