Wesley McCraw's Blog, page 2

Experiments with Brief Pose

I’m still experimenting with my Brief Pose‘s sales copy and cover. It’s my free book, so I don’t see any harm with changing it as many times as I feel like. Here is the new cover:

It’s pretty unremarkable, but I like it, so…

Next, here is my new sales copy:

What if a fashion catalog could end the world?

Eric Loan goes to the big city to fulfill his dream of becoming a filmmaker, but after a shocking tragedy, he is forced to drop out of film school. Grief-stricken, he finds solace in Brief Pose’s new advertising campaign, a racy catalog of perfect beauty and belonging.

But something is very wrong with Brief Pose. The homoerotic fantasy of the campaign starts to unravel Eric’s mind.

Eric isn’t the only one. A mass hysteria spreads. Eric’s only hope is to navigate between reality and illusion and confront Brief Pose’s mysterious founder before society collapses.

Brief Pose is a queer sci-fi thriller that explores the power of images, the dangers of escapism, and the universal struggle to find genuine human connection.

*Brief Pose is based on the award-winning screenplay.

This feels better than what I had before, but I’ll give it another look in a few days.

Keep Going

I’m still figuring out my game plan for the year, and it’ll take some time, but today, it’s back to basics: I’m going to the library to write and working out at the Y.

My focus for January is learning about learning. I’ll post more about that soon.

A Month Off

I took a month off writing, and then I was hit with COVID. Now that I’m mostly better, I’m trying to figure out what I should do for the month of October.

There is always drawing practice. I have a few books I need to read before I have to return them to the library. Some cleaning wouldn’t hurt. Some light yoga to get back into exercising after being sick would also be helpful.

My point: I don’t have a strong urge to write a new masterpiece or fix up an earlier attempt at one. The most writing I feel like doing is this blog post.

I’m waiting for feedback from two beta readers on The Queen in Yellow. That should happen in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I’m free to do whatever.

Writing Update (almost fall)

I’m taking the month off from writing. I’ve sent The Queen in Yellow to two beta readers, and I’ll figure out my next step once I get feedback from them. In the meantime, I’m focusing on my health and trying to stay in an exploratory frame of mind.

Exploration is the stage before research. It’s a time to follow your curiosities. Ideally, you’re sowing seeds that will flourish when you try to create your art, but I don’t feel very good at it yet. The internet has mastered steeling your time and focus. It makes you think your exploring your interests when you’re actually just getting hit with random stimulation.

Curiosity is about digging deeper, not bouncing around between a million topics.

Writing at the Library

I write at the library on Tuesdays, and today’s session is going well. I should have this draft done by the end of the month, probably sooner.

I’ve been writing this book (The Queen in Yellow) for a long time, so I’ll need another beta reading round to know its current state. It’s easy to lose perspective after rewriting the same thing over and over, but I’m hoping for final-draft territory this time.

I have one beta reader lined up, but I’m hoping to find at least one more.

Finishing a Draft

I’m not sure how close I am to finishing The Queen in Yellow, but I’m close to finishing the latest draft. That’s something. A few chapters need a bit more development, and then I’m ready for someone else to look at it again. It’s possible, this is it, and there won’t be much rewriting and editing after this, but we’ll see.

I’m unsure what I’m doing after this besides reading, drawing, and working on my physical and mental health. The publishing landscape is looking pretty dire these days. And I still don’t have a clue on how to find readers.

I’ll try to post more on this blog and send out regular newsletters about art I love. I’ll try to connect more with other writers, artists, and readers. But most importantly, I’ll try to finish this damn book.

Happy writing, and good luck. I know it’s hard making art while the world is falling apart.

New Description of Brief Pose

My free book Brief Pose has a new description on Amazon:

What if a fashion catalog could end the world?

Eric Loan is a film student who drops out of school after a shocking tragedy. He tries to deal with his grief, but his attempts are met with heartache and betrayal. So, when he stumbles upon Brief Pose’s new advertising campaign, a racy catalog of perfect beauty and belonging, he can’t help but be drawn in.

Before he realizes it, the homoerotic fantasy of the campaign starts to unravel his mind. He isn’t the only one affected; the catalog is everywhere. His only hope is to navigate between reality and illusion and confront Brief Pose’s mysterious founder, before the company drives the world insane.

Brief Pose is a queer sci-fi thriller that explores the power of images, the dangers of escapism, and the universal struggle to find genuine human connection. It will keep you obsessed until the final page.

*Brief Pose is based on the award-winning screenplay.

New Cover for Brief Pose

I wanted a book cover in the style of Bruce Weber when I originally released Brief Pose, but there was no way I could afford it.

Technology has changed what’s possible.

Thanks to AI (Midjourney V5), I made an almost no-cost cover and added the text with a free image editor you can use in a web browser (Photopea).

I still have very mixed feelings about the ethics of AI, but I have no money to hire a cover designer, and I’m releasing the book for free. I just hope the new cover helps Brief Pose stand out a bit more.

World Running Down Book Review

I had the pleasure of reading Would Running Down by Al Hess before its release.

“Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City – a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates.”

–Bookshop.org Blurb

This book really felt like a case of writing the book that you want to read and reaping the rewards. It’s more empathetic, more romantic, and more fun than the Mad Max, Blade Runner, dystopian stories that have come before it. The characters are likeable and feel fully realized. The pacing is quick. The sci/fi ideas are interesting, while never bogging down the adventure. I think my one complaint is that the climax is a bit scattered as it ties up each of its plot threads, but that doesn’t ruin the adventure as a whole.

Frankly, I think there needs to be more books like this, about kindness and love, and I’m thankful I got to read it.

Five Stars

World Running Down comes out tomorrow on Valentines Day.

Twitter Apocalypse

With the future of Twitter looking very uncertain, I guess I should get back to blogging. Or maybe not.

Aren’t we all sick of providing value as the world burns?

How can I earn your attention? How can I prove I care about you (in a distant, capitalistic way) enough that you would buy one of my books?

I’m rewriting my fantasy novel. It’s a big rewrite; I’m gutting about half of it. *waves goodbye* I’m throwing it away just for you.

I think we are all looking for meaning, but does anyone expect to find meaning in a blog post?

Yes, actually. I mean, why not? If not here, then where?

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