Lewis Crow's Blog, page 3
May 9, 2018
Title Bout, Round 2
The Book of Ecclesiastes laments "there is nothing new under the sun." Never have those words been so true for me as they have this past week. I came up with a few really good title candidates, only to find they failed "the Amazon test." That wonderful idea for your title phrase has been used before. A lot.
I remember Casey Kasem telling listeners there had been six different hit songs titled "Call Me" and about as many titled "Lady." Clearly that fact didn't discourage the writers of numbers 4-6, but it's pretty demotivating for me to discover that the name my brain struggled so valiantly to think up was already used a dozen times or more.
Very few authors end up having books with titles so distinctive they'll never be reused: "Gone With the Wind," "The Grapes of Wrath," and I know at some point I may have to draw a line somewhere and go with a name that's been used-but-not-overused. Yet I still hope to strike creative gold and think of something unique like "The Robot Pizza Conspiracy." Hmm...better go check that one out on Amazon....
I remember Casey Kasem telling listeners there had been six different hit songs titled "Call Me" and about as many titled "Lady." Clearly that fact didn't discourage the writers of numbers 4-6, but it's pretty demotivating for me to discover that the name my brain struggled so valiantly to think up was already used a dozen times or more.
Very few authors end up having books with titles so distinctive they'll never be reused: "Gone With the Wind," "The Grapes of Wrath," and I know at some point I may have to draw a line somewhere and go with a name that's been used-but-not-overused. Yet I still hope to strike creative gold and think of something unique like "The Robot Pizza Conspiracy." Hmm...better go check that one out on Amazon....
May 2, 2018
Title Bout
We've all heard of "writer's block." Seems like I'm suffering a unique case of "titler's block." So far, I am unable to come up with a good title for Book 2. I'm deep into revising it, and this is really beginning to annoy me. Book 3's already got a title, and it hasn't even been written yet!
When I wrote the first draft of Book 2 a quarter century ago, I had what I thought was a good and unique title. Since then, someone else has used it for another book, so I don't want to create confusion. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I feel that title doesn't capture the essence of the story anyway.
So, I'm back to square one, doing old-fashioned brainstorming in hopes of coming up with something that is 1) fitting 2) memorable and 3) unique...ish. The first one is definitely the most challenging.
(To those who suggested "Twenty Thousand MORE Leagues Under the Sea" and "Finding Nemo," thanks for the laughs.)
When I wrote the first draft of Book 2 a quarter century ago, I had what I thought was a good and unique title. Since then, someone else has used it for another book, so I don't want to create confusion. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I feel that title doesn't capture the essence of the story anyway.
So, I'm back to square one, doing old-fashioned brainstorming in hopes of coming up with something that is 1) fitting 2) memorable and 3) unique...ish. The first one is definitely the most challenging.
(To those who suggested "Twenty Thousand MORE Leagues Under the Sea" and "Finding Nemo," thanks for the laughs.)
April 16, 2018
When Disaster Strikes...And You Don't Know It
I wrote the sequel to The Nautilus Legacy right after I wrote it, 26 years ago. About 15 years ago, I converted both texts to Word...and in the process, three chapters of the sequel got "eaten." I only discovered this last week as I began revising the book in preparation for publication.
Suddenly, I am forced to rewrite a significant sequence from memory alone, as my original floppy disks and backups had been trashed ages ago. Worse, I no longer had my original notes or reference materials.
Friends, don't try this at home--professional stunt writer. Well, for better or worse, I managed to get it done. I think my original was probably superior. (They usually are.) In about three days I went from horrified to relieved. I hate roller coasters.
Of course I'm making regular backups and crossing my fingers that no other unpleasant surprises are waiting for me further on.
Writers should create plot twists, not experience them.
Suddenly, I am forced to rewrite a significant sequence from memory alone, as my original floppy disks and backups had been trashed ages ago. Worse, I no longer had my original notes or reference materials.
Friends, don't try this at home--professional stunt writer. Well, for better or worse, I managed to get it done. I think my original was probably superior. (They usually are.) In about three days I went from horrified to relieved. I hate roller coasters.
Of course I'm making regular backups and crossing my fingers that no other unpleasant surprises are waiting for me further on.
Writers should create plot twists, not experience them.
April 10, 2018
Some Things You Just Can't Improve On
Remember in Star Trek: The Next Generation how everybody shared information on things that looked like iPads? And yet Captain Piccard kept a rather large book in his cabin.
The first computer filled an entire room. Now they fit in your hand. Or compare the Ford Model T with a Ford Mustang. But ever since Gutenberg invented moveable type and started printing, the book has stayed the same. A little bigger, a little smaller, but the same basic structure for over 500 years. Always portable, always ready to read, and easy to hold.
Some things you just can't improve on.
The first computer filled an entire room. Now they fit in your hand. Or compare the Ford Model T with a Ford Mustang. But ever since Gutenberg invented moveable type and started printing, the book has stayed the same. A little bigger, a little smaller, but the same basic structure for over 500 years. Always portable, always ready to read, and easy to hold.
Some things you just can't improve on.
April 1, 2018
Hunting Easter Eggs
Not just movies have so-called "Easter Eggs," hidden references to other things. On this Easter Sunday, I thought I'd reveal a few of the hidden eggs in "The Nautilus Legacy."
Mason - The US Navy ship is named for actor James Mason, who gave the definitive Captain Nemo performance in Disney's 1954 film.
Benjamin Goff - The minor character is named for Harper Goff, the Disney designer who created the best and most famous version of the submarine Nautilus.
Shorrock Hotel - A tip of the hat to Glenn Shorrock, the lead singer of Australia's Little River Band.
Tasmanian Devil - The salvage ship is named in part after Warner Brothers' cartoon "wild thing" Taz.
Anybody think they've found more?
Mason - The US Navy ship is named for actor James Mason, who gave the definitive Captain Nemo performance in Disney's 1954 film.
Benjamin Goff - The minor character is named for Harper Goff, the Disney designer who created the best and most famous version of the submarine Nautilus.
Shorrock Hotel - A tip of the hat to Glenn Shorrock, the lead singer of Australia's Little River Band.
Tasmanian Devil - The salvage ship is named in part after Warner Brothers' cartoon "wild thing" Taz.
Anybody think they've found more?
March 29, 2018
Back When Adventure Was...Adventure
"Talk about your book," my muse just said. Okay.
A sequel to an 1870 Jules Verne novel might seem a strange way to start a publishing career in the 21st Century. It certainly isn't the fast route to fame and fortune. But I think it serves a necessary purpose. As society ever rushes into a future of "new and better" with the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog on espresso, many good things get left behind.
There was a time when an adventure story meant something other than superheroes, killer robots, or exploding spaceships. The current generation will be poorer for not having been exposed to "Last of the Mohicans," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," or any number of other classic adventure tales.
I've been hopelessly out of fashion for most of my life. (I still listen to disco music.) So why worry about it extending to my writing? Trust me kids, there really were some good things about the "good old days." Especially our stories.
Proudly marching to the beat of a different writer (Barry Gibb?). Until next time.
A sequel to an 1870 Jules Verne novel might seem a strange way to start a publishing career in the 21st Century. It certainly isn't the fast route to fame and fortune. But I think it serves a necessary purpose. As society ever rushes into a future of "new and better" with the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog on espresso, many good things get left behind.
There was a time when an adventure story meant something other than superheroes, killer robots, or exploding spaceships. The current generation will be poorer for not having been exposed to "Last of the Mohicans," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," or any number of other classic adventure tales.
I've been hopelessly out of fashion for most of my life. (I still listen to disco music.) So why worry about it extending to my writing? Trust me kids, there really were some good things about the "good old days." Especially our stories.
Proudly marching to the beat of a different writer (Barry Gibb?). Until next time.
