Left Hand of Dorkness

Sometimes Critiques Really Hurt

2012-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

As much as I need and welcome my work getting critiqued, sometimes it really, really shakes my confidence. Especially when I get a brutal one after a few nice/pleasant ones or it's for a work I feel is publishable as is.

Part of it is the critique is pointing out mistakes I thought I'd corrected or that I'd stopped making. I think that affects me more than someone just flat out saying "Your work sucks and you should be burned at the stake". And no, no one has said I should be burned at the stake. (Though I may have burned a steak once, but that's another matter.)

I think the biggest part of it is the feeling of taking two steps forward and one step back. I know I'm improving. I can see that in my writing, in the construction of my prose, in the types of characters I'm conceiving, but it still seems that I can't get all of those elements to always line up.

It's incredibly frustrating because I know I'm on the cusp of producing really great work. I'm working at a level I would never have imagined a few years ago. While I may not get everything lined up perfectly I am getting things much more in tune, and when something is wrong and it's pointed out to me I can figure out ways to fix it.

I think I need two things to get my writing where I want it: Experience and instruction. The first I'm getting right now by writing short stories, editing, and then submitting them for critique and/or publishing. The latter I'm getting from listening to podcasts, attending conventions with writing panels, and attending writing workshops when I can find them. I really am hoping to get into Clarion or Clarion West this year as I have a feeling either of these would send my writing soaring.

On the flip side I need to consider where the critique is coming from. A lot of my critiques come from Critters.org, a website I've probably mentioned in the past. In other words, they're coming from relatively anonymous aspiring writers from across the globe, often unpublished. This means I should take what they say with a grain of salt as they're in the same boat I'm in. Especially when they make comments about what will automatically get something shit-canned by an editor if I can't find any publishing credits to the critiquer's name.

Oh well. The best remedy for critique pain I've found is to step away from the computer for a bit, read, watch some tv, go for a walk, etc, and then come back fresh and take another look at the critique after some time has passed. As much as it hurts it's best to see with uncluttered eyes what the person is saying so that when I revise I can make sure I am producing the very best work I can.

Character Sketches Make It Easier To Make Sketchy Characters

2012-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

One of the things I'm really enjoying about working on background material for the novel I want to write is the character sketches. You would think this would be a tedious activity, but I'm finding it fascinating. So much so I wanted to share.

So what's so great about character sketches? It gives me ideas.

Okay, so as a writer ideas aren't that hard to come by. That I'll admit. But useful ideas can sometimes be harder to wring out of my brain. A novel is a big thing to write and it requires interesting material to keep the reader's eyes glued to the page.

That's where the character sketches come in. By filling out all the fields in each one I'm finding myself crafting much more complex, interesting characters. The template I have in Scrivener requires me to give each character a physical description, a job, a role in the story, personality, habits and mannerisms, and most importantly, external and internal conflicts.

It's those last two options that are helping me the most. By understanding how each character is in conflict with themselves and the others around them I'm finding the plot of my novel. Events happen not for a random reason but because the characters I create put things into motion for their own reasons. With each new character I'm finding another thread I can weave into my novel.

Now how much of each character will end up on the page has yet to be seen. As with all the background material I'm working on the reader is likely to only see the tip of iceberg so to speak. But the important part is that I know it's there. I don't have to have every tiny detail mapped out before I start writing, but effort right now will save me a lot of mental lifting when it comes time to write my first draft.

Hopefully I won't have to spend too much more time on background material. It's been a bit slow going with some of the other projects I've been working on the last few weeks. I want to finish this material sometime this week so I can get working on plotting out my novel this weekend. Even if I'm not done I think I'll spend this weekend plotting, as I do have a good base of material to work with.

Either way, this novel is getting written, and the character sketches I've come up with will help me make it the best it can be.

Clarion Submissions

2012-01-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

They're done!

Oh, wait, I should probably explain a bit.

Okay, here's how it is:

I've reached the point where I need help if I'm going to get my writing to the next level. I've come a long way in the last three years. What I'm producing is light-years beyond what I started with. My language is tighter, my grammar has improved, and I'm starting to tell really compelling stories. I'm on the cusp of producing publishable material. But I'm not quite there.

I've learned that I make bigger leaps forward if I have some guidance. While the quality of my writing has improved steadily, the biggest jumps where when I had something read by someone else who provided me laser-guided criticism on what wasn't working or what needed to be improved. It's hard to see your own bad habits. At least it can be for me.

So that's why I decided this year I was going to submit an application to the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops. Both are focused on fantasy and sci-fi, the exact genres I want to work in. Both are six weeks long, and both have different instructors each week. I'll learn a lot if I can get into either of them.

I don't know for sure that I'll get in. Each workshop only takes in eighteen students, and I'm they get hundreds if not thousands of applications. Both have a great line-up of instructors this year, including George R.R. Martin and Chuck Palahniuk for Clarion West.

Now I just need to play the waiting game. The waiting game sucks.

The Dork Review: Red Tails

2012-01-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, fair warning time. To adequately review this movie I may have to dip into some spoilers. If that's not your thing, then please don't read on. I'll just tell you that I enjoyed the movie but it didn't live up to its potential.

Still here? Let's move on then.

In a nutshell, Red Tails is a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots from World War II. The real world pilots were an exceptional group of men who served with distinction and proved that the character of a man is not determined by the color of his skin. They were heroes in every sense of the word.

Now if only Hollywood could produce a film about these men that did them justice.

I think a lot of it has to do with things seem too easy for the men in this film. They shoot down Nazi's with relative ease, even destroying jets without took much trouble. And they do it with at worst a few bullet holes in their planes to show for it. No sweat at all.

In the entire flick, only two characters are killed and once sent to prison, though he makes it out in the end. I kept expecting a grand battle where characters we'd seen through the entire film, characters who were amusing and pleasant enough for us to start caring about them, to start dropping like flies. Where's the drama if we don't have a sense that anyone could die?

Nevermind that a lot of the characters portrayed in this film are only one or two steps way from being stereotypes (racial or otherwise). The pretty fight scenes with the well done CGI planes are distracting enough for that to be overlooked. But would it have killed the director or writers to include some real pathos rather than using the cheap trick of killing a guy off just after the love of his life has said she'll marry him?

And what about the drunken leader who never really seems to be affected by alcohol that the audience can see, who even when he fails we know he couldn't have done anything else and the drinking never really seems to have affected his judgement?

There are many missed opportunities in Red Tails but there is some good in all of this. The CGI work was outstanding, which gives me hope that in the future we may finally get to see a really good movie on the Tuskegee Airmen. I have this hope because now World War II films will no longer be restricted by the fact that period vehicles will be so hard to find. They can be reproduced digitally for a fraction of the cost to build them.

I hope we get to have a revival of the classic war movie in the next few years now that this tech is available and able to produce planes that fly realistically. Of course what I want to see is a film celebrating some of the Canadian aces and highlighting their contributions. How likely is that?

New Year, New World

2012-01-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the radio silence the last few weeks. Like some people I've been caught up in working on manuscripts and such, in addition to the usual craziness around the holidays and just after.

Aside from working on submissions for Tesseracts 16 and The Friends of the Merrill Collection Short Story contest, I've been worldbuilding for the next novel I want to write. I learned a lot from my last attempt, the most important lesson being I can sustain the effort of a full length novel.

This time I want to write something even bigger, and that means I need some solid background material.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, can't I just pull this stuff out of my head/ass when I need it? Well, yes and no. I could probably create things as I go, and a few details will probably get filled in as I write, but I've found I don't like to do that. Stopping mid-write to jot notes down breaks the narrative flow for me, takes me out of the right headspace and then I have to dive back in again. I want to maximize my gains for each second I spend writing. That means getting prepared in advance.

There are some definite advantages to doing it this way. For one thing, little bits of plot and characterization dribble through as I build. For instance, as I was working on the naming conventions I came up with an insult that could be used as part of my main villain's motivation for some of the terrible things he does. I've built in some basic conflicts in my world that can be used in this novel, or in others I choose to set in the same world.

By understanding how this world works I better understand where my characters fit in it and what will drive them to perform the actions I need to tell my story.

The best thing about it though is that it's fun! I get to make up everything. If I want to through something in, I can. If it doesn't work or doesn't make sense to me, bam, it's out of there. Nothing is impossible. I'm the god of my own imaginary realm.

Muahahahahahahah.... err, sorry about the evil laughter. I'll try to keep it down.

The Dork Review: The Hexslinger Series

2011-12-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

I'm going to do something a little different with this review. I've been so busy with writing, work, and the holidays that I've actually been able to read both books currently in the Hexslinger series, so instead of reviewing them individual I'm going to put up a combined evaluation.

Let's see how it goes.

Okay, first book is A Book Of Tongues. Second is A Rope Of Thorns. So first off we can see a common naming convention; they're both a something of something. The next in the series, A Tree Of Bones is now available for pre-order. Gotta love consistency.

Another thing that's consistent, the books are pretty good. At times a bit dense with their descriptions, but filled with monstrous and interesting characters. Chess, the main character, is a prime example. At best he's a protagonist, and even that's a stretch at times as it could be argued he's the worst monster in the series. A lawless, murderous fiend with a dark secret even he doesn't know about, Chess is a force of nature contained in a red-haired, purple clothed dandy wielding two pistols.

I read elsewhere that Gemma Files creates characters that are monsters and then makes you care about them. In this case she's successful. I won't go into details, but let's just say you can almost feel it when Chess has his heart ripped away. (I'll let you guess if it's figuratively or literally.)

I recommend this series with one major caveat; be prepared for gay characters and more sexual detail than you may desire. This threw me for a loop when I first came across it. Outside of works specifically directed to a gay audience it's unusual to find that level of detail, and at first it can be uncomfortable for the reader if they're not prepared. You may be tempted to put the book down. Don't. Try to understand why your feelings and move past them, as the sex is part of who these characters are and removing it would leave a gaping hole in the narrative.

These scenes do border on erotica. The only reason they don't reach that level is because they are brief and not the central theme of the books. They surprised me for two reasons, their level of detail and because I normally don't read erotica, gay or otherwise. If any part of this is going to upset you, you may want to pass on this series. However, before you do, consider why it bothers you. If it's because the sex is man on man, ask why that upsets you or strikes you as wrong. I know I had to do some soul searching because of it, and I'd like to think I've become a bit more aware of myself. (And for any family members who may be reading this, no, I'm not gay.)

So, with that warning, off you go. Find the books on the Chizine website. (Not recommending Amazon right now due to recent business practices.)

The Dork Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011-12-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've done a movie review. Chalk it up to the normal autumn slump where there are few movies worth going to see.

So what did I think of it? A Game of Shadows comes very close to matching the first Holmes movie, both in content and in quality.

I was greatly impressed, but there was something missing, some unknown or unknowable quality the first movie had that this movie lacked. That's not to say this was a bad film, far from it, but I still think the first one was the better of the two.

I think what might be the problem was the use of slow motion, or rather the overuse. As in the first film it was used to breakdown certain scenes, such as when Holmes fights or when he explains his deductions. In addition to this there is a long scene of the characters running through the forest shot in slow mo that I think goes on for far too long. I discussed this with my friends after the movie and I get the idea that this scene was supposed to show the horrors of war (it makes sense in context), but I do think it could have been trimmed back a bit and still had the same impact.

Aside from that the movie hit all he right notes. Robert Downey Jr. remains excellent as Holmes, and Jude Law as Watson is the perfect companion. Both are very close to their literary counterparts without being caricatures.

I recommend going to see A Game of Shadows. It was fun, clever, and exciting, and only suffers in comparison to the last Sherlock Holmes film.

The Cheapening of The Word Friend

2011-12-05T17:15:00.001-08:00

Yes indeed. Facebook is doing it's best to kill the word "friend".

The other day I found a post about 10 Myths About Introverts. Now, for anyone who knows me personally it's no surprise that I'm an introvert. I think a lot of writers, published or not, are. Hey, we spend plenty of time in our own heads dreaming stuff up, and more than one pro at SFContario mentioned on panels that they need time away from people to decompress. Of the 25% of the population that is identified as introverted I'd be interested to see how many of those work in some sort of creative capacity.

So what does this have to do with the cheapening of the word "friend" or Facebook killing it? A lot actually. See the following:

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

That pretty much describes my attitude towards my friends. There are maybe three people I hang out with on a regular basis, and only a few people I'll go out of my way to run into at conventions. Not that there aren't a large amount of lovely people whom I've met and would love to run into again, but few of them would I call friend. I like them, but that's about it.

Friends are people I feel comfortable around, who I don't have to be "on" with, meaning I don't have to worry about every word that comes out of my mouth or who will think I'm weird if I say something odd. In fact, quite often I'll make an obscure joke about something fannish and my friends will be the first to pick up on it.

So what does this have to do with Facebook? Well, to connect with someone on Facebook you have to "friend" them, and each time you do it cheapens the word just a little bit.

I do what I can to counteract this. Everyone I've added on Facebook I've either met or interacted somehow, even it is just through the medium of email or instant messaging. I'm "friendly" towards them, in most cases, but I wouldn't necessarily call them friend. More like "friendly acquaintance".

I've added those people either because I find them interesting or pleasant to be around, even if I wouldn't say we're friends. And to those few people who I truly call friends, thank you for being in my life and I hope we have many more years of knowing each other.

Why I Will Never Plagiarize

2011-12-01T13:29:00.001-08:00

Over on Whatever by John Scalzi is a post on Quentin Rowan's response after being caught plagiarizing the works of multiple authors in order to get published. It's a fascinating example of complete and utter doucebaggery (Quentin's response, not John's post. John's post is pretty much spot on and very fair and balanced.). I recommend reading both.

I've already made a brief entry in the comments section of John's post, but I thought I should elaborate a bit further here on why you will never find me plagiarizing the works of others. There are a few reasons, from least to most important:

1. I could get caught.

I'd have to live in fear of getting caught and exposed to the whole world. My career as an author come to a crashing and unrecoverable halt. At this point, Quentin Rowan's name is mud in the publishing world. He will likely never work in the field ever again. Heck, he was even fired from the bookstore that employed him because of this. No publisher would touch anything he produces now, and even if he uses a pseudonym he's done if anyone ever connects his real name to it, which is much more likely nowadays.

2. I would lose friends.

I've been fortunate enough to make friends within the writing and science fiction\fantasy communities thanks to attending conventions. If I got caught as a plagiarist those friends would disown me so quickly I'd have whiplash. Now, don't get me wrong, these are good people. My crime would be so great they'd have to do it, and rightfully so.

3. I'd always know I cheated.

This is the most important reason for me. Ruin in the publishing world I could live with. Losing friends would hurt, a lot, but I've lost friends in the past through moving and drifting apart so I know it's survivable. Knowing that I got success by stealing and cheating would be what would kill me.

I was raised to take responsibility for my mistakes and give credit where it's due. They are two of the central tenants of my life. Plagiarism breaks both of these.

The comments section of John's original post provides many more reasons that I agree with. In the end, I want to recognized for my work and not something I've stolen. Getting published will be even sweeter when done by my own mental sweat and not thieving from others.

Why A Rapier Is Not Like A Broadsword

2011-11-28T16:55:00.001-08:00

Seems like a simple enough concept, right? Well, it is and it isn't.

Okay, I should provide a little bit of background on this one. While I was at SFContario this year I attended a panel on HBO's A Game Of Thrones television series. I'm a big fan of the books and have seen the entire series so far, so of course the panel was interesting to me. In addition, media panels at relaxacons or more "literary" conventions tend to be sparsely attended, providing a great opportunity to interact with the panelists when you don't have to fight to be seen or heard with thirty other people.

One of the panelists made what was a cogent argument on its face. If you haven't seen the series or read the books then be forewarned, SPOILERS ahead.

Still here? Okay.

Anyways, this panelist (who shall remain nameless so that nobody thinks I'm picking on him/her) questioned why Syrio didn't pick up one of the fallen broadswords after his wooden training blade was broken.

Now, as I said, on its face this is a sensible question. It's only when you get into the mechanics of swordplay that it becomes obvious why he doesn't.

Swords all have a different weight and feel. This is true for metal blades as well as their wooden analogues. For instance, the bamboo shinai I use for kendo will perform differently based upon where and how they are balanced.

Even two shinais of the same type can feel different depending upon a number of factors such as weight or how well-oiled they are. Also, there are sub-types that affect things as well. Shinais, which stand-in for katana, have different sub-types such as practice and dobari which affect performance. Practice shinai tend to be straighter and more evenly weighted while dobari are heavier towards their base so as to better simulate a real blade.

Switching between shinai types is difficult enough for me, and while I've spent some time in training I have nowhere near developed the muscle memory a true master has, so when I switched to dobari I didn't have to completely retrain all of my ingrained responses.

Now, this isn't to say it's impossible to cross-train to be able to utilize more than one style of blade. However, it does require a person who can compartmentalize their muscle memory responses, and that I have a feeling can be a rather rare trait.

So with that being the case, let's take another look at Syrio's situation. Here he is, with a broadsword at this feet and a broken training blade in his hands. Why stay with the broken one? Simply put, he'd be ten times as effective with a broken blade as he would be with a whole broadsword.

Trying to use the broadsword without any training would be suicide in the life or death struggle Syrio was in. His arms wouldn't be used to the weight. He could go for a lunge and find his back giving out because of the stress put on it. He'd get tired quicker. His ingrained footwork, which is the basis for all swordplay, probably wouldn't work with the broadsword. All in all, a bad idea.

So what is the point I'm trying to make? Aside from providing a more involved answer than I was able to give at the con, I wanted to put it out there for other writers to know\consider. If you're going to write stories involving swordplay than know the basics. Have a general idea between the rapier and the broadsword. Know what periods of history they were in and how they developed from what came before. Know their strengths and weaknesses.

Most of all, know what type of men carried these weapons. Syrio's choice of sword tells us as much about him as all the words he says and every drop of description George R.R. Martin provides us with.

The Aurora Awards: An Analysis

2011-11-24T15:26:00.001-08:00

As mentioned in my SFContario2 post, I was fortunate enough to be at the Aurora awards this year. They were a somber, dignified affair, held in a stately hall with food service provided by genetically enhanced monkeys. No, not really, but there was good food before the ceremony and lots of laughs during.

Robert J. Sawyer was kind enough to post the results for best novel (called best long form in English officially) on his blog, and looking them over got me to thinking: How much does the size of a book's publisher determine it's award chances?

Let me demonstrate using the recent awards. The following list is taken from Mr. Sawyer's blog:

1st: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer (Penguin Canada)
2nd: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay (Penguin Canada)
3rd: Stealing Home by Hayden Trenholm (Bundoran)
4th: Destiny’s Blood by Marie Bilodeau (Dragon Moon)
5th: Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell (Great Plains)

Notice a pattern? The top two entries were both published by Penguin Canada, one of the largest if not the largest publisher in Canada. Both books had strong advertising pushes. I've seen ads for Under Heaven all over the place, and Watch even had subway ads on the TTC.

Let's look at the others:

Bundoran Press lists only seven authors on its website, and the only one I've heard of is Hayden Trenholm. There are two reasons I've heard of him. One, Robert J. Sawyer has mentioned him on his blog and on Facebook. Two, I sat beside Hayden and across from his wife at the awards ceremony. Both seem like nice people, but I didn't have an extremely long chat with either.

Dragon Moon Press has in excess of thirty authors, and I actually know at least three, including the lovely Marie Bilodeau who's novel came in at number 4 on the ballot.

Great Plains is an interesting case. Unlike Bundoran or Dragon Moon they appear both less and more specialized. Unlike the other two, Great Plains doesn't appear to focus on one or two genres, hence the less, but they are focused on publishing Prairie writers, therefore being more specialized on whom they will accept submissions from. Interesting.

Of the three smaller publishers, I've since advertising for a few Bundoran Press items, such as Fall From Earth by Matthew Johnson, but not as much from Dragon Moon and absolutely nothing from Great Plains. Now, it's entirely possible I saw advertising for Dragon Moon and ignored it as I'm already familiar with a few of their authors and therefore the advertising has become invisible to me.

So what does this all tell me? Advertising budgets have a greater influence on the Aurora then some might think. The same with readership. Both Sawyer and Kay sell well from what I understand, in Canada and elsewhere. Heck, their names on a book are enough to get people to pick them up, and rightly so as both are good writers.

And this is a trend. In the ten years previous to this year's ceremony, all of the awards for best novel but one have been from major publishers, such as Tor, Daw, Penguin, etc.

Part of me wishes I could get my hands on the raw data involved and compare sales figures, advertising dollars, and awards votes to see the correlation. It would be interesting to see if a stable ratio would emerge, a sort of "award per dollar" calculation as it were.

That all being said, what conclusion can be drawn from this? The bigger your publisher the better your chances at an award. More voters are likely to have read your work and will vote for it. And how does one get to be published by a big house? Write a good book and have a whole hell of a lot of luck!

Con Report: SFContario2

2011-11-21T10:14:00.001-08:00

So my brain has finally rebooted after SFContario2. I think it took this long since I was stuck in traffic in downtown Toronto for two hours, trying to get to the highway, due to what I assume was the Santa Claus parade.

Did I enjoy the con? Yes, definitely. It's always great to run into friends I only get to see at conventions and have a chance to catch up. Also, there were a lot of great panels and an overflow of great guests.

The highlight of the guests, for me at least, had to be John Scalzi, who was in full "performing monkey" mode. (His words, not mine). The Creation Museum slideshow on Saturday, where John took the audience through his photos of his trip to the Creation Museum while gently mocking it, was hilarious. I say "gently" mocking as at no point did he get into a fire and brimstone rant at how utterly moronic some of the notions expressed in the museum were. It was more like he took a pin, poked a hole, and deflated a great deal of mental hot air.

Another highlight was seeing J.M. Frey up and about. That woman is made of win. She recently went through abdominal surgery but still was able to show up and be pleasant and engaging, even if she was a bit tired. I'm glad to hear she's got another few books in the works, and I look forward to picking them up as they're released.

Another good thing was the Auroras. My friend Marie Bilodeau was up for best novel, and while she didn't win she was positive and upbeat, congratulating the winners and showing that, like J.M., she is also made of win. Marie didn't win this year but I'm sure there is a trophy with her name on it in the future. And hey, we were sitting at the table with the most winners that day. Maybe some of that good luck will rub off.

A personal highlight of the Auroras was being introduced to the other people at the table as a writer. While I do self-identify myself as a writer I am very careful not to claim myself as such. I'm self-deprecating on this, and call myself unpublished. One attendee was kind enough to call me "undiscovered". Be that as it may, to actually have someone else recognize me as a writer was a great mental boost.

The final highlight of the con for me was the final panel I attended. This was entitled "The Business of Writing", and the content pretty much matched the title. It started out with the moderator, Marie, throwing it open to questions to the audience. Mine was the first answered (helps when you know the moderator and slip her five bucks beforehand - no this didn't happen I'm joking). I asked what is the greatest business danger for new writers, and received some great answers and advice. Also, I learned a great trick to remember for myself when on panels in the future. Scalzi looked directly at me and made eye contact while answering my question, even though he was second or third to answer. This may seem like a small thing, but it took that moment from "hey thanks for giving us something to talk about" to "hey here's some information you could find useful". He acknowledge that I was the one asking the question and addressed the answer to me as opposed to being someone standing on high making grand pronouncements.

In no way should this take away from the contributions of the other panelists as they provided great advice/information as well, but it did strike me as something I should pay attention to if I'm on a panel and answering a question.

Going to conventions is a learning experience for me in addition to being enjoyable. I'm looking forward to next year's conventions as I think I'm done for 2011 at this point.

Would I go to another SFContario? Yes, but probably not next year as World Fantasy is in town then and I've already registered and booked a hotel room.

Why Ghostbusters Is Still A Relevant Film

2011-11-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

So Monday night was Halloween, and select theatres across the US and Canada had showings of Ghostbusters. Don't be surprised if you missed out. The showings were horribly advertised. The only reason I knew about them was because I listed Ghostbusers as one of my favorite things on Facebook. Really though, if they'd done even a little bit of print or TV advertising I'm sure they'd have filled those screenings.

Ah well, let's move on.

So my friend Jeff and I were watching the movie, and it hits me, everything that The Three Musketeers (which I reviewed here) did wrong, Ghostbusters did right.

Okay, so they are both very different films. Different genres, different settings, and so on, but at their core they are both ensemble stories. They are about groups of characters fighting towards a common goal. The Musketeers want to defeat Richelieu while the Ghostbusters want to defeat Gozer. So, while the candy coating may be different, the chocolaty inside is the same. (Yes, I'm writing this right after Halloween so candy metaphors are on my mind.)

So then, why does Ghostbusters remain a classic while the current version of The Three Musketeers have only a bargain bin fate in its future? As I said before, it does everything right!

First off, the characters a likeable. Peter Venkman is an asshole, unrepentant and over the top the entire movie. He's smarmy and hits on just about anything female with a pulse. But at the same time he's likable. You can see that under his exterior he actually does care about the guys he works with, and in the end he is a hero. He also has the best lines in the entire movie, such as "Back off man, I'm a scientist!"

Bill Murray does a great job of portraying Venkman. In fact, I doubt there is another actor living right now that could pull it off if they were ever to remake Ghostbusters.

The other thing Ghostbusters has going for it is that is succeeds despite its special effects, while the Three Musketeers failed because of its effects. The question today is not if it can be done, but rather if if should be done. Ghostbutsers used the limited effects of its time to great effect, giving some really funny and creepy moments. For instance, the eggs cooking on the countertop. It's creepy and understated, and works perfectly. If that scene had been done nowadays probably the eggs would have hatch and demon chickens would have gone flying around the room. Impressive, but much less creepy and it would have altered the overall feel of the film.

The only thing that could have been improved in Ghostbusters using today's effects would be the creature scenes where the two demon dogs run around. It's obvious when they are puppets and when they are stop motion creatures. If they decide to release a thirtieth anniversary print of the film this is the only thing I'd recommend changing.

In conclusion, my friend and I had a blast watching Ghostbusters, and I hope more classic movies find their way back to the big screen for special showings. They just need to be advertised better.

The Dork Review: The Three Musketeers

2011-10-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I need to start this one with a fair warning. To properly illustrate my issues with this movie will require the use of SPOILERS. So, if you don't want to read those, then look elsewhere. Otherwise, continue below.

You may have already figured out I didn't like this version of the Three Musketeers story. I have good reason for this. Not only does it fail as a Musketeer story, it fails as a flick. There was only a single likeable character in the entire movie, and that was Queen Anne. The Musketeers were jerks, D'Artagnan was an arrogant little prick, and the villains were, well, underwhelming.

Add on top of this a story riddled with anachronisms that makes a half hearted attempt at cashing in on the current steampunk trend. Okay, there isn't any steam-powered devices in the film; the creators weren't that over the top, but there is multiple airships. In fact, the ending has a whole fleet of them headed towards France.

Yes, that's right, the ending shows the beginning of an invasion. It is such a rancid piece of sequel bait it defies expectations. I wish it was worst part of the film, but no, it just endcaps this dreck.

Do you want to know the worst part? The sin this movie commits against the whole Three Musketeer mythos and every previous rendition of their story?

It has no good swordfights!

I mean, what the hell? There's only a few times the Musketeers actually pull their swords in the entire film, and so many missed opportunities. Near the end they need to travel to England to retrieve the Queen's jewels, and one of the characters states they'll need to travel back to France with every bounty hunter and assassin standing in their way. This promises a running battle back to the Palace, which would have been awesome. Instead they hijack an airship and shoot their way home.

Yes, that's right, the Musketeers shoot their way home rather than fight dashingly. Sigh.

Finally, there's one other thing that really annoyed me. I'm a fan of the Horatio Hornblower movies that came out a few years ago, and I've studied military history around the era of the Three Musketeers, so I have an idea of how many men it takes to run a cannon on a ship. The airship duel in The Three Musketeers has the Cardinal's ship with only one man per cannon! On a ship that shouldn't have any kind of manpower issues. And, they have barrels with open flames standing around everywhere! In a room filled with gunpowder and cannonballs! Again, sigh.

Really, I don't think I would have had this much of an issue with this film it it wasn't advertised as a Three Musketeer flick. If they'd taken the basic story but changed the names around or changed the era then it wouldn't have been so bad, or just gone whole hog and turn it into a complete fantasy film then that would have been okay. But to produce a sub-par Three Musketeers movie is a terrible thing to do.

If you want a film with pretty settings and great costuming, go see this. If you want a good film that's actually entertaining, go see anything else.

In The Middle Of Everything

2011-10-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel right now. Let me explain. No, is too much, let me sum up. (Gotta love The Princess Bride)

So, I just finished revising a story that had been sent to a few markets, and turned down by every single one. Oh well, it happens. After going through it again it's a much stronger story. Too bad I can't resubmit it to the places that rejected it. However, now I think this story is strong enough to use as one of my Clarion submissions, so it's all good. And, I can always make it my submission to Writers of the Future for this quarter.

Another story has gone in for a CBC contest. We'll see what happens with that. If it comes back I'll give it another look and think of other places to submit it. It's a really short piece, so it may be easier to sell. Heck, if it sells then great, if not, I can always rework it.

Another story just got rejected so I was able to give it a once over and fix a few things. This has gone to less markets than the first story, and I've never submitted anything to Fantasy and Science Fiction, so guess where it's headed?

Another story (seeing a pattern here?) is in with Critters.org for review and critique so that I can get feedback on it. I'm really hoping this one will be my other Clarion submission piece. I feel both things I have are or could be really strong fantasy stories. That seems to be where my head is right now.

Finally, (yes there is an end to all this) the books I wanted in preparation for starting my next novel are in. My previous attempt at writing a novel, let's just say I wasn't happy with how it turned out. I learned a lot from writing it, the most important part being I can actually sustain a novel length effort, but it was several shades less awesome than I hoped it would be. The new novel I'm going to start writing combines some of my loves. It will have martial arts, magic, and a vaguely Eastern setting. Let's say, Eastern inspired and influenced but seen through a Western eye. I'm not going to use any specific Asian culture to base it on as I don't want to be disrespectful/get it completely wrong.

However, before I start writing I need to do some research and plan a bit. Right now I'm reading A Daughter of The Samurai, the story of a woman raised as Japan transitioned from the medieval period to the modern age, and it's given me some great background and setting ideas. Recently I purchased a book on Shaolin training techniques, another on Japanese architecture, and a third on Buddhist monastic life. All three of these will be fed into the wood-chipper that is my brain to pump out chopped bits of awesome.

Before I start the novel I'm going to make sure my Clarion submissions are ready, so the next few weeks I'll probably be writing less and reading a heck of a lot more.

Not Dead Just Busy

2011-10-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the radio silence lately. I've been crazy busy the last few weeks between work, seeing my parents in their new place, and getting stories written and up to snuff for submission to Clarion. The workshop starts taking submissions in December and is open until March, so hopefully I'll know by Ad Astra if I'm going to Clarion next year!

The Dork Review: Heirs of a Broken Land

2011-10-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I was finally able to finish the lovely Marie Bilodeau's Heirs of a Broken Land series. Man, it's hard to squeeze in reading time at work, especially with how busy things are once September rolls around. (Yes I realize work is when I should be working, but being on a tech support phone line means downtime between calls that can be used for things other than work.)

So what did I think of this series? Very much the same as Destiny's Blood.

Marie's work has an epic scale. This series encompasses the fate of a continent split in twain by a magical barrier known as the "Wall of Loss". It has princesses, warriors, and sorceresses, and whole lot of strong women filling those roles. The fate of nations is decided by three women, each strong in her own way.

Now, I've never considered myself a feminist, but I do like to see believable female characters portrayed in fiction. None of the women in these books is a cliche. Each has her own strengths, and weaknesses, and each is given their moment to shine. The are portrayed as people as opposed to objects, and there is nary a damsel in distress to be seen. And the best part? They actually have realistic relationships instead of fairytale romances.

That isn't to say there isn't a fair bit of storytelling going on. These books were written before Destiny's Blood, but they have the same epic language that needs to be shouted out loud to obtain its full effect. The story comes to a crashing end, where a sacrifice needs to be made and the wounds of a broken land healed.

Again, my main quibble is that there isn't enough in these books. I think each of them could easily have been twice as long, as at times they do feel rushed and the passage of time is hard to keep track of. A minor quibble, and probably something more obvious to someone who reads a lot or has studied the techniques of writing.

Find out more about these books at Marie's website.

Word On The Street 2011

2011-09-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Word On The Street, 2011 edition, and I had a blast! And it all started with a cookie.

Perhaps I should explain that possibly cryptic statement. My Word On The Street Sunday started the same as they have the last few years, with me running late. My original plan has always been to be there by 11AM, and it has gone awry every single year. But at least I'm learning. If I want to get there I need to be up and out the door earlier. Also, taking the train from Burlington works a heck of a lot better than driving all the way into Toronto. (I learned that the first year to my dismay.)

So, yes, cookie. I arrived at the Burlington Go station too late for the 10:10 train, so I had to take the 11:10. While I was waiting a lovely young lady, who's name was Leann, I think (we exchanged names but I might be misremembering it or misheard it) offered me a cookie from a box she'd picked up at a bakery with her friend earlier that day or weekend.

Thus started my day, being offered a tasty treat from a lovely lady. So instead of spending the trip up to Toronto with my nose buried in the newspaper I'd just purchased I ended up chatting with Leann the whole time. Now, I know for most people this doesn't sound so special, but for me it was. I've always been a shy person, with a very thick shell. The fact that I was able to come out of it long enough to have an extended conversation with someone, never-mind that it was an attractive woman, is a minor victory for myself.

And it only got better as the day went on. So, after a pleasant trip up to Toronto I made my way to Queen's Park and wandered around. I had the good fortune to find Karen Dales and Violette Malan, two very sweet persons and outstanding authors. (Okay, so far I've only read Violette's work but every time I run into Karen she tries to get me to buy a book, in a no pressure friendly way, so I'm sure I'll submit and buy one eventually.)

Again I had a chance to chat, and again it was nice how easy it was to carry on an extended conversation. Honestly, fantasy and sci-fi authors have to be the nicest people on Earth. I mean, I've run into these ladies only a few times each yet I feel completely comfortable around them. As we talked I even mentioned that I was looking to apply to the Clarion Writers Workshop and they were both very encouraging and wished me success in getting in. Really, really nice people.

After I finished my wandering I ducked into the Wordshop tent. I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but it's put on every year I've been to Word On The Street by the Humber College of Writing. There are some interesting lectures, but the highlight of the day is when they read out first pages submitted by the audience throughout the day, give feedback, and state whether they'd continue reading past the first page. One of the hardest things to do is to get an editor to read past the first page. And my page got read! And they said they'd read past the first page!

Validation is nice and all, but what really helped was the feedback Kim Moritsugu, a teacher at Humber, provided. This is all done anonymously, so no one knew it was from me, so the comments Kim and her fellow panelist Jack David made were without bias and honest.

All things considered, Word On The Street 2011 was a great day for me. I got some cool books, chatted with some cool people, and got a healthy ego boost (don't worry, my head hasn't gotten so big it won't fit through the door). I can't wait for next year.

Two Years Already?

2011-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been two years since I started this blog. Two years since I started getting serious about my writing. Two years since I've said to myself, I'm gonna do this.

So where am I now?

Well, first off, I'm still unpublished. I wish I could say that this surprises me, but I knew from the beginning that it would be a long hard road before anything of mine actually hit print. Also, I knew then that my writing was nowhere near the quality it needed to be, but I've kept working at it and I have seen an improvement.

So how do I know I've improved? Two things; feedback and rejections. Okay, I start with the rejections idea since that's probably got people scratching their heads. One of my major accomplishments was to start submitting my stories for publication, rather than just writing them and saying "Gee, it would be nice to get published." None of them have been, but I've started noticing a change in the rejection letters I've received. The last few have provided feedback, rather than just stating "This isn't for us". Yes, it's still a rejection, but anything that helps me grow as a writer is to be cherished.

Now, about the feedback. Two things I've done to get this. First, I joined critters.org, a critiquing site where I provide critiques for others and they give me feedback on my work. It's helped a lot, both to pump me up when I get some positive comments about my work, and when weak areas are pointed out. Second, I've joined/help start a small writing group. So far there are only three of us, spread out over a large geographic area, but it's a beginning, and any and all feedback from fellow writers helps.

Aside from my writing, I've started going to conventions and meeting people (and picking up some great books I'd have otherwise missed on the way). In some ways this has opened my eyes to how the publishing industry works, especially when it comes to science fiction and fantasy. I've made a few new friends, and I hope I've presented myself in a positive light so that if and when I do get published I'll have a good reputation so that people will want to recommend my work. Of course, whatever I write has to be good enough to deserve the recommendation, but I find it's more likely to happen if people remember you fondly rather than thinking you're a dick.

Oh, and on a more personal note, I've been going to a gym for a full year now. This is the first place I've actually been able to do that. Most times, I'll go to a gym for a few months, get frustrated, quit, or start going infrequently. For the past year I've been going steadily, missing only the odd day for whatever reason.

So what now. Well, there is this CBC Radio short story contest I've just started working on a story for, and hopefully there will be an announcement on a new Tesseracts collection soon. So, onward and upward.

The Dork Review: Fright Night

2011-08-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I ended up going to see Fright Night in 3D with my friend Jeff. Now, Jeff saw the original while I haven't yet, so he was able to make a comparison between this version and the original while I was not.

Either way, we both loved it.

First off, let me just say that Fright Night makes good use of 3D technology, which is rare for a live action film. To be honest, most of the films hyped as 3D really haven't taken advantage of it, while animated films presented in 3D have.

The film's intelligent use of 3D is make most clear in a chase scene about midway through. I'm not one to geek out about filming techniques (I'm much more into the story behind a movie) but this was well shot, used the 3D to good effect, and was actually scary. The way it was shot made the audience feel the same way the characters did. The drama of that scene was enhanced, so that rather than being just another car chase like we've all seen hundreds of times before, this was viscerally terrifying.

I enjoyed Conan last week, but could have watched it without the 3D. Watching Fright Night in 2D would have taken something away from it. I recommend you go and see this flick in the theater so that you can have the full experience. It is worth it.

The Dork Review: Conan the Barbarian

2011-08-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

"I live, I love, I slay, and I am content."

Those words pretty much sum up Conan the Barbarian and Conan's philosophy on life. The new Conan flick is much closer to the character presented in the books from Robert E. Howard and the comics such as Savage Sword of Conan.

Like the comics, this movie is firmly set in the world Robert E. Howard started and the comics enhanced. There are shout outs to various places in the Hyborean mileau, along with pirates, lusty (and not completely dressed) wenches, and brutal warlords. The world Conan lives in is harsh and unforgiving, much like him.

This is not a movie to take your kids to. The action is violent and brutal, and while Conan is the protagonist he is far from a nice guy. He was born in battle and has a grim outlook on life, rarely smiles, and really is quite good at killing. Momoa does a great job of capturing Conan's essence the putting it out there for the world to see.

So if you want a flick with hot women, brutal violence, and almost constant action, go see Conan the Barbarian. If you don't, well I think The King's Speech is out for Blu-ray (great film but not that many beheadings in it).

The Dork Review: Destiny's Blood

2011-08-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

I've had the good fortune of meeting Marie Bilodeau a couple times at conventions now. She's a great person and wonderful to talk to and hang out with. Heck, I even went to Polaris for the day because I wanted to show my support for her and the other Dragon Moon Press authors there launching When The Hero Comes Home. So it's about time I actually bought one of her books. :)

I ended up walking away from Polaris with Destiny's Blood and the Heirs of a Broken Land series. The series I'll review all as one piece later, once I'm done the books, and as the title of this post hints at, today I'm going to review Destiny's Blood.

Marie is a storyteller. This comes across in her work, in the words and in the pacing. This book almost cries out to be read aloud, and it has a mythic scope. The fate of races is at stake, not just the life of the Layela Delamores, the heroine. There's magic, love, passion, anger, evil, and sacrifice all contained within and presented at a break-neck speed.

The book does suffer from one thing though. It's too short. I would have loved to have seen more packed into it. Some of the minor characters could benefit from more "screen time", even if it meant slowing the pacing a bit. If the worst thing you can say about a book is that you wish there was more then it ain't doing too bad at all.

Check out more on Destiny's Blood on Marie's site, or order it directly from Amazon.

The Siege of Fort Erie and A Candelight Proposition

2011-08-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

I spent last Saturday attending the Siege of Fort Erie with my friend Jeff. If you don't know what this is, well shame on you! Just kidding. Only history geeks and locals would know, and I qualify as both.

The Siege of Fort Erie was a battle that took place during the summer of 1814 as part of the War of 1812. At least that's what we call it in Canada when were not calling it the War In Which We Totally Burned Down Washington. Not that we're gloating or anything.

No, really, we're not. It was 200 years ago. Get over it.

Every year a few hundred dedicated volunteers reenact the Siege via an afternoon and an evening battle. The evening battle is followed by a candlelight tour of the fort.

So why did I go? Napoleonic history has been a passion of mine for years, enhanced greatly after watching the first Sharpe movie with Sean Bean. (This was before he did Lord of the Rings. Swear the guy has not aged in the meantime.)

If you're ever near Fort Erie when this event is scheduled you need to check it out. Especially if you're a writer, and especially if you ever want to write anything set in that era or involving similar technology. (Someday I want to write a fantasy series with muskets and Napoleonic themes.)

How to describe it? When a musket fires there's this distinct crack, nothing like what you hear from guns in a Hollywood movie. When a cannon fires you not only hear it, you can feel your stomach rattle from the sheer force of it. It really is an experience!

Both the musket and the cannon kick up a cloud of smoke. In the afternoon battle this wasn't too bad. In the evening battle it was much thicker. I can see where the term "fog of war" comes from. The announcer even made the comment that armies could fire off a volley and then retreat through the smoke of their own fire. That's a trick I'll have to remember for my own writing.

The candlelight tour was great as well. It's setup as if the tour group you're a part of is a group of volunteers being led onto the base during a battle. There are screams and gunfire in the darkness, troops running around, and even a makeshift surgery. The volunteers put on a good, if not Oscar worthy, show.

I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to the event in 2012. I know they're going to put on a spectacle for the 200th anniversary of the war.

Oh, and that candlelight proposition? During the tour one of the volunteers asked if I was single, and me being honest I answered in the affirmative. She then suggested I meet her later in the barracks.

Before you get you hopes up, or dashed as the case may be, it was soon obvious this was part of the tour. During the Napoleonic era women could only stay on the base if they were married to someone working there, so if their husband died they needed to find a single man quick or else get turfed. Really sad when you think about it. I'm glad that's no longer the case.

10 Signs The Gym You Frequent Might Be Too Hot

2011-08-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

10. There's an ambulance parked out front alongside a few tubs filled with ice, ready for any heat-stroke cases that "may" arise.

9. You look across the room and see a heat shimmer. It's less than ten feet away.

8. You turn the cold water on in the shower area and steam comes out.

7. There are puddles all over the gym floor. They're from people sweating.

6. Your clothing starts to fall off you because of heat expansion.

5. The cook from the restaurant down the way kicks you off a machine so he can use it to fry an egg since his grill is broken.

4. The cactus the owner has sitting in the window is a dried out husk. You saw him water it earlier today.

3. The free weight you're lifting keeps flopping around, as if it's made of rubber. You ask the owner when he got the new novelty weights. He says those are the sames one's he's always had.

2. You notice black, tar-like shoe prints all over the gym, then you realize there melted bits of your shoes.

And the number one sign that the gym you frequent might be too hot:

1. Satan is working out next to you and even he is complaining about the heat.

Have a good night everybody and keep hydrated!

The Dork Review: When The Hero Comes Home

2011-07-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

I love small presses. Really, I do. They are so much more likely to put out interesting anthologies, such as When The Hero Comes Home.

So what's this book about? Exactly what it says on the tin. It's a collection of nineteen short stories from a wide variety of authors, some better known such as Todd McCaffrey and Ed Greenwood, and some not so well known but you should really look for such as Marie Bilodeau, Erik Buchanan, and J.M. Frey (pronounced Fry by the way), all about what happens when the hero comes home.

I had the good fortune to meet Marie, Eirk, and J.M, and have sign my copy of When The Hero Comes Home, at the champagne brunch launch at Polaris earlier this month. Check them out and then come back and read the rest of my review.

No, really. I can wait.

Done? Good, on with the review.

So, as I said, this book asks the question, what happens after the battle is over, the princess saved, the dragon defeated? What does the hero do once he's won, or at least survived, his quest, when the place he's come from has stayed the same while he has changed so much? This book answers those questions, with stories that run from humorous to heartbreaking, bittersweet to hopeful.

Let me highlight some of the gems inside, in order of appearance. Erik Buchanan's What Evil Remains gives us a picture of a veteran of a wizard's defeat dealing with post-traumatic stress, a good man who served his community and bears the mental scars to prove it. Truly heart-wrenching.

Brine Magic by Toni Pi is astounding, a compelling story about two boys adopted by the court of a fantastical undersea power who serve as guardians and warriors until they find themselves spit back into the real world and how they deal with the transition. Without any hyperbole I can say it's a magical and compelling story.

Oh, how can I go any further without mentioning The Legend of Gluck by Marie Bilodeau, a story about a barbarian returning home with the head of his defeated foe. It has a rotting skull and liquified brains, even an elven sorceress. What's not to love? (Also it gave me the opportunity to make a really bad pun based on the hero's name, something I sure scarred Marie for life when I messaged her with it.) :)

Another highlight is the Once and Nowish King by J.M. Frey. It involves King Arthur returning as a newborn baby with full adult mental faculties and the craziness that induces. It's funny and heartwarming at the same time, something Frey can easily pull off as evidenced by her novel Tryptych.

Really, there are no lackluster stories in this collection, and I could easily sing the praises of each of them. Pick up a copy from Amazon and enjoy, or go to the Dragon Moon Press site to check it out.

Reviewing From Hard Copy

2011-07-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Let me share a little piece of advice I got from Karl Schroeder comments while he was Writer in Residence for the Merrill collection and was kind enough to look at a story of mine.

Always make a final revision of your writing from hard copy, as in, print the dang thing out, read it over, and mark it up with a pen.

I just finished revising a short story previously called "Sacrifice" and now named "Into Each Life, A Little Rain Must Fall". I printed it out and went over it with a fine tooth comb, and discovered so many things the needed alteration and fixing it's not funny. And this is a story I'd gone over a few times while it was on screen!

Aside from catching more things, editing from hard copy lets you see how the story is going to appear on the written page much clearer than reading it on a screen. And, I find for me it's a little bit easier on the eyes.

So, from now on the final edit on anything before I send it off will be done on paper. I owe it to myself and anyone who ends up reading my stuff to produce the very best I can. And to keep working at getting better.

The Dork Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

America F**K Ya!

Sorry, couldn't resist. All the time I was waiting to see Captain America: The First Avenger the "theme song" from Team America: World Police kept going through my head. Every now and then I'd say the above line out loud and have it echoed by my friend Gary, or even just say "America!" and he'd supply the rest.

The movie was good, on par with Thor with the level of writing and special effects. The humor was well placed and didn't feel forced, the actors hit the right notes at the right time and were even able to subtly put forth emotions that might have been missed or glossed over in other superhero movies.

But in the end, this is a superhero movie so go into it with eyes wide open. It's a good one, but don't expect Shakespeare. It ties in very nicely to the rest of the Marvel movies leading up The Avengers, and make sure you stay till then end of the credits for a little treat of what's coming out next year.

Improved Rejections

2011-07-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of anything new in the last little bit. It's just been too damn hot in my apartment's living area to stay on the computer for any length of time. Hopefully this heat wave will burst in the next day or so and things will cool down enough that I don't feel like I'm basting while I sit here.

So, you may be wondering what I mean by improved rejections. Well, the last couple times I've received a rejection notice, instead of the standard "Thanks but no thanks" response, I've actually been getting some feedback. This is good to see, as it means I'm getting closer to writing a publishable story.

"But aren't all rejections bad?" you might ask. Not necessarily. Almost any feedback is good, as it offers me the opportunity to improve and to learn what that particular editor/publication thinks and is looking for in a story, so that when I have something else to offer I have an idea of what markets to target first.

So, not published yet, but things are starting to look better. Now excuse me, I need to find something tall and wet to fall into.

A Writer's Guide to Kendo

2011-07-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned this before, and if not I'll mention it now, I practice kendo.

What is kendo you may ask? It is a SPORT based upon Japanese swordsmanship. Why the emphasis on it being a sport? Because it is not a practical sword art, and authors should not treat it as so.

Okay, a little bit of background may be in order on this one, so that you understand why I feel the need to post this. I was reading the first book of the Safehold series by David Weber, an author who produces work I normally enjoy. Heck, he can put vampires in military science fiction and make it work. (Look for it and you will find it, don't want to spoil the story it's in.)

Anyways, in the first book of the series, the character Nimue's background mentions that she was turned on to practicing kendo by one of her mentors/friends. So far, no problem. The real issue for me arises when she starts fighting in a world regressed to a medieval level of technology. Not only fighting, but fighting well and utilizing an "odd fighting stance".

My problem with this is that while there is competition in kendo, the goal is not to strike down your opponent. Kendo players (yes, you play kendo, you don't fight with it) are taught to hit, not to cut. So someone trained in kendo wouldn't have the instinct to slice someone down. Also, the fighting stance is very straightforward, with the feet shoulder width apart and right leg in front and the left heel slightly raised. Not really an odd stance.

You may be wondering, what is the difference between a hit and cut, after all both involve striking someone. To hit someone with a real sword would be ineffectual. A sword works best, especially the swords used in Japanese martial arts, when slicing. The hits in kendo are achieved with small movements and targeted at armored areas, places that would have been covered by traditional protection. Cutting requires a larger motion, the idea being to make contact in an unprotected area on the body and then follow through and slice through any resistance and therefore wound your opponent.

So, you may be wondering, if kendo isn't what we call a practical Japanese sword art, what is? Easy, it's kenjutsu.

Notice, both terms share "ken". An easy translation for this would be "sword". "Do" means way, and "jutsu" means art, so kendo is the "Way of the Sword", while kenjutsu is the "Art of the Sword".

Yes, this may seem an artificial distinction, but it's not. With a "jutsu" the focus was on a practical "art" that one could use to survive in a hostile world. With the coming of the modern age, a lot of the "arts" translated into "ways" and the focus changed primarily to spiritual development. So while kendo is not a combat art, it is a way of finding a deeper spiritual center within yourself, like a lot of modern martial arts who's focus is on self-development rather than practical application. Practitioners of a "do" can still be fearsome in combat, but only because part of their spiritual development is achieved through physical toil, meaning they can often be fitter even if they don't look it.

Are they jutsu arts still around. Of course! Jiujitsu is one focused on hand to hand combat, and there are even kenjutsu schools still operating. A lot of the remaining kenjutsu schools are family affairs, the art passed from father to son, or even daughter in these modern times. I myself had the privilege of practicing Ono Ha Itto Ryu years ago, one of the spiritual ancestors of modern kendo, and I know of at least one school of Katori Shinto Ryu in North America. These are both different styles, just like there are many different schools and styles of jiujitsu.

Another thing the bears mentioning is the difference in attitude. Different schools each had a unique, well, psychology is the best thing to call it. The art I practiced was very straightforward, brutal even, with lots of sword contact and forward motion. Other schools of kenjutsu are more subtle, having the practitioner lay traps for his opponent.

Kendo on the other hand is extremely forward and aggressive, much more than any kenjutsu school, since you don't have to worry about getting hit as points are scored only if the correct area is struck with the correct footwork and follow through. It can be very hard to score a point in kendo, depending on how strict the judges are calling things. You can whack at a person for an hour and not score if you don't have everything lined up just right, and kendo players are trained to ignore hits that wouldn't result in a point. More than once I've been whacked on the shoulder or ribs, spots that if I was in a real sword fight would result in severe damage and loss of life. All I ended up while playing kendo was, at most, a rather impressive bruise.

So, this goes out to all you authors, writers, scribblers, and scribes. Know the difference between kendo and kenjutsu, and write accordingly. It's a small detail, but it does stand out for those in the know.

The Dork Review: The Name of The Wind

2011-07-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Two reviews in one day. Shocking, I know. What can I say. I have the day off, I needed to get the last one off my chest, and I've been wanting to write this review for over a week now but stuff kept getting in the way.

Alright, I'm a little late to the party when it comes to Patrick Rothfuss and The Name of The Wind. Especially considering it was published in 2007 and mentioned in numerous places. Which it should have been, considering it was a New York Times Best Seller.

This qualifies as a Book I Wish I Had Written. No, really. I hope someday to produce something this magnificent. This book is layered, switching from third-person to first-person viewpoints with ease, telling two different stories involving the main character Kvothe at the same time. It's a story within a story. (I'm avoiding making the obvious reference to Inception. Oh wait, I just made it. Dang.)

I devoured this book. It's close to 700 pages and I had it read in a few days, stealing time between calls at work to read as much as I could. Heck, if I could afford the time off I would have taken a day or two just to read it. The book is that good.

Rothfuss does a great job of deconstructing how myths and legends are created. Kvothe himself is a living legend, and as the novel progresses we learn the hard truths behind a lot of the stories told about him and about the legendary evil that influenced his early life.

Rothfuss also avoids many of the fantasy cliches we've all seen before, without belaboring the point. There are no easy answers in this book, and often what you would expect to happen is either subverted, inverted, or smashingly averted.

If you haven't already, pick this book up. I've already started on the sequel, which just came out. Hopefully we're not stuck waiting too long for the third book, but I can understand how writing this good can take time.

The Dork Review: Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon

2011-07-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not going to lie. This review is going to be harsh and contain SPOILERS. If you loved this movie or don't want any of its plot points spoiled, do not ready any further. It's best for all of us if you don't.

Still here? Alright, let's proceed.

First off, let's get something clear. I enjoyed the first Transformers movie. I didn't mind the second, even though I understand why a lot of people didn't like it or found it offensive. Me personally it didn't offend, but then I'm not a member of any of any of the ethnic groups that would have been offended and I'm far from arrogant enough to think I should be offended on their behalf.

So why is Dark Of The Moon so much worse for me than the other two? It's boring.

Really, really boring. Even the "action" sequences got boring after awhile, and they were filled with giant, killy robots. My friend Jeff sitting beside me was yawning for the last little bit of the movie, that's how boring it was.

On top of that, most of the jokes in the movie were lame and/or came across as homophobic. The whole "Deep Wang" section was just so unnecessary. It was like trying to shoehorn in a little piece of The Hangover into an action flick.

And when the movie wasn't boring it was annoying. Shia LaBeouf's Whiney Whitwicky (patent pending) act was tolerable in the first movie, irritating in the second, and tiresome in this one. Part of me wanted to scream at him "Dude! No wonder that last chick left you, you whiney ass! Shut-up and enjoy living with your gorgeous English girlfriend who supports you!"

Speaking of said girlfriend, she really doesn't do anything in this movie other than make out with Shia and run around in tight jeans and heels. Oh, and show off her ass in panties in the opening shot of the film, just so that no one thinks Michael Bay has become gay when they see the "Deep Wang" section later. I have nothing against Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but really, she doesn't do much of anything in this film. At least Megan Fox's character in the first two had some gumption, some spice.

Topless Robot has more here on what happens in this flick. If you need more reason not to go and see this travesty then check that link out.

Only take someone to see this movie if you really don't like them, or if they are easily amused by explosions.

The Author's Thumbprint

2011-06-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Odd title, I know. Don't worry. I haven't been arrested and fingerprinted, nor have I been leaving incriminating prints around, but only because I haven't been doing anything nefarious at all. (Feel free to believe or disbelieve that statement.)

No, this post is about the "fingerprints" an author leaves on his work. How much of what an author puts down on the page is based upon who they are and what they believe in, and how much should there be?

First let me say this, no matter what an author does there's going to be a bit of them contained in their stories. This is inevitable. This is part of an author's style. The sheer fact that story exists can be attributed to someone wanting to put a piece of themselves out there, and every story is at first birthed within an author's mind. But does it always stay that way?

Let me give you an example from my own writing. Within that last few months I wrote a book. Not a great book, but not too bad for my first try. At least I proved to myself I could sustain a long term effort on one project.

In this novel there's a character that smokes pot on a regular basis. This was always going to be a part of this character, one of his defining traits. I don't like people who smoke pot more than occasionally. From my personal experience I've found them to be, well, unmotivated idiots. Again, this is from my personal experience and I'm sure there are exceptions out there, however I have yet to meet them. Also, I don't like the smell of weed. Really, really don't like it.

So, from the beginning this pot smoking character started off with a negative tone, in my mind. As I was writing the character began to change. He became more complex, more nuanced. I found aspects hidden inside him that changed my understanding of what he was. Instead of being just a one note character, a warning against drug use, he became a major factor in the story. I still don't like pot smokers, but the characterization in my story didn't suffer because of it.

I still have my opinions, but instead of the story being all about my views, and being blatant about it, it has a life of its own. Contrast that with something I was reading recently, where not only could I see the author's thumbprint, it was jumping up at my face. It was to the point it distracted me from the story, causing it to suffer. I did still enjoy the book, but it was tinged with a bit of disappointment.

I'm not going to mention the book or the author. I do want to be published someday, and it's unprofessional to go around slagging other people's work. I will say this though, it's made me more aware of my own thumbprint on the page, and while I do want to develop my own style I want to make sure that my stories don't suffer because of it.

The Dork Review: Super 8

2011-06-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I went into this movie without much hope. I'd seen the trailers, and to be honest, they made it seem dumb. Really, the only reason I went was because a friend had heard good things and we were going to wait till next week to see Green Lantern so a mutual friend could join us.

I'm glad I went. The movie was great!

How to describe it? Take Goonies, E.T., Close Encounters of The Third Kind, and a creature feature and smash them together. That combo may sound odd, but J.J. Abrams managed to make it work. This movie is an Eighties movie with a modern sensibility. It's post-modern Eighties.

And it has kids that can act! They seemed human, vulnerable and brave at the same time, rather than wooden and annoying like the kid from Phantom Menace. It helps that main female child lead is Ellie Fanning, younger sister of Dakota Fanning. It's obvious that acting talent runs in that family. If you don't believe me now you will after you see Ellie at the train station early in the movie. I half believe that the stunned looks on the other kids faces after she falls readily into her role within a role (trust me, it makes sense in context) is completely natural and not faked at all. I think everyone sitting in the theater was just as stunned as they were.

If you have fond memories of the Eighties, then this movie is for you. If you don't, but want to understand the spirit of that time, this movie is for you. And if you don't, well then this movie is still for you. It's just that good.

Whoever worked on the marketing for this film should really be sent back to school. The trailers do nothing to encapsulate the story or provide a tease to draw in a crowd. At least, not from my perspective. I'm glad I listened to my friend and went to see this.

My TV Curse

2011-06-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Want to know a sure-fire way to get a TV show cancelled? Get me to watch it!

Alright, so here's how it is. I don't watch a lot of TV now that I'm much more serious about my writing. Really, I watch maybe a couple shows here and there, such as The Big Bang Theory, Bones, and Dr. Who. Aside from my writing, another reason I don't watch many shows is that if I watch something in it's first season, it inevitably gets cancelled!

Case in point, the show Endgame. It was broadcast on Showcase up here in Canada, and was about an agoraphobic chess champion who solves crimes from the hotel he's trapped in by his own mind. It was an unconventional, intelligent, engaging show. And it's been cancelled after one season. Same with Firefly, The Chicago Code, and so on. The only show I've started watching recently that lasted beyond a season was Lie to Me, and that's been cancelled this year.

Ah, you say, but what about the three shows I listed as watching up above. The trick is, I didn't watch those shows that much in their first seasons. In fact, I really dislike the first episode of The Big Bang Theory. I know what it's like to be a nerdy guy pining for the girl next door, and that episode reminds me of situations I'd much rather forget. It's almost physically painful. Eventually, after the numerous recommendations from a friend, I did give the show a chance, but I do my best to not watch the first episode when it comes on TV.

How about some other examples:

CSI - didn't see any of the first season until years later, one of the longer running dramas currently on TV
Space Above and Beyond - watched it religiously from the first season, cancelled either in its first season or soon into it's second, not sure if it ran long enough to have a second season.
Eureka - enjoy this show immensely when I can catch it, but due to when it plays I often miss it, had to buy the first season on DVD in order to watch it.
Crusade - follow-up to Babylon 5 that lasted thirteen episodes - one of the few shows cancelled where I didn't watch the whole season, but I did see the first few episodes.

Those are all the examples I can think of right now, but I'm sure if I really racked my brain I could come up with more. My luck even appears to be affecting current running shows. Dr. Who, which I really just started watching, Matt Smith is excellent by the way, is NOT getting a full season pickup next season, and is being split in half for this season. Yup, my TV luck at work.

Hopefully my luck changes next year and a show I love from the get go lasts for awhile, and I get to actually watch it. We'll see.

Books That Need To Be Reread

2011-06-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm reading this book on samurai legends. It's full of stories of, funnily enough, samurai throughout the ages. They're taken from the original sources and translated, because amazingly I cannot read nor understand ancient Japanese script.

I've just reached a section taken from The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, something that I've already read at least five times by my count. So, am I going to skip this section? Well, the title of this post gives a hint on that. Of course not!

The Book of Five Rings is a classic, especially for anyone interested in the Eastern sword arts, which I am. (I have mentioned that I'm currently studying kendo and have studied Ono Ha Itto-Ryu in the past, haven't I?) Rereading it every few years is a good idea. It refreshes the text's information in my mind, and since I keep changing as I age, I may find a new truth in it. The same goes for The Art of War by Sun Tzu, another text I've been known to reread.

Now before you go thinking that ancient Asian military texts are the only thing I reread, I do the same with plenty of fiction as well. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card gets reread every few years, same with most of the Honnor Harrington series by David Weber, mostly because it helps me remember where the thread of the story's going and because they're just damn fun books. I used to reread the Wheel of Time books, until they reached a point I felt they were never going to end before Robert Jordan died. Unfortunately he did pass before finishing them, but I have been hearing good things about what Brandon Sanderson is doing to finish the series, so once it's all done I think I'll read them all, from start to finish, just to say I have.

So I hand this off to you, those who are reading my words. What books/series to you reread every few years, and why?

So When Do Things Slow Down?

2011-06-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

I thought summertime was when life's pace was supposed to ease back a bit, you know, the lazy, hazy days of summer?

It's just been non-stop for me the last little bit. In addition to my regular kendo sessions we went up to Milton to practice with Sensei Morgan and his group. Wonderful bunch of guys, and it's always good for your practice to face people with a different style than what you're used to. The invitation has been given for them to come down in August for a practice/barbeque.

Other than this, my father's now retired and my parents are having a place up around Belleville built to their specifications. They've already sold their house and are getting set to move, and who knows what chores they're going to need my help with in that.

I've finally gotten around to admitting I need more storage space for my every growing collection of books, so last Sunday my dad and I ended up making a trip to Ikea to purchase a bookcase, and then we took out my dad's boat for it's maiden voyage. Must be nice to have such a surplus of time.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to set up the bookcase sometime this week. It may be tricky. Aside from my regular kendo practice, I'm going to Staff Day up in Toronto this week, which is always an interesting experience, but it means leaving at 6AM and not getting back to 6PM. Definitely a full day.

Add on top of this I've joined Critters.org in order to get some critiques of my writing. My first submission has received feedback, and I'm pleasantly surprised. A lot of the things I thought would be issues aren't, and a host of great new ideas about that story have been generated by what people have been telling me. One person did say that with a little work I have a salable story, so hey, I'm on the right track. It's a little bit overwhelming. Add on top of that, despite how busy I've been with other things, I'm still writing and working on a new story. I want to finish the first draft of that before I go back and start revising anything else.

All in all, crazy, crazy, crazy.

The Dork Review: At The Queen's Command

2011-06-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a book by a "major author", since most of the fiction I've been reading lately has either been small press stuff or older books that have been around long enough that a review won't help or hurt them. So without further ado, on to my normal blathering.

At The Queen's Command is the first book of the Crown Colonies series by Michael A. Stackpole, who is a New York Times Bestselling Author as the cover of the book is so proud to tell us. And well it should be. Getting onto that list is damn difficult, and any author would be more than pleased to get there. Heck, there are probably authors out there willing to sell a kidney to get on that list. (Not me. I like having both kidneys.)

I enjoyed the book. It was well written, with engaging characters and moved along at just the right pace. To give you an idea of the setting, imagine a world where the French Revolution predates the American Revolution. The war is set to spill over into the colonies and our man Captain Owen Strake of the Queen's Own Wurms is sent across the Pond to scout out the enemy and make a report. Of course, the nations involved are not France and England but their fantasy stand-ins. Still, if you know anything of early colonial history you'll find the inversion rather amusing, especially since it was Royalist France that aided America in revolting against the British. But enough jabbering about history.

From that simple opening the book goes on to plunge Owen into the woods, led by a trapper and his native guide/blood brother. There's love, betrayal, torture, zombies (yes, zombies. I know), magic, dragons, and a, well let me just call it a transformative ending. The colonies practically seethe with unrest, most of the "noble" characters are anything but, and the main antagonist is a complete monster, and dapper dresser. All in all, a good yarn.

The only thing about the book I really have an issue with is the way the firearms work. In order to shoot the characters need to channel magic through a firestone then touch that to brimstone powder to set it off. Very similar to the way historic muskets worked but with magic replacing physics/chemistry. Shouldn't be that odd right. The problem is, it's established early on that magic, for the longest time, was considered lower class and subsequently prosecuted/looked down upon. It wasn't until firearms came about that required magic in order to fire, that the upper class nobles suddenly found that they too could had traces of magic talent. My brain just rebels at the idea of magic being the only way to use firearms. I mean, if magic was held in low esteem, why would anyone research a way to use it to make firearms? Who in the lower classes would have the time, and who in the upper classes would fund it?

Add in the fact that each use of a firearm results in blood pooling in the arm used to trigger the firestone, meaning each trooper can only fire five or six shots at most before they're tapped out. What sane military would build a force around troops that can only fire six times at most before needing a break?

I did enjoy the book and plan to pick up the next one in the series. My issues with the firearms aside, it was a ripping adventure tale set in the fantasy equivalent of the New World. Originally I picked it up because I had an idea for a series very similar to this, set in a fantasy world at the Napoleonic level of technology, so seeing what other authors are doing will help me to avoid some of the pitfalls in creating such a world, and make my creation unique enough to stand out amongst the crowd.

Who knows, maybe I'll end up on the New York Times Best Sellers list someday. (I'm hopeful but not holding my breath.)

The Dork Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

2011-05-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to say that Kung Fu Panda 2 lives up to the same standard as the original, or even exceeds it. Of course, I'm saying this while my inner child is running around kicking and punching kung fu style while screaming "Cool!"

Kung Fu Panda 2 has all the elements needed for an animated movie to succeed. It's accessible to both kids and adults, without being condescending to one or juvenile to the other. It uses the fact that in animation, anything is possible, constructing a world of gravity defying acrobatic martial arts that feels natural, something is very hard to pull off. I mean, I love Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but at times the wire work in that movie feels like, well, wire work, as in you know it isn't real. With the Kung Fu Panda movies that intense action can be portrayed naturally. Well, as natural as is possible with animation.

The movie succeeds in both its visual and story elements. First, the visual. This is a gorgeous movie, with cinematic backgrounds and flowing, graceful characters. The story is heartfelt, with Po and the villain Shen mirroring each other. Both are dealing with issues they have with who they are and what happened with their parents. The story and visual elements collide and support each other during flashbacks Po experiences, the flashbacks being more stylized until an essential truth is revealed. I don't want to say much more, but the moment when the style switches is one of the most heart-wrenching in the film.

That's not to say that the entire film is a constant downer, tugging on your heartstrings until they snap. There is plenty of humor worked in, with moments that both kids and adults will find hilarious.

I enjoyed this film immensely. In fact, I would even be willing to go and see Kung Fu Panda 3 when it comes out. Let's just say the ending of 2 definitely sets up for a third installment, and I'm excited to see this story continue.

Go and see it. Right now. You wont' be disappointed, well, at long as you have a measurable sense of humor.

Encouraging Rejection

2011-05-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not encouraging you to go out and reject someone or something. I'm merely mentioning that I received an encouraging rejection for my story Riding Europa that included some feedback. The editors said that after a "close" reading they decided not to take it, and that the story started well but there were some parts that didn't work.

So what now? I have two other stories currently out for critique, one I'm working on right now, and another on the back burner as it's long enough that it should wait to make the rounds until I'm actually published. So, things are progressing.

For now Riding Europa is going to get put in the "work on it later" pile. I think I've exhausted the available markets, so I'll put the story away and take another look at it in a year or so and see if I want to rewrite it or just let it continue to lie fallow.

New Story Monday: Not So Much

2011-05-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well it turns out today won't be New Story Monday. Turns out this idea has grown a bit since I started writing, and combined with some other things I needed to get done today I'm just not going to get it all done in a day.

Still, I went from a basic idea to developing characters, a basic plot, and over two thousand words of actual text in under a day. That's something to be proud of. Previously I've spent my entire writing period on a given day just figuring out the characters and writing down a few notes. Today I did that and a lot more.

The plan is to get more done on Thursday and then finish the first draft this weekend if not sooner. Hey, not every day can go as planned. The best bet is to get done what I can and then just keep on moving.

New Story Monday

2011-05-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Since tomorrow is a day off, thank you Queen Victoria, I'm going to perform an experiment. Normally it takes me awhile to write the first draft of a new short story, as in a couple weeks at least. Tomorrow I'm going to try writing a full short story, from idea to finished first draft, in one day. I'll get up relatively early, work on it the whole day, with breaks for lunch and such, and see what happens.

We'll see what happens. I don't think I'll have much time the rest of the week, as I've got kendo related events on Tuesday and Wednesday and who knows what else might pop up.

If you've got tomorrow off I hope you enjoy it!

Why Fans Are The Best Salespeople For Your Book

2011-05-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this is a bit of a story, so please bear with me.

Last night a couple friends and I went out for sushi at a new place in town. Sushi Ai in St. Catharines, if you're in town check it out. Anyways, since it's a long weekend we all had things to do, so after dinner we went our separate ways. I headed to Future Shop to pick up a new set of headphones for my iPod, as the ones I have right now are dying.

Well wouldn't you know it, there's a Chapters nearby. (For those of you outside of Canada, Chapters/Indigo is a major chain of bookstores, really the only chain of bookstores operating inside the country.) So of course, being a bibliophile, I had to go in and browse. You'd almost think I planned it that way.

The store was under renovations. Turns out they're expanding the children's section, which I'm all for. I don't have kids, but get a child hooked on reading at a young age and they're more likely to remain a reader as an adult. Luckily they still had the science fiction and fantasy sections in place, so that's where I started browsing.

Guess what I found? Napier's Bones, a book I recently wrote a review for was on the shelves. Now, it was way down at the bottom, which is unfortunate, but hey, it's always nice to see stuff from Chizine in stores. So I snapped a pic with my phone and prepared to move on.

I rounded the corner and ran in to a lovely young woman and her mother browsing the other side of the fantasy section and looking at the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R. R. Martin. I make a comment about it being a great series and we get to talking. While we're talking it hits me, maybe she'd like to read Napier's Bones? It's fantasy, it's different, and I know it's a great read, so I walk over, grab a copy and bring it back and sing the book's praises. We chat for about another minute and then I leave them to their deliberations.

Now, you're thinking, so what, big deal. I recommended a book and that's it. Well, there's another part to the story. A few minutes later I was browsing in the Military History section and this lovely young woman and her mother approach me and thank me for the recommendation and say they're going to purchase Napier's Bones instead of the George R. R. Martin, all because of what I said. Cool!

Why did I recommend the book? Well, aside from it being a great read, I met the author at Ad Astra this year and saw him on a couple panels. He came across as personable, intelligent, basically a nice guy who knows what he's talking about. I know that this is his first published book, and that if it succeeds he'll get the opportunity to publish more, and I want to read those. Also, he signed my book as I was purchasing it, with a personalized salutation. So, I want to help him.

Now, so far I've only recommended this book to one person, but I'm sure I'll recommend it to others in the future. So, say based upon my recommendation, five people pick up the book, and they get five to pick it up, and so on and so forth. So one convention appearance could ripple outwards and end up selling hundreds of books. Who knows?

It's something for me to keep in mind if I ever do get published. As much as I like to stand at the back of the crowd and observe things going on, when I'm an author I'm going to have to be willing to stand in front of a crowd and project that presence and personality that will interest people enough to pick up my book, so that they can recommend it to others and start that ripple effect for what I've produced.

My only regret is that I didn't think to get the woman's number. I was so geeked out about the book and the author it didn't occur to me that, hey, this woman tracked me down through the entire store to tell me she's going to buy something on my recommendation. Doh! There's a reason I'm still single.

Oh well.

The Dork Review: The Door To Lost Pages

2011-05-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, two reviews in one day. I meant to put this one up earlier this week but couldn't as the back-end for Blogger was down. So, better late then never.

First off, let me just say that The Door To Lost Pages will always have a special place in my heart for one small reason: There's a quote from my blog in the very first page after you open the cover! It's from my review of Claude Lalumiere's Objects of Worship, and after I saw it I giggled for a good ten minutes. Really, giggled, it was terribly amusing and you should have been there.

Anyways, on the the actual review of this work. I greatly enjoyed The Door To Lost Pages. It takes some of the ideas that sprang forth in Objects and runs with them. Similar to that book, it's a collection of shorter works. It differs in that all of the works are set in the same world/realm/idea and tied together by a supernatural bookstore called, funnily enough, Lost Pages.

I think the best way to describe this book is Lovecraftian. Throughout the entire work there is an unspeakable eldritch horror hanging above, ready to invade our dreams. Every night a war takes place, a war that can only be seen by a few mortals, those who have the ability to walk through the door into Lost Pages.

I enjoy Claude Lalumiere's work. It's dark, it's sexy, unconventional, while at the same time remaining accessible. This is the kind of book you read when you want something different, something that will challenge your mind but doesn't leave you lost and wandering through a sea of overblown language and imagery. It's literary without being pretentious. It's what genre fiction can be when it takes itself seriously and doesn't hold to the idea that just because it's genre that it is somehow lesser than "literature".

I hope we see a new book from Claude within the next few years. In fact, I'm hoping we see a full blown novel. I'd love to see what he could do with a single idea and over 70,000 words to explore it in.

The Door To Lost Pages can be ordered through Amazon, here.

The Dork Review: Thor

2011-05-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah, verily. I doth have a review of Thor, a moving picture of stupendous quality.

Thankfully the movie doesn't contain a lot of Shakespearean dialogue, which is surprising considering it was done by Kenneth Branagh. In fact, if I didn't know from the credits that Branagh worked on the film I wouldn't even realize it. That isn't a slight against him or the movie, but is in fact a compliment as it's a sign of a good director in my books when they don't try and stamp a certain style on every movie they do but rather let the story and the subject matter dictate how things fall together.

I saw Thor with two friends, and all three of us agreed that it was a good superhero movie. The pacing was just right so that at no point in this film did it feel like it was dragging. It was an origin story, but it didn't feel like it was an endless progression of exposition telling us who Thor is and why he's in the situation he finds himself in. In fact, the movie is much like the character it's named after, direct and action oriented.

And the visuals were amazing! Asgard actually looks like it could exist, with a techno-magic feel infused in the buildings, the costumes, everything. You can actually believe Thor when he says that he comes from a world where magic and science are one and the same.

And the movie actually had a sense of humor! In fact, all of the Marvel movies leading up to the Avengers have had a definite humorous undertone, being both aware that they are comic book movies and therefore deal with subject matter that can be by its very nature ridiculous, but at the same time saying that the world they exist in is both valid and real, and underlying that reality by injecting humor. In other words, more real because of the funny bits.

We saw the movie in 2D, and based upon other reviews I've read I recommend you go and see it thus. I don't think 3D would really add much to the viewing experience, and you'll save a couple bucks. Still, go and see it in theaters so you get the full effect of Asgard and you won't be disappointed.

The Influential Economic Effect of Bad Movies

2011-05-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

This topic comes out of a recent discussion at work about what movies are coming out this year and what ones my co-workers and I were planning to go see.

Sometime in the near future I expect to go and see Thor in theaters, spending money on a movie ticket and maybe some popcorn and a drink. So far I've enjoyed all of Marvel movies that are all aimed at the Avengers movie slated to come out next year. In fact, I can honestly say that my enjoyment of those movies has positively influenced my decision to see them in theaters and therefore has had an economic effect. I'm paying to go see them or buying them when they come out on Blu-ray.

Then there's the opposite effect. The last two X-Men related movies, X3 and Wolverine were such utter piles of crap that even though the trailers that were just released actually look interesting, I have almost no desire to see this movie. Same with the planned Spiderman reboot after Spiderman Three stunk up the screens. I will not be investing any money in experiencing these films.

What I'm wondering is, is my behavior atypical or is it shared by others? While these movies are tangentially related to the others, does the fact that a portion of fandom experienced a negative reaction to them influence the amount of money they will take it? And what about what the genres they represent overall? Will we see a slackening of superhero movies if people avoid these movies based on previous experiences with the same characters but dealt with by a different director/writer/actor?

I wish I could collect data on this, but it would be such a daunting task. I mean, even a well funded research team would have a hard time. You'd need to run surveys on patrons entering and exiting theaters to find out what film there are going to see and if previous films in the genre or "series" (stretching the term a bit) influenced their decisions. How many bad films does it take to kill a genre, or is it just shifting tastes in society over time that cause it?

Yes, I spend way too much time thinking about these things. Sometimes it does lead to interesting story ideas.

Second Draft: The Finishing

2011-05-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Whoo Hoo! Just finished the second draft of my very first novel. Though I don't know if it really counts as a novel, since the final word count is 66, 182.

Now we just need to see if Angry Robot books wants the full thing sent to them. If not, well I can always start shopping it around. Since this is my first long form work it's not likely to sell. Still, I've learned a few things. I can sustain the effort of writing long fiction, and then I can sustain the effort of revising it. I really do need to work in making my first drafts more dynamic, and I need to reduce the amount of repetition.

All in all, I'm happy. The book is what I set out to make, a small, personal story with a few characters in a dangerous situation. Even if it doesn't sell, writing it was a learning experience.

What The Hell Happened Last Night?

2011-05-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I'm still in a bit of shock from seeing the Canadian federal election results. That, and I'm worried.

I'm worried what's going to happen now that the Conservative Party has a majority. The last time this happened was before I was an adult, with good old Brian Mulroney of the Progressive Conservatives, who introduced the GST, one of the most hated taxes in Canadian political history. Then, it being his third term in office, he graciously stepped down as leader for Kim Campbell and let the ensuing uproar hit her in the face. Yes, we briefly had a female Prime Minister. Too bad her party set her up to fail.

Now we have the Conservatives in power. I guess they became less progressive after they absorbed the Reform party. Not surprising, considering some of the Reform party's negative views on gay and lesbian rights. I'd call them the maple-flavored Tea Party, but even the Reformers weren't that idiotic. Still, with those ideas floating around inside the Conservative party, on top of their perceived preference to extend tax cuts to the rich, it should be an interesting four years.

Guess those attack ads were really effective.

On top of the Conservatives gaining power we saw the utter meltdown of the federal Liberals. Even the leader of the party couldn't get elected, and he should have been running in a seat that was a lock for them. Of course, he did commit the ultimate sin and say two very stupid things on camera. First, he mentioned that he wouldn't take a GST hike off the table. Again, most hated tax in Canada, not a good idea to say you might raise it. Yes, I know the quote was from a few years back, but it was stupid to say then and it dogged Ignatieff through this election, with the Conservative's cherished attack ads making sure to repeat it over and over. The second dumb thing he said, and I can't really fault him for this one as at the time he said it he didn't know he'd be coming back to Canada, was to call America his country while working down there. This really got played up by the Conservatives, to tap into that anti-American vein that runs through a good portion of Canadians.

There were some glimmers of hope in the election though. Seeing the Bloc Quebecois get pummeled by the NDP and reduced to only a few seats was amusing. It's nice to see Quebec voters reject a party that would only stand up in Parliament and ask, "What have you done for Quebec lately?" To me that shows a chance at a greater unity, a greater understanding, and a chance for things to be more inclusive. If only it was the NDP in power rather than the Conservatives.

Finally, and personally, I was overjoyed to see the Green party get a seat. I think they've come a long way in the last few years, from a whisper on the fringe to a voice that rings out clearer and clearer each time it's heard. Heck, a lot of the "traditional" parties are putting forth green ideas, so at the very least the Green party has highlighted the need for more environmental thinking from our elected officials. Let's hope the Conservatives listen.

As I said, I'm worried about the next few years. Parliament is very divided right now, with a right-wing party in the majority and a left-wing party in the official opposition while the center-left Liberals are but a shadow. Part of me hopes the Conservatives won't screw things up too badly, but another part of me knows they will and hopes they screw up bad enough that they'll never get back into power in my lifetime.

Oh well, we'll see.

The Dork Review: Napier's Bones

2011-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

2 + 2 = magic?

It does if the book is Napier's Bones by Derryl Murphy. I must be honest, I never planned to pick up this book until after I saw Mr. Murphy on a panel at Ad Astra where he described the magic system, and then I couldn't wait to pick it up.

I'm, well, not exactly math-phobic but it was my least favorite subject growing up, so a book entitled after a mathematical tool is not something that would normally appeal to me. And that would have been my loss. Napier's Bones starts off like a rocket and doesn't let up on the throttle. The action is well written and believable, even when it dips into the fantastic. Add on top of that an intriguing magic system that embraces mathematics without clubbing the reader over the head with it, so that even the math averse will understand and enjoy it, and you have an amazing read.

When I say this novel doesn't let up, I mean it. It starts with Dom, who we find out is what's called a numerate (right now I'm resisting the urge to call him a mathemagician) and able to work magic with the numerical ecology that permeates modern life, barely survives the backlash from a confrontation out in the desert while searching for a powerful pieced of mojo, an item infused with mathematical essence that a numerate can draw upon. Mojo comes in many different flavors, from sports memorabilia to calculating tools, each with its own abilities and problems. As I said, this is a well thought out magic system and the inclusion of mojo is one of its masterpieces.

Dom ends up with a ghost in his head and an apprentice by his side while running from a force from the past that could change the way the world's numbers, and therefore the world, work. Murphy does a splendid job of making this threat believable without being over the top, scary without it becoming cartoonish. Even better, I found the book's ending satisfying, which can be hard to find sometimes.

I highly recommend checking out Napier's Bones. Especially if it motivates Derryl Murphy to keep on writing. I want to see what else his mind can produce.

Napier's Bones can be found here on Amazon.

The Importance of Having a Schedule

2011-04-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Arrrgh!! (Sound of a head getting thumped on a desk)

Ok, sorry, had to get that off my chest. Right now I'm annoyed with myself, and rightly so. You see, I had an entire long weekend with which to write, except for my regular kendo class on Saturday and dinner with my parents on Sunday, and I was looking forward to getting a lot done. Guess what actually happened?

So far, not much. Arrgh!

Truth is, this weekend has sucked for me for getting writing done. Sucked as in I keep getting sucked into things other than writing. Of course Space has to be running a marathon of the new Doctor Who specials. I've never been a huge fan, mostly because I was always busy doing something when the show was on, but the Doctor is addictive and I have enjoyed Matt Smith as the new Doctor. Yes, I did see the first episode of the new season and did enjoy it. Sigh, now I'm probably going to be watching it. Thank goodness I don't have HBO otherwise I'd be watching Game of Thrones as well.

So instead of writing that last two days I've been watching TV. This is why it's important for me to have a schedule and keep to it, so that these temptations are easier to resist. Every night, from about 6-8PM, or 9PM depending upon the night, I'm writing. A solid two hour block dedicated to just that one activity, no exceptions. That's how I was able to write 50,000 words in just over two months. That's how I'll continue on writing and honing my skills.

At least today I was able to pull myself away from the TV and get something done. I'm over halfway through the revisions of my first novel, and I just completed one of the largest chapters. I'll have to work extra hard tomorrow to make up for all the goofing off I've done so far this weekend.

The Dork Review: Triptych

2011-04-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've reviewed a book. Two reasons for this. A lot of what I've been reading lately is either non-fiction or older stuff that really doesn't need a review. Also, I've been so wrapped up in my own writing I haven't had time to surface for air and read something else.

So, where to start on Triptych by J.M. Frey. Hmmmm... the first thing should be, what exactly is a triptych? Some of you might be thinking "Well, isn't that some kind of weird alieny thing-a-ma-jobbie?"

Actually no. A triptych is a work consisting of three painted or carved panels that are hinged together and was a popular standard format for altar paintings from the Middle Ages. The idea of three is a very important theme in this work, and is used by Frey overtly and subtly very well.

This is a book that has a definite message about gender politics, but it doesn't thump the reader heavily over the head with it. There's drama without descending to level of cheap melodrama. There's action, romance, betrayal, love and hate all mixed together in characters that come off as believable. Especially that aliens! That, for me, is the best part. Kalp, the main alien character of the book comes of not only as a believable, well-rounded individual, but at the same time you can tell that he's alien and that everything he sees is confusing and new, without feeling that Frey is just masking a human viewpoint with a few alien words or ideas. That is a feat that many authors would find difficult, and she pulls it off without seeming to break a mental sweat. Kudos on that!

However, as much as I enjoyed this book there were mechanical elements I found distracting or slightly frustrating. I'm probably more sensitive to these things right now as I'm working on my own novel, but I did find some of the action scenes felt lacking. They felt chaotic and unfinished, at least to me. A large part of that is likely due to the viewpoint character's being used, so it may be a stylistic choice that was made. Also, some of the descriptive sections early on seemed too long, but again, I think this is more a matter of preference than anything else.

I really did enjoy this book, and look forward to reading the next thing J.M. Frey releases. It can be found here on Amazon

Twittering About

2011-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Sigh, yes, I've finally opened a Twitter account. I've been considering doing so for awhile now, for various reasons. First, I can update Twitter while mobile a hell of a lot easier than I can update this blog. Second, there are a lot of people I'd like to follow via Twitter, and that list seems to keep growing each day. Finally, part of being a writer/author these days is having a presence on social media, including Twitter, so I should jump on and get used to it so that when I actually need to use it for promoting myself I used to the dang thing.

I doubt I'll be using it too much right now, but hey, gotta bite the bullet eventually.

Ad Astra 2011 Con Report

2011-04-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

So this marks the second time I've been to Ad Astra. I meant to announce I was going on this blog beforehand, but since I was really, really busy up to the time I left and I wasn't going to be on any panels I ended forgetting to do it. Whoops.

How was the con you ask? Awesome. Maybe not as awesome as last year for me, but that might have more to do with the fact that this is my third con, the other being ConCept in Montreal, so I actually now have some experience with them so the blush is off the rose as they say. Going to a convention is no longer new and fresh, so that alters my perception of it.

Still, I met a lot of awesome people that I hope the see again. It seems that at every convention I go to I end up running into Erik Buchanan and Marie Bilodeau who are published by Dragon Moon Press. Both are very lovely people and I hope if you've ever at a con you get a chance to meet them. Fair warning though, after meeting them you will be compelled to by any and all books they put out. I'm up to date on Eric's books, but slacking behind on buying Marie's. Hmmmm... they're both in a collection coming out in August... so I could order that and some of hers at the same time, or wait until SFContario and make a mass purchase and get it all signed... hmmm.... decisions, decisions.

Oh, and before I forget to say it, if you have a chance go and see one of Marie's storytelling shows. I caught her performance on Friday night at the con and it was amazing.

Also on Friday night I attended a panel on using conventions to your advantage with Justine Lewkowicz, Scott Edelman, and Ian Keeling. Justine hosts an online show called Bookends which I will likely add to my every growing list of things to keep tabs on, especially if she's even half as engaging and personable on camera as she is in person. All three panelists handed out some great advice, both during that panel and when I ran into them at other panels or at the bar.

So what were some of the other highlights of the con? Oh, getting for me personally, getting to say to Howard Tayler how much I enjoy his webcomic and the Writing Excuses podcast he's a part of. That, and seeing the awesome boots he had on. Seriously, these boots were impressive. I think they could withstand a force five hurricane they looked so solid. With those boots I think Howard's about a third of the way to becoming a superhero.

Another Howard related moment was seeing the look on his face after Mercedes Lackey stated, in the very first panel of the convention I was at and that they both were on, that she was a fan of Schlock Mercenary, his webcomic. I swear he became a bit choked up at hearing this, and was speechless for a minute. It's not everyday that one of the giants of SF/Fantasy says she loves your work.

Speaking of Mercedes Lackey, I only saw her a couple times over the con but she came off as a lovely person and a real trooper. She was there to the very end of the convention, even showing up to give a couple of the male convention runners a significant kiss during the closing ceremonies. All in all, just a lovely and fun person who I hope I get the chance to meet and talk too in depth at some point.

Speaking of the closing ceremonies, they had a raffle and I won something! I ended up walking way from the con with a piece of artwork by Howard Tayler, a print in color with signatures from the Guests of Honor at the con. It was the one piece of artwork I really and truly wanted, and I ended up getting it. Even though E-bay beacons with the siren call of seeing it, I will resist. I want that sucker framed and on my wall, and it will be a cold day in the entirety of Hell before I give it up. Seriously, it's awesome. I may have to take a picture of it and post it up some time.

So, summing things up, I had an awesome time, slept and ate way too little, walked from one end of the hotel to another (seriously, I should grab a pedometer before the next con and track how much walking I actually do), met a ton of awesome people, and snagged a load of books to review so expect some Dork Reviews on those in the near future.

The Dork Review: Sucker Punch

2011-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's my review on Sucker Punch, the latest film to come out from Zack Snyder. It's been a couple days since I've seen it, the delay due to Ad Astra prep (more on that later) and so I could have time to mull it over.

First off, I enjoyed this movie. In fact, I'd put my enjoyment of it right up there with Battle: Los Angeles, which makes sense since they are both action films. Sucker Punch is definitely the more thoughtful of the two.

What I do find surprising is how viciously this flick has been savaged by the critics. Every person I know who's gone and seen it has loved it. Of course, just about everyone I've talked too that has seen it has been male, so that might be part of it. Yes, the film does have pretty girls in skimpy outfits, but if you look past that it's a story of a young woman in a terrible situation retreating into a fantasy world where she has greater control. A fantasy world where she is the primary mover, which can be seen to bleed out into the real world a bit.

Add on top of that the mythic undertones running throughout the film. Recently I've been reading The Hero of 1000 Faces and it's fascinating, at least to me, to pick up on some of the items raised in the book showing up in a movie. It just demonstrates how much modern movies have replaced mythology, and how some story elements are universal, whether in film or in print.

The ending of the movie lives up to it's title. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it's enough to say that I did find it powerful, and even a little unexpected.

I recommend going and seeing Sucker Punch. So far I've seen three movies by Zack Snyder. I own two of them and plan to add this movie to my collection when it comes out on Blu-ray.

Publishing and Professionalism Go Hand in Hand People

2011-03-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously, does this even need to be said?

In case you missed it, check out this, ahem, lovely discussion thread where an author has a freaking meltdown over a bad review.

Read it? Ok, then.

All I can say is wow, who pissed in her Cheerios? I mean, whatever happened to grace and decorum? When did swearing at potential customers and making a complete ass of yourself online become a business strategy? Questions such as these vex me, they do.

No, not really at all. The truth is, a lot of people seem to think that writing is easy and that they'd be a genius at it, and once that happy fantasy is popped like a cheap balloon they have trouble coping and tend to lash out. I'd bet any money that the "author" linked above has never worked a job where she had to smile politely and resist the urge to reach over and strangle someone, as evidence by the complete freakout she has over valid criticism. Instead of taking it as a learning experience she reacted with hostility. I was unlikely to read her book beforehand, now, after seeing this, I won't touch anything she writes with a ten foot pole carried by my personal helper monkey. (Not that I have one yet, as they're on back order.)

Maybe I should send her my rules for getting along with people?

And We're Off

2011-03-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say, that yes, I have indeed submitted my novel to Angry Robot books. I'm sure it will be praised and hailed as a triumph, bringing both my future publisher and myself critical and commercial success. Indeed.

Yeah.... even I'm having trouble with that one. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of the book, and proud of myself for writing it, but I am realistic about my chances. This is my first novel, and it's a bit on the short side. My chances of it being picked up are slim, and I'm far from done working on it. So far I've got the prologue and the first four chapters done to a degree I'm happy with. I'm going to have to spend the next few months continuing to revise, on the off chance I do get a request for a full manuscript. Then there are a few more steps that need to be completed over at Angry Robot books before a decision would be made.

If the book does get accepted it would be 2013 before it's published, so not anytime soon. So even if this book turn out to be a home run I've still got plenty of times up at bat before I see any results.

Wish me luck!

The Dork Review: The Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

As promised last week, here's my review of The Adjustment Bureau. And no, it's not a movie about an organization of chiropractors who go out offering spinal adjustments, as my one friend was jokingly describing it.

Hmmm... where to start on this movie. I enjoyed it. The pacing was good, it never seemed to drag along and the action and drama were engrossing. I think it does suffer a bit in my mind when compared to Battle: Los Angeles because it's not as intense an experience, but is more thoughtful and emotional. Feelings are what drive the plot in this movie as opposed to bullets.

That being said, I loved the argument put forth about free will versus determinism. The scene with David Norris, the protagonist and senator to be played by Matt Damon, and Thompson, the ultimate antagonist played by the menacing Terrence Stamp, arguing back and forth about it is one of the best in the whole film.

While this movie has definite protagonists and antagonists, there really isn't a villain. Thompson is very, very determined to make sure David goes back on plan, but his tactics rely more upon fear and frustration than actual violence, leading up to a very emotional scene between David and Elise, played by the absolutely gorgeous Emily Blunt.

I had another reason to go and see this movie though. Years ago, while listening to the song Karma Police by Radiohead I had a very similar idea to this movie, where a character discovers the underlying workings of Fate and fights against it. Now, my idea is not exactly the same, but I wanted to see this movie to see how it was done in this case so that when I finally go to write my story I avoid making it the same or too close and people think I'm just ripping off this movie.

I recommend going and seeing The Adjustment Bureau if you're looking for something a bit more thoughtful and emotional before the summer action movies burst out onto movie screens.

Nerd Rage: False Advertising

2011-03-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, to start things off, watch this trailer for Battle Los Angeles:

If you've seen the movie then you know this is a pretty good representation of the movie and its subject matter. It's a nice taste of what you're going to see, and it acts as an enticement to get you to see the movie. Most importantly, it doesn't promise what it can't deliver.

Now take a look at this trailer for Passchendaele:

Alright, so watching that you'd think this was a war movie with some time spent on the home front, right?

If you haven't seen Passchendaele and intend to watch it, then stop reading now as I'm going to give away most of the movie below. Fair warning.

Still here? Okay then. The trailer is full of lies!!!

I'm being over-dramatic of course, but not too much. Based upon that trailer you'd think this was a movie about the Canadian contribution to the first World War, a look at how Canadians proved themselves in the blood and mud and earned the name "storm troopers". It looks as if finally the contribution that was made by our soldiers was finally being taken seriously, and being celebrated while at the same time showing the true horrors of the war.

Yeah, not so much. And to make it worse, this trailer is the most balanced one I've seen, and I remember most of the commercials for this movie at the time it came out highlighting the war aspect. If I could have found the advertising from History Television for a recent broadcast of the move I would have put that up, as it skips the romance/home front aspect altogether.

The movie is book-ended by the brutal war scenes, and then spends most of it's time on the home front and focused on the romance between the two main characters. While I'm more than happy to stare at Caroline Dhavernas onscreen for a couple hours, when I went to see this in the theaters I was looking forward to a war flick, not a romance. To say that I was displeased would be an understatement.

Passchendaele is forever tainted for me because of way it was advertised. To be honest, I wouldn't have seen the movie in theaters if it had been more truthfully portrayed in the trailers and commercials. But then I would have missed seeing two things; trench nookie and Paul Gross's character literally getting crucified. (You'll have to watch the movie to get those references.)

Why am I writing about this? As I said earlier, recently History Television showed the movie and they continued with the false advertising, and the contrast between that and how Battle Los Angeles was portrayed just stuck in my head.

I hate false advertising. I understand that companies want to make money on movies, heck they put the money into making they should get something in return, but portraying a movie falsely doesn't help in the end. For me it means I'm less likely to go a see the next movie that company puts out or the next thing starring Paul Gross.

And in the end I still haven't gotten the war movie I wanted.

The Dork Review: Battle Los Angeles

2011-03-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there's a wealth of choice when you want to go to the movies. There can be so many things you want to see that sometimes it's hard to choose.

Take tonight for instance. A couple of friends and myself planned to go out and see a movie, and it fell to me to decide since I was the one the made the suggestion of going and seeing something in the first place. Three contenders stood out, Rango, The Adjustment Bureau, and Battle Los Angeles.

Now from the title of this review it's obvious which one we went and saw. So, getting to the point, how was the movie?

Very good!

It was no King's Speech. There is no in depth study of character, no probing of the inner mind of a tormented individual. There are a couple of tormented individuals in this movie, but it less probing then dipping our toes into their thoughts that happens. The characterization is brief at best, but in this kind of movie that's alright, and what characterization is in there is handled well and is kept subtle, never overblown or out of place.

To sum it up, this is a military-sf movie, and a good one. Discussing it with my friends afterward we came to the conclusion that it was Independence Day with the majority of the jingoism pulled out. Yes, the main characters are U.S. Marines, and yes they do score a significant victory, but they aren't shown going around the planet pulling everyone else out of the fire. The focus of the movie is on one battle, in one place, with only glimpses of what's going out elsewhere in the world.

The movie showcases the Marines at their best without feeling like a recruiting film. These guys are scared shitless and shown that way, yet the still rise to the occasion. They go through hell and back.

If you're a fan of explosions and such, then go see this. The action is intense and almost non-stop, but it never seems gratuitous. There's always a reason why the bullets are flying, and these men aren't going out of their way looking for glory. They have a mission, and they see that through to the end.

If you want to kick of the summer action movie season a little bit early, then go see this flick. I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed it immensely.

(Edit: Forgot to put this in the original post. There are a couple wall banger moments in this movie, mostly involving the news broadcasts from the scientist. Be prepared for them, but don't let them detract from the mayhem.)

Next week I'm looking to go and see The Adjustment Bureau, so expect my opinion on that movie next week.

Updated Novel Status

2011-03-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember that novel I mentioned I was working on? The one I wanted to have completed by the end of March so that I could submit it to Angry Robot Books?

Guess what? The first draft is done!

Total word count at this point is 66,221. I expect that to fluctuate as I start revisions, going up and down as I find parts that require more explanation/showing and other parts that need to be ruthlessly pruned. Yes, the process is far from over.

So what have I learned from this. One, I can actually sustain the writing effort on a single project over a longer period of time than is required for shorter works, or in other words I can actually write freaking novels! Two, I can currently generate an output of 1000 words over two hours per night on average, or at least I can while writing first person narration. I'll need to write a longer work in third-person to see if this is the case. Three, having a general outline helped, but I am able to stray from it and come up with some interesting ideas.

I should probably say a bit more on that last point. During the writing process I actually had a character morph on me. Initially I intended him to be a lazy, no good bum, who's sole purpose was to cause calamity and die horrifically. As the writing progressed this character actually started to take on some heroic qualities, and became more rounded and mature as things went on as the plot demanded he step up and accomplish certain things. I won't mention his ultimate fate, but needless to say I was impressed at how rounded a character he became. I'm still a bit nervous about my characters, as that was one weakness that was pointed out to me by Karl Schroeder when he reviewed the short story I submitted for review while he was writer in residence for the Merrill Collection. I think I've addressed that weakness, but I won't know for sure until someone other than me reads my novel.

So where do I go from here? First, I need to take a short break. Not a long one as I need to get this in to Angry Robot by the end of March, but a few days to rejuvenate my creative juices wouldn't be amiss. I really do want to see a couple movies that have just come out or are about to come out, so this would be the perfect time to go and see those. Even though I'm staying away from the keyboard, my mind is still working on the novel and a plan is forming for revision. I know certain things I want to highlight in the book, and certain characteristics about each character I want to stand out. During the draft I discovered that two of the characters have a tragic flaw, and I want to make sure that's portrayed consistently, and I want to see if I can figure out the tragic flaw for the third character and find a way to make it clear as well, and all of this without clubbing the reader over the head with it.

I know my chances of this getting published are slim, but even if this book never sees the light of day (or ends up as a Kindle self-pub special) I've learned something from the process. Even better, I have numerous ideas ready for the next book I want to write, so even if this one doesn't take off I'm far from done.

About Freaking Time!

2011-03-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Big news if you're a Song of Ice and Fire fan. The next novel in the series, A Dance with Dragons, is set to drop on shelves this July.

Man am I looking forward to this! It's only been six years since the last book of the series came out. I can understand needing some time between books to get things sorted out, but six freaking years is a long time. I hope with the HBO series coming out and it devoting a season to each book will push Mr. Martin to finish the last two in the series a little bit faster. You know, so there's only a space of say three years between each.

I kid, I kid. The writer half of me understands how hard it can be to get things flowing, but the fanboy part of me is snarling and saying "more words now!"

Either way, I'm getting a copy in my grubby little hands as soon as possible.

A Cat Shaped Hole In A Snowbank

2011-02-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't mentioned this yet, but back in January I ended up adopting two kittens, both about nine months old. One is gray with a little bit of while on his belly and named Popper, while the other is a muted calico (a way of describing a cat's coloring I did not know until I took her to the vet) named Gizmo.

In the couple months I've had them they've both gotten their shots and been fixed, so I don't need to worry about kittens suddenly filling up my small apartment (whew!). It has been an adjustment though. I was used to living alone and not having to worry about anyone but myself. It was lonely, but at the same time I've lived with other people so it was nice for the last couple years to have a place to myself.

Now I'd been thinking about adopting a cat for awhile now, because as I said it was lonely but not lonely enough that I wanted to find a roommate any time soon. So when a friend of mine mentioned that his brother in law had two kittens that needed a home, I ended up meeting the two little buggers and falling in love with them on the spot.

So, what does all of this have to do with a cat shaped hole in a snowbank? Well, it seems that Popper, the male of the two, decided that the box-spring on my bed was a great place to burrow into and make a nest. I'd been finding fluff from something around the apartment for the last few days, and then yesterday I caught the bugger hiding in the box-spring, the one that he had torn large holes into and basically shredded the underside.

Oh boy, was I mad at this point. I know, it's instinctual behavior, it's not his fault, yadda, yadda, yadda. Still, anyone's first instinct upon seeing the damage would be anger. At that point Popper was lucking I'm a few floors up, otherwise there would have been a cat shape hole in a snowbank.

Thankfully it was on Saturday I discovered this, so I had a chance to go to kendo class and wear down my anger, so that when I returned that night I wasn't still fuming. I did pick up a few things on the way home from kendo. First, I purchased this "No Stay" spray that's supposed to have a scent that will keep cats away from things. It's the second such product I've tried with these two, and after I sprayed it under the bed Popper went over and took a big sniff and then basically shrugged his kitty shoulders. Later I found him under the bed again. So that was a bust.

The other thing I purchased were these double-sided sticky strips. I bought them to use on my kitchen sink cabinet, as both cats love to open that one and the cabinet in the bathroom. I don't want them getting into any of the chemicals stored there, and the constant sound of them banging open the cupboards was getting annoying. So far that seems to have worked like a charm, so I decided to use a line of strips around the bed to see if that will keep the little bugger from going under.

Why am I so concerned about him getting into the box-spring? Well, I don't know all that's under there and if it could be harmful if ingested, especially since some of what I'd been finding was obviously foam and not just the felt that had been torn. I don't want to end up taking either of them to the vet. Also, dang it, I don't want my stuff destroyed any more than it has already been.

My mother suggested something as well. I should get them a covered cat bed, since obviously Popper at the very least feels the need to have something over top of him. I guess I'll have to look into it.

Cats. They're a pain in the but sometimes, then they curl up in your lap and fall asleep and you end up forgiving them.

The Dork Guide to Dealing With Other People

2011-02-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Alright, this post is in reply to something seen over on Blag Hag the last few days. Specifically this post.

To sum things up, two ladies went to an atheist event and a few things happened that pointed out how women are not made to feel welcome at such events. Some comments were made, some feelings were hurt, and a bad impression was generated.

Please understand I am giving you a small summary of a much larger post/issue rather than reposting it here. My intention is not to make light of the situation, and I'm just trying to give the reason why I'm posting the following. Please go and read the original post so that you may understand what exactly happened.

So, with that in mind it occurred to me that a guide on how to deal with others, a cheat sheet for public interaction might be in order. What qualifies me to provide this you may ask? My day job is technical support/customer service for a large public entity that deals with people of various races, colors, creeds, and genders. I deal with people on the phone on a daily basis, so yes, I do have some experience in this area.

So, here are some guidelines for dealing with others:

1. Don't be a dick.

Really, I shouldn't have to write this. It's a basic rule, made much more popular thanks to Mr. Wil Wheaton, but it seems it needs to be said. So how do you know if you're being a dick? Ask yourself if the way you're treating someone else is the way you would want to be treated is the way you would want to be treated. If it's not, then you're being a dick.

2. Understand that people are different, and that they may not want to be treated the same way you would want to be treated.

This ties into number 1. Yes, you should treat people the way you would want to be treated, but you need to keep in mind that their culture may make it likely they may not react well to being treated a certain way. When dealing with someone from a different culture be extra careful until you know them well enough to know what will cause them offense.

3. Biology is not an excuse.

This goes for both men and women. Men, you have a penis and it's a great thing. I know, I have one too. However, just because we have one doesn't mean we get to let it do all our thinking. Drooling over a woman you find attractive is not permissible, and the fact that it's "a natural drive" is no excuse. We are not just animals so act like it.

And ladies, don't think you are immune from this rule as well. I'm not going to specify anything for fear of offending someone (yes I'm following my own damn rules and being thoughtful), but please be aware of how your body affects your mind before making a comment.

4. Master the art of telling people to "gent bent" without actually saying that.

Yes, it is possible to call someone an idiot without actually using the word. And it is a hell of a lot more satisfying, especially if they are too dumb to realize what you just called them. Now, this is a learned skill that takes a lot of practice, and generally you get said practice by interacting with a lot of stupid people. I've had a lot of practice with this. Not at my current job of course.

5. Welcome other points of view, listen to them, and then respond appropriately.

Now this sounds rather basic doesn't it. I mean, what could be more simple than listening? Actually, a lot of things. I know, I've actually taken training to practice "active listening". It's not an easy skill to master, as it involves pushing aside preconceived notions and actually trying to understand what the person is saying.

The second part of this guideline is just as important. Once you understand what the person is saying, respond to it in a manner that won't offend them unduly. For instance, if someone makes a statement you don't agree with, and after actively listening to it you realize that they are acting under a mistaken assumption or faulting data, gently tell them what you've found to be correct and provide sources so that they can confirm on their own. If it's a matter of opinion that can't be verified by outside data then be sure to state it's your opinion and provide the reasoning behind it. Never at any point take on a mocking or condescending tone, as this will surely turn the other person against you and make any efforts you've made to convince/educate them moot.

The only caveat to this guideline is if the person proves themselves to be an irredeemable idiot after an extended conversation. If they do so, please see guideline 4 above and have fun.

That's all I have at this point. If anything I have said above offends you then I humbly apologize and seek your forgiveness, not for saying it but for giving offense. Everything I've said is true from my point of view, and if you can't see it in your heart to forgive me, then please refer to guideline 4 and have a nice day. :)

The Importance of Checking Convention Websites

2011-02-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

So you register for a convention that's going to be months ahead in the future. You've been there before, had a great time, so signing up for the next year is a foregone conclusion. No need to check the website for the con, as you've already made your decision, right?

Wrong! You can miss out on opportunities that way, especially if you're attempting to become an author.

I'm signed up for Ad Astra this year and looking forward to it. As I've said before, I had a blast last year and I'm looking forward to going and seeing some great people and attending some interesting panels. And that is what this post is all about.

Recently I checked out the website for Ad Astra to see if they'd started posting what panels were going to be run this year, and lo and behold what do I find but a "speeddating" event matching up writers with editors/agents/publishers. Oh what fabulous day! Surely I will attend this and find someone who will take by newly written novel (which I'm still in the process of writing but hope to have done by the end of March, nearly 48000 words written so far thank you very much).

But there's gotta be a catch. So, wanting to be sure I get a chance to get in and dazzle the literary gatekeepers instead of being left out in the cold I emailed the con staff asking if registration for the even was required. Turns out this was a good idea as, yes, registration would be required but they were still sorting things out and would put my name down as interested. Whoo Hoo!

So, checking a con's website every now and then even if you've already signed up is a good idea. Otherwise, you may miss out on a great opportunity.

The Dork Review: The King's Speech

2011-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've gotten out to see a movie. Good thing I picked a good one to go see!

The King's Speech was amazing. There is no other way to adequately describe this movie. If you're a history buff with an interest in World War II or the British monarchy then this is a must see.

Let me set the stage for you. We start in the 1920's where a nervous Prince of England, second in line to the throne, has to give a speech in Wembly Stadium to be broadcast across the wireless, something still new enough that it takes getting used to. The Prince steps up to the mike and...

Nothing. He's a stutterer and he bombs, bombs like the Germans bombed London. From there we get to see the steps being taken to cure him of his stutter and to the time he meets Lionel, the speech therapist that understands the root cause of his problem and is brave enough to help him through it.

Colin Firth's performance as Bertie was amazing. Geoffry Rush as Lionel was magnificent, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Bertie's wife was superb. Of course, they had an astounding cast surrounding them, including many famous faces from English cinema. Watching this movie you will have numerous "Hey, I know that guy!" moments.

I recommend going to see this film. I was interested when I first heard about it with the Oscar announcements, and it more than exceeded my expectations.

First Post of the Year

2011-01-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've actually bothered to put something up here. I should really do something about that.

Work continues on the first draft of my first novel. So far I'm eleven chapters in with over 40,000 words written. By far this is the most I've ever written on any single one project.

It's interesting how things have developed. I've been able to delve much deeper into each character, and they've changed a little bit from my original concept. One character has become a lot more competent than I originally planned for him to be, and the relationship between all three of my main characters has taken on an interesting dynamic. To be honest, I'm really surprised sometimes by what's coming out of my head.

Another good thing I'm seeing is I'm able to get more words down on the page each night. It used to be I'd have trouble getting even five hundred words down in under two hours, but now I'm regularly hitting a thousand in the same time frame. I've doubled my output!

And that's the reason January has slipped mostly past without me putting up a blog post. I want to get a first draft done, so I haven't been going out to see movies or shows or anything else interesting enough to put up a blog post about. Heck, even my readings been suffering. I have a biography of Napoleon that I started before Christmas that I still haven't finished reading. Oh well, maybe I'll have some free time to do stuff after March and after I have my novel in the hands of the readers for Angry Robot books.

Last Post of the Year

2010-12-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we're all about to say goodbye to 2010 and welcome in 2011, so I thought I'd do the obligatory post to wrap-up this year and welcome the next.

So what did I accomplish this year? Let's see:

1. I continued to write.

I've written at least three original stories this year, and one was even a novella (which I really should look into getting published). I've also started writing my first novel, and as of today I have completed over 24, 000 words on it. Also, my week of writing a bare minimum of 2000 words a day has gone smashing so far, as I've been able to make my goal each day, or at the very least made up the shortfall the very next day. This proves to me that I can do this. I can write, and each day it gets a little bit easier as I continue to stretch my mental muscles. I've spent this entire year proving to myself that I can be a writer, even with everything else that's going on in my life.

2. I got out to conventions.

This may not sound like much, but I've never been a terrible social person and I hate being in crowds where I don't know anyone else. So of course I ended up going to two different conventions all by myself without any of my friends, and one of them being an eight-hour bus trip away from home. Oi! But it all worked out in the end. I met a lot of great people at both and had my eyes opened in a whole new way. Going to conventions is part of being a science fiction/fantasy author, so if I want to succeed I'll need to go. The funny thing is, I found that I actually enjoyed going and look forward to going again to see all the people I've met before and I look forward to meeting new people. I can't wait to go as a published author and be on the other side instead of being just a fan, yet at the same time I also really do enjoy the fan experience.

I've already booked my two conventions for this year. My plan is to hit Ad Astra and SFContario. While I really enjoyed ConCept, I really didn't like the hotel it was at and this year I think I'll stay closer to home. Who knows, I may also get out to Anime North with a bunch of sword nuts I know who put on a demonstration.

3. I started working out and joined a kendo dojo.

Kendo is something I've always wanted to do. I love swordplay and have a fascination with Japenese culture, and luckily there is a great club in my city. All the members are very supportive, the training is fun, and I'm actually doing quite well at it. Also, I found a gym I like with an owner that offers free training advice. Heck, I even bought an exercise bike for home and have been using it. I still need to work on my eating habits, but I'm a long way from where I started a couple years ago. I'm in much better shape, I'm much healthier, and I intend to keep it that way and keep improving in the future.

So where do I go from here? Well, I'm going to try to get my novel in shape for March so that I can submit it to Angry Robot books while they have their open submissions period. Aside from that, after I'm going to start putting the stories I have sitting around out there to see if I can get them published, and after I finish writing my current novel I'm going to start on the next.

Look out 2011, here I come!

Oh, and before I forget, Happy New year. May you and yours be safe and happy.

The Dork Review: Tron Legacy

2010-12-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to come out and say it, this was an awesome popcorn flick.

The visuals were stunning. It probably helped that my friends and I went and viewed it in IMAX 3D instead of going to a local theater. Thank you time off for Christmas!

The story was, well, let's say at parts it was telegraphed and you knew exactly what was going to happen. It wasn't ground breaking by any means, but this movie was more about the spectacle rather than the writing. That being said, the story wasn't a solid steaming lump of excrement like say, oh I don't know, Avatar.

All in all I enjoyed it and would recommend you go and see this one in the theater.

Angry Robots and the 2000 Word a Day Week

2010-12-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

So, first I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. My friends and family were brilliant this year and got me Chapters gift cards which I've converted very handily to books.

So, you're probably wondering about the title of this post and what it all means. Let me explain.

First item, Angry Robot books is having an open submissions month in March of this year. This means then will take in unagented, unrequested manuscripts, read them, and possibly offer to publish them. If you know anything about the publishing world then you know this is almost unheard of, and could be a great opportunity. I've already got a book in the works, so my hope is to get the first draft completed and get it self-edited to the point I'm not embarrassed by it in time to submit it by the end of March.

This leads to the second part of this blog post. December kicked my butt writing wise. Before today I'd completed 14 and a half thousand words on my novel after starting at the beginning of November, and the majority of that was actually in November. With the holidays and other things happening, December was just a really bad month for writing. Well, ok, it was a bad month. Right now is the week between Christmas and New Years. Right now, with the time off I normally get and the vacation days I decided to take, I have from today until next Tuesday free. Oh, there are some plans in place for New Years and to see the new Tron movie, but aside from that I'm free. So with that in mind, I've decided to shackle myself to my desk each day until I've produced two thousand words worth of writing.

And today was the first day.

And I did it, with a whole word to spare.

This may not sound like much, and compared to some writers it isn't, but it's what I can do and what I need to do. I need to write more, I need to stretch my mental muscles and get more done. I know I can do this. By the end of this week I will have written at least two thousand words per day, and doubled the word count of my book.

After that, the goal is to be finished and edited to a submission point by the end of March.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Since I probably won't get another chance before the actual day, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

(Note, please feel free to substitute the appropriate holiday greeting for Merry Christmas, as my intention is not to exclude but to wish everyone well. And if you feel the need to be a Grinch, please feel free to kiss my butt)

The Balaclava/Baklava Confusion

2010-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

OK, so it has been freaking cold where I live, and I take the bus to work so most mornings I'm standing out in the cold waiting for it and after work I like to walk home. Naturally I did the smart thing and purchased the appropriate winter wear, known as a balaclava or a face-mask or ski-mask. I got it at a local army surplus store and it's all black with two eye holes and a mouth hole. I look like a terrorist wearing it, but it keeps me warm so who cares.

Problem is, I keep wanting to call it a baklava, which is a type of honey sweetened pastry. Each time I go to tell someone what I bought or what I'm wearing I have to stop and correct myself. I know I'm saying it wrong when I start, I know I'll have to stop and correct myself, yet it still comes out.

Have you ever had something like that happen to you?

Very Much A Moment of Squee!

2010-12-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

So you might be wondering what I'm talking about with that title. Well, the truth is last night I got to see Jeff Dunham perform live in Hamilton! Yay!

What's even better is I got to share this experience with my dad. I see my parents often, about once a week for dinner, so it's not like I don't get to spend time with him, but last night was different. Last night, I was the one who came up with the idea to go and I was the one who bought the tickets. Last night was my dad's Christmas gift and I got to be there and watch him enjoy it. It was great.

Now about the show. If you've never seen Jeff Dunham's work, which is hard to believe as the guy is freaking famous, he's a very skilled ventriloquist and a superb performer. He was on stage for nearly two hours but we didn't even notice the time pass as there wasn't a single moment that was boring. And it's amazing how much life Jeff can get out of those puppets. I mean, his oldest puppet Peanut has very little articulation, basically just a hand puppet with an arm that is moved via a stick, but Jeff can make it seem that Peanut's face is full if different expressions, make him smile, make him give a wild-eyed looked. It's great.

If you ever, ever get the chance go see him live. It was awesome!

The Dork Review: Megamind

2010-11-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

So I really needed to get out of the apartment tonight. My friend Jeff suggested going to see Megamind, and while I wasn't all hot and bothered to see it, I figured what the heck. At worst I'd have a story to tell about how awful it was.

It was actually pretty good.

Let me set this up for you though. Honestly, I think the commercials for this movie don't sell it that well. I mean, I'm not fond of Will Ferrell as an actor. When he's funny, he's bloody hilarious. When he isn't, which is most of the time, he's just bloody annoying. Annoying beyond the scope of everything else annoying on the planet.

So yeah, not a lot of Will Ferrell movies in my past. What can I say.

However in Megamind he hits just the right note of over the top without going too far. It helps that he's surrounded by a great cast, including Brad Pitt (who's actually a much better actor then his looks might suggest - Check out Twelve Monkeys if you don't believe me), and Tina Fey (a geek goddess and sexy beyond belief - ok, yeah, minor celeb crush). David Cross is in it as well, who when I hear his voice I always think it's Patton Oswalt, as Minion, Megamind's henchfish.

The movie's funny, playing around with a lot of the tropes of super-heroes. While this is well trodden ground I think this movie is a nice addition, with a few twists to some traditions. However I would never really describe Megamind as all that evil. He's more frustrated and lonely then anything else, and acts out knowing the hero will stop him. When he actually wins a fight he can't believe it, and has no idea what to do with himself. He has completely based his identity on being opposite to the hero, and has to find another way to define himself when the opposition is gone.

Don't worry, I haven't given away that much. There are still plenty of twists in the movie that will surprise, including a take on the traditional reluctant hero trope.

I recommend going to see Megamind. Not strongly though. It was fun, but if you miss it in theaters you can always rent it later.

First Chapter Done!

2010-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Yea! I've gotten the first chapter of Transmission written with the over 1200 words I've done so far today. I think I'll take a break and get some lunch, and then maybe reward myself with the Scott Pilgrim Blu-ray that just came out his week. Hmmm....

The Plot Thickens

2010-11-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

The plot of my novel to be that is. Just finished the rough outline tonight, after spending the week on it and the characters. I'm actually really, really happy with what I've got. I've tried to make the characters each unique and not exactly what you expect.

I'm still not sure how much I actually want to reveal about my novel or even my writing on here. It seems that some people think that anything put on the Internet is public domain. (Oh Cook's Source, you are so going to get owned by your editor's colossal stupidity). Also, I don't want to give away too much because the novel is dependent upon revealing things at a certain pace. It starts with third person narration, switches to first person in a kind of flashback explaining how things got to the point we see in the beginning, before switching back to third at the very end. The thing I like about it is that there is a story contained in the prologue and epilogue that then encapsulates the rest of the story. And it actually will make sense in the end and help to setup the main story I want to tell.

Will it work? Well the only way for me to know is to write the dang thing and then get someone to read it. All I can do is my best, and if this doesn't get published then I move on to the next idea and start writing, and keep writing until I make it or keel over, whichever happens first.

Novel in November

2010-11-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's Nov 1. Time to start a novel.

First off, I'm NOT doing NaNoWriMo this year. As I've stated elsewhere I do want to write my first novel without the added pressure of an artificial goal on top of it. I'd much rather take my time on the first one as I'm still figuring out my process and what works for me. Also, I still have a novella and two short stories in various stages of completion and waiting on feedback, so I may be interrupted to work on those and get them out to be published (hopefully).

So what's the plan? Well, this week is going to be spent getting characters and plot squared away. I have an idea about what I want to do with both but need to get them written down so I have something concrete rather than the random fuzzy firings of my brain. Once I've got the characters sketched out I can get a rough idea of the plot for the book and then start writing to fill it in.

I don't know if this will ever get published. I may write this and then hide it somewhere to never be seen by others, or it may be the first thing of mine that actually gets published. All I know is that I have to do this, I have to do it now, and I have to keep at it. I want to be a writer, and the only way to do that is to write.

The Dork Review: Red

2010-11-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Meant to put this up on the weekend but better late than never. So last Friday I went and saw Red with my friends Jeff and Gary, and you may be asking what we thought of it. Well, I guess there's only one way to put it:

Freaking awesome!

Ok, first off let me be blunt. This movie is over the top. How do I know this? Well, it's spelled out in the trailer when Bruce Willis' character WALKS out of a moving, spinning car and isn't immediately turned into roadkill. That being said, it's over the top in just the right way.

The basic story is a bunch of former spies get together to find out why one of them is being targeted for death, and end up causing massive amounts of mayhem and property damage along the way. The scene stealer of this movie is definitely John Malkovich, playing a paranoid former operative that thinks satellites and helicopters are out to get him and has faked his own death numerous times. The scene where he's running with the bomb strapped to his chest is hilarious.

All three of us enjoyed the movie and ended laughing our butts off. If you've had a bad week and need something to cheer yourself up, go see Red.

Congrats To Trevor and Toosje!

2010-10-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was in the wedding party for my friend Trevor. First time I'd ever worn a tux in my life. Thank goodness they came in early, as the rental place screwed up everything above the waist and had to reorder. Getting a tux for me is, let's say it's a challenge as I'm a bigger guy over 6 foot.

The bride looked radiant, the bridesmaids were lovely, heck, even us groomsmen didn't look too bad in our tuxes. Heck, I even got told I clean up nice. Of course it was inevitable that my mother would find something that needed to be adjusted.

Thankfully there weren't too many people in the church when she started man-handling me. :)

And yes, that's as much of a picture of me as you're going to get right now. If I find a better one amongst the wedding photos I'll post it, but so far I haven't seen one I really liked. Of course, I really do dislike just about every photo that's ever been taken of me so finding one I like is going to be a challenge.

All in all the wedding was a blast. I'm really happy for my friend and his lovely wife!

Block Busting

2010-10-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling really good tonight. Wanna know why? Cause I wrote over 1000 words today, in about 2-3 hours!

You have no idea how good it feels to get that much word count out on the page, especially since it doesn't feel like I was just putting down words to fill up said page. What I wrote down actually felt good, like I was actually putting something down that wasn't total shite. Now, it may be, I wont really know until I go back in a few days and work at editing it, but still, it's nice to feel things flow. For the last few weeks getting words out has felt like wringing water out of a dry towel. In other words, friggin impossible. I was lucky some nights to get 100 words on the page, for those nights I was able to write at all because life kept interrupting.

But tonight I finished the first draft of a new story, and soon I should have some feedback on the novella/novelette I've written so I can work on that. Also, I will start getting things in line soon to start my novel in November, which will not be a NaNoWriMo project. I can't guarantee I won't get blocked again (I hate using that word but it's the only one I can think of that's accurately descriptive), so I don't want to put added pressure on myself. Writing a novel is pressure enough.

I can do it though. I'm going to write a novel, edit it, get it read and get feedback, edit it some more and then try to get it published, then start another novel while that one makes the rounds. I can do this, I know I can.

A Bold Marketing Plan

2010-10-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Just read a story where an unknown author hurled his book at President Obama to make sure he got a copy. Very inventive, however, I think I'll avoid using that tactic when I finally get published. I mean, there are plenty of things I'd love to hurl at Stephen Harper, none of them books. I mean, what a waste of paper that would be.

Original story can be found here.

More Focused Writing

2010-10-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Something interesting I've noticed in my writing lately, is that I'm more aware and conscious of what exactly is going down on the page, as in I can see a wider perspective storywise with every word I put down.

Hmmm... how best to explain this. Ok, right now I'm working on the first draft of a short story involving a samurai fighting demons. I noticed early on in the draft I had him talking to his horse, but this made no sense at all because I wanted him to be taciturn and stoic seeming, so it made no sense for him to talk to his horse. It may sound odd, but this was a revelation to me. I could better see how to evoke this character on the first draft instead of having to go back and edit it later. Therefore my first draft feels stronger to me.

What I guess I'm trying to say is, that instead of just vomiting forth words onto the page I've become more mindful of what I'm actually writing, essentially I feel I actually writing better now that my mind is better attuned to what I want to actually accomplish.

Put another way, instead of just reaching out and using whatever cliched thing comes to mind I'm actually thinking deeper in my construction of my prose and characters. Maybe I'm not as hopeless as I thought I was. (Even though I have had words said to me I'm not hopeless, but still, that little voice at the back of my head telling me I suck still exists).

This should make things really interesting when I start writing a novel come November. The plan is Nov 1 I start writing it, with an update each week, probably on Monday, as to where I am in my progress. I hope to have a first draft done within three months, then take a break to work on a short story before tackling a second draft. We'll see.

It should be interesting.

The Dork Review: Virga: Cities of The Air

2010-10-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that Karl Schroeder makes me feel like a drooling idiot, and I mean that in the most positive way possible.

So full disclosure, when I first heard of the concept behind the Virga novels I didn't think much of them. They just didn't excite me, and I hadn't read any of Karl's work at that point so I had no interest based upon knowing the author's style yet. Then I read a free copy of Ventus available on his website between calls at work and loved it. Everything about that book was believable and fantastic at the same time. Ventus became as real to me as the chair I was sitting in or the the bus I ride to work each day. That is the mark of a great author.

So, at this point I'm interested in Karl's work, and willing to read something else, but having a shelf full of books to read and promising myself I wouldn't by any more books until I had read all the pending ones it was unlikely I'd have a chance to read anything of his anytime soon. Two factors changed this, a gift card from Chapters for my birthday and an eight hour bus ride to Montreal.

Virga: Cities of The Air is a trade paperback priced just above $20, and with a gift card for that amount that I didn't want sitting around till it was forgotten I picked it up in time for my trip to Con*Cept. I love trade paperbacks. I love the feeling of value I get in buying them, and knowing that I'm getting multiple books for the price of one. The only drawback is not getting the individual covers, but this can be a blessing or a curse depending upon the cover art anyways.

So on the to meat of the review. The trade collects Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce, both books set in the artificial world of Virga, where life literally revolves around multiple smaller suns and one giant sun in the center known, funnily enough, and Candesce. Just like Ventus this world is evoked so strongly and clearly in the text that it lives in the reader's mind, taking root and thriving in the imagination. It's a world where gravity is optional, where heroes ride on jetbikes and airships prowl the endless skies dodging floating icebergs. And it's hard-SF! There is no magic in this book except for the words contained within.

This unbelievable world is filled with believable characters, from the dashing military man, his scheming yet loving wife, to the tormented hero on the jetbike who wants revenge against the man who caused his parents death. The characters grow throughout the books, becoming more than the just brief descriptions, becoming real people who speak to the reader.

My opinion of Virga could not be any different now then when I first heard about it. Truly these books are a masterpiece, and I can't wait for the next two books to be released in trade paperback. Aside from being great books they give me a goal to strive for, to make my writing as powerful and evocative. I may never reach that level, but I'm inspired to try.

I recommend you pick up these books, for the world contained within, the intriguing characters, and the adventure of traveling through a realm beyond imagination.

Con*Cept 2010 Con Report

2010-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Con*Cept and had a day to decompress. Needed it after over 8 hours traveling by bus. Ugh, next time I'm taking the train, for reasons that will become clearer below.

First, let me state that I had a blast at Con*Cept. It's important I say this, because there were a few things about the trip that annoyed/irritated me and I'm going to mention them. The things that annoyed me had absolutely nothing to do with the people running the con or the con itself or any of the guests, and I want that to be absolutely clear before I go any further.

Ok, so here's how it all began. Friday morning I'm up and raring to go, get to the downtown bus terminal and find out that what was supposed to be a $129.00 open return ticket is actually going to cost me $220. Thank you St. Catharines Transit employee who either gave me the wrong price by mistake or flat out lied to me. Too late to make the train which would have been about $15 cheaper and I really did not want to drive nearly 8 hours straight all by myself. Grrrrr....

Alright, no worries, just a little bump. I had to switch buses in Toronto and thankfully the driver of the first bus warned me that the one to Montreal leaves 5 minutes after we arrive in Toronto. So I grab my bag and rush over, only to find out it isn't one of the regular Coach Canada buses, it's a "Megabus", meaning no overhead for my backpack and I have to hunt and peck for a seat as I'm one of the last people on the bus and it's nearly full. Again, grrr....

Now, I'm no stranger to long car rides. All of the family vacation I went on while growing up involved me and my sister jammed in the back of a car, so I can amuse myself on a long trip. I'd just bought Virga: Cities of The Air, a trade paperback of the first two Virga novels by Karl Schroeder (review on the way later this week), so I had that to read on the trip, but seeing some people with laptops able to access the internet on the Megabus had me puzzled for a bit. The girl in the seat in front of me was updating her Facebook, far enough away that I couldn't read it so I wasn't snooping but close enough I could recognize the page. I figured she must have a Rogers or Bell stick, but I found out on the way home that the bus had wireless Internet when the driver announced that the Internet had been turned on, meaning if I had a laptop or iPad I could have been using that with wireless access the whole trip up. Something to consider for the next long bus or train ride, as while I really enjoyed the book there were times it would have been nice to have something else to look at/watch for awhile.

Alright, so I arrived in Montreal a little worn around the edges but not too tired. I get to the hotel and get my room key, fascinate the clerk with my umbrella that has a handle like a katana, and head to my room to drop my stuff off. Once in the room I find it a bit warm, but there are no controls that I can see for the temperature and the windows don't open. It looks like there's an air conditioner in the window, but I don't see a way to turn it on and, really, it's the fall. I'd much rather have the windows open and a nice breeze blowing through but that ain't gonna happen. Grrrrrrr....

So the traveling is over, I'm at the con, now what? Well, registration was quick and simple, opening ceremonies had cake (yeah cake!) and then off to some panels. Really, the day started to pick up from this point, though I did make the mistake of eating dinner in the hotel. Ugh, overpriced and lackluster, blah!

Still, I really did enjoy the first night. Con*Cept really does have a different vibe then AdAstra. I don't think I saw anyone in costume on Friday night, and there weren't that many in costume on Saturday or Sunday either. The Masquerade on Saturday only had six participants, including one very sexy Barbarella, as compared to the dozens of people I saw at AdAstra in some really elaborate costumes.

The real gems at Con*Cept were the panels. I think I attended just about every single one there was on writing, with panelists that included Marie Bilodeau, Erik Buchanan, Violette Malan, Karen Dales, Jo Walton, and the guest of honor, Tad Williams and his lovely wife, Deborah Beale. Really, there wasn't a single panel that I didn't come away from wishing that we'd had more time on the subject.

The highlight of the whole con had to be the Sunday morning brunch. Now, originally my plan had been to sit near Lar De Souza because I love the webcomic he draws and would love the chance to ask him about the process of creating it. Yeah, that plan got tossed out the window after seeing Tad Williams on a few panels. Now, I've never read one of Tad's books. I think I tried to start Memory, Sorrow and Thorn at one point but if I remember correctly I got the wrong book as it was a few books into the series and so much had happened in the previous books that would have been useful to know, yadda, yadda, yadda

So back on point, I sat near Tad and his wife Deborah at the brunch, and really the hotel could have served us cardboard and I wouldn't have noticed. Both of them were intelligent and engaging, with stories galore, but they also listened and had real conversations with the people around them rather then just talking and attempting to sell books. There were just really, really nice people, and so obviously still in love with and comfortable around each other after twenty years of marriage which is always nice to see and pleasant to be around. There was just so much positive energy around that table I couldn't leave, even though there was panel I wanted to get to.

The rest of Sunday was pretty low key and fun. I got to attend my first Dead Dog party and ended up going out to dinner with a bunch of people from the con, including Twitchy and a couple others involved in running the WTFur con (sorry, couldn't find a link for it).

Monday was another day spent traveling. I decided to forgo extending my stay as I hadn't a single decent night's sleep the whole time I was in that hotel room, even though I'd figured out how to turn the fan on the air conditioner on it still didn't make a difference. Plus the bed was too soft. And the rooms they had the panels in weren't really soundproofed well so noise leaked in from outside. Let's just say I hope next year is held in a different hotel.

So, would I go again next year? I dunno. At this point I plan to hit AdAstra for sure next year, and spend at least a day at AnimeNorth with a group I know putting on a sword demo. Other than that, I would really like to go to Polaris. I didn't go this year because of a special commitment that won't be in place next year, and in 2011 they'll have Adam Baldwin who played Jayne in Firefly, one of the coolest characters on one of my favorite shows.

To sum things up, for a freaking long blog post, con was great, hotel sucked, bus ride sucked, met and hung out with some great people. Totally worth it!

Wheeeeeee!!! Vacation

2010-09-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today marks the start of my fall vacation. I'm packed and ready to head to Montreal for CON*CEPT. Really looking forward to it. I had a blast at AdAstra earlier this year, so I'm super excited to be going to another con this year.

I'll be in Montreal for a least 4 days, though depending upon how I feel I may extend that by a day and do some sightseeing. Once I get back I'll have the rest of the week off, and it's going to be spent writing. I want to finish the first draft on the story I'm working on and then get some background material written up for the novel I want to start in Nov. Still have not decided if the novel will be part of the NaNoWriMo challenge, as I'd have to write over a thousand words a day every day for the month to do it. We'll see.

Later!

Everything At Once

2010-09-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

It amazes me sometimes how everything seems to come up at once. So many things seem to want my attention at the same time.

For example, let's look at last week. Tuesday and Wednesday I was at Showcase Ontario, an IT conference/show for the Ontario government. So right there are two days of walking and standing around, and they were long days as well. Showcase took place in Toronto and I live in St. Catharines, and it was determined that we were within "commute" distance, so no hotels paid for by the government; we had to drive in each day. This meant leaving at six in the morning and not getting home till after six at night, with at least 4 hours spent driving each way. At least I didn't have to drive and was able to catch a ride, but still, being stuck in a car for the equivalent of half a normal workday is far from pleasant. So Wednesday night I was exhausted.

And did I get a chance to veg out and rest? Of course not!

Saturday was a kendo tournament in London, Ont., and Wednesday night was the final class before the tournament so I had to head to class as soon as I got home from Showcase and get all my equipment squared away so that there was no delay on Saturday, and Wednesday was the only chance I'd have. So, exhausted beyond belief I dragged myself to class and got that dealt with.

So fast forward to Saturday, and I'm up at 5AM to get ready to leave at 6 and drive over 2 hours to London. Thankfully I'd had a chance to rest a bit the previous two days, but I was so tempted to roll over and go back to sleep instead of going to work. But, I made it in to work and wasn't completely wasted for Saturday.

It was my first kendo tournament. I just started kendo about 4 months ago, so I wasn't about to get all dressed up in armor and start swinging. I was there to compete in the basic skills over 16 years old competition. It went well. I thought I could have been better, but I did end up in third place and took a metal home. The other guys did well, with our senior sensei taking second place in the masters over 50 section. But in the end, I got home exhausted from a long week.

So what about Sunday? Couldn't I just spend the day lounging around and recovering? Sadly no.

Sunday was Word on The Street in Toronto. Now, I could have skipped it this year, but I really wanted to go to the writing workshop tent and browse the vendors to see if I could find any really great deals. Well, I did end up sleeping in and didn't get there till nearly 2PM. Still, that gave me enough time to browse and catch a couple workshops. Really didn't find any deals that struck my fancy, which is the exact opposite of last year where I could have dropped a few hundred easily.

So the next few weeks are going to be nice and quiet, right? Nope. Next weekend I'm off to Montreal for Con*Cept. This should be interesting. I had a blast at AdAstra this year, and I'm hoping the experience in Montreal is the same.

Clash of The Geeks Now Out

2010-09-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Scalzi/Wheaton Fan Fic contest that I didn't win (Grrrrrr... ah well, better luck next time) has now been made available for download. Find more on Scalzi's site here.

The Dork Review: Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

2010-09-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf (yes, the guy's name sounds like he belongs in a fantasy book, and yes he does make mention of this in the book) bills itself as "An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms".

So, does it hit he mark on this?

I don't know about epic, but it definitely is a personal journey for the author where he attempts to reconnect with an earlier self, the part of him that needed to escape from a life torn asunder by a parent's illness. He found solace in a group of friends playing Dungeons and Dragons, back in the early eighties when it was as far as cool as possible to play. Not that most DnD players are really that cool now, but hey, we can count Lexa Doig and Vin Diesel amongst us now so at least the average level of attractiveness has risen. (Referring mostly to Lexa Doig on that one, as I'm not into guys, but for those of you who are please enjoy the mental image of Vin)

Anyhoo, let me break down the book for you. Guy has midlife crisis and problems with girlfriend, guy attempts to figure his shit out by going back to the fantasy escapism that dominated his teen years and that he gave up in college, guy tries to see if it's possible to be into fantasy and still be a normal regular person. Finally, guy finds out a lot about himself and sees many different facets of geek behavior and writes it down for many to read.

Did I like this book? Yes. It reminded me a lot of my teen years. Let's face it, I was a loner through high school. Heck, I'm still pretty much of a loner now, but with much better social skills then back then. I get where this guy is coming from. I remember being the outcast, the weirdo, the new kid in school that had no friends and didn't know how to make them. Like Gilsdorf I was never the jock or the stoner or the art dude or what have you. I was the guy in the library devouring books, the guy who rarely spoke up in class, the guy who wondered if he'd ever fit in. This book reminded me a lot about that time in my life, so it struck a very personal nerve. Dungeons and Dragons and other RPGs were one of the few ways I had to connect with others and start to come out of my shell. I don't know if I would be even contemplating being a published author if my imagination hadn't been filled and developed by stories I crafted with friends over paper and dice.

If what I've described above touches a nerve with you, then I recommend reading this book. It may well be worth it just to remember what it was like to escape for a little bit, before you go back out to fight the dragons that exist in real life.

Find Ethan's site here.

Another Rejection

2010-09-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Riding Europa has been rejected by another site/publisher/magazine. Looks like I've exhausted the pro-rate markets I can submit to online, now to start printing and mailing. I think I'll start Canadian and submit it to On Spec first.

Apparently I'm a 36 year-old Happy Female

2010-09-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

Ok, so Jen from Blag Hag (the lovely young woman behind BoobQuake) posted a site a few days ago that performs text analysis on the content of blogs and then provides a report. Here are my results to the left.

So, apparently I write as if I'm a woman in her mid thirties to late forties, who is generally positive and personal. So, I'm a happy cougar on the prowl who likes to get personal.

Hmm... not bad, except that I'm a straight male just about to turn 33. The happy parts seems about right though. I'm a lot happier now than I was a few years ago.

If you're interested, the site can be found here.

The Dork Review: Filaria

2010-09-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

So are you looking for a nice light read? Something fluffy you could read with your brain parked in neutral, your neurons gently resting while you watch happy bunnies and kitties frolic?

This book ain't that.

Let me be frank, and not Frank the guy who owns the gym I go to, but frank as in honest. I like this book, so keep that in mind when you read the rest of this review.

Filaria is dark. Dark as in coal covered in tar buried deep underground in the middle of the night. Underground works as well, for the setting is a complex buried in the crust of an unnamed planet. It could be Earth, it could be anywhere in the universe. Where it is doesn't matter. What matters is the people filling this world, their struggles, triumphs and defeats as they live in a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams.

The book is told from four different viewpoints, and switches between views regular as clockwork. It's interesting to watch how events in one persons view are perceived by another viewpoint character, and to see what characters from each section appear in others. Brent Hayward, the author, does a great job of weaving a story out of these very different takes on the world, and reveals information with style throughout the book. Each viewpoint character lives on the page and you really do get into their heads and begin to understand how they view their world. To me this novel is a great example of artistry to keep in mind when I write.

I must issue the following warning though: If you primarily read more direct literature, say Harry Potter or Honor Harrington, be aware that this book is much closer to what some English majors would consider "literary" instead of the "genre crap" that the rest of us real people read (please be aware this is not a dig against genre fiction, which I love and read and do write, or against English majors, of which I was one, but I have seen that attitude amongst some of them). I could easily see this book being part of a course on Modern literature I took in university, or perhaps it would fit better in Post-modern studies. I dunno. I never studied Post-modernism.

So to sum up, Filaria is a university level read. It's dark, complex, loaded with imagery and well crafted characters, and not to be undertaken lightly. Still, go out and read it and stretch your mind a bit. If you don't your brain may get stiff from disuse.

Oh, and before I forget, this book's should be available in stores so good hunting. If they don't have it, ask them to order you a copy or order directly from the publisher here. (Yes it's another Chizine book. I had to read it before I go to the convention in October in case I ran into the publisher and he asks if I have, so it got placed on the top of the pile. And now I've read everything from Chizine I currently have. Guess the means I have to buy some more in October.)

The Dork Review: Objects of Worship

2010-09-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've done a book review. You'd think I hadn't been reading. Truth is I read a lot, but a lot of it lately has been non-fiction and/or really niche items that would only be interesting for a limited amount of people, like books about kendo or samurai, or the book's been nice and all but not worthy of the effort of a blog post.

Alright then, so what makes Objects of Worship by Claude Lalumiere worthy of me taking the time to review it? Because it's freaking awesome!

Ok, maybe I'm going a bit overboard with the praise, but I really did enjoy this book. It's a collection of short stories by a Montreal author, all of it work that has appeared elsewhere. To be honest, I generally prefer to read short stories in this format. Grabbing a bunch by the same author at the same time just works better in my opinion. The stories tend to be more consistent in tone and structure, at the very least in the skill level in which they are executed.

Now, before I bought this book I hadn't read anything by Lalumiere. I was taken in by the sales pitch put forth by the publisher, Brett Alexander Savory of Chizine (real nice guy BTW), and picked this up at Ad Astra earlier this year. I think the phrase that sold me was "gay zombies raising a human child". Yes, there are zombies in this book, in more than one story. Don't worry, they're good stories and not tired retreads of an already exhausted concept. Add in at least one Cthulu-like being, a few superheros, and a dash of weird family values and you've got one heck of a mix. Sprinkle a bit of sex, in a few different forms, and you're done.

Pick it up direct from the publisher here, as you aren't likely to find this in any bookstore. That's both the unfortunate and wonderful thing about small publishers. When you find them they can be gems, but like most gems they're hard to find lying around.

EDIT: Turns out I was mistaken. This and many other fine CZP books can be found in stores across North America. Go out and find them, and if your store doesn't have any, ask for them to get some in.

Nerd Rage: You Run a Blog? $300.00 Please.

2010-08-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Of all the bureaucratic stupidity I've ever heard, this has to take the cake. The City of Philadelphia wants to charge blog owners/runners $300.00 claiming they are small businesses. For those who want the original story, it can be found here.

This is their reasoning as I understand it:

1. We need money.
2. Blogs make money.
3. Therefore they are businesses.
4. Therefore, we can charge them license fees.
5. Money problem solved!

Gah! Ok, first off, as I understand it most blogs do not make any money, or if they do it's to the tune of, like the article mentions, $11.00 over a few years. From what I've seen most blogs are like mine, a chance to share your thoughts and feelings with the world, a matter of expression and free speech. Only in Philly, it ain't free.

Granted, some blogs are run as media outlets/advertising/business communications. Heck, I'll even so far as to admit that one of the reason I had when starting mine was as advertising for my writing career, such as it is. But note, I have no advertising running on my blog, nor do I earn anything from it. Everything I've posted here has been free of charge (and will remain as such for the immediate future), and I've gotten no special favors or opportunities because of it. It's not like say, Whatever, which is essentially a marketing tool for John Scalzi, or Robert J. Sawyer's site. Both are for established authors, both advertise their works/services (they are available for appearances/talks/bar mitzvahs/whatever), and you can even buy autographed copies directly from Sawyer's site. So for those two examples I could understand classifying them as businesses and charging a license fee. I'd still think it's cheesy, as let's face it, most authors don't make that much money and essentially you piling another tax/fee upon them.

Interesting thought though. Philly already charges freelance writers the $300.00 (yes, yes, they are that money grubbing that they're already sticking it to people who probably can barely afford to make rent much less pay a license fee), so I wonder if they can start blogs and claim it as part of their established business. Even better, get the people who have blogs to team up with a freelance writer who claims the blog under their existing license and "hires" the other person as a work for fee writer, the fee being the occasional smile. :)

Nah! Wouldn't work. The city would likely just claim the blog was a new business and to cough up the fee anyways.

Do I expect a huge outcry about this? Yes and No. I expect on the Internet it will be a huge issue and fought tooth and nail. The regular media/mainstream audiences are likely to say "so what?" For them it's likely not that big of a deal. Keep in mind that while the number of people online is growing, it's still a relatively small number worldwide. And even then, how many bloggers are there in Philly?

I can see this going too ways. First, the blog community in Philly could dry up completely as people start shutting down or registering the blog out of city to avoid the fee. Second, I can see someone fighting this tooth and nail and get this shot down as a impediment to free speech. Honestly, I think it's going to be a mix of the two. A lot of people won't care that much and will close their blogs, but a few will be pissed off enough to fight it.

For those who are going to fight it, you have my support and well wishes. Just not my financial support. Hey, I'm just a poor blogger too.

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served... Well Not To Me Apparently

2010-08-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Well, as you've probably already heard the winners for the Scalzi/Wheaton contest have been announced, and I'm not one of them.

Dang.

Part of me would like to use much stronger language in regards to this, but that would be counter productive and truly unfair to the actual winners. As much as I'd like to vent and rant about it, there is no good reason to. Heck, I should be proud of myself for even entering. I could have just sat on the sidelines and then regretted not trying. The only way I'll get published is if I keep trying. Who knows, maybe John Scalzi will take the suggestion about making this an annual thing to heart and I'll get another chance next year.

I'm glad I took a few days to mull over my feelings before making this post. I think the thing that really, really bothers me, is that the rejection for this was impersonal. There was no other way it could be of course, with the over 350 entries (I think that was the total number they quoted), so it's no one's fault. And it's not like I'm not used to rejection, but what I've been getting from other places has been so positive.

I know, I know, positive rejection, what's that? The best way I can put it is, the messages I've been getting back on the Riding Europa submissions have been polite, mostly form letters, but encouraging me to still submit. That may not sound like much, but it's a big difference to hear "this doesn't work for us, but please continue to submit," instead of "this doesn't work for us."

Maybe I'm just grasping at straws. Who knows? Still, I've written three things since I finished Riding Europa; a novella that's being read by friends, the Scalzi/Wheaton submission, and the first draft of a short story I just finished tonight. Each one has felt stronger than the last, so even if Riding Europa doesn't make it I've still got things in the pipeline I can send out.

Also, I haven't run out of ideas, not by a long shot. Gonna spend the rest of tonight reading, and then start working on another new project tomorrow while letting the first draft of my current story percolate in the back of my brain.

The Dork Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

2010-08-21T17:46:00.001-07:00

Go and see this movie.

Right now.

You're still here? Alright I'll give you some reasons to see it. If you've seen any of the trailers for this movie your probably have one of two reactions; shouting "awesome!" or scratching your head and going "WTF?". Alright then, my reaction was the first, but I can fully understand the second.

Scott Pilgrim is a wild and frenetic movie filled with geek love, and not just the love between the two main characters Scott and Ramona. It's rife with video game references and wild characters, but at the same time remains consistent and, dare I say it grounded. It's wacky, but not over the top wacky. Everything that happens in the movie makes a weird sort of sense, even the stuff that should make most of the audience clutch their heads and scream. Fair warning; if you do not have any imagination do not see this movie as it will likely fry your feeble little brain, so fair warning to business and phys-ed students.

And the movie is more than just a geek love story. We get to see Scott change and develop, to become someone truly worthy of being in a relationship, while he fights the demons (somewhat literal) from Ramona's dating past and realizes some of the damage he's done in his own dating past. The ending is done just right, with a bit of a twist yet still meeting the audience's expectations.

When this comes out on Blu-ray I will be picking it up. This movie is destined to be one of those, as my friend Jeff put it, love it or hate it cult classics. I love it, and you should to.

Go now, as a movie this awesome isn't likely to last much longer in theaters. It's just too weird and too fun.

Another Reason to Become an SF Author

2010-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Head to this link:

F**K Me Ray Bradbury

To find the reason, from the lovely Rachel Bloom.

Enjoy. :)

Nerd Rage: Book Prices

2010-08-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this is going to be a bit of a rant. Fair warning and all that.

So, lets set the stage. Last night a friend and I went out for sushi and then ended up wandering around Chapters to look at some books. Nothing to unusual at that. I love to just browse, and it's not unusual for me to pick something up. Saw one book that caught my interest, checked the price and it was 14.95 American and 16.95 Canadian. So, about two dollars difference. Not really that much when you get right on down to it. Seems reasonable to me, only being about a 13% difference, well within what you would expect with current currency fluctuations. So I decide to pick it up.

Little bit later I find another book, this one on how agriculture and the movement of foodstuffs has affected empires. Sounds cool to me, so I check the price; 25.00 American and 32.99 Canadian! Excuse me, why the 30% difference in price? Especially considering that the Canadian dollar hasn't been, on average, under 10% different than the American dollar this year? And this isn't even an isolated example. I looked in the fiction section and found the new Starcraft book detailing the early history of Jim Raynor and considered picking it up (don't judge, I like backstory to Starcraft) but the price differential is the same. Why should I buy any books at Chapters, when I can go over the border and even with duty and exchange rate still save probably around 15%?

The 15% is of course an estimate, as I'll admit I haven't crunched all the numbers and if I do make a trip over to the States it's likely to be for more than just books. But still, 30% difference in book prices when the Canadian dollar is as strong as it is and has been for an extended period is redonkulous.

It's even worse for a friend of mine. He's really into naval history, much more than I am, and looks for books on the subject. First off, he had to use the American Amazon site because the Canadian one sucks beyond belief (you can search for something using the same search string on both sites, find it on the American but not on the Canadian, then take the ISBN number and find it on the Canadian site). He'll find the book on the American site, then look it up on the Canadian one and the price differential will be even worse. A book that goes for 200 on the American site will be over 600 in Canada! Gah!

How many book sales are lost because of this? How many authors are getting shot in the foot by the cover prices of their books? Hell, how much of the Canadian book market, heck even the overall economy, compromised by this? If the Canadian price was more in line with the American price we would probably see a nice bump in book sales by chains up north, and hopefully more independents getting a slice of the action as well.

I know this stopped me from buying two books last night.

Proposition 8 Overturned!

2010-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

This (link) makes me very, very happy, as someone very dear to me is gay, and I'd love for her to be able to get married no matter where in the world she may be. Not that it's really an issue, as she lives in a country where it is legal, but anything the increases the acceptance of gay and lesbian rights in the world is alright by me.

Riding Europa - Rejection 1, Submission 2

2010-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the fine people of Asimov's have decided they don't want my short story Riding Europa. It was nice that I did receive a response in just about a month, so at least I know. Now to try placing it somewhere else. Hmm... where to send it, where to send it. Ah, Lightspeed! Away it goes.

Big Damn Heroes

2010-07-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Joss Whedon is directing Avengers! Wheee!

That is all. Carry on about your day.

The Dork Review: Inception

2010-07-23T19:45:00.001-07:00

There is only one word that adequately sums up my feelings for this movie.

WOW!

Ok, now for the longer explanation/review. This movie kicks ass on so many levels. At the superficial level, it has tons of action, well placed special effects, and gorgeous scenery. So if that's all you're really looking for in a movie, you won't be disappointed. However, this movie is even deeper, kind of like a dream within a dream. (That last line will make sense one you see the movie.)

First off, I'm reading a book on plot and structure right now. This movie could easily be bundled with the book as a how to example. Christopher Nolan hits all the right beats at all the right time. The movie started at around 7:40 PM and didn't end till after 10:00 PM, and I swear it could have gone on for another hour and I wouldn't have noticed. (My bladder may have objected though.)

The end ties right back to the beginning. Everything is tied up satisfactorily, but at the same time there is a mystery left open, so that the audience is left wondering, and the elements that support this mystery are spread out through the entire movie. All of the major characters seem well crafted and human, none of them cardboard cutouts there just to fill a role. Again, the only word I can use to describe it is WOW.

This movie illustrates why I love writing. That may sound weird, but it all ties together. Nolan wrote and directed it, so what was up on screen was as close to his original vision as possible, as he had the greatest amount of control. A movie like this inspires me to do better in my own writing, to meet the unspoken challenge to craft something as good or even better. (Though crafting something better will be difficult to say the least.)

Go and see it. For me it has been the best movie this year, even better than Iron Man 2, which I really enjoyed.

The Dork Review: Mission of Honor

2010-07-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I not going to number these things anymore, as it's become blindingly apparent to me that I'm not going to do them often enough to keep track. I really don't want to have to filter through months worth of posts in order to figure out what number I should be on. That being said, I really should start reviewing more of the books I'm reading and movies I'm seeing. Oh well, now on to the good bit.

Have you ever picked up and book and had trouble putting it down? That's what it was like for me with Mission of Honor by David Weber. I picked up the book last Saturday and just finished it tonight, and by the end of it you couldn't have pried me away with a crowbar. I was so desperate to know what was going to happen I even started reading at work between calls!

If you're a fan of the Honor Harrington series you'll probably already know what to expect. This book has the usual naval action and wholesale destruction we've come to expect. It also has some significant plot movement, with the "Oyster Bay" attack finally taking place and a few other significant events as well. I really did like the way the attack was handled, with so many different viewpoints provided, and the foreshadowing leading up to the attack was spot on.

For those who want to know more about the Mesan Alignment, a few more layers of the onion get peeled away and we get an idea of the core plan they've been following. It's interesting, Weber has been slowly revealing details over the last few books, and instead of seeming endless it's pushed me to read more and more so I can find out what is going on. That to me is the sign of an excellent storyteller, when you're hanging on every word wanting to know more.

Without a doubt I recommend this book. If you've heard of the series and are hesitant to pick it up since there are so many books in it, get your hands on one of the first printings of this hardcover. Baen includes a CD in each book with all of David Weber's previously published Baen books, so buy buying one book you'll have access to the whole series. Trust me, it's worth it.