Paranormal romance is not Superhero Prose. Fuck that genre. Take a two by four and beat it into the dirt. This is how you get readers to hate books. The romance I listed on the other genre database, I found those before amazon's shit got so shreked that it was much easier to find clear Delineations between what the Primary Was Vs Sub Genre attached to it.
Fuck all the Fantasy Knock Offs that litter my quest to find Capes, Fuck all the LIT RPG books that infest this tag, fuck all the Urban Fantasy akin to Dresden that mis-file here. FUCK ALL OF YOU. This whale reader is fed up to all ends of the Earth now. Even putting in words that should give me awesome cape stories, ends up with AD: PARANORMAL ROMANCE THAT DOESN'T FUCKING BELONG HERE.
I don't want to hate books but this is what the Search Pile of FUCKALL has done.
When people think Superhero Prose, the same selections always come up first, Secret Wars, Wild Cards, Meyer's books, Sandersons, Ex-Heroes/Zombie combo. None of the others even make a fracking dent because of all this on amazon's site. There's 100s of cape books buried. Maybe even close to 1000. But most of their writers gave up. One and done.
Ill still add to my database: even if the superbook in question is more gritty or even has bs political shit I am trying to escape because at least its a cape book. I'll edit it to put a symbol next to my favorites later.
Feels like there was a slight boom in 2012-2016 for cape book projects but then it dried up. I'm thinking so many newer writers want to get that King money or JK money but stuff like that wont happen anymore. Not to that degree. Esp. with how people abuse Amazon's bot. Or rather, just like college professors, old style trad pub JK/Sanderson/King stuff is already locked in. They are in the cultural lighthouse of sorts. Love them or hate them, they have that pie and can live off it the rest of their lives if they are smart about it.
Sanderson has a teaching job, if his vids are any indication, so even he has a another job besides writing.
But the rest of us? We gotta keep our day jobs until either A: it becomes viable to write full time and still maintain a STABLE income or B: you end up eventually getting to that 6 figure tier but then you gotta maintain it.
Indie is a decent way to get midlist if you have the will for it.
A List:
Even if your genre isnt super popular: Finish your series. Please. Even if you only have one reader or 1000s.
Network stuff together more. Even on dead sites like GoodReads or Facebook. Cause someone, somewhere, will link in somehow. Maybe its time to make a forum for Superhero Prose or something.
Trust me, once you have that reader, we stay with you for life. Cause we be reading Seagulls like that.
Even trad pub Superhero Prose is getting buried and they have more money to invest in that initial push too. Holy shit. Since this sub genre is already under the auspices of "Damn, that mummy is buried deep" its why Ill do my best to find anything. Even if its much more Marvel inspired. IE: Grit/"Realism"/Even if the Writer goes to Marvel Civil War town in their book. IE Too Close to Current Year, because at this point....the market is already fracked.
Oh and the ones I endorsed with (FL Woman Happy) on the super genre data base, I've either read all the books that are out for them or I've gotten at least 2-4 books under my belt. I just want more on the buffet. Escapism, pure and simple.
Its why my series wont have the UN or an Earth mired in any of our political issues. Red or Blue. An actual Alternate Earth, where I can concentrate on making people boo hiss at comic book inspired situations, make people cheer for the heroes. Sure, its a simple goal but if I am not entertaining myself, how can I expect to entertain readers.
Heck, WW1 and 2 get instigated by Rogue Factions within Atlantis and the Grays. Its not to belittle these events but put a whole gold/silver age comic book tropes along history. Wait til you see what happens with A51 and even Roswell. XD
Thing is, while some indies are able to get to a higher tier through bot abuse, it doesnt make it any better for readers. Sure, you will have your fanbase that eats everything up because to them its just another pre-made burger, but some of us want more then just that on the table. It is going to crash, maybe not now or in a year or two, but the E-Book Crash is coming. There arent enough whale readers like myself to support everyone. Esp the ones abusing stuff. Whales can only eat so much before they barf it all back up. Then teeter away from the table like a drunk.
To but it more blunt: There's only so much of me that can go around. Like butter scraped too thin. If I go too far and wide, Ill loose connection with series I enjoy. So with all thats happening, readers and writers are already at a disadvantage. How to build a base when that base is flooded in over-saturation and cant find what they FUCKING want.
Again, sorry for the cursing. Time to go make some pasta and meatballs. Because I am hungry woman.
Most of these will have tropes from other genres but they are primary romance. So here we are, girl brain power activate. Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun. :P
Alien aka Katt Series (Has some sci fi elements with a smattering of superhero references. MiB I/II/III references) But I wont lie about the primary of this list.
Those are my big ones. I'll go a questing on the kindle later to find more of them but for now, considering my back and forth with my favorite kind of drink today, ill leave the database adding like this for now.
Some of this overlaps with some other flavors but its also a genre that needs more love. I am filled with bookmas. Let's see how much saturation Ill fight today to find the goods. I know the granddads of Cyberpunk are well known. Ill probably leave that for the End. Most of the stuff I try to find: Bladerunner Inspired, Ghost in the Shell Inspired, Snowclash ect.
They need to make a separate set for shadow run inspired stuff. Cause that's pretty much mashing Traditional Fantasy Elements into Cyberpunk. Closer to Urban Fantasy in a way.
I love making these things. Sure, its adding to "More to Read list" but oh well. That happens. I'll do my best to find things that are buried or fit the genre as best as it can. Steampunk has almost as much paranormal romance bs as my superhero tags. It's rather annoying at times to sift through. So much writers trying to out do one another with tag hopping.
In Plain Sight (More Fantasy then Steampunk though.) But since Monster Hunter Larry put in his 2 cents, I figured it might be worth a shot. But really this feels more like Urban Fantasy with some Steampunk Trimmings.
Firebird Mystery its for younger readers though but seems to hit the various basics of the genre.
I know this isn't the longest list yet. I have to get better at putting in keywords related to the tropes of this genre. I want to make sure its as steampunk as possible. Not Primary Urban Fantasy with some slight Steampunk trappings. Or Paranormal Romance Primary. Which is what the Parasol Protectorate is. It has much steam punk elements but its primary romance. I've gone through 300+ pages. Much of it Not Steampunk even though that was part of the keyword I used.
PS: Bless Silver Empire publishing. They are the best.
It's crazy how I only found one of their books when searching "steampunk." Then I tried SP Saga, SP Mystery, SP Heroes, SP Series....most of it was UF or PR. Again, I'll do my best to find stuff that is more in line with what one would expect with Telsa or Steampunk Inspired stories. Ill even take Victorian inspired stuff, provided it isnt a Primary Romance with basic lipservice.
Expectations, everyone has them but how do implement them within genres. Esp. if the Writer Mixes them. Plus: (CURSE ALERT!)
Mass produced series for KU, how that effects things.
Its a self-eating cycle. (You have money from other McD books, feed the promoship, eat away at other genres, blasting it everywhere. KU reader might not even care, they just click to the next book if its "good enough" satisfies but doesn't wow people. Being Good Enough shouldn't keep these books in "out of genre and in the top 100" placement.
IF your genre is a power house: IE Westerns, Romance, or Mysteries. You are going to have to bring your A-Game. Please be kind and don't flood tags your book is not related to.
I get these same 10-20 writers I see flooding various sci fi/fantasy tags want to eat, maintain that 4 to 6 figure income but its like spraying canned cheese all over the buffet for the reader.
Why is space opera or mil sci fi in the steampunk tag? Ahhh, I am going to call this McD Booking. Service "billions" but its standard fair. You don't have your A-Game going. Its just: Produce, Produce, Produce.
Gotta stay on top with the Algorithm. So much Shovel Ware. Reminds me of Steam's Greenlight Program. Some gems but most of it is strait up shoveware shit. Not good calories for readers. Paying lipservice to a genre but not truly feeding it. This makes it harder for readers to find what they want. Besides what's constantly Ouroboros at the top. Oh X, Y or Z sells the best, lets shit out something really quick, don't care if its subpar, get it out on to the tarmac. Expect Choppy Landings. Ill use Galaxy's Edge as an Example of the Good Way to do it:
Primary Genre Splat: Space Opera and Mil Sci Fi. Cole and Anspach Nail it to the Wall. Epic Delicious Burger. What you see is what you get and its produced wonderfully.
Plus Galaxy Ascendant: The other Star Wars not Star Wars. I will stand by both series til I die of some sort of Fl Gator. Here
Be a Master. Not a Mass Producer. (When I say Mass Producer I don't mean speed either.)
Mass Producer in this sense is someone who just writes the book, sometimes in a month or less, slaps it onto the grill but it has no soul to it. Its just a ho-hum burger with no spices or taste. No personal touch to it. It's shoved out onto market and makes that writer just enough to keep them above water in that mythic "I write for a living" finance category. But its not that writer's A GAME effort at all. Its just a flat plain burger. A C+ effort at best. Yes, I am being that harsh because I don't want to make C grade burgers myself. Frack off with that shit. Give the readers your personal best. Be bold and add those damned spices. Look at what PulpRev is doing. Then you will know the difference in true soul products. So what about the Genre stuff then. Well:
Have the tropes associated to it. Again, my poor superhero prose section is getting the shit beat out of it in this part. Nothing related to supers usually ever get to the top 100. Fuck off already Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Don't want your shovel wear basic burgers in my genre searches anymore.
Readers will actively dislike other genres if the x-plat is way off course. I use myself as an example. It makes me have an active distaste for stuff throwing my searches off course.
If you are Primary Romance, List it as Romance. Does that mean you fight with millions upon millions of other books rather then 2 million or so in Sci Fi, Yup.
If you are combining Genres, which one is your primary, and which is the 2ndary? List those as your pre-designated things for your book. In my series case, its looking like it will be Primary Space Opera, 2ndary Superhero Sci Fi. Does that mean Ill be fighting for space with other Space Opera Primary? Yes it will but that's fine by me. I don't want to slap something like Hard Sci Fi on this just because I am researching Dyson Spheres or other various realistic theories. I am doing it so when I put those things in, it will reflect in the descriptions in the series more naturally. STOP ADDING NOTHING CHEESE TO THE GENRE TAGS! If someone wants a Space Opera BTL, it better have the fucking Bacon, Tomato, and Let Us Go to Space. Not a Twilight rip off with some Basic Burger Lipservice.
Can it have romance? Yes, but make it a part of that cake, not 90% of it, then its a ROMANCE. Sorry for the cursing, I usually only do that when exceptionally frustrated to all ends of the Universe. As I go through more reading and writing I am sure I'll be able to develop a wider range of ways to express myself. For now, Ill keep trying my best to find things that look interesting. That make sense for the genres they are in. If your book is mil sci fi primary, it doesn't belong with steampunk, esp if it has ADVANCED FUTURISTIC TECH in it. Its why people can't find the mech books they want either. Certain Cheese Noodles are spraying in that direction too. Pretty soon, once the dust settles, some might be surprised where the whale readers like me went to. Well we packed our bags and found greener pastures to dive into.
With reading, writing and other hobbies. (Just my opinion.)
One: Take a break from the Culture War, I don't ignore it but when my tank gets full, I leave it on the sidelines for a while. Sometimes a person can only keep going back to that well before it overflows and you get burnt out. Or like the Reverend from B5 put it:
IE: I'd rather put my energy into helping writers out by putting more in the cookie jar. Because coffee needs something to go with it.
Two: If old institutions of entertainment are failing, build your own, even if the audience for it is small now, it will grow with time. Find others that feel the same way. Like one long chain of writers who want to have fun. Re-read old favorites if what's on the market sucks. You don't have to give attention and money to things that aren't entertaining you.
Three: Tribalism is a double edged sword that can cut both ways. IT doesn't matter what format its in either, to movies, books, companies, comics ect. If something isnt up to par anymore, don't keep feeding those negative feelings. Remember to keep positive/creative outlets going. :D
Most movements fragment over time. I just wish there was a way to promote what you enjoy without worrying about who vs who is happening. So the way I go about it is: Just love what you want. Find alternatives that catch your attention. Feels like its a giant maze of who hates who when it comes to the indie scene of comics atm. So instead of hating x y or z, I'll just find more sci fi and superheroes to enjoy.
As for writing: More insights!
Just like artists, keep a visual references of different places in your book and/or series. Doesn't have to be the exact thing but something close to it so you can have a base point. I look at various pinterest concept images to keep some ideas strait.
Keep notes on each chapter, what you might want to add or take away later. Also helps keep the plot timeline in order. For me at least.
Always have paper and pen ready. Even in the bathroom or at work.
Keep a Character Checklist. Even if its personality or appearance notes (very useful for superhero costumes too) For the 2ndary and 3 string characters too.
I find Its useful to do separate time lines/events for the heroes and the villains. Just to see who is doing what. Always in motion the future is. :P
Its been one heck of a ride. Here's to more fun and bookmas for the year. My wallet is in rebellion mode. To appease it I'll wait til proper payday. Gonna listen to my own advice:
Read more stuff that entertains, moves you, makes you think, whatever that may be.
Cause what's the most important thing? Get your projects out there and help make readers into happy readers. Offer them a buffet of awesome. This reader is happy to help writers she enjoys :D
Seriously, watch B5, its great. Love it to bits.
I get that there's so many different camps within Comicsgate but I suppose like any movement, sometimes the overall goal gets lost once vacuums appear. Its a whole ton easier to unite against something everyone disagrees with but its much much harder to stay together over something we can all enjoy. If my twitter feed is any indication.
Motivation, I think, is a very internal thing. Something someone has to discover. Sometimes it comes easier then other days but each day brings something new. Writing and reading give me the good kind of dopamine hits to the brain. Plus I do enjoy my audiobooks. Gives me some fun while on the road to grandma's 3-4 days a week.
I find myself listening to more lovely space channels:
Sometimes for research, sometimes just something to listen to while writing, which today I got some stuff done about the first flight Eliza will have in her Starship, Jupiter Rising. Like the Whitestar of B5 fame, its going to be a hybrid of Earth and Typherian tech. Plus I added in some other interesting things. She won't know this at first. With everything that's happening in comic book land and my various book hobbies, this is what's been keeping my passion alive.
This is more of an inspiration: What will these ships look like in my minds eye. Once the bones are done.
I know, its corny as hell, esp. since the protag can fly on her own power but I found something oddly endearing about a character who has these superpowers but one of her greatest loves is piloting a star ship.
I find I'm liking writing just as much as cooking. Something new to discover everyday. No matter the recipe.
VIs
Exploring new worlds
Adventure
Quiet moments
Exciting moments
Plot Moments
Creating Characters
Its the simple things that make me happy. The very idea of Space is so vast, that you can dream up almost anything. Because we are only on the very shore of discovery. Even if things look dark, look to the sky, there is our future. Next stop: Mars. I just want to see us make it to Mars before I get KO'd out of this universe.
Honestly, you can have interesting characters, no matter what, provided they have some sort of recognizable trope as a foundation: The Wise Mentor, which can grow into Exiled Sage or Grandparent with Secrets or even X with a Heart of Gold. Depends on what kind of trimmings you want. Haven't been doing as much on twitter today because I am getting into the nuts and bolts of all these characters, including the side people and the antagonists. This cake is taking lots from all the things I love and I am one happy reader and writer at the moment.
Heh, just got that Savage Wars, Galaxy's Edge action delivered to the kindle. Noice.
Another one for my upcoming days off. Besides those other things I promised. Man, I have needed this. Don't even mind that it was family stuff that took the car away. Firing on all cylinders with my setting. Inspiration kicks in at the oddest moments. But watching movies I enjoy in the background helps too.
Stupid Mundane Manifesto. It's like cancer within most trad publishing sources.
Things that are supposed to be fun and adventurous are as dull as dirt. Read something modern? When it describes its own blurb like this: Can they evade space fascists, kick-start a rebellion, and save the galaxy all while they each try to find their own way home?
Fuckin hell. Nope, nope with a giant pole that will send that book into the sun. Those that love to read, sci fi and fantasy included, we have to reject this stuff. Those subgenres aren't made for looking at the dirt in our lives, its for uplifting people, taking them to new horizons. Not political claptrap.
Even though I enjoyed a fair amount of the Expanse, I was mostly keen on the outer colony, mars aspects, the ships, the enviros, the PM/Blue Goo Extra Solar Mystery. I could give two shits about the belter vs earther stuff or even mars vs everyone because it was grounded in political crap I wanted to forget about. The review I left for the first book was a test of sorts, sure I did like it but at the time I was seeing how long it would take Amazon to post that review vs some reviews I was doing of Indie Space Opera at the moment. It didn't take amazon long to post my Expanse stuff vs others. I do think there are review gatekeepers in amazon itself. Cause again, some stuff gets posted within a few mins vs 3-4 days.
I think its mostly cause I am burnt out on stuff that beats you down with "too much realism" and too much "one kind of politics." As if that's supposed to be the standard with reading. Its not.
Things that turn me off from books nowadays are much more prevalent and popular. (At least from the outside looking in at some genres/outlets.) It makes me feel like a relic sometimes. What's wrong with wanting:
Simple strait forward adventures
Clear Good and Evil
The Fantastic
FTL
Idealism
Utopia Underpinnings
Hope/Optimism
Futuristic Laser Swords and Guns
The hero or heroine saves the day or both team up to do so. (Some People say Babylon 5 is akin to our current issues but JMS made it so much more then that, he fused the space opera pulp to procedural with a dash of realism with no direct ties to current events or people. Sure he made allegories but it didnt make you think: OH Thats X current year polices!) What was that one article that tried to shit over B5.....lets see: https://www.tor.com/2019/06/13/babylon-5-is-the-greatest-most-terrible-sf-series/comment-page-4/
Oh yea, frackin Tor. Yep pay no mind to their take on my favorite series. Its filled with Mundane Manifesto mindset. “I hope the future will be like Star Trek, but I’m afraid it’s going to be like Babylon 5.” *laughing*, B5 had a more optimistic future then most current year sci fi novels infused with shallow politics whine fests. In light of ST: Picard show that statement is even more hilarious.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/may/02/thereallyexcitingsciencefi But the Mundane manifesto succeeds by being anything but mundane. The
seven stories in Interzone #216 celebrate the real core value of SF -
the sense of wonder that it can inspire in readers. From its early days
in pulp magazines like Amazing Stories, SF has evolved to serve readers'
desire for wonder. From rocketships and rayguns to cyborgs, virtual
reality and the technological singularity, the history of SF has been a
history of finding new ideas to spark the sense of wonder in readers. Mundane SF succeeds by understanding that the most amazing and
wondrous possibilities now lie not in the depths of space or the far
future, but right here on planet Earth in our very near future. A wave
of technology promises (or perhaps threatens) to effect such enormous
change that the next 20 years will make the last 100 look positively
sedate in comparison. Mundane SF is the literature exploring how those
changes will change our lives, and for all of us living through them it
should be essential reading.
That is not exciting in the least for me. Frack off with that. So many books are left in the dirt with that mindset that its really annoying to search through it all to find something worth while.
These are worth your time:
Most of the protags in these "modern" books are snippy pissed lonely characters and just plain nasty to be around. Me, me, me navel gazing from paper tiger female icon protags that are just Capt. No Boob 111022357 in nature. Like a copy/paste program of "Strong Female Empowahment Character" that this reader is sick to death of.
I dont need no man, not even a dad or a brother or a male friend. Esp not a genuine Husband. How else do you think other humans got here? Sure in sci fi you can make that different with tech but it doesn't mean throw away either men or women.
I can do things better then any man can
All the mens are teh evils
Only wahmen goodest bois.
The Female Man
What feminine qualities? We give you what you want! NO MORE MEN ROLES!
Sexy? Whats that?
The Gor series in Reverse Mode. Why? Seriously why? Strong doesnt mean denying a female character feminine agency to keep up with a man.
In YA land: FRACK OFF WITH THE LOVE TRIANGLES! Esp if the men in question are cardboard cutouts for uplifting the wahmen from her atrocious behavior.
Men and women still need each other. As friends, confidants, family ect.
Regress Harder as PulpRev says. Only then will this relic find what she is looking for: Fun.
The Mundane wants to be the fart sniffer of sci fi and fantasy. A higher calling or literary "college" reading book. That is the pathway to killing off reader enthusiasm. At any level. For most books they wanted me to read in school, all the way to college, cliff notes saved me from reading through boring, trite, fart huffing failures.
So raise a glass, pour it on the Mundane Manifesto and light the match. No one will miss it.
Has a retro style I enjoy. Kinda pulpy in fact. Mainly because he started the series in the late 80s. So I really didn't find it until last year via the kindle. Loved the pdfs I could initially get.
So when the HB hit, I was like, alright! WOOO!
The story draws you in. She has to fight smart, kinda like Ripley.
Draws Attractive men and women. (Funny, most of these books, along with the ones below, that seems to be a big draw for me because its a visual medium, interesting how that works)
Depending on the Genre I have different expectations for characters, if its a more traditional superhero setting, then I don't care if a character is a 5ft 0in person that can throw a few 1000 tons. In any event those are my current readings for various comics.
Might pick up Justice League again since the various channels I listen to are giving it a "hey, supes is acting like supes in it" rating.
No, I don't care who dislikes who or whatnot, this reader is gonna read whatever she feels like.
Since the 4 book round robin stuff is going on, plus my brain is filled with maths cobwebs, lets see:
The Era of Childhood: (IE, want to say 1988 to 1995.) I was so little when Babylon 5 first hit. Awww.
Parents used to read to me.
Cat in the Hat, Boxcart Children, the Hobbit and even:
ET
The Last Unicorn
Inspector Gadget
The Smurfs
Gummiebears
Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
Gundam
Samurai Pizza Cats
TMNT
Ghostbusters
Biker Mice from Mars
Mighty Max
Dad's old Superman Comics
That's just the tip of the show and book iceburg. I really didn't get into reading on my own til late elementary school, with scolastic book fairs at school.
The Era of Teen Fundamentals: (1996 to 2003) cause even at the end, with 20 yrs I still felt like a big kid.
John Carter
Black Company
The Hobbit
HP Lovecraft
J. Verne
C. J. Cherryh
Dad's App. N Army Footlocker. I mean, its a good thing I have a tried and true pulp geek for a father.
Andre Norton
Lensmen
The biggest shows:
Gargoyles (Back when Disney was Fun.)
Stargate
Babylon 5
ST DS9
ST Voyager, (Loved the Doctor, he was fun.)
Space Above and Beyond
Dad getting me old runs of Flash Gordon, Star Trek, OG BSG and many others. It was like having a sci fi retrospective at my house. It was great. :D
The Era of College and the Navy: (2003-2013)
Waiting for Mr. Weber to finish Honor Harrington. It wouldn't happen for a while. Even I was put aback by the level of doorstopper Weber was putting out.
Starting to wonder why certain sci fi books weren't interesting me as much.
Re-read Dune!
Re-read Revelation Space
Carl Sagan
Find Silver Age Superman collections, giggle and have fun with it.
Get worried about the Direction of DC comics.
Survive Book Readings/Assignments in college like the Golden Compass or "Early Influences of X, Y or Z" topic that was dry as dirt.
Survive College and still remain kool-aid free. It helped that I didn't live on campus.
University did introduce me to Dashiell Hammett though so it wasn't a total loss.
Enjoyed some of the SW EU for what it was. NJO=Please, someone slap Jacen Solo 24/7. Shut up Jaina, who cares. Oh look, Anakin Solo, the only decent one. Shit.....he gonna die.
The Era of Electronic Library of Sci Fi Alexandria and Pulps: (2013-2020) aka I am the crypt keeper. But still on 2nd breakfast. Still feel like I'm young at heart when it comes to somethings.
Kindle, that was a game changer for me. Because my rooms and even back in the Navy, I was like, I need more space for books. SO now I have a library of awesome that travels with me.
Indie Boom.
2014: Sads, Mads, and the Hugos (Love him, hate him or not care: Vox Day got a whole lot of things flushed out into the Open. In more ways then one.)
Realize that a fair amount of "trad" sci fi sources were soapboxing.
Start looking into indie sci fi: Space Operas esp.
Still give Trad consideration though: Esp if its Baen. Not all is lost. Or wanders.
Start Humming "All Along the Watchtower" BSG style.
See old hobbies teeter on the edge and fall over. Realize that its hard to let go but it must be done. Esp. since it means I can put my energy into other arenas. Or projects.
Sure there's def. a nostalgia factor of what formulated my earlier years but going back to old favorites I have a new appreciation for them. Esp. in the light of current shenanigans.
Do I want to re-live yesteryear? Nah, I find that my life is pretty good. Sure I don't have middle level income but I have no debts. The booming economy has me at 4k more per year atm + I'm helping my family with food, bills, grandma mis-adventures. Yea, the only thing I would really want to do is be able to project my mind into the past, warn my younger self of the one biggest mistake I made: Write sooner dangit. :P
In fact, the only thing that made school tolerable was finding new and interesting books to read. Being a "nerd" in the 80s and 90s was not popular or part of the overall pop culture. In a good way that is.
I would never want to repeat school ever again. As an adult, I find I can still have fun with old stuff but on my own time now.
For most Superhero Prose I can find at the moment: (IN some cases it sometimes nearly hits the top 1000. The really popular stuff hits 500-300 range.)
The more popular tropes used at the moment. From what I can see of samples and some past purchases.
A majority of them are High Schoolers
Dramatic Family Death
A family member is a villian.
Marvel Type Narrative really outnumbers Old Style DC (IE: Street level Problems/X-men type prejudge stuff vs Giant Scale ones/More Optimistic)
Anti-Heroes, Villain POV, Downer Settings (Some improve their setting by the end)
In fact, I can count on one hand what types of superhero books manage to get to the top 100: (Rest of its Lit RPG, UF, PRomance, Harems/ Rev Harem, which again, dead horse time: need their own sub genre tags.
Outlaw (Gritty, More Marvel type Avenger type deal)
The Outlaw High school junior Chase Jackson is the infamous Outlaw, a
celebrated midnight crimefighter caught in an ancient clash between
order and corruption. The world only sees the mask, not the young man
balancing his secret identity against love.
Rumors surface of a
growing evil within Los Angeles, and powerful strangers are searching
for the reclusive vigilante, whispering truths about his illness.
Despite his desperate attempts for peace, the Outlaw is being drawn into
war with the dangerous Infected.
I wont be listing harem books because I don't consider that actual proper superhero stuff. Because its everywhere and needs its own category. Yes, its simple human resentment on my part but its there. I am very biased against these books because they are making it harder to find Cape books. In a sea already flooded. Glaring at UF and Paranormal Romance too. I am beginning to resent them taking up the Superhero tag also.
Supervillains are
murdering people in the streets, but yet superheroes are more concerned
with gaining popularity than bringing the villains to justice.
These villains think they are above the law and that nobody can stop
them, but they never planned for me. I’ll murder every one of them with
my powersuit, traps, and sidekicks.
And if killing bad guys makes me a villain in the eyes of the heroes, well… I’ll destroy them too.
Plus more often then not, with Superhero Prose, many are trying to go for the literary Option:
The author of the “urgent and deeply moving” (The New York Times) Youngblood
returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of
super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial
America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.
Thirty
years after its great triumph in Vietnam, the United States has again
become mired in an endless foreign war overseas. Stories of super
soldiers known as the Volunteers tuck in little American boys and girls
every night. Yet domestic politics are aflame. Violent protests erupt
throughout the nation; an ex-military watchdog group clashes with police
while radical terrorists threaten to expose government experiments
within the veteran rehabilitation colonies.
Halfway between war
and peace, the Volunteers find themselves waiting for orders in the
vast American city-state, Empire City. There they encounter a small
group of civilians who know the truth about their powers, including
Sebastian Rios, a young bureaucrat wrestling with survivor guilt, and
Mia Tucker, a wounded army pilot-turned-Wall Street banker. Meanwhile,
Jean-Jacques Saint-Preux, a Haitian-American Volunteer from the
International Legion, decides he’ll do whatever it takes to return to
the front lines.
Through it all, a controversial retired
general emerges as a frontrunner in the presidential campaign, promising
to save the country from itself. Her election would mean unprecedented
military control over the country, with promises of security and
stability—but at what cost?
Featuring Gallagher’s “vital” (The Washington Post), “evocative” (The Wall Street Journal) prose, Empire City is a rousing vision of an alternate—yet all too familiar—America on the brink.
*FACEPALM*
No thank you. Would you kindly. It has the taste of Watchman on it. And current year shenanigans.
Again, all of this just keeps motivating me to work on my own series every day. Even in little ways. Between the short stories for the anthology, the other two first drafts, the world building, revamping books 1, 2, 3, and 4 so far, outline wise, I've written over 300,000 words so far. And its only Feb. I started in Nov of 2019. Let's see where the rest of the year will bring us.
So far, what my series will have: (Thinking of calling the series The Uplift Protocol.)
Planet Hopping within the sol system (Book 1), eventually ill go cosmic :D (Late Book 2/Book 3+)
Stopping nefarious agents of the Grays/Keepers, The Roswell Incident. Grays vs Atlantis made WW1 and 2 happen. Oops.
A whole clan of Superheros, 3 whole generations jumping into the fray.
My Justice League standins vs the Legion of Doom (The Cabal)
Space doggos powered with Defender Belts, most of them Blue for Loyalty, but some are Reds. Powered by the Blood that runs hot in them. One of those is going to be a doberman, 2nd in command of the entire Defender Corp. Cooper/Guards-The-Stars is Green for Faith.
This Earth has Prolong, Habitat Rings, outer Sol System Defenses, Moon Bases, Colonies on Mars, Bases on Jupiter's Moons. Plus even our doggos live to be 40 years old or so. Because why not.
O'neil Cylinders, Terraforming. Yes, that means good old pulpy mini moons around other planets also have humans on them. Because it reminds me of fun. Its why this series isnt hard sci fi as much as space opera. It does have some slight tech aspects but just like supers and pulps, the tech will be made to fit that setting.
Cosmic Relics, Kardeshev 5 and 6 civilizations
Babylon 5 references
Cornfields of Silly out the butt because I am also corny.
Atlantis, wherein Arthon is a Muthra, which translates to Security in a certain dead language.
Pew pew pew!
Truth, Justice, the American Way and Apple Pie. Just like my old school superman.
Space Ships w/ FTL
Area 51 and other things that will be just as fun to write.
A United Earth. Still have many individual countries but we pulled ourselves up and formed a Terran Alliance. Not even gonna touch any current year subjects. Just like Original Star Trek, our society is more concerned about exploring beyond Earth.
Ancient Astro theories are true. After a fashion. :P
No Dead Parents or Dead Grand Parent crutches. No orphans. Just tired of that aspect. Its why I have prolong on this Earth.
What makes Earth stand out is its ratio for magical Demis/Supers. Not the same as the Atlantians. Its a plot point I built up for the world building aspect that will come into play later in the series.
Some of the very basic things I've learned about writing. Even if some of this is dead horse territory.
Style:
Keep Writing, you will develop a style over time. Keep writing. You will see how things fall together through doing. (IMHO.)
Rough Draft everything. Even if you end up not using it. Its practice, practice, practice.
Whatever formula you have, it will develop over time, so just keep writing. Even if its character concepts, world building, chapter headers, 2-3 sentence chapt summaries, ect.
Time will make you better. Like mastering cooking. The more you do it, the better you get, the more you can integrate ingredients. (cause I love cooking too)
Process:
I use excel spread sheets to keep the various timelines of my books and/or anthologies in check.
Character/Casts: I have written notes and on the excel. IE: Book 1 Cast, Book 2 Cast. Ect.
A mix of "off the seat of my pants" writing vs world building. I find when I am writing the story and get stumped somewhere its cause I don't have a part of the world building set up for a particular blanket area. So I got back to my 3 notebooks and tabs, then write some more background fun.
So I guess I'm a mix of planner and free for all.
Read for fun but also start looking at it from a, "What?, why did they just do this?" mindset. It might not fit your style but it will give you ideas. :D Then you can add it into your style of doing things.
World Building:
I read within the genre's I am targeting. Space Operas and Capes. I did get some books that help guide my world building. Because it asks questions I didn't even consider so even if I don't use everything in here, its helped expand what I wanted to do.
Way With Worlds , I pretty much got books 1 and 2, along with the superhero subsection pick. Might get the Characters and World Building one also.
Table Top has also helped to a point. Esp. if it was Superhero based.
Write while you research things. Keep a notepad handy while at work. Some of my best ideas have happened while stuck at work.
Tropes:
What's expected in your genre.
Keywords
Your very own reading habits: What drags you into a book? What catches your eye? How do you spend your own funds on books in general.
Ideas that genre readers look for. For supers and space opera, for me: Its all about the heroics, technical gizmos, planet hopping adventures, space, starships, super powered space doggos. DC comics should have had Hope Corgi. It never did so I made my knock offs of the Lantern Corps into the Defender Corps with Belts instead of rings. I have multiple packs of Defender Doggos now. Plus the Defender Corps are also based on concepts rather then the emotional spectrum.
Example:
Red: Powered by Blood that runs hot in their veins.
Yellow: Powered by the Intellect that is inherent in the user.
Green: Powered by the Faith of the user.
Blue: Powered by the Loyalty of the user.
Orange: Powered by the Desire for Knowledge of the user.
The biggest thing in my opinion. You are not an aspiring writer, that implies you don't feel good enough to accomplish the task at hand. You are a writer. Write. Keep Writing. Like Rocky in a boxing match. Or like so:
Its all in the mind, even if you only get one reader for your book. Keep going, don't give up. Then you get another reader, then another, then another....pretty soon you will have an audience.
This rabbit hole has been something else everyone.
My first experience with Theresa happened with:
Mr. Norman made waves more from how he reacted to reviewers then anything else. From what I've read of the book, (The amazon sample that is.) this is def. a first draft that needed more baking time. More TLC. Less of the character being an exposition dump. So much exposition.
And this is what he has as the blurb:
*****
( IT'S INTERESTING THAT OUT OF THE FIRST 37, ..YES 37 !!!.., ONE-STAR
REVIEWERS, ONLY 6 ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK AS INDICATED BY AMAZON'S '
Verified Purchase' FLAG. WHY ARE THEY HERE? READ ON. )......Theresa
is a star baseball pitcher in high school. Internet trolls viciously
her. A teacher tells Theresa why they do that, and she understands.
.............
"I saw why the trolls were angry. They knew they couldn’t go
where I was going. I’d have a good life. They wouldn’t."
.........If
I had intended to write a story that the internet trolls would hate, I
couldn't have done better than Empress Theresa. It's a natural internet
troll target.......
....How many stories can make you feel good? Can you think of any? Add Empress Theresa to the list.......
............In
chapter 1 ten year old Theresa admits she doesn't have a clue about
anything, but nine years later she confidently says, "I can do
anything". "How did I come so far?" she asks herself, and considers a
list of influences on her life. She had good parents and family
support, she had natural gifts of beauty and intelligence, she has a
good, loyal husband, but the most important influence are her own
actions. "I'm very simple. I follow my conscience. I am what I do."
.....Of
what is Theresa the empress? She's empress of her internal self,
described by Henry David Thoreau as 'a realm besides which the empire of
the Czar is a petty state', a land too vast to be explored in a
lifetime. Theresa rules her inner self.
........What is Empress Theresa about? If I wrote it correctly it's about YOU!.............
....A teenage Catholic girl from Massachusetts acquires limitless power over the whole world.
What will she do with it?
What would you do with it?
....On page two, Theresa sums up the human situation in a single sentence:
"We're lost in this confusing world unless we follow the directions of its Maker."
.........Theresa
knows that the world is not a complete explanation of the world.
There's a lot more. This gives her the strength to get through
everything.........
....You want a strong female? Try "Empress Theresa".
....After reading page 1,
no, never mind that, after reading the second paragraph on page 1,
you know nothing will stop this girl!
...................
....In
the cultural wasteland of today's heartless media, Empress Theresa is a
breath of fresh air. Show it to your 8 year old daughter and show it
to your grandmother. They'll both enjoy it.
……Empress
Theresa is a very different kind of story, incorporating situations
never seen before. It is a beautiful story of how Theresa deals with
her "impossible problems" and how people react to her. It is full of
meanings, for Theresa doesn't act like this world is all there is. "I
was sure I was immortal and that gave me courage."
……This is a book about a heroic teenage American girl winning against impossible odds and changing the world.
……So
is Empress Theresa a 'Young Adult' novel? Not really. Theresa doesn't
deal with the problems of a teenager's life. She deals with problems
that involve all humanity. It should be called an 'Old Adult' novel
because old people, having seen everything, will see its meaning. It has
themes seldom seen in other books. But the story itself is worth
reading just as a story.
....
…… DESCRIPTION: Theresa is
honest, courageous, brilliant, happily married, powerful but harmless,
thoughtful of others' welfare not just her own, a believer in God, and
an inspiration to the young and old. She attacks "impossible" problems
with everything she's got and she never gives up.
……Empress
Theresa is what some people would consider impossible, a book about a
good girl, with no sex, foul language, or violence, but still giving the
reader an action-filled fascinating story.
..........Do something good. Give young people something worth reading.
*****
Excuse me, I'm gonna have to be buzzed for this next part.
I feel his pain. I will tell tru-facts. My first few attempts at getting things onto paper for my own series had quite a few of Theresa's mistakes. Too much telling. Repeated sentences from characters. It takes time to develop your craft. By no means give up, things will get smoother. Hell, at this point, by the end of the year, I'll probably be even better then I am now with my own abilities. That's why its good to have first drafts, finish the projects/series, then go back with new eyes and reshape that clay again.
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2014 Yea, that's what this book is. Again, rough drafts are amazing. Because its a foundation you can build upon, shape into something really really fun. It's ok if they end up being a stepping stone. Sometimes you can keep some of it, some times it gets restructured in editing. Doesn't mean it wasnt worth while though. It can hurt that your book can get caught in a landslide but I think most readers really wanted Mr. Norman to make a better book. At least in the beginning, before he went all axe-crazy on people in the comments.
I get it, you are protective of your work too. But once you put it out there, people will leave some sort of feedback, some will enjoy it, some will meh, others will have a disconnect, even more might indeed leave one star reviews.
When all my stuff launches, Ill mostly be happy to get it out to the readers, hope for the best but realize that 1 stars happen. Readers have different expectations depending on factors:
Did you pick a genre that reflected your book properly enough?
Are the characters, setting, world building on the same page?
Why list yourself in suspense when there is none? Like another book series that shouldn't be in sci if: Wayfarers
That should be slice of life. It has no conflict, like Emp. Theresa.
Things I have learned so far:
Have active Protags
Have active Antags
Make sure the chapters move the overall plot forward.
Find a balance between detail dumps, character dialog, action and quiet moments. Wheel of Time nearly drowned me in Detail. To the point where I was skipping stuff to find the plot again.
Its ok to have a very simple conflict. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. Readers love genre tropes.
Some try so hard to subvert everything to be "original" that the work becomes unrecognizable. Don't sweat that. Some elements are prevalent because they work so well. Because they are a part of our cultural radar.
Ill probably make a post later about how my own writing style has developed so far with this love of supers and space opera but for now:
So much explaining and not showing. Pick events that shape your character. In my limited experience. The Anthology I am doing is giving me lots of practice with character moments. Events that would slow down the main plot so I am putting them in a side story format. Its also giving me an understanding of my own setting and characters. Feels like Theresa is one giant synopsis of a book. But if you want to see the run down of Mr. Norman vs Everyone:
It's something else. To live long enough to become a meme of sorts. He's probably the part of indie publishing most would want to forget but I find valuable information on what not to do. Esp when it comes to reader feedback.
Empress Theresa is the Fallout 76 of books. In that, the bullshit around the book is a lot more interesting than the book itself.
This is also tru-facts. In my opinion. Like a train wreak that keeps expanding outward. If its true that he worked on this for 20 years, I can totally really reaaaaaaaaly understand his super protective mode over his book. But that wont stop people from giving input.
I know the first inclination is to be like: OH this wasn't for them! Only the TRUE READERS GET ME! (In Mr. Norman's case esp.)
Dont do that. Gatekeepers do that.
Bake your book cake to the best it can be. Ideas are awesome. Just try to understand that the draft is the base of the cake. It needs trimmings too.
Dont throw the drafts out either. To me that's all a part of the process. It's not a waste. It's like learning to ride a bike. Don't give up.
Don't say aspiring writer either. If you put words to the page you are a writer.
Get those worlds out there. Don't care if its screen writing, prose writing, technical writing, script writing, comic book writing. The list is endless.
You don't need anyone to bless your writing. Not Hollowwood, not Gatekeepers, not anyone. Just write. Sure, sometimes things turn out like Empress Theresa. Then you bake the cake again and again and again. Just like any chef would. It might be messy at first but even in a few short months to even a year, you will see improvement.
Find your writing tempo. You will eventually gain new levels of fun. Like a long distance runner hooked to cardio. It gets easier. Not harder. If you love something it wont ever feel like its a burden or a job. So much of book twitter is down on itself. Stop that. Have bookmas 24/7. You are creating new worlds to travel in. That's pretty dang neat to most readers.
By Crom, life is too short to lament all the time. Just do it. Drive the words before you.
What books I think incorporate battlefield narratives really well ala Galaxy's Edge or even say...Black Company
Building up the Steampunk, high fantasy/low fantasy, cyberpunk genre databases. While still adding to the others.
Getting some entries done on past favorite series, semi retrospectives.
More Creator Spotlights up and coming.
More entries on Space Opera comics that look interesting.
Getting an Invincible Comic commentary up and running. A kinda of Semi-read and reaction setup.
Finishing up Rising of the Shield Hero. Part Two will have more active commentary from me.
12 Kingdoms Retrospective, the Light novels and anime. (Yoko went from zero to hero for dang sure. From someone that was near on unlikable to a formidable ruler. With lots of friends along the way. That's how you don't Mary Sue.)
Plus world building my own superhero space opera. Ill get into that some more another time. Its going to be one active year for me here and on the twitters. Forgive me for all my clutter. My mind works best when surrounded by things I enjoy. Even if its like 20 things at a time.
A marriage of space opera and military sci fi in my opinion. Has some elements not currently seen in other series, mostly more "modernized" books. Just wants to be "IIIIIIIIIIIIN SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!" kinda story. I love it for that. In fact, if you are going to have poltics in your story like Harrington does, do it this way, make mishmash of various ideologies, give each culture some of them but do so in accordance with your setting. Make the characters independent enough were you can't point and say, "This is Bill Clinton expy, Or Hillary or Our Dumbass Political Scene stand in. Here's Orange Man Bad Stand In."
So thank you David Weber. Plus thanks for completing the main sequence for Honor. I was getting worried for a while. Now get Safehold into space so they can kick some alien ass. :D
Readers are looking to escape. At least the ones that will support you finance wise.
IE: if its Sci fi, don't have it be Current Year in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!"
IE overabundance of navel gazing and "wear on your sleeve current year political issues."
Will probably give this series a shot at some point:
Looks like this has the whole global unrest/we fracked the planet angle though. Can't escape the Capt. Planet Soapboxing here as well. But it looks like it has enough alien ruins and/or exploring alien cities tropes I find fun.
Because some reviewers say its too golden age or optimistic. Originally started printing in 1994. One site says these are the defining books of the 1990s: 1990s Sci Fi Building Blocks
I have read some of Hyperion Cantos, Snow Crash, and Vorsokigan Saga. Along with some Ian Banks. Hamilton (Night Trilogy). I could care a less about GoT for the moment. Cause I have had my fill of gritty. Esp. the parts of examine the worst humanity has to offer. Again, its more of, want to balance out the buffet. I get that this sort of drama, death, dismemberment sells but I want more on the table.
Ahh, this is an interesting entry into the Attack Helo story of a few weeks back but this part is what really gets my brain on coffee: Here
For the story in question: here's the Archive of it all: Here
.....while I was researching this, and what I saw was more of the kind of
self-indulgent navel-gazing that passes for modern literary SF these
days.
The nail on the head of why I hardly ready anything with a hugo stamp on it nowadays. Fancy that.But back to some 90s sci fi books. I wonder if some of these were the toddler steps to some of the culture war we have today. Its a good guess: The Red Mars trilogy never really interested me. Mainly because he goes on an on about the social political setup of his setting. Get me to the heart of the Adventure please!
Some of these series are stuck with tropes I could care a less about:
UN leads the Human Race (My laughter is at 11) (Yes, I had to put down the Expanse when I read that part too.)
Oh nos, the planet was trashed by Hoomans. Enviro Disaster Here
Humanity Sucks, Insert Side Commentary from Writer here!
Paper Thin Characters that are just walking talking billboards for Identity.
HAVE SOME FRACKIN HOPE IN YOUR DAMNED BOOK DAMNIT!
Guess since this stuff is so prevalent, esp since 2000 onward, I've become kinda numb to it. Or uncaring really. The more someone says I should pay attention here, the more Ill be like: Nope. Don't care.
Even stuff like the Expanse, while interesting and well built, I even drifted away from that because it just extrapolated current political issues into various forms of "this is why we suck" montages. Even if the mystery of the "Blue Goo/PM" is why I kept going for the most part.
Balance out the Suck with Hope akin to Babylon 5. Sure there's downer moments but JMS remembered to keep things balanced with legit Hope.
I want to look to the sky and say, "Endless Potential!"
Maybe we should have a Political Sci Fi subgenre, most woke books could be shoved here. Along with another category: Personal Identity, so I know which books to avoid even more. I don't need a protag to be exactly like me to get embroiled in the plot. Just make fun characters that don't mope on and on about "I'm so oppressed! The World Sucks, I'm a Victim!"
Give me more Ripleys, More Conans, More John Carters, More Red Sonjas, More Ivanovas!
Feels like this was pre-patient zero stuff before the 2000s became the full on zombie scold epidemic. ....Screw this navel-gazing crap. Science Fiction looks up and out and into
the future, not down at its toes. If you only want stories you can
relate to, where the main character is exactly like you, well, they have
these print on demand children’s books they can customize for you.
People read Science Fiction, REAL Science Fiction, to escape the world
of the here and now and explore the possibilities they could never
experience themselves....
.....No, Science Fiction does not stay in its lane. Hell it doesn’t even stay
on the road. It goes off the beaten path into into places we’ve never
imagined before. And we’re never going to get there if we keep listening
to the outrage mobs......
Yea, gonna link this blog on my roll. Time to go off road. Regress harder as pulp rev says. Ill hold my comic book adventures to the same standard. People are free to love what they like, I just want to choose from more options. Just like people want me to "read" more modern shit, I should be free to choose, "No".
Sure, Bioshock went to 11 with this stuff but its still relevant. People should be free to choose.
The Becky Chambers books are blueprints to what bores me: Wayfarers of Boring
Gonna have to disagree with him about these being hallmarks of sci fi.
Slice of Life, No conflict, Identity is more Important, if you have insomnia, read the samples. It will cause ZZZZs to happen within minutes. I think I got it when it was 1.99 Still use it today to cure insomnia.
Ahh yes! The picture from goodreads that sums it up:
Even Interstellar did a good job of pulling out the Hope line in the end.
Aeon 14 does the "look up into the sky and explore" motif very well. Plus no soapboxing. Just characters and crazy situations. Characters are characters. And all sorts of other hard sci fi meets space opera.
Holy crap, wow. Yeah, this showcases why it was a bunch of talking heads and tea sipping essentially. When I mean uplifting and hope, I mean daring heroes and heroines doing things to save the day and be all Dashing.
The sexuality of the writer, I don't give a crap, just write entertaining stories. But that vid gives insight to what lots of trad publishing is looking for. SO if you want to go that route, this will give you some insight on what to do.
From Becky's Interview: Mundane Sci fi Manifesto up the butt. That train wreak here: Here
As a reader, what I don't give a crap about:
The politics of the writer
The ID of the writer
The sex of the writer
Sexuality of the writer
What I care about:
the story
the world building
the characters
no soapboxing
Money to Entertain Me with the Plot
Good vs Evil
Promote the Virtues of the Characters more.
What Bores me:
Mundane Manifesto
Hugo Award Winners
Its all about "X, Y or Z" and never goes beyond Identity
UN in charge
The Dregs of Humanity/Humanity is Sin Incarnate
My Biases:
No Politics of Our Current Year Kind unless its listed as "POLITICAL
THRILLER" or if its Human vs Human Military Sci fi. I expect more
politics to show up there then anywhere else like in Kratmans Caliphate or Carerra Series
When books drown out a genre. (IE so much woke dreck and mis-categorized stuff in the genre tags)
I'm more forgiving of politics in books if its something I am more in line with but I also realize this is the same for the woke scolds. SO I try my best to find books that leave "Current Year" at the door and just take people to another place, time, alt earth, superhero or space filled landscape.
Because even I get burnt out on political things I agree with too.
It is frustrating that drama, outrage culture, eating the corpse of star wars or hoping it will change will get more clicks or attention, but this place and other blogs like it are a start. Get on the dopamine hits of adventure rather then drama. At least that's my hot take.
Edit: Well at least I have a full point blank view of why woke scold is as boring as all get out.
Holy Jesus: Yeah, if your book is like this video....not going to look at it one iota.
