I think, when people talk about genres, most people think of them in terms of what the story is about. Instead, I think a genre is really much more about who the audience is for a particular story.
I recently came across a fascinating analysis of spec script sales by genre from the Go Into The Story blog by Scott Myers. A "spec" script is when a screenwriter sells a script "on spec," which means they weren't hired to write a specific story; instead, they write whatever they think will be marketable and then hope to sell it to a producer. They are speculating, gambling their time and effort in hopes of a future sale. It's always interesting to see what kinds of stories Hollywood thinks will make them money. What I find particularly interesting, is to see the breakdown by the four major Hollywood genres: Action, Thriller, Comedy, and Drama.
Showing posts with label Editorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Editorial. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Storytelling Is Time Travel
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| This is why there is so much construction on the freeway of my daily commute. |
We're already 10/365ths (or 0.027397260 for you math whizzes) into the new year. So most of the yearly future predictions have already been predicted (December is that magical portal in-between the "Top-[insert number here]" lists of what has already happened and the "Top-[insert number here]" of what might happen - the internet loves lists even more than usual at this time of year.) How does this possibly relate to writing stories, you ask?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Flying Cars, Jetpacks, and Video Phones
Let's see... Wright Brothers - 1903. Apollo - 1969. Moon Base Alpha - 1979. Clark County Space Station - 1989. Asimov Mars Base 1 - 1999. Right? Right?!
Well, maybe not quite. As I mentioned in The Orion Battleship, Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we will. And conversely, just because we haven't done something, doesn't mean we can't do it. Yes, there is no Mars base. And the progress curve from Kitty Hawk to Apollo suddenly plateaued just when it looked like it was going to reach all the way to infinity. The problem, of course, is staring you in the face. That's right, blame it on your iMac. Or that box wired to your flat panel monitor. The trouble all started with the transistor.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The eBook Revolution and the New Writer - Part 2
If you've already read Part-1, welcome back. If not, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure out what's going on. On second thought, this is a bit of a tangent before I bring it all together, so maybe read Part-1 first after all.
Part-2
Here's a short tale, beginning with a quote from Peter Egan:
I liked some of the columns so much I would cut them out and put them on my fridge. One of my favorites was when Peter told the story of what happened when he and his friends were testing some cars at the local race track. It's been a while, so my apologies to Mr. Egan if I get the details wrong.
Some guy rolled up in a 300ZX or maybe it was a 944 (I told you it was a while ago.) The guy started chatting with them about cars and racing etc. Then he said something to the effect of "Ya know, I've always wanted to go racing..." Which of course, pushed the wrong button for Peter's friend (sorry, nameless friend, Google wasn't much help this time.) Peter's friend had probably heard some version of this a thousand times. One thousand and one was apparently one too many. He said to the guy: "No you haven't. You haven't always wanted to race." The point being, if this guy had "always wanted to go racing," he would have. But he didn't.
Instead, this guy chose to do other things with his time, money and effort. Which is perfectly fine, of course. But he enjoyed believing that someday he would choose differently and actually go racing.
The rest of the column was about how we all have things we might like to say we've always wanted to do. But truthfully, we really didn't always want to do them. Instead, they were just things we'd idly think about once in a while. And usually that thought would involve the word "someday." But you can't put "someday" in your iCal, can you?
I'm sure many philosophers or self-help gurus have already covered this ground, but it seems to me that people eventually end up just where they really want to be, whether they want to admit it or not. So Peter told about things he'd thought he'd always wanted to do and the things he actually did. Some things, like skydiving, were just occasional thoughts he would have, but other things, like racing and writing, were passions. You see, life can interfere with the best laid plans, but where passions are concerned, you find a way.
It may involve sacrifice and setting priorities. It might even take a long time. I'm sure when Peter's friends were going out to dinner, driving brand new cars, and buying new houses, he was perfectly happy with the beat up old station wagon that doubled as a tow car and spending all his disposable income on used tires and other parts for his race car. Instead of having stuff, Peter chose to do his passion. I'd think he'd say it turned out pretty well. By the time he wrote that article, he was living his dream, testing cars on a race track and getting paid to write about it. Something he probably would have gladly done for free. He's continued to live that dream in the decades since then.
But, it's not as if he just magically woke up one morning and found he was working for Road & Track and suddenly living his dream. He'd been living that dream all along, even when subsisting on PB&J while sleeping in the back of his station wagon on race weekend, before he "made it big." And it was all because he believed doing beats having.
So the moral of this little tale, and how it relates to ePublishing and the New Writer, is this:
If somebody (such as imaginary Bart from Part-1 - see, go read Part-1 if you haven't) has written a book and published it on Amazon & Smashwords, etc., that's only the beginning, not the end result. Bart is already beyond the "someday" phase, which is great. But he needs to keep going. If his passion is writing, then he needs to just do it and not worry about sales and how many followers his Facebook and Twitter accounts have. What he does need to do is write more books and have an idea what he will be writing next month and next year. Writing and finishing a book is a great accomplishment. I am sincere when I say "Congratulations." I am sarcastic when I say "Now go celebrate it with a million other people in exactly the same boat as you."
Note: I am not saying "Build it and they will come." I'm not saying marketing isn't important. But look at the big picture. Don't get caught up in the hype of this new thing called ePublishing. If writing is your passion, then make it your career. You're not going to be able to quit your day job overnight. But have a plan. Literally make a business plan. Google it. Figure out where you want your writing career to be in a year, three years, five years, ten years from now. If you want to have the success of a pro, then act like a pro and be a pro. Set your goals, then make a map of how you want to get there one step at a time.
None of the ePublishing success stories happened over night or in one month. They all required a lot of hard work, time, and effort. You might have to sacrifice some things. Maybe you have to get up an hour or two earlier to find the time to write. Maybe you will need to pass on that new TV and invest in better cover art or editing for your next book. Doing beats having.
The New Writer is the same as the Old Writer, except now we have more options, and more control. With this new power comes new responsibility. Instead of getting caught up in who has what sales, take charge of your own writing. Make it as good as you can. The New Writer is their own CEO and the head of their own marketing and art departments. Delegate to others if you have the budget, but remember it's all up to you, so you better be prepared.
So I would say to Bart, don't worry about whether you sell 10 books in a month or a hundred. You will do fine if you think long term. If this is your passion, then you're here to stay. You're doing your dream. If you keep doing that, then success will come.
But, what do I know -- it's taken me 30 years just to get three short stories independently published ;)
Part-2
Here's a short tale, beginning with a quote from Peter Egan:
"In any contest between the two, doing beats having every time."I've been a gearhead for almost as long as I've been making up stories. In my misspent youth, I used to devour every issue of Road & Track. The first thing I would read in every issue was the column by Peter Egan, called Side Glances. The columns easily equaled (and many times even surpassed) the thrilling racing reports, luscious Lamborghini photos, and retrospectives on such classics as the '38 Phantom Corsair. Side Glances often had humorous stories about old sports cars (usually British) combined with little nuggets of wisdom about life. It always related to cars in some way, but you never knew exactly where it would end up. A side glance as you travel down the road of life, I guess.
I liked some of the columns so much I would cut them out and put them on my fridge. One of my favorites was when Peter told the story of what happened when he and his friends were testing some cars at the local race track. It's been a while, so my apologies to Mr. Egan if I get the details wrong.
Some guy rolled up in a 300ZX or maybe it was a 944 (I told you it was a while ago.) The guy started chatting with them about cars and racing etc. Then he said something to the effect of "Ya know, I've always wanted to go racing..." Which of course, pushed the wrong button for Peter's friend (sorry, nameless friend, Google wasn't much help this time.) Peter's friend had probably heard some version of this a thousand times. One thousand and one was apparently one too many. He said to the guy: "No you haven't. You haven't always wanted to race." The point being, if this guy had "always wanted to go racing," he would have. But he didn't.
Instead, this guy chose to do other things with his time, money and effort. Which is perfectly fine, of course. But he enjoyed believing that someday he would choose differently and actually go racing.
The rest of the column was about how we all have things we might like to say we've always wanted to do. But truthfully, we really didn't always want to do them. Instead, they were just things we'd idly think about once in a while. And usually that thought would involve the word "someday." But you can't put "someday" in your iCal, can you?
I'm sure many philosophers or self-help gurus have already covered this ground, but it seems to me that people eventually end up just where they really want to be, whether they want to admit it or not. So Peter told about things he'd thought he'd always wanted to do and the things he actually did. Some things, like skydiving, were just occasional thoughts he would have, but other things, like racing and writing, were passions. You see, life can interfere with the best laid plans, but where passions are concerned, you find a way.
It may involve sacrifice and setting priorities. It might even take a long time. I'm sure when Peter's friends were going out to dinner, driving brand new cars, and buying new houses, he was perfectly happy with the beat up old station wagon that doubled as a tow car and spending all his disposable income on used tires and other parts for his race car. Instead of having stuff, Peter chose to do his passion. I'd think he'd say it turned out pretty well. By the time he wrote that article, he was living his dream, testing cars on a race track and getting paid to write about it. Something he probably would have gladly done for free. He's continued to live that dream in the decades since then.
But, it's not as if he just magically woke up one morning and found he was working for Road & Track and suddenly living his dream. He'd been living that dream all along, even when subsisting on PB&J while sleeping in the back of his station wagon on race weekend, before he "made it big." And it was all because he believed doing beats having.
So the moral of this little tale, and how it relates to ePublishing and the New Writer, is this:
If somebody (such as imaginary Bart from Part-1 - see, go read Part-1 if you haven't) has written a book and published it on Amazon & Smashwords, etc., that's only the beginning, not the end result. Bart is already beyond the "someday" phase, which is great. But he needs to keep going. If his passion is writing, then he needs to just do it and not worry about sales and how many followers his Facebook and Twitter accounts have. What he does need to do is write more books and have an idea what he will be writing next month and next year. Writing and finishing a book is a great accomplishment. I am sincere when I say "Congratulations." I am sarcastic when I say "Now go celebrate it with a million other people in exactly the same boat as you."
Note: I am not saying "Build it and they will come." I'm not saying marketing isn't important. But look at the big picture. Don't get caught up in the hype of this new thing called ePublishing. If writing is your passion, then make it your career. You're not going to be able to quit your day job overnight. But have a plan. Literally make a business plan. Google it. Figure out where you want your writing career to be in a year, three years, five years, ten years from now. If you want to have the success of a pro, then act like a pro and be a pro. Set your goals, then make a map of how you want to get there one step at a time.
None of the ePublishing success stories happened over night or in one month. They all required a lot of hard work, time, and effort. You might have to sacrifice some things. Maybe you have to get up an hour or two earlier to find the time to write. Maybe you will need to pass on that new TV and invest in better cover art or editing for your next book. Doing beats having.
The New Writer is the same as the Old Writer, except now we have more options, and more control. With this new power comes new responsibility. Instead of getting caught up in who has what sales, take charge of your own writing. Make it as good as you can. The New Writer is their own CEO and the head of their own marketing and art departments. Delegate to others if you have the budget, but remember it's all up to you, so you better be prepared.
So I would say to Bart, don't worry about whether you sell 10 books in a month or a hundred. You will do fine if you think long term. If this is your passion, then you're here to stay. You're doing your dream. If you keep doing that, then success will come.
But, what do I know -- it's taken me 30 years just to get three short stories independently published ;)
Monday, June 13, 2011
The eBook Revolution and the New Writer - Part 1
And now an unsolicited Mythik editorial:
Let's dig deep into the ole' Mythik mailbag and see what we can find. Okay, here is a good letter. It's from Bart in Nacogdoches, Texas. Bart writes:
Let's dig deep into the ole' Mythik mailbag and see what we can find. Okay, here is a good letter. It's from Bart in Nacogdoches, Texas. Bart writes:
Dear Mr. Mythik,
I'm an Indy Author and I just published my first novel on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and a bunch of other places. It's been over a month, and I am still not on the best-seller lists. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Bart -- Distressed in NacogdochesFirst of all, Bart, enough with the "mister" stuff. We're pretty casual around here. Second, how should I know? You've been doing this longer than me. Third, you're in luck, because I do actually have a very simple answer to your question. Ready? Pay attention, because it goes by quick. You want to know what you are doing wrong? Okay, here's the answer:
Nothing. There ya go.
All right, I have to admit there is no Mythik mailbag, and nobody is sending letters (how very 20th century) to Mr. Mythik. But if they did, I would give them the same answer as I did to imaginary Bart.
I know what you're thinking. What do I know about this stuff, right? Why should I be talking about this? The reason I bring this up at all is because I've noticed a lot of things flying around the invisible airwaves of the internet about the eBook Revolution, and what I am terming the "New Writer" (which will soon become like "New Media" i.e. not "new" at all after a while.) There's tons of speculation and advice about ePublishing and even a few facts here and there. One fact you may have noticed is all those people who are suddenly toting around these anorexic Tricorder-like devices called Kindles, Nooks, iPads etc. And, much like cell phones in the late '90s, I don't think they are going away any time soon. As a speculative fiction writer, I love to, um, speculate on the real-life trends of our world of the future. So I give you my (no doubt, unasked for) 2 cents of opinion of ePublishing in two easy parts:
Part-1
I will assume imaginary Bart isn't involved in some sort of eBook Get Rich Quick Scam. It goes without saying that people who use software to automatically self-publish thousands of spam and plagiarized books are bad apples that just irritate readers and add noise to the electronic bookshelves, making it hard to find the good stuff. This is why I prefer the term independent rather than self-published. I know, a label shouldn't matter, but here's why I make the distinction: Any yahoo with a computer can self-publish an eBook. Even if they aren't actually scamming or spamming, there's no guarantee they aren't just uploading random words. I've hit the "send sample" button and received a book with 20 blank pages (well not totally blank - some of them had a few dashes on them. Modern art, perhaps, or maybe a secret code, but it definitely didn't entice me to spend $2.99 to find out how it ended.)
I like the term independent, as used in independent film, because it just means it is produced outside of the Hollywood major studio system. It does not mean unprofessional. It doesn't necessarily always mean low budget either, although it usually is when compared to the average Hollywood movie. In the ePublishing world, I define independent as outside the much maligned big publishing system. It can be a first-time author on a shoe-string budget (or no budget,) or it could be an established writer with dozens of backlist books. I'll get into this a bit more in a future post, but here's my definition of an Indy Author:
"Someone who does all the things a "traditional" publisher would, only on a smaller scale. (And theoretically, faster, cheaper, and hopefully better. Not better because of some magical "Indy Spirit," but potentially better because of an attention to detail that should be possible when the artist has all the control and is willing to shoulder all of the responsibility.) They may do the artwork, editing, formatting, marketing etc. on their own, or hire professionals to do these tasks. The end result is professional and should be as good or better than traditional publishing companies. The reader should be unable to distinguish Indy from traditional based on format and presentation."
Notice, there is nothing in the definition about quality of story content. Hey Bart, your historical comedy-romance about the Black Plague may outsell J.K. Rowling and Stephen King combined, who knows. That's for the reader to decide. But if you get a 1-star review, then just deal with it. As long as what the reviewer complained about was lifeless characters, dull setting, and boring plot, you will be fine. If writing is your passion, you'll either adapt and make the necessary adjustments or decide that Black Plague comedy isn't that particular reviewer's cup of tea. Critics disagree all the time. Art is subjective, especially when people spend their hard earned money on it. But if the critics complain that your book is equivalent to a bad YouTube video shot on a cell phone in a dark room with unintelligible audio, you're in trouble.
So, let's also assume that Bart's book is not plagued (ha, get it?) by wordssmashedtogether wit-h occ-asion-al hyp-hens in the wrong places or wŦŒird charaĦ■◗cters and all the other things (misspellings, atrocious grammar, etc.) hard working readers rightly complain about. Let's also assume that the book does have a potential audience somewhere out there. That brings us to Part-2.
Which will be continued next time :)
Go to Part-2
So, let's also assume that Bart's book is not plagued (ha, get it?) by wordssmashedtogether wit-h occ-asion-al hyp-hens in the wrong places or wŦŒird charaĦ■◗cters and all the other things (misspellings, atrocious grammar, etc.) hard working readers rightly complain about. Let's also assume that the book does have a potential audience somewhere out there. That brings us to Part-2.
Which will be continued next time :)
Go to Part-2
Saturday, May 7, 2011
How Thor and the Comic Universe Will Take Over The World
Every time I pass a bus stop, Thor is looking at me. The problem is that his face is covered by words that look like some kind of super-heroic acne. So, we begin another summer with another comic book superhero movie. How is Thor a superhero, anyway? Obviously I don't know much about the comic, but yeah, I always did wonder how a deity fit into the Marvel Universe. Is Asgard really an alien planet or something?
I suppose these and other questions will be answered if I just go see the movie. I've had a troubled relationship with comic-spawned superhero movies: Superman, Batman, Spawn, Spiderman, Batman, Hellboy, Hulk, X-Men, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Wolverine, Watchmen - those are just some of the more famous ones. Now we've got Thor and then Green Lantern and Captain America and Avengers all coming up. I'm not holding my breath for my favorite Grell era Green Arrow to show up any time soon. Gotta love the Sherwood Florist!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are all bad. I really like some of those movies. I'm not passing any kind of judgement at all. But how far away is the day when you go to your local 24 screen megaplex and see nothing but superhero movies? It seems harder and harder to find something that doesn't follow the Hollywood secret formula to success of "Just like X, but slightly different." And that "slightly" part is becoming more and more slight, and usually involves roman numerals. See if you can guess which superhero movie this is:
Note: this isn't some random tirade about "quality" or the lack thereof. This is more a random tirade about quantity. With Hollywood's focus on things that already have a built-in audience, maybe we are missing out on some new, original cool stuff. If you're name isn't Cameron, the soup line of superheroes waiting for studio dollars is just too long to navigate.
Oh well, they say everything goes in cycles, right? I'm sure in the not too distant future somebody will be writing a 3D Telepathic Blog complaining about the glut of 19th century period pieces. "Enough Jane Austin," they will cry, "Give somebody else a chance!"
In the meantime, pass the popcorn and enjoy the show.
I suppose these and other questions will be answered if I just go see the movie. I've had a troubled relationship with comic-spawned superhero movies: Superman, Batman, Spawn, Spiderman, Batman, Hellboy, Hulk, X-Men, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Wolverine, Watchmen - those are just some of the more famous ones. Now we've got Thor and then Green Lantern and Captain America and Avengers all coming up. I'm not holding my breath for my favorite Grell era Green Arrow to show up any time soon. Gotta love the Sherwood Florist!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are all bad. I really like some of those movies. I'm not passing any kind of judgement at all. But how far away is the day when you go to your local 24 screen megaplex and see nothing but superhero movies? It seems harder and harder to find something that doesn't follow the Hollywood secret formula to success of "Just like X, but slightly different." And that "slightly" part is becoming more and more slight, and usually involves roman numerals. See if you can guess which superhero movie this is:
We begin with an Act-1 origin. Then our hero somewhat reluctantly decides to do heroic things. Wait, a Love Interest of some sort interferes with "doing heroic things." In the first part of Act-2 our hero manages to kick some lesser bad guy butt. Here's a good place to throw in a catchy one-liner that can be used in the trailer. Halfway through Act-2 there's a bit of a reversal where the eventual Boss Bad Guy cuts the hero down to size. Some more romance. Then the hero Does Something Stupid, and actually endangers people he is supposed to protect. Then Act-3 is the big confrontation with Boss Bad Guy where the hero wins with the help of Helpful Sidekick, redeems himself and sets up all the sequels. There's probably another catchy one-liner, too. Don't forget to have something cute/cool/mysterious after/during the credits.Even the few cool new ideas like The Matrix quickly become More Of The Same. And if that's not enough, after a few sequels too many, franchise X gets a "reboot" which pretty much ends up being the same places with different faces.
Note: this isn't some random tirade about "quality" or the lack thereof. This is more a random tirade about quantity. With Hollywood's focus on things that already have a built-in audience, maybe we are missing out on some new, original cool stuff. If you're name isn't Cameron, the soup line of superheroes waiting for studio dollars is just too long to navigate.
Oh well, they say everything goes in cycles, right? I'm sure in the not too distant future somebody will be writing a 3D Telepathic Blog complaining about the glut of 19th century period pieces. "Enough Jane Austin," they will cry, "Give somebody else a chance!"
In the meantime, pass the popcorn and enjoy the show.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Golden Age of eBooks
Way back in the day, I remember reading somewhere about the Golden Age of Science Fiction, when people like Asimov and Bradbury and Clarke and Heinlein would all hang out at the same coffee shop and shoot the breeze as they worked on their stories of wonder and amazement. I don’t know if that ever really happened, but I thought the idea was very cool: A small little universe of fans and writers and publishers all together on the same page, so to speak, on a mission to change the world. Then that universe expanded until everybody seemed so spread out that personal contact was mostly a thing of the past.
But today, we are in a new Golden Age. Just like back then, the line between reader and writer is blurred. And instead of a coffee shop, we have Twitter, Facebook and Blogs. And everything is so instant. A reader can post a review in no time at all, for all the world to see. Writers post works in progress and can give day by day accounts of the ups and downs of their creative process. You can buy a book instantly from anywhere and be reading in seconds. Ideas flow back and forth. You can see all sides of this wonderful endeavor, from the artistic angle to the business end of things and a lot more in between. It is all a huge, transparent interactive world where the audience and the artists merge as genres overlap and create explosive new mixtures.
So, I think that is my hope for this little blog. To have that kind of connection with the world. It seems like a cool thing to me, and I look forward to this kind of future.
Thanks, be Mythik and stay tuned!
But today, we are in a new Golden Age. Just like back then, the line between reader and writer is blurred. And instead of a coffee shop, we have Twitter, Facebook and Blogs. And everything is so instant. A reader can post a review in no time at all, for all the world to see. Writers post works in progress and can give day by day accounts of the ups and downs of their creative process. You can buy a book instantly from anywhere and be reading in seconds. Ideas flow back and forth. You can see all sides of this wonderful endeavor, from the artistic angle to the business end of things and a lot more in between. It is all a huge, transparent interactive world where the audience and the artists merge as genres overlap and create explosive new mixtures.
So, I think that is my hope for this little blog. To have that kind of connection with the world. It seems like a cool thing to me, and I look forward to this kind of future.
Thanks, be Mythik and stay tuned!
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