In the lead up to the publishing of The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett, (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431), I pretty much kept it a secret from nearly my entire family. I wasn't ashamed of my work at all, I just have a very awkward relationship with my family. They tend to be a touch judgmental...okay, REALLY judgmental and it drives me nuts. I had a multitude of concerns with them reading my work. It's pretty far out there for uptight Christian retirees. One thing I wasn't prepared for (and really should have been) is that they would read a deeper meaning into absolutely every aspect of my book.
So, my daughter spilled the beans to them that I wrote a book. Yay. They read it. Yay. They never did tell me whether they liked it or not. What they have done is make slights toward me whenever possible. "So, you killed us in the first chapter."
No. It's a work of fiction. The main character isn't me. You're not in the book.
Nope. It was too late. Two months after reading it they continue to bring up characters in the book and telling me that they absolutely know for a fact who certain people in the book are in real life. It's been bad enough that I actually sat back and reflected as to whether I did subconsciously put people I knew into the book...but, since I don't know any evil telekinetic children who want to watch the world burn or little old ladies bent on world destruction I think it's safe to say that the book is a work of fiction.
Still, it is awkward and lingers on.
I am seriously considering asking them not to read my next novel, because I don't want to be dealing with this every 10-12 months during a new book release cycle. Those are stressful enough to deal with and I really don't need upset parents continuing to guilt me over every little insecurity in their own lives.
Anyone else find themselves dealing with this when they release a book? I would love to hear some thoughts on the subject.
Feel free to vent away.
__________
The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett
FREE with Kindle Unlimited, $2.99 on eBook, and only $12.99 in Paperback on Amazon
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Brigid's Song
From the East
oh with nomadic sounds
bustles of man lay vacant
as the January morn'
Head and heart
with intentions abounds
Spring thoughts run rampant
green garland adorns
from many to few
as so many wish
for paths taken
endings from humble starts
from frost to dew
from ice to mist
I will awaken
beneath the moving stars
_______
Spring fever has struck here in mid-Michigan. The weather has begun to tease us with days above freezing and the daffodils are beginning to poke through the melting snow, which typically doesn't happen for at least another month.
So here I am staring out my window on a Sunday morning, a week from Imbolc, and trying my best to keep my anticipation of warm summer weather in check. Michigan typically throws us a curve ball and whacks us in March and April if we have a warmer than normal January and February.
On this slightly warmer than normal mid-Winter morning I will simply settle for a brief daydream of what's to come and pay tribute to the approach of Spring. This time of year it's easy to become depressed and thinking about life returning to the world, soon, brings hope. The days are getting longer and the sun carries a bit of warmth on the rare occasions when it peeks out from behind thick snow clouds.
Head down for a few more weeks and when I look up again, may flowers fill the fields.
oh with nomadic sounds
bustles of man lay vacant
as the January morn'
Head and heart
with intentions abounds
Spring thoughts run rampant
green garland adorns
from many to few
as so many wish
for paths taken
endings from humble starts
from frost to dew
from ice to mist
I will awaken
beneath the moving stars
_______
Spring fever has struck here in mid-Michigan. The weather has begun to tease us with days above freezing and the daffodils are beginning to poke through the melting snow, which typically doesn't happen for at least another month.
So here I am staring out my window on a Sunday morning, a week from Imbolc, and trying my best to keep my anticipation of warm summer weather in check. Michigan typically throws us a curve ball and whacks us in March and April if we have a warmer than normal January and February.
On this slightly warmer than normal mid-Winter morning I will simply settle for a brief daydream of what's to come and pay tribute to the approach of Spring. This time of year it's easy to become depressed and thinking about life returning to the world, soon, brings hope. The days are getting longer and the sun carries a bit of warmth on the rare occasions when it peeks out from behind thick snow clouds.
Head down for a few more weeks and when I look up again, may flowers fill the fields.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Age Ratings and Trigger Warnings: The Hot Potato of the Writing Industry
I've read a lot of discussion over the past week about how many folks really desire to see some sort of trigger warning or age-safety rating on books. My knee jerk reaction was to say "Well, we have book categories -- aren't those good enough?" I mean, if someone sees a book listed as Adult Horror shouldn't they expect upsetting material as a part of the experience when reading that work?
Normally I avoid wading into comments sections on social media posts but I made an exception here and read the thoughtful (and surprisingly polite) conversations on these threads. It opened my eyes to a whole perspective that I had never considered... and this comes from someone who has battle depression and associative trauma from a divorce nearly a decade ago. These folks have very valid concerns about what they read and don't want to unknowingly wander into something that could be severely detrimental to their mental health.
Now on the other side you have authors who like to reserve certain parts of their books for the element of surprise, especially when a particularly triggering-type event could have a major impact on the plot. Plainly labeling that the book contains such material could potentially damage the reader's experience, removing the shocks and twists.
I have seen people clamoring for a rating system very similar to that of video games. My problem with that is video games tend to be dynamic, shifting, often open world experiences where the player dictates the action. When people watch movies or read books the reader isn't in control, the author is. Another fundamental flaw with suggestions for movie rating-like book ratings for content is that, whether we want to admit it or not, those ratings do take something away from the experience of watching the film. Unfortunately, a film is such a massive media event that it really is impossible to handle the marketing of a movie's rating in any other way. A whole family can watch a movie together, a whole family rarely reads a book, though. Literature is a far more intimate experience. It's personal, in your face and in your head in a way that few films ever will be.
So, again, what can we do about it?
Aside from the spoiler aspect, providing detailed content warnings on literary works would be very expensive. A certified third party organization would eventually be involved to verify the content of the book. Authors would end up eating the cost of this in a lot of cases -- not only independent and small publisher authors but don't think that even a large publishing house would be willing to eat that cost for all of their authors. If the authors don't pay for it, it will get built into the cost of a book -- making it more expensive. However you boil it down there would be damage to the literary industry. Also, films are subject to editing in order to be released. Would we really want to go down the rabbit hole of censorship in literature? Stores could only want to stock non-triggering material and that could lead to publishers and agents who are unwilling to include some content in books -- demanding that it be edited out before publishing.
That would be the death knell of the literary arts.
Yet, we must absolutely not disenfranchise people who are susceptible to psychological harm from our works.
So, I believe that (in an imperfect world) the least imperfect solution should be left in the community of readers. I would encourage readers to build forums to communicate with one another and even do their own logging of triggers contained within books to share with one another.
Also, I would HIGHLY ENCOURAGE readers with questions about content to seek out the author of the work in question (either through their social media page or via publisher) and just ask if something might be contained within the book.
Authors are surprisingly generous and communicative with their readers. We love the fact that people take an interest in our work and would have absolutely no problem taking time out of our day to alleviate your concerns. This way you can put your head to rest and we can preserve the integrity of our work.
It's not a perfect solution, but these ideas could go a long way to preventing someone from stumbling upon something in their reading that could be damaging to their psyche.
I am really interested in hearing thoughts on this.
Normally I avoid wading into comments sections on social media posts but I made an exception here and read the thoughtful (and surprisingly polite) conversations on these threads. It opened my eyes to a whole perspective that I had never considered... and this comes from someone who has battle depression and associative trauma from a divorce nearly a decade ago. These folks have very valid concerns about what they read and don't want to unknowingly wander into something that could be severely detrimental to their mental health.
Now on the other side you have authors who like to reserve certain parts of their books for the element of surprise, especially when a particularly triggering-type event could have a major impact on the plot. Plainly labeling that the book contains such material could potentially damage the reader's experience, removing the shocks and twists.
I have seen people clamoring for a rating system very similar to that of video games. My problem with that is video games tend to be dynamic, shifting, often open world experiences where the player dictates the action. When people watch movies or read books the reader isn't in control, the author is. Another fundamental flaw with suggestions for movie rating-like book ratings for content is that, whether we want to admit it or not, those ratings do take something away from the experience of watching the film. Unfortunately, a film is such a massive media event that it really is impossible to handle the marketing of a movie's rating in any other way. A whole family can watch a movie together, a whole family rarely reads a book, though. Literature is a far more intimate experience. It's personal, in your face and in your head in a way that few films ever will be.
So, again, what can we do about it?
Aside from the spoiler aspect, providing detailed content warnings on literary works would be very expensive. A certified third party organization would eventually be involved to verify the content of the book. Authors would end up eating the cost of this in a lot of cases -- not only independent and small publisher authors but don't think that even a large publishing house would be willing to eat that cost for all of their authors. If the authors don't pay for it, it will get built into the cost of a book -- making it more expensive. However you boil it down there would be damage to the literary industry. Also, films are subject to editing in order to be released. Would we really want to go down the rabbit hole of censorship in literature? Stores could only want to stock non-triggering material and that could lead to publishers and agents who are unwilling to include some content in books -- demanding that it be edited out before publishing.
That would be the death knell of the literary arts.
Yet, we must absolutely not disenfranchise people who are susceptible to psychological harm from our works.
So, I believe that (in an imperfect world) the least imperfect solution should be left in the community of readers. I would encourage readers to build forums to communicate with one another and even do their own logging of triggers contained within books to share with one another.
Also, I would HIGHLY ENCOURAGE readers with questions about content to seek out the author of the work in question (either through their social media page or via publisher) and just ask if something might be contained within the book.
Authors are surprisingly generous and communicative with their readers. We love the fact that people take an interest in our work and would have absolutely no problem taking time out of our day to alleviate your concerns. This way you can put your head to rest and we can preserve the integrity of our work.
It's not a perfect solution, but these ideas could go a long way to preventing someone from stumbling upon something in their reading that could be damaging to their psyche.
I am really interested in hearing thoughts on this.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Maestri: The Second Act
When I wrote The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett my goal was to create a tight, claustrophobic atmosphere filled with suspense, despair, hopelessness. I knew it was going to be a lot, trying to write my first book, and I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew. I wrote in first person and limited the scenes and settings to keep a tight, claustrophobic feel to the story. Everything in there is laid out like a journal as David descends into a strange reality that tears his mind and body apart. There were only a handful of characters in the story to help me keep the story focused and heading in the proper direction. I am incredibly proud of what I accomplished. It was exactly what I set out to do.
As I set out to write out the loose follow-up, Maestri, I had dreams of a grand universe that I wanted to fill with creatures and scenery both beautiful and horrifying. There are emotionless beings perfectly suited to be cold blooded killers, or to be more humane than the most soft-hearted human.
Act 2 sees us leaving the human world behind and the story moving from a horror story with an odd set of characters to where it is now opening up to this incredible universe populated with wondrous features. I have spent a lot of time world building. I even spent two weeks creating detailed outlines and character sheets for a set of a half dozen characters that would appear in precisely one scene in the book, spanning just a few pages. This story is serious to me.
MFoDB was just the introduction to this universe. Maestri pulls back the curtain and allows us to peek behind the veil and get a good look at the Concentric Worlds around our own.
I hope you join me on this splendid journey into the bleak unknown as young Arabella matures and makes her way into a universe that she never new existed, learning exactly who and what she is and why she is the target of multiple factions who want her -- either alive or dead. When her power comes to fruition, to what master will it serve?
Maestri - coming summer 2020.
Read The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett (Concentric Worlds, book 1) out now on ebook and in paperback: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431 FREE on Kindle Unlimited, $2.99 to own on ebook or $12.99 with free prime delivery in beautiful paperback with wrap-a-round artwork on the cover.
As I set out to write out the loose follow-up, Maestri, I had dreams of a grand universe that I wanted to fill with creatures and scenery both beautiful and horrifying. There are emotionless beings perfectly suited to be cold blooded killers, or to be more humane than the most soft-hearted human.
Act 2 sees us leaving the human world behind and the story moving from a horror story with an odd set of characters to where it is now opening up to this incredible universe populated with wondrous features. I have spent a lot of time world building. I even spent two weeks creating detailed outlines and character sheets for a set of a half dozen characters that would appear in precisely one scene in the book, spanning just a few pages. This story is serious to me.
MFoDB was just the introduction to this universe. Maestri pulls back the curtain and allows us to peek behind the veil and get a good look at the Concentric Worlds around our own.
I hope you join me on this splendid journey into the bleak unknown as young Arabella matures and makes her way into a universe that she never new existed, learning exactly who and what she is and why she is the target of multiple factions who want her -- either alive or dead. When her power comes to fruition, to what master will it serve?
Maestri - coming summer 2020.
Read The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett (Concentric Worlds, book 1) out now on ebook and in paperback: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431 FREE on Kindle Unlimited, $2.99 to own on ebook or $12.99 with free prime delivery in beautiful paperback with wrap-a-round artwork on the cover.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Maestri update
I somehow managed to squeeze in a normal amount of dedicated writing time over the holidays...so far. I did have to stay up late and find some nice, quiet space inside my home to hideaway with my Chromebook but I managed to finish up part 1 of Maestri. It ran longer than I had intended by nearly 10,000 words. I doubt that the second draft will do any kindness to that bloated word count, either. There are still a few parts that I feel the need to flesh out more, in order to properly frame the tale.
Not wanting to write a 200,000 word novel, though, I did revisit my outline. I discovered that I could condense a bit in the next two parts and combine them into one. So, instead of Maestri being comprised of 4 main parts (Prodigy, Apprentice, Maestra, Mentor) I have combined Apprentice and Maestra into a single part and re-titled Mentor into Maestra - with just a bit of plot shifting into the 3rd part as well.
I am hopeful that the finished product will remain well under 150,000 words. Part 1 is outlined to be the shortest section out of the 3, so it will be interesting as part 2 unfolds.
I am already outlining my next project for after I complete Maestri. It is a divergence from horror and into the realm of Science Fiction. Actually, I had already been planning a science fiction book in the universe of David Bennett/Maestri and my next project is a bit of an introduction into that. It will be a series of short stories titled The Parables of Alpha Arteris, which tells folklore from the 5,000 year history of Earth's first off-world colonization efforts.
Cheers to the new year!
If you want to get in on the ground floor of my expanding universe, please check out The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett. It is the beginning of an expansive, multi-genre tale about the paranormal, things unseen, and the complex world of science.
Enjoy!
Available on KindleUnlimited, Ebook, and beautiful matte finished paperback with cream colored paper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431
Not wanting to write a 200,000 word novel, though, I did revisit my outline. I discovered that I could condense a bit in the next two parts and combine them into one. So, instead of Maestri being comprised of 4 main parts (Prodigy, Apprentice, Maestra, Mentor) I have combined Apprentice and Maestra into a single part and re-titled Mentor into Maestra - with just a bit of plot shifting into the 3rd part as well.
I am hopeful that the finished product will remain well under 150,000 words. Part 1 is outlined to be the shortest section out of the 3, so it will be interesting as part 2 unfolds.
I am already outlining my next project for after I complete Maestri. It is a divergence from horror and into the realm of Science Fiction. Actually, I had already been planning a science fiction book in the universe of David Bennett/Maestri and my next project is a bit of an introduction into that. It will be a series of short stories titled The Parables of Alpha Arteris, which tells folklore from the 5,000 year history of Earth's first off-world colonization efforts.
Cheers to the new year!
If you want to get in on the ground floor of my expanding universe, please check out The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett. It is the beginning of an expansive, multi-genre tale about the paranormal, things unseen, and the complex world of science.
Enjoy!
Available on KindleUnlimited, Ebook, and beautiful matte finished paperback with cream colored paper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431
Monday, December 23, 2019
Self Care
Writing is much like any other time demanding occupation. We need time to craft our work and sometimes with non-traditional jobs like that it can be hard for the people in our lives to give us the space that we require for our work. People who are on on the outside looking in really struggle to relate to what it's like for those of us who write. Instead of seeing it as a developing career they see us as pursuing a hobby. They get confused and feel unappreciated when we prefer to work on our craft rather than spend time with them.
Perception is key to this. We, as writers, (or anyone in a non-traditional job struggling to balance work and family/friends) need to communicate and demonstrate to those around us how important and how seriously we take our writing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but we need to learn how to communicate that significance. Be direct, explain it to them by relating it to their job or their passion. Let them know that they are every bit appreciated but you really do consider this a job. Tell them that writing makes you feel complete and it makes life a bit more worthwhile for you.
We can also invite friends or family to observe us for a day (this personally makes me really uncomfortable as I hate being watched while I work.) After experiencing a day in our shoes they may be a bit more understanding of exactly how constricting our schedule can be.
On the flip side of this we need to NOT try to please everyone. It isn't a crime to take time for ourselves to write.
With my first novel I constantly felt like I was ignoring my family. To some extent I still experience the guilt but, after my first book was published, my wife seems pretty supportive. Sometimes tangible goals are what it takes for the people in our lives to become supportive.
Many of my friends still aren't on board and think that I'm simply an aloof jerk who thinks he is better than them. It bothered me for a long time. I tried to go out of my way to spend more time with them but my family and writing life also suffered. No matter what I did I couldn't please everyone. Explaining to some of them what I was working on didn't work. In fact, it garnered a few eye rolls. So, I had to cut that guilt cord loose. I still love my friends but I have to take care of myself. It shouldn't be on us, as writers, to cater to everyone in our lives at the sacrifice of our own sanity.
This issue crops up for a lot of us this time of year.
Absolutely, don't feel bad for sitting out a gathering to recover your mental health. I am going to do just that next weekend. My wife's family will be hosting a Christmas gathering. It will be the 4th for our family. I can handle 3, but that's my limit. So, rather than being crammed in a small house with 25 bickering adults and half dozen screaming children I am going to stay home and write. My wife is understanding, not sure her family is but it is what I have to do to maintain my mental health. I am an introvert by nature and that kind of environment is destructive enough on its own -- being the holidays after so many celebrations already makes it that much worse for me.
Don't think for a moment that the people who love you want you to suffer to make them or anyone happy. The hardest thing for many of us to do is let go and learn to love ourselves as much as we love pleasing the people around us. You are just as important as anyone else. Take the time to heal yourself, especially this time of year.
Happy Holidays, and please give yourself the present of mental health.
Perception is key to this. We, as writers, (or anyone in a non-traditional job struggling to balance work and family/friends) need to communicate and demonstrate to those around us how important and how seriously we take our writing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but we need to learn how to communicate that significance. Be direct, explain it to them by relating it to their job or their passion. Let them know that they are every bit appreciated but you really do consider this a job. Tell them that writing makes you feel complete and it makes life a bit more worthwhile for you.
We can also invite friends or family to observe us for a day (this personally makes me really uncomfortable as I hate being watched while I work.) After experiencing a day in our shoes they may be a bit more understanding of exactly how constricting our schedule can be.
On the flip side of this we need to NOT try to please everyone. It isn't a crime to take time for ourselves to write.
With my first novel I constantly felt like I was ignoring my family. To some extent I still experience the guilt but, after my first book was published, my wife seems pretty supportive. Sometimes tangible goals are what it takes for the people in our lives to become supportive.
Many of my friends still aren't on board and think that I'm simply an aloof jerk who thinks he is better than them. It bothered me for a long time. I tried to go out of my way to spend more time with them but my family and writing life also suffered. No matter what I did I couldn't please everyone. Explaining to some of them what I was working on didn't work. In fact, it garnered a few eye rolls. So, I had to cut that guilt cord loose. I still love my friends but I have to take care of myself. It shouldn't be on us, as writers, to cater to everyone in our lives at the sacrifice of our own sanity.
This issue crops up for a lot of us this time of year.
Absolutely, don't feel bad for sitting out a gathering to recover your mental health. I am going to do just that next weekend. My wife's family will be hosting a Christmas gathering. It will be the 4th for our family. I can handle 3, but that's my limit. So, rather than being crammed in a small house with 25 bickering adults and half dozen screaming children I am going to stay home and write. My wife is understanding, not sure her family is but it is what I have to do to maintain my mental health. I am an introvert by nature and that kind of environment is destructive enough on its own -- being the holidays after so many celebrations already makes it that much worse for me.
Don't think for a moment that the people who love you want you to suffer to make them or anyone happy. The hardest thing for many of us to do is let go and learn to love ourselves as much as we love pleasing the people around us. You are just as important as anyone else. Take the time to heal yourself, especially this time of year.
Happy Holidays, and please give yourself the present of mental health.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Demotivated
Not unmotivated; that would indicate that I simply don't have anything pushing me to be creative.
DEmotivated; as in seeing so much negativity in my personal and professional circles lately that it makes me just shut down and not want to function on anything more than a very basic level.
Just a week or so ago I was trying to give advice on how to stay on top of your writing game during the holidays. Boy, I need my own advice at this point.
The bustle of the holiday season seems to have everyone's knickers in a twist over the past several days. Everywhere I go people are being terse and unfeeling in their interactions with one another. People tend to take one another for granted and never fully appreciate what it is like to be on the opposite end of the ferocity emanating from them. Mindfulness goes out the window and the holiday season invariably devolves into a hostile display of how unhappy this time of year actually makes us.
It's not all bad. There are a lot of good times around the holidays -- but it seems that GETTING to that happy place takes and emotional toll on a good many of us.
Social media is a prime example of this. As we get closer to the holidays the different subgroups on Twitter within the Writing Community have completely lost their marbles. Authors and reviewers are at one another's throats. Traditionally published authors and Independent authors are tearing into one another. There is so much punching down that I am beginning to feel like a well kneaded dough. I'm not even taking the brunt of it, because I have pretty much withdrawn into my shell until January.
So what is the point of me writing this meandering post, other than to complain about people being nasty to one another? How about using it as an opportunity to explore what life is like from the perspective of the person on the other side of the conversation. If you feel like someone is being unjustly snarky try to put yourself in their shoes for a few minutes before you bang out that witty retort. Instead of sucking the life out of someone's day maybe you can learn something about yourself and the situation that someone else finds their self in. It only takes a moment to ruin someone's day or week but taking an extra moment to contemplate the situation could save someone's bad day or week, instead.
Happy Holidays.
Be kind.
DEmotivated; as in seeing so much negativity in my personal and professional circles lately that it makes me just shut down and not want to function on anything more than a very basic level.
Just a week or so ago I was trying to give advice on how to stay on top of your writing game during the holidays. Boy, I need my own advice at this point.
The bustle of the holiday season seems to have everyone's knickers in a twist over the past several days. Everywhere I go people are being terse and unfeeling in their interactions with one another. People tend to take one another for granted and never fully appreciate what it is like to be on the opposite end of the ferocity emanating from them. Mindfulness goes out the window and the holiday season invariably devolves into a hostile display of how unhappy this time of year actually makes us.
It's not all bad. There are a lot of good times around the holidays -- but it seems that GETTING to that happy place takes and emotional toll on a good many of us.
Social media is a prime example of this. As we get closer to the holidays the different subgroups on Twitter within the Writing Community have completely lost their marbles. Authors and reviewers are at one another's throats. Traditionally published authors and Independent authors are tearing into one another. There is so much punching down that I am beginning to feel like a well kneaded dough. I'm not even taking the brunt of it, because I have pretty much withdrawn into my shell until January.
So what is the point of me writing this meandering post, other than to complain about people being nasty to one another? How about using it as an opportunity to explore what life is like from the perspective of the person on the other side of the conversation. If you feel like someone is being unjustly snarky try to put yourself in their shoes for a few minutes before you bang out that witty retort. Instead of sucking the life out of someone's day maybe you can learn something about yourself and the situation that someone else finds their self in. It only takes a moment to ruin someone's day or week but taking an extra moment to contemplate the situation could save someone's bad day or week, instead.
Happy Holidays.
Be kind.
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