I want MORE!

Janna over at Something She Wrote asked:

Describe in one word* what you want your writing to be.

My answer?

More.

Yes, I want more. I want more words, more action, more characters, more fights, more situations, more dialogue, more heartache, more war, more conflict, more solutions, more worlds, more universes, more, more, more….

I want novels and short stories. I want to write and be read.

I want more.

I want to meet people that I never met before, go places I can only dream about.

That is what writing is all about.

That is why I am a writer.

So, as a meme (of sorts) I ask you:

Describe in one words what is writing to you. Answer in the comment section and then write a post on your blog about why you chose that answer.

Good luck!

And now for the video from Moby, song Slipping Away.  I prefer this version but the embedding was disabled, so:

And then there was Harry….

But the movie did not.

After three days of trying I finally saw Half-Blood Prince.

So how was it?

The Good:

The acting was top notch all around. Jessie Cave played the crazy obsessed girlfriend to the hilt, Rupert excelled as the comedic foil of the film (great Quiddich sequence showing Ron in full form when his confidence is high) and new comer (to the franchise) Jim Broadbent brought a unique mix of hilarity and depth that did old Sluggy proud.

The pace was fast, going from one moment to the next. I heard that some reviewers found it the romantic bits a long hard slug but to me they whipped by faster that the Hogwarts Express at full steam. And Draco (played to the hilt by HP veteran Tom Felton) lurking in the background of all the snugging and flirting grounded the action.  Neither the director nor the writer wasted any time on endless exposition, which could be said is the weakness of the book.

The Bad:

Not much. Ron gets short change a bit outside his expansive comedy role as if there was not place for both the clown and the hero. He is a WEASLEY! Sorry, he is RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! Hero of the Battle of Ministry, Master of Wizard’s Chest, companion to Harry and Hermione. But no, he remains the butt monkey to the very end (literally).

Although I am a fan of Bonnie Wright I think she (like Emma) got demoted a bit and sent back to the role of admiring damsel in distress/star struck lover of GoF which is unfortunate considering how much her character developed since(especially OoP the film version of Order of the Phoenix).  And they went back to the old trick of will they won’t they with a bit of slap-kiss for Hermione and Ron. I like the fact that they got together at the end of book six. That made their falling out in book seven that much more important. I guess they wanted to hold back a bit fearing that the Kiss in Book Seven would not have the same impact. But it undercuts Ron’s character development. At least Hermione was more upfront (as was Harry) about their respective romances showing how close they really were as friends (How does it feel Harry? great line).

Overall, a great film even with three major (no Dursleys, no Battle of the Astronomy Tower and no Fleur!) changes that may create continuity problems for the last two films. Still it was well worth the wait.

P.S. I recommend that you pay careful attention at the little touches in WWW and in the Borrow.

And since I am in a anime kick of sorts (a HP based anime would kick ass, just saying) here is Nostromo with a dance classic from the early 90s:

Status vs. Story: What kind of writer are you?

I stole the title from an article by Donald Maass (of Writing the Break Out Novel fame) in Writer’s Digest special edition (titled Novel Writing).  In the article he identifies two types of writers:

• Status Seekers are the type of writers that write for the fame, obsessed with the minutia of publishing and success.
• Storytellers are the writers that concentrate on writing the best possible manuscripts and do it for the love of words and not fame and fortune.

I have a confession to make:

Am a status seeker.

Sure I love crafting new stories, creating new worlds and sharing them with others. I love talking about the rules and inner workings of characters, plots, tropes, settings, and genres. I dive into magazines, podcasts and blogs searching for the next tool that will take my penmanship to the next level.

But….

My name is Rafael and I am a status seeker.

I want my name splashed across the hard cover. I can’t wait to stand in line behind two people, each holding a copy of my latest magnum opus, trembling with anticipation about what they will discover within. I want to sit at the big table in conference and tell others how I write.

Hand me that needle, yeah the one over there. Thank you.

POP!

That was supposed to be the sound of my ego exploding. Bad status seeking whore!

But then every other page in the damn magazine talks about promoting your work, getting the query right, and so on.

Can’t I be both?

Can’t I love what I do like nothing I ever done before?

And bask in the glow as others share the same love of my words?

Wrap myself between the blue lines of my legal notepads?

And then have readers discover the subtle nuances between said lines?

Enjoy the moment I discover an interesting twist?

And smirk as the eyes of girl sitting in the corner of the coffee shop grow wide with surprise and joy?

According to Mr. Maas, NO. One must be a writer first and foremost. You can’t sell an unfinished product, not everybody can be Micro$oft! Quality over quantity.

Or as Cristina would say to Antony, “You’re cleverer than most but not as clever as you think you are.”

Writing comes first.

Write the good book and then make it better.

Want to shoot for the moon, you’re going to need a solid launchpad.

Thank you Mr. Maas.

And now for some music:

You Can’t Fight the Feeling

Nope, you can’t. And I don’t mean that loving feeling. I mean your gut, your instincts.

Let me explain.

A month or so back I announced the end of my editing process. All I had to do was type it up, write the query letter and off to join the ranks of published authors. Except I barely touched my manuscript. Oh I wrote a few shorts but no traction on my WIP.

Then I drew a blank.

Writer’s block?

Nah, couldn’t be.  I only get writer’s block when…but no it certainly was not writer’s block. Just take a few days off, concentrate on the query letter and by the time the first acceptance/rejection letters (or email’s) come back I would have this manuscript ready to go.

Then…nothing. I stressed over the query. Cobbled up something together, yadda, yadda, yadda, but the manuscript remained locked inside its blue binder.

Today, while it poured outside the window of the cafe I realized that yes, I hadn’t finish yet and my subconscious knew it, ergo, the walls came up as they usually do.

What was the problem?

I didn’t bother to wrap up the romantic subplot. I extended it, but did not finish it. Now it hangs there, but I have a good idea how I’m going to do it.

And it will be done.

Plus a (re)learned a valuable lesson. Writers can’t ignore their instincts. They might be wrong, but you do well to listen just the same.

And now for a video. Kings of Convenience-Failure:

Until the Kindle Runs Out: Amazon Erases Orwell from Kindle

The Internet has changed the rules of ownership forever. I mean how much did you pay for those 347 songs in your iPod?

Somewhere between 0-and zilch!

Don’t B.S. me, I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. I’m not going to tell on you, OK?

So chill.

But what if you bought your digital copy of, I don’t know, a book. And let’s say (for argument sake, I feel very argumentative today, must be the heat) that you’re reading it in the train on your way to work and poof, it disappears from your digital reader/book thingy?

Did the batteries ran out?

Corrupted file?

401 Error Message-Massive Existence Failure?

The database hates you?

The answer is–Amazon just yanked your copy from your machine through the interweb ether. Congratulations! Welcome to the digital age!

Don’t believe me?

On Friday, it was “1984” and another Orwell book, “Animal Farm,” that were dropped down the memory hole — by Amazon.com.

In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them.

An Amazon spokesman, Drew Herdener, said in an e-mail message that the books were added to the Kindle store by a company that did not have rights to them, using a self-service function. “When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers’ devices, and refunded customers,” he said.

But what about that annoying window that pops up and “informs” me of my rights under the license agreement? You know the one nobody reads?

Turns out that Amazon doesn’t care if you read it or not:

Amazon’s published terms of service agreement for the Kindle does not appear to give the company the right to delete purchases after they have been made. It says Amazon grants customers the right to keep a “permanent copy of the applicable digital content.”

Yeah, that didn’t stop them from reaching into your files and erasing whatever the hell they wanted. Which led to some, just a few mind you, irate costumers:

People who bought the rescinded editions of the books reacted with indignation, while acknowledging the literary ironies involved. “Of all the books to recall,” said Charles Slater, an executive with a sheet-music retailer in Philadelphia, who bought the digital edition of “1984” for 99 cents last month. “I never imagined that Amazon actually had the right, the authority or even the ability to delete something that I had already purchased.”

Which is the polite way of saying, “WFT! I paid for this shit! You motherfucking retards! I want my money back, you hear me!,” or words to that effect.

It’s like they don’t want you to pay for it, or something. Way to go Amazon.

—-

And now for another bastard child of the digital age (because the Internet makes no claims of ownership or parentage, but it whores itself on a first come first serve basis), Bill Maher’s New Rules comment on how America is like Michael Jackson (which now has been canceled so we bring to you something completely different):

P.S. The internet makes no claim of ownership, but HBO certainly does.

A Letter That Will Change The World

At least that what I am hoping for.

And what is this letter that will do this?

My query letter, of course. Mind you the world I am aiming to change is my own. Small target, I know. But still worth pursuing (in a totally selfish way).

I written a few copies, but so far I have yet to post them to the AQ forums. Probably do that sometime tomorrow and cross my fingers. I want to get this right so bad.  Reality will teach me a lesson soon enough when the rejections pour in. So be it.

BTW, I like to thank everyone who posted comments about the hook. They helped a lot.

Oh, and because my hits counter has spiked due to Harry Potter related searches, here is another teaser for Half-Blood Prince:

Another Writer’s Meme

I got tagged by Amy to join another writer’s meme:

What was the last thing you wrote?

A couple of shorts for my Flash Fiction Friday posts. On the novel front I finished the first draft of my second novel, titled Sturm und Drang. Come August I go back to edit that monster.

Was it any good?

I like to think so. Started as a NaNo entry and grew from that. Hopefully it will be ready for the query stage come December.

Write poetry?

No.

Angsty poetry?

Again, no. Not my thing.

Favorite genre of writing?

I would say science fiction, although each project falls into its own category. I don’t worry about genre so much anymore, not after my first novel. I write what the story demands, no more, no less.

Most fun character you ever wrote?

A few. I liked Antony from Neither Here nor There… He is a bit of a Marty Stu, but I like to think of him as my exaggerated fictional self, in all things, good and bad.

Julian from SuD is also a favorite. Magnificent manipulative murdering bastard that he is.  Good thing about writing is that their will be others, many others, to come.

Most annoying character you ever wrote?

The Lady Exeter, she is a  self-serving manipulating bitch, straight out of a soap opera. Loved it when she got her comeuppance.

Best plot you ever wrote?

SuD is the one (so far). I liked how characters on both sides of the conflict acted and reacted to each others moves. The plot had an organic feel from beginning to end. I hope that future readers will see it that way.

Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?

Well I don’t want to spoil it but it involves betrayal, siblings and a couple of worldwide conspiracies.  Twisted enough, eh?

How often do you get writer’s block?

Anytime I do one of two things: a) try to force a character to do something outside of their nature, b) start down a illogical plot path just for the cool factor. Thou shall not violate either the characters essence or internal consistency.

How do you fix it?

Step back, relax and do lists. Lists of known character characteristics, list about location, plot points, etc, anything that will illuminate the path ahead.

Write fan fiction?

Once, maybe twice. Robotech related (obscure mid 80’s adaptation of Japanese Anime for the American market). Gave it up as soon as I started. Although I did write a TV show Bible for a Harry Potter based series, I think that might count as fan fiction, of a sort.

Do you type or write by hand?

Write by hand, at least in the beginning. I have stacks of legal notepads (white) full of chapters, notes and lists. Typing is transcribing, which is a pain, but a necessary one.

Do you save everything you write?

I try to. I worked with computers all my life and know what happens when things fail. Mr. Murphy and I are long time…acquaintances.

Do you ever go back to an idea long after you abandoned it?

I never really abandon my ideas, there are always in the back of my mind somewhere. But I look forward to the day I can give them the proper treatment.

What’s your favorite thing you have ever written?

Ever? I like everything I written so far (in the last 3 years or so). I have yet to written something that overrides everything else. Like I said, each story carries its own weight.

What’s everyone else’s favorite thing you’ve written?

The day will come when hundreds of adoring fans will duel in social networking sites over what is or is not cannon or what is the right or wrong shipping arrangement for my characters and massive flamewars will erupt and devastated the internet landscape over every minute detail of my work. Until the sales figures come in, I can’t really say.

Do you show people your work?

I do. Me of thin skin. But so far the reviews have been….cordial. So far.

Did you ever write a novel?

Two so far and counting.

Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?

Sci-fi and fantasy. Horror, not so much. I am not a fan of horror and I don’t know ho to pull off the suspense and scary bits. At least not yet.

Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?

Not big on romance, but it’s in there, somewhere. Teen angst? Not yet. Overdone in my book (as in I don’t have what it takes to pull it off).

How many writing projects are working on right now?

The answer is three, but really concentrating on one.

Do you want to write for a living?

Yes.

Have you ever won an award for writing?

Only entered one competition in college. No dice.

Ever written something in script or play format?

Not yet but geering up to write a movie script as soon as I finish with the research.

What character that you’ve written most resembles yourself?

Antony, for sure, although all my characters have a bit of me in them. I’m close to my characters that way. Antony’s life is peppered with a lot of auto-biographical stuff and I can’t imagine anyone playing him but me.

Where do you get the ideas for your characters?

Archetypes.  I seize on an archetype and go from there.

Do you ever write based on dreams?

By enlarge, no. But my dreams do influence what I write.

Do you favor happy endings, sad endings or cliff hangers?

So far happy endings, although they could be classified as bitter sweet endings. Cliff hangers are great for chapter endings but I like to end my novels on a clear point.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?

Not exactly, but I love using artwork as a narrative reference. It certainly gets my imagination going. I’m a big fan of deviantArt for that reason.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

No. If I did I could no write a word. My inner editor would take over and obliterate everything under a massive sandstorm of doubt. I leave that for the editing process. The oh so painful editing process. One day I will hire a editor and let them do it for me. One of these days….

Ever written anything entirely in chatspeak (How r u)?

No, but I used in in my work to represent texting and email.

Entirely in L337?

Say what now?

Was that a question completely appalling an un-writer like?

No, just confusing. I think….

Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?

I write well? Really? Thank you for saying that!

Quote something you’ve written. The first thing to pop in your mind.

From SuD:

What we must do to protect the flesh tends to scar the soul.

Well that is it for the meme. No tags this time, but will tag the next time around.

See ya!

A Hook to Hang My Query On (Or Hang Myself With)

Like Ahab searching for the White Whale, my obsessive quest for the perfect hook has turned my mind into mush.

I think that explains the picture above.

I really don’t know.

I spent the last couple of days writing possible hooks.  I have a few that are respectable (I think) but no way of knowing which one works. Maybe I’m trying to hard, after all Voltaire said that “Perfect is the Enemy of Good Enough”, or some such thing.

So I’ll throw a few in here and see what you all think.

In no particular order:

His father’s death sets Antony down the path of redemption where he learns that life belongs to the living and not the dead.

Antony is not like his father, he does not run away from his problems. But when the problem is his own maimed soul, one that threatens to destroy everything he worked hard to build, Antony learns that you can not run away from yourself.

A father’s last act sets his son on path of confrontation, love, and ultimately, redemption

No one needed redemption more or sought it less than Antony Mendoza. It is hard to fix what you don’t believe it’s broken, specially if that which needs fixing lies deep within yourself.

Antony’s life was not perfect but good enough until a single letter propels him across the Atlantic and into an unexpected path of redemption.

Antony Mendoza is an excellent problem solver excepts when it comes to matters of his own heart.

You can see one word throughout the different hooks, redemption, which is the central theme of the book. But did any of the entries above do enough to hook a reader into asking to see more?

Any suggestions, critiques or help will be most welcomed oh gentle readers. With my thanks, of course!

And I really need the help. I feel just like this poor pup:

Redemption

Main Entry:

re·deem

Pronunciation:

\ri-ˈdēm\

Function:

transitive verb

Etymology:

Middle English redemen, from Anglo-French redemer, modification of Latin redimere, from re-, red- re- + emere to take, buy; akin to Lithuanian imti to take

Date:

15th century

1 a: to buy back : repurchase b: to get or win back2: to free from what distresses or harms: as a: to free from captivity by payment of ransom b: to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental c: to release from blame or debt : clear d: to free from the consequences of sin 3: to change for the better : reform4: repair, restore5 a: to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby b (1): to remove the obligation of by payment <the United States Treasury redeems savings bonds on demand> (2): to exchange for something of value <redeem trading stamps> c: to make good : fulfill6 a: to atone for : expiate <redeem an error> b (1): to offset the bad effect of (2): to make worthwhile : retrieve

Redemption, a powerful concept that lies at the heart of Neither Here nor There. It is not just forgiveness, but the idea that to overcome wrong, any wrong, you must do right. That’s what Antony does as he struggles with his inner demons and the outer hurdles of his new life in Woodstock. And that is the hook of the story.

As you might have guessed by my last post, this week has been a nightmare. I tried my hand writing a query and failed miserably (and felt even worse). I just could not find a way to write it. Each sentence was worse than the last.

Then it hit me.

Redemption.

If I were to sum up the entire thing, that would be it. And you know what, I felt…redeemed!

Now to turn that one word into a hook and from there into a award winning, bestselling novel.

Oh and one more thing.

SCREW THE WORD COUNT!

That is all.