Richard B. Knight's Blog, page 2
April 19, 2015
Don't Worry. Nobody's Going to Steal Your Idea
I often hear from other writers that they don't want anybody to steal their idea for their soon to be bestselling novel or movie. But all I have to say to that is this: Don't worry. Nobody's going to steal your idea, and here's why:
1. Nobody thinks your idea is as creative as you, the creator
Just when you think you've created Inception or The Hunger Games, you find out that Paprika or Battle Royale have already been created. The fact is, no matter how original you think your story is, somebody has already written a story that's pretty similar to what you've just written. So in truth, you may be creative, but so are a lot of other people out there and no man or woman is an island. I can guarantee that if you search hard enough, your story has already been told and told well. What matters is what YOU have to offer to that story. Your voice is all that truly matters, so focus on that.
2. Nobody has time to steal your idea and then write your story
Just think about how long it took you to write that story of yours that you've been dreaming about all your life. Hopefully, you took your time and went back to edit and revise where your story needed it, so it definitely took you a great deal of time to put everything together. Well, just think about how others work and then you'll see where I'm coming from. Crafting a story worth reading takes TIME, and most people aren't going to take the time to write a story that you came up with, even if your idea is dynamite. And this leads me to my next and final reason why nobody is going to steal your idea.
3. Other people already have projects they're working on that they feel just as passionately about as you feel about your project
If somebody writes stories, then they undoubtedly have a tale in their heart that they want to tell and don't have the passion to steal your story. Sure, they might take elements here or there if they hear something cool in your plot, but that's just the nature of the beast. We all pluck and steal from things that sound cool or have impacted us over the years. So don't flatter yourself. Others have their own stories to tell, too.
So the next time you worry about somebody stealing your idea, relax. Any idea you have has already been expressed and told. It's your voice that matters. So focus on that.
March 31, 2015
The Pros and Cons of Going Indie
Okay, so being an indie author is both the best thing ever, and the worst thing ever. How about I start with the bad first, huh? Yeah, let's get that out the way.
The bad:
1. Nobody knows who you are
This one really sucks. I recently did a Goodreads giveaway and got to talk to a lot of cool people. That was an amazing experience and I hope to do it again sometime. But one thing I made sure to do was message everybody personally (Well, everybody who was open to receiving messages) thanking them for choosing my book out of the thousands they had to choose from. It really meant a lot to me. I loved reaching out to them and getting messages back, but it took up a lot of time that I could have spent writing. Still, I'm happy I did it since I formed a lot of personal connections. But I'll get back to that again later.
2. The glut
Now, being an indie author, I've read a LOT of indie books to see what else is out there. Some are good, and some are bad. In fact, most of them are bad, which is a major problem for both the reader and the indie writer. When I buy a book that's been put out there by a major publishing house, I will read up to 100 pages before I put it down if I find that it's excessively boring. But do you know how many pages I'll give an indie book if I find it boring? Five. Ten if it's lucky. And that's because I, like many others, don't trust indie books. It's mostly because of the possible poor quality that may be lurking within. And this really sucks, since every last page, every last sentence, and every last word, has to get a hold of the reader and never let them go with an indie book, because we as indie author don't have the kind of credibility that comes with a Penguin Books or a Random House. Sure, bloggers help, but even that is beginning to become a problem as even book bloggers are getting backed up with requests. So, the relative ease of becoming an indie author is crushing us from the knees down. Too much weight, everybody! Too much weight!
3. Pimping for reviews
And here's the worst part of it all--pimping for reviews. I've done a lot of, you review me, I review you, deals, and it isn't always the best experience. If you're lucky, you'll find a book that you genuinely love and want to give a four or five star review (I've actually come across a few of these). But a lot of other times, you sometimes feel obligated to give a higher review than you think it really deserves, which hurts both you and the writer who thinks they did a great job on their book. And giveaways don't always help, either, since many times, when you do half off (or free!) deals, people will download your work but won't review it, which is ultimately what you want. Instead, your book will probably languish in somebody's kindle for years and years until they finally decide to either A: Give it a try, or B: Just get rid of it altogether. Either way, the writer usually doesn't win.
Phew, that was a downer. But now for the good. And there are a few good reasons. Here are just some of them:
1. Developing a fan base
As I mentioned earlier, thanking people who decided to click on my book for the goodreads giveaway allowed me to meet some really cool folks that I never would have met before. What's awesome about being an indie author is that you can actually make these kind of connections. You're a human being, not just a face on the back of a book cover. This opens up the opportunity to not only get your book out there to others, but also to develop a friendship and possible beta readers. It's really helpful, and I have people reading my books (Who I can talk to!) as I write this. So 1-up for that!
2. Keeping the content you want
My first book, The Darkness of the Womb,
is super vulgar and graphic. A lot of people think that's a bad thing, while others love it. Here's the thing. I love it, and I thought it was necessary to the story. Now, if everybody who read it said that I should tone it down, then you best believe I would tone it down. Because I write for the audience, not myself. But if my book was published by a major house, I probably would have to cut a lot of the material just to fit the interests of the general public. And as an indie author, I never have to do that. Not ever. You can't front on that.
3. I'm my own Flavor Flav
Sure, it sucks that I pretty much have to be my biggest cheerleader, but hey, who's going to love my books more than me? I know if I had a regular publishing deal, my agent would be my cheerleader, but not having an agent (Even though I desperately want one) pushes me even harder to go outside my comfort zone and push my work out there. It's putting me more to task, and that's always a good thing. I love being proactive. YEEEAAAAH, BOOOOOOY.
So while there are positives and negatives to being an indie author, at least I'm trying my hardest. Because remember, it's better to try and fail miserably than to not try at all. Remember that if you ever want to become an indie author yourself. It's not about the money. It's about the experience. And being an indie author is making me a better person every single day.
The bad:
1. Nobody knows who you are
This one really sucks. I recently did a Goodreads giveaway and got to talk to a lot of cool people. That was an amazing experience and I hope to do it again sometime. But one thing I made sure to do was message everybody personally (Well, everybody who was open to receiving messages) thanking them for choosing my book out of the thousands they had to choose from. It really meant a lot to me. I loved reaching out to them and getting messages back, but it took up a lot of time that I could have spent writing. Still, I'm happy I did it since I formed a lot of personal connections. But I'll get back to that again later.
2. The glut
Now, being an indie author, I've read a LOT of indie books to see what else is out there. Some are good, and some are bad. In fact, most of them are bad, which is a major problem for both the reader and the indie writer. When I buy a book that's been put out there by a major publishing house, I will read up to 100 pages before I put it down if I find that it's excessively boring. But do you know how many pages I'll give an indie book if I find it boring? Five. Ten if it's lucky. And that's because I, like many others, don't trust indie books. It's mostly because of the possible poor quality that may be lurking within. And this really sucks, since every last page, every last sentence, and every last word, has to get a hold of the reader and never let them go with an indie book, because we as indie author don't have the kind of credibility that comes with a Penguin Books or a Random House. Sure, bloggers help, but even that is beginning to become a problem as even book bloggers are getting backed up with requests. So, the relative ease of becoming an indie author is crushing us from the knees down. Too much weight, everybody! Too much weight!
3. Pimping for reviews
And here's the worst part of it all--pimping for reviews. I've done a lot of, you review me, I review you, deals, and it isn't always the best experience. If you're lucky, you'll find a book that you genuinely love and want to give a four or five star review (I've actually come across a few of these). But a lot of other times, you sometimes feel obligated to give a higher review than you think it really deserves, which hurts both you and the writer who thinks they did a great job on their book. And giveaways don't always help, either, since many times, when you do half off (or free!) deals, people will download your work but won't review it, which is ultimately what you want. Instead, your book will probably languish in somebody's kindle for years and years until they finally decide to either A: Give it a try, or B: Just get rid of it altogether. Either way, the writer usually doesn't win.
Phew, that was a downer. But now for the good. And there are a few good reasons. Here are just some of them:
1. Developing a fan base
As I mentioned earlier, thanking people who decided to click on my book for the goodreads giveaway allowed me to meet some really cool folks that I never would have met before. What's awesome about being an indie author is that you can actually make these kind of connections. You're a human being, not just a face on the back of a book cover. This opens up the opportunity to not only get your book out there to others, but also to develop a friendship and possible beta readers. It's really helpful, and I have people reading my books (Who I can talk to!) as I write this. So 1-up for that!
2. Keeping the content you want
My first book, The Darkness of the Womb,
is super vulgar and graphic. A lot of people think that's a bad thing, while others love it. Here's the thing. I love it, and I thought it was necessary to the story. Now, if everybody who read it said that I should tone it down, then you best believe I would tone it down. Because I write for the audience, not myself. But if my book was published by a major house, I probably would have to cut a lot of the material just to fit the interests of the general public. And as an indie author, I never have to do that. Not ever. You can't front on that. 3. I'm my own Flavor Flav
Sure, it sucks that I pretty much have to be my biggest cheerleader, but hey, who's going to love my books more than me? I know if I had a regular publishing deal, my agent would be my cheerleader, but not having an agent (Even though I desperately want one) pushes me even harder to go outside my comfort zone and push my work out there. It's putting me more to task, and that's always a good thing. I love being proactive. YEEEAAAAH, BOOOOOOY.
So while there are positives and negatives to being an indie author, at least I'm trying my hardest. Because remember, it's better to try and fail miserably than to not try at all. Remember that if you ever want to become an indie author yourself. It's not about the money. It's about the experience. And being an indie author is making me a better person every single day.
February 12, 2015
Three Reasons That I'm Now Totally Pissed About this Marvel/Sony Spider-Man Deal
Oh, man. You should have talked to me two days ago. I was glowing when I heard the news that Sony would finally let Spider-Man play nice in the Marvel/Disney cinematic universe. Glowing! But after some recent developments, that glow has faded to a point that you could now say I'm in a pretty dark place. Why, you ask (I'm just assuming you're asking)? Well, read below and I'll tell you.
3. Spider-Man is Still Owned By Sony
Has Sony made any good Spider-Man movies? Yes. The first Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi, was amazing (Pun intended), as was the first Amazing Spider-Man movie by Marc Webb, which is my favorite SM film to date. But then, you have all the other Spider-Man movies, and you quickly realize that Sony doesn't have the best track record. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was one of the worst movies of last year, bar none. But my main concern is that I really wanted Marvel to take the reins of Spider-Man, who is arguably my favorite Marvel character ever (After Moon Knight). Sure, Sony might make a good Spider-Man movie here or there, but Marvel is on a roll with their properties. And I was really looking forward to what Marvel/Disney could do with Spider-Man, since they can apparently do no wrong. Now, we'll just have to settle for him in Captain American 3: Civil War. Oh, and about that...
2. Spider-Man is Going to Be a Teenager Again
Oh, my Goooood. WHY are we going BACKWARD again? We already KNOW the story of Spider-Man. We've been given his origin story TWICE already. And while this new Spider-Man movie we're getting (after Civil War) might not really be an origin story, it's still taking the character back to a time that we've already seen him in. Instead of progressing from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Peter Parker embarking on adulthood, we're back to a young Peter Parker again. Why? And with the Civil War story arc, where does that leave us? Are you telling me that we're supposed to care what some KID thinks about working for or against the government when it comes to having super powers? I mean, since Spider-Man is making his first Marvel/Disney appearance in Captain America 3: Civil War, then that means that the spotlight will be taken away from Captain America and Iron Man's story, in favor of introducing the brand new Spidey, who's a kid and not even experienced enough to have much of a say at being a superhero. Also, who CARES if he reveals his identity if he hasn't already been introduced before? This is starting to sound like a mess, just like Batman vs. Superman. And then, what about Black Panther? On to reason number 1.
1. Black Panther Might Be Put on the Backburner
The biggest casualty of this news is probably Black Panther, who was supposed to be introduced in Civil War. Now, there's nothing saying that he might not still be introduced, but this Spider-Man announcement has pushed all of the Marvel movies back, including Black Panther, who was rumored to fill in for Spider-Man, who is such an integral part of the Civil War story arc. Now, Black Panther is getting pushed aside a whole year to make way for Spider-Man, and it really sucks. Here, we had a relatively C-list Marvel character who could have seriously benefited from the Civil War push, but now, he's going to have to stand on his own. I'm not saying the character won't be able to do it, but still. It's a shitty move. And for what? To throw in some young punk Spider-Man?
I don't know. Maybe I'm making more of this than I should, but I just wish they would have stuck with an adult Peter Parker and Marvel had full rights to the character, rather than partial, but oh, well. Marvel/Disney has been killing it lately, and I hope this is no different. I'll try my best to be a true believer. I will. I gotta believe.
3. Spider-Man is Still Owned By Sony
Has Sony made any good Spider-Man movies? Yes. The first Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi, was amazing (Pun intended), as was the first Amazing Spider-Man movie by Marc Webb, which is my favorite SM film to date. But then, you have all the other Spider-Man movies, and you quickly realize that Sony doesn't have the best track record. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was one of the worst movies of last year, bar none. But my main concern is that I really wanted Marvel to take the reins of Spider-Man, who is arguably my favorite Marvel character ever (After Moon Knight). Sure, Sony might make a good Spider-Man movie here or there, but Marvel is on a roll with their properties. And I was really looking forward to what Marvel/Disney could do with Spider-Man, since they can apparently do no wrong. Now, we'll just have to settle for him in Captain American 3: Civil War. Oh, and about that...
2. Spider-Man is Going to Be a Teenager Again
Oh, my Goooood. WHY are we going BACKWARD again? We already KNOW the story of Spider-Man. We've been given his origin story TWICE already. And while this new Spider-Man movie we're getting (after Civil War) might not really be an origin story, it's still taking the character back to a time that we've already seen him in. Instead of progressing from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Peter Parker embarking on adulthood, we're back to a young Peter Parker again. Why? And with the Civil War story arc, where does that leave us? Are you telling me that we're supposed to care what some KID thinks about working for or against the government when it comes to having super powers? I mean, since Spider-Man is making his first Marvel/Disney appearance in Captain America 3: Civil War, then that means that the spotlight will be taken away from Captain America and Iron Man's story, in favor of introducing the brand new Spidey, who's a kid and not even experienced enough to have much of a say at being a superhero. Also, who CARES if he reveals his identity if he hasn't already been introduced before? This is starting to sound like a mess, just like Batman vs. Superman. And then, what about Black Panther? On to reason number 1.
1. Black Panther Might Be Put on the Backburner
The biggest casualty of this news is probably Black Panther, who was supposed to be introduced in Civil War. Now, there's nothing saying that he might not still be introduced, but this Spider-Man announcement has pushed all of the Marvel movies back, including Black Panther, who was rumored to fill in for Spider-Man, who is such an integral part of the Civil War story arc. Now, Black Panther is getting pushed aside a whole year to make way for Spider-Man, and it really sucks. Here, we had a relatively C-list Marvel character who could have seriously benefited from the Civil War push, but now, he's going to have to stand on his own. I'm not saying the character won't be able to do it, but still. It's a shitty move. And for what? To throw in some young punk Spider-Man?
I don't know. Maybe I'm making more of this than I should, but I just wish they would have stuck with an adult Peter Parker and Marvel had full rights to the character, rather than partial, but oh, well. Marvel/Disney has been killing it lately, and I hope this is no different. I'll try my best to be a true believer. I will. I gotta believe.
August 5, 2013
Interview with First Page Last Page
I was recently interviewed by First Page Last Page. You can find the interview here: http://www.firstpagelastpage.com/cont...
July 19, 2013
The Top Ten Coolest Musicians To Ever Walk the Earth
You can find the list on my blog: http://knighttakesrook.blogspot.com/b....
Who do you think is the coolest?
Who do you think is the coolest?
July 6, 2013
Hard Sci-Fi Scares Me
I like science fiction, but hard sci-fi, like William Gibson always scares me off. I can't even perceive half the stuff he's talking about. Does anybody else have this problem? I feel really dumb reading stuff like "Neuromancer". That said, I love Asimov and have always enjoyed how simple his books were to read. I think it's all because of how interesting his characters are. Asimov always put characters before the science. I tried to do that with my book, The Darkness of the Womb. Some weird stuff happens in my horror/fantasy novel, but I tried to put the characters first. I hope it worked. I'll let you be the judge though.
Thanks for reading about my musings. Neuromancer
Thanks for reading about my musings. Neuromancer
