Joseph Devon's Blog, page 6

A Shokunin of Words

Over the weekend I watched the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It was one of the more enjoyable hour-and-a-halfs that I’ve spent in front of my television recently.

The film is an understated look at Jiro Ono, who is considered to be one of the greatest sushi chefs in the world. The man is eighty-five years old and has been making sushi for his entire life. I, personally, hate sushi, but I’m fascinated by it and the process of making it. Something about the required details and the pure arti...

Top Eleven Zombie Books for Summer 2013 Reading

Walking Dead fans – what are your summer plans? How are you going to fill your previously-filled-by-glorious-zombie-action time? While zombie movie marathons are always an option, you, the die-hard zombie fan, probably have seen most of the zombie flicks out there, if not all of them. So maybe it’s time to move on to zombie books. If you aren’t much of a reader, you soon will be – and it’ll definitely hold you over until the next season of The Walking Dead.

There are plenty of well-known and t...

It May Be Time to Push

Writing a book is a strange affair. It is partly an attempt to psychically jam your thoughts into the skulls of other human beings using a system of lines and loops. It is partly a roller-coaster ride through your own subconscious with fears and loves and jokes purging out of you with no warning whatsoever. And it is partly typing and typing, always knowing that what you’re writing sucks.

I’ve mentioned a few times this year how I’m making an effort to avoid that last bit. Not the typing and t...

Writing in the Past Sucks

One of the interesting things about writing an Urban Fantasy novel is the number of doors that are open to you as an author. Of course, this is also one of the more annoying aspects of the genre as well.

For example, some part of my brain decided that it would be fun to set large chunks of Book Three at various points in the past.

Now, when writing a book where your characters’ pasts are examined, it makes a big difference if those characters are human or if those characters are nearly immortal...

Charles Manson is Ruining My Life

As I mentioned last week, I am currently reading Helter Skelter, the definitive work on the Manson Family Murders co-authored by the DA who prosecuted the case.

It is a wealth of detail and insight concerning the crimes, the motive, the trial, and the people involved.

And, as I mentioned last week, it is absolutely fucking with my head.

The horror of the crimes committed by these people…I don’t necessarily want to go into too many details, but a pregnant woman was among the victims. Another vict...

Writing a Book as Circumstantial Evidence

I am currently reading Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murdersby Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. The book is about the Manson Family murders, which is a moniker that sounds gaily sing-songy compared to just how nightmarish those events were. Charles Manson and the group of people he had brainwashed slaughtered around eleven people over the course of a few months in the summer of 1969.

The book is considered the definitive work on the Manson murders. This is not surprising as the...

Writing Books Outside and Other Myths

This past weekend was filled with a horrible rainstorm, and then one of the most beautiful days ever. Unfortunately I forgot that it was a three day weekend when I was making up my work schedule, and so I had to sit inside on that most beautiful day ever. I always say, the best part of writing is that I’m my own boss. And the worst part of writing is that I’m my own boss.

While texting with a friend, I mentioned that it had been glorious outside when I went to grab my coffee, but that I had to...

I Still Think It’s Monday

This past Sunday I rode a trolley around the city, drank champagne, played skeeball, drank pickle backs, and lost my glasses.

I know, I know, it all sounds very glamorous from the outside, but really it was a lot of confusion and a mysterious amount of receipts in my pocket the next day. And also, no glasses.

But that’s how we celebrate birthdays in New York…apparently.

And then the Monday after we sit at our desk unable to form coherent thoughts or come up with blog posts.

But that’s okay, becau...

You Can’t Choose Your Fans

I’ve been noticing that a lot of writers I talk to all seem to have the same hurdle: They have a hard time selling their work to others.

Now, on the one hand, this makes perfect sense to me. I have a difficult time summarizingmy books or telling people in casual conversation what they’re about.

But that’s more about coming up with an elevator pitch, and that’s not what I’m getting at here.

No, I’m talking more about themindset new authors have of deciding ahead of time who is going to like or ha...

Researching Fiction, Or The World’s Biggest Con Game

I have been doing quite a bit of research while writing this current book. I’ve read books about everything from sewing to Ancient Rome. Most recently I finished off a brief history of Romania.

You would think that I would be getting more confident in my ability to portray these concepts in my fiction. However, an odd trend has started popping out at me where, when I get a little bit of a handle on a subject, I actually lose all my confidence in being able to write it. It’s almost like I’m bet...