Matthew Wayne Selznick's Blog, page 16

Say Hello To The New Website!

Hey everybody! I'm back! Did you miss me?

Did you notice I was gone? Be honest; I can take it.

If you're reading this via email or the RSS subscription feed, click through, click through! There's a new website design at mattselznick.com upon which I would like you to feast your eyes. Granted, it's not quite finished — in development we'd call this a "public beta" — but enough stuff is up that I thought it time to pull down the curtains and cut the ribbon. I even got these folks in their fancy suits and, in the case of one fine lady, snazzy boots, to bring a giant pair of scissors. Snip snip! Applause! Champagne! Confetti!

What's New?

Here are some things that are different here:

The Home Page: If you come in through the front door, you'll see a splash page emphasizing who I am, what I do, and what I have to offer. This is a switch from the old "blog as front page" approach I've taken for many years, and it reflects my desire to help others with their creative endeavors as a way to help support my own.
The Free Email Newsletter: I've kept up an email subscriber list for many years, but I've barely utilized it. That's about to change. Find out more about the Matthew Wayne Selznick / MWS Media free email newsletter, and if you haven't done so already… do I have to tell you? Subscribe!
The About Page: Less about who I am, and more about what I can do for you and your creative business.
The Shop: My old site had a lot of nested menus in the navigation. One big reason was the way I organized all the creative content I have available for you to purchase. Now, there's one central Shop page that takes you to dedicated pages for all the fiction, non-fiction, music, and services. You'll also notice a nifty slideshow on some pages — click the cover art and you'll go right to the page for that item!

What Remains?

I mentioned that, as of this writing, at least, this is the "public beta" version of the site. There are still some wings of this house yet to be completed; some rooms that remain to be unlocked. In the days and weeks to come, you'll find…

Detailed information on the wide variety of creative services I offer
A complete archive of my audio and video podcasts
More songs to listen to and to purchase from my original music archive

I'll also be cleaning up some paint over spray, trimming and sprucing here and there, and squashing bugs that will undoubtedly make themselves known. If you find anything weird going on here in the next few weeks, please let me know — either in the comments, or by contacting me directly. Thanks in advance for your help in making the new site as amazing as a good bowl of chicken wings!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

Five Lessons For Writers From Words With Friends

[image error]Like bazillions of others, I'm quite taken with the don't-call-it-Scrabble social crossword game Words With Friends (I'm mwsmedia there — let's play!) If you understand how to play Scrabble, you understand Words With Friends. Like its board game inspiration, Words With Friends requires more than just a good grasp of vocabulary and a fair dose of luck. There's a strategic element to the best game play. Gradually, I've come to see that the best practices for playing Words With Friends are also applicable for writing.

Here are the top five lessons for writers I've discovered playing Words With Friends:

Don't Go With Your First Idea

Sometimes it's too easy: the word is right there, perhaps even literally spelled out, ready to be played. There's a spot for it on the board, plain as the nose on your face. The points you'll get are pretty good, too. Why not use it?

I'll tell you why. You have seven letters. So what if the first three are "z – o – n" and there 's an "e" open on the board? Move your letter tiles around. See what else is hidden in there. Use your imagination. Look at the board… are there opportunities lurking beyond the range of the obvious and would be worth much more than your first choice?

Going with the first idea for a story, scene or character motivation is a strong temptation… because people are lazy. We hate to spend more energy than required to achieve the minimally acceptable result — it's a survival trait left over from our days dodging lions in the tall grass, and it's unnecessary today. Take a risk. Look beyond. Invest the energy to push beyond the initial output of your imagination, and you just might find something revelatory lurking in your subconscious, just waiting to lift your work above the safe and the mundane.

A Well-Placed Small Word May Be Worth More Than a Long One

In Words With Friends, you might find that it's possible to use nearly all your letters to form a nice, board-dominating word. It's going to look great up there… except it's only worth seven points. Don't forget the lesson we just learned! Look beyond. You've got three letters that would fit like stones in a mosaic to create not one, not two, but four words by playing off of tiles already in place. You're headed for double-digit scoring, my friend!

Go for the high score in your writing life, too. The best word for the job is the one that communicates what you want to say to the largest audience possible. This advice is similar to Mr. Orwell's Second Rule: "Never use a long word where a short one will do." At the risk of presuming, I think George was saying the reader doesn't need you to impress them with your Brobdingnagian vocabulary (see what I did there?) Rather, it's more important to communicate with clarity and concision. Your readers will thank you by reading more of your perfectly selected words. Everybody wins!

Use Strategy And Planning To Avoid Working Yourself Into A Corner

It's the moment in Words With Friends that frustrates me the most: the realization that you and your opponent have, very likely as a result of going with the most obvious choice (see above!) and building too readily off of each other's last move (see below!), crammed the whole game into one corner of the board and there are two dozen tiles left in play. The rest of the game is going to be a grudging struggle to find places to put your letters within that crowded triangle until you're both forced to spend your turns swapping letters and passing. Might as well start over… but that means someone is going to have to concede an early defeat! Your Words With Friends session has just turned into a game of chicken. Boo! No fun!

You and your opponent will have a better time if you keep an eye on the whole board and on the consequences your decisions will have as the game progresses. Just like your writing will benefit from some planning. strategy, and consideration in advance.

Writing means planning and strategy. Even you seat-of-the-pants writers strategize and plan, so don't give me that look. You just do your strategizing and planning after you've written your first draft. In Words With Friends, you can't go back and fix things… and in your writing, you'll spend less time on your second draft if you think about how things are turning out in the first. Have your story structure, your scenes, your theme and your characters firmly in mind, work deliberately and with the whole work in mind, and you won't find yourself written into a corner or, worst of all, forced to concede the defeat of your story.

Building Off The Last Move Is Not Necessarily The Best Move For You

In Words With Friends, your opponent's previous move is highlighted, so it's only natural that your eye goes there first when you're thinking about where to place your own letters. Like the problem of the first lesson, it's likewise a result of our inherited pattern-seeking primate behavior.

Fight it! Look around the board — look at the unplayed, open spaces with all those bonus-point tiles just waiting for your letters. Surely there's something better than simply adding "d" to your opponent's "move?"

In your writing life, it's natural for your attention to be drawn to the latest thing that seems to be working for your peers. If zombie historical romances (um, ew…) are making a mint for your formerly impoverished, former writing group partner, maybe you should get hopping on your Dickens / Romero mashup "Grave Expectations" and cash in, by gum! Never mind that you can't stand zombies, pastiche or the Victorian era — it's ripe for the picking!

Seriously, just… don't. Even in this age of accelerated publishing schedules, direct-to-Kindle self-publishing and meme-inspired investments, chasing a trend solely because you think it's going to work to your advantage is ultimately as fulfilling as a dog chasing a car. As a writer, an artist, a human being, you're better served by pursuing your own passion and your own dreams. Culture is better served by the addition of your unique perspective and vision, too… and that's perhaps even more important.

Make Your Words Serve Double, Or Even Triple, Duty Whenever Possible

Just like in Scrabble, some places are worth more than others on the Words With Friends board. Double and triple letters, double and triple words… managing to land a word across a combination of both multiple letter and multiple word squares can crush your opponent in a single round. Doing this while creating multiple words with your tiles can irreversibly change the course of the game. Without disregarding the other lessons, it's in your best interest to do this whenever you can if you want to win.

Writing is more than putting the right words in the right order. Just as dialogue should serve multiple purposes — advancing the story, reflecting theme, enriching character, driving conflict and so on — so should the words you string together. You have total control over the words you use (an advantage writing has over playing Words With Friends!) so why not use them to achieve maximum impact?

Don't just describe the couch… tell us the color of the upholstery, and make sure that color tells us something about the owner of the couch, or connects symbolically to other elements of the tale, or, heck, both! We all know that the gun in the first act has to go off in the third. Don't be afraid to extend that truth to every element of your writing.

I'm not advocating that everything you write has to be laden with hidden meanings. Rather, think of your work like an impressionist painting, where ever splash of color and every light source contributes to the overall mood and meaning of the piece as a whole. The words are there. Use them!

What Have You Learned From Words With Friends

Have you picked up any lessons on writing, or another creative endeavor, from playing Words With Friends? Share your observations, or your thoughts on mine, in the comments!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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A Delightful Dividend From A (Mostly) Online Friendship

I discovered Harold J. Johnson's podcast "Something That Happened" in late 2004. It was one of the first podcasts I subscribed to, and that makes it one of the first podcasts, period — an absolute gem apparently overlooked in the history of podcasting. To me, it was the epitome of what podcasting could be: deeply personal, utterly engrossing and completely engaging audio. Each episode of "Something That Happened" was a start-to-finish driveway moment. Unfortunately, many of those early episodes appear to be lost, but for me, their impact remains.

Harold and I met in person briefly on the floor of the very first Podcast Expo in Ontario, California, about a year later. If I recall correctly, the guy had ridden a bus — no doubt several buses – to get to that first international gathering of new media creators. We chatted for a bit, exchanged business cards (mine were freebies from Instaprint, his were printed from Avery cardstock — DIY gets it done, yo!) and parted company. Of course, as is the Way of the Internet, we've remained in touch through the various social networks as they rise and fall.

Last month, my girlfriend was ego-surfing me (because she loves me!) and found this:

Now, as nice as it is that Harold is buying "Brave Men Run – A Novel of the Sovereign Era" and other e-books I wrote (or edited / released), what's truly touching is what he said about our friendship, and the idea that supporting my work is an extension of that friendship. This video gives me a little hitch in my throat, I tell you what. Thanks, Harold, truly.

A Reminder For Authors and Other Creatives

If there's a difference between the person you are to your friends and the person you are to your fans, you will miss opportunities to have more of both. That simple law is at the core of personal branding, platform building, or whatever phrase is in vogue when I write, or you read, this.

Be human. That's it!

Your Own Examples

Authors and other creative people, please share your own stories of the blurring line between friends and fans in the comments!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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Found On The Web, January 2012

January was dominated by the fight against SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation that threatens the integrity of the Internet and the potential of a free web to drive innovation and commerce. Given that a quick search will get you all the SOPA / PIPA information you need, there will be few related links in my monthly round-up of interesting, compelling and / or fun things found on the web.

Your Paintings, an online repository of the art of the UK
"Distrust That Particular Flavor," the collected essays of William Gibson
The Beginning of the End of the 9 to 5 Workday
Patton Oswalt hijacks a Harlan Ellison interview

Omniglot – the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages
The Written Word, a five-part series from Melvin Bragg's excellent "In Our Time" podcast
William Wallace Cook's 1,462 possible novel plots, conveniently archived on the Gordian Plot wiki
Not for nothing: the fans are outraged when George Lucas messes with his own material… but Lucas doesn't mind when the fans do it. Take note, fanboys… and enjoy this brilliant example of remix culture.

Cory Doctorow reviews Tim Powers' "Last Call," which just happens to be one of my favorite books of all time.
Stanford's Collection of 8,000 Dime Novels and Story Papers
Clay Sharky explains why SOPA is a bad idea


Download link
Folklorist Alan Lomax' Collection Soon To Be Available Digitally

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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After The Blackout

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The SOPA Blackout Protest

On January, 18, 2012, I participated in a website blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, the Protect-IP act, and similar legislation. A big chunk of the Internet (the World Wide Web, technically) joined me. The point? Turn our sites off for a day while providing resources for United States citizens to contact their elected officials to voice their opposition to these and similar legislation. Sure, when this post first goes live, most everyone reading it will know what I'm talking about, but a year — heck, eight months — from now that little bit of verbose exposition will be necessary, believe me.

I went a bit farther than just replacing my website with a declaration, a form, and an informative video. I decided to simulate what it would be like if my entire presence on the Internet was blocked: e-mail, Facebook, Skype, etc. Since this is an issue that affects all citizens of the United States of America, I went black for as long as it was January 18th somewhere in my country and her territories… over thirty hours.

Even though it meant missing (deleting as if I'd never received them, in fact) potentially important e-mails, I held to the blackout. Granted, my little civil action didn't have the same financial impact as was undoubtedly suffered by sites like BoingBoing or Tucows, but meant something to me. The importance of a cause is, in part, measured by the sacrifice one is willing to make.

The Point

Some people didn't get the point of blacking out one's site. Indeed, valuable public resources like Craig's List and Wikipedia actually took some heat for denying their mission and hurting their users for a day. I saw comments from folks who didn't see the value of the blackout at all.

The point was not just to simulate the chilling effect of SOPA or PIPA. Most sites didn't only disappear. Like mine, they displayed information about why SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation is a bad idea for the Internet and for culture… and they included a way for United States citizens to contact their elected officials to urge them to drop support for the bills. A demonstration and protest, to be sure… but activism as well.

I was disappointed that sites like Mashable and Lifehacker wasted no time invalidating the point being made by Wikipedia in particular, by shamelessly providing how-to articles on ways to circumvent Wikipedia's blackout. In other words, missing the point. Disappointing, but the kind of thing I'd expect from Mashable… and I guess I should have expected from Lifehacker.

Boo and hiss, Mashable and Lifehacker. Not for missing the point, for I'm certain your editors are smarter than that. No, you lose my respect because you got the point and chose self-interest instead.

Other Disappointments

Some people and groups who make their living being creative in part or in whole thanks to their freedom to use the Internet any way they like were conspicuously silent regarding their position on SOPA and PIPA. Independent authors who used the blackout as an opportunity to make jokes. Transmedia pioneers who (despite my direct and willfully obnoxious prodding) apparently passed on the opportunity to publicly take a stand opposite the entertainment companies that often pay their bills. Most podcasters. And so on. It was sad to see.

Not Over Yet

The Protect-IP Act (PIPA) goes up for a vote on January 24, 2012. SOPA will be back up for discussion in February. While political support for these acts has certainly eroded in the last few days, they are far from dead. Don't become complacent. And please don't be afraid to take a stand.

One Personal Take-Away

I wasn't on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus in a personal capacity during the blackout and, while it was strange now and then, I didn't really miss it. More importantly, I deleted unread every e-mail sent to my personal and MWS Media accounts and the world kept turning.

In fact, I'm going to experiment with an e-mail policy of sorts. Effective immediately, I'm going to check e-mail just three times a day. If there's anything that can't wait more than a few hours for my response, there are other ways to get in touch with me, after all. I wonder if I'll feel lighter? I'll give it a try for a bit and let you know how that turns out.

How Was Your January 18th?

What do you think about the blackouts to support awareness of, and demonstrate against, SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation? Let me know in the comments!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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Scheduled Blackout In Protest Of SOPA / PIPA

[image error]On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, this website will join the SOPA blackout in solidarity with others in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act currently being considered by the legislative branch of the government of the United States of America. If either of these acts, or similar legislation, is signed into law, my site and my ability to access the Internet — and by extension, my ability to ply my trade as a creator and creative professional — will be jeopardized. To demonstrate the possible impact of SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation, this website will be unavailable on January 18, 2012 across all United States time zones.

In order to demonstrate the stifling potential of SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation, I will not be accessible on the Internet during the blackout period of January 17, 2012 at 8:00 PM Pacific Time through January 19, 2012 at 2:59:59 AM Pacific Time.

E-mails sent to me will be permanently deleted, unread.
Twitter direct messages will be ignored and deleted.
Facebook communications will be deleted and ignored.
Everything directed to my personal Internet communication channels (including MWS Media) will be ignored.

In short, it will be like I do not exist on the Internet.

That's what could happen if the draconian, liberty-denying measures found in SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation become law. I will not be passive in my opposition to these acts.

I hope you'll take action, too. On the Tuesday 24th January 2012, the United States Senate is scheduled to vote on SOPA. If you're a citizen of the United States of America, please use the following form today to contact your representative and let them know your views. Remember, the legislators serve to be your voice in the government. Make your voice heard. Together, we can make a difference and stop SOPA / PIPA and similar legislation from ever endangering commerce, free speech and the Internet as we know it.

Want to learn more about SOPA, PIPA and similar legislation? Watch the following video:

Thank you,

Matthew Wayne Selznick

Creator

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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Found On The Web, December 2011

Noteworthy, interesting or fun things I found on the web in the month of December, 2011:

The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick
The Diagnosis
Free eBook: 'John W. Campbell, Collected Editorials From Analog' Selected by Harry Harrison
By 2020, Independent Workers Will Be the Majority

Serialized E-Books
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov – Radio Drama
Louis C.K. Live At the Beacon Theater
How To Make, Print, and Bind Your Own Books
Thinking Time

DotEPub Webpage to E-Book Converter
How To Flunk Social Media + Lose Me As A Potential True Fan (But You Know I Love You)
2061
The Erosion In The Paid Media Pyramid by Seth Godin

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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Writing Light Episode Eleven: Where Is The Book?

In 2011 I started the video series Writing "Light" to document my writing process and to share lessons learned as I wrote the fantasy thriller novel "Light of the Outsider." The more astute among you might have noticed that it's been a while since an episode posted! Here's an update:

You will decide the future direction — if any — of Writing "Light." Please click through to comment on YouTube or in the comments section of this site. Thanks!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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Two More New Sovereign Era Short Story E-books From P. G. Holyfield and J. R. Blackwell

Announcing the release of the final two (so far?) pieces from "The Sovereign Era: Year One" as stand-alone e-books: The novelette "Every Breath You Take" by P. G. Holyfield and the short story "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" by J. R. Blackwell. Both e-books can be purchased on mattselznick.com in bundled zip file editions featuring Mobi and epub formats, as well as on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com for the various versions of the Kindle and Nook devices.

"Every Breath You Take" by P. G. Holyfield

[image error]P. G. Holyfield is the author of the award-winning fantasy mystery "Murder at Avedon Hill," a podcaster, and speaks at many conventions in the science fiction and new media fandom community. His "Every Breath You Take" has the distinction of being the single longest piece of Sovereign Era fiction to date (not counting "Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.")

"Every Breath You Take" is a tale of teen aggression and obsession. Chris has it bad for Stacey… but in a world where thousands of people possess unique, incredible powers, what exactly stands in the way of Chris getting what he wants..?

Get "Every Breath You Take" for the Nook or Kindle, or buy the epub / Mobi bundle right here… and be sure to visit P. G. Holyfield's own site for more from him!

"I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" by J. R. Blackwell

[image error]J. R. Blackwell is an author, editor, photographer, game designer and seven or eight other things I probably forgot to mention. On the occasion of her first contribution to the Sovereign Era storyworld, she gives us a new take on a fantasy, horror and supernatural fiction staple with the short story "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night."

Jackie hasn't been comfortable in her own body for years, especially since that body started changing in ways that both terrify and thrill her. Now that her secret threatens to be revealed, will she find peace with herself… or be isolated from all that she knows and loves?

You can find "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" at Barnes and Noble for their Nook platform, at Amazon.com for their Kindle tablet, and right here in a bundle that includes both epub and Mobi formats. Don't forget to check out J. R. Blackwell's site, too!

These Stories And More In One Anthology

These two stories — as well as works by J. C. Hutchins, Mur Lafferty, Nathan Lowell, Matt Wallace and Jared Axelrod, and topped off by a gorgeous cover by noted gaming industry artist Jeff Himmelman — are available in paperback and e-book formats as part of "The Sovereign Era: Year One." So if you'd rather order the whole meal instead of nibbling a la cart, you can!

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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My Custom WordPress Site For Universal Pictures' The Five-Year Engagement

It's my pleasure to announce a recent custom WordPress site I built for Universal Pictures under contract with the award-winning interactive agency Jetset Studios. It's Tom and Violet.com, a faux wedding / engagement blog written in the voice of Tom Solomon, the lead character in "The Five-Year Engagement." I developed the site in WordPress from design mock-ups designed by Jetset Studios.

The site takes us from the moment Tom Solomon, played by "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "How I Met Your Mother"

fame, proposes to Violet Barnes ( "Charlie Wilson's War" and "The Devil Wears Prada") right up to the opening day of "The Five-Year Engagement" on April 27, 2012.

Each week will see a few new blog posts, including video blogs from Tom / Jason. For added verisimilitude, each post includes comments from the rest of the characters in the film, and visitors are invited to play along and leave their own comments on the Guest Book.

Using WordPress As A Platform For Transmedia Storytelling

Taken as a whole, as the experience of Tom and Violet.com roles out over the coming months, it will act as both a prequel of sorts and as a parallel story to the film.

"If there were such a thing a method-acting-via-technology, "The Five-Year Engagement" would really take the cake!" — Huffington Post

Tom and Violet.com is testament to how existing tools — coupled with some creative problem solving, highly creative writers and artists, and a willing client — can be used to create compelling branded storytelling. I'm proud of this one!

I enjoyed the challenge of creating a custom WordPress site designed not to be a blog in the traditional sense… but to present pre-conceived blog-like content. While the site uses pre-existing plugins and a commercial theme framework, I had to employ a great deal of customization and craft a unique child theme.

What can I do for you?

Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people. Seeing this somewhere other than mattselznick.com? Please click through to comment directly on the post!

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