PUBLISHING ON THE AMAZON KINDLE:  MY EXPERIENCE

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been in somewhat of a writing rut lately.  Don’t get me wrong, I did finish a new story and am working on a new one as we speak, but this was a pretty nasty rut.  I was getting rejections for all of my short story submissions and I don’t care how many times you get a rejection or how used to it you’ve become, it still stings and can really leave you feeling unmotivated.  I think that was my problem for a while.  Sure, there’s the drive to write because I’m passionate about it and it’s what I enjoy doing, but feeling like I wasn’t getting anywhere with my submissions left a dent in my desire to write.

And then, it hit me.  I found out that Amazon has a self-publishing program where you can self-publish your writing exclusively for the Kindle free of charge.  Not only that, but you get to have more of a say when it comes down to pricing, something I was never comfortable with on my previous short story collection, Falling Apart.  I was proud of the book and all (and still am), but I was never comfortable with the pricing of it, which is why you don’t see me plugging it all that much.  Hell, I even think the Kindle edition of it is still nowhere near the price range I’d like it to be—and it turned out horrible looking (it’s readable, but it should’ve turned out a lot better).

That’s when the desire returned.

I decided I was going to give this new adventure a try.  What the hell?  I certainly wouldn’t be losing money on it like with my other self-publishing experiences.  I love the Amazon Kindle and I know a lot of people who now own one (you can also download a free Kindle app for the PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Droid).

IN DECLINE as seen on the Kindle

So, I have put together a new short story collection called, In Decline.  I submitted it to Amazon dtp (Digital Text Platform) once I had everything all sorted out.  At first, I thought this would be a small project, maybe consisting of five stories or so.  Then, I ended up having total of nine.  I was a lot more selective this time around than I was with Falling Apart, since that was more of a physical publication I felt like I had to make sure it was at a reasonable length.  Since this is an e-book, I really didn’t have to worry about how long the overall book would be.  There are stories that didn’t make the collection, but not because they aren’t good.  I just picked the ones that I felt went together well.

Confession time.

I haven’t done a lot of writing over the past few months which is a violation of my goal to do a little bit of writing each day. In my desire to get back into the saddle, I began to rummage through my notes to see what I could develop into a small project to get the juices flowing.  I came across some notes titled “Within Earshot” – if the title sounds familiar it’s a direct lift from a song / snippet by recording artist Kenna.

Immediately I was reminded of a tip from Mike C. about finding inspiration in the very same playlist you’re using while you work.  The gist was to pay attention to the titles in your playlist and pick one to develop a story idea out of.

That’s not new, dude.

You’re right, it isn’t and it’s very likely the story you get from it will be either. This exercise is less about the product and more about the process. You want to develop the habit of piecing together your ideas and shaping them into narratives and then full on stories. These stories may never see the light of day in the final forms you give them for the project. However there’s a good bet that more refined versions of characters & concepts may creep their way into the work that does make it out into public view.

What did you come up with?

I’ll with you the nuts and bolts of  “Within Earshot”, it’s not much but you can at least see how far you can get from a song title.

This particular one brought about 2 different projects technically but at a point I began to experiment with splicing them into one.

One involved a sort Rip Van Winkle situation, life and the people in it sucked so bad for one guy he tries to run away from it only to fall into a coma and sleep through the apocalypse. He wakes up  to find everything he liked and loathed are gone and tries his best to adjust to life as it has become.

Not much orginality there but enough to play with.

The other was  something slightly more original. The story involved someone coming to grips with possibility that their whole life has been a fantasy of their best friend. Yes, an imaginary friend lasts way past the sell-by date and becomes self-aware.

That’s it, one song gives me two stories and enough material to play around with as a daily excercise.

You try it.

Pull out the mp3 player, go through your playlist and take the title of the song that catches your eye and get to writing. Write until you feel you can’t add any more to the idea and then move to another song on the playlist.

Remember, even movie reviews can be an exercise in writing!

REVIEWING FILM

Are you a film lover? Do you get passionate over certain movies and are always willing to discuss or debate with others? You may want to consider reviewing movies, if that’s the case. You don’t have to be a certified critic to do it. There are plenty of non-paying places like Amazon where you can have your voice heard, or you could seek out other places that may offer payment or free movies for you to review (if you’re looking for the second option, then it’s good to practice reviewing on sites like Amazon, that way you have some examples you can send).I’m a film lover. In no way am I a professional critic, but I think I have the chops to write out a review here and there when the mood strikes me. Plus, it’s another grand excuse to write. Remember, writing anything is better than nothing. It’s a great outlet if you’re stumped on whatever writing project you’re tackling at the moment, as it still forces you to exercise your writing skills.So how do you properly review a film? Well, there are many ways. I’m not here to tell you how to specifically do that. Again, I’m no professional, so I really have no right to tell you how to conduct a review. What I can do is offer some suggestions and walk you through on some of the things I consider when I’m doing a review. In no way is this meant to be a how-to. My only hope is that some of my caffeinated-induced babble will help so I can sleep better at night thinking that I’m actually doing something helpful. Seriously, that’s the truth right there.

WHATEVER YOU REVIEW, BE PASSIONATE!

If you’re doing reviews for fun and you’re in complete control of everything that you want to review, always choose something you’re passionate about. Writing a review for something that you really feel indifferent about can be rough. It makes sense. What kind of movie is easier for you to talk about with others? Something that left no impression whatsoever on you, or something that was able to get a rise out of you? And when I say be passionate, it doesn’t have to be positive. You can passionately hate something, too. We’ve all seen a movie here and there that left us with so much hatred that all we could do was rant about it for days and days. Write it in a review! Trust me, your friends will thank you for not having to hear you scream about the movie for the millionth time.

IF IT “ROCKS,” SAY WHY. IF IT “SUCKS,” SAY WHY.

While some professionals may frown if you use those two terms, it’s actually quite acceptable. You can say something sucks. You can say something rocks. However, explain why something sucks or rocks. Don’t say, “This movie sucks,” and leave it at that. “This movie rocks!” is equally annoying when there’s no explanation for it. Give reasons behind those opinions! “This movie sucked because the performances weren’t there and the writing was not only hacky, but also one-dimensional,” at least tells the story.

PLEASE, DON’T PULL A HOMER SIMPSON.

If you’re a fan of “The Simpsons,” then I’m sure you remember the classic scene where Homer went with Marge to see “The Empire Strikes Back” and comments to her as they’re leaving the theater that he couldn’t believe that Darth Vader was Luke’s father, only to meet the unpleasant groans of movie-goers who were waiting in line to see the next showing. As funny as that scene is, spoilers are no laughing matter. In fact, people often avoid reading reviews for fear of the reviewer giving away too much of the plot or secrets. Do your best to avoid this, and if you must give away something crucial, at least warn the reader before doing so. Also, there is nothing wrong with letting the reader know that your review is “spoiler-free.” Giving away spoilers is the most common sin that is committed when it comes to reviews, and even the professionals are guilty of this crime. Re-read your review many times just to be sure that you haven’t given away something that should be discovered when it is seen on the big screen for the very first time. I know, it can be rough not to give away details. Hell, when I wrote my review for “Inglourious Basterds” I had to restrain myself from giving away too much of the plot and story. Would my review have been better if I went into more detail? Certainly, but the person reading the review would have to suffer for it. Think carefully when it comes to writing about the story and plot. To me, that is the most important rule… and it is also the most difficult to follow.

The silent treatment.

Yes, the blog posts have come few & far between. Life is what happens in the time it takes to register what’s gone before your eyes and blink before asking “what just happened here?” The day job demanded my full attention and I obeyed out of fear that I’d be hungry, naked & in the dark. I’m going to have to remedy the dry spells though, as I feel there is so much more that could be happening with this blog.

Guest Bloggers?

The man idea I’ve been tossing around is searching for other artists and writers & multi-faceted creators to share opinions, observations & tips with us to help with the creative journey. I’m going to work twitter like a Tijuana hooker old rented mule well oiled machine to see if I can find a few brave suckers volunteers to help with the cause.

Speaking of life…

I wear a lot of hats. [Yes, I know I have a big head.] Not only am I doing graphic design by day but in my spare time I’m either practicing my writing or designing for my tee shirt line. Admittedly I’m also feeding my twitter addiction in hopes of attracting more folks to join in on the madness.  What I’d like to do is develop an active list of people who view this blog & use twitter so that we can develop a network associated with the subject matter of the blog as well as our other interests.

Which, in my case I’m looking for an artist or two wanting in on the t-shirt biz. I want to incorporate my designs with comic related art for something different.

This blog still sucks.

Information wise I guess it’s ok, but looks wise I’m still not happy. One of these days I’ll build it myself or at least have somebody I trust have a go. Untile then, yes, I know it sucks.

I need pictures.

What will also help it not suck is a bit of eye candy, I rarely have time to do any art work, so I’m asking my fellow creators out there to lend a hand. If you have some original work that can spruce up the looks of things around here and youw ant a little exposure, let’s make a deal, bktribals [at] inkwest.net.

Don’t panic.

You’re sitting somewhere either looking at a blank document on a screen or for you traditional types, a blank sheet of paper. You want to do this right and make something that not only do you enjoy creating but that other will enjoy viewing. You take a deep breath, close your eyes and begin to imagine scenarios, characters, environments and any and everything possible to create a rich selection of material.  After a few moments you realize there is more trying to spill out of your mind than your hands will allow you to commit to form. You’re trying not to think about it but it’s growing into an inconvenience.

Guess what, too much is good; too little is good too. Strange isn’t it?

Get it in writing!

Forget organizing for now, just get as much of it down as you can. I’ve learned from design that often too much material is just enough material. You can whittle it down to something clear easier than it would be to add to something that didn’t start out as robust but either way, you’ll end up with something worth while as long as you allow the creativity to flow unfettered. Keep this material where you can access it later, treat it as the road map to the finished product.

Time is on your side; yes it is.

Unless you’ve made it and work a studio job and you’re on the clock, you’ve got time whether you believe it or not. Take your time, and write what comes to you even if it isn’t a fully realized idea. Hopefully you’ll have accumulated everything you need to finish the project. Again, don’t panic this is one of those areas where it’s easy to get caught up. Creativity blocks are the enemy!

Now that you’re under way…

We can begin to sort a few things, let’s start with overall concepts. Let me start by saying something that no matter how old it gets it remains relevant: There aren’t many originals ideas left. Let me say it again: THERE AREN’T MANY ORIGINAL IDEAS LEFT!

Scratching your head yet?

Think about it, most of the stories you read or write are mash-ups and rehashes of older stories, what makes them all unique and seem original are often how they are presented, not necessarily what the plot consists of. Let’s be honest, Season 1 of Heroes was Watchmen. Doomsday (all 10 of you that saw it…) was escape from Scotland (she was snake, eye patch and all!) The 13th Warrior & the Friday the 13th movies were based off of Beowulf & Grendel. The Matrix was every Anime worth watching + the Shaw brothers’ library + glossed over new age & eastern philosophy. Nothing is new.

Don’t fret; what this does is clear you of the burden of trying to reinvent the wheel.

The wheel is a good design; it works so there’s no need to fix it. You can however either dress it up or invent something that utilizes the wheel. You’re not after the wheel; you’re after the latest Lamborghini. Don’t be afraid to take something you like or hate and chop it to pieces and put it together in a way you see fit. Make sure you take great effort to improve where possible and take a different direction! This is where originality lies; the door they did not open is they very door you should be kicking down.

Keep it real, or not, or keep it really real. What?

Let’s say you’ve got your concept, now you’ve got to do something that is often overlooked. You’ve got to establish authenticity. Now I’m not talking about full on accuracy, if your story is about unicorns and fairies you’re already off the regular path. What I’m talking about is the authenticity you set up within the confines of your concept. If your story is fantasy based, it should contain basic fantasy elements as much as possible. In other words, your magic should be magic; your science should be science unless you can convincingly mash-up genres.

Your wheels do need brakes.

Now I know I said there’s not really such a thing as too much but there is such a thing as veering into the wrong lane. If you begin with a concept and end up expanding it beyond where you can actually build your characters & storylines, you’re pushing the scope & scale for no reason. Pull back but again, keep that material somewhere.

Keep Writing.

In summary: Don’t be afraid if once your creative juices start flowing you end up with way more material than you can handle. Just forget about time and organization long enough to collect the overflowing material. You can always go back to it.

Once you get that and begin to develop your concept, don’t get trapped into thinking you’re going to come up with something new. Instead start with something recognizable and begin to modify it until it is unique.

With your unique concept in place, analyze it and recognize the reality of it in order to maintain authenticity within the bounds of your story. If it doesn’t seem to fit the story it probably has to do with a conflict with the reality of the story.

Finally, trim the fat; if it goes beyond your storyline and does nothing to help the plot, set it aside for something else.