M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 27

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 20

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Paul looked at the highlighted verse. For all he knew Nobody was listening upstairs when Paul argued with his mom. That didn’t seem right though. Arguing with his mom didn’t seem so right at the moment either. 

Paul turned and walked out his door. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard his mother crying. He took a deep breath and continued down the stairs. 

“I said go to your room!” She must have heard him.

“I did, and I will,” he could tell she was about to shout again, so he just spoke as quickly as he could, “but I wanted to apologize.”

He finished walking down the stairs, wondering if she would just send him upstairs. Instead, she said, “I’m doing my best.”

“I know. Look, I was a jerk, OK? I should have done my homework first.” Come to think of it, if Paul had done as she’d asked, would he have managed to avoid Dorney? How about the would-be bullies at the arcade? “I’ll try harder to listen from now on.”

She looked at him skeptically. “Not sure how many kids tell their moms that only to ignore them a second later.”

Paul shrugged. “Fair point, but you’ll be there to ground me if I do, and I know I’m still grounded.”

She cocked her head. “What shifted your mood so quickly?”

My possibly-imaginary guardian angel wrote me a stern letter. “I just had a few seconds to think. I know I still have a temper, and I know I still try to ignore you, and it’s wrong.” He thought for a few moments. His next words seemed to surprise him. “Can you forgive me.”

She chuckled and wrapped her arms around him. “That I can do.”

“What if I mess up again?” he asked, hugging her back.

“Then I’ll forgive you again.”

“What if I mess up another time?” He looked up at her and realized he was afraid. He was terrified that she’d get tired of him. He realized he never wanted to go back to the days she just let him do whatever he wanted. It made him feel so alone. 

She smiled at him. “No matter how many times you mess up, I’ll still love you, and I’ll still forgive you. Every time you come to me.” 

He gripped her harder, snuggling his cheek into her arm. 

“But you’re still grounded.” 

He looked up to see her smiling. “I know. I’m going to do my homework now.”

He darted upstairs, but she stopped him by calling out, “When you finish …” 

He froze and looked back. 

“Maybe you can play one of your games,” she said. “I’ll watch and cheer you on.”

“You’ll watch?” he asked.

“If you like.”

He smiled. “That’d be cool.” He turned and rushed back to his room. When he got there, another letter was waiting on his desk.

Paul again looked around. He searched through his closet and under his bed. He even looked out his window and around the hall into the bathroom. There wasn’t even a new wet spot on his carpet. Maybe he teleported back to the exact same spot. But how did he know when to do it? Why didn’t he just talk to me?

He looked at the note. 

“You’re mother has one of the most beautiful concepts of forgiveness. John 6:37.”

Paul tisked. He went to the Bible and rummaged around until he found the book and chapter. Then he used the new letter Nobody had left to scan the page until he found the right verse.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.”

Paul cleared his throat and blinked his eyes. He’d be dammed if he got all teary eyed just because he read a verse that made him think of his mom. 

“You’re right,” Paul said. Maybe Nobody was listening. “It’s wonderful to know she’ll always be there.”

Paul closed the Bible and set the letter face down. That’s when he saw more words. 

“… and so will Christ. You just have to go to Him.”

Paul froze. His heart seemed to pound in his ear. Nobody didn’t just travel through space. He seemed to know what Paul thought and felt. And, somehow, he knew what Paul would do and say even before he did it.

… to be continued …

Presenting The New Chapter Icons For Betrayed!

Greetings all,

As Betrayed gets closer and closer to release, I’m starting to gather everything I need. One of those things is art! I haven’t had Carlos start working on the cover yet (saving up money), but I was able to commission the chapter icons for the new POV characters.

First, I’d like to introduce you all to Ignacio. I sent out feelers on Twitter, and he responded. I looked at his work, and it was a pretty easy decision after that.

Ignacio was wonderful to work with. I sent him some rough sketches I made, and he came back with wonderful images. The image for Zac (below) took a few attempts. You see, his chapter icon is an actual element of the story. It’s a patch for Zac and Dom’s old unit, and it’s also a tattoo that Zac has on his arm. So I needed a much more literal representation of the thumbnail I originally sent. The down side was that the concept wasn’t actually an artistically interesting. That’s because most military patches aren’t exactly works of art. But where I was worried I’d annoy him or frustrate him, Ignacio took it in stride and sent me at least six different versions of the idea for me to choose from.

This patience is what really stands out to me. As an artist myself, I know how possessive people can be about their work, and Ignacio was nothing but polite and responsive. Folks, if you’re looking for art, you should consider looking him up.

Now that I’ve raved about his professionalism, it’s time to show off his actual work! I proudly present the new (additional) chapter icons for Betrayed.

This is the image for Dom. Dom was a side character in Caught, but he gets a starring (if not leading) role in Betrayed.

His story was the inspiration for the title and general overall structure. Dom has the heart of a patriot.

In this story, Dom is yet again pushed and hurt by the nation he so earnestly wanted to serve and protect. This image is designed to represent a batter soldier still loyally carrying an equally battered American flag.

This image is for Mariana. Mariana is Zac’s daughter.

She is introduced in this book and only has a small role, but her story is just beginning.

This book only hints at the role she’s going to have and how her story is going to affect her. This image represents the idea of a young girl whose innocence has just started to wither. Mariana is very different than Kaitlyn. The interesting dynamic in Betrayed is her relationship with her father. She’s currently in a world where she only knows love and kindness. That world is absolutely going to change.

Here is the previously-mentioned challenging logo. It was only challenging because I needed such a specific rendering. This logo represents Zac. This patch was his (and Dom’s) unit patch.

Zac loved this patch (and the team mates associated with it) so much he tattooed it on one of his arms. The shield and lightning bolts were inspired by the Army Special Forces patch. I replaced the sword with the number nine (Special Operations Unit Nine).

Zac and Dom were best friends before Dom was “recruited” to be a part of a “special operations training unit.” This was all part of what happened long before Caught. Now, years later, Zac is called on a mission that will force him to choose between his loyalty to his country and a friendship that parted ways years ago.

Please respect the copyright I hold on these images. I’m happy to present them to you here, but I ask that you don’t copy or reproduce them without my expressed permission.

That said, what do you think? Do you have a favorite? I’m actually torn between Mariana’s and Dom’s. I haven’t really decided yet, but I love them both. Please take a moment to hop over to Ignacio’s Twitter page and give him a follow and maybe tweet him a message telling him what you think of his work.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey from The Dragonriders of Pern

Buy Stealing Freedom The cover image for this book was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler Free Summary: The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey is the biography of Pern’s Masterharper, Robinton, who is one of my favorite characters in the series. His story is beautiful and tragic. Here we see his birth and growth in both music and Pern politics. We see him from a boy to his full-fledged growth as the name of this title implies. This book takes a character I already love and multiplies his sympathy by infinity.

Character: If the above summary didn’t express it, Robinton is probably my third favorite character in the series (Ruth and Jaxom). He’s such a sympathetic (kind) person. He’s not necessarily proactive, but he doesn’t have to be because he’s not a main POV character so much. This allows him to have the same feeling I get when I see one of those kind mentor characters in a TV show like that neighbor from Home Improvement. This book addresses his proactivity by revealing the parts of his life that required more action. The lack of proactivity is actually offset by his confidence. He’s a clever, gifted person.

Exposition: For fans of Pern, this books is wonderful because McCaffrey assumes that readers are fans. The down side applies only to those who aren’t already fans because McCaffrey doesn’t take a lot of time catching readers up. So I’d recommend reading this book after the series. But this choice allows readers to see the plot and read at a fast pace without having to learn the history of Pern.

Worldbuilding: This book is way more about giving readers more Robinton than it is about expanding the world. We get a look into Pern politics and society a bit, which isn’t really my favorite thing. However, since the Pern saga is so great at this anyway, I really only read this book to get more of Robinton, so I got what I wanted. The bottom line here is if you want to see the world of Pern expanded, this isn’t what you’re looking for.

This Camera Press image was found on McCaffrey’s New York Times obituary and used for this review.

Dialogue: I feel like dialogue is already one of McCaffrey’s areas of strength. However, there’s one particular scene involving Robinton’s music that is based in dialogue, and it’s such a strong scene that it really conveys how to use dialogue effectively in a story to develop character. That scene alone holds in my mind even though it’s been years since I’ve read the book.

Description: I feel like the same relationship this story has with its decreased worldbuilding is the same here. The description that is here is great and visceral, there just aren’t a lot of new elements to note, so there isn’t much additional detail. So I’d say the description is good in quality but low in amount.

Overall: This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. After reading the main series, I wanted to know Robinton better. This is a great dramatic biography of one of the best characters I’ve ever had the joy to meet and fall in love with. If you’re a fan of Pern, this book is just a wonderful character journey, so if you like character driven drama, this is for you.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Buy The Journals of Bob Drifter

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 19

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He crossed the yard and entered the house. He looked through the kitchen to the living room and saw his mother. The TV wasn’t on, and it didn’t look like she was reading. 

She locked eyes with him. “You left.” Her voice was soft, but it was clear she was upset.

“I told you I was going to hang out with Jordan,” Paul said confused.

“But I told you to do your homework first,” she said.

Paul laughed. Is that what this is about? “The homework isn’t hard. I’ll do it right now.”

“Yes, you will,” she said, “but that’s not the point. The point is you disobeyed me.”

“What?” Paul finally walked into the room with her. “I said it was easy. I’m a straight A student now.”

“You’re telling me why you disobeyed.” Her voice was shaking. “I’m trying to tell you that your reasons for disobeying me don’t change the fact that you did it.”

“What do you want from me?” Paul asked. 

“I want you to stop ignoring me.” Paul knew she wanted to shout, but she held it in.

“I’m not ignoring you!” Paul didn’t have any issues shouting. “I told you I was going to do it now!”

“I told you to do it before you left.” That time, her voice climbed a bit, and for some reason that made Paul angry.

“What does it matter when it’s done as long as I do it?” 

“It matters because I told you to do it before you left!” The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she jerked as if something bit her. She covered her mouth and took a trembling breath. “Go to you room. You’re grounded.”

She’d never grounded him before in his life. As he thought about it, she’d never punished him. And now she grounds him for his stupid homework? He picks fight after fight for years and she just lets him, but she grounds him because his homework is done at seven instead of five?” 

“Go. To. Your. Room.” She was shaking, but she kept her body straight like some soldier in a movie. 

“This is stupid!” Paul stomped around her, pounding his feet up the stairs. He marched down the upper hall and slammed his door shut for good measure, but he did what she said. He spun around and froze. 

He always kept his room clean even after the years his father had been in prison. But someone had pulled the Bible Nobody gave him out from the drawer by his bed. It lay open next to what was probably a hand-written letter, and there was a dark patch on his brown carpet as if someone had dropped a glass of water on the floor. 

Nobody had been there. 

Paul started looking around. Nobody wasn’t in the closet or anywhere to be seen. Paul went to his desk drawer and pulled out a device. He’d been working on it for months. He watched hours of videos online to learn to make a Geiger counter. He flipped it on. Sure enough, the device gave a reading of 120 mSvs. That wasn’t anything dangerous according to his research, but it was definitely higher than normal. 

Even a few steps away from the damp part of his carpet caused the needle to fall back down to 25 mSvs. 

Whatever Nobody did to teleport, it emitted radiation. 

He walked over to the desk. It didn’t show any readings above normal, but the Bible was open, and Nobody had apparently highlighted a few verses, Ephesians 6:1-2.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise).”

Paul let out a breath and muttered, “You couldn’t even be bothered to wait and talk to me, but you made sure to give me crap for arguing with my mom.”

He picked up the note Nobody had left.

“Paul, 

Weren’t you the one who told you mother you wanted her to be your mom? How can she be your parent if you refuse to respect her?”

Paul let out a deep breath. “It’s so stupid!” 

There wasn’t anyone there to respond, and Paul couldn’t help but feel ashamed. He looked at the letter to read the rest.

“Men can say a lot. The worst sort of man twists the word of God to fit his own views. A wise man reads the Bible to learn what God wants. Dorny said a lot, but how much of it is true? Even if he accurately quoted the words, what do they refer to? What is the chapter or segment about? All men talk, but it’s Christ I want you to follow. When you do that, I’m proud of you.

“I’m just a man. Dorny is just a man. Even Satan quotes the Bible, Matthew 4:6. But a wise man seeks understanding instead of trying to make himself sound wise. If I were to visit and tell you what I think, I’m just another Dorny. Instead, I invite you to look to scripture and see what is true.”

Paul set the letter down. It was an effort not to crumble it in frustration. The only thing more frustrating than trying to figure out how Nobody teleported was trying to puzzle out how Nobody seemed to know practically everything about Paul. 

… to be continued …

Marketing Journal: I Like Sales, But I Can’t Overspend

Gretings all,

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on the marketing efforts, and this turned out to be as good an opportunity as any.

I started out continuing the plan I had been working on. Spending $174.47, I had four sales and 1,646 pages read directly tied to the clicks I had.

I say directly tied because I had more than four sales.

The month of December had a was a bright spot for me. I had ten sales, which held true from my last run in November. Continuing in the direction I was going always led to an increase in sales. The problem was that my ACOS (the Average Cost of Sales) was still just too high. Sure, I got orders. Sure, I got reviews. But spending $147 to earn less than $60 isn’t good business. I didn’t want to panic though. I wanted to wait one more more month to see what would happen.

I also wanted to try something new. You see, I read this post (somewhere on Kindlpreneur bout marketing to a German audience. It basically said there is indeed a market for fiction books written in English, so I figured, why not?

So I walked through the process (it was fairly simple) and uploaded a few of my pre-made folders I had already set up. Since starting, I’ve spent about $40, but I did sell a paperback!

Then the numbers for January came in.

I did have another ten sales, and that’s great (sales are always good) but more than $200!? Something had to change. I did a little more research, and came to a conclusion:

No one in their right mind should bid $.45 for a click. I don’t claim to have been in my right mind, so I don’t feel too ashamed. I really started digging into my numbers and the research.

First: Most of my purchases came with great ACOS, the problem was they were buried in keywords that weren’t resulting in (obvious) sales. There were a few keywords where the ACOS was too much, but I was paying out the ear for sales that weren’t making up the difference.

So I started going to my reports and looking out for any clicks that cost more than $.25 cents. This is a good spot to start. Ideally (according to my research), you should expect any keyword to take between 10-20 clicks before you get a sale. So my goal is to work with keywords that are effective at bids between $.15-$.25 while eliminating those above.

How’d it work out? Well, the good news is I’ve brought my cost for February back down to $126.97 (as I type this). That did have an effect on my sales.

As I type this, I only have four sales for February. I’ll admit, for that stretch you see from Feb. 11 – Feb. 23, I felt awful. I kept having to tell myself that it’s just bad business to spend more than $200 for only about $28 in sales. I still lose about $170. I can’t do that, and I don’t want new authors to have that issue. Yes, more impressions leads to more sales. Yes, more clicks leads to more sales. this month proved that even though I don’t see the sales on the Amazon Advertising page, those sales are related in some way.

So the next step in this evolution is to optimize my campaigns as I mentioned above. I’m still going to use keywords to generate more keywords. I’m still going to work on what I call the King Keyword list, a document composed strictly of keywords that resulted in sales and/or pages read.

I will continue to eliminate all campaign bids greater than $.25. I’m also pausing any keywords or campaigns that have proven to be ineffective. For instance “Batman” as a keyword got me more than 60 clicks, but those 60 clicks didn’t net me a single, observable sale.

What I learned in doing that was that I do have keywords that are performing well (a Click Through Rate higher than 1% and ACOS below 70%). I just have a lot of keywords that aren’t working for me, and I have to manage and refine those keywords. Any new campaigns I set will be based on the range from $.15-$.25. I’m letting the Germany Add Campaigns work for a while. Most of the research I’ve seen says it take about three months for a campaign to gain traction. I’ve also started some of AMS’s Product Sponsoring campaigns. Those will also run for three months while I observe the data. Then I’ll start working to optimize those campaigns.

The hope is to evolve on this platform until I earn money from marketing rather than just spend money for the sake of making sales.

I hope this is helping some of you out there to take note of what to watch out for as you prepare to release your books.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey from The Dragonriders of Pern

Buy Stealing Freedom

Spoiler Free Summary: I consider  All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey to be the final book (sort of) in the Dragonriders of Pern series (at least what is commonly regarded as the first in the main arc). The discovery of AIVAS has changed everything. The Dragonriders of Pern have a hope and a plan that might just eliminate the Thread for good. A battle some have fought their whole lives may come to an end, but it won’t come without sacrifice.

Character: This was the first book I ever cried while reading. And I wept. It’s beautiful. We’ve seen everything these characters have been through and how hard they work together, and this book triumphs when they’re all faced with different challenges to see those dreams come true. If this were a spoilerific review, I would tell you which characters stood out, but that would really ruin certain parts of the story. Needless to say, this was the first series that ever showed me how characters can grow from one book to another. It also showed how endings can be beautiful no matter how sad.

Exposition: AIVAS sort of demands exposition and serves that role nicely. I will admit, when I saw someone go and talk to AIVAS, I was sort of like, “Buckle in. Here come the plot points.” However, given what AIVAS is, one has to expect that, and at least the plot points are hidden in some charming dialogue. Perhaps I’m writing this and giving you the wrong (worst) impression. There are no “super chunks” of exposition to be found in this wonderful book, but there are definitely parts where readers are fed information.

Worldbuilding: This book rewards readers with a final look at the galaxy (of Pern) at large. Readers have been piecing clues together for several books, and this book finally lays everything out nicely. We gain a better understanding of Thread, why is comes and how it relates to the universe at large. The best part is this galaxy is the conflict. These days it’s easy to develop a suitable “big bad” for the heroes to fight against. This book (and series) proves that conflict doesn’t always have to be a fight. Sure, it’s nice, but it’s not all we have to explore.

This Camera Press image was found on McCaffrey’s New York Times obituary and used for this review.

Dialogue: This story is heavier on dialogue, but most of it is because everything is getting wrapped up. The characters are growing, and this is the last book. Also, readers have to expect AIVAS to provide all the big plot reveals. But the dialogue is more charming, and the characters still have their own unique voices.

Description: This is the best of McCaffrey’s best element. This book is the literary version of a 4-D IMAX theatre just for your brain. She effortlessly provides all the stunning detail you could wish for while never slowing down the plot as it steamrolls to a conclusion that is anticipated despite the absence of a Thanos or Voldemort on the opposite side of a showdown. Instead, this is a cast of character united against an environmental threat that is all the more frightening because it has no motivation whatsoever.

Overall: This book is a large part of the reason I still consider this the best series ever. I love Wheel of Time. Mistborn is genius. Lord of the Rings is amazing worldbuilding, but this story is everything I ever want in a story and more. This series is everything great science fiction and fantasy should be: Wonderful, compelling characters. Great conflict. Fantastic storytelling. If you’re going to try a series to see what this genre is all about, read this one.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Buy The Journals of Bob Drifter

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 18

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“I didn’t mean to bring that up,” Jordan said.

“I know,” Paul said. “Maybe that’s why I am how I am. Maybe I’m just destined to be like my dad.”

Jordan shook his head. “It’s definitely a choice. I’m not saying our dads didn’t have an impact on us. It would be hard for either of us to avoid being like our dads, but we have the choice.”

“You realize you only believe that because your father taught you that.” Paul meant it to prove his point. 

He turned and started walking again, and Jordan followed. “He taught, and I choose to accept it. And if you were cursed to be like your dad, you would have fought those boys no matter what I said.”

Paul gave it some thought. “But it’s harder every time.”

“I’m proud of you every time,” Jordan said. 

Paul smiled. No one had ever said that before. Sure, his teachers were glad his grades were good, and his mother told him she loved him about a million times a day, but no one had ever shown pride in him.

That one word took all the anger out of him. It felt like someone had seem him for the first time. 

“Thanks.” Paul thought that was a pretty stupid word for how he felt, but it was the only one he could think of.

They came to the turn that led to the the cul-de-sac where his house was. It was also close to the choke point where Dorny lived. He’d leap out a window if he saw Paul walking by. Paul didn’t feel like being told he was going to Hell for another hour. 

“Let’s try something,” Jordan said. He started walking toward the next cul-de-sac. 

Paul followed him despite being unsure what the plan was. 

Jordan took the next turn and stopped at the first house. The houses were little more than a series of cookie cutter like designs that butted up against one another. One back yard’s brick wall was mere inches from the next. 

“I think if you take this wall down the side of this house, your house is the one behind it.” Jordan pointed as if trying to remember a map he’d looked at. “It might make your neighbor mad if he sees you, but it’s worth a shot.”

The wall wasn’t much taller than Paul was. He could reach the top by stretching out his arms and hopping. 

“Worth a try.” Paul said. 

He managed to get a grip on the top of the wall, and Jordan gave him a bit of a boost until he reached the top and stood up. A dog roughly the size of a bus rushed up and snapped at Paul. It was a miracle he didn’t fall over. The fall was just barely as frightening as the dog. Luckily, the dog’s attack ended at Paul’s sneakers. On its hind legs, it was too short to reach, but it was so big it couldn’t jump up to get at him.

“Are you ok?” Jordan’s question was a strange combination of a whisper and a shout. 

The dog let out a bark that seemed loud enough to blow Paul’s ear drums. Paul decided to scramble back down the wall before the giant animal found a way to get at him. The barking continued even after Paul got down and headed away with Jordan. 

“It was a good idea,” Paul said. 

“We’ll try the next house,” Jordan said. “You’ll have to walk down one side wall and along the back wall, but it should still work.”

They moved to the next house and manage to get Paul up to the top of the wall. This time, there wasn’t a dog in the yard. Paul worried the plan wouldn’t work every time, but he had a shot to avoid Dorny this time. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Paul told Jordan.

“Sure.” Jordan turned and started heading to his own house, which was perhaps two miles in the opposite direction.
Paul stood. The two walls between one house and another were each thick enough for Paul’s foot, and they were close enough together that Paul’s foot couldn’t fit between them. So it wasn’t like he had to tight-rope his way home. It was just a little intimidating being twice as high as we was tall, but once he found his footing, it was a brisk walk along the wall. Paul was actually more worried what he’d do if the people who lived on either side of the walls he was on looked out and saw him, so he rushed down the wall and saw his backyard. 

He made it to his back yard and scrambled down. If anybody saw him, they didn’t say anything. 

Where Do Ideas Come From? One Nut’s Point of View

Every now and then, one of the students at the Defense Information School where I teach will approach me to write a feature about my writing. I typically get the same sorts of questions, and one of the more common ones is about where I get the ideas for my stories.

I have to admit that this is a very hard question for me to answer. You see, I have ideas all the time. I’m more baffled when people tell me they have trouble coming up with ideas. That gave me the idea (see what I mean?) to do this blog you’re reading.

For me, ideas are very natural. Even when I was trying to think about what I was going to blog about today (I spent about five minutes thinking), I was more considering options than I was trying to think of just one.

Idea Generation Method 1: Let your life inspire you. This is probably my primary method. I have a very active imagination, so when I see something, I sometimes take it to a fantastic degree, and that leads me to a story idea. Bob Drifter came to me while watching my dad and his dog interact. There are some other childhood trauma things I won’t get too far into, but I’ll only touch on them by saying there were people who left my life, and I had trouble dealing with it, so I created this world where souls were passed on. This isn’t remotely Biblical, and I acknowledge that as a Christian. However, it was a lovely thought for a 17-year-old who wanted to feel more connected to the people around him. I really loved the idea that people can leave pieces of themselves to other people they’re close to, and, in a way, we do.

I’m struggling between going into where the ideas for all my books came as examples of this process and offering other methods. I’m actually articulating this so you see how my mind works as well. So the happy medium is to give you another example of letting life inspire you before moving on to other techniques.

Stealing Freedom came to mind when some riots were happening a few years back. The details are fuzzy in my memory, but what I remember is a person drove a car into a crowd. There was a lot of debate about protesting and how people respond. I worried that people would start to discuss “limiting” free speech for the “protection” of others. I had a mental picture of a little girl wearing a shock collar. Then I thought about one of my sisters being that girl’s mother. “She’d burn the world down before she let that happen,” I thought to myself. And there it was, the opening chapter to a new story.

The method (if I try to explain it) is to look at something happening in the world around you and then try to add fantastical elements to it. You can try it now. Look at one thing that happened to you today and then apply some strange or even just ridiculous element to it. Then start trying to come up with ways to rationalize that element. This will form a situation if not a full blown story.

This is easily my primary method for coming up with ideas, but there are others I’ve either heard others talk about or offered to others.

Idea Generation Method 2: Combine and Twist: What are your two favorite books? If you were going to write fan fiction and try to combine these worlds, how would you do it? If you can follow this line of thought, you’re halfway to coming up with an original story. All you need to do then is come up with your twist. Ask yourself what you can do to put a new spin on the two worlds or magic systems. Because almost all of my stories were used with the above technique, I can’t point out any one of my own stories. Neither can I name a Combine and Twist story I’ve seen off the top of my head. So we’ll have to come up with something together.

I love Dragonriders of Pern and Wheel of Time. What if owning a dragon gave you powers, but your will was always at odds with the will of your dragon? (I actually love this idea, but I promise I have enough books to write). Let’s go with this a bit further. Say we live in a world where dragons exist, and a select group of people could mentally connect with those dragons. However, if one took over a dragon contrary to one’s will, they’d have to constantly maintain control of the bond lest the dragon take over the human’s mind. That gives me an idea for a main character. What if my main character had the idea to find and bond a dragon who actually agreed with his line of thinking. How much more powerful would both become if they worked together rather than engage in a perpetual mental battle for access to the powers the dragons provide? If you like that idea, feel free to write it. Just give me a nod in your acknowledgments page (and maybe buy and recommend a guy’s books?).

Idea Generation Method 3: Fix A Broken Story: What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen or book you’ve read? Why was it bad? I’m actually currently reading the worst book I’ve ever read (I feel obligated to finish it). Now, I have that opinion of this book because I’m at a loss as to how I would even go about fixing it (it’s that bad). But, this is a great way to come up with ideas. I actually do have a personal example of this. You see, I don’t really like YA fiction. I think that there are some very overdone aspects of it that just make it predictable and unrealistic. When I had a life inspiration moment for Repressed (people were debating the right to let others legally immigrate), I knew that Kaitlyn (originally from Caught) would be perfect for that situation. However, Kaitlyn only fits two of the list of things YA characters have. She was (she’s 19 now as I’m writing the end of Oneiros) young, and she’s a compelling character. I didn’t like the stories of the young girl who meets a dangerous boy and falls in love trying to change him. That’s putting it mildly. I’m not at all against people meeting and falling in love. I’m not at all against young people of either gender wanting to find love. What I hate is what I see as the glorification of toxic relationships.

So that’s the part I changed. Instead of a girl meets bad boy plot, I had a young girl who was driven to a different goal. Can YA be about young people learning about themselves rather than falling in love with the worst possible person? The plot and writing of Repressed was easy after that.

So those are three things you might try if you’re struggling to come up with ideas, but I leave you with a different challenge. Is it possible you don’t actually struggle coming up with one idea? When I talk to students, the struggle they have is that they’re waiting for that “perfect” idea. I don’t have that problem at all. My recommendation more than how to find ideas is this: Once you find an idea, write that book. It doesn’t have to be the greatest book ever. It doesn’t even have to be that good an idea. What doing this does is train you to ideate and then create. This way, when you do have that one great idea, you’re already practiced at writing and developing it. Don’t get stuck. Don’t wind up never writing anything because you’re chasing after a better idea. It’s a fool’s errand. I sincerely hope each idea you have is better than your last one, but that doesn’t actually mean the first idea was bad. So have ideas and then write them. Practice that positive habit, and you’ll find a whole bunch of books you’ve written ready to evaluate when you’re done.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: The Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey from The Dragonriders of Pern

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Spoiler Free Summary:  The Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey is the fourth book (sort of) in the Dragonriders of Pern series (at least what is commonly regarded as the first in the main arc). The renegades of Pern are cast-outs. They are those who live outside of the protection of a hold. Jayge is a trader, but when another holdless group composed of outlaws seeks Thella, one who can hear all dragons, he must protect his clan and his people.

The cover image for this book was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character: This was easily the most forgettable cast for me. Part of it is that this story is a side-story. The overall plot doesn’t move one inch in this story. The world is still great, but because these characters are so new to me, I had trouble giving them a chance because I wanted to see what was happening with the main cast. So I’m not saying these characters aren’t good, but I might recommend one read this after the series as sort of a side quest that’s interesting and entertaining. I wonder what others think. If you have feelings on this particular story, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Exposition: This story had an expected increase in exposition because McCaffrey took the story in a new direction. By opening up the world more, she had to help readers understand these new details. For me, the combination of less familiar characters and more exposition brought this story down. I still enjoy it, but I don’t enjoy it nearly as much the others in the series.

Worldbuilding: This is still the calling card of the whole series. As frustrating as it may be to read a whole story that doesn’t advance the main objective of the saga, it’s still amazing to see that no matter how vast one may think this world is, there is still so much more to see, and that’s the reward of the series and what this book brings to it. These kinds of books are best after the saga is done so that you can truly appreciate what the book is doing rather than resent it for what it was never designed to do in the first place.

This Camera Press image was found on McCaffrey’s New York Times obituary and used for this review.

Dialogue: This is about where McCaffrey usually lands for me. The dialogue is interesting and detailed. It’s not just about moving the plot forward. Her dialogue probably isn’t as memorable as Koontz or Butcher, but it feels real, and that’s always a plus.

Description: The details McCaffrey adds are always what gives her stories more life. What I appreciate is that those details are sprinkled in and through the prose in a way that doesn’t overly bog down the story. I normally just keep description light to avoid the issue, but that takes away from the immersive feel of a story. What one should do is aspire to be more like McCaffrey in technique. The idea is to try and actually see the world as it happens, and she shows the world to readers in that manner. Based on what I recall from this story, I think there’s a lot that here that really adds to the overall feel of the world. Using the holdless to show that point of view was a truly inspired idea.

Overall: I always have a strange appreciative resentment for stories like this. They’re cool because of how they expand a world, but they’re frustrating in that they don’t advance the plot forward. The answer is simple with a series like this. Read the “main arc” books and enjoy them. Then come back and read a story like this to add depth to an already amazing world. By all means, read this. Just don’t read it hoping it’ll do something it was never intended to do.

Thanks for reading

Matt

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Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 17

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“Ok.” Jordan’s comment caused Paul to spin and look at him as he grabbed his game card and started to walk off.

“No it isn’t!” Paul stepped in front of the game. The timer was down to three seconds. Was Jordan really just going to give up?

The timer reached zero. They’d have to start all the way over. They’d hardly made it five seconds further into the game than they did the last time, and now they had to start all the way over. Anger boiled inside Paul. He wanted to pound someone, and those boys were standing there smug and satisfied.

Jordan walked up to Paul. “I know you can take them. I know you can beat them.” Jordan spoke low and soft. With all the noise from the games and other kids playing, it was hard for even Paul to hear. “But you said you didn’t want to be that person. It’s a game, our favorite game, but still a game. Is it really worth it?”

Yes! It was his game. It was time for him to relax. He just wanted something to go his way for one minute! Those boys wanted to just bully people and get away with it. 

“Don’t do this,” Jordan whispered. “You’re angry. Even I’m angry.”

Paul glared at his friend. In the time they’ve been best friends, Paul had never seen Jordan so much as raise his voice. He didn’t have the first clue what it was to be angry.

The squat boy stepped up closer. He and his lackey hadn’t even tried to play the game. They never cared about it. They just wanted to boss someone around. “You got something to say?”

Jordan put his hand on Paul’s shoulder even before Paul could process the other boy’s challenge. 

“You’re making a choice,” Jordan said. “Everything you do is a choice you make. Choose to do the thing the person you want to be would do.”

Paul looked at Jordan again. Paul supposed if he could be like anyone, he’d be like Jordan. Kind, smart, patient, and gentle. Paul wasn’t any of those things. There wasn’t a hint of those traits in him anywhere. Paul didn’t have a hope in Hell of ending up like Nobody. Nobody was wise and loving. Nobody seemed to think about everything, and he always found some way to sway a conversation back to the Bible. Paul wasn’t really interested in the Bible, but Nobody had helped him. 

Neither Nobody nor Jordan would be thinking about how easy it would be to punch the boy in front of Paul. 

Paul glared at him. “We have the top five scores.” Even as he spoke, Paul hoped the boy would try to shove him or punch him. Then he’d have an excuse. “I guess it’s only fair to let you play since we’re clearly better, and you clearly need the practice.”

Paul turned and walked away. It was the second time that day he’d walked away when all he wanted to do was fight. Paul didn’t want to be a bully. He didn’t want to hit people, but it seemed like the more Paul worked to avoid getting into fights, the more people seemed to want to aggravate him. Jordan kept pace with him. Paul wasn’t sure where he was going. He stormed out of the store and started walking down the street.

Paul tried to slow his breathing, but he was just so angry. He glanced at Jordan, who looked back at him with a worried expression. 

“How do you do it? Where do you come up with some of the things you say?” Paul shouted at him. Jordan hadn’t done anything wrong, but Paul couldn’t help himself. 

Jordan shrugged. “My dad’s always telling me that stuff.” He used his fingers to count off phrases. “Everything you do is a choice you make. Choose to do the right thing. Nobody makes you do anything. Control your body. Honor God. Love your neighbor.”

Paul jabbed a finger in the direction of the arcade. “Those boys may not even go to our school!”

Jordan let out a chuckle. “That’s not what it means.”

Paul threw up his hands. “So I’m supposed to just let everyone walk all over me!” 

“Are you shouting at me because you just want to be mad at someone?” Jordan’s question took some of the air out of Paul’s anger. “Dude it’s one thing if you’re, like a police man defending his partner or a father protecting his kid, but what are you really losing by giving up a turn in a video game?”

“It’s my game!” Paul said.

“Dude, it belongs to the arcade.” 

“Why do you never yell!?” Paul was probably shouting loud enough for the world to hear.

Jordan waited, looking at Paul. Finally, he spoke in that same calm tone. “Does it work for you?”

Paul thought about it. Somehow, his anger just fell away. A burst of laughter erupted from Paul. It was ridiculous. Paul yelled and shouted. A part of him wanted Jordan to start an argument, or even a fight, less than a second ago. Now Paul had trouble breathing.

“I hate that about you,” Paul said. 

“Um, sorry?” Jordan said. 

Paul laughed even harder. He managed to calm down. With nothing better to do, he started walking toward his house. “I still don’t know how you do it. I’m the person you have the most reason to hate, and you’re my best friend. Sometimes I don’t even know why you hang out with me.”

“Because you keep wanting to hang out with me,” Jordan replied. 

They walked together for a moment. Paul didn’t now what to say. He would have been happy to walk in silence, but Jordan spoke again. “It’s hard sometimes.”

“I’m sorry,” Paul muttered. 

“Not being your friend.” Jordan chucked as he said it. “Well, ok, sometimes your temper frustrates me, but that’s not what I was talking about. I do get angry.”

“I’ve never once seen you angry.” Paul rolled his eyes at his friend. 

“I’m angry now,” Jordan said. “I’m trying to tell you that I do get angry. I get mad when people bully other people. I get mad when people make fun of me.” He paused. “I get mad when people make you mad. They do it because they want to see you hit someone. They think it’s funny when you lash out or fight. It’s manipulative.”

“But you never do anything about it,” Paul said. 

Paul managed to walk another ten seconds before he realized Jordan had stopped. He looked like Paul had hit him.

“What?” Paul asked. 

“I did do something,” Jordan said. “I stopped you. I help you avoid being manipulated. I  kept you from doing something I knew you’d regret. Did you want me to hit them or push them?”

Paul didn’t know what to say. For some reason, he felt more ashamed than he had in the arcade. A part of him did want Jordan to lash out or shout once in a while. But another part of Paul wouldn’t ever want to see Jordan that angry. What would have to happen to make him that mad?

“I get angry when you don’t get angry, or look angry, I guess,” Paul admitted. “When you do that thing where you’re calm and you don’t shout, it makes me feel even more out of control. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”

“I get it,” Jordan said. “I feel the same way sometimes. It’s hard. I get so mad, but it takes a sort of practice. When I was eight or nine, my dad started talking to me about controlling myself. He made me start martial arts. I thought he wanted me to be able to defend myself, but then he told me he did it to help me focus. My dad doesn’t play around.”

Paul scowled. Jordan noticed and put up his hands. “Not like that! I mean, yeah, he’s grounded me. Once he took at least half of my favorite toys.But he doesn’t … “

“He never beat you.” The sound hardly made it past Paul’s lips. 

… to be continued …