Justin Pyfrom's Blog, page 30

Starving and, Yet, Surviving

Surviving the Writing Life by Deren Hansen

(Warning: this is going to be a short review)

The one misconception people seem to have about artists is that there’s a set time frame for every step or stepping stone. Simply put, they think that their path is going to get hard for a small period of time. And even a novice like me knows that’s a load of rubbish. I would like to be well-known for my work – not famous (God no!) – and get to a place where my work can help the future generation of writers.

Deren Hansen wrote this book to demystify the illusions of the pavement of writing so you better prepare yourself for the grind that’s ahead of you. The topics revolve around how to handle the rigors in writing for money and to expect. Personally, I like this because I don’t like being caught off guard. Haha!

This was another book that had my writing in my journal because when I’m creating work for others, or collaborating, I need to make sure that money can be made around every project. But the main lesson I gathered from it is one: Never Be Static!!! Makes sense, really, static means you’re content and you should never be content.

This book gets a B. Informative but really REALLY short for a topic like this.

Something I’d Really Enjoyed

Writing Video Games: A Creative Writing Career Excerpt by Justin Sloan

I have a Bachelor’s in Game Simulation and Programming with my field of expertise specifically centered around Game Design and story writing. And I know what you’re going to ask: Are you more skilled at one than the other? My answer is “It is not that simple.” See, I prefer to write stories more than design games but I’m equally gifted in both fields. I like to think that my gigantic imagination is at fault. Haha! But, if haven’t already known this, this pretty difficult to get through the gaming industry from the front door. Sometimes…you need a backdoor…or a window. That’s where this nifty book comes in.

Just like any other part of the entertainment industry, the gaming industry is purely based on who you know. Well…it was, anyway. Now, thanks to the indie development scene, anyone designer, writer, composer and such can come together with a common goal in mind without the interference of the “big guy”. But the real question that everybody asks is “How?” How can get their first baby steps in the gaming industry? Where can I start to build connections?

Justin Sloan took the time to interview some of the most prominent names in the gaming world to get them to tell how they worked and succeeded in their field of writing. Yep, that’s right. You get to read about how some of your favorite game writers got where they at and some tips on how to go about networking and job hunting in a professional manner. They even give insight into the actual process of writing for different genres. I found this part to be especially interesting because, which maybe surprise people, RPGs isn’t the only genre I can write for. Haha!

In addition to career highlights, Justin Sloan helped to shed light on where to go to network, conventions to attend and the mentality you should have when networking. This book was everything wonderful and more. It’s because of the readers getting firsthand accounts of such prolific game writers with such a personal source of pride that can be heard in the interview.

This book clearly deserves an A+ because this is what the gaming industry is really about. Learn from the previous generation so the next generation can leave their mark.

The Cold, Hard, Unyielding Truth

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield

In the realm of artistic endeavors, we are burdened with high expectations from self and others regarding moderate and high success. But the reality is so much more brutal than one would like to believe. The truth is always looming over my head and it’s a constant reminder to work harder and smarter. And after reading this brutality honest piece of literature, I’m going to understand how to navigate through these artistic tides.

Steven Pressfield is known to the masses as a prolific writer of historical and nonfiction through the work of literature and screenplays. But, before all of that, he was like us: a struggling artist. The only differences is that he already had a foot in the entertainment industry but was still new to the politics of it all. He found it really difficult to stand out on his own because of his “lack of name”.

Lack of name? Yeah…about that…in the entertainment industry, it’s more about who you know rather than what you know. Steven found himself learning that, until he can make a name for himself, he will be forced to let his work be showcased by another one. Reason being? Simple. As Steven pointed out, he didn’t have a brand or name worth mentioning but someone else did and he had to play the game. It was a tough pill to swallow but Steven did it and encouraged us to do the same if you’re going down that route.

Later in the book, Steven explained what other lessons, though lesser than that big one, he had learned in his lifetime. Things such as writing softcore porn and various other genres are just a few of the things that was divulged to the reader. Personally, I found it funny that a porn director for one of the Premium Channels (Showtimes, Cinamax, HBO, etc.) made it a point to tell Steven that sex in softcore porn must be used to move the story along. Seriously, I couldn’t stop laughing but it did make sense.

It’s true that people aren’t going to read your work unless you have a brand to your name. It’s sad but true. But the brutality of the truth gives readers one simple solution to the problem: create your own brand. I recommend reading Your One Word by Evan Carmichael when you get the chance. With that, I’ll give this book an A.

Luck Be A Charmer, Tonight

Lucky Charm by Romeo Alexander

I’m starting to develop an affinity for LGBT Romance and erotica but it has to have some kind of story to it. Yes, I know that’s pretty lame but it’s me and can’t be helped. Don’t judge me. Haha! And, with most stories, I like a little suspension of disbelief. So, Lucky Charm is one of those books.

Romeo Alexander is starting to be a small favorite of mine as he has a knack for putting some sort of supernatural element. Truthfully, it on a very small level but visible to the readers. That’s where Charlie Cooper, the main character, comes in. How? Well, he has a particular power that’s a bit of a double-edged sword.

What’s the best way to describe it? Well, simply put, he’s a power of luck through a kiss. But, he’s essentially giving away some of his luck to his kissed target which leaves him with bad luck. Pretty cool, right? Now, take that and add a man with a bit of a gambling problem. Yep! Something to marvel at. Even better? All of this started because of a fated encounter with his love interest: Dutch.

Yeah…Dutch thought Charlie, who was recently employed by the hotel, was meant to be his escort for the night and Charlie, with a nudge from his willful friend, went along with the charade with one rule: no kissing. It was weird, at first, until he explained why. (No, I’m not going to tell you why.) But, I can tell you that it gets really funny, really fast as the date progress. Especially since Dutch managed to find a loophole in the one rule in order to shag the uptight staff member.

But, when he revealed his power to Dutch which made the rest of the night go downhill from there. I mean…think about it, how would a gambler react when he just shagged somebody who has the power of luck? Haha! I would have, personally, kept that little detail to myself – no matter who I’m dating. But, in the end, after some yelling and self-discovery, the book made a nice little ending for Charles and Dutch.

I’ll give this book a B+ because it’s the first LGBT Romance series that was hardy and warm-ish.

Yeah, I Felt So Dirty…

Dangerous Daddy series by Alex Anders

I was advised by a circle of friends that I need to start reading LGBTQ+ literature more frequently as a form of research since I will be release related content outside of my crime series. Then, funny enough, another circle of friends suggested reading erotica so I can work out the romance/sex scenes a little better. Actually, now that I’m writing this, I’m thinking that they had ulterior motives for that advice. Haha!

The Dangerous Daddy series is an erotica series that was lumped together into one book and I just manage to stumble across it while strolling through the Audible catalog. I had to admit: the title was enough to entice me in reading it. But the content…that was something that caught me off guard. I mean REALLY off guard.

Each story has a submissive bottom with a dominant “daddy” that they are eventually drawn to. And, in each story, the daddy is someone in a position of power. You know? Army man, cop, harden ex-con, domineering father, the usual. And, one-by-one, the younger man succumbs to the manly allure and gets their “darkest fantasies” fulfilled in every way possible.

Yeah…I’m only partially ashamed of how turned on I was after reading them all. Only partially…he says unconvincingly. Admittedly, I did need to work pass the mental block I have in regards to the “stepdad/stepson” porn category. But Anders did a really good job with the storywriting and making me feel little dirty after I was done.

[image error]

I’m going to give this a B- but this is probably a little skewed because this is the first full-blown (phrasing…sorry) erotica I’ve read in, like, two years or so.

Just Working Out That Writer’s Muscle

“His elegant writing grows ever purer…ever stronger…” – a modified quote from Xianghua’s stage of Soul Calibur 3

Haha! Yeah, I’m using a video game quote because, not to toot my own horn, I am getting much better with my art. Sure, I believe that art is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. However, this particular art I was told that God blessed me with at birth and the school system, along with my mother, told a special interest in honing it. So, I’ve always been improving my writing. But, it took me releasing my first book, realizing my idiotic mistake and understanding my dreadful grammar was when I started to invest the majority of my time in refreshing my mind in the art. Fair warning…this will be a really short review.

Sandy Marsh wrote the Writing Best Seller series as a way to help, remind (in my case) and educate writers of various topics. Now, before I get to how great series, let me get one thing straight: I REALLY don’t know how many books are in this series and the proper order. Nevertheless, I counted six books and that’s all I’m going to let these books get their shine:

[image error]

[image error]

[image error]

[image error]

[image error]

[image error]

I did this because I want to create a notebook of rules and go-to lessons for future usage. And each book did its job in the most exceptional way. This review is going to be short because it was more of a refresher course for me. Nonetheless, the way she explained things was pretty straightforward, yet very detailed. Think of the each book as a college course for creative writers. I strongly suggest giving this a series a look if you’re serious about flexing your writing muscles.

I mean, seriously, I think I filled up about 30+ pages, altogether. Yeah, I even impressed my little brother as he read my notes and asked, on a few occasions, “Don’t you already know that?” To that, I would reply, “Yeah, but most of these notes are not for me, per say.”

I took a lot of notes and give each of these books an A because I already knew some of these rules but it was nice to be retaught.

My One Word? Take A Guess

Your One Word by Evan Carmichael

When creating and running a business, it’s been made sure that you need a brand that’s easily identifiable to the public. Unfortunately, I, like most entrepreneurs, don’t really know where to start when the inevitable task present it. Luckily, I’m currently subscribed to a YouTube channel that is dedicated to helping people “believing in themselves and achieving greatness”. The channel’s name is Evan Carmichael and this bloke is brilliant. I love his energy and dedication and when I learned that he had written a book…

Yeah, this book was written by Evan Carmichael and it’s basically a reiteration one of many things he has been teaching on his channel. One of those things is building your brand and, in his simplest explanation, should really revolve around one word as it’s the easiest approach to the matter. And, when you think about it, it makes prefect sense. If you go by one word, creating your business model and making decisions will become a lot easier. A great example is Evan Carmichael.

His one word is believe. I know…it look simple but the way he explained it in his book gives it a whole lot more meeting behind the word. Simply put, he believes in himself, he believes in you and he believes that you have the potential to do something great. This is actually why he does what he does. He wants to see people succeed in life and he believes that they can do it. Even better, he showcased the business model of other companies to further prove his point about the importance of owning your one word.

Throughout the book, he assigns the reader various exercises in order to help them find their word and, basically, get the ball rolling. Even I did the exercises. I mean…I got the book so it would have been in my best interest to do them. There’s a good amount of them and, after doing them, I know my one word when it comes down to my writing. It’s really funny because my theme (Duality) for my storywriting actually leads to my one word: Knowledge.

I love understanding both sides of a conversation and thus gaining knowledge from both sides. Yep yep yep, business-wise, this was the most important book I’ve read to date. Because of that, this book is another A+ for me. You need to go and buy this as it’s a must have for entrepreneurs

A Book Meant For Gamers

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I know I said this before but I’ll say it again: I’m a gaymer, though and though. Which makes it that much more mortified when I was late in knowing the existence of this fabulous novel. Fun fact, this is actually the first book I got with my Audible account and for a really good reason – or a simple one. Plain and simple, it was the first book I thought over when I activated my account. Still a great choice, nonetheless.

First things first I should disclose is that this book was narrated by Wil Wheaton. That’s amazing in it of itself and he was perfect for capturing the many emotions of the main protagonist. But, aside from all the pop culture references that are mentioned – and there’s a lot, Ready Player One does have a very specific theme that’s explored and a great storyline to boot. And trust me…it’s a very compelling one.

See, everybody works, plays and lives in this virtual world called the OASIS that doubles as an MMORPG. The only way players could access this world by using visors and haptic technology. It’s simple and everybody loves being in it. Maybe a little too much since the real world is practically in shambles due to an energy crisis. But that’s the least of Wade Watts’s concern at the beginning of the book.

Think of this scenario: What would the public do if the creator of OASIS, James Donovan Halliday aka Anorak, holds a contest with his entire fortune as a prize? I know what I would do – both the good and bad side of it all.

Everyday, millions of players would go out scouting and fighting in order to discover the location of the first Easter Egg (there’s three in total in order to get the prize). However, Wade, being a bit of a Class A (mad respect!!) and a gunter, took a different approach and immerse his life with everything that Anorak, his hero, liked. Because of this, he was able to find the accomplish the seemingly impossible task and set off a chain of events that endangered the lives of everybody was affiliated with. Remember what I said about the “bad side of things”?

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins for a reason and Nolan Sorrento fit this reasoning to a T. Being the Head of Operations at Innovative Online Industries (IOI), his endgame is pretty simple for a corporation but cruel, nonetheless: he wants to take over and monetize the OASIS. So, him and his employers, cleverly named Sixers because of their employee number, work to beat the gunters to the prize…by any….means…necessary! And I do mean “by any means”. Yes, there are deaths in this book and it gets really dark, really fast.

After the death of one of the major characters, the rest of the gunters are forced to work together with the Co-owner of the OASIS and Anorak’s friend, Ogden Morrow aka The Great and Power Og, to find and complete the final Easter Egg challenge before IOI could which, by this point, was showing no signs of stopping. All and all, this was hands down one of my favorite books of all time (Ender’s Game & Invasive Procedure by Orson Scott Card are still my all-time favorite). So, this books gets an A+ for the sheer genius in storytelling and clever placement of pop culture without trying to hard. Absolutely brilliant.

A Magical Ride…

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

So, my best friend, Tyler, had given me two simple yet demanding demands as a credit to my nerdism and my status as a bookworm. He insisted that I give the Harry Potter series a read as I’m a writer. And, since I’m slowly creating a universe for my space opera series among other things, it started to become clear that reading this series would be a good idea. And, with that (in 2018), I began the mission of reading the Harry Potter books.

[image error]First and foremost, I have to give J.K. Rowling a tremendous amount [image error]of credit and gratitude for the amount of time, patience, effort and dedication it took for her to create this marvel of a world. I noticed she took the “every detail counts” approach when implementing people, places, food, and items into the stories. She made sure that readers and fans, alike, understand that she took her time in immersing them in her world. It’s the #1 cardinal rule in writing fantasy and she followed it to the letter. Even after the series was collected, J.K. Rowling has no problem with answering questions, confirming theories, releasing updates regarding her world to keep her fans engaged.

[image error]Each book of the series was filled to the brim with action but they followed a deliberate pace set up to keep the reader engaged. See, the first three books were meant to let up to the fourth book with each other revealing ONE KEY DETAIL. For example, The Philosopher’s Stone was meant to explain how Harry Potter actually survived that night when the main antagonist, Lord Voldemort, tried to kill him and thus unable to touch him. Furthermore, The Chamber of Secrets shredded a little backstory on the dark lord and his first act of evil. Finally, The Prisoner of Azkaban explained how Harry Potter’s parents were located and killed in the first place leading to a heartbreaking revelation and a heartwarming reunion. This all led up to The Goblet of Fire where Harry Potter comes face-to-face with his archnemesis after his subordinate killed a student in front of him.

[image error]

Since Lord Voldemort was at full power and in a corporeal form, the man was now able to touch him. So, he was until the impression that he could kill him only to be foiled the psychology behind wands – something that was explained at the beginning of The Philosopher’s Stone and, even further, at the end of The Goblet of Fire. To put it simply, two wands of the same Phoenix, thus brothers, created a Reverse Spell (Prior Incantato) giving Harry Potter a chance to get away. It was a relief but the very event itself still resulted in some heartbreaking moments and the true faces of fear and denial showing across many people in the Wizarding community.

[image error]That’s where The Order of the Phoenix comes into. This was a more grounded and intimate storyline having to deal with, by far, the most subtly vile sociopathic bigot I’ve ever read: Dolores Umbridge. See, the world in it of itself are divided on the return of Lord Voldemort including the Head of the Ministry of Magic. J.K. Rowling, in my opinion, wanted to showcase what happens when fear plays into the equation of a man drunk with power. It’s funny, though, because, in every attempt to silence and control the student body (the Blood Quill was especially cruel), the complete opposite occurred and forced the Ministry to accept the truth. Talk about irony…

But, back to Dolores Umbridge, Rowling did a great job with creating a more grounded villain. She wasn’t on a grand scale as Lord Voldemort by any means but that was the point, really. Think of it this way, Umbridge is basically what we have to deal with every day (racism, to be exact) on a more intimate scale. She’s no Death Eater but she might as well be one. The woman was pretty on the outside but hideous on the inside that, of course, came out on the outside. Racist, prejudice and hellbent on control and power was her main goal in life and, eventually, became her undoing – not once, but twice.

Furthermore, The Order of the Phoenix marked the beginning of the Second Wizard War as a lot of things began to make sense revolving around the link between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The (lost) prophecy ended being created by Lord Voldemort on accident because of him jumping to conclusion. Check it out:

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives … the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …

Reading the book, it could have been talking about Neville Longbottom, Harry’s friend who was struggling with confidence, but Lordemort thought differently and, ironically, completed the prophecy. It was way too funny when the realization hit me. Haha!

[image error]The last two books, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hollows, revolved around how Lord Voldemort managed to stay alive all these years and how he plans to stay that way, along with all-powerful. This shed some lights of the Horcruxes, their origins, and purpose. It even talked about the Deathly Hollows, a children story that turned out to be real, and the realization that Harry Potter owned one and acquired another one with Voldemort looking for and, eventually, finding the last one: the Elder Wand. But, again, the greatest evil is also the greatest slacker with knowledge. Plus, it revealed the truth behind Snape and his involvement with the Death Eaters from the very beginning turning him to an annoying villain to a sympathetic anti-hero/hero. He was, indeed, a brave BRAVE man.

[image error]

In the final confrontation between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort after the latter killed the former (BIG SPOILER, sorry…), both the reader and the dark wizard began to see every single flaw in the latter’s plan. I’m going to list them all because I’ve already spoiled too much but let’s just say that, like all villains, Lord Voldemort should have done a bit more research on the Deathly Hallows because seeking them out. Finally, I found the way J.K. Rowling killed out Lord Voldemort was very poetic. No, I’m not going to tell you as it’s a spoiler that can’t be spoiled.

Overall, I give each installment of the series, the following grade:

The Philosopher Stone (A+)
The Chamber of Secrets (A+)
The Prisoner of Azkaban (A+)
The Goblet of Fire (A+)
The Order of the Pheonix (A)
The Half-Blood Prince (A)
The Deathly Hollows (A+)

Oh, and FYI, Minerva McGonagall is my favorite character out of the entire series because of her sass and motherly demeanor. She is one woman you don’t want to mess with.

 

List of Completed Books Thus Far

As stated in my previous post, I’m part of the 2019 Goodread Challenge (my third year) and have given myself a goal of reading fifty books before the end of the year. Right now, I’m at 33 and, thanks to Audible, I’m predicting that I’m going to finish the challenge before the end of spring. But I’ll just add 25-50 more books to my challenge and read – or listen – on.

So, with that being said, I’m dedicating March to my first round of book reviews. Moreover, I want to showcase all the wonderful books I got the pleasure of indulging in and want to get some recommendations from you lots. Now, with this post, I will be listing all the books I’ve read thus far and when you should expect to see the review of these and them. I’m also combining the books from 2018 since a few of the books are from a series that I started from the previous year. That and I forgot about a few of them. Haha!

2018 (Week 1 of March)

(March 1) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
(March 2) Your One Word by Evan Carmichael
(March 4) Dangerous Daddy series by Alex Anders
(March 5) Lucky Charm by Romeo Alexander
(March 6) Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield
(March 7) Writing Video Games: A Creative Writing Career Excerpt by Justin Sloan

2018 – 2019 (Week 1 of March)

(March 1) Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
(March 2) Writing Best Seller series by Sandy Marsh

2019

(March 8) Surviving the Writing Life by Deren Hansen
(March 9) WTF Venice by Elaine Marie
(March 11) Captain America vs Iron Man by Travis Langley
(March 12) Christmas Eve 1914 by Charles Olivier
(March 12) Zero G by Dan Wells
(March 12) The Last Days of August by Jon Ronson
(March 13) Kindle Self Publishing for Beginners by James Moore
(March 13) The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter
(March 14) American Legends (Marlon Brando) by Charles River Editors
(March 14) Edgar Allen Poe’s tales

The Tell-Tale Heart
The Raven
The Cask of Amontillado


(March 15) Character and Archetype by Deren Hansen
(March 15) Creative Writing Career 2 by Justin Sloan
(March 16) Escape Artist by Romeo Alexander
(March 18) Supernatural Psychology by Travis Langley
(March 18) Wonder Woman Psychology by Travis Langley
(March 19) Einstein’s Dream by Alan Lightman
(March 20) Country Boys by Peter Styles
(March 21) Who in the World is Carmen Sandiego by Rebecca Tinker
(March 22) Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
(March 23) Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem by Anthony Bozza
(March 25) Crown & Key series

The Shadow Revolution
The Undying Legion
The Conquering Dark


(March 26) Folsom Untold: The Strange True Story of Johnny Cash’s Greatest Album
(March 27) Killer by Nature by Jan Smith
(March 29) Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman
(March 30) The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Gay Novel by Mark A. Roeder

Again, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2019.