Joseph Hunt's Blog, page 20

Chronicle: a Wet Dream!

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The second post of the day! What's that I hear? Are those cried from my amazing readers. I didn't know you felt this way about my blog.



(I'm actually posting this today, on Thursday, but it's going down as being posted on Wednesday like a good blog post.)



I went to the cinema the other day with my friend and I'd been really excited to see this film, and I'm still quite buzzed about it now.



In my opinion Chronicle is a bullied teenage boy's wet dream! It's the daydream of a lot of people to be able to do the things that the three characters in the poster can do.



I enjoyed the storyline and I enjoyed the characters and their development through the story.



Naturally there was a lot of criticism because we both thought that it was going to be a rip off of The Blair Witch or another Paranormal Activity solely on the way in which it's been filmed.



The film has very serious themes such as abuse, bullying and poverty. It was also very well acted. And overall I thought that is was a great film. I'm not really sure if the tagline on the poster goes because of some of the more serious points, but it does go in a way. If you can't see it, it says "Boys will be boys."




If you've watched it, what did you think?


I told a friend that I wasn't going to include any spoilers...so this is your warning, if you don't want to know some of the major things then quickly scroll down to the comments.



The best part for me was that end scene when that guy was going crazy and he was killing people, trying to kill his cousin, going through walls and windows.



I also really liked it when the boy got his anger out on his dad because you're going on this journey and you know that you want him to do that because he can and it's all very "kill him! Go on, do it," yeah, I was the only person who sympathised with the killer...maybe that says something about the frame of mind you have to be in if you want to be a writer.



People have done much worse (killed on far greater scales) and had less to work with (no telekinesis).





I think that you should watch the film and then tell me what you think. 


-Joseph




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Authors that are LGBT!

Every Wednesday until the end of the month is going to be when I post about the LGBT as I said in a previous post, here in the UK it is the national LGBT History Month! If you're not a supporter then I don't think we can be friends....okay!



Today's LGBT post is about authors and writers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.



I know that everyone will have heard of this one...and although it was speculated, there is a lot of evidence to support that speculation...so who is it? The most famous writer to have ever lived, it's William Shakespeare. If he was alive today he'd be the richest writer. I think he falls under the category of bisexual, bi-curious at least.



Oscar Wilde probably has one of the most famous stories to tell as he was exiled to France for being a homosexual. If you haven't read anything by him, then you probably should, although I've only read his play, The Importance of Being Earnest and novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.



Let's stop talking about all those dead writers and go to the ones who are alive and well.



The first two people I think of are Christopher Rice and Stephen Fry, although I've never read anything that they've written, I know that Christopher Rice writes thriller novels, and Stephen Fry writes mainly auto-biographical inspired pieces.





I also have two friends on Facebook, one is bisexual and the other is a lesbian, and I'm sure that I have more but these two are the only people who I know about. They are Rue Volley, she writes about vampires and witches, even some erotica pieces, and Roxanne Hunter, she writes thrillers. I suggest you click the hyperlinks and go visit their Facebook pages!



I do know that there are so many more than I've touched upon here...but if you have a favourite then why don't you share them with us!



I'm going to leave you with something that I find really funny...although it's a pun on the word bisexual....it's playful as well.




You buy me something, and I'm sexual! ;)




I think that's how you get into people's pants anyway. You can try it if you like.


Oh, I nearly forgot...add me to the list! ;)



-Joseph




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Am I Late to The Hunger Games?

I think I'm late to this. I've heard a lot about this and I recently read the book. I loved it! I loved the characters and the plot and the setting.



In fact whilst reading this I've added 7 new scenes to my own novel, Lumen, although I don't see the relevance as The Hunger Games is a first person trilogy and the scenes that I've added to Lumen are all from other people's POV.




What's your thoughts on The Hunger Games?




I am looking forward to what they do with it because the film is going to be released next month and I love who they've cast to play Katniss...not too sure if Josh Hutcherson should really have got the role of Peeta...I was thinking it should have been someone taller with a bigger build.



I'll probably be starting the second book, Catching Fire sometime next week because the ending of The Hunger Games left a lot of things open, which is all good because it makes me want to read more. I love it because when I read it I am on the land of Panem and I'm sucked in.



I can see myself reading this book again, which is something that I rarely do unless I've really enjoyed the book. If you haven't read it then I think you should.




I love watching the trailer and bet that you do too! So here it is! I am really excited for the 23rd of March!


















-Joseph




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Tips for Writing Drama!

I love a little bit of drama, in fact I love a lot of drama. I love conflict between people and I love raw emotion being thrown around. I'm not a lover of actual acting because I have really bad stage fright, but people who can act and act well, are great. It's like a writer, taking in all those people and expressing them in their words, an actor expresses their character through movement and speech.




That paragraph is a bit misleading...I'm not going to tell people who to write play scripts or anything, I'm just going to give some tips on writing or incorporating drama into their writing.




The greatest element in any drama is CONFLICT! Without conflict you don't have drama.




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A good drama has a combination of genres. I've said it before, so I'm going to say it again and in the spirit of LGBT History Month, I think I'm allowed. I have planned 2 gay romances and I cried whilst planning both of them, the reason being, because of how much drama there was. And that's another thing, if you don't feel it then how do you expect your reader to feel it?




Do you think that we writers should put ourselves through this emotional turmoil?




I do! I do!




You need to convince your readers that it's plausible, that the motivation and action surrounding that motivation is strong. It's not necessary to kill a character or anything but I think that there needs to be an argument or two. You might want secrecy and betrayal, go for it! Write something that you would want to read, something that you're even excited to see what happens next.




Top tip! If you want some drama, just turn on any news channel and their will be at least one story on there about a family...maybe the father killed his children. And as a writer you have to ask why! If you don't then you're plot doesn't go anywhere.




It goes without saying that you need to flesh your characters out and reiterating what I said before, their motivation must be strong. 




If you missed the last 3 genre related posts, then don't worry, because they're here: Fantasy, Romance and Horror.




-Joseph




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LGBT History Month!

February in the UK is National LGBT History month! Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender! It's in February and not October like the US.




How come?


There was a law that prohibited that said a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship" this meant that many support groups across England were closed down for fear of just those things. BUT in February 2005 this was abolished......and that was only 7 years ago, when I was 11!



I love the fact that February is also the month that has Valentine's Day in it, because LOVE IS LOVE! You don't choose to be gay, just like you don't choose to be straight. You don't choose the subjects that you're interested in, gay people can play sports just like a straight person can be interested in acting and have flamboyant personalities, just like a gay person can be very masculine.












Also, check out Tyler Oakley's newest video and #OccupyValentines










I'm going to be posting throughout the month...so stay tuned!



-Joseph




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Tips for Writing Horror!

I'm going to say it again, you don't know me particularly for writing in this genre, especially if you've been following my blog for some time.



However, like I said in the Tips for Writing Romance, I have planned a few pieces in this genre  as well. In fact the collection that I'm writing, Over My Spilled Blood is actually part horror and part para-super-fantasy.



Now that I've got that out of the way, how freaking scary is that picture! Well I'm getting used to the look of it now, but at first when I was searching for 'horror' pictures on Google there was a lot of clowns and freaky little girls dragging teddy bears through pools of blood...so this picture is the least scary, but then again, that's what horror is all about, the scare.



A lot of the time horror is mixed in with the para-super-fantasy genre, just like the creation in the picture up there...it keeps on giving me the heebeejeebee's. I do get scared quite easily, in fact I was hoovering the other day and I turned around and saw my reflection, I thought there was someone behind me just glaring, but it was just the mirror. Yeah, frightened by my own reflection.




Top tip! Don't be afraid of fear! Fear should be afraid of you! You are after all going to use it.



So depending on the type of horror you're interested in writing will depend on the characters you're going to want to have and the character profiles that you create. Are you writing a psychological horror/thriller? Are you going to be including possessed children? Houses? Inanimate objects? If you do, keep them away from me....I'm already too scarred by such fiction!





What's your fear?




Now use it! If you're scared of heights why not stage your piece of writing on the top of a 30-storey building? If you're scared of spiders why not put you character in a room with a spiders nest? If you're scared of children, dolls, clowns, then like I said before, keep it away from me. Hehe.










Blood and gore is naturally associated within horror but you can't have it on every page (disclaimer: this is no step-by-step guide and my word is not the final word on the subject) because it will start to lose value and there will be nothing to it by the time you're wanting to shock your reader.



Shock your reader...be imaginative! Think up creative ways of killing people and by what means...maybe even who. As research I might suggest watching Child's Play and even reading some Stephen King. However, you only get better at writing by writing and feedback!



Go on, what you waiting for!



My favourite horror author is and will always be, hands down, Stephen King. I'm also a fan of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series, although I think that is more of a thriller than it is a horror, but there is still blood and horror qualities.



The last instalment is Monday's Drama tips.

So there's been Fantasy! & Romance!



-Joseph




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Bleeding Blue -- My Fiction Thursday

This week's 'My Fiction Thursday' was a request by EtheralEmber, she asked me to "write some modern fantasy and to interpret that however you will"...so I did just that! Modern fantasy is quite broad, so I had a lot to work with. I don't know what inspired this piece, but I was brainstorming and then it clicked, and I knew what it was.



This first piece is part of a larger series I've planned called 'Family Secrets'.



Bleeding Blue - #1


I had a knife in my room. It was a kitchen knife, I'd had it for a while, and on occasion I'd hold it up to my wrist and with a neat flick I'd slice open my skin. At first it was met with nerves, but the more often I did it, those nerves turned into a cool rush of pleasure. It had never been painful, sometimes ticklish, but that's about it. Oh, and I bleed blue, a light, almost transparent blue.

"Zander!" my mum shouted up.

I dropped the knife , it clanged on the wooden floor, I rushed to pick it up but realised that I was bleeding all over the place, a little too deep this time. I sighed and watched my skin slowly stick back together. "Mum it is Alec. Call me Alec," I shouted back, but she'd always call me Zander, never Aleczander. Zander just sounded weird.

"Yeah, whatever! I'm setting off in a minute, are you coming with us?" she asked.

"Preston's coming over so I'll get a ride with him," I replied, picking the knife up from the floor and mopping the blood up with my socks. It left a trail of salt in the air, quite different from the associated iron.

"As long as you're not late," she replied with a little laughter.

"I wouldn't need to get lifts if I had my own car," I mumbled to myself, but I'd only have to do that for a couple more months now until I turned 18, that'll be my birthday present, my older brother Nick got his first car when he was 18 and so did my older sister Ali.

I shoved the knife under my pillow and stood. I rubbed my arm where I'd just cut it, it was so smooth and my skin was unscathed, granted this was a family gift, although I didn't know why, and nobody else was allowed to know either. I screwed my eyes shut, stupid secrets. I put my thin purple jacket on and slipped on a pair of dark blue plimsolls.

On my way down the stairs my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was text from Preston, waiting outside, so hurry up! You'll be late. I rolled my eyes, I always moaned about being late, probably because my mum moaned at me, and anyway, it was a Friday, we had double English and then we'd finish for the weekend. I doubt Mrs Gorska could care, probably wouldn't mind if we didn't show up at all.

"Come in here, Alec!" my grandma shouted from the living room just before I opened the front door.

"Yeah?" I asked, apprehensive, I didn't want her to start talking about the days when she was young and how she didn't get a good education.

My grandma was sat with her usual knitting needles in hand, still trying to knit her first sweater, or a pair of socks, she was still learning, in fact she had a waste bin at her side full of unfinished pieces. "Have this, treat yourself," she said, shoving a fifty dollar bill into my hand.

"Gran, that's fifty dollars."

She shrugged. "I'll have it back if you don't want it."

"No, I'll have it. Thanks, Gran," I said, grinning to myself. I shoved the fifty dollar bill in my pocket and rushed out of the front door.

My grandma was slowly going crazy, and my grandpa was fine with that, the whole family was fine with that. There were nine of us living here, it was a large house, although I don't really know how my parents or grandparents could have afforded it, I think that was another secret.

I pushed my bag onto my right shoulder and opened the front door. I noticed the new car, Preston's new car, a silver Mercedes with the top down.

"I told you I'd have her today," Preston said, pushing his sunglasses on top of his head and combing his hair back.

"Can you handle it?" I grinned. "Your last car was a bit of a let-down."

"Hana was a beaut, she just needed support."

"Sure she did." I got in the passenger seat. There was certainly that new car smell, the thick perfume of leather and the musky scent coming from Preston.

Preston flicked down his sunglasses and reversed out of the driveway. "See, I can handle her like a pro."

"Did you finish reading Othello?" I asked, taking my copy out of my bag.

"No, I watched the film, the one you gave me."

I started to laugh. "The point was to watch that and then read through it."

"You shoulda said. It's alright though; I think I have a pretty good grasp on it."

I started to flick through the book in my hands, trying to remember everything I'd read last night. "I think there might be a pop quiz," I voiced aloud.

"It best be second period, at least give me some time to cram," Preston chuckled.

I grinned, it was typical behaviour for Preston to do nothing and pass with little effort. But that's probably why we were friends, other than the fact we've been neighbours and going to the same schools since kindergarten.

"I don't think we'll be…" Preston stopped as a series of tire burns on the road and screeches filled its place.

After that, it all happened too fast. I turned to see Preston's face, his head smashed against the steering wheel and bouncing back, rigid in his seat, his face was no longer tan or held any complex emotion, it was plain.

Boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom. A sharp white stab broke the luring darkness in my eyes. I opened them to see a man, pulling my eyes open and prodding his torch closer. I choked up some blood, although it looked like a blue slushie, with tiny glass shards pretending to be ice. I sucked at the air and felt it burn the back of my throat. The man tried to speak to me, his voice was a deep drone moving through syrup. I lifted my head and glanced down at my chest. It was a mess of blue gunk and sharps of glass from the windscreen. The blue was also infused with the deep reds. That was real blood.

"Get off!" I managed, and the man continued to pull at the seat belt keeping me attached to the car.

"I'm trying to help you," he said. "Please, be calm. Everything will be okay."

"J-Just get off!" I stammered, trying to lift my hands out of the tangled mess inside the seat belt.

"We need to take him now!" a woman shouted from behind me. I turned and saw Preston's limp body being dragged out of the car, he was already a corpse. I could feel it.

"Is he alive?" I asked the man who now had a pair of scissors in his hand. "Is he alive!" I shook my body and the scissors jabbed me in my side, it was the first sensation that had hurt, and I let it.

"Please, stay still!"

"Is he alive?"

"Yes, but I need to concentrate on getting you out and getting you checked over."

I shook my head and then pulled my right arm free, there was a crack and then instant relief. I closed my eyes and heard the snip from the scissors as they cut through the seat belt. All I could think was, it's all over, when I get home I'm going to be killed, or grounded for a really long time. This blue blood that was everywhere had me and my DNA all over, they would know who I was and then, and then what, I'd find out what I was, what I really was.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Yes, I can walk," I said, letting the remains of the seat belt fling back into place. How was I going to explain this, I was getting better by the second while Preston was in the back of a van being taken to the ER.

I stood and got out of the car, my clothes were already starting to stain the light blue of my blood. The man grabbed my arm. "We have to check you over, make sure you're okay."

"No! I'm going," I said, shaking my head.

His grip became harder and he tried to drag me over to the other ambulance. I stayed planted to the spot, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Can I have your name?" he asked, letting go of my arm.

"No, why?"

"We already know what happened here, it wasn't your friend's fault, but we need to make sure that he was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident."

I could feel the frown on my face ease into nothing. "He was wearing his seatbelt!" I said, although that probably wasn't true, I couldn't remember.

"Okay, can I take you over to the ambulance and check you over?"

"How many times do I have to say no?" my knees started to knobble and bang against each other.

"You've just been in a car accident, if you come over to the…"

"No!" I shouted and forced both of my arms onto the man's body. He fell to the ground and skidded ten metres, burning his skin slightly. "Er, I'm sorry." I said, and rushed off.

I put my hood up and hurried away, but I couldn't go back home. Ever.


Yes, there is more! But you're going to have to wait for that! If you want it next week then please comment and tell me, if not, I'll post something different and then post another part the week after.



-Joseph




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Tips for Writing Romance!

If you've been following my blog for a while then you'll know that I don't write romance, but that doesn't mean that I haven't thought about it, or read romance.




I have in fact planned two gay romance novels, both of which I will get around to writing, it's just a novel takes up so much time that I'm putting it all into my fantasy novels.




I'm going to pick one thing up on romances that I've read, and that is the fact that they always have these pretty pretty characters, but rightly so because there is an aesthetic pleasure in the sense of having these beautiful characters.




I feel that this genre is all about the emotional connection and letting the reader be 'touched' by the writing and feeling all the emotions etc.




Top tip! Your protagonist and their romantic involvement should never be in love at the beginning of the novel, that's too easy!




There have to be obstacles to keep your protagonist and their romantic counterpart apart if not, then it's just going to be about all the fun two characters are having, and that is in a different genre called erotica. The conflict should be something that is going to prevent the characters from achieving the happy ever after, riding off into the sunset, so it's your job as the writer to think up devious ways of separating the two of them from each other, only letting them get together at the last minute.




Sex! Sex, sex, sex! Do you want your romance with or without? But always practice safe sex, unless they're trying to get pregnant, or it's part of the storyline. Also, keep in mind that the sex has to be amazing, and invokes the senses, there also needs to be a sense of a care and nurture.





All the senses need to be heightened (again, another mention to the senses), eating and drinking, clothes, voices, places, people.





If your characters go for a meal think of being a food writer and use the words you'd feel fitting for a critique, the crisp cool, the succulent, the tangy, the frothy, the fresh crunch etc. there are so many words that can pique the senses just like these that can makes the taste buds tingle and your mouth water.




This genre can be mixed with a lot of different genres. Drama, which is the genre both of the romances that I've planned are also under. They can also be mixed with fantasy, and I do include some romance in my fantasies.




I don't read much romance but I have read some Nicholas Sparks, and I've read a few novels that have romance mixed in, Twilight is one of those, I'm also going to say Hush, Hush again because that one stands out as being both fantasy and romance. I also read a Mills & Boon novel once, I'm not sure what it was called, but it was more for research than anything else as Mills & Boon publish a wide variety of romance, and probably the largest collection of romance.




Do you read a lot of romance? Do you write romance? If you do, do you have any other tips for writing in the genre?




Romance novels have said that they must contain an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending" but do you agree? I do.



Check back in on Friday for Horror and then next Monday for Drama.


-Joseph



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Be Your Own Legacy!

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Recently I've been thinking about authors and aspiring authors. I've been thinking about it a lot because I'm self-publishing Lumen and I haven't even tried to go the traditional route, which I've provided reasons for in the past, but a part of me has been tutting in the back of my head and I have had to deal with some serious doubt.




AND THEN...




I stopped, I told myself that it's better if I self-publish, it's better if I take control of things myself! I don't want nobody telling me what they want in my book...it's mine...and I've heard a lot of publishers try and take over.




I am my own person. Are you?


I said that I was having doubts, and the reason was because I'd heard all the stories about people who became famous from writing, and I wanted that, I still do, but not so much. So I'm here to say, quit trying to be the next Amanda Hocking, the next Stephen King, the next J. K Rowling, or the next Stephanie Meyer, those posts are already full! Try and be the next you! Write because there are stories that only you know how to tell and make those readers read....be the next whoever you are!




I am Joseph Eastwood, and I am the next me!


Other things that I was gritting my teeth about and if I did go down the traditional publishing route (and there is still so much life in me, I'm 18 year old!) was all those rejection letter and leaving that for generations to see. Now ask yourself:




What are you going to leave behind for generations to see? A closet full of rejected manuscripts?


You should never give up! Build yourself that platform and collect those rejection letters, but I don't think you should take it out on the manuscript. It takes days, weeks, months, even years to get it right, and you might think that self-publishing will ruin your credibility, but how will you know if people actually like your writing if you don't put it out there...Amanda Hocking took the chance, but you're going to be the next you, not the next one of her.



I'm not sure in what direction this is going but I think that if people want to mould their own destiny that they should start doing something about it.



A blog is a sure fire way to get the attention of people, and if you provide the people with information then they will follow you, but you need to keep on providing them with a stream of content. There are people who blog everyday, there are people who blog on set days, and then there are the people who blog on and off, even fall off the map, I know I've done this before and when it happens it's best to just throw yourself in full force.




Are you going to be your own legacy?


-Joseph




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Tips for Writing Fantasy!

First, let me just say how amazing that picture looks, I don't know what I would do without Google.



So when people talk about the fantasy genre I immediately start to think of dragons, witches, wizards, and well, that picture to the left. I assume that you think of similar things, because it's true, every piece of fantasy has something other worldly and the main reason why people read fantasy is to escape their world....and what better way then jumping into someone else's.



However, I have been doing my research and fantasy can cross over with science-fiction and dystopian, but I am going to be talking about only the fantasy. Okie doke.



A little tip: not all characters in your para-super-fantasy selection should have names that are unpronounceable or obscure names, and yet, I tell you this I am completely aware of all the weird and wonderful names and spellings in fantasy. We have Gandalf, we have Eragon, we have Katniss...they are pronounceable, but weird names, however easy to remember. It's a similar effect with complicated names, but it can stress readers out quite easily, which is something you'd like to avoid, because they're your reader of course.



Place is important when you're writing fantasy, you have to build a world, maybe in the world we're already in now, but you still have to add the para-super-fantasy element and so there are things that you'll have to change about you place. Plus, if you didn't then it would be boring and not serve its purpose as a piece of escapism. You might set the scene in a mythical land, of course you'll have to build this and when I world build I always look at a few things: climate, people (supernatural? human?), relating to the real world (schooling, medicine, technology, currency etc.) so place is very important.



If there's something about the fantasy genre that I had to take, it would be the use of colour, tones, light etc. and making the picture inside your head flourish on the page. I think colours are amazing, especially when you're describing something and trying to make the picture whole. As a whole, the fantasy genre is also a lot about visuals, when you read you like to picture what's happening in your head, and it's hard to do if you're thinking of black and white images...so splash a bit of colour around! Preferably not just saying "white door" or "the carpet was red" you have to go into so much more detail, well, don't start professing your love for a door made completely of ivory that reflects the light from all direction. Yes, this does mean you can be exuberant with your descriptions about people, places and MAGIC.



A little tip: this can be used when writing anything, but a tip is a tip. Get a piece of paper and write down each of the senses; touch, taste, hear, smell, see and if your character has any special gifts they might be included in this senses section. When entering a new room make this list and write down at least one thing beside them, that way you interact with the setting and include the reader.



Fantasy is a really broad genre with so many different subgenres including dark fantasy, magic realism, mythic, paranormal/supernatural fantasy, superhero fantasy, epic fantasy, historical fantasy and urban fantasy to name a few. You have a lot of choice and a lot of freedom with fantasy because it's all about imagination play.



Research is also pretty key to writing fantasy because there is a lot that you might not know and a little bit of research has never hurt anyone (disclaimer, I do not take blame if you do in fact drop a heavy encyclopaedia on your foot) and if you know the history of a particular being then you can incorporate that into your story.




This link here is a hub of  an encyclopaedia of fantasy beings, names, places...I would recommend this site for you to do your research!


Things I hope you take from this blog: fantasy is a broad spectrum of writing. Fantasy is escapism, if you don't escape while you write, then how do you expect the reader to? And that really useful link up there ^^



I do read quite a bit of fantasy, yes, Harry Potter is one of my favourites of all time, but I do read a lot of Trudi Canavan, the author of the Magician's Guild series. I've also read Eragon, still not go around to Eldest. I have a lot of supernatural books on my bookshelf that I'm staring at...Hush, Hush, and I am Number 4, some stuff by James Patterson, Joseph Delaney...there's a lot.





What are some of your favourite fantasy novels? Short stories?

Do you prefer fantasy series or standalone?



Check back in on Wednesday for Romance, Friday for Horror and then next Monday for Drama.


-Joseph




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