The Breakdown

Just watched Catching Fire and I thought it has stayed true to the book, none of that Percy Jackson Blasphemy. But to be honest, I didn’t enjoy the movie today, not that it’s a bad movie, it’s because I got a scathing review of the synthetics that is most of all, true.  

Hate to say this but the editing I did was skimming through it and that’s why there’s no, in any way, excuse. I edited and the latest edition is already publishing. I haven’t eaten yet because of that, I guess it’s a small obsession of mine (to have that glowing five star review. What kind of writer doesn’t want that?). I just hope when I have enough money or my mom won the lottery (and if she shares the wealth) that I would pay a professional to proofread all of my works.

Of course “my works” at the current moment doesn’t mean a thing. Still have no any kind of success to backup the things I’m saying in this blog. But the thing is, and the one I’ve been asking myself for the past weeks: ‘Should I care?’

The right answer for me is a no. I believe that one should always walk and nothing more, let the walk do the talking for you. These things that I’m having right now could be something synonymous to a breakdown due to that review, but it’s a lesser breakdown because I’m in no way intoxicated when I’m writing this. The closest to that is that I have very little sleep for the past two days, meaning my mind is all over the place. But I’m considering this as me growing a thicker hide. Yes, the hide of a self-pub writer with very less support system; meaning none of my friends write or anything that deals with literature; an indie that gets more bad things than the good. No rewards here people!  

Of course, this isn’t my first brawl with a bad review. I got a book back then which I got the same feeling. I know that you can’t please anybody and the world certainly isn’t a nice place (No it’s nice too, sometimes it’s just bad—just bad.)

I love Hemingway’s relationship to his critics, and also the quote: “Critics are men who watch a battle from a high place then come down and shoot the survivors.” A true critic for me is sharing the positive and a negative. Every single thing in this world has equal negative and positive things.

Oh, and yes, I know this post has the possibility to bite me in the ass someday. Ready your teeth, I shall have a thick bum that would eventually destroy them.       

Dark Procrastinated World

Today I’m not going to write. But I’m going to edit. Because if I stop in any kind of thing relating to any ‘book-work’ then I’m afraid I’ll be the lazy-man tomorrow. Writers, for me, have no right for rest days or vacation—that’s just me. But of course there are times we need to rest, but that won’t do anything good. The best way is to hypnotize yourself that what you’re doing is really fun, constant fun, that your work desk is wonderland.

If I stop then the TV will suck me right in its dark, dark, procrastinated world. Not good. Not good. And then there’s Nintendo—I just discovered HeartGold pokemon recently and I love it. I’m trying my best to stay away from playing, that by doing writing, editing and reading, that seems t work.

Synthetics is doing pretty good by the way, because it’s still free. I’m really surprised because it’s a short and those on the top lists have starts and reviews and all, (yes, it’s on some top category, but it’s not that a bigger deal because it’s in free category.) It’s the only one without a review. Pretty odd, right?

Digital (nonsensical, doesn’t-mean-a-thing---[hopefully]yet) cheers for me, baby! 

Goodreads revival

After a year of my goodreads account being stagnant, I’m finally able to navigate through it. Cheers for my stupidity!

I’m pretty much you and I know some stuff about computer some people don’t, but when I first look at goodreads, it intimidated me (just like HTML at first.) But not today, baby. It’s pretty much no readers around my peers, or there are, they just not as a reader now than the past year (yes, year.)

I feel inclined to tell it even though I still have no followers in this page. LOL. Maybe I need to be less than sporadic in posting in this site.

And yea, forgot to tell… Synthetics is up, it’s just 10k words and I hit the free promotion just now (don’t download it yet.) Not sure’ it’ll be a serial though.

Synthetics

I’m now tackling novellas and less of my Trinity Nexus series. My brain needs to stretch out and put other works out there other than Fantasy, if not then I’ll be obsolete (well, that’s my own opinion.) Also, I’m tired of advertising, seems not doing good with my writing. My guess is the best advertising is the books itself; write a good, short, enjoyable book, and pray it’ll get recommended by the reader to other possible readers. The only trick here is how to create a compelling story that wouldn’t give the reader a headache with the word count. Like I said, short and sweet.

That’s why I’m doing some novellas at the moment.

Already have one, a pre-dystopian story I’ll be having mid November or early December. It’ll be called “Synthetics.” The whole story is at the title, it’s my take with the DNA reprogramming that is actually happening today. I watched a TV program at NatGeo called “Synthetic Life” years back and it made me smile the whole time I’m watching it.

Can you imagine? We can now program DNA and put it into a cell to become a whole different organism. That scary and wonderful at the same time.   

Status: Trinity Nexus 2 "Solace of Truths" Publishing

Today I published the second (massive) book in the Trinity Nexus series.

Well, not a bestselling author yet but we have to dream with eyes open and do and do and do, If not then we just live and then die right?.I learned a lot in the past months, advertising and getting attention are the most of them (maybe one time I’ll share them with you!).

The past weeks are honestly grueling. I have to fight myself to finish all the chapter artworks in the book two. Other than that I have to compile them in a good Kindle-format and check if there are errors time and time again. I would’ve thrown myself out of a building if not for this sliver of a moment that is telling me that it’s on the process of publishing. That moment is now. And even though I know that only a few strangers would read it, all I need is them strangers. Like in the past, I never did inform any of my friends. They know that there is a book but the date of publication is a mystery to them. For me its better be judged by strangers than friends and family members in this kind of business.

Self publishing, now with three years experience on it, is harder than it looks. I’m trying to reach a New York agent but there’s still no luck. None of them given me a reply, or it’s just I’m destined to wait and any moment now their rejection or acceptance letter would be digitally delivered in my email. Well, I think my query is down under their slush pile of other hopefuls, I don’t know, it’s already been a month and two weeks I think.

Anyway, this is the official post of mine ending my second hibernation. Don’t know what I’ll do yet (edit the Trinity Legends’ The Bounds, move to the part 2 of book three of Trinity Nexus or write during NanoMo,) but I’ll be writing, that’s for sure. Just have to toss some dice so I could decide.

Whoever you are reading this, thanks, and have a great day wherever you are.   

(I’d post a link to book two but it’s still publishing, :D)     

"The Bounds" and a possible 2nd Hibernation

Remember the companion book/novella I’ve been working? Well it’s a whole novel now, something I really didn’t expect and didn’t want to happen. Its already has 30K words and counting, my main goal was 10K or 20K max but the characters won’t let me push them to the fast track, they have their own mind and own system that I’m very much afraid of. I call it “the Ghost sentience,” where the writer would be in a zone and his/her characters finally attained temporary consciousness and the author only becomes a witness to what is happening in his mind. Yes, that’s why it’s scary for me.

Do you imagine if I write a character who is praying to his creator? Like… me? That… well... never mind.

Also, the title would be changed from “The heavenly bounds” to “The bounds.” It sounds cooler for me, and simpler.

And right, the hibernation thing. I have this process of writing that I would cut myself from the internet completely for months so I could finish some of my titles. And there might be a second hibernation for me. It would mean days of complete writing in a trance with one meal a day and overdose of energy drinks. I work faster like that, and I also have to draw and do the final editing of the book 2 of Trinity Nexus.

If ever I did a second hibernation I think I would come back when I already published the book 2. Well, let’s hope that would be soon, eh?   

The Most Dangerous Thing...

Is not love (“love conquers all” don’t fit it) or anything physical because admit it, all physical things end. Nukes shall be detonated sometime, maybe a hundred thousand years from now, but ‘sometime’ is actually definite and just waiting round the corner. Let’s talk about those that couldn’t be grasped by our hands and only our minds.

“The most dangerous thing.” What is it then? Well this is only me and it would vary in every one of us. The most dangerous thing for me is hope. Yep, you read right.  

There are two mainstream media I know that has shown this. One is Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series (It was said there that the most powerful thing in the whole universe is hope) and the second is Dark Knight Rises (It was when Bruce is in the “big hole” on the earth, and there’s this rope that one could always climb at but would utterly fail in every try—hope is a torture device in the movie.) Hope simply brings people up even in the times of gloom. It could give life back at the person or it could do the opposite. I’m not saying hope is a bad thing, I’m just saying that just like everything else it has two sides to it. And hope in the first place is inescapable; it would be there when we didn’t achieve what we wanted. It can make us stupid if we latch to it all the time, it would depress us 70% if means haven’t met with ends.

The concept that derives its meaning is really like a drug—face it, we couldn’t live without hope (hoping for a better tomorrow etc etc) and hope in safe amounts would lead to great effects, but if given in high dosage, now that’s the time danger will start. And when the thing one is hoping didn’t come, over and over again, rinse and repeat, then this would enter hopelessness, the chaotic withdrawal from anything pleasant. It would be the time where the darks and the shades would creep in and you just don’t care. The world will be all rain and no shine.

Of course, I think there’s a stratagem to beat this withdrawal of hope, it wouldn’t be and inspirational kind but more of direct and conquer type.

If one is hoping for something, stop. Instead of hoping, one should do and only do. Keep hope as only a guide and then forget about it and just keep accomplishing what you appoint yourself to achieve. Hoping on something could only lead us to procrastination and feeling sorry for ourselves, that is if what we’re hoping didn’t come.

That is what I’ll be doing. As a writer I won’t hope much, I’ll just do. Doing proves more in results, and it wouldn’t betray you because you wouldn’t be found wanting by your own self.         

You're a Writer When...

You’re a writer when:

1. Your ophthalmologist advised you to have glasses.
2. You drink three cups of coffee per day.
3. You’re an expert/scientist in brewing your own coffee.
4. Nobody cares about what you’re writing.
5. You have been both a night-owl and an early-bird.
6. You have a ton of beautifully made notebooks, and all of them empty.
7. You’re slightly cynical.
8. You don’t care if its hardbound or paper back as long it has words.
9. You got rejected by agents a thousand times.
10. You have more than three colors of pens.
11. You think a bookstore is heaven.
12. You know maybe the smell of books might harm your lungs but you sniff them anyway.
13. You procrastinate when you should be writing.
14. You think you’re a genius but never really saying it out loud.
15. Your social life is mostly done through the internet.
16. There’s a food next to your computer.
17. You have an ereader.
18. You watched “Finding Forester” and any other movies that have writers in the story.
19. You have a book of what to name a baby.
20. Your fingers had been numbed.
21. You archive your work in all possible form.
22. Your friends think you’re weird.
23. Depression is normal thing.   
24. You have index cards that when stacked together it’s half your height.
25. You finish one to three books per week.
26. You almost had a carpal tunnel.  

It's Free!... Again: The Details of What Happened and Won't Happen Again

Let me tell you what happened in detail.

There is a mystery here, and everybody loves a bit of mystery, but me, not that much. This is a tale of why the free promotion (my free promotion) messed up in a quite spectacular manner. This is the mystery of minor glitches that would send you in a major, cataclysmic event. (Yes, I’m over exaggerating, but admit it, there’s wisdom on what I just typed/said.)  

Act 1: months ago I gave my book (the Divine Wheel) to the world for free in a limited time (five days). I was fine with it, because this is a move to be seen ahead. This is basic knowledge, all the unknown artists did this first, so you should know the free promotion is an act of would be well or wouldn’t be well played gamble. I’ll be honest here, and sincerity is my play today. If you’re not a writer or this isn’t that of a big thing but if you’re like me, this is a big thing. I waited for the downloads, there were few but its rising and I even reached the top twenty. This is an ordinary happening in the KDP/Amazon world so it’s not that much bigger of a deal—but the only good thing about it was the exposure.

Act 2: I changed the name to “The Last Disceptarix.” I’m taking a risk here because the few who downloaded it would be confused and the new title had a new unknown word to it. But the Divine Wheel wasn’t really speaking to me as I said in my earlier posts. So I took the risk. I changed things needed to be changed in the book such as the opening page, leading us to a new file upload.  

Act 3: (1) After months, I reached the end of KDP program and in my renewal I was given another option for a five days free promotion, and so what I did was, or more correctly, repeated, was the Act 1. (2)The revelation. I downloaded my ebook and found out that the file, the original file, where the title is still “The Divine Wheel” hasn’t changed at all—it had been never updated. I immediately unpublished it and then I publish and resurrected it through its new form, the right from, the updated form…   

And so what is the moral of the story? For a writer like me, I suggest send yourself a sample form of your book every now and them just to check if it’s been updated in the first place. Now, I’m at all over again, I did a countdown on twitter but in the end it didn’t meet with its end.    

So I’m here, again, now the glitches have been neutralized and the book is free once more. Here’s the new link, enjoy: Trinity Nexus book 1, The Last Disceptarix

Dilemmas in my Amazon Distributor

(Warning: this is a rant about some glitches in KDP I just discovered moments ago…)

*Rant… begin*

So I changed the title of my book (from Divine Wheel to the Last Disceptarix) because it sucks, that means I changed everything superficial, meaning the cover and the actual file of the book—I checked the changes using the online previewer and it was there, it fine. Now, I always look at the “look inside” of my book and there should be a welcoming page with the title, but there was none. I let it slide, thinking it’s just a glitch. It’s in my free promotion since 18^th this month, and only now I when I chose to download it I discovered that the actual file was still the very first file I uploaded months ago! I’m so furious right now I wish I had been 

radiated with hulk’s gamma rays in the past!

I clicked the ‘unpublish’ button and republish the whole thing… good thing there’s no reviews yet. My blood pressure is rising...

Well, I just want to share. Don’t worry, I’m breathing slightly slow now.

This basically have ramifications in my free promotion, but never fret, once the updated book has been publish I'll do the promotion all over again.  

Finally Free!!

I have wings!

No it’s not the free I meant; it’s free promotion of my book. If you’re reading this (whoever you are,) I have no idea how you got here. If you’re new here the basics are I’m a writer and I’m trying to get my book to you potential readers. Right, so if you already know me (my God you’re actually ready what I post here? I think I’m gonna cry,) my book is already free. It’s there, you can download it if you want, if not... then… Snivel*

The last time I published it it was a train wreck, the light side to it is that it got five stars after a week of publication. No one, except my dad and mom knows about this (they have no kindles) so meaning there a reader that actually cares out there. And I love him whoever he is, his lone five stars gave the fuel to finish few other books that are yet to be publish. With all my heart I give thanks to him.

I also going to tell you the companion novella for The Last Disceptarix—there’s a bi hiccup because I thought it’s only going to be a few thousand words but the novella is actually turning out to be a novel. This is a dilemma for me because my fingertips and mind destined it to be an easy read, but no, the characters have minds of their own—it’s scary sometimes… sh*t do they already have freewill?! I hope not…

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Refined-lore of Trinity Nexus and I will see ya when I see ya.

(Here's the link to the book: http://amzn.to/12TCnc5)

Our Lovely Agents and Publishers of Literary Dreams

I was almost taken by Random House, and it was a bright moment for me, but like I said “almost.”

There are things why a self published author chose to be what they are. Mine is many things. One could argue (meaning no one will argue because no one cares, yet) that I was tired on sending out query letters that the literary agents would only reject by the use of very informal email sent by a robot. But I won’t just explain my side here, I’m going to put my empathy helmet and direct it to the literary agents and all who comes after them. First of all what do literary agents do? They find a good book, a well written book, a book with an outstanding voice. Now if the literary agent is based on New York or just flat out famous in the world of publishing, the submission of letters to them per day are always by a digital-ton. Everybody uses email in this generation, it’s easy and direct. Now do agents have the time to read these? Here is where their assistants come in. They would sort out the bad and the good, and they are demanded to do this in a short time.

What if my story did make it the shortlist? What then? Would it be taken by this famous agent? The answer is less likely. Agents (some agents… okay most agents in my opinion) follow the trends; it’s like the recent financial crisis of Europe, the investors went to Asia and now when the market is already stabilizing in Europe that same investors are returning to where they started. Let’s be honest, people love money and only a few do it because they heart told them to do it. Agents are like that, few of them believe in a book entirely, the more experienced agents follow the trends because if you think like them you would know. I bet you that there is a time where they believe in something, in a book and an author; they spent their time finding a good editor, after that they would send the final manuscript to the big publishers, none would accept, but in the end the finished manuscript found its way home to a sincere publisher that would love to print it. And then the publisher gave up gazillions of money in advertising for months, but when the book hit the shelves, only a few bought it and never really reached its value—and what values is that you ask? It’s the worth of it to agent, the editor, the money spent by the publisher, and most of all, the author.

The author would take the entire dump with all of its nasty bits because he wrote a book, a book where he gave his time and sweat and blood and all the bodily fluids he could muster. He will be depressed in years, but he will write, yes he will unless that author is not really a writer, maybe he’s just wearing a mask and thought that when one writes a book, the world would brand him as genius—we don’t know.

Seriously I love the agents, I love to have one, but I also know that they’re humans, they need money to eat and to live and we have to admit that they won’t have one if they just take every poorly-everything book all the time. They are forced to become coldhearted, they are forced to close the blinds when a pauper knocking on their window because this, everything of this doesn’t run in dreams but money where business triumphs above all. I know that every literary agent is a good, kind person and I love to meet them, but not as a writer.      

This, the trends where the money revolves are the reason why there a sudden boom of dystopian books and everything paranormal, and everything has a romance in them. All who is the first is the lucky ones, those who were born earlier where finding a good agent and a publishing house was easy. What I’m saying is the pre-internet era where everything is done by hand. There are fewer writers back then; today we are by millions if not billions. Ninety percent of us will give up and go on with our lives, but the ten percent, well, those are the writers who are willing to wait. They will find time in every pieces of the day to type that goddamn words, to tell a story no one really cares about. I have no idea if they will succeed but I have an idea that they will have fun if only they take their mind away from publication.

The thing is, writers should hone their craft and be isolated and shout SCREW YOU to all their publication dreams. If they have been found fit in all the elements of writing, then they should not take the publication cut-throat industry seriously. One should always keep writing seriously even if only one reader loves the book.   

Last day before the #giveaway, and an update for Book 2

So book 2, well, I still haven’t going through it. Only one editing more and some chapter artworks and the cover then I’m done. I’m working on the book companion for The Last Disceptarix, it has 2k words per chapter. Yes, I limit it to that so it isn’t that too intimidating for the readers. There are also changes in its genre because I think it’s more for adults, although it’s still juvenile, there are few swear words in it… okay many.

Maybe I’ll be posting the chapter artworks in the book two here and also the cover reveal, but first I have to finish the companion novella of book one. I can’t say I’m not excited in publishing it. Hell, if I could do it now it’s already published, but it’s incomplete and there are still no soul who cares about book one. Let’s just hope the free promotion resuscitates the sales because I really want to hear what people think about it. The first publication was a load of sh*t, and I regret I published it when it’s far from being ready. So I hope now that it has been prepared well enough (I hope so) that it would have a lot of good reviews.

The story of book two… well, I won’t say but it has a lot to do with the last page of the last book and who really is Ms. Brooks.    

I think I would end it with that. Wish me luck in my free promotion!!

Man of Steel...

I’ve just watched Man of Steel and it was horribly great. (Yea, I just oxymoronized it. That’s not the word but it is now.) It’s what it rotten tomatoes? 59%? Well, we are slaves to our own opinions but it’s still great for me. Because I never really appreciated superman until I watched the movie. Maybe because the ‘overly-good-boy’ persona doesn’t appeal to me that much—as Clark was depicted in recent films. But don’t get me wrong, the film isn’t that dark, it just had the realism on how an alien who 100% human-like cope in our society.

Whenever I’m watching any superhero film, my mind tends to shut off because of the expected fantastical physics in CGI. But, man, the writers put some scientific terms than made me feel I’m smart! I love how they substitute the crystals of Krypton (Kryptonite) with the plain and simple atmospheric and gravitational calibrations of Krypton. If turning a planet earth-like (terraforming) Zod literally Crptoformed earth. It’s with gravity and all the science references I enjoy greatly.

The writers also gave some sense on why do supes dress like that. They turned supes costume to traditional attire from Krypton. It would’ve been cooler if Clark have a full armor with the ‘S’

My only complaint on the whole film is the first thirty minutes. It’s too choppy for my taste. But when it started to get boring, it wallops your face in the most good of ways. I guess those who rated it on Rotten Tomatoes is a hard core lovers of the first films. But one has to admit that we’re already in the digital generation, all of the movies in the 80’s will be rebooted one way or the other, and there will be massive changes.

Overall, Man of Steel is great. Because 10 minutes after the start, my bladder reached its limit, but I sat there, by God, I sat there and used all my will power to keep that urine up! That’s how much I liked Man of Steel. Of course, this, my good friend, is only my opinion and I won’t argue if you didn’t like it unlike those people on IMDB boards (seriously, people in there are crazier than yours truly… I should go back there.)        

Almost Sex Scenes

I write it. I admit. But I still want to be a juvenile kind of writer—just a heads up, The Last Disceptarix don’t have… oh… never mind. No one put anything to anyone except a sword or any metallic object that could impale and kill, that’s it.

But every YA author I think is walking on thin ice here. I know the concept of sex isn’t that unknown to our teenagers unlike in the past generations of our world, but 'flooding' the book with almost sex scenes or sex scenes that has been cut is where I draw the line. I guess it’s fine if there’s one or two, given that they have more only lyrical explanation rather than overly descriptive kind of a way.

You know, (nodding*) the lyrical kind. You want an example? (Shaking my head with a frown*) Please no, don’t do this to me…

And they kissed, every inch of their body seemed to merge in delight and acceptance. They don’t care if it hurts, if it bruised their lips, they just want each other, here and now in no other way.  But what does this gave Michael? Satisfaction, Lust, Victory? No, none of that… only solace; a solace that in every moment he’d suffered, in every blood that had been dripped, in every tear he’d shed… he was here, being welcomed, being more than it was. I was simply love… that juvenile word. And thorough the night, Michael gave that word, expressed it until the daylight would come and until the moment of their death after the clock struck eight.     

(You asked me to do it! No? Really? [shrugs*] oh well...) It’s not my best, and this isn’t from any of my stories mind you. This is my example of a sex scene, in YA, that is for teens, who is quite intellectual, and yes, mature in some ways but still needs to be guided to the path of intellectual and wise life. If I really have no choice in doing that particular scene (because my characters sometimes have their own minds) then I would do it with soul; I will give the reader the feeling of love and I will try my best to make them cry because I believe that sex in YA should not be in random, I believe two characters should first undergo a thousand dilemmas before ever meeting again so their “sex” would be put in poetic terms effectively and be worthwhile.  Anyway, I think there are obviously obvious genres for overly vivid description for sex, but I’m writing YA. If there’s an uncomfortable scene it would be done with carefulness—well except when I’m describing gore or any horrific ghastly occurrence; I just love doing it, no wonder the great Stephen King loves horror, eh?  

What I write in my stories is only the almost sex scenes, and there’s a thriller part there so one would easily know where my protagonists end up in the end of the scene. I would let 15 and above read my book—like I said it’s slightly juvenile but it’s also dark and has guts and all the red inside the body! (Smiles impishly while rubbing my hands together*)   

I'm Britta in Community...

I just found out that I’m the male version of Britta in Community…

If you haven’t watched community yet I suggest don’t read this because you won’t understand. Okay now go.

For those who watch the show, I am, I think I’m the male version of Britta. At first I thought I’m Abed due to my knowledge about movies and other nonsensical stuffs, but no. I’m too cynical—yes, I’m a very very cynical person it’s criminal. I think I need some psychological help now.

I easily get irritated with 1st world problems (see what I mean, completely Britta): Oh, I don’t have the latest gadget, I’m not having enough money, I don’t have a car, there’s a cockroach, I still don’t have the 100$ food for my dog, I’m wearing the same tank-top last week. 

All of this infuriates me that’s why I don’t watch E! only CNN, BBC and Bloomberg and Newsroom.

Now compare that to the 3^rd world problems. For those people living in those countries, these are not even a problem, it’s simply the value of excess. I’m not generalizing here, I know by heart that it all depends in the individual if he would be whining about the newest iPad. It’s just frustrating to see that some of those living in first world countries only know that their world exists (I know they know others exist, I just reckon they forget about them.)

Anyway, it is confirmed… I’m Britto (That sounds horrible…)

Here’s a skit on SNL that summarizes this:  

Nefariousness of Villainy (and other Antagonisms)

What makes a good villain? I've been pondering with this for a while because I want to create someone that can make a reader squirm when the readers hears that villain. And in the adventures of my pondering on my seat, it took me in a very very dark place. In order to create a multi-dimension villain I had to think like one, put my thoughts in murder anger and every negative thought a bad guy or gal could think of. There are some tips in creating a compelling villain, and there’s some good tips in other sites but I want to contribute my own if you don’t mind.

So here it is, get ready, be very very very ready…

1. Dark is overrated – that sentence alone explains everything, but let me elaborate. Being dark is quite good, and really most villain we know is dark. But can we just turn our backs from it for a minute and create a character that is not actually necessary dark? Like the ones who what they’re thinking is safely moral but is really not.
2. Intelligence is gold – I love Moriarty (although I haven’t read the books, I only watched Game of shadows thought I know Moriarty in the books would more splendid [I hope]) because he could level with the protagonist in the most entertaining of ways. I want to read about a villain that uses pure wits, that can hypnotize anyone through only words, that can mess with your mind.
3. Root, root, and root – there are some stories that the villain do what he do because of what happened to him or her. They’re just a person at some point, but there’s an event that triggered their monstrosity. Look at the Godfather, that’s one great example. I want a villain that I can empathize with.
4. No remorse – He’ll smile at you, make friends with you and then he’ll tie you up and watch you die slowly. He will tell you bad jokes while he cut each of your toes, starve you for days and then eventually cook those toes and give it to you. Then your nose… ears… and every disposable part of your body to a crunching deep fried recipe. My God that’s vivid, but it’s effective.
5. In governance of – the authority, the one thing everyone is under with. It has been used in countless books/movies I love: His Dark Materials, Catching fire, 1984, Aeon Flux, Legend. Actually, there are lots of stories I like where the government is attached with the villain, or the villain itself. The trick I suppose is to make the reader angry at the government in that book in such level that their heartbeats would go off the charts. Catching fire did this very well, I recommend you to read it (PS: Mockingjay is a disappointment.)
6. The Iconic signature – I like James Bond villains, yeah I know they’re somehow cartoony but they have this iconic feel, each and every one of them; like the Chinese guy with the slicing bowler hat, or that giant Caucasian with steel teeth, of the bald dude with the (Persian?) cat. You enjoy watching them with all of their funny accents and stylistic weapons—you just have to love them!

I think that’s all for today, my mind is fried like the toes. I would be adding if I ever think of another; I’ll have to watch some shows again whereas the villain is as plain as cardboard. And also I have to think as a villain… BWAHA—(no that won’t work… sigh*)


(Remember: 6 days before my 5 days #bookgiveaway [The Last Disceptarix]! Make sure you get your copy by then!)

Going Viral!!

—Is always a dream. Who don’t want to be viral, no let me rephrase that, what author doesn’t want his book/story to become a viral phenomenon? I guarantee you there are some authors who are like that but meeting them I haven’t yet. Let’s go back in being viral; we’ve seen it happen in countless down to earth authors, and it was all magic as their dreams unfold and their written works are being cared by a myriad of readers.  

I want that. Remember why writers write.

And so what will I do if that happens to me? The answer is anonymity. Yes. There’s this occurring idea that nagging my head for quite a while, and it’s being an unknown where no reader actually know your face. They only know you in your words and pure ideas that baffled and are still baffling their minds. I’m trying that, but I’m at the phase that not a single soul actually cares on what you have written. Indeed. You can say my family supports me but that’s it.

But what if someday in the stretches of time when I’m still at my twenties that my book went viral? Anonymity, check. Readers, check. Movie deal, check. And there’s many more that could happen. (Hey, we can dream, right? Then dream the biggest and be sure to get hurt in the process of achieving said dream.)

What I really want is to write again. There are chances that being viral would send you in an endless stream of emails and the other stuffs that would take you away from your isolated seat and keyboard. I don’t want that. Sure it would be an ego resuscitation for me but there are patterns writers do in their day that could produce them words for their stories, it’s almost a ritual and if one tips that ritual with ever so slight of an inch then the writing habit would be (destroyed? annihilated?)… out of sync. I want to write good compelling books that have less romance but the romance really could make the reader cry, of have care on what would happen to the characters. I want to write books that can last a generation, that can lead close-mindedness out of humanity. I know what you’re thinking, maybe I’m a effing dreamer, but as John Lennon sang “you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” It’s a very long shot what I’m shooting for, almost galaxies away, and it sound, by all means, corny in all proportions, but—

“But” I’ll end it there, because it’s one of the strongest words, and most of all, it can turn the meaning of any sentence/paragraph around.    

5,000 Words per Day

The most number of words I’d written is 5.5K. It was a good day and I got a lot of sleep, but in common days I could only do 4K. I wrote the first part of my book 3 in just two weeks and that’s 4K to 8K per chapter. Now I’m not saying it’s already perfect, I’m saying it’s the first draft where some of the tenses are wrong and there are unspeakable sins in grammar and word-play.  You’ll laugh at it, you’ll burn it if you’re a grammar-nazi… it’s just plain unacceptable!

The thing in being a new serious writer is that one should be a draft-mule. Work on drafts and sore your ass on that seat, numb your fingers and blur your eyes in the hours of looking at that screen. And the last thing is write fast. You could only achieve this by kill your internet and locking yourself in a prison—okay, that’s a little extreme, so maybe your… room? Be in a complete silence, or, if you prefer, have a music that can stimulate your brain. Don’t look at the word count of you Word goddamit, just think of the thoughts you’re magically transforming into digital ink. It is in a way, magic.

It would hard at first but, man, once you get going you already have a thousand words in less an hour. It’s not impossible as long as you stay away from all distractions and you’re willing to stay focus… (Did I just say man?)  

The Art of Being Underestimated

You know what I like best: underestimation.

I remembered this demon-wildcat in our great Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series. See, the cat is a demon and he chosen that form to be underestimated. And it makes a lot of sense (at least for me); being boastful is far too overrated. I find it irritating whenever there’s arrogance looming around, those people who directly and genuinely feels that they’re better than everyone else. I know you know they’re easily discernible: in the way they stand, they speak loudly and they have this chin that is up, higher than our Everest.

I don’t hate them, I just hate the snobbish-arrogant type. Yes, I separated them into types, the other is the friendly-arrogant ones. I love them, even they expel this massive overconfidence, at least they approach you and have a little chitchat. But the snobbish ones? I just stay away from that crows (I mean crowds), but if I ever I have no choice but to mingle with them such as in gatherings and work, I just keep silent and listen to every word they would tell me and I will try my best to smile and nod.

Humility is gold, the satisfaction is there once the snobbish-arrogant ones found out for themselves what you have achieved.  It’s a matter of psychology really, we tend to accept more of those people who prove themselves not by their words but actual actions. Being a smart ass is also being a jerk, and also dangerous because one becomes transparent to every peer, known or newfound. One’s likings and hates would be easily detected.

I’m a writer, and a writer tend to observe to one’s surroundings, and also, psychology for me is fun because I can see how to approach this kind of person ( I took psychology classes in college so since then I want to be a psychologist, for now I’m fine watching Hannibal). The patterns of the humanistic state in palpable in the pressure of the steps while walking, posture, the hands, eye contact of course, fashion, that subtle twitches on the face, the way of speaking and all the observable in between. And in all of these observable gestures, the snobbish-arrogant is like a dot on a white paper. Like I said, they are loud and they stood proudly for no matter. My friend, there is fine difference between a forced arrogant stand to the respected stand a person with a good breeding usually have. And I know you can tell the difference yourself. We should trek carefully if we couldn’t be away from them, and most of all be a humble underestimated person who do more walking than talking.

It goes with the saying: "Kick the empty can and you’ll hear a noise, kick a full can and you will hear nothing."

(8 days before my 5 days #bookgiveaway [The Last Disceptarix]! Make sure you get your copy by then!)       

Book 2: Solace of Truths (Update)

All that remains for the book 2’s completion is the last light editing, the chapter artworks and the cover. I say a chapter per day, same goes for the chapter artworks. SOoooo approximately that will be another month just to be sure.

Right now in this world I’m the only one who is anticipating this. This makes me think about the future. Will there be a being or beings other than me who will give an importance of my stories? Will keep writing even there’ll be no such beings like that (knock on wood)? Will I ever get a stunning review or the other way around that would probably get me into a whole month of depression?

The thing is, no one knows the future, and also, no one has the right to shamelessly imply that he or she would be a great success in this writing business.

That leaves us writers the work and the un-expecting attitude that if you follow the path of the ink and typing narratives success would be as small as a grain of wheat in a baron wasteland. But hope, lower your expectations, work… but hope.

Look at madam Rowling, look at her life. She started with an idea while she was riding a train, back then her flat was small and a single mother. Now her books are the childhood of every people in their 20’s (by the year 2013), given that they love reading books. She didn’t know what happened to her would happen when he thought about that idea in the train.

I’m saying that I should not expect as a writer, I should not expect of fame and riches to be flashed around, I should not expect of recognition… but I should hope with only this: to be read.  

(10 days before my 5 days book giveaway [The Last Disceptarix]! Make sure you get your copy by then!) 

5 Days of Book Giveaway! (The Last Disceptarix)

My fingertips are numb in editing the last chapters of book 2. They’re even pins and needles!

Anyway, I’m planning to do a book giveaway for five days staring about June 16, 2013 or the middle of that date. My sales are cobwebs that’s why I’m doing this. But really, why is it my sales are cobwebs? I don’t know but I can assume something, right? And I, my friend, assumed three things:

[One] Is the change of the title – From “The Divine Wheel” (which is too glorious with the holy word,) to “The Last Disceptarix” (which is cool but the word Disceptarix is pretty much alien to everybody else) I noticed a decline of sales until it magically turned to nada. It was seriously depressing at first but like what Walter Disney said (at least the end quote I found after the ending credits of Meet the Robinsons): Keep moving forward.

[Two] I don’t advertise – that is a given fact. I’m too lazy to do it.

[Three] Not focusing in my other books. Yes, yeeess, I have other work in progress titles. Want me to enumerate them? Anyway this is my blog so I shall enumerate them with all of my beating heart! (you can skip this if you want):

1. Heavenly Bounds (a companion book/novella to The Last Disceptarix. It’s the story of a teacher named James and his friendship with a man named Serafine.)
2. Diaries (a story about immortality and what it would look like in my own perspective)
3. The Jabbering of Old men (my first fiction that doesn't deal with any kind of fantasy)
4. In Love and Death (a companion book/novella to Solace of Truths.)
5. Inconclusive anomalies (Sci-Fi love story.)        

These three are just my assumptions, nothing more. We can only assume in this writing business but we really don’t know anything about what people/readers want (Although I know everybody want a love concept to touch in any chapter of the book they’re reading.)

Book 2 Cover art

Son of a gun, I haven’t slept.

I edited my cover as you can see before this post, and I’m not sure if I’m satisfied with it. I posted it separately because I rushed it so I can show it to the writers of the KDP forum. And they’re right in many things so I changed a moderated amount of thing on the cover.

As you can see, the first “Last Disceptarix” cover is blurred beyond reason. Their comments included that and also the absence of contrast between the texts and the cover art. I remedied it and hopefully it would be suffice for now. The book two is coming up, all I have to do is edit heavily the last four chapters and light-edit the entire book again and draw the chapter arts and the book cover. That’s a mouthful, yes, but I estimate it’ll be finished a month from now.

Why am I saying this? Why am I saying the book 2 would be published soon?

Because the cover of book two would be based on the style of the book one. My mind is in a storm in thinking of a replacement for the cover of book one. But if ever I haven’t thought of another good cover, I’ll just think of a witty way on how the cover of book 2 would work. 

My cover: Version 3

Before Writing There Is...

In case you’re wondering, I also draw. I’m a self-taught artist before I was even a poet, before ever I’m a writer. My drawings is pretty much sweet stuff due to the fact that I’m not yet that experienced in using photoshop. I usually do traditional but photoshop produce crisper lines and vibrant colors.

Here’s some of my amateur work.

TRADITIONAL:  

DIGITAL:

All of my works (the good and the bad) is in my DeviantArt account. It records my progress as a self-taught artist. If you want to check them out just click here—or not. :D

Beyond Human

Let’s talk about “civilization types”. Now what is this “civilization type”? There are four actually, now before anything else I will ask for your forgiveness if there are some grammatical errors in this post; it is because the time I am writing this. It’s quite rather late so my mind by this slice of time is in a haze.

Now, where was I?

Ah, the civilization types. There are four and this was categorized by a Russian Astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev:

Type 1: those harvest planetary power.

Type 2: those that can harvest the sheer power of the sun.

Type 3: those who can utilize the power of an entire galaxy.

Why am I discussing this to you? I presume you are wondering why such a writer like me ever take interest in these kind of things. Well, because in this kind of thing I find wisdom. Sir, or madam, we are Type 0. But there is a good news, we are going to type 1.

Here’s Professor Kaku to explain it clearly:

I like what he’s been saying in all honesty. Type 1 and all of the ascending civilizations are open-minded. Us? Well I think there are many but the opposite is likewise.

Divisions—

For me that is the right word, the divisions of religions and cultural narcissism and other things that is narcissistic in essence. At once glance on could see who these people are. But there are also wise people, those who are diplomatic, and they are in every culture too. There are the ones who accept change, the ones who accepted the earth is round and the sun is the center of the galaxy and not the earth. For those who oppose them they do no hate or harm, they just agree to disagree in different views.

Essential narcissism don’t just agree to disagree and keep the peace, they push what they believe even they know it isn’t right or don’t have a proof on what they are believing in. We could do anything about really because once you attempt to imply your own views, (only imply, not sear to their brains) they will turn calmly manic and attack you in hurtful terms and pseudo-intellectual discussions.

Anyway, why am I saying this? I don’t know really, maybe because I see many close minded people day by day. I’m a writer, we conveniently observe people: their gestures, the expression of their faces, how they act if they see something unconventional for their taste. Of course we also hear discussions, prying (I won’t sugarcoat what really I’m saying) eavesdropping. It’s actually refreshing every time you do it.

Now how to end this post? I have nothing in my mind now really, I guess the lack of sleep is taking its toll… so I’ll just be simple.

FIN

A Change in Perspective

I thought a lot about this because I’m getting the feeling that my original title “The Divine Wheel” was sending a wrong impression on my book. It’s too (like I said before) holy and its contents do not practically swerve to that point. It’s like any YA to adult fantasy novel. It has almost-sex scenes and other element that make YA a YA.

It is now called “The Last Disceptarix.” It has been my strongest title this mind of mine could think off, the only problem to it as to why I didn’t chose it was because of the word Disceptarix. Who knows Disceptarix? Do you know Disceptarix? I bet not! That’s why I had been thinking twice.

But now that’s the title of the first book of Trinity Nexus.

Here's the edited cover:

The sales are down. And I won’t whine because it’s my only book posted on amazon. The second book would be I think two month from now. It’s the prequel to my ever so awesome book (<give me a slack an let me think my book is awesome) entitled “Solace of Truths.”

Got a nice ring to it, huh?

Anyway, I need to sleep now. I had a long day and my grammatical skills are on it’s lowest so sorry for the typos and the whatnot if there’s any. Sigh*

The Cover and Iron Man 3

There’s something bothering me lately, and it’s not the expired bread I ate the other day. It’s about brilliant colors donned by nonsensical things. I noticed that people like, well, flashy things, even that under those flashy things are a stupid meaning that makes you scratch your head from temporal to occipital.

This post, as you can feel, would be a rant; a rant about movies and the eye candies alike.

Let’s start with movies, and I promise you I’ll try to be diplomatic about this.

Have you seen the Iron Man 3? I bet you did, who haven’t? It has all the great action scenes and Tony have a freaking robo-suit every grownup man loves to have. It’s a blockbuster hit, I know but I have a big problem about it.

After the movie and as I was walking with my mind still wrapped around the movie, I told myself: “God, I never expected that to happen.” And it meant in all the bad ways you could possibly imagine. The director, well, mass produced the film to suit for the general audience. The villain became a big joke and the story fell flat in a very cool and fashionable way.

So what am I saying here?

I’m saying that the movie didn’t stay true to the fans of Iron man since the very beginning. The writer of it I think became lazy and uninspired to bring justice to every character in the lore. If you look closely, now not at the movie but the viewers, one could see the psyche the general population has about the “inner beauty” concept.

A book is always judge by the cover, no more no less. In the trailers of the Iron man 3, there have been lines the Mandarin said: “Do you want an empty life or a meaningful death?” nothing like that escaped his lips during the movie. The advertisers or whoever in charge in the promotion of the film made a false take of the content of the film.

Sad really, very sad indeed.

The inner beauty is really hard to find. One can look at the advertisers and one can see what I mean. I guess let’s add the big time publishing houses (just because I’m in the book business). They do everything in advertising to present their newfound great book of the century, but they follow trends. No not follow trends but create the trends. They control everything that makes an indie author that have a beautiful book obsolete for the readers.

It’s like the movies. Say the “Godfather”, the film company treated it like a piece of trash until it became a huge hit. Same story for “Rocky” and other films that had passion from their creative crew. Today most of us (including me) like all the shiny things and explosive CGI, shaky cameras and shouting on the screen—those are the films that hit the box office… shiny. I’m not saying all CGI movies are only filled with air because there is a slightly recant movie that I like that’s full of CGI and its District 9 (great underrated film by the way,) I’m saying the writers of those big budget films should have a spine for art and not just the money. But we have to admit it sooner or later that it’s always about the money, am I right or am I right?

And so how about the art?

They’re everywhere. Good films, good books, good art… It’s up to people to find them, to not to judge the book by its cover and go through the meaning embedded in any art.          

(P.S: out of the topic but i just want to say I very much like San Cisco. Here's one of their song:)

Things I Recommend When One is about to Write

My friend, my invisible friend beyond the screen, I have a thought that I hope would help you in writing. It’s not that complex but I assure you you would write 3k words per day (what I mean by day is a day when you’re having a rest from your job). Now, If your reading this, I have t rephrase what I just have written—I can’t assure you, because writing that long in a single day would up to you.

Here are the steps that I commonly do (and I hope they’re universal by any means.):

1. Watch TV
2. Play an app (an app that deals with killing monsters and all kind of nasties)
3. Overdose of caffeine
4. Eat banana
5. Close your door
6. Destroy all distractions: Phone, TV, internet, your cat… (no, don’t destroy them, just turn them off—I actually destroyed a phone once… hmm… yea…)
7. Write. I don’t care what you’re writing or how daunting this task to you but write, and by angels in the clouds write fast. Just write fast, let the words fly out to your subconscious, let your mind be in a trance and keep your stare only at the blank sheet of paper, not in the word count, not in the time, not in anything.

Yes, I’m serious about everything including the banana, why? Banana is a natural resource of energy. Don’t cannibalize your body with energy drinks because the chemicals in them would take each of your cell’s reserved energy sources. It will drain you out in the worst possible way.  

If you do all of this, time itself would slow down when you’re writing. It would be like dreaming with the use of your fingertips and very comfortable keyboard. That, my friend beyond the screen, is what happens to me every time I write. Have you watched inception? Yes writing is like that; a dream inside a dream whereas time moves in a very slow pace. 

Now here's Cloud Atlas Sextet for your ears (Sorry, this is just one of those random messes my mind births out every second. Just want you to hear it.)

Hunting Agents with a Bow and Arrow... (I mean a keyboard and the internet)

My sweet Lord! I just discovered that I can still hunt and query for the right agent even I self publish my book in the internet. Isn’t that awesome? For me I guess.

The thing about self publishing is that you have to seduce (<a lack of other term) your potential readers first to be read. You’ll have to do many marketing stunts that would drain your time for actually writing to nada. And to be honest, I just want to write. And to be honest once more, my sales are dismally dismal in all epic proportions.

This gives me doubts to the readability of my book. But we should look at some elements here that lead us to my dismal downloads: one should know that there are free e-books on Amazon, and I just put my book in that kind of promotion. The question here is do those who download my book reads it right now? The answer is simply no, I have no credibility for them, and I’m an unknown, the hell the care for what I’ve written… and most of all, they downloaded the book for free.

One thing is I didn’t tell anyone, not even my friends that I already publish the damn thing.  Don’t get me wrong here, I think self publishing is empowering but I really want to write and nothing more. I just want to sit in front of a black page and just type away anything this mind of mine harbors, may it be horror, suspense, or nonsense, typing and typing it down is all I want to do. I hate marketing, tweeting my book with all the hash tags and the shoveling my book down to those potential readers. That seems invading for my taste.  

That’s why I’ll be hunting for agents and pray to anyone up above to grant me one. Then to have a publisher knocking on my door to tell me we will publish your book worldwide. That would be a gem, right? If that happens I’ll go to my bed and sleep with a wide smile. Yes, sleep, that’s how I celebrate things such as New Year, thanksgiving, Christmas and all those unnecessary holidays—and oh, valentines, especially valentines.

Anyway, I have to divert this post to a lighter side of my life. I’m at the third chapter of my third book. I’m planning to finish its first part before I ever edit the second one.    

Thank you once again for visiting me here. I have no idea how you ended up in my blog but it gives me pure joy. And I’m going to celebrate that by sleeping. Yay!

The Grandest Book Cover Reveal!

Whoever you are, this is my book cover (Cue choirs singing hallelujah).

 Isn’t it grand, and all the adjectives synonymous to great? LOL, kidding aside, I made this because just so you know I’m an artist before I was a writer. Like I said from the post preceeding this, I once wrote storyline of my anime series in my head—that means I need to have actual drawings of my characters.

The cover is not the only picture in the book, every chapter has one (Chapter art, not a particular scene in the book). This actually a scene in a war where my protagonist—bleep—the landscape with—bleep—and the raw power of—bleep. It’s a mixture of water color and color pencil, but the background I did using PS5 because I was too lazy to draw the damn thing by hand.

If you’re going indie writer, I suggest don’t do your cover by yourself. I did myself because I practically sneered my eyes with all beautiful covers that uses font effectively for a week (don’t use 2 fonts—a sin in doing a cover); and it also hard to translate what is inside the book to an artwork, it’s so hard it’s criminal. You have to have many trial and errors, and most of all, trust your gut or any guts who knows a good cover when they see one.

The heck, I have no idea if my cover is actually grand and all synonymous to great, I just trusted my gut that it’s ready and just toss the dice and hope it’ll be seven.

Anyway, I’m crossing my fingers and toes it’ll lure readers when I publish it on Amazon this Sunday.

Thanks for reading whoever you are. Till the next post.