To some extent, I feel that writing requires a certain amount of sociology and psychology. We’re telling stories for people and, to reach them, studying people and how they function is one way to do that. In a purely academic non-creepy sort of a way, of course. However, I think there are ways to “people watch” without going out there in public and staring people down. One of them, is to watch documentaries.

There’s a number of documentaries out there that you can watch on cable or, if you’re like me, Netflix. Some of the History Channel and National Geographic documentaries are interesting, but there’s a certain amount of repetition and bravado that comes from the episodic format. You’ll see the “pulse” when there’s a commercial break; I’d argue that watching the documentaries without the commercials helps you see the scripting better and reinforces points if you’re “watching” this in the background.

The other valuable thing that documentaries provide, is that you can people watch segments of the population you may not normally would given your environment. Many documentaries are critical or try to capture a point through exploration; this can also offer you a broader range of topics to listen to — some of which you may not necessarily be comfortable with. I’m a firm believer that pushing your own boundaries is a good thing, because it means your characterization will be sharper and you’ll be able to layer in more depth.

Here’s a few I’d recommend watching:

Mood: Boo-yah
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: *whistles innocently*
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walkin’ with these boots
In My Ears: The Dredd soundtrack
Game Last Played: Tetris
Movie Last Viewed: IQ
Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press

Edited a little over seventy-five pages yesterday, and wrote about five brainstorming-related pages for Teh New Shiny. It was a long day, in between e-mail, planning something for Dork Storm Press, and a few food-related chores, but very productive. It was the kind of productivity where you look back and go: “Wow, that was a lot of fun. More, more, MORE!”

I slept amazingly well and feel totally, utterly at peace. My office is finally situated, save for the reorganization of beads, my filing, and a pile of “I have no idea what this is” in the corner. But? It’ll get done. I know it will, because with the shift in my priorities, so required a necessary change in habits and work environment. In a way, it’s like managing noise. And where that used to be watching television at night (which I don’t do anymore), now it’s Twitter this, Facebook that, e-mail this, and all the other publicity ephemera necessary to put oneself out there.

I was trying to allude to that when I wrote a post earlier titled “Words, Words, Too Many Words,” but I don’t think I quite got there. That, sometimes, when I’m focused on writing or editing words, I have to consume less of them to focus.

Now that isn’t always the case. On occasion, it’s helpful to have wholly unrelated narratives on in the background so I can tune out whatever it is to focus. I don’t have “one way” of diving into the page; this particular moment, I’m honing in on what makes a good daily work habit. It’s different, too, depending upon where I am. If I don’t have an office, and I’m in a fishbowl, then I like having other noises that I can control to create a sort of buffer against everything else that’s going on around me.

Even then, what I’m relearning is that I always have worked best when I mini-task. I break the day up into smaller chunks and, if yesterday was any indication, hour-long increments. So, at the half hour or hour mark, I work consistently through to the next one where I can take a break.

To help me focus on my current priority list, I removed my second monitor (which isn’t necessary at the moment) and re-positioned my desk so not only is it facing the wall, I also have my back to the door. Straight in front of me, is the oldest poster I have since I first started having offices — a Millenium Falcon procured back in the days when I was one of the first people to sign up for the Star Wars fan club. Below that, is an artist rendering of Thor from the comics. (OF COURSE IT WOULD BE.) An official soot sprite from Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. . . Shut up, I like anime. . .) looks at me with those googily eyes of his. And, of course, various other paraphernalia and essentials, like the Mega-Chibithulhu. . . So cute, so cuddly, so sanity-blasting. . . and a lot of Hellboy. I should post some pictures of my favorites. Hrmm. . .

Doing this, setting up my office to fit my priorities, was really important because it basically created an environment where I had no excuse but to work or create. This isn’t coffee shop-style writing or meeting where it’s casual or I’m out for the day to listen and observe. This is where the bulk of my career rests on a space that I’m comfortable with long-term for hours at a time. It also means, however, that certain things had to be re-jiggled and adjusted. What I’m doing now is very different than what it’s been like for over a year. I’m still in the same space, though, so that means I had to get a fresh physical perspective to move forward.

But it’s also an auditory one, too. I’ve fallen in love with the Discworld and I’m hoping to do a read-through of the entire series beginning with the first volume. (Yay, libraries!) In the meantime, however, I have a few books on audiotape. When I’m cleaning or doing something where I need a break from plotting, hatching plans for world domination, or what have you — then I play an audiobook on iTunes and listen to the stories. When I’m working and feeling anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, or just plain scared? I am finding that the best and fastest way to calm nerves is to clear my auditory palette with instrumental music set up into different playlist.

Here’s an example of that. My Cyber Sci-Fi playlist includes these albums:

• Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture)
• Final Fantasy XIII (Original Soundtrack)
• Dredd (Original Film Soundtrack)
• Battlestar Galactica (Series Soundtrack)
• The Matrix Reloaded [Disc 2]

Ninety percent of these songs don’t have any words in them and they all convey a similar tone and feel. That emotion, as expressed through song, is what I am hoping to capture in [redacted]. It allows me to “hear” the beats of these scenes and get a sense of characterization. (With the exception of Avatar. I just liked the soundtrack.) If the sound doesn’t fit the movie (many people have heard me complain when it doesn’t, like in The Transporter) then I’m totally thrown out of the experience. Sounds are so, so, so important to me both externally and, as I’m finding out more and more? Internally, too.

Before I leave you, I do have to laugh for a second and release some Inner Critic tension. I remember the last time I was explaining work habits and whatnot to someone who wasn’t creative or who didn’t understand the writer brain. “You think too much!” was the complaint. Well, duh!

Fortunately, the more writers and artists and beaders and creative people I meet? The more I realize we all do — because we’re always “working.”

It feels great to be in such good company.

Mood: Waking up. Sort of.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I REFUSE TO TALK ABOUT IT ON THE GROUNDS I’LL INCRIMINATE SELF.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Stairs, stairs, up and down.
In My Ears: Darkness Immortal from Darklore Manor by Nox Arcana
Game Last Played: Tetris
Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter collection
Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press

I am the terror that reads in the night… I am the crusader that fights banned books…

It’s Banned Books Week, now through October 6th. It goes without saying that I am not a fan of banning or burning any tome. Any. I don’t care if the story is the worst piece of crap ever written, it has been written — and only through reading, discussing, and learning will we evolve as a species. Yes, I am fiercely on the side of pro-literacy. If ever there was an issue that I feel very strongly about, it’s this one. Books are printed recordings of our humanity and I cannot think of anything, save other artistic disciplines and interpretations, that’s more valuable.

Incidentally, there’s a comic about banned books that’s been tossed around a bit via e-mail and whatnot. It’s not getting proper accreditation, so I’d like to give a shout-out to Incidental Comics. (Sure, no one has used that joke before.) Why hasn’t this comic artist gotten a book deal or an invite to pen a comic for The New Yorker? There are some really insightful pieces in Snider’s collection that you can also purchase as a poster. Highly recommended.

The other day, I hinted I might share another horrendous draft with you. Still posturing that, if only because I would like to share more finished prose with you before I dive into the awful. After all, you want good stories from me, don’t you? 😀 I also embarrassed myself mightily by mentioning the mess of gigantic size in my office. Well, I have no shame. Here it is:

There are the remnants of miscellany and flotsam. Once I’m through that, I can finish reorganizing my art supplies, plant my terrarium, and dive into paperwork. Thankfully, I have a better space to work now.

Now that the room is better constructed, I have a place to do yoga and, if need be, set up a small table for additional art projects like painting and whatnot. I really needed the ability to shut my door and have my own space to be more productive. I talked about adding back in some discipline and, in a way, this hearkens back to when I used to practice piano for hours at a time. While I am hoping to shoot for a word count goal, to start with I am swimming back into blocking out chunks of time at a set period every day.

To help track my progress for my original fiction, I came up with this beauty.

Basically, it’s a weekly organizer in the form of a write on/wipe off sticker that I’ve decorated and stuck to my desk. Goals can change, but here this reminds me that whenever I’m penning “original fiction,” I have a goal. This is above and beyond what I normally write, edit, or blog. Right now, I need to separate that out because “on spec” isn’t pay-the-bills work and my freelancer brain sometimes has a hard time reconciling that. It’s a solution to my problem which is, if I don’t set time to work for myself, regardless of everything else I’m doing, then it’ll never get done.

I’ll post another picture in a month or so with the word count filled out. Hrmm… maybe even a graph, too!

Mood: Suck gas, Evildoer.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: The jig is up, you jaded, jug-headed, jack-in-the-box.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Sheesh. They ought to lock me up just for wearing this ridiculous outfit.
In My Ears: Let’s get considerate.
Game Last Played: Who, what, where, and sometimes why?
Movie Last Viewed: When there’s trouble, you call D. W.!
Latest Artistic Project: Clever of me to use my spine to break my fall like that.
Quote Attribution: Memorable Darkwing Duck Quotes courtesy of IMDB.com.

Wanted to throw out my views on the subject again today. Yes, I will be meandering quite a bit in a semi-caffeinated haze of dooooooooom, but bear with me. If you have questions? Ask.

I do not believe there is one way to “get published.” However, I do not write to “get published.” If that was all I cared about, then I would stick to self-publishing and forget about everything else. That is not my path though that may be yours. Neither track is better or worse than the other — provided you’re getting what you want and need out of it and? Vice versa. If we are? Then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, really. Though, it goes without saying I tend to lean conservatively and don’t adhere to business practices that many would consider dodgy or downright illegal. I think there is something to be said for common sense. 😀

Publishing, as an industry, is in upheaval. Everyone knows this, but from veterans I’ve heard that, to some extent, it always has been. I think it’s ridiculous that people are saying “all self-published are bad” or “all big publishers are evil.” Logic girl says that’s not logical. The reality? These are different business models. Get past the freak-out, and that’s really what people are worried about. Big companies cannot, by their nature, turn on a dime. Smaller publishers can be more nimble but they don’t always have the resources that the larger publishers do. It’s just the nature of the proverbial literary beast. A company by itself isn’t inherently bad — there’s good and “bad” folks all over the spectrum.

Yes, there are pros and cons to every publishing method and format just like there are benefits and drawbacks to how you interact with other people online. You are smart and you know this to be true. But what you may not know is how deep the hype/myths (from piracy to e-books to Amazon to writing best-sellers to whatever) really are. There are a lot of frustrated, nervous, scared people out there. There are also quite a few excited, bubbly, happy folks jumping around, too. Change is hard. Change is torment for anyone who’s worked the same way and earned the same amount of money off that effort for years. This is not an industry that is “secure.” (Really, what industry is?) But one can’t build a business or a life around insecurity, you need confidence to proceed or you won’t write the next thing or take the next chance or act on the next idea. This is not a field for the weak of heart, to be sure.

Somewhere, in the middle of all that, there are people (authors, editors, etc.) who are doing their best to make a living. Key word: people. People who still need to eat, pay their rent/mortgage, take their kids to day care, buy a cup of coffee, etc. Desperation often leads to bizarre statements and misconceptions — some of which are based on publishing myths in the days before the internet. Those ideas like, for example, how the publishing industry is out to screw writers or how gatekeepers are evil will always subsist in some form or another. This is what happens when you combine Art with Money. Remember, writers get paid. If you’re getting money for your words? WRITER. It’s Yog’s Law. Money flows to the writer.

A lot of authors are learning how to be entrepreneurs on top of focusing on the form they’re working in. Everyone has to learn somewhere and this is the reality of the contemporary writer. You have to understand the business you’re in if you want to adapt to changes and take advantage of opportunities. That doesn’t mean people are perfect. Mistakes happen. The trick is how flexible you are to roll with the punches. Bend to avoid breaking.

The reason why I wanted to dive into this again today, is because I wanted to reiterate that, in spite of all of this, your path is yours. OWN IT. The roads I’m taking, the paths others you admire journey on, may not be for you and that’s okay! If what you’re doing works? Then AWESOME. I have no answers for you, neither will anyone else, because you need to trust yourself and figure it out. What will you be happy with? What kind of money will you be okay with? You have to ask the questions that matter, then answer them, and steer yourself toward those goals. That, truly, is the “secret” of publishing. The answer to your success lies within you.

NOW GO FORTH AND BE EVEN MORE AWESOME.

Mood: Happy, happy. Joy, joy.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Ermm… Trying to do the tea thing…
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: A walk.
In My Ears: A snoring cat. Heh, heh.
Game Last Played: Tetris
Movie Last Viewed: IQ
Latest Artistic Project: In progress
Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press

Ever since I started feeling better, I’ve been attacking dust bunnies vigorously. I’ve got a ton of writing, editing, and game design to do and more than a few creative projects and trips planned. Not to mention, we’re getting ready to celebrate the fifteen-year anniversary of Dork Stork Press. But, to reduce my stress level and increase my mental productivity, I feel I have to start with a clean house and office. I’ve removed *coughs* several bags of miscellany and I’m almost to the point where, once that’s done, I can dive into that joy of joys — filing.

That doesn’t mean that I’m not working when I’m fending off another Dust Bunny of Enormous Size. While I’m scrubbing and swiping away my messes, I’m posturing mental revisions, so I can put the finishing touches on another Lovecraft tale. (Edit: I’m also forcing myself to write a page a day. Forgot about that!) I was hoping to deliver it sooner rather than later, but I screwed up and then I got sick on top of that. It feels awful because this is a rare occurrence for me, but the way forward is? Forward.

After I get the office sorted, which will likely be either today or early tomorrow, I’ll have a few major projects left to do and a day of running errands. The dreaded basement has… Well, they’re no longer dust bunnies. They’ve morphed and multiplied like tribbles on acid. Thankfully, that’s a joint project. Heh, heh.

I’m about two to three weeks behind schedule, but thankfully, catching up on housework has opened the door to a lot of possibilities story-wise. My fiction, the original sort that’s not based on another property, tends to be more atmospheric. But good ambiance does not a story make. While I have caught myself on a number of occasions, it’s still important to identify a few milestones. I don’t really like outlines persay because in the service of a story something may change. That doesn’t mean I won’t work with them. They can be an immense help. Here, I’m merely talking those occasions where I’ve been besieged by a story and I have to write it down. A couple of guideposts, Conflict with a Capital C, are crucial to reducing revision-time for me. Without a clear antagonist or mystery to chew on, then my rough draft prose makes me yawn. Hey, if you’ve downloaded The Queen of Crows, you’ve “seen” my rough draft!

Hrmmm…maybe I should post another rough draft sample for you. Interested?

Mood: Tired with a side of exhausted.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: More bubbles than I care to admit.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: House, house, baby.
In My Ears: Evisceration by Carfax Abbey
Game Last Played: Tetris
Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter collection
Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press