Scott David Brown's Blog, page 12

The Lost Elf: Awakening Book Trailer

 

I wanted to find a unique way to advertise my book. I’ve noticed other authors have book trailers to show off their work and I thought it was a great idea. When I starting brainstorming about what to do, my first thought was to just make a short video of the book. I’d show off the cover and talk briefly about the story. I may still do that. However, when I looked on iPad I remembered that I have the iMovie app. There was an option to make a movie trailer and I looked at the various themes I could use.

Thus, The Lost Elf: Awakening book trailer was born! Now, I realize the video is a bit silly, but I felt it was a fun way to introduce the book. The series isn’t a comedy, but there will be light moments. I always like to add a little humor in my stories. I’m hoping people don’t get the wrong impression about Awakening. There’s a lot of action going on and the story is fairly serious, but I wanted to get your attention with this video. Hopefully I have done that.

Too Much Writing A Bad Thing?

Writing can be a very lengthy process, especially when writing a novel. Your average novel will probably be around 50,000 to 80,000 words give or take. However, that changes when you write fantasy, which can easily go beyond 100,000 words. I believe that you write until the story is finished. Length shouldn’t be something you consider until after the first draft is complete. Then you can usually cut down on length. With my current medieval fantasy series, I know I’m going to go beyond my normal length. I like to stay close to 70,000 words. It’s just more difficult to write an epic story around that length. I wonder what fantasy fans think about this?

Look at the Lord of the Rings films, three long epic films. Now it’s not the same as a novel, but I think fans can appreciated a long story when it comes to fantasy. Don’t forget about Final Fantasy games! They were usually pretty long and in fact some of them can take up to 60 hours to complete! I read about a writer working on a fantasy novel that is around 150,000 words! He’s hard pressed to cut it down, but the agent he submitted to want’s him to cut the novel down to a smaller size. I’m not going to get to that length. However, I don’t see a problem with a long book if it is exciting and a good read.

Understandably, no one wants to read a 100,000 plus novel that drags on and on or doesn’t reach the reader. It’s like reading a textbook. Some are easy reads, because the content is interesting and the author(s) are talented writers. If you have ever read a textbook written by scientists, you may find yourself yawning over and over again. Psychology is a bit different, thankfully, most psychologists are decent writers. Of course, it is a subject that I’m studying in school, so perhaps I am a bit biased!

One of the biggest barriers people have when writing novels is getting enough length. I’ve finished a rough draft only to find that it is much shorter than anticipated. It can also be difficult to sit down every day and write for a few hours. You have to get that novel finished somehow! Thankfully my current project has kept my attention enough that I haven’t hit my usual slump. I think in part it is the genre. I’m writing the novel in parts, seven short stories, which have a beginning, middle, and end. It’s a literary experiment and so far I like it. I’d suggest you try it if you find that writing a novel is too difficult.

I’ve written short stories before and I do like the fact that it is a shorter process. It’s also easier for editing too. You can write a series of short stories that are connected, then when you are finished with the last one, combine them into one novel. It’s an idea I had several months ago and I decided to try it. Once I finish this series, however, I may go back to writing the full novel if I make a sequel instead of the short story series. I find that a lack of hitting a slump might inspire me to write a full length novel instead. I’m also finding that I don’t want to stop after I finish writing each story. I want to continue to the next story, rather than editing the one I just completed. Hopefully that means that I’m writing a story that people will like to read!

I consider the best advice on what to write is to write what you would want to read. After all, there are likely others that share your own tastes (hopefully). You can’t please everyone, so why not at least write something that you are happy with and enjoy. Hopefully it won’t be a 100,000 plus snooze fest!

And Then There Was Cover Art!

I’m excited to announce the official cover art for The Lost Elf: Awakening for book 1 of my new series! A very awesome job by my cover designer, Eleanor Leonne Bennett! If you haven’t checked out her website, you should do so now! I think it turned out great. Also a shout out to my brother for taking the photo. Ms. Bennett has some lovely photos for the rest of my series and I can’t wait to see them completed!

Gender Roles and Society

For a long time now I’ve wondered about what makes who I am. Since I began studying psychology, I’ve explored this subject quite a bit. I began life the social conservative, a strict fundamentalist Christian and over time I changed into pretty much the exact opposite! I have been told that when you are young, you tend to be liberal on social issues. Then you get older and somehow decide that you should be conservative. Yet, my example is the opposite. To be fair, you might not think a 32-year-old as being “old.” Still, my transformation proves that life is not the same for everybody.

I bring this up, because it explains my thoughts about gender and gender roles, which is the main subject of this blog entry. I suppose it’s accurate to say that I grew up accepting the traditional gender roles. For example, being the “man” meant having a successful career and providing for one’s family. In no way is that a negative role. I think we can all agree that if you want to have a family, it requires someone making the big bucks (though most likely it’s both parents making the big bucks these days).

Male gender roles go beyond simply making money and providing to the family, they extend to how men identify themselves as men. This self-perception has had negative effects on society, though it might not have seemed negative at the time. The best example is the patriarchal society, which we have had since the beginning of this country. Men believed themselves to be better leaders, having superior intellect, and being more important on a social level (and probably on other levels too). It’s difficult to dispute this, just look at the fact that women couldn’t own land, vote, or own a business. Women were extremely limited in what roles they could choose for themselves.

The problem isn’t the roles themselves, it is the limitation of roles available to women. This also prevented men from seeking roles that were considered “feminine,” like becoming a nurse, for example. Gender bias is an issue for both men and women. When society chooses roles for men and women, there can be a gap between genders. Societies run by men understandably tend to benefit men more than women.

It is a challenge to try to change society from one that is male dominated to one that is much more equal. It is likely true that mathematical equality is impossible, yet that doesn’t mean we should be comfortable with a society in which there is a large gap between social equality. America would benefit if more women decided to serve in the military, in government, business, and of course in industries that are heavily male dominated. If there is one thing I have learned about life, it is that diversity is much better than homogeneity. That was something that the Founding Fathers had in mind, diversity of opinion and belief. Regrettably, they may or may not have been thinking of diversity in the context of gender and race, but as a nation we are working towards a diverse society.

If you are socially conservative, you probably disagree with most of what I have had to say so far, and that’s fine. However, hopefully you agree that gender roles should not be determined by society, rather by the individual. I do believe in civil liberty. Why must I accept the “man” role as others have? Technically I don’t. Guess what? I can decide what it means to “being a man!” Just as women can decide what “being a woman” means. You don’t have to settle for gender roles that don’t feel right. There will be consequences of course. Some people will think there is something wrong with you not adhering to the traditional roles. In dating, there might be conflicts, and it might seem difficult to date someone. However, I think it is more important to be true to yourself. It is especially important to avoid being something you are not.

Recently I have thought a lot about dating and relationships. There was a time when women were comfortable with the role as the homemaker and preferred having a successful man who brings home the bacon. Some will argue that is the way we are made, but I say those roles are a product of one’s environment, not something one is born with. I wonder what it would be like to take up the role of homemaker. My wife would be the 9-to-5er, coming home after a long day. I could have dinner ready and do the house chores while my wife fit’s that traditional male role. What would be so wrong with that? This seems perfectly acceptable to me. Yet, I wonder what women would think of this in general. It is true that women are now the majority in the workplace, statistically. So, why couldn’t I have a happy life where I don’t have to be the one with the big time career?

Now I am not saying that I am looking for a sugar momma. I want to have financial freedom. However, it does seem to be expected of me, because I am a man. I think that most people would think it weird for a man to decide to be a househusband! Society likely sees a man as a moocher if his wife makes most or all of the money. Yet, it does not seem to be true when it is the other way around.

My point here is that societal expectations hurt not only women, but men as well. A society that is more open to people defining their own male and female roles, in my opinion, would be much better. Until then, I must choose the role I am most comfortable with and hope that I find a woman whose role is comparable to mine. At any rate, I will have a graduate education and perhaps even a PhD in the distant future. You could argue that I will be fitting the traditional male role. And again, just to be clear, I am not saying that would be a bad thing. If you want to be the one who “wears the pants” in the relationship, then that’s your thing. I’d rather have a partnership, where my girlfriend and I share the pants (you know what I mean). I want a job that doesn’t feel like a job. Something that I can do well and that helps people. If I can make a living doing that, I’ll be happy. Is that “being a man?” I would argue it is being human. I wish that we could see life without some of the gender bias.

The biggest problem I have with gender in society is that we masculinize and feminize too much. Really, men and women are much more similar than different. Sure we have differences, but I think we focus too much on that. Men and women have the same brains, we both have emotion, logic, cognition, memory, etc… We think differently, not based on biology, because of environment. The biological differences are important and handled appropriately. However, socially, we should not treat each other differently. We are all supposed to be equal regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc… If we focus too much on our differences, we will lose sight of the fact they we are all human. In that sense, we are all related, working towards a common good. At least that is how I see it.

Ideally, we should not focus so much on gender. I may not fit the type of man who you expect me to fit. If you aren’t ok with that, then that’s your problem. I know who I am and I’m not ashamed of it. Yes, I am not perfect and I am sure that I have my own gender bias. Everyone has it to some degree. I suppose the whole point of this blog entry is that at times I feel pressured to fit an ideal that I disagree with and I wonder why people have to be so judgmental. I will live my life as I see fit and I’m not going to change my values for anyone! Well I feel better! Perhaps I should have kept this all to myself, but if you have criticism I can take it.

Nintendo’s Green Heroes!

I found this on Facebook thanks to Nintendo’s page, so I thought I’d share it! I try to write a holiday post for every holiday, but I don’t always get around to it. I thought it was especially fitting having Link in the picture since he is in part an influence on how I see my main character in my fantasy series.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

Website News 3/15/2013

I haven’t done a website news post in a long while, so I thought it was about time. I suppose the major announcement is not so major, but whatever. I have a Facebook page for this website, https://www.facebook.com/SDBblog. Technically, the page has been around for a few months, but now there is an improved name for the page: SDBblog. It’s much easier to link to now. The old name was scottdavidbrown.com/*some insanely long number* and for whatever reason Facebook had decided to add a long number after the name of my page. Please feel free to visit the page and like it on Facebook. I know it’s kind of sad right now, not many likes, but if you “like” SDBblog on Facebook I’ll return the favor! I’m also on twitter if you want to follow: @sdbmania.

Second, I’m working quickly on book 2 of The Lost Elf series. I’ll be updating my progress in the “latest book news” section at the top of my website. I have a feeling that this one will be longer then book 1! No matter how long it will be, I’m sticking to the price of 99 cents for each short story. I’m comfortable with that and it will be easier for people to buy the next book if they want to continue the series.

On a somewhat sad but expected note, I have no dates from the Crazy Blind Date app from okcupid.com. Do not cry for me, I don’t live in a large city, and this app is still fairly new. I’m not giving up completely on it. Occasionally I find a date someone else has set up (kind of far for me though), so it’s possible there will be more women using the app in the future. Maybe even in my neighborhood!

Finally, I’m looking into creating another promotion for My Imperfect Life soon. In a couple of months, it will no longer be an amazon exclusive, and I won’t be promoting it since I am focusing more on The Lost Elf. Since this is my birthday month, I wanted to do some special things on my site. There’s still time for more!

The Original Mii on Wii

This is the original Scott David Brown Mii from back with I first got my Nintendo Mii back in 2006. Well, he has had some work done over the years, but still the same basic Mii. I’m posting this guy to celebrate my birthday today!

Crazy Blind Date Experiment

High Anxiety (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m not great at dating. It’s an anxiety ridden experience for me and I haven’t really dated all that much. There are a lot of factors that are involved, some psychological mostly from negative experiences. We all have challenges in our lives and experience things differently. Online dating has been an interesting factor in all of this. I started with match.com and eharmony.com and I’ve spent a lot of time with these sites. At the end of the day, nothing really came from them. In part, I found that my anxiety still made things difficult.

Most of that is in the past and I’m a different person now. I still feel anxiety, especially around beautiful women, but I have a better handle on it. The way we think and perceive our environment has a major effect on how we feel and behave. I’m confident in one thing, women make me nervous! All the more reason to get out there right? Logically yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier! Getting out of your comfort zone can be scary. Logical and rational thinking can help, but sometimes those feelings of anxiety and nervousness can be too powerful. I feel like I’ve come a long way and so I’ve decided test myself.

So, here we go! Over the last year or so I was told about a dating site, okcupid.com, and that it is unique. Sure it is free, an attractive feature, but it also has interesting questions to answer and other cool features. One of the newest additions to the site is the “Crazy Blind Date” app. What is it? Well, it’s tied to your account on okcupid and suggest dates near you. You can’t really see who it is looking for dates, their pictures are scrambled, but if you look closely sometimes you can get a good idea what they look like.  You can set up your own dates and see if anyone choses your date or you can look for dates other people have posted.

I’ve made two for this weekend and I’m going to test out the app. I’ll see if any ladies decide to follow-up. There’s a feature that lets you chat a little before the date, which I think might ease my nervousness. I like the fact that I can choose somewhere close to my house, so I don’t spend so much time driving and feeling anxious. Of course, the app is still new, and it’s not like I live in a big city. There is a good chance there will be no date for me this weekend. In part, that makes me feel better, but I am also committed to improving myself.

How will it go? Well I chicken out? Will someone pick my date? Is Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 ever going to come our for Wii U? Maybe, just maybe. Only time will tell.

March Madness, Scott David Brown Style!

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Cover via Amazon

Now that March has arrived and spring will soon be here, it’s time to celebrate my birthday! No, you don’t have to get me anything, but you can check out my author page on amazon.com and buy one of  my books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLXX1E. Since my birthday is coming up on Monday, I’m going to have one last promotion for My Imperfect Life kindle edition. For 5 days, that’s Monday through Friday of next week, you can download My Imperfect Life for free. It’s yours for as long as you live. That means you can take as much time reading it as you want! Little White Lie is no longer an amazon exclusive and I plan on selling it on more e-book sellers in the future. All of this is in part because I am focusing on my new series, The Lost Elf.

And since I brought up the subject, you should check out the The Lost Elf: Awakening, on amazon.com. Just .99 cents for the kindle book. I’m excited to announce that I have found a photographer to design the cover art for the series and I’ll be adding cover art for book one in the near future. Check out her website: http://eleanorleonnebennett.zenfolio.com/. She’s got some real amazing work on there.

I’m also thinking about setting up one more goodreads.com contest for My Imperfect Life on paperback or maybe a discount promotion. Whatever the case, I’ll find ways to make this month extra special! Is it partially selfish? Perhaps. Ignoring me is only going to make it worse!

The Lost Elf: Awakening

It is time to officially announce the release of The Lost Elf: Awakening e-book! I am excited to have book 1 of my new series exclusively on amazon.com as a kindle book. I really enjoyed writing Awakening which introduces the main character, an elf who cannot remember who he is. The idea of using amnesia provides a certain mysterious quality to the character. I chose the first-person present tense style, because I want the reader to be able to experience the story right along side the main character. This is the first time I’ve written a story like this and it’s fun to experiment with.

Nature is a major theme for this series as the elf’s first power that he discovers is the ability to communicate with nature through his mind. He can talk to plants and animals. Elves are often defenders of nature in fantasy fiction, so creating a connection between the elf and nature seemed perfect. The journey also involve animals, though not talking animals like in a cartoon, all the communication happens mentally. I wanted to give the story a realistic feel without having talking animals.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I am hoping to have each book in the series published every month or so. It’s a long process, even for short stories, and I still have other responsibilities too. I haven’t even started writing book 2 yet! However, I did manage to create an outline for each book, so I have a general idea of what happens throughout the series.

Also, I should mention that I have added a new page to my website. The Lost Elf page will have a listing of every book in the series and a brief description of each story. There will also be a link to the Amazon.com page for the book once it is published. I’m thinking of adding a preview of what book 2 will be about in the coming weeks once I come up with the title. I hope you consider reading The Lost Elf: Awakening. If you like medieval fantasy, you will like this book!