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Hatching the plot

Tapitty tap tap… my fingers try to distract my mind. I’m waiting again. It seems I’m always waiting. In the military one of the first things you learn is “Hurry up and wait.” That’s a tough lesson at seventeen, but it seems that it doesn’t get any easier with age. It’s all about gestation. Mothers, gardeners and writers know what I’m taking about. The seed is planted, the rough draft is done, but now it has to sit awhile.

For writers it’s especially frustrating because this is also the point at which we are most excited about the story. We want everyone to read it so they can experience that clever plot twist seen through the eyes of that well developed character…but we can’t. There’s no ultrasound picture or neatly sown rows to impress the neighbours with. Writers have to keep a lid on it, not a word.

There are important reasons for the secrecy. You see the first thing anyone (who is truly a friend) will say to a writer who tells them of their newborn book is, “Ooh, I want to read it!” Which is where the writer’s ego breaks the glass and mashes the ‘bypass the brain and go straight to the mouth’ button causing them to say, “Sure! I’ll send the rough draft to your email.” Face meet palm.

Once it’s out of the bag it can never be put back in. It’s guaranteed that if you let it sit awhile, when you return to it, you will find a thousand things to change in your story. Not only that, but every one of those changes will improve it. If you let someone read it, you will assuredly wallow in regret. There are even websites that encourage writers to let other writers read their rough manuscripts. Yikes! Feedback hell. So, how long is this ‘writer’s gestation period’? Well, everyone is different but I’d venture to slap a minimum one month time stamp on it, but don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it seems.

There are a couple of proven methods to cheating the waiting blues. One is to start a new project. Another is to keep notes of any new ideas you have for the gestating manuscript. My preferred method is to take a month long holiday around the Mediterranean on a super yacht and forget all about it, but I haven’t managed to pull that one off yet, so I use both methods.

I keep notes on a separate Word doc then open it up when the gestation period is over. In the meantime I break open my ideas folder and dive into another story. Of course that inevitably turns into another rough draft that needs gestation. And so it goes. But after a couple of rough drafts are in the incubator the first one is ready to come out.

Voila! Now where’s that super yacht?

Physic…phycisy…aw nuts!

Science fiction is responsible, in one way or another, for much of our world today. It is because of Asimov that discussions about robotics become more of a discussion about the ethics of robotics. I could go on for days dishing out other examples but the point is made; science fiction is ground zero for ideas that shape our future. It’s also one of the only ways I know to put completely ludicrous cartoon physics in the same scenario with hard science fact and emerge with plausible solutions to difficult plot traps.

A plot trap is where a character winds up in a no-win scenario. For the writer, it’s a scary predicament. Now you may think that something like ‘shooting J.R.’ is the way out of the plot trap, but that’s not even close. Shooting J.R. is purely intentional, as are things like the Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones. What I’m talking about is like this: Superman just swallowed the kryptonite key that disables the nuke that’s been surgically built into his body and it going off in one…never mind, it went off.

The only way to get ‘Supe’ out of the soup is to employ something I call ‘quantum hogwash’, yeah, really. Check it out: In the instant that Superman is blown to bits his atoms are free of the kryptonite and return to their indestructible state. When a person dies his consciousness lives on (perfectly plausible and measurable by modern medicine mind you) for at least a minute, some say up to five. In that five minutes it is Superman’s will that drives his atoms to do what our human atoms cannot - fly. He flies himself back together and emerges from the explosion just in time to jail the mad doctor and plant one on Lois. But quantum hogwash is not done yet. The job of quantum hogwash isn’t to make the story work out the way the author wants, it’s to land in the brain of someone who needs a mission.

A lot of physicists are science fiction fans. A lot of them will tell you that the reason they are in their field of endeavor is because they knew that, given enough time, they could make a transporter or a lightsaber a reality and that’s great news. We need a transporter and I don’t know too many people who wouldn’t love having a lightsaber (even a small one that makes toast when you slice bread). It’s even better news because there’s no way that I’m even close to being smart enough to be a physicist. I had to use my spellchecker to even spell it right. So that really smart scientist who understands all of that math-y stuff is my go-to guy.

The title ‘science fiction author’ allows me to create new ways to travel through time and space or even remove the consciousness of a human being and put into an appliance without any reprisals from the scientific community. But I’m not like that. No, I convince myself that I’m am a step farther away from the cheese wheel by employing the mathematical formula of quantum hogwash: C=P (conceivable = plausible).

Is it plausible that an advanced civilization could write computer code onto the surface of molecules? Yeah, it’s conceivable. Oh, then that must mean that it’s plausible. I just read a scientist’s statement that said we could (in the future some time) conceivably convert a person’s whole consciousness into computer code. Hmm, so then what if we put that code on a collection of molecules that happen to be a refrigerator? Granted, it’s not as cool as a lightsaber but it is cool to think that someday, some real physic…phycisy… smart guy might read about it in my story and decide to make it a reality.  

File it under: Why I love being a sci-fi author.

Many ways to rock

I used to rock.

I started when I was eight years old and by the time I was fifteen I was busking in the streets of towns around Colorado with an impressive repertoire. Later came bands and tours, songwriting and recording. Venues grew larger and shows got more complex. One band even made to LA to showcase for record companies. We were pretty good (he said with a satisfied nod). As a vocalist I have received glowing reviews from major labels A&R guys, music magazines and newspapers.

In 2005 we opened for Smash Mouth at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, AZ. I remember getting off the stage after playing this show for thousands of people. I had given it my all. I had ‘left it all on the stage’ as they say, and I felt fantastic. It was a feeling I remember so well that I compare all other accomplishments to it. I considered myself lucky to have experienced such a thing and I doubted it would ever happen again. I was wrong.

Understand that at that time of my life all of my expression went into writing music. I had a writing partner that handled all of the lyrics. He was an award-winning poet with a degree in English and a very talented man, still is. I wrote the music, he wrote the lyrics. I never thought I could write, especially when faced with the challenge of being compared to such an educated and talented writer. So, I put all of my efforts into the music. Tha band of course contributed heavily as a band should. It’s a collaborative effort after all and we were all proud of what we did, but there was something missing. I didn’t even know it. In fact, it has taken me years to figure out.

Bear with me, there is a reason for all of this back story.

After many years of trying to make it in the music business and achieving only moderate success I left the band. My life up to that point was the band so this was a big change for me. After taking some time to chill out and take a breath (some call it a sabbatical) I found myself once again bursting with creative energy. I began writing music again but these songs needed words. Once I started rummaging around I found that I had a lot of them.. Soon the blank pages started to fill, first with lyrics, then with poems. It was around this time that my dad called me and told me that he’d written a book. I was stunned. I had never known the man to be a writer. My day job for all those years had been as a graphic designer so I helped him layout his book. Then it occurred to me: if my dad can do it, so can I.

I started thinking about what I wanted to say and eventually the story started to form. Soon I was typing away furiously, learning and researching not only my story but the ‘how to’ of writing. There were many stumbles along the way and many, many times I did not think I was good enough. I didn’t have an English degree and even though we had parted ways I would always be compared to my old writing partner; the genius, published poet. Still, I kept on. Winston Churchill’s words became a mantra. “Never surrender.” I continued submitting works, taking harsh and hurtful but oh so helpful criticism, and learning, learning and learning some more. Finally, I got a small piece published.

Ironically it was a poem. It was the universe saying, “You are good enough.” Dreams. Those dreams may not come true in the way you thought. They will most likely break your heart several if not many times. But if you never give up on them, they will put it back together better than you ever could have imagined. Dreams grow with you and as you grow and change, so do they.

There are many elements of this story that are crucial to the outcome. The first and most important to me is my partner. Without her I would never had the peace of mind, and contented heart to put the world on pause and kindle the creative fires again. Some people create better when life is blackest, I’m just the opposite, I need peace and pause.

I still play, write and record music and enjoy it very much, but my art is expressed as a writer. In music, a recording is a carefully crafted snapshot. The performance personalizes that recording. Unlike a song, stories and poems don’t need a single moment in which to come alive. They are always on fire, right under the cover of that book.

Never. Give. Up.

Indie author wishes

So I met this genie the other day. He was in line ordering a coffee and I couldn’t help myself.

“So you’re a genie right?” I said awkwardly. “Why don’t you just zap yourself up some java instead of standing in line?”

At first he seemed kind of annoyed that I was talking to him, but then he relaxed and said, “I force myself to get out every now and then, see what’s going on with the world.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Yeah you do. You writers, all holed up for months tapping away for the sake of some story. And you don’t even know if anyone’s gonna read it.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, just a little indignantly. “Do you know me?”

“Oh, sorry dude. It’s the minor omniscience thing, I know everybody a little.”

“Wow. That’s a party trick.”

“Yeah,” He took his coffee and winked at the girl behind the counter, “It takes some practice but eventually you learn to tune it all out.” He turned to find a table. “Sit with me?”

What an opportunity! I followed him to a nice table at the window and got comfortable in one of the two cushy leather chairs. I had barely took a sip of my gigantesco half-soy organic double decaf mochalattecapafrothachino when he hit me with: “So, as an indie author, what three writing-related things would you wish for?”

I thought carefully, everyone knows that wishes can be dangerous things and I wasn’t sure if this was hypothetical wishing or of he was going to bust out the sparkle and swizzle. I fought the urge to fight him on the ‘writing-related’ restriction and go for a new racing green Jaguar F-Type, perfect health and a billion English pounds in a tax-free Swiss bank account and in the end, I just played along. “Okay, first thing – I would wish for an easy way for indie books to get into main stream book stores. What author doesn’t want to walk into any bookstore in the world and see their book on the shelf?”

“Okay so you mean like a hard copy book available to everyone in the world, that kind of thing?”

He understood. Wonderful. “Exactly. Now the second wish is a bit trickier. You can’t have everyone who puts words on a page slapping any old junk out there so there has to be a check and balances system.”

“You’re saying that authors should have to submit their work through some kind of process that makes sure that their work is good enough for public consumption.”

“Yes, but we’re not talking right wing censorship, just some way to make sure that the term ‘indie author’ isn’t associated with crap writing.”

“I see your point.” He sipped his espresso with a raised pinky and peered at me through gold eyes that were neither menacing nor benevolent but carried a weight of seriousness that made me suddenly very nervous. “And the third?”

I took a deep breath. “Well, that third is the hardest part. No author goes it alone. They need editing, feedback and guidance; not only with their story but how to build a platform, marketing, cover design, web presence not to mention laying out the hard copy book. That alone can be a serious undertaking. I mean you got the desktop publishing programs to buy, then the knowledge of a graphic designer and-”

“Yeah I get it dude. Just-”  

“Right, sorry but it’s a lot of stuff.”

He set down his now empty espresso cup. “The last wish is always like this. Every one wants to cover all of the loose ends, so for simplicity’s sake we’ll just call it ‘a bundle’. I just want to know the gist of it.”

He was right. I was trying to put too much into the last one. At least he had obliged me, now I just wanted to wrap this up quickly. He was the last guy in the world I wanted to irritate. “Let’s call it ‘support’. Editing, proofreading, design and art direction, marketing and distribution; all the classic business model stuff, but for free.” I held my breath. Maybe I had gone too far with the last one.

The genie picked up his glass of water, took a drink and swished it around in his mouth. Then he stood and swallowed. Looking down at me he nodded and smiled. “Interesting.” He walked out of the coffee shop, leaving me staring after him. Just as the glass door closed I heard his voice in my head. “Granted.”

I felt no shockwave. There were no lights or color flashes, just me and my expensive, now cold, large mug of coffee. Then it hit me. I had just wished for something I already had.

That’s my bloggy bit for the week. Now it’s time for a little segment called:

WHAT I’M UP TO

With all of these writing projects I’m working on, a new book getting ready to publish on Big World Network and other projects that have been written that I’m waiting to hear back on, it’s wonderful to know that The Shielding of Mortimer Townes is the one that’s out there and getting read.

Episode 8 is on the Big World Network web site but on my side of things we’re just about to wrap up the last episode: number 12. The exciting part about that is that shortly after that it becomes available as a paperback book, a downloadable eBook and a full audio book package from sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Audible.

While all of that is going on my editors at BWN will be starting work on my full-length science fiction novel Augmentia. I’m very much looking forward to launching that soon! Of course I’m writing new stories and working on polishing up others that are waiting in the wings so stay tuned! And thanks for staying tuned. As matter o fact I just finished a little thank you video that been posted on The Shielding of Mortimer Townes BWN website: http://bigworldnetwork.com/site/series/theshieldingofmortimertownes/

as well as the BWN YouTube channel. Until next week, read lots and remember that if a genie offers you hypothetical wishes, argue for the Jag.

Dungeon Masters and Drone Strikes

The most common question for any creative person is: ‘Where do your ideas come from?’ Right on track with this is the other most common question: ‘Where do you get your inspiration?’ If you ever find yourself interviewing any creative person, do them a favor and avoid asking these kinds of questions because there are only three possible answers; the most common being ‘They come from God.’ The second is ‘I haven’t a clue.’ And the third: ‘I’m a creative genius, now go and bring me a sandwich.’ Of course there is a fourth one and the one I try to use when responding to such banal lines of questioning, and that is ‘Drone strike.’ I use this mainly because it seems to be the popular answer to most questions these days. The truth is that most of my ideas come from Dungeons and Dragons.

When I was younger I played a lot of two things: guitar and D&D. Most of the time I ended up as the Dungeon Master – which is the person who makes up the story line of the campaign, places beasties in a appropriate locations and then turns them loose on the hapless characters. Sound familiar? Yep, it’s exactly what authors do. Dungeon Mastering is prime training ground for budding authors. I heartily recommend that college level creative writing classes start including DM-ing in their curriculum and here’s why.

The DM has to outline the plot but by no means are events going to turn out like the DM plans, much like a novel. The most interesting (and challenging) part is that each character is played by a real life person. That means that things like this happen:

            DM: “At the end of the passageway is a ‘T’ junction. To the right it goes down about twenty feet and ends in a golden door, to the left it goes about twenty feet and open in a cliff face which plummets several thousand feet to a river of lava. What do you do?”

            Half-elf ranger: “I throw the dwarf at the door, breaking it off then jump off the cliff with the dwarf and the door. Using the door as a surf board I ride down the river of lava to enter the dragon’s lair by the back entrance where we sneak in and steal the stone of Alkabrekablech and skedaddle before the dragon wakes up.”

            DM: Okay, slow down – first the dwarf throwing. Roll and seventeen or more.”

            Dwarf fighter: “Wait a second here. I knock the ranger out, feed him to the dragon then steal the stone while he’s busy munching.”

Thank you mister Dwarf. My point exactly. Anything can happen and, to be sure, most probably will. As a matter of fact, just like in life, the most probable thing that happens is usually the thing you never would have thought of.

Now I’m sure that you’re thinking “Well why don’t people just record D&D sessions to write books?” and the answer is: they do! And to see the result, I refer you to a Jim C. Hines article on the subject: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/12/02/jim-c-hines-how-to-turn-your-dd-campaign-into-a-really-bad-novel/

Okay so the campaign itself may not result in a great story but it makes good practice. So all you budding writers out there grab a dice pack, sixteen bags of Doritos, forty liters of Mountain Dew and lock yourself in the basement with a few friends for a weekend of D&D! And if you’re a creative professional and you ever get asked where you get your ideas from, remember: drone strike, it’s the American answer to everything.

The Shielding of Mortimer Townes Book Trailer