Ville V. Kokko's Blog, page 3
November 13, 2021
November 10, 2021
"Have A Nice Eternity!™" in After Dinner Conversation magazine November 2021
After Dinner Conversation magazine for November 2021 is out - available here - and it contains my short story "Have A Nice Eternity!™". As the story is described on the Amazon page: "Science has discovered that there is an eternal afterlife, and "Gates Of Heaven" is here to sell you the tools to prevent it from going wrong."
The electronic magazine only costs a few dollars (or euros), and besides, anyone who's curious about my story can just ask me.
The electronic magazine only costs a few dollars (or euros), and besides, anyone who's curious about my story can just ask me.
September 15, 2021
My nonfiction writing
It says in my author description as of this writing that I'm an aspiring author of both fiction and nonfiction. Also as of this moment, what you see on my author profile are books of fiction. I have had a bunch of articles published, but they don't tend to end up in books. (Honestly, I should look into some philosophical anthology or something I could write for...)
I just got a new nonfiction piece published, though:
“Borderlines: The Edges of U.S. Capitalism, Immigration, and Democracy” by Daniel Melo. Book Review.
It's on Areo, like my previous and even more interesting article:
“Watchmen” and the Fundamental Moral Dilemma: Do the Ends Justify the Means?
Apart from that, my nonfiction publications tend to be in Finnish. I won't list them all here, but you can see an updating list on my LinkedIn page, under "Accomplishments".
Well, actually, numerically most of my texts published by someone else come from the time when I was regularly writing for The Latest; some of these are a bit hasty since I had to produce something every week, and the limit was 500 words anyway.
Of course, there's also my personal blog. It has all kinds of weird and interesting stuff in it, including copies of what I've written elsewhere (including this post soon, so if you're reading this there, don't be confused).
I just got a new nonfiction piece published, though:
“Borderlines: The Edges of U.S. Capitalism, Immigration, and Democracy” by Daniel Melo. Book Review.
It's on Areo, like my previous and even more interesting article:
“Watchmen” and the Fundamental Moral Dilemma: Do the Ends Justify the Means?
Apart from that, my nonfiction publications tend to be in Finnish. I won't list them all here, but you can see an updating list on my LinkedIn page, under "Accomplishments".
Well, actually, numerically most of my texts published by someone else come from the time when I was regularly writing for The Latest; some of these are a bit hasty since I had to produce something every week, and the limit was 500 words anyway.
Of course, there's also my personal blog. It has all kinds of weird and interesting stuff in it, including copies of what I've written elsewhere (including this post soon, so if you're reading this there, don't be confused).
August 23, 2021
On fan works and creativity
They say that creativity is about finding new ways to combine things. This, of course, implies that in some sense you're never creating completely new things, just making new things out of existing pieces.
Which of course brings us quickly to the title topic of this post. I consider myself very creative, but I sometimes struggle to come up with meaty characters and setting for the story I want to tell. On the other hand, when (for example and especially) good characters are already there, I may start to work on a story for them without even intending it.
It's happening again now.
Last time I was inspired by someone else's material like this, I synthesised a conclusion out of dozens of mixed plotlines and came second in a writing contest. And I was inspired on purpose, as it were, for the contest. The original was mainly inspiring in its potential to be made less flawed.
This time... well... I played a computer game, loved it, and started spontaneously writing a fan webcomic script based on it. I mean, writing in my mind. I just kept thinking about what could happen, and being a writer and wannabe comic creator, I formatted my imaginings as webcomic strips. Finally, I gave up and started planning it on purpose.
I realised that if I were to actually create and even publish this thing, I would get to spend a lot of time doing something that I'd love and would learn a lot, and maybe build the basis for something similar entirely my own that could even be a money-making part of my (still largely hypothetical) career of doing things I love. As just one example, I can't actually draw well enough, and don't know the right style well enough, to draw this thing - but I'm close enough that I can learn it by jumping in.
I'm incredibly inspired by this. Obviously, it will likely take a long time before I put any of it on the internet. I could see myself drawing the thing a long way and then going back to the beginning to redo the art based on what I've learnt.
Of course, maybe I won't ever get it done. It will be a long way to go. But I really do hope. Even announcing that I'm doing such a project is something I wouldn't have done in the past.
In the meantime, here's some of the art I've made for this project:
Yes, I've got as far as practising how to draw things like anime style eyes based on a simplified version of the original's style. This is going to take a while.
One downside here is that the story I'm writing totally assumes the reader to have played the original. I mean, you probably could read it by itself and gradually infer most of the backstory and spoil the game's ingenious plot for yourself by doing so... Anyway, on the other side, people who did play the game make up a ready potential audience for me. (I also love just the thought that people would read and like what I create. I only want to make money out of doing what I do - which obviously can't be done with fan works anyway - because it's required for living.)
I won't tell you what the original work was yet. Somebody who knows me might be able to guess. I can tell the strong working title of my own hypothetical comic, though:
"Less Bittersweet"
Which of course brings us quickly to the title topic of this post. I consider myself very creative, but I sometimes struggle to come up with meaty characters and setting for the story I want to tell. On the other hand, when (for example and especially) good characters are already there, I may start to work on a story for them without even intending it.
It's happening again now.
Last time I was inspired by someone else's material like this, I synthesised a conclusion out of dozens of mixed plotlines and came second in a writing contest. And I was inspired on purpose, as it were, for the contest. The original was mainly inspiring in its potential to be made less flawed.
This time... well... I played a computer game, loved it, and started spontaneously writing a fan webcomic script based on it. I mean, writing in my mind. I just kept thinking about what could happen, and being a writer and wannabe comic creator, I formatted my imaginings as webcomic strips. Finally, I gave up and started planning it on purpose.
I realised that if I were to actually create and even publish this thing, I would get to spend a lot of time doing something that I'd love and would learn a lot, and maybe build the basis for something similar entirely my own that could even be a money-making part of my (still largely hypothetical) career of doing things I love. As just one example, I can't actually draw well enough, and don't know the right style well enough, to draw this thing - but I'm close enough that I can learn it by jumping in.
I'm incredibly inspired by this. Obviously, it will likely take a long time before I put any of it on the internet. I could see myself drawing the thing a long way and then going back to the beginning to redo the art based on what I've learnt.
Of course, maybe I won't ever get it done. It will be a long way to go. But I really do hope. Even announcing that I'm doing such a project is something I wouldn't have done in the past.
In the meantime, here's some of the art I've made for this project:
Yes, I've got as far as practising how to draw things like anime style eyes based on a simplified version of the original's style. This is going to take a while.
One downside here is that the story I'm writing totally assumes the reader to have played the original. I mean, you probably could read it by itself and gradually infer most of the backstory and spoil the game's ingenious plot for yourself by doing so... Anyway, on the other side, people who did play the game make up a ready potential audience for me. (I also love just the thought that people would read and like what I create. I only want to make money out of doing what I do - which obviously can't be done with fan works anyway - because it's required for living.)
I won't tell you what the original work was yet. Somebody who knows me might be able to guess. I can tell the strong working title of my own hypothetical comic, though:
"Less Bittersweet"
July 23, 2021
New: "Have a Nice Eternity!™"
I finally have another piece of fiction getting published. After Dinner Conversation accepted another short story of mine, this one called "Have a Nice Eternity!™" As before (see: God Is Alive), it contains a thought experiment about a strange situation related to spiritual questions. This time, science has found out what happens to people after they die...
It should be coming out first in the magazine in November 2021, so while it's not quite an eternity, there's a bit of a wait. I hope I'll have the occasion to write about several other publications here before that time.
It should be coming out first in the magazine in November 2021, so while it's not quite an eternity, there's a bit of a wait. I hope I'll have the occasion to write about several other publications here before that time.
March 11, 2021
God Is Alive ebook FREE until the end of this week
After Dinner Conversation is doing a promotion about my short story "God Is Alive", and you can now get it for free.
Click here: https://amzn.to/3artJeW
Seriously, do. It costs no money, and it will only take a while to read.
Reviews are also welcome.
Click here: https://amzn.to/3artJeW
Seriously, do. It costs no money, and it will only take a while to read.
Reviews are also welcome.
February 19, 2021
New books out (though not stories)
My short story "God Is Alive" has now appeared not only in the After Dinner Conversation magazine but also as a separate ebook God Is Alive and in After Dinner Conversation - Season Three: After Dinner Conversation Short Story Series.
This means I've got five books listed in my profile on Goodreads now. (Three on Amazon, because there's also a magazine that counts, but I'm not credited for Writers in Lockdown.) That's not an entirely meaningful measure of success, but it still makes me happy.
Now to offer another story to them, perhaps two. They're a pretty ideal publisher for my short stories, aside from the fact that the pay is low, and fortunately I don't have to worry about money right now anyway.
This means I've got five books listed in my profile on Goodreads now. (Three on Amazon, because there's also a magazine that counts, but I'm not credited for Writers in Lockdown.) That's not an entirely meaningful measure of success, but it still makes me happy.
Now to offer another story to them, perhaps two. They're a pretty ideal publisher for my short stories, aside from the fact that the pay is low, and fortunately I don't have to worry about money right now anyway.
November 12, 2020
"God Is Alive" is out, and: get a month for free
The issue of
After Dinner Conversation
with my story "God Is Alive" came out at the beginning of this month. It's available on Amazon, Magzter, Zinio, Readly, and Issuu.
I also got a code to give friends and fans for getting mone month free for the monthly subscription to the magazine. The code is "DINNER", and the subscription can be done here: https://www.afterdinnerconversation.c...
Hint: Even though your subscription won't include the magazine that already came out, I just made a subscription (I got a year free as an author) and the publisher also sent me that previous issue because I'd just missed it, so if you order soon, you may get lucky like that too.
And also, if you want to read my story specifically, you only need to ask me. Edited: Especially if you want to hear what the last paragraph originally was, since I see it's not been included. Second edit: It will now be fixed in at least some editions of the magazine, but if you find it seems to be missing from your version, ask me.
I also got a code to give friends and fans for getting mone month free for the monthly subscription to the magazine. The code is "DINNER", and the subscription can be done here: https://www.afterdinnerconversation.c...
Hint: Even though your subscription won't include the magazine that already came out, I just made a subscription (I got a year free as an author) and the publisher also sent me that previous issue because I'd just missed it, so if you order soon, you may get lucky like that too.
And also, if you want to read my story specifically, you only need to ask me. Edited: Especially if you want to hear what the last paragraph originally was, since I see it's not been included. Second edit: It will now be fixed in at least some editions of the magazine, but if you find it seems to be missing from your version, ask me.
September 22, 2020
#1 Bestseller?? (Writers in Lockdown)
I've long thought that it must be too easy to get to be a bestseller, since the shelves of bookstores are full of books touted as such.
Well, in some sense at least this is confirmed by the e-mail Faith Jones sent last week to the authors of Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories about the numbers from the promotion where the ebook was being offered for free. (I might have told you about that when it was on, but then again, "you" at this point is a very small number of people.)
This is weird, especially considering how it totally doesn't affect the fact that I'm an absolutely beginner author nobody's heard of.
Well, in some sense at least this is confirmed by the e-mail Faith Jones sent last week to the authors of Writers in Lockdown: A collection of short stories about the numbers from the promotion where the ebook was being offered for free. (I might have told you about that when it was on, but then again, "you" at this point is a very small number of people.)
At the close of the first day (just now) we have had 2,769 copies downloaded for free from Amazon worldwide and reached an Amazon.com ranking of #1 in Anthologies, #1 in Literary Anthologies, #1 in Fiction Short Stories and #49 in the Kindle store for all genres.
To sprinkle some reality flakes on this, no one new marked it as ‘to read’ yesterday on Goodreads or paid for a copy of the paperback, but you can now legitimately say you have had a No. 1 best seller in these categories (if only for one day, 15th September 2020) and your stories are being read on devices in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, India, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands.
This is weird, especially considering how it totally doesn't affect the fact that I'm an absolutely beginner author nobody's heard of.
August 10, 2020
Coming up: "God Is Alive" in After Dinner Conversation
I'm really surprised at how much I've been getting fiction published in the last few months. I haven't even been trying much; my success rate must be something like 50%. That is, considering I just had another short story accepted for publication.
This one was a story I considered a hard sell because it's much more about making a philosophical point than about telling a story. Fortunately, I ran into After Dinner Conversation, which describes itself as follows:
After reading their submission guidelines, I immediately knew this was my kind of thing. I also knew this particular story would fit the bill (at least assuming they wanted philosophical questions in general, not just ethical ones like they said in some places). I sent it in and, just a couple of days ago, they accepted it with very warm words.
The short story in question is called "God Is Alive." What does that mean? Well, it's the opposite of "God is dead"... or the mirror image of it.
I'll write more about this later.
This one was a story I considered a hard sell because it's much more about making a philosophical point than about telling a story. Fortunately, I ran into After Dinner Conversation, which describes itself as follows:
Philosophical truth is discovered through intentional reflection and respectful debate. In order to facilitate that process, we have created a growing series of short stories, magazine, and podcast discussions, across genres, as accessible examples of abstract ethical and philosophical ideas intended to draw out deeper discussions with students, friends, and family.
After reading their submission guidelines, I immediately knew this was my kind of thing. I also knew this particular story would fit the bill (at least assuming they wanted philosophical questions in general, not just ethical ones like they said in some places). I sent it in and, just a couple of days ago, they accepted it with very warm words.
The short story in question is called "God Is Alive." What does that mean? Well, it's the opposite of "God is dead"... or the mirror image of it.
I'll write more about this later.
