Six Things I Learned About Writing From Jim Butcher

June 2, 2014June 1, 2014 C.P.1 Comment

You might not have ever heard of Jim Butcher, but he came out with a book last Tuesday. Well, he came out with another book. The fifteenth, in fact, of his wildly popular urban-fantasy series, The Dresden Files. Despite not being a huge fan of urban fantasy, I found myself at the launch party for Skin Game at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach, California. While all the talk of Odin, and Bigfoots, and Wizard councils was over my head, I could glean a bit of writing advice when the breakneck Q & A went into that territory. No matter what you feel about Mr. Butcher (some love him , some do not) he had some interesting things to say about all things writing (from tips on how to make a good scene, to sharing some of his idiosyncrasies) that are totally worth listening to. Here we go!

6. He gets his most of his writing done between 2 am and 7 am.

I’ve heard from numerous writers that they like to write mornings, but I doubt they mean this early. When asked why he writes before the break of dawn, he said it’s for two reasons. First, it’s quiet. He stated that he needs it to be absolutely silent for him to write (Patrick Rothfuss has said this about his writing process, too), and, unless you’re living in a college dorm, 2 am – 7 am are pretty quiet hours.

In addition to having the world silenced for a few hours, he said it was also the only time he’s guaranteed not to be bothered by anyone or anything. While that might come off as stand-offish, he explained it like so: “it’s the only time when I don’t have to answer a phone, or someone e-mails me and says ‘hey, we need your answer on this right away.'” Being a bestselling of author of over twenty books (he has another series, too), he’s bound to have heaps of calls and e-mails getting in the way of his writing time. When one girl asked why he couldn’t write amidst all the requests for his time, he said. . .

5. His writing brain is not connected to his talking brain (or brain for anything else)

Not only does Jim Butcher need interrupted quiet when he’s writing, but he also stated that he can’t even write after having talked to people. “After I talk to someone, I can’t even get a word down for like an hour.” To him, his brain for talking to people, doing things, and his brain for creating his stories are completely separate areas. Perhaps it takes a literal removal from others for him to enter in that world of creativity, like it’s some other world, only accessible by a certain amount of time of isolation. Interesting.

4. He will totally steal any idea he thinks is cool (and thinks we all should too!)

During the Q & A, someone asked him if he’s taken any ideas he thought were cool and integrated them into his stories. Without hesitation, he said “Absolutely”. If he thinks something is cool, he will stick it in his story and, with much conviction, said he “will make it work.” He referenced Harry Dresden’s ride on a T-Rex as being one of the harder ones to work in, but he eventually got it to work. He then went on to say that famous Picasso quote: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

berniemadoff — If only he’d gone into the arts. . .

3. He has a selected team of devoted beta readers

Before he sends his books off to his editors, he will first have a group of highly-selected betas read it. Editors are of course essential to the book-writing and book-publishing process, but for first impressions, he goes to his betas. When a hopeful fan asked him what he looked for in his beta readers, Butcher responded with “complete enthusiasm for the story and product”. Editors might read every book, sure, but they might not be the people who’ll be at the bookstore at 9AM to get the next installment as soon as they can. He went on further to say that after his betas have scoured through the text, there is really nothing left to fix once he passes it off to his editors (which the editors like!).

2. How to write a kick-ass action scene

For a lot of aspiring wordsmiths, action scenes are tough ones to crack. So when a fan asked him how to make a good one, Jim Butcher told her to watch football. While we were all confused at first, he went onto say “and listen to the announcer. Their job is describe what is happening for the people who can’t see it. And if you really listen to what they’re saying, their main objective is to tell you where the ball is. And the ball, in your scene, is whatever your character is trying to do or where they’re trying to go. So, focus on your ball, and give a vague idea of what’s happening other places.”

Very insightful. In a large action scene, we might assume we have to tell everything that is happening. I mean, there’s thousands of troops battling, and a score dragons breathing fire, and a swarm of bewitched Franzia boxes flying around! However, we really only need to focus on our characters because, well, we don’t really care all that much about troop #5,678, or Orc #3,471, do we? (I care about the Franzia.)

This line of thinking reminds me of what Peter Jackson said in terms of the editing the Battle of Helm’s Deep for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Of all the versions of that battle, he noticed that the battle got boring when you weren’t focusing on one of the main characters. Sure, show a couple of nameless elves and Orcs fighting, but then GET RIGHT BACK to one of the people we care about. And what was the result? One of the coolest battles in recent cinematic remembrance!

legolas_shield — Don’t act like you don’t like it

1. Write the book you think you can just barely pull off (if you do at all)

The evening’s most inspiring quote is the one above. Shoot for the book that is just above your skill level, the one that you think you can just maybe pull off. The novel that is that crossbeam you think you’re maybe able to jump up and touch, the novel that is that 5k you think you can run, the novel that is that triple-burger and fries combo you think you can finish (after the 5k, of course. . .). He said he reaches for the top for every book he writes. “If I write books that are easy for me to write, I think that would get boring for me very quickly. I wouldn’t be into it as much, and I think the fans wouldn’t be into as much either.” You should always be striving for that next level, because, not only will you and your fans lose gusto (which is probably the most important thing to have while writing), but you will never improve your craft (which is what we’re all here to do!). Even hardcover bestsellers can keep improving, and so can we!

En conclusión

So that’s all of it, or at least all he had to share that night. Looking at his extensive bibliography, I’m sure he has a bunch more tips to tackle all certain types of scenes. Alas, these are the ones he shared with us, and now I am sharing them with you. Hopefully this helped you learn a bit more about how you write, whether you’re someone who has to type in complete silence, or one who prefers a noisy coffee shop (like Harlan Coben does!), or someone who needs ten doughnuts before they can put their fingers on the keyboard.

Until next time, keep writing! I’m going to take a break and practice that Legolas shield-move down my apartment complex’s stairs. (Keep a look-out for my subsequent medical-bills-focused Kickstarter.)

Sincerely,

Casey of Large-Book-Event-Land

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6 Ways to Motivate Yourself To Write

May 12, 2014September 15, 2014 C.P.Leave a comment

Ah, writing. Is there anything that is equally fun and nightmarish at the same time? Sometimes we love it. Other times, it’s the bane of our existence. We want to reach the top of the mountain, but the climb up was way harder than we expected.

Don’t fret. Writing a book is a monumental task, and if you ask anyone who’s ever tried, they’ve had problems with staying motivated. I’m not a published author (yet?), so I’m not really qualified to give writing advice, but I have written four novel-length things (avg. 70, 000 words) and can share with you some techniques I use to get myself WRITING. It’s all about starting, mostly, but sometimes, we need an extra push to get started. Here are six ways I have kick-started myself into getting words on the page.

Look at your bookshelf

I imagine that, wanting to be a writer, you have a bunch of books. Look at your bookshelf (or stack of books all over your floor. . .) and realize what is missing. That’s right. Your books! With us being so closely acquainted with our books and characters, it’s easy to forget that no one else has even heard of them. In our minds, they’re already out there for everyone! But they aren’t. They’re not out there in any bookstore. So remember, the only way your book is going to be out there and on a shelf someday (and hopefully, on a BUNCH of shelves all over the world) is if you get to working on it. So take one step closer to having your name among your favorites.

If you want to take this a step further (which I have), go to a bookstore and find where your books would be on the shelf. My guess is that they will be missing there, too. This simply will not do. So get cracking and you’ll be one step closer to having them there.

Set your timer for 30 minutes

In an age of constant distraction, how does anyone expect to actually sit down and write? We watch videos in six seconds, and switch our minds even less (hopefully we still have enough attention to have read this far!). So set your timer for 30 mins and just work on your novel. Lock yourself away and know that 30 mins is going to be devoted to the act of writing. It’s pretty amazing how much you can get done in an uninterrupted 30 mins. If you want to really go nuts, start doing two hour sessions. You’ll get a lot done and the two-hours of hard work will justify the nap you were going to take later anyway.

Remember what Opportunity Cost is

If you ever took an economics class (and had the willpower to not sleep through it) you might remember a thing called “Opportunity Cost”. For those of you that don’t know what it is, it is essentially the cost of not doing something. For example, if I spend four hours sitting around, that sitting around session cost, according to Opportunity Cost, at an $8/hr rate, 32 dollars, because it could have been four hours that I could have been working. Since I’m guessing you want to make a living at writing, you could apply this idea to your writing schedule. Not writing your book is costing you money, because delaying writing it means you’re further away from the expenses that your book will (hopefully, someday) generate.

Make a “Productivity Contract” with someone

If you want to take the whole Opportunity Cost/Losing Money angle to a whole new level, then go ahead and make what I call a “Productivity Contract” with a friend. (Sometimes these are called Ulysses Pacts). What it is, essentially, is that you set yourself a task, and if you don’t do it by the time specified, you owe your friend 20 bucks. Opportunity Cost, sure, you might theoretically losing money, but by signing this contract, you WILL actually lose money. I’ve used these extensively for things I need to get done (mostly laundry) and the thing is, they always work. By doing what you need to do, you end up saving money and getting work done. It’s a win-win.

Think about your characters and how they want to be written about

I don’t know if you do this, but when I am feeling lazy about writing, I will often think that I am in some sort of meeting with my characters. In this type of scenario, I am a writer, hired to chronicle their crazy adventure, and they are some super-famous group of individuals. I’m the writer chosen to write their tell-all book about their exploits. Here’s the thing. They WANT you to tell their story. Your characters have been on this incredible journey and learned this incredible thing (or whatever), so they want you, their commissioned writer, to get on with and bring it to the world. Their insistence in being heard might just get you to start typing away. Remember from above: No one knows your characters yet.

Writing_upset_girl — Why is he not done writing my story yet? :(

Remember it is your duty to bring this book into the world

Look, ideas are crazy things. We get a million a day, all with different aspects and features (mine are mostly about food). Your book is made up of a bunch of ideas from innumerable sources, and you might be able to think that someone has thought of it all before. But the idea for your novel arrived on YOUR brain’s doorstep. It didn’t arrive at my mental doorstep, or your friend’s or Bill Clinton’s. It arrived at yours. I don’t know about you, but I think story ideas come from whatever you want to call it, the Universe, the great beyond, the weaving of the muses, etc, and what I recognize is that this story is my sole responsibility to bring to all of you. If I don’t, these characters and stories will be lost forever. And if you think someone will, in the next 100 or 1,000 years, come up with the same idea, just remember that no one already has. So don’t see it as a burden, see it as an honor. And be glad to do your duty bringing this thing to life.

What about you? What tips do you use to motivate yourself?

Sincerely,

Casey of Lazy-Writing Land

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Cool Star Wars: The Rebel Assault Games

May 7, 2014June 22, 2025 C.P.Leave a comment

I don’t know if you knew this, but last Sunday was Star Wars Day, going off the fact that it was May the Fourth, and thusly: May the Fourth Be With You. I originally was going to post something for Sunday, or even Monday, but when I get to thinking about Star Wars, I think about Star Wars. I thought about the movies, the days when I used to get the magazine, poured through the old movies, and even read through most of my notes about what I would do for an alternate prequel trilogy (Y’know, all 36,000 words of them). To celebrate Star Wars, I was going to give you my top favorite Star Wars works that weren’t the movies, but I soon realized that my list was populated by things that would be on everyone’s list (Knights of the Old Republic, The Thrawn trilogy of books), so I decided I’d be a little more useful and tell you about some Star Wars gems you might not have ever heard of. I started with writing about the Rebel Assault games and learned that apparently, I liked them/was influenced by them more than I realized.

The Rebel Assault Video Games

In all my years of meeting Star Wars fans, I don’t think I have met one other person who has played either of the Rebel Assault games. In fact, I doubt that a lot of Star Wars fans have even heard of them. Do the names Rookie One, Simms, or Ru Murleen ring a bell? What about the plan to stop the fleet of TIE Phantoms joining the Imperial fleet? If not, then let me tell you all about it!

Rebel Assault first came out in 1993 and was the ONLY Star Wars game available on the short-lived 3DO (Trust me, I checked everywhere for more). Rebel Assault featured a Tatooine pilot that could be either male or female (the voice and some images would change) by the name of Rookie One that went off to do some crazy flying for the Rebellion during the events of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. Alongside Rebel pilots Simms and the Ru Murleen, you flew your craft through 15 rail-shooting levels (except one of them, where you were on foot), featuring everything from pesky asteroid belts, AT-ATs on Hoth, and the Death Star Trench Run.

Trench Run — The 9,000th video-game iteration of it, that is.

Before and after each mission are some extremely primitive, but at the time AWESOME full motion video clips, which, for the most part, was just a picture of someone with their mouth animated. (For all we know, this animation could have been stellar. That is, if everyone in the galaxy stands and sits extremely still). Darth Vader, for instance, mostly appears in this one single shot, and when he speaks, his helmet moves around. And that is it. I love it. I played this game a shit-ton before seeing The Empire Strikes Back, and when I saw the shot from the movie, it couldn’t help but be reminded of the days when I rail-shot down the Death Star. Even when I see that shot now, years later, I can’t help think of Rebel Assault. And now you will too (you’re welcome).

Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire came out a bit later in 1995. I was completely unaware that was a Rebel Assault II at all until I saw it in the store and promptly picked it up. This time, it was for PC, and there was full-motion video. Real full-motion video. Oh man! No longer would their people sitting so stiffly in their cockpits, but instead be some aspiring actors against a green screen, in all that mid-90s FMV pixelated glory.

This time, Rookie One and some Rebel people were investigating the Empire’s “phantom fleet” of cloaked TIE fighters known as TIE Phantoms. Through another 15 levels, you fly some aircrafts, destroy a mining complex, speeder bike through some trees, and become even become re-united with Rebel pilot and old friend Ru Murleen! Through your brave flying skills, Vader is once again thwarted, and you come back as a Rebellion hero with enough courage to conquer the universe, or at least enough courage to finally kiss Ru Murleen, which I totally had been waiting for!

Rookie and Ru kiss — That pilot was waiting for it too

I waited and waited for the news of a Rebel Assault III, but sadly, it never came. I just KNEW that this time around, Rookie One would become a Jedi and take Vader head on. He could learn from Yoda or some other dumb old Jedi about the Force, maybe visit Jabba, do whatever, and finally beat Vader once and for all! Maybe we would even see the Emperor in some way! But alas, no other Rebel Assault game ever came out, and my dreams of conquering Vader as Rookie One were forever dashed. (But seriously, Rookie One as a Jedi would have been the bee’s knees!) Eventually, I came to grips with the fact that LucasArts wasn’t going to do a Rebel Assault III, and that was all right. I could do whatever the hell I wanted in my own feature film adaptation of Rookie One’s story.

Wait, what? Yes, you read correctly! It seems even when I was getting into my second decade, I was already spearheading projects way ahead of my budget and skill level. Such ambition (or as Han would say “delusions of grandeur”) led me to write a script for the movie, which meant I TRANSCRIBED THE ENTIRE GAME’S SCRIPT. . .by hand:

Rebel_assault_script — Complete with appropriate sad faces

Truth be told, my little Rookie One Star Wars trilogy was all planned out by the time I learned of a Rebel Assault II, so the stories didn’t match. I’m sad to say that due to various circumstances, the movie never got off the ground, with not a one of them having to do with the fact that I was 12. So, video tape never rolled on the project, but I do still have the script a couple mock-ups for the poster:

So that’s pretty much all I can tell you about Rebel Assault games. If you haven’t played them, I suggest you do (even though I have no idea how you would go about it nowadays). If playing isn’t an option, there are plenty of videos on YouTube of people playing both of them. After writing this, I guess I should have given Rebel Assault and its sequels’ influence on me a little more respect, because it completely dominated this blog post. So much so that I have to talk about the other cool Star Wars stuff at a later date.

What about you? Did you play the Rebel Assault games? Has anything ever influenced you like this one did me?

Sincerely,

Casey One of Rascal Squadron

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Saturday is California Bookstore Day!

April 30, 2014 C.P.Leave a comment

Hello everyone, how’s it going? Are you preparing yourself for California Bookstore Day, which’ll be happening this Saturday, May 3, 2014, at participating California Independent Bookstores? For those of you that don’t know, California Bookstore Day is a special day where more than 90 independent bookstores throughout the Golden State offer parties, author events, readings, and will have exclusive, limited items that are only available that day. My goodness. . .why you do this to me, universe?!

Concerning the items, I have never seen such an awesome array of exclusives. There’s a stencil, and some prints, and posters! Look at this cool poster of a Lemony Snicket quote, which’ll be both signed and dated:

I mean, seriously! All you have to lose is boredom! This would be perfect for any classroom. (Or just any room, for that matter,)

Check out these recipe cards from Michael Pollan, all put in a nice little commemorative box that commands you to “Cook!”:

Finally, I can eat what the guy who wrote The Omnivore’s Dilema is eating! (I don’t know if anyone else has ever said that before.) If you haven’t checked out Michael Pollan and heard his views on the food industry and how to eat healthy, then you most definitely should. [One tip that has always stuck with me is that when trying to eat healthy, only shop the perimeter of a grocery store. I never noticed it before, but everything you need is on the outer walls of the store: the butcher shop, dairy section, produce, the bakery, the cheap wine (I mean, what?). The middle of the store is home to all that processed food, that Cheez-It-Orange color and those soft, gummy things (what are gummies, anyway?).]

While these both look awesome, the coolest object has to be a limited, illustrated printing of the Neil Gaiman short story The Sleeper and The Spindle. I haven’t read all of Gaiman’s work, but everything I have read from him is simply outstanding. And sure, I’ll nab Ocean at the End of the Lane one of these days, but if The Sleeper and the Spindle is available only on that day, then I’ll be sure to be there first thing in the morning like it’s Black-Totally-Embarrassed-By-Fellow-Americans-Friday.

If you live in California, totally check out the website to find participating stores. If you don’t, see if there are similar events like this in your state, because it’s a pretty cool idea and destined to be a bunch of fun.

For those of you not in California or the U.S.A., let me make this post useful for you and, since I’ve already told you about how much I love Gaiman, watch one of my favorite speeches ever, delivered by him at the University of the Arts in 2012. (I might do a whole post about this speech in the future. It’s just so great.)

So, what about you? Will you be participating? Which of the exclusive items would you want to get the most?

Sincerely,

Casey, Hunter of CBD Exclusives

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Party Time at WonderCon 2014

April 21, 2014 C.P.Leave a comment

Hey everyone, how are you doing?!

I am completely knackered while writing this, but thought I would drop in. Last week, I told you all about how I worked at the Los Angeles Times Fesitval of Books (which was awesome) and, going on the next loop of the independent-bookseller-event roller coaster, I worked WonderCon this last weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with WonderCon, it’s a three-day convention for comics, science fiction, fantasy, video games, movies, television shows, and everything geeky! Think San Diego’s massive Comic Con, just a little smaller.

On the first day, I totally got to geek out at Amy Talkington (yes, geek out at her) about her debut book, Liv, Forever, which I was in the middle of (right in the depth of all the mysteries and intrigue and wondering WHAT IS HAPPENING AT WICKHAM HALL?!) If you guys haven’t read it, you should seriously totally go to your independent book shop and GET THE FUCK ON IT (blurb by Casey Poma). I have since finished it, and will now write her a lengthy e-mail of what I thought about the ending (as she requested!).

Liv, Forever cover — Seriously, ppl! It has mystery AND ghosts!

When I wasn’t freaking out at authors, I was stationed at our bookselling booth and was deemed the line-management dude (official title, for sure). This meant that I could stand right by the table with the authors and moderate the line, which also meant that I could totally chat with the authors and and pick their brains about the business, creativity, or just anything in general. I learned tips and tricks from all types of writers, from the those who write urban fantasy, to middle-grade stuff, to funny books with lots of sex in them. Some of them were also bloggers, others animators, and musicians, and everyone had something cool to say, and was supportive when I told them of my own writing goals (which is pretty damn great).

When I wasn’t curating knowledge (and bznz cards!), I wandered around and experienced just some of the things there was to do (seriously, there was so much stuff). Tommy Wiseau was there at his booth for The Room. A minute later, I nearly had to be resuscitated when I saw a Jurassic Park booth with ORIGINAL concept art drawings. The man who obviously didn’t see how faded my shirt and shoes were was trying to sell them all to me for 100 bucks. I had to politely decline, but opted for a classic JP logo shirt. Fuck yea. On my way back, I stumbled upon Larry Thomas, aka the Soup Nazi, and scored a picture (and made sure not to ask for any extra bread).

wondercon2 — No hoverhand for the Soup Nazi

All around, WonderCon was a pretty amazing experience, and if anything, solidified that yes, this nerd world is a world in which I could continue to work. Last week, I mentioned how Rome wasn’t built in a day, and how my empire of Creative Career won’t be either. I also mentioned that I am starting to feel like I am laying bricks, and have now realized that business cards kind of look like bricks, don’t they? Let’s build this city!

What about you? Share your WonderCon experience!

Until later,

Casey of Obsessed-With-Books-Land

More pictures!