This is the immediate stuff. Besides the basic maintenance of food/bills/omg the air conditioning and the septic tank decided to go bye bye. So my paydays pretty much help keep other things going. I dont mind. (The conditioner was under maintenance insurance. So sometimes its good to have that in place. For when everything hits the fan.) But it did prevent me from getting some physical books for now. Will have to wait for my bonuses to kick in from work. Which should be the next payday and next month, 2nd payday of that sequence. Extra money is helpful at this time.
Even with all the books I've put on here, there's so much more out there then Converged Entertainment, we just have to look for it and promote that instead of franchises that need a bullet to the head. Bury them. Mourn for them if you have to then move on.
Part of the reasons I had trouble letting go:
Sunken Cost Fallacy
IF I give the decent thing IE Mandolorian, attention, they will course correct for sure!
Nostalgia
IF the consumer base complains enough: I work semi retail, most times this does not change a big conglomerate's POV or operational practices. See: DC comics, Marvel, Woke and Broke Storytelling in any medium.
Stop feeding the Zombies and find greener pastures. These franchises arent going to change no matter what we do so why give them time or money anymore? Other then to MST3k the shit out of it. That aspect is tempting. But even with that angle, at the end of rants, try to offer alternatives to converged POS stuff.
This whole virus event means more hours at work for me. (I will admit, I am slightly kinda tempted by that extra 1,000 dollars thing, if only to buy more hard working writers and comics creator stuff.)
My responsible side says if that does happen, to put it in savings, my nerd side says but "THINK! All those books....." To be honest, I'd probably put 800 in savings then go slightly giddy with 200 or so. Depending on bills and payday, most times I put aside a good 40-90 bucks a pay period to nerdy pursuits.
But like all things, I just plan on working, getting paid that way.
Cause so far, my pharmacy chain is going on all cylinders and our store hours aren't shifting one bit when it comes to open/closing times. Some local grocery stores here are going 1 hr earlier for closing but that's so they can have more time to restock shelves. Based on what other people working there have said.
But onward! To the nerdy things I enjoy.
Ill always promote favorite sci fi things:
This is very sudden but space doggo! IT HAS SPAAAAAAAAACE DOOOOOOGO!
Because good books should be supported. Especially at times like this. If what we want isnt on the shelves, make it ourselves or support others doing it. That's my simple goal.
Ok, so since my main bread and butter is sci fi/space opera/mil sci fi/sagas: here's how my lizard brain works
My eye's zeroed in on the awesome armor and twin suns. Then how he was holding his weapon. I'm like: Huh....so a version of what my brother does in the army. Neat! Now what's this about:
Man, based on this blub, these peeps are serious badasses, the galaxy is in enough turmoil that we don't know who's fighting who? Def. Military Sci Fi vibe from this. Alright, Ill gives it a looksee.
Lizard Brain: OMG ITS STAR WARS NOT STAR WARS! YEAH BUDDY! GIMMIE! Robots, Pewpew! Dogfights! HOLY SHIT! THIS COVER GOTS ALL OF IT!
Its a space opera and military sci fi series! And we get to go back and forth? YUUUUUUUS! SAGA TIME!
These blurbs give you some plot highlights but they have keywords that genre enthusiasts eat up: Mil Sci fi meets Space Opera in this World Spanning Adventure.
Space opera derps like me hone in on: World Spanning.
When I look at this it screams: You want more John Carter of Mars type fun. Here it is! Love how the color's contrast. I love how he has the firearm while she has the sword. Got a fancy looking ship there in the back. It tells me all I need to know about this genre, even without the words. Love the sword/planet symbol too.
Lizard Brain: HOLY SHIT! SHE LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN! AWW MAN! ITS GONNA BE SWORDS AND GUNS TIME! GONNA GIVE ME THAT BARSOOM FEELING! AWWW YISS!
The blurb reinforces this:
Key words: Long Lost Colony World, Love or Honor, bringing up pulp mainstays to give a clear link to what a reader might have read before. (Others might key on different words, this is just an example of my thought process.)
Lizard Brain: OH SHIT! THE SHIPS GONNA GET THEM! WHAT WILL THIS BRAVE TERRAN SCOUT DO?!
Makes you realize that the battle on this planet is heating up. Love the color contrast again. Gives off that old pulp vibe that you expect from sword/planet.
Lizard Brain: AWW THEY GOT MARRIED! HE GOTTA SAVE HER! OH MAN! Tunnels? Rat King! AHHH! GOOD I CAN BOO AT HIM! Like in the Princess Bride!
OH GOOD! THE SCOUT HAS HIS OWN BAND OF MERRY ADVENTURES!
Meanwhile: Yes, the stakes are clear. It is a epic rescue. (The deep dive review for this series is gonna be fun XD)
Who is this lady and why does she have a cat on her shoulder? What? The sheer oddity of that drew my eye's to this series way back when. The cover has been updated a bit but the overall theme stayed the same.
Honorverse Lizard Brain: Nimitz! YOU LOVABLE LITTLE SHIT!
Here's the First Edition Cover:
Lizard Brain: Wait? Is that Micheal Jackson with a cat? Hmmm, lets see what the burb says?
Honorverse version: OHHHHH! So that's where that fandom meme came from.
The blurb: Underdog crew gonna kick some ass. Noice. Already know who I can root for.
Pepperidge Farm Remembers!
Lizard Brain: *flashback*
Brain is pleased! WAHT IS DIS? WEBER MEETS WING COMMANDER. LETS GO!
I know, Wing Commander dates my ass but I loved that shit as a kid.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
That's some damn fine artwork on that cover. The whole series is damned pretty! You want a saga? Grab everyone here.
The Blurb: Look how it opens? Please people give all the people mentioned here some good money. Its great stuff.
A warrior struggles to prevent the collapse of the civilization he swore to protect. A young grand admiral seeks vengeance. An emotionless conqueror faces a crisis of conscience...and the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
I promise: You will fracking love these characters. DONT GIVE FAKE WARS MONEY! These books are the real things to love.
Those are the most immediate that I still have to throw my hat in with. At least there's still enough time to where I can space things out between paydays.
Ian Douglas. Always enjoyed seeing where the stars take him next:
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.
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.
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.
There's a whole lot of more popular space opera out there, might even put some of my favorites in here and there but lets see how many more overlooked ones I can muster up. :D
A hot, stinking,
dumpster fire. And most days I don’t know if the legionnaires are
putting out the flames, or fanning them into an inferno.
A
hostile force ambushes Victory Company during a reconnaissance-in-force
deep inside enemy territory. Stranded behind enemy lines, a sergeant
must lead a band of survivors against merciless insurgents on a deadly
alien world somewhere along the galaxy’s edge. With no room for error,
the Republic’s elite fighting force must struggle to survive under siege
while waiting on a rescue that might never come. Join
Victory Company as they fight for their lives. When you think you’ve
surrounded the Legion... you’ve just made your last mistake.
****
They are coming. Find the Goliath or be destroyed.
The
chilling words are the first thing Mitchell hears after an assassin's
bullet nearly ends his life. He tries to ignore them, convinced the
voice in his head is a side-effect of his injuries
****
Like, dont plop down exposition about what your book entails. That really doesn't get me to notice. Maybe "IN media Res" part of it. Who should I care about? What are the goals or whats on the line? What does the hero or protags have to strive for.....or even what kind of genre buzzwords will reel us fishes in. Kinda how Babylon 5 lays out its opening scroll stuff. You know the generalities without getting bogged down with exposition.
The first line should feed me somehow. Get my brain hooked from the get go.
Imagine if you will, a reader looking for entertainment. No says the Dystopia! You must believe humanity is trash! No says the Fake Politics! You must listen to us.
I choose Space Opera! Wherein no one shall discredit the Pew Pew! Where Fl woman can run free and enjoy themselves in a new world. Where GIANT MECH BLOW SHIT UP! Cosmic Adventure Awaits.
And Fantasy, I must not forget my brothers from another mother!
I say on to you dear reader: Let's get the book party started!
The NOT Star Wars, Star Wars, you have been looking for:
Space Doggos! Throughout the Universe! Always going forward, tails cannot find reverse!
Addendum: I will be doing a part 3 so I can cover some Sci Fi Horror/Occult and Mechs. You know I gots to do it. There's so many fun things out there. I could type for years, which I probably will. The never ending book shopiiiiing!