Cameron Chapman's Blog, page 5

March 19, 2013

Is that a “donate” button?

You may notice that I’ve added a PayPal donate button to the bottom of posts appearing on this site. I thought it deserved a bit of explanation.


I don’t expect donations. I’m going to continue writing on this blog for as long as I feel like writing on this blog. But I’d like to be able to write more, and donations might allow me to do that.


Plus, this site does cost me money. I have hosting and admin costs. That’s money going out of my pocket every month. It’s not much, but then again, I wouldn’t expect to get much in the way of donations.


Don’t feel obligated to give me money. If you read this blog and enjoy it, that’s all I can ask for. Pass it along to your friends. Share it on Twitter or Facebook if you feel like it. Or just read it yourself when you have time.


But if you’ve enjoyed this blog, and you’ve found the content useful, and you have a couple dollars to spare and you feel like throwing them my way, now you have a simple way to do that.

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Published on March 19, 2013 14:40

March 3, 2013

My First Short Film is Now Live

I’ve finally made my first short film live. I finished the initial version last year, entered it into some festivals, didn’t get into any, and set it aside for awhile. Then I re-cut it and decided to put it up online, for the world to see. Terrifying, to say the least.


But here it is:



Here’s the description:




An experimental short.


The main goal here was to prove I could make a short all by myself (other than the music, I did everything from writing to acting to camera work to editing). My other goal was to create something that could evoke strong emotions from the viewer. I think I accomplished that.


Music: “Opening Credits” and “Sundown”, both by johnny_ripper and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike v3.0 License.

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Published on March 03, 2013 12:27

Book Three in The Steam and Steel Chronicles is Now Here!

So it’s been almost two years since I released anything in The Steam and Steel Chronicles, but the third novella is now live on Amazon! The Quest for the Demon Disconcerter is only $2.99! Here’s the blurb:


The American West has been a new frontier for Captain Stig Rayner and Miss Isabelle Feeney Hemsworth and their joint business venture. And the fact that they can work together and yet still avoid one another is a nice bonus.


But unexpected news drives a wedge between them that just might push them apart for good. The return of am estranged family member only adds to the tension.


An attack on Isabelle’s life and livelihood may not be enough to bring them back together, though counsel from a wise elder just might be. In the end, the chance they’ve always wanted might finally come, but is the price too high?


The Quest for the Demon Disconcerter follows Stig and Isabelle through what could be the most tumultuous time in their years-long journey to find peace together.


Check it out and leave a review if you want!


It should be live on Barnes & Noble in another day or two. It will be available on Smashwords soon (I still have to do the formatting for that one).

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Published on March 03, 2013 11:18

November 21, 2012

THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

I first heard about The Next Big Thing Blog Hop on a Facebook writer’s group, when Kimberly Menozzi posted to ask if anyone was interested in participating. I had no clue what it was, so of course I jumped right in with both feet! ‘Cause what else could I possibly do?


Kim sent me the basics of what the NBT Blog Hop is (I’d done a similar one years and years ago when I first started blogging).


Basically, it’s an Independent Authors game of tag.


One author posts, and then tags five other authors, who each link back to them. Exponentially it is a marketing gold mine, and you my fair reader have hopefully just increased your to-read list. Finding new and exciting authors you may never have found otherwise. Some of us are still writing, others are just being released.


Either way, for you Fiction Lovers, a treasure trove awaits and I’d like to thank fellow Author Kimberly Menozzi for tagging me to participate.


Click the links to find out about Kimberly’s books.

Blog | Purchase link | Twitter


In this particular hop I and my fellow authors each in their perspective blogs have answered 10 questions where you get to learn about our current WIP (Works in Progress) as well as some goodies as to our process, from characters and inspirations to photographic/ cinematic eye candy! I hope you enjoy it!


If this or any other items pique your interest, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions.


HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS
1: What is the working title of your book?

The next women’s fiction book I have coming out is tentatively titled Something in the End. It’s a project I started more than three years ago, after completing Hold My Hand (which was released last year). I still consider it one of the best things I’ve written.


2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

It was a multi-part process to come up with the idea. The basic premise came from this question: What if you met your soulmate, but they were already in love with someone else? It’s a great question, and I think it happens all too often. People fall in love with a person they think is perfect for them, they get married, they have children, and then they meet someone who they just click with, and who makes them question everything they’ve believed to that point.


I’ve always had this love affair with the northeaster coast of North America, from Maine northward through the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador. I’ve explored the coasts of Maine, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but haven’t made it any further north than that. So of course I decided to set the book in Newfoundland, which I’ve only ever seen in pictures and movies.


The characters just came to me, as they always do.


3: What genre does your book fall under?

It’s women’s fiction, though there’s a strong romance element to it.


4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This one’s easy for me. I always cast my books when I start writing, as it makes it easier for me to make the characters come alive. On that note, here are the actors I’ve always pictured.


Cass (the protagonist): Kate Winslet


Cass


Dave (Cass’s husband): Matthew Fox


Dave


Grady (the other main character): Hugh Jackman


Grady


Tessa (Grady’s wife): Charlize Theron


Tessa


5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

I’m always horrible at these. The original one I used was the question that served as the basis for the book: “What if you fell in love with the wrong person and then the right one showed up years later?”


6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published. I’m not a fan of legacy publishing, though there are a lot of good independent and small presses out there. But I enjoy the entire process, so I love self-publishing my books.


7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This took me longer than basically any other book I’ve written. I worked on it for a couple weeks, and then posted part of it to Authonomy. I got one very discouraging comment that literally made me cry (only time that’s ever happened when I’ve had my work criticized), and shelved it for nearly a year. But then I took it back out and decided to finish it. It took me another week or two to finish up the first draft.


I’m so glad I did finish it. I can’t remember if I submitted it to Nathan Bransford’s Page Critique Monday before or after I finished it, but I got what was possibly one of the most favorable critiques he’s ever done. It really boosted my confidence in the whole book. I’ll be editing the book soon, and hope to get it released sometime in 2013.


8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m really bad at comparing my books to other books. I guess I’d compare it to my other book, Hold My Hand. Which I know is a total cop-out, but it’s the best I can do.


9: Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I get inspiration from everywhere and everyone. I don’t think I could pinpoint where it came from…


10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Something in the End touches on some very sensitive subjects: parenthood, infidelity, betrayal, friendship, illness, love, and just how much we should consider other people when deciding what is best for us.


So this section was supposed to read: “Below you will find authors, who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!”


Except I suck at planning ahead and didn’t actually find anyone who wanted to participate. Because I suck. (Okay, not really, but I have to be hard on myself sometimes.) So instead, I’m just going to open up the comments to any fiction or creative non-fiction indie authors out there who want to plug their books. Rules: include up to three links (I’d recommend your own blog, a link to purchase your book, and a link to your Goodreads or Facebook profile). No spam. No books other than creative non-fiction or fiction. And I reserve the right to not approve your comment if I choose to do so, or to remove one or more links from your comment if I feel they’re inappropriate or of low quality or for any other reason.

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Published on November 21, 2012 05:00

October 31, 2012

AH! NaNoWriMo Starts in 12 Hours and I have No Story Idea!

Maybe you’ve just heard about NaNoWriMo and you think it’s too late to join this year, since it starts in 12 hours. Or maybe you thought you had an idea and now you hate it and the thought of writing it makes you throw up just a little bit in your mouth.


Don’t let a little thing like not having a story idea prevent you from participating in NaNoWriMo. It’s just an excuse, not a real reason. So, just so that you can’t use it as an excuse, I’ve come up with a little guide to coming up with a story idea in the next 12 hours.


Side note: The first year I did NaNo, I didn’t start until November 3rd! And I still managed to get 90,000 words done during the month! So I don’t want to hear “it’s too late!”


1. Start With a Concept

This is kind of like a theme, but not quite. The concept for The Difference Between Flying and Falling was the idea that just because two people love each other with all their hearts doesn’t mean they won’t be shitty to each other and hurt each other. That gave me the basis for the rest of the story.


One way to come up with your concept is to start asking yourself “What if…?” questions. What if someone started leaving anonymous gifts on your front porch? What if dragons were real but only kids could see them? What if pigs could fly? What if someone hated ice cream?


2. Create a Mashup

This is kind of how I came up with the idea for my other NaNoWriMo project, Music for the End of the World. It’s a mashup of Firefly, Tank Girl, Mad Max, and The Road, with some steampunk elements thrown in for good measure. Think about some of your favorite stories, whether they’re books, TV shows, movies, or something else, and think of what might result if you combined them.


3. Retell an Old Story

Pick your favorite classic or fairy tale and retell it. Give it a modern twist, or set it in a different time period (Cinderella in the Great Depression, anyone?), change the gender of the main character, transform it into a different genre (sci-fi Pride & Prejudice, maybe?), or make any other changes you think could make it better/awesomer/wordier.


Related: Write fan fiction for a modern story. Just realize you won’t be able to publish it.


4. Visit the NaNoWriMo Adoption Society

The NaNoWriMo Adoption Society is the most wonderful part of the entire forums, as far as I’m concerned. There are adoption threads for everything you could possibly think of, including entire plots. This is where I got the titles for both of my projects this year.


5. Look at the News

This is particularly effective if you want to write a tragedy. Or something that’s completely unbelievable.


6. Give a Familiar Trope a New Spin

TV Tropes is a great place to get ideas. See what’s already been done and give it a new twist. Combine completely unrelated tropes and see what happens.


7. Check Out Your Friends’ Facebook Timelines for Juicy Ideas

Okay, this is potentially a great way to ruin some friendships if you don’t change a lot of details. But have you ever really looked at the drama that people broadcast on Facebook? From a writer’s perspective, it’s kinda awesome.


8. Brainstorm or Free Write for 15 Minutes

Write down absolutely everything that comes to mind, no matter how stupid or pointless it seems. See if any great ideas pop up.


Related: Go for a long walk or drive and let your mind wander. Go down roads you’ve never been on before.


9. Reverse an Expectation

Take a familiar character or situation, and look at it from the opposite perspective. Make an unlikely character your protagonist (or villain). Make something happen in an unlikely place. See where this takes you. Probably the most famous example of this kind of writing is Wicked (The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view).


Bonus: Create a Step Outline

Once you have your idea, you may want to create a very basic outline to help guide you throughout November. Here’s what to include:


Inciting Incident/Call to Action: This is what gets the story started.


End of Act I: A high-conflict story that falls about a quarter of the way through the story.


Midpoint: This should be another high-conflict scene.


End of Act II: A major, high-stakes test that propels the story toward the climax.


Climax: The last conflict scene, where the story’s outcome is decided.


This gives you points to aim for throughout the story. Just don’t be afraid to change it as you write, if you feel the need to.

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Published on October 31, 2012 09:00

A Playlist for NaNoWriMo

Music is a huge part of my creative process. It inspires me in so many ways, more so than any other creative medium. So for each novel or screenplay I write, I like to compile a playlist that I think matches the tone, feel, and story of whatever it is I’m writing, to listen to while I’m working. I listen to it at other times, too, to get the creativity flowing.


For NaNoWriMo this year, I have two projects, and so far I’ve only come up with a playlist for one (The Difference Between Flying and Falling). I’ll come up with one for the other novel I’m working on as I start writing it, as the tone for the two projects is very, very different.


I use Spotify for pretty much all of my music now (for $10 a month I get access to almost every bit of music I could ever want to listen to, plus I can use my own local music files). This particular playlist was largely derived from a playlist created by Nathan Savin Scott for Thought Catalog, titled The Prettiest Songs of All Time. I also added a lot of other songs to it, and removed a lot of songs from it, to come up with a playlist that’s got nearly 50 songs on it (much longer than any I’ve created in the past for a project).


Since I know not everyone has or wants Spotify, I’ve embedded the player below so you can all enjoy.

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Published on October 31, 2012 07:25

October 24, 2012

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo 2012!

National Novel Writing Month 2012 (aka NaNoWriMo or just NaNo) starts in just over a week: November 1st! This will be my fifth year doing NaNo, and hopefully my fourth win. I’ve been slacking on my fiction writing this year, but am really getting back into things now. I’ve got the third book in The Steam and Steel Chronicles nearly done (I’ll be starting on revisions to the fourth likely after NaNo). And I’ve got two ideas I’ll be working on during NaNo.


I’m doing something a little different this year: I’m going to be a NaNo rebel! I’ll be starting the month working on a screenplay: The Difference Between Flying and Falling (hereafter known as TDBFAF). The title was actually taken from a NaNoWriMo “Adopt a Title” thread. TDBFAF is going to be about two people who deeply love each other. But just because they’re absolutely in love doesn’t mean that they have it easy, or that they don’t hurt each other. In fact, I think because they’re so in love, they maybe hurt each other more. It’s going to be a super-low-budget feature, with only a handful of characters and a couple of sets.


Now, since screenplays usually only run 13,000 – 19,000 words, I’m obviously going to need to do more than just one project to reach 50,000 words before December 1st. That’s why I’ll be working on a novel after TDBFAF is complete. The novel will be titled Music For the End of the World (another title I lifted from the same “Adopt a Title” thread, hereafter known as MFEW), and will be post-apocalyptic sci-fantasy. I’m pretty excited about this one. It’s an idea that just came to me as I was reading through the adoption threads on the NaNo forums. It’s kind of a mix between Firefly, Mad Max, Tank Girl, and The Road.


As anyone who’s followed this blog for long knows, I like to “cast” my projects before I start working on them. It solidifies the characters in my head and makes them come alive. I haven’t cast MFEW yet, but I have cast TDBFAF. Here’s who I’m picturing in the three main roles:


Johnny Depp


Who doesn’t love Johnny Depp? (If you don’t, just leave my blog now. I have nothing further to say to you. I’m not kidding.) As far as I’m concerned he’s the most talented actor of his generation, and as an aspiring filmmaker, it would be my dream to work with him someday. And from what I remember, I don’t think I’ve ever based a character on him before. Here’s another good pic:


Johnny Depp


So that’s how I picture my main male character, whose current name is Ray (sometimes I change character names once I start writing, if they take on a different persona). On to the main female character, currently named Virginia:


Christina Hendricks


That’s a very innocent-looking Christina Hendricks. I think she’s probably one of the most beautiful women alive today, as well as a phenomenal actress. And someone else I’d LOVE to work with in the future. Here’s another pic:


Christina Hendricks


Absolutely gorgeous. And I think she and Johnny Depp make quite the fetching couple.


There’s one other female supporting character, currently named Stacy (pretty sure this one is going to change once I start writing), who has a large role in the story. I’m not going to say what that role is, but I will show you how I picture her:



Jordana Brewster, another gorgeous and talented lady.


So there are my main characters. There are some other supporting characters who will cameo in the screenplay (I can picture Mickey Rourke as the pervy landlord or Kathy Bates as the main character’s boss), but I’m not going to bother casting them all ahead of time.


I’m really excited about this screenplay, as I really feel like the story is the pinnacle of what I want to write. It’s exactly the kind of thing story that I love to read and watch, and I hope I can make it as magical on paper (and later on screen) as it is in my head right now. Only time will tell.


Feel free to share your NaNo project for this year in the comments! And be sure to check out My Guide to Surviving NaNoWriMo, from last year if you’re new to NaNo.


UPDATE: If you want to follow my progress for NaNo this year, you can do so on my author Facebook page, here. I’m going to try to post daily updates, and might even post some excerpts.

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Published on October 24, 2012 10:02

September 20, 2012

I ♥ Hugs

A hug is the shortest distance between friends. —Author Unknown


I will not play tug o’ war. I’d rather play hug o’ war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins. —Shel Silverstein


I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time. —Drew Barrymore


I’m a hugger. I LOVE hugs. Pretty much, if you don’t smell bad and you aren’t all sweaty and dirty (or, depending on who you are, even if you are sweaty and dirty…), I want a hug from you.


For some reason, though, I don’t come across as a hugger. People seem hesitant to offer me a hug. I used to be bad at hugging (or so one of my closest friends told me, though not as nicely as that), but I’ve made a real effort to be better at it, because I like really like hugs. I like hugging, I like being hugged.


I’ve gotten better about just asking for hugs. Luckily, 99% of my friends are also huggers.


I’ve wondered why I like hugs so much. I mean, there are people out there who just aren’t huggers. There are people who don’t like physical contact. I’m not one of those people.


The quotes above really say something about how I feel about hugs. Especially the Shel Silverstein one. (Side note: the Drew Barrymore quote doesn’t quite make sense, as with two arms for each hug, she’d only be able to hug 4 people at a time, and even if she only did the one-arm-hug, which I hate unless it’s for purely practical reasons like your other arm or hand is full of things, it’s still only 8 people, but I digress.) Maybe it’s because I’m now living alone for the first time in my entire life, but I crave human contact at times. Hugs, kisses, hand-holding, etc. are all great things, and I feel like they’re things we can never get enough of. But while kisses and hand-holding are often reserved for more romantic relationships (though not always), hugs are universal.


Hugs can be fine with people you just met or people you’ve known your whole life. They work whether you love someone or like someone or just think someone might be worth getting to know. Hell, you can even hug your enemies and it can be nice.


I guess what I’m trying to get at is that I like hugs. I have some friends who are really good huggers, too (a couple of people instantly come to mind). While virtually all hugs are nice, some people just seem to have a natural affinity for the act. Those are the people I always try to get hugs from, whenever I see them. (These people probably don’t know I’m talking about them, if they were even to read this, but I’d gladly tell them they were the best huggers I know if they asked.)


Okay, and here’s something that’s probably going to get me some hate email/comments, but here goes. In my personal experience, men are better huggers. I’ve got some female friends who give good hugs, but guys tend to squeeze you a little tighter, and I guess a lot of the time it just feels more genuine. It’s not an attraction thing, as it’s true of friends and family, too. I’m sure there are women out there who give hugs that are just as good as the best male huggers, I’m just not sure I’ve met any of them. And who knows, maybe good female-to-female hugs are impossible due to the whole boob thing (those suckers get in the way of a lot of things).


Hugs from people you’re close to are even better than just random hugs, though. Getting a hug from a close friend can just instantly brighten your day. As it should. I mean, that’s kind of the point of a hug, right? To make you feel good.

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Published on September 20, 2012 18:13

September 10, 2012

It’s been a few months…

Any of you who have followed this site for long will notice the new theme. It’s Adelle from BluChic. At some point I’m going to design a completely custom theme for this site, but I just have not had time. I’m more worried about other projects I have going, rather than spending time on the design for this blog. It’s not a design blog, so I’m not really concerned with how original it is. I just want it to be readable and pretty.


My writing has suffered this summer. I’ve been more focused on my social life, to be honest. I spent my time recharging and recuperating from the events of the past year or so, and am starting to get the itch to write again. I’ve got a screenplay in the works, which I’ll hopefully be finishing in the next month or so. I’m also copyediting a friend’s book at the moment. And as soon as that’s done, I’m going to do the final copyedits on the last two books of The Steam and Steel Chronicles and get those out, hopefully before the end of the year.


Right now I’m waiting to hear back from four film festivals regarding the short film I made last winter, This Is All You Left Me. I’ll hear from all of them by the end of this month. Fingers crossed I make it into at least one. (If anyone is interested, the four festivals are the Hamptons International Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, New Hampshire Film Festival, and Portland Maine Film Festival; the first two are long shots, but the second two I think I have a reasonable shot at.)


I’m going to be changing the focus of this blog a bit. I’ll still post about writing, but I’m going to take a more personal slant going forward, as well as talk about other professional pursuits (including web design and development, filmmaking, and possibly another business I’m looking into). And hopefully I won’t wait another two and a half months before posting again.

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Published on September 10, 2012 19:40

June 25, 2012

An Idea I’m Releasing Into the World

This is a completely off-topic post, but something that I think a lot of people would appreciate.


Have you ever wanted to create a playlist for an event, like a party or whatever, and you spend hours putting songs into a playlist only to then have to figure out what order they should go in. That’s even more time-consuming than finding the music in the first place.


What if there was an app that would analyze the music in that playlist and then arrange it so that one song could easily flow into the next. It could be based on things like tempo but also on things like genre and artist. And of course, after it rearranges all your music, you could then manually change things around if you wanted, too.


Anyway, since I’m not an app developer and likely will never have time to put something like this together, I’m releasing the idea into the wild. If someone does take this idea and run with it, I’d love to hear about it (or even beta test it!), so please let me know! Or, if there’s an app like this out there and I just don’t know about it, let me know that, too!

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Published on June 25, 2012 19:09