Cate Russell-Cole's Blog, page 55

Who Chooses? Characters With the Warrior Gene

The nature versus nurture argument has always been a focal point in explaining what causes humans to behave as they do. It provides writers with an almost limitless wealth of options, on which they can pin the blame for a character’s bad behaviour. The latest cause of argument in the debate is the warrior gene. After watching NatGeo’s documentary “Born to Rage,” it had me taking the argument into another additional dimension: can ‘nurture’ also include how we choose to nurture what lives within our own minds and emotions? Nurture may be dependent on far more than the influence of our families and friends.

The discovery of the warrior gene and it’s use as the ultimate excuse for lashing out, is now so popular it has hit daytime television; changed the course of murder trials (diminished responsibility); and DNA testers actively promote their services, so you can see if you have it or not. It’s an excuse generator and money maker. It supposedly drives high risk taking executives and entrepreneurs; gamblers; gang members and toddlers who bite, hit and rebel. You can pin that tail on any donkey… until the actual DNA results come in…

According to the iGENEA DNA test pushing web site, the MAOA-L gene, “causes its carriers to be more willing to take risks while simultaneously enabling them to better assess their chances of success in critical situations.” Reading around the Internet, you quickly learn that the gene can be considered a cause for aggressive and destructive behaviour; a predisposition towards violence; or a blatant excuse for getting away with literally, everything including murder. The interesting thing is, when watching the NatGeo show, the people who were convinced they would test positive for it (punk rockers, gang members and bikers) did not have the gene. Those who you thought were least likely to have it, the Buddhist monks, tested positive. They were the ones who took their lethal potential and nurtured themselves towards a positive outcome. Nature lost invincibility over personal choice.

So how can you have peaceful people carrying around such potentially lethal DNA? Like most things in life, it comes down to the choices you make in how to handle and channel the emotions inside of you. That is wisdom of choice and self-nurture. As a writer, I am intrigued by how you can use genes as an excuse for what you have done. You can take the added bonus of the clearly stated role that environment and nurture plays, in bringing out socially depraved behaviour and weave it into many plot paths:

Individuals who struggle to overcome their genetic tendency or who cave in to it;
People who have the gene who feel pushed to display aggression by their violently focussed peers, despite the fact they want to be pacifists who overcome any urges;
Societies who will eliminate or exile anyone with the gene including whole lineages;
Ancient or modern societies or financial agencies who glorify such as gene, as they must be dominant warriors with high risk tendencies for high achievement; or
Armies, corporations or secret clubs with political agendas, populated solely by those with the gene for maximum force.

When you think about it, the warrior gene as a scapegoat is not a new concept. I have seen the same kind of biased thinking applied to men who have a high testosterone level. They are labelled as balding, career obsessed ambitious risk takers, who have a high sex drive and are never satisfied. Testosterone has been blamed for societal violence and agression… and guess what, it’s link has been clinically shown to be false. Testosterone isn’t a monster, it’s a basic hormone found in every human being: male and female. The traits are again, attributed to warriors, high risk taking executives and entrepreneurs; gamblers etc.

If this was a moral post, I’d be asking, are we taking typecasting too far? However, this is a writer’s space. I am suggesting you research it, then take it to the maximum limit in your own characters for your own purpose.

All the photos in this post are paid for and licenced to me. They are Copywritten . You may not save them or use them for your own purposes. You can purchase them from iStockphoto.com This article is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2012. It may not be reproduced in any form, without my prior written permission. All rights reserved.

Filed under: Fiction and Characterisation, Indie Publishing, Resources, Writing Tagged: aggression, author, behaviour, biker, characterisation, choice, conflict, fiction, inspiration, monk, motivation, peace, plot, problem solving, psychology, resource, study, violence, warrior gene, writer, writing

Hatching a Killer Plan!

A wise person once said, that if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, you will hit it every time. I know people who have enticing dreams of becoming a recognised author. However, few of them fully actualise their desires. More often than not, it’s because life gets in the way. To combat that, it pays to devise a killer plan of action!

A business plan is a dream map: and every writer needs one if you earnestly want to be a success. The benefits of a plan are boundless. It will enable you to manage your time; keep track of expenses so they don’t go leaping out of hand; and make you think of strategies! It enables you to get on with your writing, not fumble around, wondering why you are achieving so little. It doesn’t have to be grandiose or complicated. It’s a plan that suits what you want to do.

If you don’t think you need a plan, consider these points. If you don’t know the answers, you need a plan!

How many hours do I routinely dedicate to my writing, it’s paperwork and it’s promotion per week?
How many words, articles or blog posts do I need to write per month to achieve success?
What additional tools do I need to promote my work, such as a blog, social networking, SEO and pay-per-click advertising?
What costs am I already paying and not keeping track of? For example, Triberr bones, blog themes, stationary, printer cartridges, Internet costs, power, software etc.
How much money do I want to make and how much do I need to make to cover costs?
How often do I need to look for and nurture new promotion / writing opportunities? Where do I look?
How genuinely effective is my social networking? (Measure your statistics in terms of blog post hits from each media, re-pins, shares, re-tweets etc. and see what is actually working and what is genuine time wasting.)
What is my unique angle in the marketplace?
How do I track sales, hits and other data from my publishers, Kindle, iBooks, Lulu or whatever systems I use?
What are all my options for electronic payment systems and how am I keeping track of sales in book-keeping? How do I determine how much to give away? How will this affect my income?
What is my timetable for each stage of the writing, editing and publishing process?
How do I track my success, both financially and in terms of the effort invested?

Some of those questions may seem scary. However, they can have simple strategies as answers. For example. I run my writing and teaching as a registered business. I have a budget per month, plus I check it against my varying income every two weeks, to ensure I don’t overspend where I can’t afford to. I know my legal requirements. I know how much room there is financially to expand my advertising.

I also have a set time commitment per week. I know my audience and only follow other writers on social media. I make room for days where I can focus on writing and I stay offline. My blog posts are limited to topics which fit my writing and teaching interests. I blog at least a month ahead, to ensure I don’t push out ‘anything’ posts, as I am short on time. I limit myself to two blog entries a week and I keep a calendar of my posts so I can plan. I automate blog post promotion as much as possible. In the remaining time, I work on my e-books and course development. When I am booked, I am in the community teaching.

My formal business plan is a simple one page document, which reads more like a to-do list. I am not running a fortune five hundred company! I just need to know what I am doing this week, whether or not it has worked and what I am doing to carry on growing. It’s not overwhelming or a burden. If you would like to read more formal posts on business plans for writers, please visit the links below. Remember the advice I was given when I first started in small business in the 1990s: You don’t plan to fail, but if you don’t plan, you will fail.

Writers Write: Successful Authors Write A Business Plan by Deborah Riley-Magnus: http://rileymagnus.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/writers-write-successful-authors-write-a-business-plan/

Poewar Writer’s Resource Centre: http://poewar.com/business-plans-for-writers/

Writing World.com: http://www.writing-world.com/rights/plan.shtml

The blue ribbon (modified) and the words photo in this post are paid for and licenced to me. They are Copywritten. You may not save them or use them for your own purposes. You can purchase them from iStockphoto.com 

This article is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2012. All rights reserved. It may not be reproduced in any medium, in print or digital format. 

Filed under: Blogging, Indie Publishing, Writing Tagged: achievement, advertising, assess, author, bookkeeping, budget, business plan, competition, goal, marketing, promotion, success, timeline, tracking, writer, writing

Amy Tan, Author of Joy Luck Club, On Writing’s Meaning

I enjoy watching interviews with Amy Tan, as she makes a clear, direct correlation between her writing and her life’s journey. Not everyone is as self aware. She is highly intelligent, vibrant and inspiring. The these videos on the meaning writing has bought into her life, are pure gold.

Biographical Information: “Amy Tan (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. Her most well-known work is The Joy Luck Club, which has been translated into 35 languages. In 1993, the book was adapted into a commercially successful film.

Tan has written several other bestselling novels, including The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Saving Fish from Drowning. She also wrote a collection of non-fiction essays entitled The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. Her most recent novel Saving Fish from Drowning explores the tribulations experienced by a group of people who disappear while on an art expedition in the jungles ofBurma. In addition to these, Tan has written two children’s books: The Moon Lady (1992) and Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), which was turned into an animated series which aired on PBS. She also appeared on PBS in a short spot encouraging children to write.” Source: Wikipedia Amy Online: http://www.amytan.net/

Finding Meaning through Writing: Amy’s Relationship with her Mother





Writing from Personal Experience





Where Does Creativity Hide?

From TED: “Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from. It’s a wild ride with a surprise ending.”

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Fiction and Characterisation, Food For Thought, Indie Publishing, Inspiration, Resources, Write Your Life Story E-Course, Writer's Recovery Community Post, Writing Tagged: Amy Tan, biography, books, career, creativity, fiction, ideas, imagination, inspiration, life story, Sagwa, Saving Fish from Drowning, success, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Moon Lady, The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, writer, writing

Story and Character Tracking Forms to Make Life Easier

A long time ago, when I was mutilating the craft of fiction, I came across writer’s software that had handy forms for working out characters, scenes, plots and story submissions. They didn’t quite fit my needs, so I built my own. As I’ve been blogging on heavy topics such as power, conflict, grief, shock and depression, I thought I’d present these much lighter files before I overload everyone’s brain with the darkest depths of the human condition!

Please understand, these are really old Microsoft Word files. They are in my maiden name and quite possibly, some of the formatting may be shuffled around, depending on what version of Word you are running. You should be able to type straight into them and re-save them under your own file names. For my Mac buddies, they will open in Pages. What formatting carnage could ensue from that, I don’t know. If it’s a terrible mess, please accept my sincere apologies.

They are virus, macro and malware free. These links will take you back to their source on my website. Hit the link and the file will download to your system. It won’t open in your browser.

You may alter, pass on or use these files however you please: just as long as it is non commercial use.

Cheers everyone!

Character Development Form http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FORM.DOC


Scenes Form http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/SCENES FORM.DOC


Story and Chapter Overview Form http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/STORY AND CHAPTER OVERVIEW FORM.DOC


Story Submission Record http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/STORY SUBMISSION RECORD.DOC


Science Fiction / Fantasy Character Development Form http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/SCIFI CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FORM.DOC


Science Fiction / Fantasy Location Form http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/ArtiosStoryForms/SCIFI LOCATION FORM.DOC

If they don’t work, please email me at: lifestory@virtual-desk.com.au and let me know. I have tested them, however, technology has a mind of its own!

Filed under: Creativity, Inspiration, Resources, Writing Tagged: character, character development, fantasy, forms, iWork Pages, location, Microsoft Word, records, scene, science fiction, submission, tracking, writer

Secrets You Never Thought Of

Nothing puts you on alert like being aware of insidious undercurrents laying just under the surface of what you can see… For fiction writers, secrecy and loss of trust is a goldmine of plot twists, character weaknesses and gripping reading.

Every Sunday, I visit the Post Secret web site. Post Secret is clinical proof that truth is stranger than fiction. For me, many secrets illustrate viewpoints far outside my experience and comprehension! Post Secret is the place where people can send in their innermost thoughts and secrets to relieve the pressures of guilt and turmoil. The page is updated weekly and some secrets are not what you’d expect… For example:

The following are from their web page dated the week starting May 6th 2012.

The value of Post Secret is the post card senders get to be their real selves. The site has prevented suicides; generated discussion and awareness of taboo topics; and created a series of books which people locate in libraries, then place their secrets in the pages for others to find. It’s a safety outlet and a way to help others. At one stage there was an app, which sadly was taken off the market as bullies and trolls misused it.

Not all secrets are shockers. Some are things which you just have to say to someone.

So if you are looking for out-of-the-box ideas for your characters, I recommend the site  http://www.postsecret.com But please, consider it only for for respectful viewing. Some of these secrets are probably posted to shock, but many are shared by people who are hurting badly. Remember that we don’t know the full story.

Below is an interview with founder, Frank Warren, on TED talks.

This article is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2012. It may only be reproduced, with my permission, for non commercial purposes only. My name and Copyright must remain intact. For permission, please email me at: cate@virtual-desk.com.au

Filed under: Creativity, Fiction and Characterisation, Food For Thought, Indie Publishing, Resources, Writing Tagged: autobiography, characterisation, communication, creativity, depression, failure, fiction, growth, inspiration, life story, passion, Post Secret, postcard, resource, secret, stress, writer, writing

Blogging Support for People With Real Lives

A Round of Words in 80 Days is the writing challenge that knows you have a life.

Several months ago I found and promoted a blogging initiative named ROW8O. I like it as it’s realistic and doesn’t place unreasonable demands on people’s time. Often our creative spirits don’t work to clocks, search engine ranking demands or the advice of other successful people. We all have to find our own way forward… plus we have to balance the other aspect of our lives. ROW8O allows you to do that.

I am honoured to be a sponsor for the next round of ROW8O which starts in July. Please visit the blog, sign up and join us! http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/

ROW8O as described by Kait Nolan, the founder: ”We are all different and we all have different demands on our time.  Why should we all have the same goal?  The simple answer is that we shouldn’t.  If you want to be a writer, then you have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt to your changing circumstances.  If that means changing your goals when your life blows up, so be it.  ROW80 is the challenge that champions the marriage of writing and real life.

So here’s the skinny:

We have 4 rounds a year, each running 80 days.  
Your goal can be anything you like as long as it is measurable (e.g. number of words/pages, specified amount of time to spend on writing per day/week, number of pages edited, etc.–for more on what makes a measurable goal, see this post).
Once you have settled on a goal, you write it up on your blog (yes, you must have one) and link to it on the Goals Linky for the Round, which will be posted on the ROW80 Blog.
If your goal changes before the end of the 80 days, simply write up a new goals post and link to it on the latest check-in day.
We have check-ins twice a week on Wednesday and Sundays where you will update us the same way (e.g. write up a blog post of your progress and link to it on that day’s linky).
On Twitter we use a hashtag of #ROW80 if you wanna come hang out.  Or if you’re more into Facebook, you can find that here.
And if you happen to find us after a round has begun, just write up your goals post and hop on in whenever.  We’re a friendly bunch.
Be sure to grab the ROW80 badge from the sidebar on the  ROW80 Blog (right click, save image location, then chuck it in your blog’s image widget or grab some basic image html and use a text widget).”


Filed under: Blogging, Business News, Creativity, Inspiration, Resources, Writer's Recovery Community Post, Writing Tagged: blogging, challenge, creativity, goals, growth, inspiration, motivation, resource, ROW80, support, Twitter, writer, writing

“Write Your Life Story” Birthday Giveaway

Yesterday was the birthday of my business. Well, in truth, it’s an anniversary of a registration date, which doesn’t sound so exciting. Regardless, it’s a time to reflect and be thankful for what I have learnt and achieved. I believe that every milestone in life should be celebrated. Life is too short and we don’t often stop to appreciate what we have.

To mark this occasion, I am giving away two copies of my Write Your Life Story E-Course, including a year’s free memoir writing tutoring for each winner (to be used in their own timeframe, no pressure.) The course is valued at $250.00 and can be completed by email.

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post telling me about an exciting moment you’d love to put down on paper. The winning comments will be announced on the blog on July 25th. You may also vote for the comment you like best by adding a reply in the comments section, or by Tweeting to me via @cateartios The decision of the judges is final, (though they have indicated that they can be bribed with chocolate.)

About the Course:

The course is for any level of writer wanting to write memoir / autobiography. Whether you want to write a journal or an autobiography, the Write Your Life Story E-Course will give you a structure for what you want to write; many ideas to get you started and enthusiastic; and an understanding of new techniques to bring back memories and write a vibrant story.

By the end of the course you will have:

• Constructed a time line of your life’s events as a starting point for writing;

• Chosen a title;

• Planned what resources you need such as cost and research;

• Used memory trigger techniques and mind mapping;

• Decided which parts of your life you do and don’t want to write about;

• Knowledge about which biography writing pitfalls to avoid;

• Used basic fiction writing techniques to add colour and depth to your work;

• Have a list of resources for inspiration and further information;

• Organised your work so nothing is lost.

If you would like a sample of what the E-course is like, please visit this link: http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/WYLS%20eCourse%20Week%201.pdf For student feedback or to order the self-study version of the course, please visit http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/trainer.html Course materials are delivered by email in a safe .pdf form which is PC and Mac compatible. No virus risks, no malware.

Please Note: Tutoring services will only be provided until July 25, 2013. It does not include manuscript editing services, promotion, recommendations to publishers, writing query letters, technical formatting of a manuscript or any aspect of the publishing process. It includes feedback on your writing and course exercises; discussion of the course material, approaches you can take in your work and technical assistance on any aspect of the course.

The cake shown above was made for my 16th birthday by a close friend of mine. This was before the days of the Internet. I didn’t even have an electric typewriter then, let alone a computer. My sixtieth birthday cake, if we stay with the theme, may represent an electronic device so small, you don’t even get a decent bite out of it!

Filed under: Business News, Creativity, Journalling, Write Your Life Story E-Course, Writing Tagged: Artios Communications, autobiography, birthday, Cate Russell-Cole, e-course, e-learning, family history, free, giveaway, journal, journaling, life story, memoir, prize, study, support, writer, writing

Write Strong Heroines That Readers Can Admire

Hi everyone, as you may know, I am not much of a fiction writer. I am more fascinated by the science of putting together planets and the psychology of character’s behaviour, than I am enamoured with the hard slog of writing a novel. Romance is particularly not my speciality, so when Adrienne deWolfe asked me if she could write a guest post about Romance writing, I was happy to agree. Please enjoy, pass on, enter her June raffle and support Adrienne’s work.

Thanks to my Wild Texas Nights series, I developed a reputation for writing strong heroines that Romance readers can admire.

Before I started writing my debut novel, Texas Outlaw, I came across an article in Romance Writers Report that touted virginity as a woman’s Badge of Honor.  While I could certainly admire female characters that saved themselves for their nuptial beds, I felt that the rest of Womanhood was being cheated by the Badge of Honor idea.

In history, as in modern-day life, women fell on hard times.  Providers died; sweethearts went to war; husbands walked away from their marriage vows.  Sometimes, women let their hearts rule their heads and succumbed to seduction.

Did these circumstances make a woman unlovable?

Not in my mind.  In fact, I considered these life experiences fascinating fodder for creating memorable heroines.

When Fancy Holleday sprang into my mind, I was writing about an era in which life was cheap and men were far from civilized (American West, circa 1875.)  I envisioned Fancy as a woman who’d been forced to overcome the stigma of her birth.  She could “charm, seduce or just plain outsmart any man alive.”  Although Fancy was no blushing maid, she yearned to be loved.

When I announced to my published friends that I was writing a Romance about a heroine who had been born in a whorehouse, and who had been forced to rob a train to survive, those authors told me that I would never get Texas Outlaw published.

“Readers want to read about upstanding, virginal (pick your favorite adjective) heroines,” my published friends told me.  “Fancy’s the kind of character who should be a sidekick.”

Sometimes as an aspiring author, you have to ignore the naysayers and write the book that’s in your heart.

Fancy became the star of my debut novel (which, ironically, lead to my being contracted to write two spin-offs – voilà.  The Wild Texas Nights series).  Bantam Books published Texas Outlaw to rave reviews.  It became a finalist for two Rita Awards (Romance Writers of America), and a Reviewer’s Choice Award (Romantic Times Magazine). Fancy herself won the Honey of a Heroine Award (West Houston Chapter, RWA.)

Not too shabby for a lady train robber whose story nobody wanted to read!

When you’re writing characters from other eras, you must strike a balance between historical accuracy and the sensibilities of the modern Romance reader.  For instance, it’s a sad historical fact that prostitutes in the American West (1865-1890) were, on average, the age of 14, and few of those girls survived beyond the age of 18.

But how Romantic is that?  (Not very.)

Romance is an optimistic category of fiction.  It espouses values that are important to women:  family, home, love, children, community, career, and spirituality.  In genre Romance, a woman is characterized as “heroic” and is given power over her life.  Readers know that they can open a Romance and find a tale in which the girl gets the guy, and the guy will treasure her as a woman.

In my online course, How to Write a Romance Novel That Sells, and in my ebook series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published, I show writers how to craft memorable characters ~ like Texas Lover’s Rorie Sinclair.  A divorcee whose doctor husband diagnosed her as “barren” before abandoning her.  A woman who opened her heart to a passel of mixed-blood orphans and was fighting to protect their home from land-grubbing men.

Or a woman like Texas Wildcat’s Bailey McShane.  A tomboy.  A sheep rancher.  A hot-tempered, gun-toting maverick in blue jeans, who was trying to keep her childhood friends from starting a range war in drought-stricken Texas.

The key to writing strong women whom readers can admire is to give your heroines vulnerabilities.  You must show why a pretty young virgin (Bailey) would burst into a cattlemen’s saloon, dressed in her daddy’s slouch hat, with his shotgun clutched under her arm.  Why is she mad?  What’s she fighting for?  What’s at stake if she fails?

You must also show why a heroine – like Fancy or Rorie – initially shuns the love that she secretly wants in her life.  Who hurt her?  Why hasn’t she healed?  What’s her “pay off” for refusing to love?  To raise the emotional stakes even higher, you must make your heroine sacrifice something before she can earn her happy ending.

Let me give you an example.

In my fourth award-winning novel, Scoundrel for Hire (ebook release:  Autumn 2012), Silver Nichols is a wealthy Aspen socialite.  Raised in poverty in Philadelphia, Silver worked hard to establish her reputation as an erudite and influential woman among the nouveau riche.  That reputation would be irreparably damaged if she allowed herself to marry a penniless rogue, who’s running from the law.

But who did I give Silver to love?  Wily Rafe Jones, a Shakespearean actor and con man with a bourbon-smooth Kentucky drawl.  In the novel’s climax, Silver must face the fact that Rafe’s love is more important to her than wealth, status, and her upstanding reputation.  If she does not accept this truth, Silver will lose Rafe forever.

Readers buy Romance novels because they want to immerse themselves in the vicarious thrill of falling in love.  The object of their desire is the hero, but the star of the show is the heroine.

If a reader is going to accept your assignment to “live” inside the skin of your heroine, reward that reader by writing a strong woman character that can be admired — and remembered — long after your story ends.

About Adrienne deWolfe

Originally published by Bantam and Avon Books, Adrienne deWolfe’s 5 novels have won 9 awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year.  Through July, she is celebrating the release of her e-series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published, with a book tour and monthly raffles (including professional story critiques and autographed collector’s items.) To learn more about Adrienne’s Wild Texas Nights series (which is being released as ebooks this summer), visit her website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com.  You can also follow Adrienne on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

This post is Copyright Adrienne deWolfe 2012. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce it in any form, without her prior permission. 

Filed under: Fiction and Characterisation, Inspiration, Resources, Writing Tagged: Adrienne deWolfe, author, characterisation, e-course, guest post, plot, raffle, resource, romance, study, writer, writing

How Ray Bradbury Became a Writer and Stayed One

“Love what you do and do what you love… imagination should be at the centre of your life.”

“Stand at the top of the cliff and jump off and build your wings on the way down.”

In memory of Ray Bradbury who left this earth on June 5th after a lengthy illness.

I came across Ray Bradbury when we read Fahrenheit 451 in High School. It is one of the most thought-provoking works of literature I’ve ever read. These videos are biographical, encouraging for all writers and a treat for anyone who loves his work. Enjoy!

A Portrait of Ray as a Writer:




On Writing Persistently:




An Evening With Ray Bradbury:

This is a 54 minute video. “Science fiction author Ray Bradbury regales his audience with stories about his life and love of writing in “Telling the Truth,” the keynote address of The Sixth Annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: Writer’s Symposium By The Sea, 2001.”

Ray’s bio on Wikipedia: “Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and for the science fiction stories gathered together asThe Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951), Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th and 21st century American writers of speculative fiction. Many of Bradbury’s works have been adapted into television shows or films.

Bradbury was a reader and writer throughout his youth who was greatly influenced by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Bradbury was especially impressed with Poe’s ability to captivate readers into his works. In his youth, he spent much time in the Carnegie library in Waukegan, Illinois, reading such authors as H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and his favorite author, Edgar Rice Burroughs who wrote novels such as Tarzan of the Apes and The Warlord of Mars. He loved Burroughs’ The Warlord of Mars so much that at the age of twelve he wrote his own sequel. Bradbury was pushed to writing by his aunt, who read him short stories when he was a child. He used this library as a setting for much of his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, and depicted Waukegan as “Green Town” in some of his other semi-autobiographical novels—Dandelion Wine, Farewell Summer—as well as in many of his short stories.

He attributes his lifelong habit of writing every day to two incidents. one was when he was three years old when his mother took him to Lon Chaney’s performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the other, which occurred in 1932 when a carnival entertainer, Mr. Electrico, touched him on the nose with an electrified sword, made his hair stand on end, and shouted, “Live forever!” It was from then that Bradbury wanted to live forever and decided on his career as an author in order to do what he was told: live forever. It was at that age that Bradbury first started to do magic. Magic was his first great love. If he had not discovered writing, he would have become a magician.“

Reference sources for the Wikipedia article came from:

Contemporary Authors Online. Ray Bradbury. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Web.
Heller, Terry. Magill’s Survey of American Literature. Revised Edition. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2006. Print.
Paradowski, Robert J. “Ray Bradbury.” Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition” 2001:1-5. EBSCO. Web. Nov. 8, 2010
Paradowski, Robert J. “Ray Bradbury.” Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition (2001): EBSCO. Web. Nov. 10, 2010.
“In His Words”. RayBradbury.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.


Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Fiction and Characterisation, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Resources, Writer's Recovery Community Post, Writing Tagged: biography, books, career, creativity, Fahrenheit 451, fiction, ideas, imagination, inspiration, life story, Ray Bradbury, science fiction, success, writer, writing

Doing A “Depp” and Avoiding the Juicer

I am being asked more and more, “how do I sell my work?” “How do I write when I have no money for editing and book covers?” “How can I get my out-of-print books up and into circulation again?”

Writers seem to be getting lost in the market, thrown around my poorly deduced statistics and seduced by the demands of one-sided advice. It appears at times, that almost everyone that has e-published then has an urge to write a book on how they did it, as a self-proclaimed expert! Often, the advice is at best, partial; at worst, downright dangerous to a writer’s mental health! As I’ve look at some of the advice in the books, then look at a poorly written sample of that writer’s actual published novel, I’ve quickly developed an allergy to these ‘experts.’

What is really bothering me at the moment, is how often I see the same messages being repeated which are dictating how we are to blog, how we are to write, how we are to publish. We are being assimilated to a manageable norm. So are we having our creativity and originality juiced out of us? It concerns me that we are. If I read one more four character based novel with a predictable ending, I am going to scream. The writers are stuck in a formula rut. At times, it makes me stop reading. I’m bored with the same old thing.

So I decided to watch a few out-of-the-box movies, such as “Finding Neverland,” which is magic for writers, and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” I’ve always been intrigued by Johnny Depp’s performances and surprised at his ability to chameleon into roles. He is original and outstanding. I don’t watch a Johnny Depp movie to see him. The character always overtakes the real Johnny in appearance and personality. Depp is that character, rather than appearing as another reincarnation of “Star X now depicting the character Y.”

Reading more about Depp, I quickly discovered that he is his own man, takes his own path, frustrates the Hollywood norms… and wins. Labelled as frustrating, eccentric, unusual and odd, he won’t do the standard cliched blockbuster films, that enable the financial wheels of the movie industry to safely spin along their predictable path. Yes, he is also a writer. Just at the moment, that is the kind of role models many writers need…

Which is the real Johnny Depp?

Johnny has reminded me:

You can still be successful by being yourself, rather than filling the mold;
Reflect your own interests in your choices, not what’s popular now and thus liable to make the most money;
If instinct says so, disregard the ‘shoulds’ from the experts: there is always more than one formula for success;
Write for the love of writing, not the money, you’ll stifle your real self;
Don’t be afraid to write outside your standard genre, step out of your comfort zone and do something completely different;
If others raise an eyebrow at your work and call you ‘unusual’ that’s good! Negative criticism can be a long term positive.
Never compromise yourself.

So “do a Depp.” Seriously consider where you are conforming to the norm in any way that is not you. Find your way back to your genuine creative self. Take a few risks: write something in a new genre and see where your journey takes you. The satisfaction of the creative journey is worth more than any payment or popularity. Plus, it can also become a winner for you too.

From Depp’s Point of View:

“The challenge for me is still to do something that hasn’t been beaten into the moviegoing consciousness. Otherwise what am I in it for?” 

As an undercover cop on 21 Jump Street, Depp emerged into the spotlight as a teen idol in 1987, but a future as a lunch box icon and not having any control over his own image, scared him. “I waited and waited to do a movie, because I wanted to do the right one. I wanted to go as far away from the series (21 Jump Street) as I could. The first film I did after Jump Street was Cry-Baby with John Waters. That was a great experience. After that I did another season of the series, and then I did Edward Scissorhands. During that movie I got the phone call saying I was out of the show. I felt like, Ah, possibilities. I was freed up. I swore to myself that I would never again compromise to the degree that I had. I swore that I wouldn’t just follow the commercial road. I wouldn’t do what was expected of me or what was necessary to maintain whatever it is –a popular or financially rewarding career. I promised myself that I would do that.” 

After the success of Pirates of the Caribbean he has been considered less of a non-conformist risk and more of a bankable movie star. However, his change in status has not changed the way he maintains his career path. Depp: “I’ve always been some distance from that game. I guess there have been times when I was on the brink of being bankable. But that’s all so weird. All these weird lists – top five star, top 10, “Let’s get this guy because he’s bankable.” I don’t think about that. You’re on the list two weeks and then – poof – you’re gone. It never jarred me that I wasn’t on the list. If I’m considered bankable this week, that’s great. Next week I’ll be totally off. I’m used to that. I’ve never had an allergy to the idea of commercial success. When you put a movie out and it’s successful, that’s great. I just wanted to get there in the right way, in a way that’s not too compromising or demeaning or ugly. Whether I’m there as a bankable movie star or not, I don’t know. If I stay there, who knows?”

“It’s just an odd game. I mean, I may want to do dinner theater. Maybe it’s not so bad. I’ve always said I might end up being forced to do McDonald’s openings dressed as Edward Scissorhands. You never know.”

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Food For Thought, Indie Publishing, Inspiration, Writer's Recovery Community Post, Writing Tagged: 'shoulds', blogging, books, challenge, creativity, e-book, failure, fear, formula, freedom, genuine, goals, growth, Indie publishing, inspiration, Johnny Depp, originality, plot, publishing, rut, success, writer, writing