Such a long day at work. Can't blame this one on my website acting funky.
So I recently sent out my third query letter. I'm getting a little less jarred by them, but of course I still haven't heard back from my first one. I suppose I should take this time to act as boldly as I can before the first rejection comes in. Yes, I'm aware I shouldn't assume I'm going to be rejected, but the numbers don't lie. The odds are against me getting an agent at all, much less on my first round. Still, this is my dream and I'm pushing forward with it. On that note, the people in my writers' group informed me that there's a pitmad coming up on Twitter this month. Kinda like Pitch Wars back in October, this is putting out your pitch in the form of a tweet. If an agent likes your pitch, they'll like your tweet. This is... awkward. I mean, I had no idea things like this even existed until I was deep into being a writer. There's so much out there I never knew about. Will I participate in PitMad? Of course! If I don't, I'm definitely not getting an agent. If I do, I might! Yes, it's a long shot, but all the best things are, I think. So, I have a new task, and that's to somehow fit everything that's awesome about The Paladin into 280 characters or less. Actually, I suppose I have to save room for the hashtags so the agents can locate my tweet so... yeah. Even less than that. But you know what? I did Pitch Wars. I put myself out there, wrote a letter, scraped together a synopsis... if I can do that, I can certainly tweet some agents. Be Excellent to Each Other
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New game review just sent off to DLH, working on a few other minor things, and, top of the list, I just sent off another query letter. I put the important one at the end because it makes me want to hyperventilate.
It's still early in the process, so I'm currently existing in this state of limbo. A sort of "Schrödinger's Query," if you will. No on'es gotten back to me, so I haven't officially be rejected yet. Neither have I been accepted. And you know, I'm terrified of the emails that are on their way. Or perhaps, more accurately, the lack of emails. It's my understanding that most agencies don't even bother to get back to you with a reply if they're rejecting you. In fact, I think one of the agents I've queried already has a note on the website with something to the effect of "If you do not hear back from us within three weeks, the answer is no." So what do you do while waiting for replies? I suppose I could write more, but I'm not sure what to write about at the moment. Of course I have the sequels to The Paladin I can work on, but at the moment I'm not ready to write that. I don't really know what the whole story is and I need to outline things. I just finished a novella that I still haven't gotten feedback from the commissioner on, so I'm not in the mood for something random. Perhaps I can work on short stories for competition. I am subscribed to a mailing list that offers writing prompts. The prize isn't much, but winning is winning and I could certainly use any prestige I can get. What are your thoughts? Anyone out there querying or have queried before? What did you do while you waited? Leave me a comment below or hit me up on social media. Until tomorrow, DFTBA Halloween has come and gone, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a nice vampire themed game. Yes, boys and girls, today I'm doing my extended review on Damsel for PC. Damsel is a side-scrolling platform shoot 'em up. You play the titular Damsel, a vampire hunter that works for a secret organization. Your job is to jump and shoot through the stages, killing vampires, disarming bombs, hacking computers, and saving hostages. The controls take a little getting used to. Steam claims it can use a controller, but it never seemed to recognize mine, leaving me with WASD for directions, spacebar for jumping, and the mouse for shooting and dashing. Let me clarify: you're not aiming with the mouse, you're only pulling the trigger. So... yeah, it's a little awkward and years of standard controls that utilize "W" as jump or the mouse as aiming forced me to repeat more than a couple of levels. Controls aside, the gameplay is fun and fast. For any given level you have several things you can do aside from the main objective... and several ways you can lose! Let's say the object is to collect skulls. The only way to win is to collect all the purple skulls in the level. But you can lose by getting hit too many times, triggering a time bomb and not disarming it in time, or accidentally shooting a hostage. So, the game doesn't really hold your hand. Add to this occasional challenge levels that are timed and you'd better be prepared to repeat levels. This isn't to say the experience isn't fun, because it certainly is. The levels feel like large puzzles. Do I go for the hostage above me first or save them for the end after I've earned a little health? Do I shoot the blood barrel from afar and summon another vampire, or risk going in close to destroy it so I don't add any extra enemies to my path? Furthermore, Damsel doesn't get any stronger. Level 1 is where your abilities stop. She can shoot, she can dash, and she can jump. Your enemies, however, continue to grow and evolve, forcing you to learn better approaches and techniques. The story is limited, but intriguing. Told through comic panels, you learn that you're in a world that knows about vampires, where the bloodsuckers live side-by-side with humans thanks to a treaty signed in the '70s. Damsel and her group, however, know they aren't holding up their end of the bargain and have begun kidnapping humans, forcing our hero to go hunting. The art is great, but the comic panels, frankly, get old. Not the style, the pacing. The game moves panel to panel, even if several panels are visible at once. Furthermore, there's really only one song. It's good, but there could be so much more. I won't sugar coat it; the game is tough. It keeps getting tougher and tougher, yet somehow I can't seem to give up on it. There's an intense satisfaction to figuring out the key to a level that balances out those times where I'm ONE SKULL away from victory and an errant shot hits a hostage. The character is fun, the story is good, if a little predictable, and the challenge is real.
So what's the final verdict? If you can get past the controls, there's a fun game here. Yes, there's so much more it could do, but what it does it does well. I'm usually the first to jump on the faults of a game, and trust me, this game has them, but somehow I still keep getting pulled back to try levels again and again. Whatever magic this game has, it seems to just outweigh my desire to throw my keyboard through the window in frustration. And I guess that's good enough. DFTBA There's something magical, something truly creative about the hours before a table top campaign. I've querying right now, so my actual writing is limited. Fortunately, stuff like this keep the creativity flowing.
I think there are important things to engage in when you're a writer, things to help keep your mind flexible and creativity up. The biggest, as you'll get from the twitter feed of any famous author, is to read. I could certainly be doing better with that (though I did read a Stephen King novel recently), but I don't think it ends there. Expose yourself to creative things wherever you can. Watch movies. Play games. Listen to music. But engaging in storytelling games, I feel , is one of the best ways to stretch those writing muscles between sessions. Now, I've mentioned a few games before, like what my friends over at Smash Fiction love to do (and that I've brought to a few conventions now.) But circling this around back to the topic I started with, involve yourself with an RPG group. If you can. I realize they're sometimes hard to find, but there's something different about playing Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder or whatever game you choose to involve yourself with. You see, the difference between DnD and a video game is that the latter is focused on winning. A properly run campaign isn't about winning or defeating an enemy. It's about telling a story together with a group. Assuming your Game Master isn't sadistic and you don't have a player that tries to hog the spotlight, you'll usually end up with stories that you can refer back to for years. Experiences that, while fictional, are still emotional and memorable. In the end, there are a lot of ways to help stretch those creative muscles between writing sessions. Look for what moves you, what calls to you. If you have the opportunity, give table top gaming a try. Be Excellent to Each Other Oh my heck, I can't believe it! Weebly is working! This is me writing my blog on the actual desktop site. If you could only see the tears I'm crying, you'd understand the pure joy that is running through me right now.
Jokes aside, it's good to type on my regular keyboard and have full access to everything. And I'm not going to waste it, either. Today I'm talking about agents again. More specifically, about whether they're right for you/me. Now, obviously I'm right in the middle of querying so, the main question of right for me should be obvious: I don't know. Yes, that's correct, until I've been through the querying process and actually talk to some of these agents, I just won't know. Do I want one? Absolutely. Is it the right move for my novel? That remains to be seen. But for those who don't know about agents and self-publishing, I've done a little research and I'll share what I've learned. To terribly oversimplify the process, it comes down to cost vs. control. Self-publishing has lost the stigma it once had and is a perfectly viable path for authors. Just ask Jenna Moreci. No, seriously, check out her YouTube page. I've pimped it before and with good reason. She really helps with the writing process, but above that, she's self-published. She's laid out all the pros and cons and, if you're looking for the abridged version, here you go. You have a lot more control as a self-published author. Everything is in your hands. You decide the price of the books down to the cover art. Furthermore, when someone actually buys your book, you keep so much more of the money. But here's the catch. Your initial investment can be insane. We're talking $5-10,000 insane. You have editors (because no one is giving good reviews to a book with bad spelling, grammar, and continuity), artists for your book cover (yes, people do judge books by their cover), and of course, the publishing costs. Those are all on you, but if you can manage it, the rewards can be sweet. Now, if you go traditional, you have some advantages. They usually provide the editor. The artist for your cover, too. Of course, they will likely decide on the cover art. And the price for the books. And even the title. Heck, they may insist on you losing a character you really liked. But your investment is minimal. Except for marketing. Turns out, either way, marketing is probably going to be on you. Publishers will give something, but you'll need to market yourself. Website, Twitter, book signings, the whole shebang. Of course, you can get a nice advance from a publisher... that may not equal a years work at minimum wage. And then you'll only earn royalties after a set amount of books have sold. I've heard of some authors getting their annual check for $10. So which way is the right way? That's completely up to you and your needs. I just hope I managed to give you something worthwhile in your search. As for me, it's back to the query letters. DFTBA So how’s your NaNoWriMo going? Do you have more words today than yesterday? Then you’re doing okay. Five words or five thousand, every step is meaningful.
I listened to a mini episode of Writing Excuses recently that talked about this. The biggest thing they stresse is people write differently. One of the authors is from the podcast is an award winner and she’s never managed to complete NaNoWriMo. For some people this month will help them finally complete that novel they’ve always wanted to write. For others, it will simply stress them out and make them depressed when they see all the progress everyone else is making. It’s important to understand that NaNoWriMo isn’t there to punish you; it’s a tool. If you can use it to improve yourself and your writing, do so. If it’s not what you need, don’t feel discouraged. The point is to have fun writing. If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. Also, Weebly is still out for me. I’m concerned that I’m getting so comfortable posting with my phone and mini keyboard... DFTBA Day 47. I’ve given up hope of rescue. The website does not want to comply. I fear the end may come soon. In all seriousness, the website issues are getting old and I’m probably going to have to contact someone soon. I know you don’t see anything on your end (I hope!) but trust me that it’s annoying. So since it’s late and I haven’t done one in a while, lets do one more Paladin Playlist. I seem to be drawn to television shows with great music. I know I’m a grown man, but there are some cartoons out now that really have compelling stories and just the most beautiful soundtracks. And, no surprise, Rebecca Sugar is behind at least two of them. Everything Stays has to be one of the most beautiful, simple ones out there. It’s poignant. It touches something inside me. And when I need a thoughtful or restless song to accompany my writing, this is a good one. Please enjoy Rebecca Sugar’s Everything Stays from the Adventure Time soundtrack. So... is typing on my tiny Bluetooth keyboard just going to be the way I write my blogs now? I’ve been very happy with the service Weebly has given me over the year I’ve had the website, but these last few days have been awful. I’ll have to contact customer support at this rate. Hopefully it’s something simply and not my account. Or worse, my poor computer.
I supppose it may be time to replace the old girl. She’s going on eight years old and I feel like there’s always something falling apart with her. She might even be the reason I’m having troubles with the latest game I’m trying to review. But this isn’t a blog about computer troubles, it’s a writers blog. So what will Matias wow you with today? How about this? Thinking through the realities of your world. A lot of people put tons of love and care into their world building only to have one sharp-eyed fan ruin it with a single question: But what about this? Let’s take a look at Star Trek. I’ve been giving it some grief lately because I’m rewatching Deep Space Nine? Why? I hate myself, I guess. Point is, this show (and the series in general) has a lot of “but what about” moments. Top on my list: probes. It’s established early on in the series that unmanned probes are totally a thing. So why in the name of Roddenberry does the captain always decide to take the damned ship into the most obviously dangerous places? ”Captain, there’s something strange on sensors. I think if we-“ ”Send a probe.” ”But sir, with a few shield modifications we can take the ship-“ ”Send a probe.” ”Captain, the probe has been destroyed by a cloaked Klingon ship!” -smug look from the captain- See how that played out? Every damn time there’s “something strange” on sensors, the ship is boarded, the captain is replaced with an evil clone, the crew is sent back in time, or all three! So why don’t they send probes more often? When you write your story, don’t make this same mistake. Ask yourself, “could a four year-old come up with better plan than my characters?” If the answer is yes, maybe rethink it. And don’t get me started on why every time they come to an alien planet, the captain, first officer, only competent medical officer, head of their science division, and their seamstress have to beam down. Be Excellent to Each Other I don’t like posting so late in the day, but I’m trying to give Weebly a chance by letting the website load. Now, granted, I’m downloading some pretty hefty games for my review gigs, but its never been this bad before. Either way, its time for another blog and I thought I’d go into the events of the day. First, Stan Lee pass away. I’m sure you’ve already heard it a hundred times today, but it’s still depressing. I can’t say that I grew up with comics and that he changed my life. He didn’t. But he was a creator. The characters and stories that he created or was otherwise a part of bringing to life are things that I enjoyed. But more than that, I enjoyed the man himself. He loved his work. He loved what he created. And by golly, that man loved doing cameos. I can only hope that the work I create will be as loved and as wide-spread. But in lighter news to end the blog with, if you haven’t watched the new trailer for Detective Pikachu, go watch it! I can’t say this was a movie I was planning on watching, but now... I can’t not! I have to see this thing. It honestly reminds me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which the crime aspect of which is not the main comparison. Its the matter of fact world. Pokemon just exist and no one is questioning it. There’s no time wasted establishing the world and that Pokemon are a thing. They just are and let’s get straight into the movie. So give it a shot. I sincerely plan on seeing it and I can’t wait to see what they’re doing with it. DFTBA. Day three of the website editor not properly loading. The fact that the mobile editor works make me wonder if there’s just something wrong on my end. My internet is really slow in general, so I wouldn’t be surprised if its all my fault.
In any case, I have a tiny Bluetooth keyboard and the will to keep my streak going, so let’s do this, shall we? Today’s topic: defining the rules for your world. I work with a lot of classic occult themes: vampires, werewolves, etc, so I’m constantly faced with the problem of balancing expectations versus keeping things original. Not to talk crap about other authors, but in Twilight, I think this was overdone with the whole “shiny vampires” thing. So where do you go? I think it’s important to keep a certain amount of the original there. If you don’t, why call it a vampire or a werewolf or a dragon or whatever it is you’re writing. If you strip away everything that makes them classically a creature of legend, then why bother calling them that? And heck, with creatures like vampires, there are so many conflicting mythos out there, its hard to know which one to go with. And if someone comes up with something new that sticks in the consciousness of the masses, is it okay to utilize that? There’s no right answer to these questions, only opinions. And my opinion is this: write what you want to write. Take what you need from others, put a spin on it if you must, but make sure the core of that creature still rings true. If your vampire doesn’t suck blood, why call them a vampire? But that’s just my take. What do you guys think? Feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on social media. Until then... DFTBA |
Matias TautimezKeep your eyes open for my debut novel, The Paladin. Archives
January 2023
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