Estevan Vega's Blog, page 5

Words of Wanderers

Ray Bradbury died yesterday. This really sucks. I mean, he wrote a bunch of cool stuff, and he had a huge influence on the twentieth century, accomplishing much as a writer. I remember in high school reading Fahrenheit 451 and There Will Come Soft Rains and falling in love with both pieces. He was one of the writers who shaped me, for sure. Him and Matheson and Poe and King and Dekker and Shakespeare, list goes on.

So many things influence us, and that’s pretty incredible when you think about it. A lot of it is subconscious, like hearing a song on the radio that’s catchy and ends up echoing out of you at some later date without your wanting it to. Or recalling a scene from a movie in your dreams. The outside world has incredible power over the human mind. So, naturally, writers, being creators, also have this power…to influence. Which leads me to this question: What should writing do?

Should it entertain? Should it educate? Should it shine light on an issue? Should it make you ask questions? Affirm your beliefs? Doubt them? Should it dare you to explore the world? Take a chance? I think the answer is yes. Words create pictures, moods, sentiments. They inject the human mind with ideas and philosophies and new ways to see the same thing. When studying science fiction, it becomes clear that its purpose, while also to entertain, is to prophesy. Through science fiction, we are able to glimpse a future world that exists on paper but not yet in the real world. Is this “other” place peaceful? Destructive? A dystopia? Ray Bradbury, and other writers like him, become prophets, messengers of what may come. Through their writing, they have reached beyond the superficial plain and offered us a glimpse. And that is the job of a writer. To offer a glimpse.

The stories that really move us, shake us, make us scratch our heads, are the ones that offer us a bit of truth. Something about ourselves we did not once see or have seen but no longer wish to see. It puts humanity on display and allows humanity to judge itself, to question it, test it, wonder with it. In this dialogue between men and paper, there is a fantastic dimension. The true writers are ones not content to merely state the obvious, ones who feel compelled to exhume the demons lingering in society’s blood, the skeletons in future closets, the joys and horrors of the unknown. These prophets, these messengers, have asked and are still asking us to examine the world we know and to ask questions some may not be ready for. A great writer has passed, but there is always need for new writers to arise. For new messengers. For willing people to reach beyond.

 

Create. Inspire. Shake the foundations of the world. Be poetic. Be original. Take a chance. Eliminate deceptions. Exhume the dead and immortalize the truth. Hope hangs by a thread and the future by the words of wanderers just like you and me.

Spread the fire!

-evega

Twitter: @estevanvega

Facebook: we are arson

You Smelly Pirate Hooker You!

 

Warning: this is not a morality post. This is not a “play-a-violin-for-the-artists-getting-screwed post.” It’s just a post. Take it at face value. Take it as anything you wish. It is my opinion, nothing more. Well, since it’s my opinion, it is worth a little more of your time, but I let’s get to the nitty gritty….

Okay, so there seems to be two sides on the issue of pirating. No, I am not talking about spreading questionable eye-liner under your manlids, walking dangerously feminine, and saying things like “so you have heard of me.” And I am not talking about creepy dudes with odd piercings in odd places hopping on board to rape the ship and pillage the women. I’m talking about digital piracy. You may call it borrowing, sampling, stealing, tasting? No matter how you refer to it, it’s the idea of obtaining content you have not produced and watching it, reading it, listening to it, etc. I think we all know what it is and all get the idea. If not, teleport yourself back in time ten or so years so you can figure it out.

I am a little conflicted on the issue. I recently stumbled upon a writer’s book, and there’s this bold proclamation against “stealing” the digital content or against posting it on a torrent site for download. Now, currently, the book is ranked very well in the Kindle store, so I’m kinda scratching my head. At first, one might think that the book will suffer because of downloading, and it may. However, it is much more likely that as a result of the downloading, this author will gain more readers, and in turn create more fans for this book and future books. For instance, take a look at rock bands or pop artists. If their record sells 100,000 copies, chances are you can probably double or triple that number, and that’s probably how many potential fans exist. If a band goes gold or platinum, selling 500,000 copies or 1,000,000 copies, same goes. So, one could get pissed at the downloadees, those dirty pirate hookers, or one could say, “hmm…I am selling only this many, but as a result of internet sharing, I am gaining twice or three times as many followers.”

Now, when something is pirated, does it guarantee that the person will come back and buy the next book in the series or the follow-up record? Of course not; nothing is a guarantee. But the chances are higher that, upon becoming a fan of an artist, the fan who pirated in the past will now fork over the ten bucks and support the artist they love. True, some people will keep downloading and never buy, but those people aren’t your core fans, so at best, they might pass along your book or record to someone else, but that someone else may be your ideal fan who helps propel you to the next level. You never know.

Now, what about films? First of all, studios need to find a way to offer content cheaper. Look at Netflix and Redbox. When both began, the plans were amazing. $1 for a movie rental and $7.99 for a month-long subscription and free digital streaming. But what happened? They killed their competition (Blockbuster Video, Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, etc.), and jacked up the price. Why? Because they could. Also, studios are often holding back their film content for several weeks before releasing it to these outlets so that consumers will buy their product at $20 at a store. This is scummy. When Blockbuster was around, their stores would get films the same day as Wal-Mart. Also, studios are making so many films 3D, so they can charge $14 at the box office for a movie that should be $10 because, half the time, the 3D is superfluous and annoying. This is all done, though, to prepare us for a future price point of about $12 for an average 2D film. It’s coming, guys. It’s coming. So then what happens? These studios crack down and threaten jail time and all that jazz. Well, maybe if you made things more affordable people wouldn’t download it for free.

When a CD sells for $15 dollars, I walk away. I either purchase that record on the first week, when I can get a good deal, or I wait. Sometimes I lose interest. Whenever you make things complicated for the consumer, you risk losing the consumer as a customer. Amazon understands this and often cuts prices dramatically to keep people interested. It’s like a chick who’s really hot but never does her hair or makeup or never wears anything sexy. She loves sweatpants, the Mom kind. You know where I’m going….But basically, sometimes Amazon allows for an mp3 version of a CD to sell at $3.99 for the first week to attract all the core fans. I love this marketing strategy. Granted, it’s a digital copy I’m paying for when I know several torrent sites I could download from that would be totally free. However, when it’s that cheap, I would feel like a complete douche, so I’ll buy just to keep my conscience clear. Also, because I’m a fan of the music, I want to support the artist, and on top of that, when they roll through town, I always try to see my favorite bands, shelling out cash for a ticket and a t-shirt.

Now, writers’ stories are a little different, but not that different. There are so many people out there who don’t even know what torrent sites are, how to access them, etc. Also, there are also many people who, in spite of knowing what torrent sites are, will not frequent them for content. These people will BUY your content. So, while the dirty pirates, as you may call them, are obtaining your content for free, don’t throw a hissy fit. Know that your work is spreading to the masses, and just like the rock bands who are selling 500,000 but most likely reaching 1 million people due to torrent downloads, your book will also reach more people and in time, hopefully, create more fans.

Am I saying pirating is A-okay? No. What I am saying, however, is to face the facts and stop being a prima donna about your work. First, be grateful you have people interested in taking your content. That means they want it. It’s a start, and you can work with that. Second, don’t go on a witch hunt looking for the guy or girl who put it up illegally. Let it spread as far as it can. Hopefully, as a result, you will gain new and eager fans, dying to BUY your next book. The key is reaching as many people as fast as you can. Amazon even understands how this strategy works because authors can enlist in a program that allows you to put your book up for free for nearly a week. Why do this? Because people like free stuff. I do. You do. And be honest, you’re more likely to give something a shot when it’s free than when it’s expensive. You have nothing to lose. But, Estevan, think of all that money I’ll lose. No, think of all the fans you may gain. Like all things in this business, it’s a chance. A risk. Get used to taking risks, understand how people’s minds work, and understand that because content is so readily available, it doesn’t really become a moral issue anymore for many…it becomes an issue of convenience and the need to consume. We need content. We’re willing to get it anywhere we can for as affordable as we can get it. Know this, and become the Godfather of selling books…It’s quite simple, you just “make them an offer they can’t refuse.”

Spread fire, not toolery.

-evega

www.estevanvega.com

Experiment Much?

Try everything once. That’s what most people will tell you, even though, I’m almost positively certain, there are some things that should never be tried (such as forcing yourself to make it through one full sitting of Fantasia). Tolerance for one of Disney’s most boring films notwithstanding, it is rather ironic that the ones who are often suggesting to try things, to go out on a limb, and to do something unique probably haven’t ever done it themselves. What’s wrong with this picture?

Think about it. So many teachers out there may have written a book about how to be successful in business or how to manage a small company, but how many have actually started a company or made a fortune from the stock market? And how many music profs have sold a single record or toured? How many lit professors urge us to write this way or that way, yet they’ve never had any of their work published? It makes me laugh. A similar phrase comes to mind: those who can’t do, teach. Now, I mean no overwhelming disrespect to teachers…in fact, my becoming a writer is a direct response to a series of writing sessions forced upon me by a teacher, so I am eternally grateful for their role in the lives of children and society. However, something is clearly wrong when the ones who are teaching the classes in universities, calling the shots so to speak, are not in the profession they claim to possess so much knowledge about. Book knowledge and real-life knowledge are sometimes two very different things.

As a writer, I try to look at the world as a sea of possibilities. Wait, scratch that. Sometimes I see the world as black and white, as scummy, ruined, bleached-out, wrecked, etc. I’m guilty of being cynical, I’ll admit; still, there is a part of me that looks at the what-if. You have to if you have any hopes of becoming a writer who leaves any kind of imprint on the world.

So, in marketing a book, there are so many different ways to get the word out. Sometimes it seems impossible, daunting, a never-ending task. And that’s partially true. But it’s not all hopeless. I mean, writing is not a 9-5 job. It’s a needy freaking mistress who demands breakfast in bed, three facials a week, foot massages, and endless reruns of Grey’s Anatomy. But you need to give this mistress what she wants. Or else. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Fear is for sissies. Kickstarters are cool, and they seem to work for bands, but will they work for authors? Who the heck knows? But why not try? Virtual tours are good, and sometimes costly, but will they translate into impressive sales? Maybe. Traditional tours are also costly, time-draining, but fun and profitable at times. Will it work for you? It’s possible. You can write another cliché book and have it flop, or you can be Nicholas Sparks and literally write the same story over and over again and make a gagillion dollars. The bottom line is this: if you don’t try, nothing will work; if you keep doing the same thing and it’s not working, maybe try something else.

Stop being that professor who has a lot of talk and theory but no experience. Get out on the grind and hustle. Experiment like a mad scientist. Get out there, whether it’s on facebook, twitter,  or goodreads. Or maybe it’s attending film festivals, book conventions, comic-cons, churches, schools, whatever, in order to spread your fire in any way possible. Nothing is off-limits. Okay, maybe pawning your children, and pawning your relatives’ children…but other than that, nothing else is really off-limits.

Just remember that “they” figured out a way to sell us something that was free, and it worked. Bottled water, anyone? Someone else’s failure may be your key to success. Now, go bottle some water and figure out a way to peddle it to the masses, you big schemer, you.

 

-spread fire, not toolery,

-Evega

 

www.estevanvega.com

twitter: @estevanvega

facebook: we are arson

LIKE CLOUDS

I did three book signings this weekend. This has been typical fair for me for the last, well, for a while. I have a schedule that is opposite my friends, and family, and in some ways I love it, but in others I’m not much of a fan. On the upside, I get to meet new people, potential fans, and share my passion with them, all while trying to make a bit of money doing what I love. On the downside, I sacrifice my weekends. But hey, no sacrifice, no victory.

I often wonder when it’s “gonna happen.” And that gonna happen thing changes definitions every year, month, week, day, minute…you get the idea. At first, it was “when is Arson gonna get published?” Then it became, “when is Ashes gonna get published?” Now, it’s, “where the flip is that movie deal?” Lofty goals? Not at all. Pretentious? Perhaps. Either way, I’m sort of an impatient person, so at least I’m consistent. You must know that I’ve been writing since I was in fifth grade, and I started writing my first book when I was 12. I’ve been at this writing thing going on 12 years. So for me, it’s taken me some time to build traction and momentum.

But it’s happening, about as fast as clouds move.

While at the signing, a man came up to me and bought a book. It didn’t take any kind of persuasion; in fact, I didn’t even finish telling him what the book was about before he said he wanted it…under one condition: I had to offer some kind of encouragement to his wife, who is also a writer. It seems that she has hit a brick wall. And believe me, this happens more frequently than any writer would like to admit. But it’s part of the game. You gotta just send a mental wrecking ball through it. Of course, it helps when you have a construction crew (family, friends, other artists) who are there by your side encouraging you. So I sent his wife a note and told her it wasn’t gonna be easy, because that’s the truth; but all the sweat, frustration, and creative energy expelled would reap rewards, in time. And this letter came from a young kid who still hasn’t hit Stephen King status yet, even after 10 years in the biz.

So why am I so confident it will happen? What do I have to believe in? And likewise, what can she believe in? Well, that’s simple…the possibility of impacting a generation. The chance to take what is in her head and put it in somebody else’s. And that’s magic.

I was reading in my car today (while parked), and I looked up for a moment to glimpse a dark sky. Clouds loomed over the parking lot, releasing a slight drizzle onto the concrete world. And I found myself thinking: “This is what life is like. No, this is what writing is like.” It’s not an easy journey, but it’s like a cloud’s journey.  It has a definite beginning, and it will have an end. Those clouds I watched from a distance began somewhere, and they were moving—slow to my eyes—but in the grand scheme of the universe probably quickly, toward a destination. They are a part of the cycle of existence, and they only know how to do one thing: to keep moving.

So it doesn’t matter that you hit a brick wall or 7 brick walls. It doesn’t matter that you got rejected or that you think what you’ve written, painted, sung, believed in seems like nonsense.

 

Remember the cloud. Remember that you are also a part of the cycle. And remember to keep moving. No matter how long it takes. No matter what rains may come. No copouts.

E

www.estevanvega.com

twitter: @estevanvega

facebook: we are arson

FEAR: Just a Four Letter Word

 

Why is fear so fascinating? I was recently pondering thinking about this after seeing The Cabin in the Woods. It was a really cool, interesting take on the “typical” slasher movie. Of course, the story has cliché elements to it, such as the jock, the slut, the brainiac, the diverse character, and the stoner. Oh, and a bunch of things that seek to end their ever-so-meaningful lives.  All of this has the makings of a very shrug-of-shoulders, eat-tons-of-popcorn, jump-in-your-seat kind of thrill. We know people are gonna do stupid stuff that ultimately ends in their grisly demise. We know there’s gonna be a lot of creepy night shots with even creepier men roaming the woods. We know the “good” person will make it out, but the cool thing about Cabin is that it does away with many of the conventions of typical horror pictures. Ultimately, it makes fun of them.

It’s hard to miss the overwhelming sense that, as a society, we’ve stumbled a bit into the depraved category. In many ways, we’ve lost our sense of fear. Sure, there are things that make us jump, but in many ways, very few things deeply terrify us. (Except, of course, the scarecrow dude from Jeepers Creepers; he will always and forever creep me out.) But, to some degree, studios know that our tolerance for fear has increased. Therefore, they often seek the shameless gore approach, because it holds shock value. But movies like Cabin and Funny Games are unique and interesting because they poke fun at humanity’s need for violence, at our obsession with death (even though, at the core, we’re all afraid of it), and our insatiable lust to witness our fellow man or (insert derogatory name for loose woman here) in peril. We get some kind of satisfaction from seeing victims in jeopardy. Perhaps this is because it’s not us, and we know we’re still gonna make it home safe and sound, assuming no evil entity reaps our souls first.

But why the fascination? I love horror movies. I love thrillers. I love eerie, dark stories. But why? Is it because I’m just a little sick in the head or a skosh depraved? Probably. But beyond that, I think it’s the shock value such entertainment brings. Now, I do appreciate gore in small and necessary doses. I much prefer being terrified, though. I think part of us needs that unsettling feeling swimming in our veins, that compelling which makes us rush toward our houses at midnight, because we think, for whatever reason, that Jason is chasing us from the car to our front door. Obviously, he dropped out of the sky, probably left here on earth by little green men. Either way, it is that spike-of-pulse sensation that keeps us crawling back to the theaters or to the books for more. And while Cabin in the Woods uses dark humor to poke fun at all of this, even to the point of making people’s lives seem like little more than expendable videogame characters, the filmmakers are still victims themselves, victims because they too are adding to the clutter of the system. And I, depraved writer that I am, will still inject little doses of eeriness into the things that I write as well. Why? Because I’m a twisted fre…I mean, because it’s fun. Because I like making you feel a bit unsettled, and because maybe that’s how you know you’re alive. Because I like the feeling I get when I write a scene that may make me jump if I were to be dropped into it.

Fear is just a four letter word, or maybe it’s something more. Maybe it’s as much a part of our genetic makeup as love or happiness. So the next time you’re walking through the woods at night without your cellphone or a flashlight or wandering from your car to your front door, the keys jangling as you search for the right one, know that it is I who is to blame(insert maniacal laugh here)…and probably you for ever reading my stuff. Shame on you.

Spread the fire!

evega

 

twitter: @estevanvega

facebook: we are arson

Boston Comic-Con 2012

Mayday! Abandon Clique!

Hi…we are part of the clique…wanna join?

It never ceases to amaze me how needy we are. How insecure. Writers, or creative people, especially. (I'm never immune to this, trust me.) We need to be told our work is cool or provocative or boundary-shattering or perfectly morally gray. As earthlings, we seek to fit someplace. We search for this sense of belonging all our lives, even if it's a subconscious quest. We want there to be life on other planets. We want there to be a God behind those clouds who looks forward to the minutes when we shove all our problems onto his plate. We want to know that we're not alone.

Simple enough.

But when it comes to creative minds, by joining a clique, we abandon the ones on the outside of that bubble—people who may be just like us. It seems like if you are signed to one of the mother ship publishers (the Big 6), then you can join. Privileges of your yearly membership include but are not limited to: wearing an eerie cloak at night, flipping off traffic lights when you don't agree with the color, spending more time in Starbucks pretending to look cool writing but really just looking like a tool, performing séances in Latin, or sacrificing small, defenseless goats to make sure your book appeases the fickle reading masses. If you get signed by the Big 6, it means you're in the club, buddy. You can now take their mark. You are among the elite, the gods of writers. Your stay is temporary, of course, but while there, so much awaits you.

Before I even got published, I sort of recognized that there was a distinction between the writers who got published for real and the ones who published their own stuff or got some rinky-dink indie press to see some value in their words. But over the years, the stigma is starting to shift some. Yes, a plus side to getting signed to a mother ship imprint is access to the reading masses. That means, the publisher, because they're consuming so much of the royalty, can afford, if they believe your book is the next Hunger Games, to shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars in promotion. It's easy to guarantee a book is a success if that's the only book you shove in front of readers. Think about it. If all that is ever at in front of me are average-looking brunettes, I'm gonna think that's all I can expect to end up with. But suddenly, a smokin' hot blonde walks in, one who employs pristine grammar skills and who tosses her hair just so…all bets are off. (Just so we're clear, hot chicks come in all varieties and colors. Please choose responsibly.)

A few years back, when ARSON came out, I noticed a group online called the 2010s. It was made up of authors who had a book releasing that year. Catch was that you had to be signed to a mother ship publishing house. Well, that meant I was out. I could not be a member of their elite country club, even though I was so looking forward to the wearing a cloak and sacrificing a goat bit. (I had a day marked off on my calendar and everything.) I wasn't good enough to be among the gods of the mother ship. My prose wasn't digestible enough perhaps. My plot didn't follow the typical route perhaps. I used third person POV and jumped from character to character, and an author who does that loses the effectiveness of its principal protagonist. Shame on me. Or maybe I used too much supernatural. Maybe there wasn't enough supernatural. Or, dare I say it, my cover had too much to do with the actual and wasn't pretty enough; just too damn horrifying. Oh, and I am vulgar beyond salvation. Yada-yada. For whatever reason, I couldn't join the clique, but as time went on, I realized I didn't really want to. Granted, the intense promotional push that comes with mother ship publishing (assuming they think you are the next Steph Meyers) is attractive to a writer who may be on the rise to getting noticed but still under the radar of many. It seems that sometimes a mother ship deal turns the writers who sign to these cloak-wearing alien abductors into uppity tools. I have tried to get in contact with many of these writers on these mother ship imprints. They are polite but unwilling to do anything outside of their publisher's scheduled events. It's a bubble they think keeps them safe, when in reality, it just alienates them, and maybe that's how they like it. Kinda lame. It's like once you're inside the bubble, you develop this crazy notion that all the normal earthling writers who "haven't sucked from the nip of success" are diseased or something. It's silly.

This all makes me think of the film How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

So, all of this ranting about cloaks and country clubs and innocent goats and mother ships to say this: MAYDAY! Give it time. It'll crumble. This is earth, right? You know, it might be time for writers, creatives, and all you other normal folk, to turn from many of your preconceived notions and abandon clique.

Spread fire, not toolery,

Evega

Twitter: @estevanvega

Facebook: we are arson

THE FORSAKEN is free on the KINDLE now…won’t last long!

So, my new thriller THE FORSAKEN was recently released, dare I say, unleashed upon the world, and as a promo, my publisher (Stonehouse Ink) and I have decided to make it free. It has been free for the last few days, and currently, it sits at #20 in the entire Kindle store for free downloads. Pretty sick! This means that my new story is hitting readers that before this past week I never had. It is still blowing my mind. And THE FORSAKEN will blow your mind. I mean, who wouldn’t like a creepy serial killer thriller in the vein of SE7EN with a slight supernatural twist? Seriously, it’s a lot of fun! And you would be so awesome if you picked up a free copy of it at amazon.com. Post it on facebook. Tweet it. Mention it to family and friends. It can be read on the computer (using the free app Kindle for PC), on a smart phone, I phone, or a rockin Kindle device. This is our gift to you because you’re that awesome. And please, tell your friends. Let’s bring this supernatural thriller to number 1!

spread fire,

evega

twitter: @estevanvega

facebook: we are arson

THE FORSAKEN is free on the KINDLE now…won't last long!

So, my new thriller THE FORSAKEN was recently released, dare I say, unleashed upon the world, and as a promo, my publisher (Stonehouse Ink) and I have decided to make it free. It has been free for the last few days, and currently, it sits at #20 in the entire Kindle store for free downloads. Pretty sick! This means that my new story is hitting readers that before this past week I never had. It is still blowing my mind. And THE FORSAKEN will blow your mind. I mean, who wouldn't like a creepy serial killer thriller in the vein of SE7EN with a slight supernatural twist? Seriously, it's a lot of fun! And you would be so awesome if you picked up a free copy of it at amazon.com. Post it on facebook. Tweet it. Mention it to family and friends. It can be read on the computer (using the free app Kindle for PC), on a smart phone, I phone, or a rockin Kindle device. This is our gift to you because you're that awesome. And please, tell your friends. Let's bring this supernatural thriller to number 1!

spread fire,

evega

twitter: @estevanvega

facebook: we are arson

More tour dates coming soon. I sign a lot at Holiday Cinemas in Wallingford, CT. Check back. Dates may arise.