D.T. Neal's Blog, page 6
October 31, 2024
Three Hurdles
I think writers today face three daunting hurdles (beyond the creative act itself, which is beyond most where writing is concerned). Those hurdles are:
Hurdle One
Writing something anybody wants to read. This is the entry-level hurdle. The old line about "write what you know" and/or "write for yourself" is all well and good, but if you're writing what nobody wants to read, you're hosed. Some genres, like Romance and Mystery, have baked-in audiences who are voracious for new books. Most others seem to have to claw for audience.
Hurdle Two
People don't want to pay for books. Sadly, in the streaming, oh-so-digital universe, the idea of paying creators for their work has somehow become anathema. People want stuff for free, whether the junkpile that is Kindle Unlimited or just the desire to get something for nothing. When getting to choose between buying a book or a burger, most people choose the latter, because they're highly certain the burger will satisfy, whereas the book is an unknown (even by known writers, there's "risk" in reading something new).
Hurdle Three
Reading is work, and takes time. Any book you're lucky enough to have sold can sit unread on someone's shelf for years, maybe decades. From a writer's perspective, a sold book is about as good as it gets (and the more books sold, the merrier). But if you're looking for honest word of mouth (that is, good reviews from objective strangers, versus allies and co-conspirators), the curse of time can weigh heavily on a writer -- I've heard it: "I wanted to read it, but, you know, life gets in the way" -- in a world of infinite distractions, only a fraction of people are willing to take the time to actually read a book.
The problem of the Three Hurdles can be a nearly unbreachable barrier for most writers, and there aren't clean and sure answers for it. If you're associated with a particular subgroup (ethnic, sexual, religious, etc.) that can help boost your chances, but even those are niche wins.
Relative to other art forms, writing asks a lot of readers. Visual arts can be accessed at a glance. Musical art just requires being able to hear.
But writing? It has that extra lift in that it requires time and attention to be appreciated, and most people don't want to pay the money for it, don't want to take the time to read it, and lack the attention span to do it, either. Writers are, unfortunately, cursed in trying to sell products only a small number of people want to buy, and fewer still want to spend the time unpacking it by reading it (and fewer still to review it and post that review somewhere).
There's a fourth hurdle I can speak of, but I'll wait, in deference to fleeting attention spans.
Hurdle One
Writing something anybody wants to read. This is the entry-level hurdle. The old line about "write what you know" and/or "write for yourself" is all well and good, but if you're writing what nobody wants to read, you're hosed. Some genres, like Romance and Mystery, have baked-in audiences who are voracious for new books. Most others seem to have to claw for audience.
Hurdle Two
People don't want to pay for books. Sadly, in the streaming, oh-so-digital universe, the idea of paying creators for their work has somehow become anathema. People want stuff for free, whether the junkpile that is Kindle Unlimited or just the desire to get something for nothing. When getting to choose between buying a book or a burger, most people choose the latter, because they're highly certain the burger will satisfy, whereas the book is an unknown (even by known writers, there's "risk" in reading something new).
Hurdle Three
Reading is work, and takes time. Any book you're lucky enough to have sold can sit unread on someone's shelf for years, maybe decades. From a writer's perspective, a sold book is about as good as it gets (and the more books sold, the merrier). But if you're looking for honest word of mouth (that is, good reviews from objective strangers, versus allies and co-conspirators), the curse of time can weigh heavily on a writer -- I've heard it: "I wanted to read it, but, you know, life gets in the way" -- in a world of infinite distractions, only a fraction of people are willing to take the time to actually read a book.
The problem of the Three Hurdles can be a nearly unbreachable barrier for most writers, and there aren't clean and sure answers for it. If you're associated with a particular subgroup (ethnic, sexual, religious, etc.) that can help boost your chances, but even those are niche wins.
Relative to other art forms, writing asks a lot of readers. Visual arts can be accessed at a glance. Musical art just requires being able to hear.
But writing? It has that extra lift in that it requires time and attention to be appreciated, and most people don't want to pay the money for it, don't want to take the time to read it, and lack the attention span to do it, either. Writers are, unfortunately, cursed in trying to sell products only a small number of people want to buy, and fewer still want to spend the time unpacking it by reading it (and fewer still to review it and post that review somewhere).
There's a fourth hurdle I can speak of, but I'll wait, in deference to fleeting attention spans.
October 30, 2024
WOMAN OF THE HOUR
I recently watched WOMAN OF THE HOUR (2023, Netflix), which was Anna Kenrick's directorial debut, and I thought it was a great effort! Strong scenes, lurking dread, escalating terror, and fascinatingly feminist.
Kendrick managed to take a from-real life serial killer story and turn it into a kind of feminist movie manifesto which sure-footedly lands on all of the points she wanted to make in it.
I won't throw spoilers out, but pay attention if you watch it, because you see women struggling with agency in American society, and the interplay between young women, middle-aged women, and older women navigating 20th Century America.
All of the elements are there -- men objectifying women, not listening to them, abusing (and raping and murdering) them, and the assorted survival strategies women have to use.
The serial killer is a study in charming terror, the thin broth of flattery he serves, and how confidently/psychopathically he relies on that (and his inroad with him being a photographer as a sort of threat camouflage).
It's well worth a watch, even a rewatch (if you can tolerate the terror embedded in it). I hope academics explore the feminist heart of WOMAN OF THE HOUR, because it's a potent narrative approach in this story.
Greatly enjoyed it! As a straight (middle-aged, white) man who isn't threatened by women, I think there are lessons in it for guys to better understand that they needn't be creepy, abusive, manipulative, and predatory regarding women.
Kudos to Kendrick for so adroitly exploring this within the pretext of a serial killer docudrama.
****
Kendrick managed to take a from-real life serial killer story and turn it into a kind of feminist movie manifesto which sure-footedly lands on all of the points she wanted to make in it.
I won't throw spoilers out, but pay attention if you watch it, because you see women struggling with agency in American society, and the interplay between young women, middle-aged women, and older women navigating 20th Century America.
All of the elements are there -- men objectifying women, not listening to them, abusing (and raping and murdering) them, and the assorted survival strategies women have to use.
The serial killer is a study in charming terror, the thin broth of flattery he serves, and how confidently/psychopathically he relies on that (and his inroad with him being a photographer as a sort of threat camouflage).
It's well worth a watch, even a rewatch (if you can tolerate the terror embedded in it). I hope academics explore the feminist heart of WOMAN OF THE HOUR, because it's a potent narrative approach in this story.
Greatly enjoyed it! As a straight (middle-aged, white) man who isn't threatened by women, I think there are lessons in it for guys to better understand that they needn't be creepy, abusive, manipulative, and predatory regarding women.
Kudos to Kendrick for so adroitly exploring this within the pretext of a serial killer docudrama.
****
October 24, 2024
Vampin'
It's been over a decade since I wrote SUCKAGE (2013), which had been a well-received if (as ever) underappreciated indie vampire novel.
When I'd written it, SUCKAGE was an attempt to detox from the sparkly vampires of TWILIGHT. I wanted to bring back in that story some of the horror of vampires, and made it a kind of minion's memoir about his time as a slave to a vampire, and how that all worked out.
Unfortunately, I think that book came out at a time of high exhaustion with vampires, because it never found its audience. But I still like that book.
Anyway, I'm working on a new vampire novel, likely to be part of a trilogy, if all goes well. I'm mentioning SUCKAGE because it's also set in Chicago, and while it is NOT a sequel, there will be some characters from SUCKAGE who get cameos in the new book.
While I'd mentioned walking away from Horror as a genre, I still have a few narrative horror skeletons in my closet that need to get out, and this is one of them.
Just mentioning it since it's SpOoOooKy Season and all. This one would appear in early 2025.
It's not going to be as smartass-serious as SUCKAGE was; it'll be more earnest and heartfelt, and dryly humorous, since I'm writing it from the narrative perspective of the vampires this time around.
If you were one of the few who read SUCKAGE, you might get a kick out of this new novel (again, especially with the cameos of other characters).
Stay tuned!
Armies of the Night | Sparks
When I'd written it, SUCKAGE was an attempt to detox from the sparkly vampires of TWILIGHT. I wanted to bring back in that story some of the horror of vampires, and made it a kind of minion's memoir about his time as a slave to a vampire, and how that all worked out.
Unfortunately, I think that book came out at a time of high exhaustion with vampires, because it never found its audience. But I still like that book.
Anyway, I'm working on a new vampire novel, likely to be part of a trilogy, if all goes well. I'm mentioning SUCKAGE because it's also set in Chicago, and while it is NOT a sequel, there will be some characters from SUCKAGE who get cameos in the new book.
While I'd mentioned walking away from Horror as a genre, I still have a few narrative horror skeletons in my closet that need to get out, and this is one of them.
Just mentioning it since it's SpOoOooKy Season and all. This one would appear in early 2025.
It's not going to be as smartass-serious as SUCKAGE was; it'll be more earnest and heartfelt, and dryly humorous, since I'm writing it from the narrative perspective of the vampires this time around.
If you were one of the few who read SUCKAGE, you might get a kick out of this new novel (again, especially with the cameos of other characters).
Stay tuned!
Armies of the Night | Sparks
September 30, 2024
Update: RETURN
Slight update on RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE -- while I'd been shooting for end of this month (September) for the release date for this novel, it's looking like it'll ultimately be out in October.
Not that anybody'd holding their breath for this one, but I wanted to let folks know about that updated schedule.
Otherwise, it's good to go. Once it's out, I'll do another post. Here's a link on the NP website...
RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE
Not that anybody'd holding their breath for this one, but I wanted to let folks know about that updated schedule.
Otherwise, it's good to go. Once it's out, I'll do another post. Here's a link on the NP website...
RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE
September 25, 2024
Rest of the Year
Not sure if anyone's reading this blog, but as I'm in my second year without a full-time job (e.g., just freelancing and slowly liquidating my retirement to keep above water), I'm looking to write the next four novels of THE SHUTTERCLIQUE over the next six months.
I have already written the first three in that series, as you've read before if you've been nosing through this blog. I'm going to push that primary series to completion to try to lift my spirits.
My hope is that readers will dig THE SHUTTERCLIQUE and when they see a completed series, they may be willing to delve into it. Or not. Who knows?
There will also be three spinoffs of the primary series, which will feature some of the supporting characters from THE SHUTTERCLIQUE that they may want to see have their own adventures.
In terms of worldbuilding, this entire series is the most ambitious of anything I've written, and that's exciting. It's the kind of thing that I think would play very well on a TV series (I'd say a movie, but know how movies are in a far more fraught state these days).
Anyway, if you want to get in on the ground floor of THE SHUTTERCLIQUE, I'd direct you to BRIGHTEYES, the first in the series and which sets the tone for it:
BRIGHTEYES
Like everything I write, it's terminally under-reviewed and underappreciated, but the ambition and fun of this world cannot be denied! Ignored, sure, but denied? Never!
If you read it and like it, do please rate and review. The more the merrier, where that's concerned. Join the 'Clique!
I'm gearing up to begin working on Book Four of the series. And when that one's done, I'll soldier through Books Five, Six, and Seven to wrap up the primary series. With the spinoffs, I'll likely bounce between those three in 2025.
I have already written the first three in that series, as you've read before if you've been nosing through this blog. I'm going to push that primary series to completion to try to lift my spirits.
My hope is that readers will dig THE SHUTTERCLIQUE and when they see a completed series, they may be willing to delve into it. Or not. Who knows?
There will also be three spinoffs of the primary series, which will feature some of the supporting characters from THE SHUTTERCLIQUE that they may want to see have their own adventures.
In terms of worldbuilding, this entire series is the most ambitious of anything I've written, and that's exciting. It's the kind of thing that I think would play very well on a TV series (I'd say a movie, but know how movies are in a far more fraught state these days).
Anyway, if you want to get in on the ground floor of THE SHUTTERCLIQUE, I'd direct you to BRIGHTEYES, the first in the series and which sets the tone for it:
BRIGHTEYES
Like everything I write, it's terminally under-reviewed and underappreciated, but the ambition and fun of this world cannot be denied! Ignored, sure, but denied? Never!
If you read it and like it, do please rate and review. The more the merrier, where that's concerned. Join the 'Clique!
I'm gearing up to begin working on Book Four of the series. And when that one's done, I'll soldier through Books Five, Six, and Seven to wrap up the primary series. With the spinoffs, I'll likely bounce between those three in 2025.
September 23, 2024
Done Deal
Wrapped up the final edits and revisions for RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, so that novel is done and dusted! As ever, we'll see if anybody reads it, and if they do, whether they'll enjoy it. It's one of my "hyphenated horror" stories, in this case, eco-horror.
I may post my working soundtrack for it in a few days. Some of the bands representing in it include:
The B-52's
Mission of Burma
Southern Culture on the Skids
My Morning Jacket
Kings of Leon
Book of Love
...and others. I'll be curious what readers think of this one, as it's a sequel to the novella, SUMMERVILLE, and was my attempt to expand upon that particular world.
It should be available by the end of this month!
Mission of Burma | Red
I may post my working soundtrack for it in a few days. Some of the bands representing in it include:
The B-52's
Mission of Burma
Southern Culture on the Skids
My Morning Jacket
Kings of Leon
Book of Love
...and others. I'll be curious what readers think of this one, as it's a sequel to the novella, SUMMERVILLE, and was my attempt to expand upon that particular world.
It should be available by the end of this month!
Mission of Burma | Red
September 21, 2024
Stages of Writing
I amuse myself when I consider my relationships with the books I'm writing, in that they're likely representative of the worst qualities of being an Aries guy. I'll try to explain it:
New Romance
Honeymoon Period
True Love (or Hate, if it doesn't work)
Waning Romance
Sick of It
Done and Gone
Best-case scenario: I write a book I love, I genuinely adore it while I'm working on it, and even when I'm revising it, the ardor is still there.
However, once I finish the book (which is to say, I've made it the best I possibly can), I walk away from it. The revision/rewriting time is that critical, liminal space where I do the best I can for the book and it either succeeds or fails.
Again, best-case is it succeeds. Worst-case is it fails somehow. I truly do the best I can for it, but sometimes a book won't work out.
Either way, once I'm done with a book, I'm DONE. I'm already on to the next book idea, which has captivated me.
Only a couple of times have I ever struggled with a book (the most notorious one for me was THE HAPPENING, which cased a 6-to-9-month existential crisis for me that actually halted me in my tracks). Those are my dysfunctional book relationships.
Most of them work out smoothly, but as I said above, when I'm done, I'M DONE. A finished book is unwelcome in my headspace, because I'm already attuned to the next book.
RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE (current WIP) is in that more dysfunctional space for me, likely because my aforementioned "moving on" from the horror genre, leading to some push/pull between me and this book.
I'm wrapping up final revisions for this one this weekend, and then it'll be in my rearview mirror before I drive off, leaving it stranded by the roadside. I hope readers enjoy it, because I've already moved on.
R.E.M. | (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
New Romance
Honeymoon Period
True Love (or Hate, if it doesn't work)
Waning Romance
Sick of It
Done and Gone
Best-case scenario: I write a book I love, I genuinely adore it while I'm working on it, and even when I'm revising it, the ardor is still there.
However, once I finish the book (which is to say, I've made it the best I possibly can), I walk away from it. The revision/rewriting time is that critical, liminal space where I do the best I can for the book and it either succeeds or fails.
Again, best-case is it succeeds. Worst-case is it fails somehow. I truly do the best I can for it, but sometimes a book won't work out.
Either way, once I'm done with a book, I'm DONE. I'm already on to the next book idea, which has captivated me.
Only a couple of times have I ever struggled with a book (the most notorious one for me was THE HAPPENING, which cased a 6-to-9-month existential crisis for me that actually halted me in my tracks). Those are my dysfunctional book relationships.
Most of them work out smoothly, but as I said above, when I'm done, I'M DONE. A finished book is unwelcome in my headspace, because I'm already attuned to the next book.
RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE (current WIP) is in that more dysfunctional space for me, likely because my aforementioned "moving on" from the horror genre, leading to some push/pull between me and this book.
I'm wrapping up final revisions for this one this weekend, and then it'll be in my rearview mirror before I drive off, leaving it stranded by the roadside. I hope readers enjoy it, because I've already moved on.
R.E.M. | (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
September 9, 2024
RETURN
Having nearly finished reviewing RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE and received highly favorable feedback from beta readers, I'm feeling better about getting this one out there. The best takeaway I'd received from it was that it was "darker than CHOSEN" -- which only makes sense if someone's read that novel.
Ever since that book came out (2012! Twelve years ago!) I've felt that one was my one true horror novel, and was my darkest story. It was my own neo-Lovecraftian spin on a zombie apocalypse, with the Brethren battling the Breathers in the tiny (fictional) town of Ludlow, Pennsylvania.
Without slinging any spoilers out, there are just scenes in it that--for me, at least--are damned DARK.
Jumping a dozen years later, with RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, I was focused on making a sequel to the original novella, which is often referred to by readers as an "80s-style eco horror romp" -- and I'm fine with that.
However, while writing the sequel, I feel I tapped into 70s-styyle eco horror with this one, which means there's a lot of weirdness, ambiguity, and paranoia in it. There are breaths of folk horror in it, as well.
I know that writing it, I felt a great deal of mental/emotional pain, just channeling what the characters were going through (or, more specifically, what I was putting them through).
This one is very eco horror, but there's also a hint of cosmic horror in it that I think came from my own emotional state while working on it. I'm writing it in a dark time for our country, and for myself personally, and I think it flowed into this book.
I'm pleased that the beta readers liked it, because I wasn't sure if it would play well with others, knowing how much it took out of me personally.
As I'd mentioned in earlier posts, I'd taken refuge in my more cheerfully heroic SHUTTERCLIQUE novels, which are so much fun to write. RETURN was a dark and terrifying place for me to occupy, and even the survivors in that world are haunted by their experiences.
My hope is that readers approach RETURN and find that eco horrific vibe appealing. There's a third book that'll live because of RETURN, so I'll wade back into the weeds again in the next couple of years.
Deathbell | Come To Trouble
Ever since that book came out (2012! Twelve years ago!) I've felt that one was my one true horror novel, and was my darkest story. It was my own neo-Lovecraftian spin on a zombie apocalypse, with the Brethren battling the Breathers in the tiny (fictional) town of Ludlow, Pennsylvania.
Without slinging any spoilers out, there are just scenes in it that--for me, at least--are damned DARK.
Jumping a dozen years later, with RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, I was focused on making a sequel to the original novella, which is often referred to by readers as an "80s-style eco horror romp" -- and I'm fine with that.
However, while writing the sequel, I feel I tapped into 70s-styyle eco horror with this one, which means there's a lot of weirdness, ambiguity, and paranoia in it. There are breaths of folk horror in it, as well.
I know that writing it, I felt a great deal of mental/emotional pain, just channeling what the characters were going through (or, more specifically, what I was putting them through).
This one is very eco horror, but there's also a hint of cosmic horror in it that I think came from my own emotional state while working on it. I'm writing it in a dark time for our country, and for myself personally, and I think it flowed into this book.
I'm pleased that the beta readers liked it, because I wasn't sure if it would play well with others, knowing how much it took out of me personally.
As I'd mentioned in earlier posts, I'd taken refuge in my more cheerfully heroic SHUTTERCLIQUE novels, which are so much fun to write. RETURN was a dark and terrifying place for me to occupy, and even the survivors in that world are haunted by their experiences.
My hope is that readers approach RETURN and find that eco horrific vibe appealing. There's a third book that'll live because of RETURN, so I'll wade back into the weeds again in the next couple of years.
Deathbell | Come To Trouble
September 5, 2024
ODDITY (2024)
I finally got around to catching ODDITY (2024) and I greatly enjoyed it!
ODDITY Trailer
As a fan of atmospheric horror movies, this one hit the sweet spot for me, with the right mix of well-earned jump scares, suspenseful framing, and good storytelling.
I've seen a number of Irish horror movies over the past few years and have always liked them. The Irish approach to both humor and horror resonates with me!
ODDITY has some nice payoffs, and has a retro vibe in terms of filmmaking that works very well with the subject matter. I'm not going to summarize or lob any spoilers, but it was a very nice ride.
I'm a big fan of moviemakers who make judicious use of silence/quiet and framing to build tension, and ODDITY delivers this! Highly recommend it (with the caveat that if you don't like slow burn type movies, you won't like this one).
****
ODDITY Trailer
As a fan of atmospheric horror movies, this one hit the sweet spot for me, with the right mix of well-earned jump scares, suspenseful framing, and good storytelling.
I've seen a number of Irish horror movies over the past few years and have always liked them. The Irish approach to both humor and horror resonates with me!
ODDITY has some nice payoffs, and has a retro vibe in terms of filmmaking that works very well with the subject matter. I'm not going to summarize or lob any spoilers, but it was a very nice ride.
I'm a big fan of moviemakers who make judicious use of silence/quiet and framing to build tension, and ODDITY delivers this! Highly recommend it (with the caveat that if you don't like slow burn type movies, you won't like this one).
****
September 4, 2024
Changeling
One thing I've discovered while revisiting a horror world I'd created over a decade ago (SUMMERVILLE) is that when I'd walked away from horror after THE CURSED EARTH (2022), I didn't realize how far away I'd walked.
Simply put, I've so greatly enjoyed working on THE SHUTTERCLIQUE series (three books written so far, with the first one published, and Books 2 & 3 coming out in '25), I find writing horror even less palatable than before.
I've often said that CHOSEN is my only pure horror novel; the rest are hyphenated horror (eco-horror, horror-thriller, comedy-horror). My spirit is too lighthearted and good-natured to happily toss characters I've created into the narrative meatgrinder of horror.
Not saying that I'm struggling with RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, because I'm not; rather, I'm working on it without that feeling of joy I had with the SHUTTERCLIQUE books.
And I think it's because those books changed my personal experience of writing -- I wrote from a place of joy, versus whatever brain space propelled all of my horror-adjacent work -- fear, angst, paranoia, dread.
Having experienced that, I can't go back. I'm obligated to get RETURN out there, and will fulfill that obligation. But that's all it is for me.
I guess it's for the best that none of my horror-hyphenated books were hits and/or generated audience, because I'm not obligated to meet a demand that's not there.
All of those books represent a 16-year phase of my writerly life (2006-2022) that isn't there for me anymore.
Still going to do my best with RETURN, but my heart's not in my hyphenated horror anymore, and as a Romantic, I can't go where my heart isn't without the work suffering for it.
For the handful of readers who've read and appreciated my hyphenated horror over the years, I'm so thankful you read (and, in some cases, reviewed and rated) my books. There are enough books (10 books: 7 novels, 3 novellas) there to keep a person entertained for a time, but there won't be more of those types of books from me after RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE.
Oasis | The Importance of Being Idle
Simply put, I've so greatly enjoyed working on THE SHUTTERCLIQUE series (three books written so far, with the first one published, and Books 2 & 3 coming out in '25), I find writing horror even less palatable than before.
I've often said that CHOSEN is my only pure horror novel; the rest are hyphenated horror (eco-horror, horror-thriller, comedy-horror). My spirit is too lighthearted and good-natured to happily toss characters I've created into the narrative meatgrinder of horror.
Not saying that I'm struggling with RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, because I'm not; rather, I'm working on it without that feeling of joy I had with the SHUTTERCLIQUE books.
And I think it's because those books changed my personal experience of writing -- I wrote from a place of joy, versus whatever brain space propelled all of my horror-adjacent work -- fear, angst, paranoia, dread.
Having experienced that, I can't go back. I'm obligated to get RETURN out there, and will fulfill that obligation. But that's all it is for me.
I guess it's for the best that none of my horror-hyphenated books were hits and/or generated audience, because I'm not obligated to meet a demand that's not there.
All of those books represent a 16-year phase of my writerly life (2006-2022) that isn't there for me anymore.
Still going to do my best with RETURN, but my heart's not in my hyphenated horror anymore, and as a Romantic, I can't go where my heart isn't without the work suffering for it.
For the handful of readers who've read and appreciated my hyphenated horror over the years, I'm so thankful you read (and, in some cases, reviewed and rated) my books. There are enough books (10 books: 7 novels, 3 novellas) there to keep a person entertained for a time, but there won't be more of those types of books from me after RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE.
Oasis | The Importance of Being Idle
