The other night I was chatting on Twitter (as one tends to do when doing laundry). Authors Shiloh Walker and Yasmine Galenorn were talking about no matter how hard you try, you may not be successful as a writer. I can’t remember exactly how it happened, but the subject came up (might have been from L.A. Gilman) about how writers were a lot like actors and I quipped something about not being able to plan for fame. Rather than quote the whole conversation, I’d rather dive in and explain why this is absolutely the case from my perspective.

Actors and actresses make a living by acting and off their personal image. They get paid for their celebrity status in addition to their craft and have to work their asses off to be in the public’s attention at all times. It’s their job to look good and eat right in addition to working long hours and, at times, sacrifice personal relationships and social activities. When they’re not on the set? They still have to maintain their image and network to find the next gig. In short: most actors and actresses are usually working, even when they’re not.

Even though being an actress sounds glamorous, the reality of Hollywood is not the red carpet. There are literally thousands of actors and actresses that never make it to an award ceremony and thousands more that never even get paid (or credited) for their talents. Some get bit parts for years on end, hoping to catch a break, but never do. Some are stunt doubles; these folks are literally invisible on screen yet we appreciate what they do because they provide us with the suspension of disbelief. Many actors and actresses are what we would consider middle class. They act, they’re not loaded, but they manage to eke out a living and continue to get work. Sound familiar?

Writers are exactly the same way. Not every author can be Neil Gaiman or Charlaine Harris. Now, both of these authors didn’t wake up to a life of fame and fortune. They both worked and worked and worked until they caught a break (or a series of them, depending upon how you look at it.) Yes, talent has a lot to do with it, but success in this industry doesn’t just come from talent. It comes from making smart career choices, honing your craft, meeting the right people, being in the right place at the right time, and reaching readers who will gladly plunk down money for your work. Writers cannot budget based on what money they haven’t earned yet or what fame they may one day achieve. Unless you’re lightning in a bottle? Chances are you have to work and work and work. Or, in this case, write and write and write.

To use the acting analogy, many authors would love to be the next Angelina Jolie or Tom Cruise. Fine. Let’s use both as an example. Angelina? 41 credits as an actress, 3 as a producer, 2 as a director and 1 as a writer. She was in eight full-length films before HACKERS and thirteen before GIA, which I consider her breakout hit. Tom Cruise. 37 credits as an actor, 15 as producer, 1 as director and 1 as writer. RISKY BUSINESS was his fifth full-length feature film and TOP GUN was his eighth.

The point I’m trying to make, is that neither celebrity woke up one day and was instantly famous. They had to work at it. Even then, next time you have five minutes of your free time, write down how many actors and actresses you can name off the top of your head. Then go back and list your favorite movies and compare the two. Which actors/actresses did you forget to add? Actors constantly have to seek out media attention (whether they want to or not) before they’re forgotten in lieu of the next micro-trend or reality TV star. For women, it’s even worse because age is a factor in getting gigs, too.

It’s a little different for authors because you’re creating a work of art with words, not images. You could be a supreme asshat, weigh 1,000 pounds, be uglier than sin, and still pen a good tale that people will voraciously consume. Author platform aside, you typically don’t have all the jobs an actor does because the story is the performance that occurs without you being captured on screen. Your weight and your looks really doesn’t matter as much.

After I published my post, author E. E. Knight also pointed out this great bit of insight, too.

Writers have a lot more avenues that are still in the craft that generate income. A writer trying to sell a novel can still earn some money writing professionally (my first real money writing was for nonfiction). Actors usually have to work outside their craft while waiting for a paid role.

I’ve always said (and will continue to say) that every author has to make their own choices. It’s your path, not mine. As you continue to hone your craft, I feel you have to face yourself in the mirror one day and ask yourself what you really want. Would you rather be pining away on a street corner while secretly jealous of those on the red carpet? Or would you rather be getting paid for what you do and focusing on your next step?

I may not be a very famous author, or so I often joke, but I’ll tell you what. I’m a working one and I love this job to pieces. Of course, I wouldn’t turn down fame and fortune if it came a-knocking. I may be pragmatic, but I’m not a fool. Regardless, I know what I can and can’t control. I’d rather focus on what I can work on than what I can’t. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 🙂

Mood: In Technology Awe.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Averaging about three a day. Today looks mild-to-temperate.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Didn’t, because I pulled a muscle.
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): Sacrificed writing time for new computer time! And cleaning office time!
In My Ears: Mortal Kombat Soundtrack
Game Last Played: Farmerama
Movie Last Viewed: Red
Book Last Read: Carpe Jugulum: Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with soft pink and black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Last night, I went to a Solstice celebration replete with a Labyrinth, candles, and the perfect Christmas cookie. I’m not talking about no namby pamby almond cherry monstrosities that can only be salvaged by coffee, either. Picture a chocolate covered ball of goodness that just happens to be crushed up Oreos blended with cream cheese.

Said cookies were so magical, so tasty, I wound up rewriting the Green Lantern movie in my sleep. I wake up, thinking that I, too, have millions of dollars at my disposal to create… the work… and then…

Reality strikes. DOM DOM DOM.

So instead, I posture said changes here, because what Green Lantern offers comic book fans is the desire to be him. He is the every man’s superhero and, quite possibly, the every woman’s. The ring chooses whomever is worthy — regardless of race/class/creed/gender/etc.

The biggest challenge Green Lantern faces is divulging too much world too quickly. The point of discovery and wonderment is part of what might attract new fans and also wow old ones. The setting is cool, but too much too soon and I expect that for the whole film.

So first things first? I’d cut the dreaded “Tell” in the introduction. When that’s taken out, it removes the set up. Instead, I’d put a cut scene where Abin Sur is being chased in the opening credits by the unknown assailant. Period.

Here’s where things got interesting for me. I felt that Hal’s “daddy issues” were too much in the distant past. They felt stale to me. They’re not real, because he’s dealing with a ghost we cannot relate to. For my opening scene? Since canon is only loosely followed in the film anyway, I’d have a present day tragedy that Hal accidentally causes because of his arrogance. Maybe he takes his nephew for a joy ride, takes him out for a spin, and they get into a serious accident. Or better yet, the love interest, Carol. Right there BAM! there’s the crisis of faith. Then, as he’s beating himself up, even though shit happens and it wasn’t his fault? That’s when Abin Sur crashes right in front of him. Not wanting to feel responsible for yet another injury, he feels compelled to help whoever crashed and realizes Abin Sur isn’t human. When Abin Sur dies, we still see the close-up of the yellow infestation, the ring flies off and hovers in front of Hal and leaves, as if Hal is not worthy of wearing it yet.

Wait, before you get all “That’s not how the ring works” on me… That’s when Sinestro shows up and accuses Hal of killing Abin Sur. Right when Sinestro starts to pummel him, the ring starts to circle back to Hal, but the two continue to fight. Sinestro knocks Hal unconcscious at the same the ring chooses him. In a moment of hesitation, Sinestro remembers his place and returns to grab his friend’s body. Unfortunately, the military has shown up and he’s forced to return to Oa with Hal.

The moment of discovery for the audience happens when Hal lands on Oa. The tension is also there because now there’s a mysterious assailant that killed the best of the Green Lanterns and there’s a lot more room for active internal conflict rather than passive. The audience, not being as stupid as you might think, would probably suspect a demon-looking alien called Sinestro of doing some very. bad. things. In this movie, though, Sinestro is the red herring. He’s not the bad guy, but he’s a good candidate for one, and it’s a great set up for the sequel.

There is one detail I would change in particular, I would ensure that the audience knows Hal was not the first human to become a Green Lantern. This removes the speshul snoflake from Hal and hints to the long, proud tradition.

So meanwhile, back on Earth, we have the meek scientist slowly affected by the yellow element. I’d take his daddy issues right out of the effing picture. I mean, no need to have two characters with stale issues. Creepy scientist is scary enough. Anyway, I would circle back to the love interest and focus on her. The scientist, now able to read people’s minds, visits Carol to see if he can confirm her feelings for him. She doesn’t, he gets pissed, but Carol puts him in his place and and tries to find Hal — who isn’t there. Carol believes he took off again, running from his problems, because he can’t face the reality of “the accident” and the fact that Hal’s actions have consequences.

Meanwhile… The yellow scary thing keeps coming…

And the Green Lantern ring starts to pulse! I mean, they established that there’s a warning sign when something bad is happening. Hal isn’t done with his training, but a few of the Green Lanterns go with him to check out the very. bad. thing. They fight Parallax and lose badly. Hal is told he has to return to Oa, but he can’t when he realizes it’s heading for Earth. Sinestro tells him he has to choose. Is it warn Earth or do his duty? Hal wants to warn Earth so he gives up the ring and wakes up at home. The yellow thing is still coming, but it’s not there just yet. Hal takes the opportunity to find love interest, beg forgiveness, have the slow scene, and confesses where he’s been. They have their moment, go to the party where he can warn military chiefs what to watch out for, and creepy scientist guy kidnaps love interest and flies off to welcome his master.

Hal, being a pilot, steals a plane to meet Hammond head on before he has a chance to warn the military. Again, highlighting his impulsiveness. Only, yellow thing causes turbulence, his plane is about to crash, and he’s rescued by Kilowog and Tomar-Re who gives him his ring back and defies Sinestro’s command. The three of them fight off Parallax back into the atmosphere. Hal has to make a choice. Leave Carol on the ground with Hector or element the bigger threat. This time, Hal has to decide whether or not to sacrifice the one (his true love) for the good of the many. There’s a moment when he tells Carol to not be afraid, to use that to fight Hector. She goes on fighting/running because she’s not afraid. She has faith that she has the ability to escape mostly unharmed. (After all, my female characters aren’t going to fall apart in a ball of goo because their man isn’t there to rescue them…)

They separate, Hal does his sun damage thing (Wonder what kind of SPF you’d need to block that…) he returns and finds Hector’s weakened, but not out. They duke it out, Hal reinforces his faith in the ring, says the oath and blammo! L’il scientist bits everywhere.

Amid the screaming sirens of military vehicles and cop cars, Carol says: “Well, that was fun.” Without hesitation, he grabs her, gives her a big smooch, says “Be home for dinner,” and flies off into the stars.

Oh, and that last scene with Sinestro? A yellow ring flies off of Parallax’s finger and lands in the palm of his hand.

Yep, I think I totally nerd-ed myself out. Sigh.

Mood: Effing Awesome.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Two, but will divulge in more.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Off day
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): Sacrificed writing time for cleaning time. In a cleaning groove. Watch out dastardly dust bunnies!
In My Ears: The Jack Pack 2 for Nightmare Before Christmas
Game Last Played: Farmerama
Movie Last Viewed: Red
Book Last Read: Leaves of Flame by Benjamin Tate
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with soft pink and black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

In my fiction, I have written Native American characters (The Queen of Crows), Latina characters (“Tailfeather“), Black-American characters (“Tomorrow’s Precious Lambs“), and a mixture of characters from different European countries and other parts of the United States in stories like “Twin Designs“. I have not yet written, but plan on doing so at some point, a Japanese fantasy story and a Chinese horror tale.

In gaming, I strive to represent a mixture of female characters who do not wear chainmail bikinis. For example, when I wrote Exquisite Replicas, I penned an entire chapter from a fifty-year-old woman’s point-of-view. Mind you, I have nothing against chainmail bikinis, but I do like to offer multiple approaches for characters in my game writing. There, the issue of writing about race evolves depending upon the setting of the game I’m writing for.

Have I done this by choice? Did I know that I was going to write about different cultures when I wrote my stories and game material? Yes and no. I’m always excited to dive into a setting and I feel culture within the context of fiction is a crucial part of world building. I don’t write about different cultures than my own because I feel obligated to or because I’m trying to make a statement. I do it because it comes natural to me. In most cases the characters are, after all, human.

It deeply troubles me that our society has yet to move past labeling anyone who is not like us as “the other.” Even though my skin is olive, I have experienced many things in my life as “the other.” I think on some level anyone who’s been bullied or put down for being different understands (or should, rather) why race discrimination is a big deal. If we tap into our ability to empathize with another human being, I believe we’d have less problems with this. Now, before you say “Wheeeeee! Monica sounds like a crazy hippie!” Please keep in mind that I know people do very. bad. things. to other people and yes, they have to be stopped. However, I question why anyone would label an entire race of people as “bad” because of the rotten apples. I have nothing but respect for anyone in any military capacity; that has to be the toughest job imaginable and I feel we should do more for our veterans.

Anyway, I digress… Apologies…

Understanding that uncomfortable awful feeling of being punished for how you were born rather than who you are is why I obsess about immersing myself in a character or culture to get the details right. In a story, I want my characters to be believable, but I also want them to be read by anyone — regardless of race, religion, or creed. The trick, for me, is to provide enough details to let your imagination fill in the gaps. That means I look for the obvious errors that may remove the reader out of that experience. I don’t (and I mean this with all sincerity) create a character with a different cultural background or sexual orientation just because. There’s usually a reason why I do and, if you ever read my work, you’ll understand why. Culture is not a set of clothes I tack on to a character; it’s often integrated in the story and affects how the character sees and interacts with the world.

Yesterday, I found myself in an uncomfortable position. I’m working on a story for [redacted] and I realized that if I go through with what the story wants to be, I’m probably going to piss a whole lot of people off in the process. And I got mad! I was furious that I felt pinned to the wall, that I couldn’t write a story, because I was afraid of reader reactions that hadn’t happened yet. I questioned my sanity. I said: “Monica, are you sure you really want to write this shit?” Yes, yes I do.

Then, I got a comment yesterday from someone who was part Native-American who enjoyed The Queen of Crows. There’s always been this stigma related to non-indigenous authors writing Native-American fiction regardless of what tribe it is. Most publishers don’t want those stories either because it’s not a “hot” genre and I’ve talked to a few who were worried about backlash. I knew that before I wrote it, but I really wanted to write Mahochepi’s origin story because she’s a central figure in my urban fantasy setting. The goal was to get readers interested in my works of fiction, and putting this together helped me achieve that goal. But that doesn’t change the fact that the topic itself was taboo and, if I didn’t do it right, would backfire with a capital “B” as these things tend to do.

Sounds stupid, but it’s amazing what “one” positive comment will do sometimes when it hits at exactly the right moment. Anyway, I’m writing the hell out of this particular story and gods-be-damned it may piss everyone off, but it’s a story that needs to be told. For that matter, I hope people would seriously consider writing about characters that aren’t “the magical black man” or “the wise and honorable Asian master.” So tired of the tropes as a way to say, “Hey, yeah… So I suppose there’s non-white people out there. This one’s for you, bud.” There’s seven billion people on the planet. Of course there’s non-white people out there. As an author, I want to explore human nature within the context of my work and that means writing about people that aren’t like me.

Bah. If you need me, I’ll be over here, worrying about whether or not I’ve told you a good story. After all, that’s my job!

Mood: Contemplative
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Two. I think it’s a pot of coffee kind of a day.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Holy hell, thirty on the Machine of Doom.
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): ~2,000
In My Ears: “Frozen Memories” on Winter’s Eve by Nox Arcana
Game Last Played: Farmerama
Movie Last Viewed: Red
Book Last Read: Leaves of Flame by Benjamin Tate
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with soft pink and black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

I think I mentioned this last week, but I usually spend a portion of the winter holidays thinking about what happened the past year. There are many things I’m grateful for like Speak Out with your Geek Out, the fact that everyone at Steve Jackson Games not only understands my jokes but riffs off of them, that John Kovalic is made out of win, that I’ve been able to tap into a community of beaders who are the nicest, sweetest, ladies you’ll ever meet, and that I’m deeply and truly loved. The list goes on and on and on. (On the writing front, there’s so much to talk about that I’ll sum up what I’ve done there in a separate post.)

But the one thing I’m not grateful for is the bullsh*t I’ve had to deal with that didn’t have anything to do with writing. (I’ll explain why in a minute.) Here’s a few examples of what I’m talking about. The author who publicly attacked me because I couldn’t possibly know what I’m talking about because I’m not popular. The author I helped with writing advice who feels compelled to boast about their accomplishments every time I see them and leaves before I’ve had a chance to share my own success story. The pervasive attitude that: “Hey, you should promote my stuff and my stuff only because that’s what you do, right?” Never mind the fact that I might need help, too. Sheesh!

Why did any of this bother me? If I’m secure in myself and my writing, it shouldn’t. Right? Right, yes. Absolutely, but to a point. It’s not the one comment that bothers me. It’s the fact that I can’t tell these people to “Piss off!” I have to smile and nod and move on because that’s the professional thing to do. And? Some people know that and not only take advantage of it, but also put my work down in the process.

In some ways, I feel like this is a rite of passage for almost any author. I’ve heard others say the same exact thing. Oh, smile and nod. Don’t complain. Be the better woman. Many of my friends take comfort in their readers as a way to validate what they’re doing. I have a vocal minority of readers who do touch base with me from time to time, but I haven’t really put a lot of thought (or effort) into focusing on getting a huge fan base. I’m just not ready for that and, quite frankly, I’ve always been the smartass who’s more comfortable at the back of the class. If my career warrants that? Then no doubt I’ll go in boobs first, whether I’m willing to or not. Right now, I’m putting all my focus on my work, because that’s where it needs to be right now.

Still, nothing I just said resolves the issue of keeping the wolves at bay. So how do I do it? Well, if you’re an jerk to me I may be smiling, but that doesn’t mean I’m not telling you to piss off with my mind right before I politely put you on mute. You may force me to deal with you, but that doesn’t mean I have to play by your rules. Go find someone else to bully. Asshole. ‘Cause I’m the type of woman who will make her own cool.

Also? Beer helps.

Mood: Hungry. Does anything else matter?
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Two with the definite potential for more.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Scheduled off day.
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): ~3,500
In My Ears: “Time Slips Away” from Winter’s Eve by Nox Arcana
Game Last Played: Picross 3-D for Nintendo DS
Movie Last Viewed: Red
Book Last Read: Organizing Your Life for Dummies
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with soft pink and black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

If you read about my post-project burnout, you might have seen a list of things I was going to do to circumvent the issue. I started this weekend by organizing the mess of my bead components, going to the gym, and getting/spoiling self rotten. As it turns out, I’ll probably have to do monthly bead organization as opposed to whenever it gets out of control. Will post pictures soon (I promise) but I think I may be heading over to the dark side of falling for “the sparklies.”

On the writing front, I knocked out 1,500 words yesterday. Not great, but it’s more than zero and they were fun words to write. To be honest with you, I feel like emphasizing word count isn’t as important as focusing on what I’m working on. What posting word count does for me, is account for the discipline of writing as opposed to the quality of it. Two, very different things. I could write 4,000 crap words in a couple of hours (Which I have done) and be miserable revising them OR I could pen 2,000 words in the same amount of time that I’m somewhat happy with. Oh, if only there was some way to capture my words by filtering them through a direct-to-screen cybernetic connection.

In other news, apparently I have a disorder. This is the sad, sad conversation I had with my SO.

ME: I have a disorder!
SO: Oh? *eyebrow raise* <--Note the typical response. ME: Yep, it's Schizotypal Personality. SO: What's it mean? ME: I’m eccentric!
SO: Lame.

Yes, apparently there was a study reported on Scientific American to once and for all prove that eccentric people are, indeed, eccentric. I find great humor in this.

Before I leave you to attack another pile on my desk, I’d like to share two important pieces of news. The first, is that you can win a copy of Strange, Dead Love by reading my article. Lori Devoti is running a 30 Days of Vampires series and there’s some great stuff on her site. Check it out! The second, is that FR Press announced Slices of Fate: the collected works of Eddy Webb. This is the first collection for FR Press which was edited by yours truly.

Mood: Focused with elements of sarcasm
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: More than I’d care to admit
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Twenty-Five on a Monster of a Machine
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): 1,500
In My Ears: Nothing
Game Last Played: Picross 3-D for Nintendo DS
Movie Last Viewed: Red
Book Last Read: Organizing Your Life for Dummies
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with soft pink and black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem