Massimo Marino's Blog: The Ramblings and the Rumblings, page 32
October 27, 2012
Nothing good...
"Nothing good will come of merely filling in what you already know. You must trust the act of writing to scan all the passions and convictions in your mind, but these must defer to the fortuitousness of the work; they must be of it.
A book begins as an image, a sound in the ear, the haunting of something you don’t want to remember, or perhaps a great endowing anger. But it is not until you find a voice for whatever it is going on inside you that you can begin to make a coherent composition. The language you find precedes your intention or, if not, is sure to transform it." E.L. Doctorow
In my case everything started with characters. I had images, sounds, situations. In general, I have good memory for these things so I rarely had the urge to write them down. They kept haunting though. For quite some time. Then, one day, I "saw" people, and the images took up a different, more believable situation. I started to be a "witness" of events instead of receiving fragments of situations without the drama of a human being suffering through those.
The novel then started to appear on the screen. After months, it was already there. I only had to brush the keyboard to reveal the words...
A book begins as an image, a sound in the ear, the haunting of something you don’t want to remember, or perhaps a great endowing anger. But it is not until you find a voice for whatever it is going on inside you that you can begin to make a coherent composition. The language you find precedes your intention or, if not, is sure to transform it." E.L. Doctorow
In my case everything started with characters. I had images, sounds, situations. In general, I have good memory for these things so I rarely had the urge to write them down. They kept haunting though. For quite some time. Then, one day, I "saw" people, and the images took up a different, more believable situation. I started to be a "witness" of events instead of receiving fragments of situations without the drama of a human being suffering through those.
The novel then started to appear on the screen. After months, it was already there. I only had to brush the keyboard to reveal the words...
October 24, 2012
The Next Big Thing...
The Next Big Thing . . . well, it is a blog hopping with the goal to discover some new authors/books.
For those unfamiliar with a blog hop . . . you find something on one blog then you hop on over to the next blog link for a new author discovery.
Some are still being written, some are just being released. Either way, for fiction lovers . . . it’s a treasure hunt and I’d like to thank Renata F. Barcelos for inviting me to participate.
Each author answers 10 questions . . . you get to learn about my current WIP (work in progress), some of the characters I’ve come to think of as real, and how I got there. When it’s all said & done . . . comments and questions are always welcome. I was invited to "The Next Big Thing…" by author Renata F. Barcelos, http://renatafbarcelos.wordpress.com/
What is the working title of your book?
I am working on the sequel of "Daimones", called "Once Humans". The story takes places few years after the end of "Daimones", aptly ending with the words "- The Beginning… - ". "Once Humans" then develops the events and the conditions leading to the last volume of the trilogy.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
For the trilogy, I consulted many sources, researched articles and books on mythology, and strange archeological facts and real events. It has been slowly building up till the day I could not contain it anymore in my mind and had to come out.
What genre does your book fall under?
Every book needs a genre, right? The most appropriate for the whole trilogy is sci-fi, and PA (post-apocalypse) is the main theme though the story will evolve so that the PA will be lost in due corse to become more of a space opera.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Someone asked me this very question long ago and I had only one actor in mind: Keanu Reeves. He would be perfect as main character before the apocalyptic events, during them, and after, after going through his mental and physical changes.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
For the sequel, the title itself: once humans… With all the implications, conflicts, and complexity of the human beings. You can change everything but, once humans, you carry within a heavy load still.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published. Nowadays publishing has changed considerably and in ways that publishing houses have not yet realized. The important thing is to aim to the same, actually to a better quality than traditional published books. Which means, get ready to spend an enormous amount of time to polish the language, have proofreaders, beta-readers, and work for months with your editor to make the reading flow impeccable. It has been that way with the first volume, "Daimones", it will be with this work in progress, "Once Humans".
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wish I'd be able to answer to this as I am still writing it. For "Daimones" it took six months. Extremely fast. At times, it was like writing being possessed by an external entity. Who knows, maybe the Daimones are truly there and not everything in the novel is my invention...
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A Canadian journalist and author, James A. Anderson, had this to say about my story "This is quite simply a brilliant sci-fi novel and story.
It is a post-apocalyptic vision that is stunning in its breadth and complexity. It easily rivals the power of Stephen King's THE STAND and Neville Shute's ON THE BEACH." I hope he will have similar things to say for "Once Humans".
NYT International Best Seller Author, Jennifer Blake, said: "In this post-apocalyptic story for the thinking person, Marino explores a myriad of moral and emotional issues as well as the mechanics of everyday survival. The timeline is natural, unforced and the European setting adds a fresh perspective. The exploration of human relationships and their importance, of personalities and memories, provide real heart for the tale. Though sci-fi is not my usual genre, I enjoyed Daimones, and look forward to the next two books in this intriguing trilogy."
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Everyone and everything. Can we leave it like that? The story was already there, it erupted and screamed to be written with fury.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I am not writing or attempting to imitate other authors, even though the same names are repeated as "inspirations" after people have read what I write.
I want to share emotions, and have the reader live within the worlds that come out and get into writing, where time takes up a different dimension and it is easy to immerse oneself in the story, see, feel, smell, experience together with the characters.
Reviewer and author Natasha Slight, commented: "The scenes the author has created made me laugh, made me feel sad, and had me questioning myself if I were put in that same position." - "I truly enjoyed this book. The writing is witty and sharp, and the author has obviously done his research on doomsday theories" - "The ending leaves the reader with a sense of hope for humanity. As I said before, this book will make you think. All in all, this is a highly recommended read!"
So my goal is to make you laugh, make you feel sad, have you questioning yourself and, as Natasha continued in her review, sometimes even scare you.
-------
For "Next Big Thing…" next week, fellow authors:
Ch'Kara SilverWolf (www.sheerak.wordpress.com)
Joyce Weaver (http://joyceweaver.wordpress.com)
James A. Anderson (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59...)
Pat L. Blair (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
Rebecca Stroud (http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Stroud/... ).
For those unfamiliar with a blog hop . . . you find something on one blog then you hop on over to the next blog link for a new author discovery.
Some are still being written, some are just being released. Either way, for fiction lovers . . . it’s a treasure hunt and I’d like to thank Renata F. Barcelos for inviting me to participate.
Each author answers 10 questions . . . you get to learn about my current WIP (work in progress), some of the characters I’ve come to think of as real, and how I got there. When it’s all said & done . . . comments and questions are always welcome. I was invited to "The Next Big Thing…" by author Renata F. Barcelos, http://renatafbarcelos.wordpress.com/
What is the working title of your book?
I am working on the sequel of "Daimones", called "Once Humans". The story takes places few years after the end of "Daimones", aptly ending with the words "- The Beginning… - ". "Once Humans" then develops the events and the conditions leading to the last volume of the trilogy.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
For the trilogy, I consulted many sources, researched articles and books on mythology, and strange archeological facts and real events. It has been slowly building up till the day I could not contain it anymore in my mind and had to come out.
What genre does your book fall under?
Every book needs a genre, right? The most appropriate for the whole trilogy is sci-fi, and PA (post-apocalypse) is the main theme though the story will evolve so that the PA will be lost in due corse to become more of a space opera.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Someone asked me this very question long ago and I had only one actor in mind: Keanu Reeves. He would be perfect as main character before the apocalyptic events, during them, and after, after going through his mental and physical changes.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
For the sequel, the title itself: once humans… With all the implications, conflicts, and complexity of the human beings. You can change everything but, once humans, you carry within a heavy load still.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published. Nowadays publishing has changed considerably and in ways that publishing houses have not yet realized. The important thing is to aim to the same, actually to a better quality than traditional published books. Which means, get ready to spend an enormous amount of time to polish the language, have proofreaders, beta-readers, and work for months with your editor to make the reading flow impeccable. It has been that way with the first volume, "Daimones", it will be with this work in progress, "Once Humans".
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wish I'd be able to answer to this as I am still writing it. For "Daimones" it took six months. Extremely fast. At times, it was like writing being possessed by an external entity. Who knows, maybe the Daimones are truly there and not everything in the novel is my invention...
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A Canadian journalist and author, James A. Anderson, had this to say about my story "This is quite simply a brilliant sci-fi novel and story.
It is a post-apocalyptic vision that is stunning in its breadth and complexity. It easily rivals the power of Stephen King's THE STAND and Neville Shute's ON THE BEACH." I hope he will have similar things to say for "Once Humans".
NYT International Best Seller Author, Jennifer Blake, said: "In this post-apocalyptic story for the thinking person, Marino explores a myriad of moral and emotional issues as well as the mechanics of everyday survival. The timeline is natural, unforced and the European setting adds a fresh perspective. The exploration of human relationships and their importance, of personalities and memories, provide real heart for the tale. Though sci-fi is not my usual genre, I enjoyed Daimones, and look forward to the next two books in this intriguing trilogy."
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Everyone and everything. Can we leave it like that? The story was already there, it erupted and screamed to be written with fury.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I am not writing or attempting to imitate other authors, even though the same names are repeated as "inspirations" after people have read what I write.
I want to share emotions, and have the reader live within the worlds that come out and get into writing, where time takes up a different dimension and it is easy to immerse oneself in the story, see, feel, smell, experience together with the characters.
Reviewer and author Natasha Slight, commented: "The scenes the author has created made me laugh, made me feel sad, and had me questioning myself if I were put in that same position." - "I truly enjoyed this book. The writing is witty and sharp, and the author has obviously done his research on doomsday theories" - "The ending leaves the reader with a sense of hope for humanity. As I said before, this book will make you think. All in all, this is a highly recommended read!"
So my goal is to make you laugh, make you feel sad, have you questioning yourself and, as Natasha continued in her review, sometimes even scare you.
-------
For "Next Big Thing…" next week, fellow authors:
Ch'Kara SilverWolf (www.sheerak.wordpress.com)
Joyce Weaver (http://joyceweaver.wordpress.com)
James A. Anderson (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59...)
Pat L. Blair (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
Rebecca Stroud (http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Stroud/... ).
October 22, 2012
Changes
"For reasons not always at the time explicable, there are specific occasions when events begin suddenly to take on a significance previously unsuspected; so that before we really know where we are, life seems to have begun in earnest at last, and we ourselves, scarcely aware that any change has taken place, are careering uncontrollably down the slippery avenues of eternity." -- Anthony Powell.
How many times something crucial happened and we had to look back in time to recognize it did, when "events take on a significance previously unsuspected", "scarcely aware that any change has taken place", and yet...
How many times something crucial happened and we had to look back in time to recognize it did, when "events take on a significance previously unsuspected", "scarcely aware that any change has taken place", and yet...
October 19, 2012
Truth of Writing
The truth of the matter is that the creative act doesn’t fulfill the ego but changes its nature. As you write you are less the person you ordinarily are—the situation confers strength.
You learn to trust what comes to you unbidden. You learn to trust the act of writing itself. An idea, an image, a voice, comes to you as a discovery, and you don’t possess what you write any more than the mountain climber possesses the mountain.
Writers write by trying to find out what it is they’re writing.
-- E. L. Doctorow
Aren't these such revealing words... In the process of writing Daimones, and even more while writing the sequel "Once Humans", things happens in the mind of those who are writing, and the work surge to its own life.
One becomes truly a narrator, reporting images, voices, events discovered while they are being written. The writer becomes the first reader of the story and very true, you don't possess the story, the story is already there, you're just another reader...
You learn to trust what comes to you unbidden. You learn to trust the act of writing itself. An idea, an image, a voice, comes to you as a discovery, and you don’t possess what you write any more than the mountain climber possesses the mountain.
Writers write by trying to find out what it is they’re writing.
-- E. L. Doctorow
Aren't these such revealing words... In the process of writing Daimones, and even more while writing the sequel "Once Humans", things happens in the mind of those who are writing, and the work surge to its own life.
One becomes truly a narrator, reporting images, voices, events discovered while they are being written. The writer becomes the first reader of the story and very true, you don't possess the story, the story is already there, you're just another reader...
Hidden qualities...
I just saw a tweet in greek. Funny thing is, I remember perfectly how to read greek, and a native speaker—I know a few of them—understands me perfectly and "s/he" then knows what I say. I don't! I have lost memory of most, if not all, nouns and verbs meaning.
I could become the perfect reader for secret messages. Sometimes brain and memory works in a funny, peculiar way. Why did I keep this knowledge, which I do not practice at all? Do you have funny, twisted 'functions' with your brain and memory you cannot fully explain?
As soon as I see a greek word, I hear the sound in my mind and can read it aloud the same way I can with the languages I speak, Italian, English, and French.
Well, it seems that—most of the times—I understand those languages, too. Ok, sometimes, even. It happened I failed to understand grocery lists, in whatever language, but that is another story...
I could become the perfect reader for secret messages. Sometimes brain and memory works in a funny, peculiar way. Why did I keep this knowledge, which I do not practice at all? Do you have funny, twisted 'functions' with your brain and memory you cannot fully explain?
As soon as I see a greek word, I hear the sound in my mind and can read it aloud the same way I can with the languages I speak, Italian, English, and French.
Well, it seems that—most of the times—I understand those languages, too. Ok, sometimes, even. It happened I failed to understand grocery lists, in whatever language, but that is another story...
October 18, 2012
Indie writer conundrum...
"If you're a freelance writer and aren't used to being ignored, neglected, and generally given short shrift, you must not have been in the business very long." -- Poppy Z. Brite
Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest.
Do you still want to be a writer - and if so, why?
Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest.
Do you still want to be a writer - and if so, why?
October 15, 2012
Stitching and unstitching...
William Butler Yeats, one of the great poets of the English language, tells us that “..a line will take us hours maybe;/ Yet if it does not seem a moment’s thought/ Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.”
Do you agree? Do you see there the writing and re-writing, and re-writing that can make our 'written utterance' into a spontaneous, 'sharp and witty' prose, as a reviewer recently put. Stitching and unstitching can make so "The scenes the author has created made me laugh, made me feel sad, and had me questioning myself..."
http://ssbookfanatics.blogspot.ca/201...
Do you agree? Do you see there the writing and re-writing, and re-writing that can make our 'written utterance' into a spontaneous, 'sharp and witty' prose, as a reviewer recently put. Stitching and unstitching can make so "The scenes the author has created made me laugh, made me feel sad, and had me questioning myself..."
http://ssbookfanatics.blogspot.ca/201...
October 12, 2012
If you were a publisher...
...would you turn this writer down?
”The beautiful things we shall write if we have the talent are inside us, indistinct, like the memory of a melody which de-lights us though we are unable to recapture its outline. Those who are obsessed by this blurred memory of truth they have never known are the gifted…Talent is like a sort of memory which will enable them fi-nally to bring this indistinct music closer to them, to hear it clearly, to note it down.”
”The beautiful things we shall write if we have the talent are inside us, indistinct, like the memory of a melody which de-lights us though we are unable to recapture its outline. Those who are obsessed by this blurred memory of truth they have never known are the gifted…Talent is like a sort of memory which will enable them fi-nally to bring this indistinct music closer to them, to hear it clearly, to note it down.”
October 11, 2012
Cutting, culling, eliminating
Reading around, I found this: - Maxwell Perkins found a structure for Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward, Angel” by cutting it a full sixty five thousand words -
- what made Raymond Carver’s minimalist stories memorable is that his editor, Gordon Lish cut them to the linguistic bone. -
So, don't cringe too much when your editor cuts your—hmm, hmm—"marvelous..." prose. She's doing you a favor.
Sometimes we indulge too much, but the reader just want to know "what's next..." And readers are not indulgent.
- what made Raymond Carver’s minimalist stories memorable is that his editor, Gordon Lish cut them to the linguistic bone. -
So, don't cringe too much when your editor cuts your—hmm, hmm—"marvelous..." prose. She's doing you a favor.
Sometimes we indulge too much, but the reader just want to know "what's next..." And readers are not indulgent.
October 3, 2012
Point of View
In every story there is a lens through which a reader looks at the world.
It is the point of view. The author allows the reader to see and hear what's going on. Skillful authors fix the readers' attention on exactly the detail, opinion, or emotion needed to emphasize the story, manipulating its point of view.
Daimones comes in first-person point of view. Dan, the main character, narrates the story. You get to hear his thoughts and see the world through his eyes.
However, remember that Dan cannot have complete self-knowledge or, for what matters, complete knowledge of anything.
It's your role to go beyond what Dan says...
Daimones
It is the point of view. The author allows the reader to see and hear what's going on. Skillful authors fix the readers' attention on exactly the detail, opinion, or emotion needed to emphasize the story, manipulating its point of view.
Daimones comes in first-person point of view. Dan, the main character, narrates the story. You get to hear his thoughts and see the world through his eyes.
However, remember that Dan cannot have complete self-knowledge or, for what matters, complete knowledge of anything.
It's your role to go beyond what Dan says...
Daimones
