Adapting to change

I just now finished a month long project to help promote my fantasy novel Angst at an upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy convention - ConX.  My good friend Allie had the idea of making pop tab / chainmail bracelets for a gift bag the convention is giving out.  The idea was excellent, especially since it ties in with the costume she wears at the shows.  There was no knowing how long it would take.

Each bracelet took a minimum of 10 minutes to make, and the con required at least 200 bracelets.  In addition I tied an Angst bookmark to each.  If you add in the time washing the pop tabs, clipping off or bending pointy ends, and sorting out the bad ones - this project took about 40 hours.  I'm more than a little grateful my wife and daughter helped as much as they could stand: if it weren't for them I wouldn't have time to write this post.

The time spent on projects like these makes me question my sanity…well, maybe it's not that bad, but I do question the value of a time sink like this one.  I loved writing Angst.  It was like working out - I didn't always look forward to it, but I always felt good about it when I was done.  While I can't say I enjoyed spending 40 hours making bracelets, I do believe it will make for a fun con.  But, it really makes me question how I spend my time and what I get out of it.

When I wrote Angst, I was mostly driven by ego.  I was frustrated with most aspects of my life and I needed to accomplish something.  I self-published because I wanted the instant gratification brought from actually completing a novel.  That was almost 2 years ago, and life changes a lot.  My family has changed - my daughter started High School and my son is 1,200 miles away at college now.  Relationships change.  The world continues to change.  With all of this and more I find that my ego has changed too.  When I started writing the sequel to Angst, I wrote simply to fill the void.  Writing itself can be fulfilling - I always feel great after I've hammered out a few pages, especially if I like them.  But it has been uninspired, and while I enjoy what I've written it hasn't been the same as writing Angst.

Now that the dust of summer has settled and my time is once again becoming my own, I've begun to reassess.  I've been looking at all of the ways I have spent my time doing over the last several years.  Some have been fulfilling while others make me smack my forehead and say "what in the world was I thinking", which means change.  It's hard to spend less time and focus, or even walk away from those things you've spent a lot of time on, whether it be relationships, jobs, passions, hobbies… each of these things has a personal value to you that only you can measure.  But if you don't adapt to the changes around you, you will never achieve your goals.

There are some things in my life I need to spend less time doing, but writing isn't one of them.  As much as I loved writing Angst, I feel that maybe I wrote it for the wrong reasons and because of this the results were different than I expected.  My original drive to "climb a mountain because it is there" has passed, my frustrations with life have calmed, and they haven't made Angst a movie yet so the path to riches and fame seems a bit longer ;) .

Maybe there is a little bit of ego left pushing me forward, but now it's more than that.  I'm driven by a desire to see the story told (and it's going to be a hell of a story) but more importantly I'm inspired by everyone who has read Angst and enjoys it.  Whether it is a tweet thanking me for writing Angst, a review on Amazon saying the book made them laugh out loud, or a blog post where I can really tell the reader understood what I was trying to say…  It's fulfilling in a way I hadn't expected and I'm quickly coming to realize what truly drives me to write.

Book Signing at Con X Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention – September 14th – 16th in Kansas City

In two short weeks I’ll be participating in the 1st Con X Science Fiction and Fantasy convention in Kansas City from September 14th through 16th.  This is my second show, and I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and showcasing my first fantasy novel Angst.  This is going to be more than just a book signing, check out some of the fun things planned for this show:

• Wield the full size replica fantasy sword of Chryslaenor, the giant sword from Angst!
• Purchase a signed copy of Angst with the new cover!
• Free poster for the first 100 people who purchase a copy of Angst!
• My friend Allie has once again agreed to be my spokesmodel for Angst at ConX! 
• 200 attendees at the show will receive a chain-mail bracelet and an Angst bookmark in their ConX gift bag!

ConX looks to be a lot of fun with a great lineup of guests – be sure to check out their site www.conxkc.com to see who is coming!  For only $20 you can meet them, and me!  I can’t wait to see you there!

The End is More Important than the Beginning

When I first wrote Angst, I was in a panic about chapter one.  I was seriously considering seeking out an agent or a publisher, and knew how crucial that first chapter could be to selling my novel.  It wasn't until long after I had released my fantasy novel as self-published did I realize that I can't really remember the beginnings of most books I've read.  Just the opposite, it's always how the book ends that sticks with me.  It's the ending that made me hate putting down great stories, the ones that left me longing to know what happens to the characters next - that's what stood out.  

The Belgariad by David Eddings is a great example and one of my all-time favorite series.  Every book ending made me want more, and when the first series was over I was saddened.  I loved the characters, and was hungry to know what happened next.  After reading Eddings' books several more times I was awarded with his sequel series The Malloreon.  It was similar to The Belgariad like Shakespeare's Henry IV part one is similar to part two - they are practically the same story but I didn't complain; I considered it a gift.  If the book ending is good enough, I'll pick up the sequel.  If the series is good enough, I'll read it again.

The last dozen chapters of my first fantasy novel, Angst, was a flurry of furious writing.  I was so caught up in the events of the story that I couldn't stop.  I knew the ending, but I wanted to know how they got there - so I kept going.  I also knew that, while there could be a sequel, there didn't have to be.  Angst could stand alone, even though I included several things that would lead into more books.

A good stand alone novel wraps up all of those loose threads and provides you with a sense of completion.  You've been with the heroes throughout the story, and should reap the rewards a good novel provides.  When reading a series, the plot threads and amazing characters should make you hunger for more.  Throw in a cliffhanger and you should be desperate for the next novel.  The last book in the series should be so satisfying, that the hours you spent on the journey are worth it.

As I approach the end of Buried in Angst, I find myself being more cautious (for now).  This is the second book, but not the last, which changes my goals in how the story ends.  I want to wrap up this novel in a way that everyone feels a sense of completion after reading it.  At the same time I have to continue growing the world of Ehrde and the challenges Angst and his friends will face.  My intent is not closure, but that the end of this book will pull readers into the third, while providing story arcs that will entertain until the last.

Oh, and for the record, there will be a final book.  Like The Belgariad, Angst has an ending, and I know what it is.  It will be fun, and exciting, and, I hope, make you hungry for more.

Why it is time for the Dark Knight series to end!

Most films series are doomed after the sequel.  Superman and Superman II were amazing, Superman III wasn't.  Batman and Batman Returns were great films too, but then they added nipples to the costume and it all went to hell.  Maybe it wasn't just the nipples… Hollywood's constant drive for bigger, better, more tends to push aside the original inspiration that made the first films so incredible, in favor of easy cliché storytelling and big budget effects.  (Of course, then there is Green Lantern which crammed all three films into one.)

Christopher Nolan has done an amazing job with this current run of Bat-films.  The stories are smart, the acting is great, and he has really delivered a darker Batman that many fans wanted to see.  I'm glad he's done.  Nolan has announced, quite emphatically, that he is not making any more Batman films.  Often, this is a director or actor's best bargaining chip for more money.  I think, and I hope, that this isn't the case.

There is something to be said about knowing when to stop.  The series has been amazing, and if the 3rd movie is anywhere near as good as the first two - he's done something that we rarely get from movieland.  I think it is honorable to finish when things are good.  Look at Star Wars.  While I never hated I, II and III - critics and fans have vilified Lucas for these films.  Nolan could keep going, make more great movies, or he could slip up, add nipples to the costume, and it's game over.

Just like every comic book artist has a vision for what a character should look like, I want to see what other film makers can do with Batman.  Tim Burton provided us great Batman movies in the 80s/90s that were completely different than Nolan's Batman.  We know there will be more Batman films, and I want to see what someone else does.

It's harrowing writing a sequel.  A lot of writers hate their work.  Yeah, well, I don't.  I'm fond of Angst, I think it's fun.  I want the sequel to be better, which I've found to be a daunting task.  I seriously considered not writing more Angst novels for the same reasons I am wary about Hollywood sequels, but I always had a vision in mind of how to continue the adventure.

I think that's what makes it work.  Writers and producers and directors that milk a franchise for every dime often lose sight of their original intent and end up tarnishing the series.  This is why I believe that Nolan will give us an amazing finale to the Dark Knight series, and this is why I'm going to keep writing Angst - until I'm done.