N.B. Austin's Blog, page 11

Book Recommendation – The Devil’s Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali

Nothing excites me like when a story keeps you wondering how it will end. I recently read The Devil’s Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali, which did just that. The following are my thoughts on the book and why I recommend you read it. Blurb In the blink of an eye, Michael loses his family. As his […]

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World Building the Western That Wasn’t

World building in the Civilands series was an interesting process. The story didn’t begin with the continent of Duresia or the Murrieta Territory within it. It started only with Jeannie Morrell and a chase through the woods. So how did it expand as a function of my own experience? And how will it relate to […]

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Whatever You Set Your Mind To

Having heroes and people we look up to is important for perspective. They give us proof of the attainability of our dreams. The person I looked up to while growing up was Derek Jeter. His autobiography, The Life You Imagine, has had a particularly significant impact on me. Like most people of his stature, Jeter […]

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I Created a New Religion, Here’s What I Found

World-building is one of the most exciting parts of creating a series. One aspect of world building is developing a new religion. In the Civilands series, there are actually two major religions. In this post I will highlight each briefly, but will end with something more profound I realized once they were created. Cerebism This […]

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The Two Best New Movies I’ve Seen of Late

Today I flew into Charlotte, NC. Here I’ll be working behind (and in front of) a camera for the first time! Before getting started though, a friend and I saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Alongside Brigsby Bear, it ended up being one of the two best new movies I’ve seen of late. What better time could there be than my first filming experience to talk about why?!

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By the way, I won’t go too much into plot of each. See trailers and summaries at the links above!

Why Three Billboards is one of the best new movies

1. Character development – wow. The growth from beginning to end for each of the three main characters was phenomenal. It made the experience for me and was as well done as I’ve seen in a while. A big part of what made this movie so great was a concept I actually talked about recently too, which I call healthy vengeance!

2. Acting – Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. You know what to expect with these names on a cast list. All three consistently turn in great performances. But the depth of the characters in this movie brought out another level in each. McDormand in her fire extinguisher scene, Harrelson in the barn, and Rockwell with his headphones in the police station were all POWERFUL.

3. Flaws – this is both a positive and a negative. The positive is each of the characters were flawed, which is realistic. It made for a comical environment too. On the negative side, there are also minor flaws in the plot. The circumstances of the antagonist and some of what the characters get away with were questionable at times. However, nothing distracted too much from the tremendous positives.

Why Brigsby Bear is one of the best new movies

1. True originality – it’s nice to see this kind of movie get some attention outside of festivals. You simply don’t see such creativity on the big screen the large majority of the time. There was the right amount of weird too. It wasn’t some movie only a critic would like, in my opinion. Fun and imaginative throughout.

2. Great message – do what you love. No matter what anyone thinks or says about how you “should” live. Hold your passion close and immerse yourself in it. Considering point 1 on originality, this is all the more relevant to how we can imply this film was made by its actual creators.

3. Acting – Kyle Mooney and Mark Hamill are both great. Mooney in particular showed a true knack for acting outside of the comedy he’s known for. He created a character with a huge heart and one we feel for in his tough circumstances. As much as he is odd and was forced into an odd world, it is easy to relate to him. Sometimes we all feel outcast in the way he is. The authenticity he shows in the face of that actually makes him a hero as the story progresses.

What I love most

The message and originality of Brigsby Bear are so near and dear to my heart as an author. There have been posts I’ve seen from creatives about creating market-driven art. Honestly, fuck that. Create what your heart wants created. Doing anything for money is absurd when you have a passion you love participating in. Follow it.

One of the most important parts of the Civilands series, to me, is character development. Whether it’s Latera, William, Jeannie, or any of the characters in the story, I try to ensure there is clear growth. We are all coming of age and we are doing it continuously throughout our lives. Three Billboards has reinforced this to me and if you like growing alongside characters I highly recommend it.

That’ll do it for tonight. Thanks so much for reading and please feel free to let me know your thoughts below

The Civilands Series: A Case for Healthy Vengeance

[image error]Being super moody here and thinking about revenge while walking through an alley. You know, a typical Wednesday.

The Civilands series begins with 13-year-old Jeannie Morrell. Unfortunately for poor Jeannie, her home has been burned to the ground with her family inside. The culprits of the crime are a power-hungry bunch called the Keagan gang. If there’s one thing this scene sets up from the beginning it’s that Civilands is a story of vengeance. However, this is not a simple tale of find your foe and slaughter them. Instead, some of the characters undergo transformations as they cope, which I like to refer to as healthy vengeance.

Healthy vengeance? Explain, strange author man…

Consider being broken up with or getting bullied in school. Both are real world problems. Either option is responded to with pain, frustration, and/or a need to prove oneself. We feel this hurt because whatever it is the person did made us feel inferior. Since no one wants to be stepped on in this way, we seek to prove we shouldn’t be again. We need to prove it to ourselves, to others, or both. The method with which one chooses to do so is the distinction I aim to make here and in my series.

Below I will highlight the two methods:

Straight vengeance – Eye for an eye, or worse. The Keagan Gang killed my family. I’ll be damned if I don’t take them all out one-by-one. Think Arya Stark in Game of Thrones here. In a real world senario, maybe a key to someone’s car or some other form of vandalism. Bottom line: it may not bring back what I’ve lost, but damn if it doesn’t feel good releasing the anger.
Healthy vengeance – They are miserable people and will always remain as such. What they did won’t bring them any closer to happiness, nor will it better me to strike them the way they have me. Instead, I will do everything in my power to restore my place while they watch helplessly from their pit of hell. Back to Game of Thrones, this is Jon Snow and Sam Tarly. When you get put down, work harder than anyone else. Use the pain as fuel. Bottom line: with time and effort, you’ll look down and they’ll be there beneath you. However, by then you won’t even be able to spot them anymore. Your drive will have refocused your vision. “Latera now stood above it all. There on her perch she was higher than the Riverlands, higher than … all those who had wronged her thus far” (Crimson River, Chapter 7 – What Once Was Whole).

Though the latter is a more positive behavior and a favorable response, both of these are natural. Analyzing the path certain characters will decide to take is why I love this type of story.

Next, I’ll highlight specific character relationships we see this develop in within the Murrieta Territory.

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In the Civilands series

Jeannie Morrell v. the Keagan Gang – as mentioned above, Jeannie’s family has been attacked. Her father, Adonis Morrell, helped shape the Riverlands and the Murrieta Territory as a whole. Not only was he a loving father, but was a uniter of the native V’ahani and Easterners in the region. How will young Jeannie fill the void left while also coping with her loss?
Latera v. “the World” – Latera is a young, sheltered nurse and daughter of Riverlands Chieftain, Arkouda. The fire on the Morrells’ home sets into a motion a series of events that shake her people. What will she find about the outside world she so avoided before? What might she find out about herself?
Dominic Turner v. Collin McCormack – Crafty illusionist Dominic Turner embarrasses Keagan gang member Collin McCormack during an escape. It is an unacceptable act and one which forms a fierce rivalry between the two. Vengeance in this duel is not focused on one side, but comes from both men as they collide relentlessly. Who will come out on top?
Read the series for the rest

What College Doesn’t Teach You

[image error]Since the day I was accepted to the McCombs School of Business I have been and always will be a proud, burnt-orange-blooded University of Texas Longhorn. My college experience has had tremendous value in my life as a whole and a degree is necessary to enter the door in a variety of careers. This article is not meant to question the education system, nor is it meant to sway anyone for or against going to college.

That being said, there are thought processes I learned while at school which I’ve needed to unlearn upon entering the “real world.” And honestly, it took me about two and a half years after graduating to feel like they were shed. It’s my hope it doesn’t take anyone else this long, but feel free to share your own story below!

So what’s the thing I wish someone told me the day I graduated (or maybe a few days before at least)?

From here on out there will be no more end of the tunnel (degree), nor a designed road map for you to get where you’d like to go … but that’s also okay, if you can learn to define those things yourself.

The comparison I always give is college is like a mountain you climb. Each semester you are given specific coursework and have specific milestones–designated for you by the university–as you progress toward the top. Waiting for you at the peak is your degree and there is a finality in earning it. My graduation day was one of the most accomplished I’ve felt and it should be this way.

However, life is not like this AT ALL. Once you reach the tip of your college mountain you realize the path to follow next is determined and must be built by you alone. From there three things can happen, either distinctly or in a combination:

Dilemma #1: You fall right back down – it’s a scary thing being done. Your whole college career the thought is so bitter-sweet, but soon enough it’s over–no more parties or student section at the football games. This dilemma is for the people who don’t find the career they even think they MIGHT like. Once again, this is okay and normal. When college is over though and you don’t have a clue like so many others, who will be there to help you find one? The answer is no one and this can lead to a crash.
Dilemma #2: Your path becomes flat – so you lined up a job or an internship and you think you have it all figured out … only you don’t. This one, ladies and gentlemen, was me. And honestly, even here I still crashed HARD. I had the job and income, but I was so used to reaching toward something that it seemed I had forgotten to pay attention to the most important question: why was I reaching? So there I was in a position with no defined ladder up. Even if there was one set for me though, I didn’t necessarily know if I even wanted to become the people above. At this point I had no idea what I was working FOR and the monotony was a big challenge mentally.
Solution: Learn to build mountains of your own to climb – as I mentioned, this took two and a half years for me to figure out how to do. The most important thing though is to take the time to figure out who you are and how you love to fill your time. What is the greatest thing you have to offer the world? What is it you’d be doing for a full day without feeling like you’ve worked for a single minute? If you find those things and do them relentlessly, new goals (mountain tops) will become clear.

For me, I learned to build mountains by writing. I had always written music and loved great stories. The more I immersed myself in those things on a personal level, the closer I came to my discovered passion of writing as a lifestyle. As it started to take over my day-to-day, the milestones just became a part of how I was naturally living.

This, in my opinion, has been such an important shift in my perspective on personal happiness as a whole. It’s also been great to see some of my friends find what drives them in their own diverse passions. To show you this isn’t just a “creative/artist” type of thing, see the below list of examples:

Videography/film
Blues and guitar
Craft beer brewing
Art and design
Video games and streaming
Writing and poetry
Body building
Supplemental health insurance (not even kidding!)

The common theme when talking to each is the way their face lights up when discussing the topic. They could go on for hours at a time discussing their passions and I personally feed off their excitement. As you can see above, even someone who loves supplemental health insurance can be engaging if it’s what they love. That’s not a subject I would have ever thought about in my free time, but when this person speaks on it, it becomes as interesting to me as anything else!

So to conclude, graduates of the University of N.B. Austin, focus on finding yourself and what matters to you. After you do this, the rest will be clear. Hope this helped or made you think in some way. Whether it did or not, let me know your thoughts below and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series

Wattpad Contest Winner: The Catalyst by C.G. Laflamme

I recently decided to try something new in running a contest on Wattpad. In this contest, ten stories were submitted by different writers and judged based on my own personal engagement with each. Through the process I came across some amazing stories, featuring everything from belligerent religious towns to post-apocalyptic societies. Each author featured their own innovations in stories that were a joy to read.

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In the end though there could only be one winner, and this contest’s winner was epic-fantasy, The Catalyst by C.G. Laflamme. Below you will find the blurb for the story, my take on it, and an interview I conducted with the author. Enjoy and know this story is definitely worth your time!

Crystal Eyes (Civilands #2) Now Available!

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I’m so excited to say book 2 of the Civilands series is available now in e-book and paperback! Now available on Amazon and Kobo, with all buy links here.

Crystal Eyes picks up right where Crimson River left off and starts right away with uncertainty.

In Latera’s case, she feels trapped in a new place which isn’t at all what she’d expected. Now feeling responsibility for keep her people safe, she’ll need to figure out some way to do so while being imprisoned herself.

In Harran, Daniel Keagan is continuing to work his magic, trying to secure alliances to allow his gang’s influence to spread. But when a new threat presents itself, what will he realize about the power dynamic in the Murrieta?

For William Keagan, Daniel’s brother and leader of the Keagan gang, it’s time to go East to make the deal he’s been working so hard to make with his father, Leonard. Who will he find and what has become of his former city of New Berkeley across the mighty Chorisma River?

Searching the Mountainlands for Jeannie, Harrison, and Dominic, will Hanzah find his new friends after an avalanche separated them?

Featuring your favorite characters from book 1, as well as some new favorites, Crystal Eyes shows us more of the world of Duresia than ever before with adventures and twists that will shake you to your core. Filled with as much hope as despair, this is a novel that will inspire any reader who dares to try their luck in the Murrieta Territory.

From the Editor, Katrina Diaz-Arnold of Refine Editing:

“N.B. Austin has done it again. In Crystal Eyes, his latest installment in the fantasy western series, Civilands, the thrills are sharper, the twists more shocking, and the characters more engaging than ever before. As we dive further into the world of the Murietta, we witness how power can affect an individual in a myriad of ways. Whether they sing on its poisonous edge, teeter over the abyss of its questionable morality, or grapple with the danger it brings head on, the characters in Austin’s world learn that any victory, small or large, always comes with a price, and power is always easily and unforgivingly corruptible. In Crystal Eyes, the stakes are upped and now everyone is playing the game—whether they want to or not.”

Here’s How the Walking Dead SHOULD End… but Won’t (Opinion)

This is a post that’s been a long time coming. I would say that as much as Breaking Bad, Fargo, and Game of Thrones inspired a love for story-telling within me, so too did The Walking Dead. However, unfortunately it was mostly for the opposite reasons. Now I believe I know how the Walking Dead should end.

Don’t get me wrong, The Walking Dead as a concept is brilliant. A TV series is, in my opinion, a much better fit to capture the extended sequence of events that would play out in a zombie apocalypse than a movie. On top of that, the first couple seasons of the show/comic book had some fantastic themes that I loved.

The Good

Waking up to the end of the world – the thought of being in a coma or some other form of unconsciousness while everything you once knew is changing around you is terrifying. It’s also what immediately drew me in to the story. Not only that, but the marital complications Rick faces are what make for drama at its finest. Now this was all in the comic book, so no credit to the show for trailblazing. But I will say that I actually preferred the mirrored version of this concept in Fear the Walking Dead. In that series, the character instead wakes up from a heroine binge. To me that managed to make for an even more intriguing start–and that’s before you consider its incredible portrayal by actor Frank Dillane.
Group conflict and the question of trust  – this point should be mentioned with an asterisk because it’s also one of the downfalls of the show. Initially though, the idea of factions is a really cool one. It may or may not be popular opinion, but I thought the Governor’s conflict especially was very well done. To me he was a very real character, who contrasted Rick but only enough to clarify a protagonist. At times, this struggle blurred the line between man v. man and man v. himself as Rick desperately tried to maintain the humanity the Governor lost. There are other examples of course, but this was the one I thought the most well done.
“I know the solution” *fingers crossed behind back*  – another point I’m up and down about, but in terms of character motivation it’s cool to see characters who lie about having information on the source-of or solution-to the outbreak. It seems a realistic concern and the series did a good job of developing the situations where this issue arose.
Ragtag group of diverse allies  – the fact that people from all different walks of life and with different skill-sets are forced to come together is definitely a strong point of the show. The bonding between them is what makes it run, especially for the characters who have been there from the beginning.

Okay, now that I’ve pleased the people who’ve managed to remain rabid fans of this downhill mess of a show, it’s time to tear it to shreds. Sorry that I’m not sorry ahead of time . . .

The Bad

The writers think kids are idiots  – the children in both TWD and FtWD make decisions that are unfathomable in many instances. At times it really seemed like the characters’ intent to screw their own people over just because they were going through puberty was even greater than the writers’ intent to create drama in the plot. And I understand they are young and would make mistakes, but in an apocalypse those mistakes should be more out of fear than being spoiled brats.
Endless groups of “main” antagonists  – in terms of the comic book, this is understandable and fine. The comic can go on for hundreds of issues and different types of groups makes sense. That being said, for the TV show I’m just lost as to why I should still be investing in someone like Neagan this late in the series. Not only does this clown lose an entire dimension of his character without the R-rated language of the comics, but it just doesn’t feel different enough from the Governor, or as emotional… more on why that is in my final point.
The zombies are not a really significant threat – they just aren’t on the show. It’s way too easy to kill them for these people and their close calls seem mostly forced.
There is no real backstory on the breakout – to me a zombie story needs a “how did this start” and “how will this be cured.” Over 8 seasons there’s been zero hint of either. While I do like that their are liars who pretend to know the answers, there needs to also be more to explain why this is happening. Also, a tremendous downfall of this writing is how many holes there are in the outbreak science. Here’s a tip people: you already discovered that wearing blood hides you from the walkers, SO WHY THE HELL AREN’T YOU ALWAYS WEARING BLOOD?!? Because it would be the end of the series? Then don’t introduce the concept at all!! >:( Also, Michonne’s original plan seemed to solve that issue too, but somehow no one thinks to take advantage of that kind of knowledge?
Dale – every interaction attempted-old-sage, actual-drama-queen Dale has ever had: “Character X, what’s your plan?” … *ridiculous uncertain face* … next scene with character Y, in confidence … “Hey Character Y, did you hear Character X’s plan? What are they thinking? They clearly are out of their mind.” … *ridiculous worried face, same as ridiculous uncertain face* … “Oh, do I have a plan you ask? Uh, no.” … next scene with character Z, in confidence … “Hey Character Z, isn’t character Y out of their mind?”
Last but actually the most significant, poorly executed cliffhangers – cliffhangers–when done right–can be the focal point of a show. The Neagan bat scene cliffhanger was the worst execution of this concept I think I’ve ever seen. I won’t even go into all that was wrong with it because it’d take an entire separate post. Nevertheless, this was an atrocious slap in the face to fans and I haven’t seen an episode since.

So like I said, this show is a big reason I got into writing. The reason being that I looked at all these things that bothered me about it and said to myself, “who the hell am I to criticize without coming up with some kind of better solution?” Well, the following is my solution. Keep in mind while reading, I am mostly saying that this is the direction I believe the show should have gone around the time of season 5/6 and it is based on where the writers had taken it to that point. If you don’t like it, that’s fair and if you’d like, feel free to question my judgement endlessly like that piece of shit Dale.

How The Walking Dead SHOULD End…

The zombies are no real threat and it feels like their importance decreases as the show goes on (issue #3). This should be made into an advantage. Starting with season 5 or 6, the zombies should decrease in airtime. Before the final war between Rick and Neagan begins, they should be nowhere to be found.

Why?

Because TWD has taken the stance that the biggest threat to humanity is humanity itself (issue #2). This a great theme, but it needs to end somewhere to avoid the repetition the show now suffers from. So end it with the biggest, baddest villain of them all–we’ll keep it as Neagan for the sake of it–facing off with a man who has by now become something he never wanted to become in Rick. This will allow us to actually understand more of why the villains do what they do, by blurring the line of compare/contrast with Rick.

Side note: also, don’t waste an entire season (looking at you, season 6 writers) building up to a memorable scene from the comics that you don’t even show (issue #6). Did I mention how infuriated that made me? -_-

Okay so Rick and Neagan have made it all about killing each other and there are no zombies . . . now what?

Now they fight to the death like everyone wants–especially the show’s writers because that’d be, “totally epic and cyoo” (Eric Cartman voice). And it would be, except the war to end all wars should result in the deaths of everyone. Everyone, that is, except the two of them. There needs to be consequences for the fact that neither of these leaders can be competent or reasonable. It’s the zombie apocalypse and they can’t work out a deal? Not saying it would be easy to do, but neither deserves to get away with it. Especially since they are too blind to see how little of a threat the zombies even are. If I had it my way, by now they wouldn’t be a threat at all.

So they all just . . . die?

Yes, they all die and Rick/Neagan will have to live with that. The twist will be when the fighting ends and the two realize what they’ve done. At this time, the U.S. military will be sweeping the area. The commanding officer will be as shocked by the carnage as the culprits are to see a functioning military unit. When Rick tries to get some kind of explanation, he will be told of the discovered origin of the virus. A casual revelation the last traces of said virus were wiped out over a year ago will follow (issue #4). This would be a shocking, yet satisfying ending which would make sense with the direction previously established by the series.

Also, the good news is Dale was already dead (issue #5). The dumb kids already written would be too (issue #1). All-in-all there would still be a glint of hope. That is, as long as likable people and more intelligent children filled this new world.

Conclusion

This has been my light-hearted, though also honest opinion on The Walking Dead. Overall, TWD is one of the most popular shows of all time. I know there are dedicated fans of the comics and show. I’m also aware they’d defend it to their grave (which they likely hope to one day rise from). The good thing about art though, is it’s fair to interpret it from a subjective lens. So thanks ahead of time for respecting my opinion as much as I respect yours if you disagree.

I appreciate the read and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series!