I have two things I wanted to share with you guys today about upcoming events. First off, I just sent off my latest game review, so expect a link and a follow-up review here on the blog within a few days. This time I was privileged to review the early-access game Abandon Ship. No spoilers, but basically, think of the game as FTL but with pirates instead of space. Keep an eye here for the link to the official review. The next thing I might be even more excited about. I will be hosting my first panel at a convention! A big thanks to the ladies and gents over at Smash Fiction for giving me their blessings to perform Surprise Party at Con-Nichiwa at the Tucson Convention center on April 20th. If you're going to be in southern Arizona in mid-to-late April, swing by Con-Nichiwa and check it out! For those who don't know, Surprise Party is the brain child of Smash Fiction's Dan Mulkerin. Basically, you take a story plot that revolves around a party on an adventure and replace that party with your own group made up of fictional characters. You pick characters to fill D&D style roles, namely Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Rogue, and Bard, but you must also pick out the dreaded Dumpus, a character designed to hinder the party. You kindly donate this Dumpus to one of the other players, so choosing a good one is key. Next, the GM walks you through the story of the book or film and you pick one character from your list of party members to meet that challenge. Once picked, they are out of play for the rest of the game. At the end of the game, the GM tallies up the score of all the players and decides the winner. It is a hilarious party game, and of course, it's a story telling game, so I instantly loved it. I've tried it out with friends of mine and the feeling was mutual, so, since I apparently and an introvert who loves performing in front of people (weird, right?) I talked to Con-Nichiwa and... blam! I'm running a panel. We still have some details to work out. My friend, Miles Schneiderman, the person who created Smash Fiction itself, happens to live in the area and might be a part of this. I'm looking to see if I can round up some sponsors for prizes for the contestants as well. There's just so much to do! Again, if you're gonna being in southern Arizona on April 20th, swing by Con-Nichiwa and check out my panel! Be Excellent to Each Other
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Today's Paladin Playlist looks at a song that was referred to me by my darling wife. I didn't think much as I was already well into writing The Paladin when she showed it to me, but after a while, I decided to sit down and really listen to it. Now, while I'm not writing anything based strictly on the lyrics, my goodness does this build a mindset. Today I'm looking at Painted Smile by Madame Macabre. Between the music and the video, this song builds a very specific mindset. Something dark, something foreboding, and yet not something that is purely evil. It's a dark justice. Lawful evil, even? The point is, the song paints a picture of something that is deadly, creepy, and verging on psychotic, all of which the subject most certainly would disagree with. This is a great song for building a character that dispatches justice according to their own twisted logic, their own dark sense of honor. These are the characters willing to get blood on their hands for what they believe is the better good. I'd be lying if I didn't say I haven't contemplated a few characters for future stories thanks to this song. It's gripping. It's primal. And yet, it's so calm about it. A gentleman sociopath? Whatever you might think of it, this is a song that will inspire writers. Give it a listen. Painted Smile by Madame Macabre. DFTBA One of the coolest parts about the editing and rewrites I'm doing is that I feel almost like a reader meeting these characters for the first time. I've had a certain feel to each of the characters since I created them and, of course, those characters have changed and evolved. But then I went and wrote the words "the end." I figured that was, of course, the end of the matter, but then came the rewrites.
I've changed up some of the early scenes, putting a focus on characters that needed it and cutting lots of other scenes. Where I was focused before about making sure that everyone had equal "screen time," now I'm focused on what makes sense for the story, and that means creating new scenes to explore those facets as well a replace old scenes that didn't go anywhere. Thanks to that, I've gotten to see characters in new settings, under new conditions. I wasn't sure how they'd react when I first decided to redo these parts, but now that I'm more or less done with the rewrites, I'm looking over it and seeing so much more of these characters. It's refreshing. It's exciting! My attention, and therefore the reader's attention, was spread too thin before and I see that now. A big thanks to all my betas and critique readers for pointing these scenes out, because now things flow better and the characters we really need to know about we get more from. I talked a bit about making characters feel real in one of my recent posts. I think this might be the opposite end of the spectrum. See, I was worried that I didn't give EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER enough to do so I was shoving in scenes that didn't need to be there. Now, I think things are balanced a bit better. Some characters, by definition and default, will need more time to flesh out. Other characters just don't. That doesn't mean you can't make them real or enjoyable. Heck, I hope that some of my side characters end up being the favorites of readers, but I know that those side characters don't need their entire life story played out on the pages of my novel. So, with that out of the way, I get to focus my Paladin efforts completely on editing. I'm excited because that means I'm that much closer to sending this out to agents. Which is that much closer to seeing my book on bookshelves. Fingers crossed! Don't Forget to be Awesome! Okay, stay with me on this. It's a bumpy road, but I promise there is a legitimate conclusion with evidence here. You just... you gotta stay with me, okay? I've seen a lot of culture portrayed in media. From films to books, comics to video games, fictional cultures abound. But... and I mean this with all seriousness, one of the most fascinating and logically consistent cultures I've found represented in fiction are... well... these guys. Rabbids. Wait! Come back! Listen, I know what you're thinking. "Ooo... Rabbid. Lol, they're so random." Yes! That's what I thought, too, but then I embarked on a cultural expedition, if you will. What I have discovered is that they are NOT random. They follow a bizarre, but consistent logic. They have rules in their society. Have the dreams, goals, and ambitions. And you know what? They are a great lesson in how to make a culture right. 1. They share a cultural desireA carryover from their video game origins, the Rabbids seem to think they're from the Moon. They live here on Earth, but have a fascination, nay, an obsession with getting to the Moon. Billboards will stop them in their tracks. They have invented advanced technological transports in attempts to get to the Moon. It's hard to explain, but when you watch their show (there's three seasons on Hulu,) you can see a trial and error system that, besides being kinda goofy, does make some sense. They don't go at things in completely random ways. They learn from the latest failure, adapt, and make a completely new screwup that, somehow, holds a weird logic to it. 2. They are a gender fluid society (and role fluid, really)Gender doesn't often come into play with Rabbids, but when it does, they tend to default to male. Unless they have a wig. Any of them. Regardless of previous behavior. A typically masculine Rabbid will, upon realizing they have donned a wig, adopt feminine characteristics and be treated as such by the rest of the clan. On one occasion, the "female" of the group was giving a tour to a newcomer to their junkyard village and tripped, sending her wig flying onto another Rabbid. The "new" female took a second to realize the situation, shrug, and take the newcomer's hand and continue the tour, leaving the "former" female lamenting the loss of their role and status. But that's not all! Through the use of permanent markers, they adorn themselves with "tattoos" that change their role and rank in their society! The affection of glasses can confer "smart" status upon a Rabbid, granting them the adulation and respect of their peers. They, for the most part, don't even seem to be able to tell one another apart. A pair of best friends was separated, a third Rabbid stole one's clothes, and replaced him without missing a beat! Their society is based on emulating human society, not as it is, but as they understand it. Long hair means girl. Glasses means smart. They change and adapt fluidly. 3. They don't pretend, they becomeIn other shows, characters might goof around and pretend to be cops or cowboys or astronauts. Whatever. Rabbids don't pretend. When they take on a role, they are that thing. Their entire group acknowledges them as such and respects the authority or expertise that would come with such a position. Again, this has to do with the emulation of human society, but still, it is a strict and consistent cultural rule. If a Rabbid looks like a cop, he is a cop to all the other Rabbids. If they drop the hat, they lose their authority. If they draw on a villainous mustache, they become evil. If they don a superhero cape, they become brave. Bizarre, but consistent. It's... well... it's like Alice in Wonderland. And I don't say that lightly! I have an 1896 copy of Alice, the Annotated Alice, and the Complete Works of Lewis Carroll. I shoot down reboots and adaptations of Alice left and right. But, honestly, the logic in Rabbids is kinda reminiscent of the logic in Alice. It's weird. It seems completely drug induced. But if you give it a chance, look closer, and pay attention, it follows consistent logic.
So why all that hub-bub on Rabbids? One, I love Rabbids, but two, I think they are a great example of a well-thought out culture. I'm not suggesting your next story involve a village of psychotic murder rabbits, but look at them and why they work. They're not just "discount Minions," they're an incredibly complex, strangely logical society. They just happen to be dumber than rocks. Be Rabbid to Each Other. Ah, villains. Antagonists. Yes, there is a technical difference between the two (and even a third category of just "obstacles") but still, for any good story, you gotta have a good bad guy. There's been a lot of trends over the course of, well... human history. It feels like right now the trend is for bad guys that are as or even more interesting than the hero. And, you know, that's pretty awesome. I really love it when I sit down to a movie or a kick back with a book and think "Wow, I actually kinda like the villain. I see their point." And really, that's one of the big keys, these days anyway, is making sure the villain has a point to what they're doing. After all, they're only the villain to your protagonist. No good villain wakes up and thinks to themself, "Wait... am I the bad guy?" Your villain needs aspirations that are as noble to them as your hero's. The villain needs to be able to justify their actions to themselves, whether it's just being able to see a bigger picture or being the only one willing to do a dirty job. Now, that doesn't mean you can't have straight up, evil for evil's sake villains. Those are good, but so much harder to pull off. Without good motivation, without a desire that the reader can understand (probably not agree with, but at least understand) the villain can come off as campy or cartoony. Like they belong to a 1960's comic. Weirdly enough, though, one of my favorite villains of all time actually is this kind of villain. She's from a weird little cartoon called Wander over Yonder and, honestly, this little song I'm about to share got me to watch the entire series (note: she's in season two.) She's a new take on the old villain trope of evil-for-evil's sake. Is it because the cycle is coming around? Is it because the song is so catchy? I have no idea, but I freakin' love her. Anyway, big point is, if you can't make your villain believable, at least make them interest. Be Evil to Each Other. My editing (and rewriting) is taking me toward the part of The Paladin where the world really opens up for Jonathan. This means more characters for him to meet and interact with. A big part of writing these characters is learning to make them all individuals. Whether it's someone you're only meeting for one conversation or someone that's going to be integral to the plot later, each character needs to have unique feelings and needs.
I was listening to the Writing Excuses podcast a week or so ago and they talked a bit about fleshing out characters. I want to share something they talked about there. Even if your character has just a small part, giving them something to desire, to set them apart, can make the entire world feel more real. You have two guards. In a normal scene, your protagonist maybe slips past them without them noticing. Perhaps they drop down from the ceiling and knock them out. But if you want them to be more than just set dressing, think about what makes the guards tick. Someone on the podcast suggested that perhaps one of the guards likes to collect things in pairs because he has twin daughters and likes to give them gifts together. Now, we have a bit of dialogue between the guards in those moments before the protagonist does his thing. The guards seem like real people. If the protagonist has to take one out, there's now an emotional consequence to it. Another suggestion was to write each scene a second time from the point of view of one of the side characters in the room. Write out how they're feeling, what they're doing, and how they react to the protagonist. After, you can go back and edit the real story to reflect that character's actions, gestures, responses, etc. Really, it's all about remembering that everyone is the star of their own story. That taxi driver that delivers your protagonist to her job interview, he has a story. Your protagonist was just a small part of his day. Maybe he on the last trip of his shift, so he drove a little more recklessly to get her to her destination so he could cut out early? Maybe she reminds him of a girl he used to date, so he tries a little harder to get her there on time. Just remember, all your characters should have their own life, their own goals, and their own dreams. And don't forget to be awesome. I'm having a fun time with my novel at the moment. Is that sarcasm? Even I'm not sure at the moment. What am I sure about is that my word count is SO out of whack that I'm not certain how accurate it is. I removed a huge chunk, replaced a bunch, but I still have a lot to remove yet.
So what I'm doing at the moment is connecting new material to the existing material. The new stuff is at the beginning of the novel, meaning I now have to go through the entire story to make such continuity holds up. Fortunately, what happens in the beginning doesn't change a lot of big things, per se, but it does focus more on Jonathan and what he's going through. It adds a little more excitement by replacing a few duller scenes that my betas just weren't into, while at the same time managing to get a little more of the world's lore into the story. It's harder than just writing or just editing. It's like making a puzzle AS your putting the puzzle together. Still, it's making for a richer story, a better main character, and I think a more enjoyable read overall. I hope you guys end up liking it as much as I do. DFTBA I've been talking about what I do in writing since I first started this blog, handing out unsolicited advice and explaining my process from conception to completion. It occurs to me, however, that I've yet to share how I came to these wold altering conclusions about the art and craft of writing. Well, loyal reader, allow me to share with you two of the many resources I have that have helped me become a better writer. Spoiler alert, both resources are published authors.
One of the first resources I found oh so long ago when I dug down and got really serious about my writing was an author named Jenna Moreci. How did I find her? I clicked on YouTube... clicked on the little search bar... and typed "how to write a novel." There is, perhaps, more to it, but really, my discovery of Jenna Moreci was nothing amazing. She was the top search result and her video was relevant to my need at the time. I'm not sure what the first video of hers was that I watched, but I'm sure it was a "pet peeves" or a "tips on writing stronger characters" video. Once I clicked play, I was hooked. She's funny, she's informative, and very entertaining. She's gone through the entire writing process from idea to published novel and had to figure out a lot of things herself. Fortunately she was kind enough to document these things along the way and share them with the commoners that we might learn and grow. Seriously, though, her struggles have led to knowledge that she has been willing to share in the hopes that other would-be authors might not have to struggle as she did. I cannot express the gratitude I have for the knowledge she has shared in her videos. If you need writing tips or a guide (general OR specific) to the world of publishing, she is your girl. I'd also like to mention one other resource today. When my photojournalist job gave me my first smart phone (yes, I was a little behind the times. What I can I say, I was poor!) I discovered the wonderful world of podcasts. Of course one of the first ones I subscribed to were my good friends over at Smash Fiction, but my list soon grew. NPR shows, followed by more geek shows, then I stumbled into a podcast called Writing Excuses. This podcast is a writers circle, of sorts. A group of published authors come together to talk about certain topics in writing and how they address individually address them. What's intriguing is that while a few are novelists, they've had comic writers, television script writers, video game writers, short story writers, web comic writers, and so many more! Themes like villains versus antagonists are subjects that aren't exclusive to just traditional fiction, and these writers give their take, share tips, and even give writing homework to try out. Their rotating cast of hosts include authors like Maurice Broaddus, Amal El-Mohtar, Valynne E. Maetani, Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. Each week they take fifteen minutes to explore an aspect of writing, like fleshing out side characters, and expound on it. I've found it a amazing listen while driving or running errands and their tips really help. I hope you found these resources useful and that you'll give them a listen. They've been immensely helpful in my writing career, and they're only two of the many resources I go to. Check them out and see if they help you out with your writing. Don't Forget to be Awesome! 24 weeks straight. I feel freakin' awesome. As much as I love sharing the music that inspires me with you guys, I also kinda love that number growing week by week. Each one is an installment closer to the release of The Paladin and a sign that I'm really trying. So, with that out of the way, let's look at today's Paladin Playlist, Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. I don't usually have a specific scene in mind when I put up these playlists. This time, I most certainly do. I'm torn about sharing this, but I think there will be a long enough gap between this blog and the release of the story in question that I'll share this. This song belongs to the one and only Simon Trevor. Specifically, I have a scene in mind where he's been contracted to eliminate a horde of zombies. While agents surround the perimeter, armed with automatic weapons and shielded by body armor. Enter Simon Trevor. He steps out of a truck, wearing just his standard gear. He slides two ear buds in. As he unsheathes his blades, Freddie Mercury's voice rings out. "Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel ali-i-ive.... and the world... turning inside out, yeah. Floating around in ecstasy. so... Don't. Stop. Me. Now." And there he goes. Dancing through hordes of the undead, disregarding safety protocols, chopping down foe after foe, head bobbing and hips swaying as he goes. It's crystal clear in my mind. God, I hope you guys to get to read it, cause I want to make sure this is shared. In the mean time, please enjoy Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. Sing it, Freddy! Be Excellent to Each Other. Yesterday's post made me a little nostalgic. I thought about all the old stories I wrote as a young boy. I created super heroes and star ship captains. I wrote about Jedi and fighters. I wrote about strangers and strange places, friends and my home. I gave up video game time and television to write. I miss that drive, though I don't miss the quality.
I think I must've always fancied myself a story teller. I was in every play I could be in. I volunteered to do announcements for the school. I was told that at family gatherings I would relate the plot of an entire movie or play to aunts and uncles. I would tell stories to my stuffed animals and plot out long, intricate story lines with my toys. Things haven't changed much, I think. I pursued pro wrestling, the most brutal form of story telling I know. I gave up a month of free time to plan out a campaign for a table top role playing group. Then another. Then I started playing Smash Fiction's Surprise Party with friends. I... I can't escape the story telling. Hell, even the profession I'm not interested in, journalism, is a form of story telling. I earned my keep filming, editing, writing, and putting news on the air, an exercise I despised, because it was still, technically, story telling. So what's next? Where will story telling take me now? I'm doing game reviews now, and really, what do I value most in a game? The story. After this? Who knows? But you know what? When I know, you'll all know. DFTBA. |
Matias TautimezKeep your eyes open for my debut novel, The Paladin. Archives
January 2023
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