C.M. Hindmarsh's Blog, page 3

The Rules of Horror?

I don't know about other bloggers but the purpose of mine is both to entertain and to educate. I'm no expert, in terms of fictional writing, but I do have decades of experience as a film script writer and feel compelled to help other writers out when given the opportunity. So, take my advice with a skeptical mind and find out if it works and is true for you.

Frankly, I don't give a rats ass whether you take my advice or not. Some will and some won't. Some will be determined to criticize me and try and prove how much better their advice is than mine.

Why, there's one of them now at the edge of the diving board screaming, "Mom, MOM look at me mom! I'm so much smarter than CM!" To which I and their mother exhaustedly reply, "That's nice dear."

Today, I thought I would tackle the rules of horror or more accurately - debunking the rules of horror. In a nutshell, there are no rules! Thanks for stopping by and see you next time.

Oh, I wouldn't do that. Just leave you hanging like that. I'll do that at the end of my next novel! lol.

As I'm a member of a few horror writer and book promo groups on fartbook - I read a lot of questions from new writers and would be writers that haven't put pen to paper yet. A recurring theme that I've observed is: Can I do this? Do I have to adhere to this? What do you guys think about this?

The answer is quite simple in all cases, do whatever you damn well please! And stop trying to pander to other writers to win their favour and boost your self-worth. You're worthy enough, aren't you?

To hell with other writers and what they think!

I know, I know - life is full of paradox - but let me have my fun.

As I said so cheekily early on, there are no rules.

If your vampire only drinks blood through a bamboo straw, for environmental reasons, then write it that way. I chose a vampire example on purpose because that genre has been written in countless directions in an attempt to create originality.

Authors keep trying to re-invent and refresh.

#CharlaineHarris

created good ole boy vamps from the south.

#WhitleyStrieber

created the uber cool goths of #TheHunger.

So be original!

Don't follow any trends unless you are a money-grubbing demon solely interested in making a quick buck and thereby forfeiting your immortal soul. See my blog https://www.cmhindmarshbooks.com/post/there-is-no-thought-of-money-here for more on money.

You don't need anyones permission to break the rules. Rules are meant to be broken. The more original you can be, the more your writing will stand out.

Unfortunately, this type of uncertainty and need to question your every move is Science's fault!

As science is now entrenched as the new religion, the scientific priests demand adherence to scientific fact and principal. I'm also a film and tv scriptwriter and I've been amazed at how many writers demand that one sticks to the rules.

But let's make one thing crystal clear.

Fictional writing, be it novel or film script, does not have to make scientific sense.

Why do you think they call it 'suspension or belief' and 'escapism'? People read and watch film to escape the reality of the really real world. No one wants the fictional world to be regimented and fact-checked to death!

So, just piss off science! Go jump off a cliff and at least prove the existence of gravity. Even though it's just a theory with no provable opposing force which makes density and buoyancy far more believable. But I digress.

I'm not anti-science by any means. Believe it or not, in my younger years I was a scientist working in a lab, as a consultant and with the government. But I got better. Whew!

So, to wrap things all up - there are no rules or regiment to follow. Follow your imagination wherever that leads you. Be original and strive to be different or add a new spin to an existing genre. You can't be wrong if your write your own truth.

Bela Lugosi's Dead Undead

The vampire horror genre just never dies - no matter how many stakes one drives through it's undead heart. And it's had reason to die in these modern times where nothing is sacred or beyond lampooning.

The genre started well before Bram Stoker applied ink to paper but that's just as good a place as any to begin.

Dracula, in my humble opinion, cannot be touched is terms of being the preeminent vampire novel. Beautifully written as a series of letters which immediately tells you everything you need to know about the letter writer's character. And as the action is written in letter form then there is a delicious delay knowing that the meat of the story comes from the memories of the main characters. The main characters are forced to relive their horror once more in order to convey the information to the recipients of the letters. And Stoker ups the suspense even more for the reader and letter recipient due to the postal timeline of the period when Johnathon's letter wouldn't have reached poor Mina for months.

And what about the star of the book? Is Dracula number one in terms of best vampires?

Well, yes and no. He is the ultimate villain and has no saving graces. He seems to be more animal, intent on satisfying all of his dark cravings with little or no regard to the feelings or lives of others. Humans are tools to be used and consumed. So, if Stoker wanted the reader to despise his main ghoul - he succeeded!

However, this is also Dracula's only flaw. I can find no reason to empathize with the darkest of characters nor does he have any redeeming qualities or characteristics. He is a cruel killing machine and for that reason - one dimensional.

So, there is the crux of this post. If your monster has no humanity or trace thereof and you can't find any reason to feel sorry for him/her/it then your monster sucks! ( see what I did there? )

Perhaps there is a vampire that meets my criteria for being a proper demon?

Anne Rice has been in the exsanguination game for decades and surely she has had a character or two worthy of my praise.

Who doesn't like or at least feel empathy for Lestat? A loveable vampire that lures you in with his charms until you drop your guard and he strikes! What a bastard, why did he do that? He looks like a human and for the most part acts like one but never forget he has the blood of a demon coursing through his veins. Okay, not really coursing as his heart doesn't beat but stop being so picky!

Lestat is a terrific character who is both loved and hated by both humans and vampires and we feel empathy towards him because of his past and because he just really wants to do good but frequently gets thwarted and gets in his own way. He is flawed and we love him for it!

What about Stephanie Meyer?

What about...?

Just kidding. I think Stephanie is a great writer and holy smoke did she nail the brooding teenage vampire.

Edward gives angst a bad name. Talk about sullen! Since I'm not a teenager, I really didn't get Edward that much and I really didn't like him as a character or feel empathy toward him. So, he wouldn't be in my top five. He's all empathy but no monster.

Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's vampires, on the other hand, are all monster!

Of all the vampire types, The Master and all the hive are probably the most disgusting! Pissing on everything, brutally killing and those freakin worms! Gross! The Master is a strong contender and I can empathize with him and how he was created but he fails my litmus test because he is so unhuman. He wouldn't fit in at a nice tea shop sipping Earl Grey and nibbling on cucumber sandwiches. He couldn't because of his physical appearance and because anything besides blood is off the menu. Great series though If you like apocalyptic vampire mayhem.

But let me get right to numero uno and remember this is just my opinion.

My number one pick for best vampire is Eli from John Ajvide Lindqvist's ' Let the Right One In '.

What better choice for a vampire than someone who looks like a child! How dark and juicy is that? Eli is the creme de la creme in numerous ways and that's what makes her my top pick.

As I mentioned, she looks like a child and an innocent one at that. So sweet, you just want to hand her a cookie and then wonder why she bit your hand off. And who would suspect a child of drinking the town dry? No one.

Eli has a very disturbing back story which would melt the heart of even the most callous reader so she ticks all the 'creates empathy' boxes easily.

Because Eli is a vampire and doesn't age, she doesn't have any friends and tries not to get attached as she needs to move from town to town to remain anonymous and not attract any suspicion. That must be a hard life and a lonely one, no?

Then she meets Oskar and everything changes. We even root for her and him to become friends even though she is a monster capable of gruesome and cruel acts and we even think that turning Oskar might not be a bad idea. Come on you can admit it!

Eli is the preeminent vampire because of her humanity and how we feel about her. Whereas, we wanted good to triumph over Dracula and stake the mean old bastard, we cheer Eli on and forgive all her sins because Lindqvist has done such an exquisite job creating the loveable monster.

There is no thought of money here!

Since publishing my latest collection of short stories THE FORGOTTEN, I have joined a few forums and fartbook pages. I joined for a number of reasons. Writing, by it's very nature, is very isolating and I wanted to feel a sense of community - even if it's only virtual. I also like to help other creatives whenever I can and have the time with questions and opinions though I do not profess to be an expert by any means. And lastly to flog my collection of short stories, THE FORGOTTEN. There, I admit my unabashed self-promotion.

And in those forums and pages I see some rather curious patterns arising over and over again.

Someone will post something like, "I haven't written a single word yet but was wondering if I'd make more money publishing and distributing with blah, blah?"

One chap wondered, "if I keep getting negative reviews and am not making any money - should I pack it in?" This post really got my attention so I replied(because I'm an expert) and asked him just what his motivation for writing was and that money wasn't a very good one. Dear oh dear, did I get a lot of flack for that! The nerve of little ole me, defaming the money God right there on the internet! Well, after I was thoroughly spat and pissed on by the experts on said sites - I had a shower, brewed up some lapsang souchong and sat all alone crying and listening to Morrissey!

Thoroughly caffeinated and all cried out, I began to think about one's motivation for writing and in particular - mine!

Please don't strike me down, oh so cruel God of money, but you are the last thing that would motivate me to write creatively. The very thought repulses me!

If your goal, from the get go, is to make money through your writing then go to school and become a technical writer. There are many directions you can go in and lots and lots of money to go around.

So then, what would be the first thing?

Easy! The need to express myself through the creative outlet of writing.

Perhaps I've seen some interesting news on fartbook that has sparked my creative lightning rod. Perhaps I saw a picture from a far away land that stirred a memory from a different timeline. Perhaps I saw the pandemic as nothing more than a magicians slight-of-hand and wondered what the magician's other hand was up to.

The point is, that my first and most important motivation to write is that I need to express myself and the only way I know or want to express it is through creative writing. It can be personal, it can political, it can be a crazy idea you've carried around in your head for years and finally you found the catalyst to marry your crazy idea to a story.

There is no thought of money here!

Or perhaps you are fed up! How many writers are busily cranking out pages about covid or police violence or the global pedophilia epidemic that no one seems to give a toss about.

You see, why I'm getting worked up right now thinking about new plots!

There is no thought of money here!

Now, your motivation and mine are probably quite different.

If your motivation is to make money, then in my non-expert opinion, you are screwed before you even put pen to paper. Don't get me wrong I like money, It's a valuable tool that creates opportunity. But it's a terrible motivational tool.

Write for yourself. Write because you want to and write because you have something to say.

Write for the spectacular joy of creating something! Never stop writing and always, always, always strive to become a better writer. Find your unique voice and sing damn it!

But sing for the joy of singing not some fanciful ideal that your going to write a book and be a huge success! It could happen but statistics, spreadsheets and common sense says no. I will be the first to congratulate you if you make it big and I wish you good luck.

Write because you have a voice and you have the desire to share it.

There is no thought of money here!

The lonely darkness

I think everyone has one of those friends, or at least acquaintances, that appears to stay positive all the time. No matter what happens to them or in the world, they always manage to tie a pretty pink bow on everything and turn those frowns upside down.

There is a modern saying, "never trust a junkie." It's not that junkies are bad or untrustworthy, it's just that they can't help themselves. The scorpion and the frog parable comes to mind.

I'd like to introduce a new modern saying , "never trust someone who's always happy." It's not that people who are happy are bad or untrustworthy, it's just that they can't help themselves.

Some of you may be thinking that surely a person who is very zen or uber spiritual could be happy all the time. And then I would reply, " what a load of shite!" If you still reside on the earth plain then you haven't achieved divine enlightenment and still have to follow the earthly playbook. And that is perfectly fine and part of my musings today.

There is a reason that the yin and yang symbol is black and white. It's the duality of our existence, male and female, dark and light. To deny one is to deny one half of yourself. That's a lot! And of course, you are not perfectly balanced all the time. Throughout your day you should switch back and forth depending on the circumstances. Angry one moment, joyful the next, sad or frustrated. But definitely not happy all the time.

And that my friends is why people who embrace their darkness are far more balanced than those ' happy all the time ' freaks! That's why we read horror and watch horror and write horror. That's why we purposefully watch scary movies in dimly lit rooms and scare the crap out of ourselves. Isn't that the time we feel most alive? And the bonus factor is that it's not real and there is no physical threat to our lives. But our minds don't realize that and react as if the situation is real - what fun!

I, personally, embrace my darkness. We have a very healthy relationship. I brood, I anger, I sadden, I despair. I love scary things, sad things and dystopian futures. And I love to read and watch creations with these themes. I believe I am a balanced person and attribute that balance to embracing the dark and the light. Of course, one can go to the dark extreme as well like nihilism. Been there, done that and got the tee shirt! At one point I was a member of a fairly dark industrial band and that type of nihilistic scene attracted me. I remember thinking, this is crazy - I don't hate everything anymore and decided a more balanced approach was the way to go. Funny, now I can hardly stand that style of music.

So, to wrap up, give your dark side a hug now and then because it gets lonely. Embrace your darkness as much as you embrace the light.

And for those of you that are happy all the time - get help - you're sick!

Skill testing questions/ebook giveaway

I'm hosting another party today on the facebook. This one will ne short and sweet at 30 minutes. Yes there will be virtual cake and ice cream and a free virtual bar.

I'm going to giveaway a few ebooks, if of course you can answer some skill testing questions. There will be a Q & A and I will probably read from my book if time permits.

It all happens at 3 pm eastern time.

Have a delightful day.

https://www.facebook.com/events/237580637694101

Musings on Magic

Have you ever experienced a truly magical event? Someone performing magic? Of course, I'm not talking about some person in a smarmy velvet suit coat doing slight-of-hand with a deck of cards. Though, I admit, that certainly takes a great deal of skill and sure is fun.

I'm really talking about true magic, magic that taps into the natural energies all around us. The energies of nature, other worlds and the mind and spirit.

If you answered no, never! Or, that's impossible superstitious mumbo jumbo! Then there is a reason you haven't witnessed such things - you don't believe or at the very least you're not open to the possibility. Too bad for you as you are missing out on a great and wonderful life. And it might be fair to say that you are only living a small portion of your potential. But your reasons and how you live your life is your business and if it sounds like I'm being critical, I am not.

My nephew, at the wise old age of nine, has fierce debunking opinions already. Suffice it to say, that if Victor Frankenstein moved into the vacant castle at the end of the street, my nephew would be handing out torches and pitchforks. Odd that he is so vehemently anti-magic at such a young age as no one in his environment has any magical prejudice as far as I know. Must be from another life?

Which brings up my next talking point - where has all the magic gone? Short answer is, it hasn't gone anywhere. Magic is still all around us and in us, it's the belief in magic that has been clobbered out of us by white coated scientists wielding carnival sized mallets!

Science is our new religion and scientists the new Gods.

It would seem that if science can't explain it then it just doesn't exist.

Now, I'm not saying science doesn't have it's place or isn't important. I do take issue with the reliance on stubborn, traditional and outdated beliefs that scientists hold on to and refuse to acknowledge might be wrong. Take the tides of the oceans and the seas for example. Science holds on to the ridiculous and quite unscientific belief that the moon influences the tides of the earth's oceans via gravitational force.

What?

A puny little body like the moon is exerting more gravitational force that the giant(in comparison) earth's gravitational force? Give me a break! Oh well, that's what we've always believed and God forbid we stick our professional necks out and risk ridicule and ostracism.

Anyone heard of some dude named Tesla?

I shall stop myself here, lest I go off on a jaunty rant.

But that's the crux of my musings today.

Magic exists if you are open to the possibility.

And magic is relative.

My idea of magic and your idea are probably quite different.

When and where I see magic is not the same time and place you will see it.

To be open to possibility, to live a life where nothing is impossible, now that is truly living. There is not just one crossroads to ponder in that life - there is an infinite number.

The Promotion Commotion

Now that the book is launched, at least the ebook, my focus turns to the promo plan.

If you think you can just slap your book on Amazon and wait for the royalties to start pouring

then you'll be waiting for a long, long time.

The competition is fierce and rising above the millions of authors vying for top spot is a challenge and a commitment.

If you have been reading this blog, probably just me and my dog - who's dead by the way, you'll know that I had put a few promotional ideas into play to coincide with the official launch date of May 01, 2020. I advertised on facebook and on google ads simultaneously and organized a launch party Q & A on the facebook.

I think it's a bit early to see any results from the ads. However, you can certainly reach a ton of people. Facebook for example reached over 100,000 people in one week and over a thoudand people clicked on the link. So I will wait and see if those clicks translate into sales, offers of marriage or people wanting to pay for my dogs funeral as he's starting to reek!

The live feed launch party went well - great in fact! It wasn't well attended though. A few people have given more some disturbing feedback about accessibility to the live feed. In short, there wasn't any. I would have thought that facebook would have made the live feed foolproof and that joining my feed would be a short click away. Sadly, this was not so and I will have to courier the remains of my dead dog to their head office, care of Mark Zuckerberg.

Next on the promotional agenda is to tweak my ads based on my results and run a few more campaigns until I get dialed into my greatest potential audience. I aslo need some reviews from someone other than my hair dresser and dog who is not saying much these days.

Have a great week.

The BIG Day

Happy Beltane one and all!

Today is the officially launch of my collection of short stories entitled ' The Forgotten ". Very exciting and I'm looking forward to the facebook Q & A later today. The first of many I hope.

What a mix of emotions today, relief, joy and accomplishment and a well earned weekend of doing as little as possible and recovering from the stress. Still wish I had a hardcopy in my hand to show off but that did will come.

I'm going to keep it short today as I have a few things to get ready for the live video at 2 pm. Speaking of video, here's the trailer for the book I created this week. Hope you like it and feedback is always welcome.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/77cae1_90e5a1d8555f49c9863171583e195952/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Want to come to the Launch Party?

This Friday May 01, 2020 (Beltane for all you pagans) I will be hosting a Q & A launch party for The Forgotten on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/forgottenbeasties/

You are most welcome to attend as long as you like and follow me on facebook. I think it's going to be jolly good fun and who knows how deep or shallow we will get - it all depends on how much the audience interacts.

Admittedly, it would have been much more fun rejoicing together in a physical location but alas mainstream media has forced our hand.

I'm pretty open to topics though I would like to limit subjects to the book, self-publishing, writing, inspiration and so on. But then again who knows! It's never a wise idea in any creative pursuit to hold fast to your original plan but to flow like water.

I thought I might read an excerpt to liven things up midway through the hour. I may even wear my tinfoil hat!

Hope to see you there on friday. Or at least your texting during the party as only I get to be seen and heard live.

7 Freakin Days

One week from today, 'The Forgotten' goes live on Amazon. The ebook that is.

What a glorious and miserable experience it's been thus far soo to culminate in the official launch and the accolades to follow. One can only hope.

As my brother so aptly put recently, I've stepped on all the mine fields along the way. Just this past week, I've spent hours upon hours on the phone with facebook help etc trying to fix dead links as a result of Amazon's covid-19 shipping policy(see past blogs for the sordid details)

However, when I think of all the hard lessons I've learned and the why's and why nots of self publishing - it's been worth it. To be honest it doesn't feel that way right now but in the future I have all that knowledge in my medicine bag. Right now, if I could I would spend three months in a remote getaway in Thailand and not speak to anyone, interact with anyone - just relax, play outside and day dream.