Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 82

Another Time, a Different Novella, and an Excerpt

The first novella I wrote for the RPG industry was for the Aletheia RPG, published by Abstract Nova Entertainment. It's titled "Twin Designs" and was included in The Tales of the Seven Dogs Society. I contributed to the RPG, so I knew how intense the setting was. That piece allowed me to take some risks and I talked a little bit about that in my writing notes for Tales of the Seven Dogs Society. This was written in first person and I leveraged both perspectives of each brother – one a believer and one a skeptic. Ralph tends to be a lot more naive than his brother Edgar, and as the story progresses you find out why.

Due to the psychic ability that the brothers share, which is called "Presque Vu" (or the ability to see The Grand Design), the novella is more on the cerebral side. It's a unique ability, though, and one that I loved to explore. After all, how do you know you're interpreting your visions correctly? You could see what's supposed to happen or have strong instincts, but do you have any idea what that means?

Here's an excerpt from the novella:

Twin Designs
Part One: The Believer

Late at night when you're all alone, do you ever stop to question what purpose you have in this world? Do you lie awake in your soft bed thinking "Maybe life is just some sick joke?" and wonder if you'll be able to come back and haunt your loved ones after you've passed on?

I never have.

My name is Ralph Whitman and I, along with my twin brother Edgar, have the ability to see the Grand Design, a type of sight the French call "Presque Vu." I don't intend to sound arrogant here, but it's just the way it is. We see connections between events that others are incapable of understanding, and we're both able to take a step back to see whether or not a specific event will lead us closer to the Divine. Some call that higher power Fate, some God, or even a significant evolution of the Self. Call it what you will; our sight is infallible—even though sometimes our perceptions might be a bit "off."

Now, when I say "Grand Design" I do not mean that we can foretell the future; that gift is something my brother has desperately wished for, an obsession that began when we were little kids. No, our gift is to see how events are connected to one another as part of the Master Plan, something I'm assuming all humans hope to be a part of. You see, when you know whether or not something is supposed to happen, before too long you'll also understand why it happened.

Take the Bermuda Triangle for example. Say that you're traveling on a cruise ship near the area, when the captain announces that a strange storm is gathering in the East. With Presque Vu, I might find out that the storm has some significance—it's not just a random freak of nature. A few minutes pass and it's as if my eyes are opened; I might be able to see that the storm is moving over the ocean in order to herd vessels into the Triangle. Or, I might see that the storm is an act of God meant to sink ships carrying specific passengers. Regardless, Presque Vu is an ability that is often misunderstood (or misused) because it's a subtle art and highly complex, and of course not everyone uses it the same way.

My brother Edgar believes that those people who operate outside of the scope of the Master Plan are impoverished spirits who owe the Universe a grand debt, and are having to "do over" their mundane lives. In a way I also believe that is true, because the Plan is as real as you or me even if its purpose is beyond us all. I'm sure if I took the time to follow all of the connections we've seen, eventually we'd tie one truth to the next and learn the answers to the questions philosophers and theologians have spent millennia trying to uncover. What is the meaning of life? Is there a higher power? Why was I born?

I often wonder about the implications of our gift and question what would happen should we someday actually find out the Truth. I'm assuming each of our discoveries will simply lead to more questions—after all, humans aren't really physically or mentally equipped to "see" the Divine. But sometimes I joke with Edgar about how one day I'll end up in an asylum somewhere, dribbling milk all over my chin. So as excited as I am to be this close to uncovering the mysteries of the universe—I'm a bit terrified of the Truth's implications. Sure, my brother and I both know there is a plan, but we don't know whether or not the plan's designer is a lunatic or a genius, amoral or immoral.

In the past our power has caused problems for us. You see, not every big event has to have a meaning, yet other times the smallest gesture makes a world of difference. One day a building blew up and (whoops!) it wasn't a part of the grand plan, just some idiot bent on taking revenge for his boss not providing him with the correct type of stapler. Another time we saw on the news that a serial killer had systematically wiped out an entire family. To renew our "faith" in the plan we opened our eyes, hoping to see that this horrific, intentional act was an accident caused by a mutated mind—only to find out that the family's death had to happen for a reason, and we were not privy to what that reason was… well, not until much later.

I guess you could say my brother and I are very lucky, because we're able (or at least I am) to put our ability to good use, working with a team of investigators called "The Seven Dogs Society" to explore the weirdest and strangest mysteries the world has to offer. Simple truths with not-so-simple implications are often at the heart of paranormal investigation. No one knows that better than I do. No one.

We wouldn't be here, at a sprawling Victorian mansion in Alaska, if it wasn't for our shared ability–it's that simple. The story of how we got here, though, well… that story isn't simple at all. We met Terrance Chastain, one of the founders of the Seven Dogs Society, when were living on the streets of Los Angeles, running away from a world that ignored and punished us. When Terrance first saw us, we were digging through the dumpsters of a Chinese restaurant in the middle of a blistering L.A. summer—dirty, smelly, and covered in fear.

Cross-Stitch Okay, Sewing? Not So Much

Last weekend, I took a trip to Barnes and Noble in search of care package elements and found a few things for myself. (Isn't that always how it works out?) I found a pretty nifty kit called "Miss Woolly's Creepy Cross-Stitch: Everything You Need to Stitch Up 6 Spooky Projects."

The nice thing about these smaller cross-stitches, is that I can pick these up for five, ten minutes at a time and watch my stitchy progress. Though I did have to make some… Er… Mathematical changes due to distractions, LOOK, SHINY! While the tree turned out pretty good, the sewing portion… Well… THAT's another story. Stitching in a straight line is one thing, but apparently trying to sew in one is entirely another. I had a devil of a time trying to figure that part out. What I have in my head is an image of three square fabric banners to make a rather pleasing Halloween decoration that doesn't look like the inside of a finger-painted coloring book.

Alas, I went with a frame instead. Phooey.

Mood: UN-sinkable

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… *looks away*

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework and a walk

Yesterday's Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction

In My Ears: The Bliss of Silence. Well, it would be bliss if my neighbors knew how to turn down their stereo…

Game Last Played: Battle Nations (I HAZ A BATTLE RAPTOR ZOMG!)

Movie Last Viewed: To: Season 1, Ep. 1

Book Last Read: Leonardo Da Vinci's Notebooks

Latest Artistic Project: A sewing disaster.

Latest Release: Redwing's Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

Cover Revealed for Don't Read This Book

Last week, Fred Hicks from Evil Hat Productions debuted the cover for Don't Read This Book, an anthology inspired by the RPG Don't Rest Your Head which is edited by Chuck Wendig.

In my announcement when I talked about how I was thrilled to be one of the authors for this anthology, I also mentioned how this horror setting really allowed players to dive in the deep end of the proverbial psychological pool.

I am very grateful to have been a part of this anthology for many reasons. The process allowed me to explore death and guilt on a level I haven't done before. If that weren't enough, it is humbling to be included with such talented folks.

The anthology will debut in about a month! In the meantime, enjoy the cover!

Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Characters and Treatment Part 2 of 5

This was the first paragraph I ever wrote for Redwing's Gambit. Remember, at the time all I had at my disposal was the d20 version of the game and not the FATE manuscript.

Dan Daget, a salt-of-the-earth Asurburan, is the security chief on a ship called the Haldis. His group, which is led by a sultry Asurburan cyborg named Cass Leary, has been paid by Redwing Securities to transport a high-ranking politician to his new home on Illia* on the other side of the Frontier Zone. Things quickly go awry when evidence of sabotage is found on board and one of their crew members winds up missing. To find out who the culprit is before anyone else gets hurt, Daget must enlist the help of a violent Urseminite named Fang. Will Daget uncover the saboteur and fend off space pirates? Or will he find out that his client is a lot more than they bargained for?

The treatment evolved from the original concept for a number of reasons. At the time, I thought the story required one perspective, but that didn't turn out to be the case. One mystery in a closed environment was "okay," but it wasn't enough for the readers to get a feel of what makes Bulldogs! a cool science fiction setting. Initially, my thinking was that an observant character could really dig into and tell a tale, highlighting the different aspects of the alien races and the worlds. Boy, was that ever wrong! While that technique sounds good, it didn't work when I started writing it because I bored myself going on and on and on… I'll talk a lot more about those evolving aspects in parts 3 and 4.

After I wrote up the premise, my next step was to focus on characters. I tweaked the premise to give all of the characters something to do. In other words: why are they traveling through space?

Premise: A group working for Redwing Security has been paid to transport a reformed mobster-turned-politician to his new home on Illia.

In a game, when players are sitting around a table, the GM has to provide the group with a reason to be together. With a full crew and cast of many characters in this story, I had to come up with a short centralized idea or goal that the characters had a vested interest in. The crew works for a company called Redwing Securities and they were paid to transport a new politician named Vincent Twist to the planet Illya. Bam! There's the central goal. They're all employees — not pirates, run-a-ways, or rebels — and they have to get a politician from point A to B. Where, when, and how they make it there is another story.

Certainly, any tale that has a crew or a group of characters working together will require this same sort of thing. Star Trek was about a crew that explores space from an archaeological perspective. While there was meta-plot, the episodic format lent itself to "explore strange new worlds." Star Wars was about Rebels thwarting the Empire. At the heart of Dune was the struggle to control spice on a micro and macro level. Whether it's on a large scale or a small one, ensemble casts have to have some reason for their existence otherwise the plot will be very convoluted and the reader will get confused. Sometimes the author, too!

From this main premise of transportation, I built the characters and included "the ties that bind." Or, in other words, how the characters feel about one another. I did this for two reasons: one, this setting and game is owned by Galileo Games. Whenever I write tie-in fiction, I want the publisher to be involved in the creation process because I am writing for them and their fans. Some publishers are more hands on than others, but approvals are still important. Brennan's feedback and input shaped the story and the characters; you'll find out more about what Brennan's involvement was when I talk about revisions.

Here are the character descriptions as I originally wrote them up. You'll find out what changed (and what stayed the same) as I dive more into the structure and plot next time around. I'd also like to point out that I'm consciously avoiding the mechanical bits because I don't want to conflict with any future plans Brennan has for these characters.

Name: Cass Leary

Sex: Female

Class: Engineer, Social (Mata Hari)

Race: Arsubaran Cyborg

Group Role: Team leader

Description: After suffering life-threatening wounds, Cass was brought back to life by Violet Dunn through an experimental procedure. Those who come into contact with her may not realize that she's a cyborg, for her implants have been well-matched to her red skin, black hair and red eyes. A highly-skilled social artisan, Cass Leary charms all those who cross her path, and has even managed to convince a fierce Urseminite named Fang to be her personal bodyguard. She has no problem diffusing tense situations but prefers not to work with psychics because they cramp her style.

On this mission, Cass's primary objective is to get Vinnie to his new home on Illia as quickly as possible. Although he was legally elected, she does not trust him — especially around the medical wing where Violet and her young assistant, Edna Keene, spend their time.

Name: Talus Paloç

Sex: Male

Class: Engineer

Race: Dolomé

Group Role: Mechanic

Secondary Group Role: Impromptu Therapist

Description: A well-renowned engineer, Talus is a likeable mechanic whose only flaw is his over-confidence in his abilities. Instead of relying on assistants or apprentices, he often programs robots to perform what he calls "menial tasks." Because of his magnetic personality, team members often go to him to rant and get advice. Talus is fiercely protective of his friends and loves a good story, but is a little insecure about his appearance. While he has a crush on Cass, if he had a good reason to, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Fang or the creepy Dan Daget that always seems to be lurking around. After all, he should be the only one with a secret on board.

Name: Vinnie Twist

Sex: Male

Class: Rogue

Race: Ken Reeg

Group Role: Client

Description: A former crime boss, Vinnie Twist recently won the title of High Sadralla of the planet Illia. His recent (and well-publicized) conversion to the Monosolar religion was cited as the primary reason why he was elected to this elite position. A consummate charmer, Vinnie has a soft spot for beautiful women and piles of cash. His personal mantra is not just to get what he wants, but to get what everyone else wants, too. After tying up loose ends in his home colony outside the Frontier Zone, Vinnie hired Redwing Security to safely transport him back to Igdrassa. Since it is common knowledge this small colony sits at the base of the largest gemstone mine on Illia, rumor has it that several space pirates and bounty hunters will try to kidnap him before he sets foot in office.

Name: Dan Daget

Sex: Male

Class: Fighter

Race: Arsuburan

Group Role: Bodyguard

Description: A former professional wrestler, Dan Daget believes that the way to enlightenment is through his physical prowess. When he's not keeping a close eye on his fellow crew members, he can be found testing his physical limits. Though he's an excellent listener, Dan has a hard time trusting people. Overprotective at times, Dan won't hesitate to throw himself in the line of fire for the safety of his crew. On this mission, Cass handpicked Dan from her personal contacts and is paying him extra to keep a close eye on Vinnie Twist.

Name: Violet Dunn

Sex: Female

Class: Medic

Race: Arsuburan

Group Role: Chief Medic

Description: Violet Dunn was a high-ranking military physician before she joined Redwing Securities. She is a pioneer in the field of cybernetics and was the first physician to successfully fuse high-tech robotic parts to Arsuburan flesh. Although she left the military voluntarily, Violet is reluctant to talk about her past and her relationship with Cass Leary. Some of the other crew members don't trust her because of her mysterious connection to the military. Because she feels like an outsider, Violet often goes out of her way to win her crewmates over by enhancing their abilities or appearances through drugs and surgery. Since she goes wherever Cass goes, Violet had no choice but to join this mission. Violet hasn't shared her views with anyone else, but she has a personal grudge against the Ken Reeg.

Pilots: Two slug-like beings. Splish and Oogle.

Ship name: Haldis

* Republished from my original notes. The spelling of the planet Illia was changed to Illya for readability and consistency purposes.

Other Parts to this Series

Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Easter Eggs – Part 5 of 5 will be published on April 23, 2012.
Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Revisions and Cut Text – Part 4 of 5 will be published on April 16, 2012.
Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Structure and Plot – Part 3 of 5 will be published on April 9, 2012.
You are reading Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Characters and Treatment – Part 2 of 5
Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Research and Background Part 1 of 5

About Redwing's Gambit: Redwing's Gambit, the first novella for the Bulldogs! RPG, debuts today in digital. This story was written by Monica Valentinelli and will be published by Galileo Games, creator of the Bulldogs! RPG. This RPG was originally published with a d20 system in 2005. It has since been updated and released in a new edition which employs the Fate mechanic in 2011.

A Theme Out of a Troll

I've been playing around with the idea of implementing a theme for this year's Speak Out after reading another round of: "Hey, why can't you just be happy for people with good news?" Negative and bullish comments simply because someone had a great day? What can anyone do except to tell that person to shut up. If you're upset about someone being happy, then what does that say about your state of mind? On those rare occasions when I'm annoyed by someone's overabundance of SQUEE, then I simply unplug for a little while.

OR…

I fight back not with fire, but with gratitude.

There's a lot of power in the words "Thank You" and really, who can argue or be a troll about that? We may feel envious of other people's successes, especially if you're a creative like I am, but in the end there's enough happiness to go around for everyone.

Imagine a week of thank you letters to the people who got us into our hobbies, who inspired our passions, who helped us grow into the people we are now?

Thoughts? What do you think about this theme?

Originally Published on SpeakOutWithYourGeekOut.com

Gaming Industry Myths from Andrew Peregrine

My friend Andrew Peregrine from Cubicle 7 wrote a rant about what working in the gaming industry is really like, and I feel it's definitely worth your time to read it.

The truth is, the same can be true of any creative industry. Fans (I include myself in this category even though I'm also a professional.) feel emotionally invested in what they love and claim to know. There isn't anything wrong about this mentality persay, but it can get pretty frustrating when negative accusations or outrageous claims start flying around.

"I've been a gamer for 20 years so I know the business"

I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm afraid that's bull. The first thing I learnt (after 20 years of gaming) when I started writing was that I knew nothing about the industry. That's right, nothing, nada, zip. Having got your fighter to 20th level teaches you nothing about publishing, deadlines, distribution and commissioning. — Andrew Peregrine on LiveJournal

Anyway, give My Top 5 Myths About The Gaming Industry a read when you have the chance.

Mood: The Bliss of Silence

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… *looks away*

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework

Yesterday's Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction

In My Ears: To: Season 1, Ep. 2

Game Last Played: Battle Nations (I HAZ A BATTLE RAPTOR ZOMG!)

Movie Last Viewed: To: Season 1, Ep. 1

Book Last Read: Leonardo Da Vinci's Notebooks

Latest Artistic Project: A sewing disaster.

Latest Release: Redwing's Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

B-B-B-B-Bad Poetry

Many apologies dear Reader, because I started out hoping to give you a free story today, but it sucked so bad I just couldn't hand you that particular

trope and be happy I offered you cardboard instead of sushi. Instead? I'm sharing something terrible and I don't mind. Three (count them, THREE) bad poems. I have never claimed to be a poet; I just like to experiment with the form for the sheer and obligatory fun-ness of it. (Yes, fun-ness is not a word. Though, staycation wasn't a word up until someone in a marketing department made it so.)

Imagine that! A writer having FUN with words!?!?! NO WAY.

Untitled

I watched them die before

the slow death

of bones walking on hard pavement

I watched them sing before

the fast song

of life bourne, love and pain

I watched them dance before

the lullaby dance

hypnotic motions of an everyday life

and there I was

watching

in a window half-open

Untitled

Half as much

without the whole

Beauty speaks

the larger Picture

Untitled

So he's waited

so he tries

to set godhead close

with arms on strings

and many, multi-colored

things to hold

things to have

spinning him round

without one spring

or other little, dangling

things he's known

things he controls

inside out he

walks the line

round in circles

like everyday time

two-handed victor

tightly wound

so he's trying

so he waits
Mood: Sleepy pants.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Three. No, really.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Yoga

Yesterday's Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction

In My Ears: Adele

Game Last Played: Battle Nations

Movie Last Viewed: Big Trouble in Little China

Book Last Read: [Redacted.]

Latest Artistic Project: Paint! Thar has been painting.

Latest Release: Redwing's Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

There is No Such Thing as a Fake Geek

Dear Readers:

I am writing this today in response to the latest kerfluffle online regarding the post that debuted on Forbes about fake geek girls. The last time I read an article like this, the subject matter was inflammatory on purpose because the writer got paid per page view and it was "good marketing." In the effort of full disclosure, I have no idea whether or not that's the case here. I just know that this post is generating a lot of discussion right now and, given what Speak Out is all about, I felt I needed to chime in here.

When I launched Speak Out with your Geek Out last Fall, I did receive some vocal negativity regarding the fact that I did not (and still do not) ever want to define what a "geek" is. The reason why I didn't want to do that, is because this word is a bucket. People will self-identify with a label either when it's comfortable for them or when someone else has taught them that they are associated with it.

The word "geek" has carried negative connotations for some time because what it does is call out someone who is passionate about "X." It's that passion, not necessarily the topic that person cares oh-so-much about, that causes these people to be bullied incessantly. As human beings, we have a problem dealing with those who share excessive amounts of emotion. Part of it stems from our different cultural expectations; it also originates from a sheer and utter lack of empathy.

Conventional wisdom says that to be cool and accepted by someone else's ideals, it's better to be casual and aloof. The funny thing is, the most successful people I know are exactly the opposite. They are happy with who they are, they're free from worry, and they pursue their dreams with passion, grace, and dignity.

Now that the emotional weight of the word "geek" has changed somewhat in our society, more than a few folks are upset by that. Why? Well, before geek had any positive connotations, it allowed some folks to feel more like individuals because their way of life wasn't as commonplace. Now that it's mainstream or popular, I'm guessing some folks don't feel like the underdog anymore. Regardless of what the truth is there, I feel this entire notion is incredibly sad and stupid. The only person that has the power to threaten your individuality is you.

Still, I do not consider myself to be a human being who has the right to tell someone else how they should feel about themselves. Who the eff am I to tell someone whether they are or aren't a geek? In my mind, defining who can and can't join this party is its own form of being a bully.

The minute you impose your views on someone else you stray into that territory because you are asserting yourself in a position of power. You are saying that your world viewpoint is better or more superior to someone else's. It doesn't matter how many people agree with what a "geek" is, there will always be that one person who feels they are one and outcast as a result. The same, sadly, can be said of any word that we use to label one another as a way of dividing, rather than uniting, us.

It is for that person, that single nameless individual, regardless of who they are, what they do, or where they came from, that I will continue Speak Out with your Geek Out this fall the exact same way I did last year.

I sincerely hope no one will wait until September to say a kind word or do a good deed until then. There may be seven billion people on this planet, but the only people we will ever truly have is each other, provided we take the time to listen and speak.

All my best,

Monica Valentinelli

Founder of Speak Out With Your Geek Out

How To Go Offline (And Not Kill Your Site)

Today's how to post is brought to you by the makers of… Well, let's see. What did I make recently? I had a novella published earlier this week called Redwing's Gambit. Hrmmm…

Anyhoo, I recently had a question about how I updated my site during my 100 Days of No Social Media. Here's the steps I took before I went underground.

1. Announce You're Taking a Break – I tried to go offline many times and I received angry and distressed e-mails from people wondering where I was and if anything was wrong. Not to mention, there are people who don't use e-mail to communicate anymore and rely solely on Facebook messaging or Twitter. If you're online a lot, for whatever reason (in my case day-and-night job), then I recommend figuring out some way to make your online friends, customers, readers, etc. aware. Once you have something posted, then you've done your due diligence. Some folks were still upset, but I guess there's nothing to be done about that.

2. Update Your Own Site – One of the things that I did, was focus on blogging instead of micro-blogging (e.g. shooting quick updates). This technique slowed me down considerably and helped me focus on what I was doing (big picture) rather than what I was saying (second-to-second). To do that, I wrote a bunch of posts beforehand and scheduled them to run on certain days. Other posts, like the ones where I talked about how the 100 Days was going, I penned on that day.

3. Distribute the Content – I double-checked my RSS feeds to make sure they were working. I use Feedburner for that. Then, I made sure my Twitter account was feeding into Facebook. At this point, you may be asking yourself if I cheated. I don't think so. There are a number of people who don't visit my site directly and read the articles only when they post through these sites. You can see this for yourself if you go to your analytics and check out the social media referrers. A tool has many uses. Some people use Twitter but never post. (Seriously.) Others interact. I felt that my data justified auto-posting blog titles on these networks even though I wasn't monitoring them. One of the tools that'll allow you to splice and re-purpose RSS feeds is called TwitterFeed. I had a lot of good luck with this and didn't have any issues during my time off.

4. Don't Check Your Analytics – Checking any sort of web traffic measurement during this time will send you into a tailspin because you'll wonder what you're not doing on social media. Stop. Seriously. Just stop. The whole point of this exercise is to help you re-prioritize and focus on what matters. If you're constantly checking who's coming to your site, then you'll never break free of the cycle.

5. Know What Projects You Want to Complete – Complaining about you don't have time to do "X"? Do it! Sit down, map out your time, and take the opportunity to do those things you've always wanted to do but didn't during your time offline. This will be its own reward because you're making it a point to do something for yourself.

What to Expect? Know Your Data, First

Now, I will say that every site is different. Your site could have a negative impact if you're solely relying on your interactions to get traffic. It's possible that you're working your arse off to get those extra visits every month and you don't realize how many hours you've spent to get those viewers.

How much is one visit worth? Well, before you can understand that, there needs to be another piece to this puzzle. In online retail, we call this conversion and it's what store owners and valued marketers hang their hat on. If you're not worried about conversion, then you won't be able to figure out what value you're getting out of what you're doing, unless you're solely focused on "branding." (e.g. internet fame) But even that's a Catch 22 for authors because it's the stories people read. You could be the crappiest biggest a-hole on the face of the planet that no one liked and still write a good story that people will gladly sell their first child to get.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is… Please, for the love of data and all things sanity-related — don't buy into the hype unless you can see trusted metrics to back up people's claims! Facebook "likes" are not a good metric! You don't even have to "like" a page to get their updates anymore, either, and you're still at the mercy of whatever that platform does.

Analytics are crucial to any marketer just like a shareholder's report is key for any investor. Don't ignore good data and you'll wind up making better decisions for yourself and your work.

Quality over Quantity

You can drive all the visits to your site or your fan pages that you want, but in the end you have to know what you want to get out of it. You got 10,000 visits on that one article! Joy! Bliss! Great! Then what? Seriously. What's the effing point? So what if they read your review of some author's book. Are they picking up yours? No? Gee, I wonder why.

To get qualified traffic, you also have to have relevancy. Ever read an article and get pissed off because the content didn't match the headline? That happens for two reasons. First, the writer gets paid per visit so they want controversy. Or second, because the site gets paid by advertising revenue for eyeballs on the page. For authors, though, this model doesn't work. You could have incidental sales or accidental traffic from something else you're doing, but unless you're focused on your work, talking about doughnuts every day won't help you promote awareness of your post-apocalyptic tale.

The secret to the web is not the volume of readers, but the quality therein. Although there's a lot of emphasis being placed on high traffic, folks have to dig deeper into analytics to understand what's really going on. I know it feels a lot of the time like there's this popularity contest online (and there is) but that's not as important as why you're online in the first place.

You have to decide what you want out of your online presence; no one else can do that for you. Not your friend, not some marketroid trying to sell their self-help book, not your publisher or your agent or your editor. If you've analyzed the data and you firmly believe that going offline is too big of a risk? Then don't do it. However, I will say that you'd be surprised how crucial it is to place your primary energies into your work. If you are not firmly grounded with what you're trying to do, then no amount of promotion will fix a lack of product, regardless of what that "product" may be. You can sell yourself, but for creative professionals, the work is what you're guaranteed to make money on. Even if you get gigs based on who you are, eventually you'll have to deliver.

1,000 True Fans

For a real-time example of how popularity doesn't mean as much as you think it does, look at Kickstarter and how authors are raising money to write novels using that platform. Don't look at the dollar signs; take a peek at the number of contributors. In many cases, thousands of dollars are raised by a couple hundred people. That, right there, is exactly how the web works and I've seen that same thing happen through data on dozens of sites. It's part of the 1,000 true fans ideology. It is said, and rightly so, that authors who have 1,000 true fans will be able to make a decent living provided they know how to leverage that audience. Or, in other words, if a true fan devotes $100 per year to your work, and you have 1,000 of them, then you'll make $100,000 a year. The same is true for businesses who encourage loyal customers, too.

If you look at the average contribution for The Order of the Stick reprint drive, which attracted over 14,000 contributors, you'll also see this in action. Even though the Kickstarter raised $1.25 million dollars, the average contribution was $83. Yes, there were levels and some contributed more than others, but the point I'm trying to make is that what you want are people who are devoted to your work. Order of the Stick built in levels well above $100 for fans who were willing to pay more, but in the end it all averaged out. The Far West Kickstarter had 717 contributors and raised over $43K for an average of? Sixty-eight dollars. In some cases, like the Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer Kickstarter, you'll see the contributors jump. 3,873 for over $130K. Here again, it comes down to data. Check out the levels. When it starts at a dollar, you can pretty much guarantee that the bulk of your contributors will lurk about there. The average shows this, too. $34 per person, but having more contributors means that more people will see the end result.

Here's another example. Many authors who are leaving publishing houses to self-publish will often discuss how they're selling less copies of books, but they're making more money. This is why, because their true fans followed them from traditional publishing and the math worked out in their favor. If self-publishing didn't allow authors to make more per copy, and they didn't already have a number of fans that would buy from them there, then not as many would be using those tools.

What Works, May Only Work For You

Now, am I saying publishers are the debbil and self-publishing is the answer? ABSOLUTELY NOT. To each their own! At the end of the day, publishers want the same thing you do, to put out a quality product and create fans willing to buy your next book. There are publishers who have tools at their disposal to support authors and help you get readers. It's not a best or worst-case scenario; it's whatever works for you at this precise moment in your career. For authors, it doesn't come down to how many people think you're cool. It always boils down to how many readers are willing to pay for your books.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck with your words and your own future. It's your destiny as a creator. Own it. Shape it. Do it. Be happy.

Mood: Kind of weird, actually. Aristotle with a side of Shakespeare.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Two with ginseng.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Short walk

Yesterday's Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction

In My Ears: Rest in Peace from the Buffy the Vampire: Once More with Feeling soundtrack

Game Last Played: Battle Nations

Movie Last Viewed: Um… Crap… What was it again?

Book Last Read: [Redacted.]

Latest Artistic Project: Paint! Thar has been painting. Thar may be cross-stitching?

Latest Release: Redwing's Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

A Gamer's Non-Violent Lament

So, I find it odd that our U.S. legislators would want to put a warning label on "E for Everyone" games that clearly states: WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.

Let me show you a picture.

Huh. So Super Mario Brothers will lead to aggressive behavior. Which means that my brother and I, who played Super Mario Brothers growing up must be violent thugs who wound up in prison. And not, say… happy and healthy adults with no criminal record to speak of? Okay, wait. I have chucked my controller across the room during a boss battle once or twice. You got me.

But wait… aren't there other pastimes that are technically more violent than playing an E for Everyone video game? Like full contact sports? Maybe we should put a warning label on football or wrestling or soccer or hunting or martial arts… Oh, that's different because those things are real and smashing mushrooms is fantasy. I get it now.

I believe the stupidity speaks for itself. Once again, we have legislation crafted by non-gamers to appease other non-gamers who don't understand why we play, create, and enjoy games. Why video games have become the Ouija board-pariahs of entertainment I'll never know. Sometimes, I think these parents should sit down and experience the evil video games for themselves instead of diving back into Puritanism. Eesh.

Thankfully, the ECA is on the case!

Mood: Troll spray!

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: One. No, really.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walk

Yesterday's Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction

In My Ears: The whispering wind. DOM DOM DOM.

Game Last Played: Battle Something or Other

Movie Last Viewed: Kaena: The Prophecy

Book Last Read: [Redacted.]

Latest Artistic Project: Paint! Thar has been painting.

Latest Release: Redwing's Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG