If you want to make it in the writing world then you must be kept abreast of the ever changing landscape
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and who’s who of agents, writers, and publishers. Sure this can a little overwhelming to the novice writer but you need to stay in the loop if you hope to market your book.
Yes, I’m not going to lie sometimes reading about other authors’ success can discourage you if you let it, or it can light a fire under you to get your work out there. The choice is yours.
Yeah it sucks when mommy porn and books by celebrities top the charts but you have to persevere anyways. Yes publishers are putting out fewer books each year and are less likely to take on unknown writers, and the self publishing market becomes more saturated with each passing day. But keep writing anyways.
The truth is the path to success looks different for every writer and you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. We’re all at different points on our journey and ultimately what worked for someone else might not be right for you.
Chasing fame is a fool’s errand. No one can predict who will make it on to the best seller’s list or become the next King, Rowling, or Grisham, and it will drive you insane if you let it. Instead keep a positive attitude and carry on working, because it is only when we stop writing that we have failed.
Pour your hear in soul into writing the best book you can and that way even if it doesn’t sell well, it won’t be because you half-assed it. If it takes years to write so be it, but don’t give up. If you’re persistent your work will find an audience, and though it may not be what you had in mind, having people read your work is what matters
Introduction
Life is full of hard work, but we must persevere if we are to live it to the fullest. Sure we can let every little thing get to us or learn to deal with it and roll with the punches. So often in life we get caught up in the petty minutia of things.
It’s like there is a new thing to be outraged against, but the truth is while there are legitimate things o get worked up over we have to realize we aren’t superman and can only do our part to fix the small corner of the world we inhabit. That’s on of the reasons I became a writer.
Yes while one person can’t change the world many people working in concert with each other can. Yet some people are so quick to throw up theirs hands and say fuck it at the first sign of trouble and give up without a fight. But if want to make it in life sometimes to have to fight for your happiness.
Trust me , dealing with depression has taught me that while life has its hardships, you can either let it get to you or pick yourself up and get busy living.
Whatever you’re dealing with it can be overcome if you give it your all and follow through on doing what you need to reach your goals. Don’t compare yourself to others, that’s an exercise in futility. Everyone is at a different point on the path and everyone’s experience isn’t the same.
Conclusion
The thing that gets me up in the morning and keeps me going throughout the day is knowing I have a message that resonates with others and it’s up to me get it out. Some of might not yet know your why, but if you keep at it day in and day it will reveal itself to you.
ken Mind is book one of the Clear Angel Chronicles by Heidi Angell. Set in small town America the plot revolves around a serial killer targeting women in the area. In charge of the case is Grant Anderson. Formerly from the city he moved to town to get away from the craziness only to have it find him in the end.
With no leads to the case Detective Anderson gets help in the form of the eponymous Clear Angel, resident horse trainer and psychic. She is drawn to the case by visions of the missing girls which she can’t control.
Grant is reluctant to believe in her abilities until she proves it to him by predicting his promotion to lieutenant.
The Good
Overall the book was enjoyable, the plot engaging and the characters well rounded. Once I was able to turn off my inner editor(more on that later) I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I found Grant to be very likable and related with his longing to see his daughter again. As for Clear she was strong willed and independent, yet I could relate to her fear of being used and ridiculed for her gift.
It was refreshing that she didn’t have full control of her abilities, unlike in most stories where the psychic has no problems with their abilities and are never shown struggling to use them like Clear does.
The chemistry between Clear and Grant was there from the beginning and was a natural part of the story without overshadowing the plot like in some books.
The Bad
In all honesty the book could have used another pass with the editor. I found a few typos and the sentences were a bit on the wordy side for my tastes, but overall nothing that impeded me from enjoying the story.
I also found some of the plot twists predictable, like how the killer was also psychic, or how Clear would go after him and wind up being the last sacrifice.
I found the killer’s motive to be on the vague side and really didn’t get why he’d go through all the trouble of kidnapping the girls just because he was crazy.
Conclusions
Overall I’d recommend this book to fans of thrillers, cop procedural shows, and anyone else looking for a good read. Check out Heidi Angell’s site here
Coming out is a continuing process, whether it be your sexuality, gender identity, or mental health. Yes it can be a scary, but also liberating process. But today I want to talk about another coming out that is often over looked. That being coming out as a writer.
Coming out to yourself
When I first started to write I always called myself an aspiring writer as I had all these preconceived notions about what it meant to be to be a real writer. But I’ve since learned that the only qualification to be a writer is to write.
Once I started taking things serious by writing every day and commenting on blogs I found that the more I wrote and engaged people, the easier it became to call myself a writer and mean it.
Going Pro
This is what author Jeff Goins calls going pro. It’s when you clam your identity as a writer and take action by writing without fear of trying to please everyone. You instead focus on your ideal reader and pleasing him/her by producing the best work you can.
Coming out to others
Sure once you’ve gotten comfortable calling yourself a writer, you next need to own that title when interacting with others. When someone asks you what you do, don’t hesitate to say you’re a writer. Say it loud and proud and don’t qualify it either.
Yes people have a million preconceived notions of what it means to be a writer, but don’t let them pidgin hole you. If they ask you if you’re published, answer honestly and don’t feel bad if you haven’t, or if you’re self published. Not all writers are at the same place on their journey and there’s no shame in that.
Dealing with Negative People
You can’t control how people will respond when you come out to them. Sure some of them will be in awe that you’ve followed your dreams and become a writer, but there will be people who think you’re wasting your time and will never make it. Don’t let them shake your confidence. Kill them with kindness and move on.
Conclusion
You know you’re a writer and no matter what others think you know the path you’ve chosen is the right one for you. And whether traditionally published or self published you’re a writer. So embrace that and go forward into the world secure in the knowledge of your talents. For more tips on writing click here
Introduction
There a million programs out there promising to teach you the shortcut to success and fame overnight. Sure the
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re are great programs out there that will teach you a lot about the craft, but the truth is there are no shortcuts when it comes to writing.
It’s just you and a pen or laptop pounding away at your work in progress day in and day out, only to realize an even better idea on page fifty. It takes a ton of commitment and hard work to produce a readable book or blog post and even then there’s no guarantee anyone will read your work.
Dedication
Some 80% of American say they want to write a book but not many of them follow through on it. The truth is writing a book is damn hard work. It takes years of honing your craft to produce a publishable manuscript. And even if you are the one in a million who writes a book, you still have to contend with thousands of other books both traditionally published and indie/self published.
In order to stand out you need to produce the best book you can and that takes time. If you try and half-ass it this will show to readers and taint their view of our work going forward.
If you want to make it in the writing world take Stephen Kin’s advice and read a lot, and write a lot. If you don’t have time to read you don’t have the time or tools to write.
Sure it’d be nice if you were the next J.K. Rowling, E.L. James, or Stephen King, but in order to get where they are it took a ton of work, perseverance and a bit of luck. Rejection is par for the course so you need to develop a thick skin if you want to make it.
What Does Success Look Like
Say you’re the exception to the rule and your book sells well. What does this mean? Most books only sell a few hundred copies and never make back their advances.
While making it on the best seller’s list is a lofty goal, is it realistic? In 2011 alone an estimated 340,000 books were published, with 80% of them being either self published or published by small presses.
Why Write
With so much market saturation it’s no wonder many writers need day jobs to pay the bills. The truth is most writer don’t make enough to live on alone, so why write? The answer is you write for the love of it, because if you’re dreaming of making it big you may be in for a huge disappointment.
Write because it’s all you can think about. Write because a story is inside you and you can’t keep it in any longer. Write because it’s what you were born to do and nothing else will make you as happy or be as fulfilling. If you can stop writing and not miss it, then odds are writing is not for you.
Conclusions
Sure there are tips and trick to hacking headlines and producing engaging content, but it still boils down to
you sitting at your computer and getting the words on the page as often as possible. If you can’t do that then maybe you should be doing something else with your time.
So tell me which do you prefer and why? Stark Trek or Star Wars? Having watched both the original trilogy and the sequels I was not impressed with Lucas’s work. While enjoyable if you grew up on a steady diet of kung fu movies, and anime where the characters can wipe out entire galaxies with one attack, Jedis are weak sauce.
Moreover all Lucas did was rip off Asian mysticism and the larger culture. The Jedi are just Samurais, the Sith are ninjas, and the Force is a rehash of the concept of chi/ki. Love Yoda while I do, dude is a straight rip off of every wizen kung fu master ever.
And the conflict with the evil empire is nothing but Feudal Japan set in space. I do give Lucas credit where it’s due for creating a fun and engaging universe, but I don’t get what others find so special about it.
I always found Star Trek to be the superior franchise, save the original series which I couldn’t stomach because of its campiness and Shatner’s hammy acting, but I respect what Roddenberry was able to do with the series re: diversity and civil rights.
Prophets of Sci-Fi
One of the things I love about science fiction is the exploration it allows for. Thanks to authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Sir Cannon Doyle, Asimov, Heinlein and others much of the technology we have today exists because they dreamed it up. The internet wouldn’t exist if Clarke hadn’t proposed and then help design geostationary satellites. It was Orwell that dreamed up CCTV and the concept of the modern surveillance state in 1948.
While we still don’t have hover cars or light sabers, the leaps seen in technology in my life time alone are staggering. We’ve went from commodore 64s to tablet PCs, from the Atari 2600 to the PS4, from cell phones the size of a bread box to those that fit in the palm of your hand, all in less than thirty years.
Not bad all things considered. though it’d be sweet to zip around in a TARDIS. Who knows maybe one day a fan will build one like the physicist who designed a theoretical warp drive.
Deeper Questions
While enjoyable, when done well science fiction asks us to explore questions like what does it mean to be alive? What is the nature of reality? How do we live together without wiping each other out? Yeah the technology is cool but it is the exploration of these philosophical questions that keeps me engaged and coming back for more.
The other thing I love about sci-fi is it provides a construct upon which to question social norms and values. Growing up in the 90s the X-men was one of my favorite cartoons, however it wasn’t until I was older I got the subtext of the series. The Mutants were proxies for marginalized groups in our society. While the conflict between Professor X and Magneto represented to two approaches to gaining civil rights: Integration/pacifism and segregation/militarism. Girl Power
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was another favorite from my childhood. The way Whedon took the metaphor of high school as hell and made it literal, while being witty and irreverent, made my geeky heart swoon.
Buffy, and to larger extent Faith, are exactly the type of girls I love. Strong, independent without being a bitch about it, intelligent, and sexy. And I would be remiss if didn’t mention the fabulous Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenburg.
Excuse me for fan-boying but her character arc was one of the best of all times. Second only to Prince Vegeta’s, in terms of depth and enjoyment. The moment she becomes Dark Willow still takes my breath away to this day.
While the season ended with her being defeated with the power of “wuv,” Whedon gets a pass for his otherwise flawless execution.
Charmed was another guilty pleasure of mine, granted they used the monster of the week formula perfected by Buffy, the thing that differentiated from other shows in the genre was the research that went into the world building while Constance M. Berg was with the show runner.
As someone who studied magic and the larger occult, before settling on being an agnostic atheism, it was nice to see they paid attention to the little things. Like the difference between a hex and a curse, or that spells had to be recited at the proper time to have optimum effect. However Shannen Doherty’s departure started the long decline of the show and by the end it had gone from so bad it’s funny to plain bad.
The show closest in tone and theme since it went off the air is Supernatural. The thing best about the show is the chemistry between the siblings which drives the show. However much like Charmed when Eric Kripke left the show at the end of the fifth season it nose dived into recycling the same plots and villains.
I mean you can only slay so many demons before it gets boring, and if the Winchester boys died one more time only to be brought back I was going to lose it.
One of the best series to this day was First Wave. Sure alien invasion stories had been done before but not set to Nostradamus’ quatrains complimented with the conspiracy theories of protagonist Cade Foster’s side kick “Crazy”Eddie Nabulous.
And of course I can’t forget The X-Files. Beside Star Trek:TNG it was one of the few shows my dad and I watched together. Like the other shows listed in its hey day The-X Files was a joy to watch, when I wasn’t wetting myself in terror.
Conclusions
Though I’ve grown up and work replaces the time spent enjoying shows I haven’t lost my love for science fiction and Fantasy. It just takes more to catch and keep my attention. Like everyone else my attention span has shortened, so memo to the other writers out there: get to the point and make it interesting.
This doesn’t mean you have to create something new. Put a new spin on an old trope and you’re in business. But first and foremost don’t pander to us.
We’re smart enough to know an orc or vampire when see one and for the love of the flying spaghetti monster stop with this paranormal romance crap already.
So what things about Sci-Fi /Fantasy do you love/hate?
Introduction
Are you a dog or cat person? For me I’ve found dogs make the best companions and I have had several over the years, the last one being a purebred German Shepard named Minnie who sadly got into some rat poison and died.The memories I have of each of them are fresh in my mind and got me to thinking how does this translate to writing?
Loyalty
Dogs depend on us for everything and this breeds loyalty in them. They trust us wholly and will sometimes travel hundreds of miles to find us. Likewise when dealing with readers you want to build a platform and following by producing stellar content on a regular basis. Whether you post once a week, or three times a week like me, make sure it’s on the same day around the same time so readers begin to expect it.
Love
Dogs are affectionate and crave attention. I once had a miniature Doberman Pincher named Draco who loved to take socks and hide under the table so you would chase after him. He would do this all the time and after awhile I found if I ignored him he’d lose interest and move on.
Readers are similar in that they will move on if you don’t engage them. This is why it pays to have a landing page to build your email list. Without one you may get views but not readers who will returned to your site. Having them opt in for your mailing list gives permission for you to connect with via your newsletter.
Leader of the Pack
Dogs are pack animals and look at you as members of theirs. Fail to establish dominance over them and they will run roughshod over you.
When it comes to readers in order to build your platform you first must earn their attention and then gain their respect as a leader in our niche. You do this by reaching out to people and helping them. this builds trust and will eventually lead to gaining a loyal readership.
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Dogs are loyal, loving, and make for great companions if you put in the time and effort to train them right and take care of them. like wise building a loyal following for our writing takes the proper time and actions on your part to take care of your readers.
As a kid I was often sick and to compensate for this my parents bought me video games to pass the time. As I spent so much time playing them I got good and would challenge other kids in the neighborhood to play, and this was how I was able to make friends. To this day I’m still a gamer, my favorites being rpgs and fighters. But today I want to talk about what video games can teach us about writing.
Stand Out
When Mortal Kombat debuted in the ’90s it stood out from other games by introducing the concept of death moves,
allowing players to finish off their opponent in gruesome ways by inputting a combination of movements and button pushes.
This caused outrage from certain parents groups and was one of the leading factors to the formation of the ESRB and the creation of a ratings system for games. Given all its controversy Mortal Kombat still found a loyal user base and has gone to become a lucrative franchise, but how do writers stand out?
Well the answer is simple: by honing your voice and finding your niche. To do this you have to write a lot and read a lot. This can take a while so don’t be frustrated if you don’t get it immediately. just keep at it and in time your voice will emerge.
Reward Curiosity
The original Legend of Zelda is still one of my favorite games because it was one of the first games that rewarded you for exploring the world and solving puzzles and riddles. It was also a game that brought me and my father together as we both worked to beat it. This was in the days before the internet and if you got stuck you had to the call the Nintendo helpline.
But how does this translate to writing you might be asking. The answer is world building. Construct your story so it engages the readers for exploring it. Don’t give away all the rules, make readers work for information and give them mysteries to solve. Do this and they will love you for it.
Keep it Fresh
With the exception of House of the Dead, Doom, and Halo I’m not a fan of first person shooters because often they recycle the same mission and plots each games.
The worst offender being Call Of Duty which just changes the guns and level maps each entry in the franchise. And then there are the games which just keeps reusing world war one and two as a back drop ad nauseum.
If you find yourself in a writing rut try working in a new medium or genre and see if that helps. If you’re stuck for ideas a great to use is to ask what if X or Y happens and go from there. You can also make old ideas new again by putting a new twist on things.
Conclusion
Gaming is fun and can bring hours of joy for you and your friends, but It can also teach us a lot about story telling and make for better writing. For more writing tips click here.
Introduction
I was 13 when I had my first episode of depression. I lost all interest in things I used love doing and didn’t want to much but eat and sleep. My parents thought it was funny, not know this was more than mere teenage moodiness, and I learned to deal with it on my own.
Over the years I dealt with depression off and on mostly during the winter and I am getting over the latest episode now. Writing has helped me make sense of my feelings and given me the confidence to pull myself out of the rut I’ve been in.
Start Small
One lesson I’ve learned is to start small. Things didn’t get to where they are overnight, so you shouldn’t expect them to change quick. Per my therapist’s request I started keeping a journal and that has helped me work through my issues get back in the groove.
Whether it’s morning pages or a snarky tweet commit to writing something every day. It doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty, just get your words in and go from there. If you’re struggling to write there are plenty of websites with daily prompts to get you started. Whatever you choose stick with it.
Celebrate Small Victories
At the height of my depressive episode I don’t do much besides eat, sleep, and shit. But I’ve learned any day I get out of bed is a small victory.
You have to stay positive and get your words in even when you don’t feel like it, because no one is going to live your life for you. You have to make the effort to change things and follow through on them.Set a time to write and show up to produce.
Break it Down
As I pull myself out of the funk I’m in it can seem like there’s so much to do that it’s overwhelming, but I’ve learned if you break things down into manageable tasks and do a bit each day that helps to alleviate a lot of my anxiety.
So whether it’s a blog post, article, or a novel you’re working on just do a little each day, and bit by bit you’ll get to where you want to be.
Commit to Finishing
Journaling has helped me tremendously to put things in perspective. it doesn’t have to pretty or make sense. I just write until I hit my 500 word count and then move on.
There will be good days and bad days. The trick is to commit to something until you’re done. Remember not everything you write will be good, but continue until the end anyways. Done is better than perfect, and it’s good practice.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
I’ve learned you can play it safe and stay isolating in your house, or choose to push yourself out of our comfort zone and start living life again. Sure it’s hard work at first the end result is worth it. This is true of writing too.
You can stay in your comfort zone and never push yourself out of your bubble. Unless you’re constantly challenging yourself to push your limits you’ll stagnant. Shot to do a little bit better each day and hold yourself accountable to a higher standard.
Conclusion
Dealing with depression has taught me sometimes you have to fight for your happiness, and push beyond your fears and worries. Sure it wont be easy and you’ll want to quit, but you have the keys to your success.
Introduction
I don’t know about you, but when I write I need some background noise to keep me going. And when thi
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ngs aren’t flowing right, or a scene isn’t coming together like I want it to I listen to some music and usually that does the trick.
One track mind
But it has to be the right track for the scene. For angsty scenes my go to is Linkin Park and I’m transported back to my teenage years. For fight scenes I like to listen to hard rock and metal tracks to amp the energy up.
Often I’ll listen to a song on repeat until I’m done, the music painting a mental picture in my head that I try to translate onto the page. I’ve found that certain songs evoke specific emotions like sadness, anger, joy, etc and that helps to get into my characters’ head.
Change It Up
When I get sick of a song or when it isn’t working its magic I hit shuffled on my Iphone and just write. Often I find this helps to break up the monotony and get me to focus on the scene in question as the music fades into the background.
When the Music Stops
For me the best writing is done after getting in the groove. Usually this is after I’ve been writing for awhile and the whole world fades away, and it’s just me and my laptop. Then I don’t need the music anymore. The words just flow from my fingers and all is right with the world. Those are the days you live for but sometimes they are few and far between.
On the days you struggle to write try listening to music and coming up with stories to go along with the song. I find this gets the creative juices flowing and helps you to ease into your writing session.
Conclusion
The right type of music to make you soar, or bring you to our knees. It can help you make out a scene or give you that creative spark that you’re lacking. So next time you’re in a rut pop on some music and get to writing. For more tips on writing click here.
Introduction
Write what you know is one of those adages that gets hurled around a lot,. But should writer s really ad
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here to it? Or should it be taken with a grain of salt?
1. Writing what you know means becoming an expert on the subject matter. And can only take you so far before you reach the limits of your knowledge .
2. Writing what you know can be boring. Retreading the same subject matter again and again without a new spin will get old with readers and eventually drive them away.
3. Writing what you don’t know is fun. It allows you to learn new things. And see the subject matter in a new light.
4. Writing what you don’t know can be liberating. Instead of being stuck in the same mode of writing trying new approaches may open up new avenues of creativity.
5. Writing what you don’t know forces you to stop playing it safe and get out of your comfort zone.
Conclusion
Writing what you know, while a good rule of thumb for new writers, ultimately can be stifling , and lead you to stale and lack luster prose. But writing what you don’t know opens up new areas to explore and grow.
Introduction
When I first toyed with the idea of being a writer I cut my teeth on fan fiction and learned a lot in the process. I encourage all new writers to do the same as it will give you experience in characterization, world building, and plotting.
Characterization
Because you’re dealing with another author’s work the task of world building has already been done for you, and all you need to do is keep people in character. This means having the characters act and speak and the same manner as the original author. Get this wrong and you’ll get hounded with calls of ooc (out of character).
While this might seem stifling many fan fiction writers can and do create OCs (Original characters). When done well this leads to new interaction and plot lines, but when done badly it leads to the dreaded Mary Sue/Gary Stu. While the definition varies the common theme of Mary Sue/Gar Stu is that the character is too perfect, often to the point of breaking the rules of the universe they’re inserted into.
World Building
To fix this many writers alter the universe to accommodate their OCs. Theses so called alternative Universe stories can be simple what if scenarios and full on rewrites of the cannon material. When done right these stories explore areas the cannon areas not well known or relationships in a new light.
So called slash fiction and fem slash deals with same sex relationships among male characters and female characters. This offers representation for
LGBTQ readers and opens new plot lines to explore.
Plotting
But what is one to do if you don’t know what to write? Well if you’re lacking inspiration there are many ready made plots to explore, just read other stories or author prompts and you’re set. Or you can come up with our own plot lines and go from there.
Conclusion
Fan fiction provides a ready made world for new writer to play around with characters and plot, and practice honing the skills needed when they transition to original works.
Five Lessons Anime&Manga Can Teach us about Writing
Introduction
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Growing up I was always more into manga(black and white Japanese comic books) and anime than American comic books owing to their larger than life characters and action packed stories like those in Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z and countless other series. While anime can sometimes be stereotyped as being for kids or basement dwelling man-children there are many lessons that can be gleaned from the stories found there in.
The Hook
The best series hook you from the beginning. For example the start of Sailor Moon lays out the basic premise of the series and shows clips from the series so you know what you’re in for. Like wise The first episode of YuYu Hakusho opens with the narrator explaining that the protagonist, 15-year-old Yusuke Urameshi is dead.
This does two things. First it makes the viewer want to know how Yusuke died, and second how the series will progress with the main character dead. Likewise in writing you want to hook the reader early or risk them putting down your book. A good way to do this is to start the story as close to the inciting action as possible.
Another way is to start right in the middle of the action. Another technique is to open with a question or mystery for the reader and reveal things as the story progresses. Whatever approach you take make sure it keeps the reader engaged.
Suspension of Disbelief
The main reason I read manga and watch anime is because of the fantastical stories found within. It provides a nice escape from the everyday grin, but not all series are alike. The best series not only hook you but pull you in to their world by establishing the ground rules from the get go. For example the first episode of Full Metal Alchemist establishes the rules for transmutation and how one goes about performing alchemy.
But it’s not enough just to establish the rues of our world. The also must be consistent and you must have a good reason for breaking the rules that is also logically consistent with the rules of your world. For example the second time Yusuke Urameshi comes back to life it’s because of the demon blood in him which had been laying dormant until that point.
Contrast this with Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, who whenever it looks like he’ll die something always happens to save his butt. It happens so much throughout the series that it’s known by fans as plotkai and is one of the reasons I stopped reading it.
Readers can only stretch this disbelief so far before they through up their hands in frustration. Which is where your plot comes in.
Plot
Without an engaging plot to keep readers interested people will put down your book. A prime example of this for me was with the manga series bleach. I stopped reading it because it kept recycling the same plot line over and over again, namely that the protagonist would lose his soul reaper powers and in the process of regaining them would get a new ability, only for it to become obsolete once his soul reaper powers were back.
No matter your genre your plot must have an internally consistent logic. For example one the main plot points of Dragon Ball Z is you can’t wish something beyond the power of the eternal dragon like bringing back someone to life who’s already been brought back from the dead. This plot point leads the Z warrior to planet Namek where their dragon balls have no such restriction.
Characters
The people you populate your story with can make or break your book.It’s not enough to have interesting characters they must be well rounded as well. An example of this is Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z. In the beginning he starts of as a a villain but through the series slowly becomes an antihero culminating in his sacrifice to destroy the evil Majin Buu.
Compare Vegeta with Goku, the main character, and their differences couldn’t be more obvious. Goku is one dimensional and at no point goes through a crisis of consciousness or ever questions his reason for fighting, he is the same happy go-lucky goody two-shoes at the end of the series as at the beginning and is ultimately a boring character. And being boring is the last thing you want your characters to be. Give them real flaws, wants and needs, and let them struggle before reaching their goals. But characters and plot alone are not enough to keep people reading your work.
Pacing
Dragon Ball Z is infamous for dragging out fights, especially the fight between Freiza and Goku on Namek which lasted for 30 plus episodes. One problem many new writers have is they get bogged down in the backstory and bore the reader before he/she even gets to the meat of the story. A simple solution is to let readers get to know the protagonist before delving into the back story. Another is omit scenes that don’t move the plot forward and keep things going by upping the stakes with your characters.
But nonstop action will wear thin with readers so be sure to pause the action to allow bot the readers and protagonist to take a breather, and also to build tension for the next lot point.
Conclusion
There are many lessons we can learn from anime and manga, but the takeaway here is to balance plot, characters, pacing, and suspension of disbelief so as to craft a engaging read.
Why do I write? Good question. I write because first and foremost I love words and the English language owing to my father reading to me at a young age and growing up seeing him always with his face in a book.
As a child I’d read the dictionary for fun and had thoughts of becoming a linguist. During middle school I fell in love with Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythology and practically lived at the library.
I also write because I want to be heard. When I was six my vocal cords were accidental severed while I was in a coma and since then I’ve had difficulty speaking. Once shy, since discovering writing the world has opened up to me and given me the confidence to speak out on what I see wrong with the world and work to change it.
If I had to pick the main reason I write is because I want to let other people out there know they are not alone, and not to give up on life no matter how difficult it becomes.
image by Stancu Alexandru via sxc.hu
So why do you write? Leave your answer in the comments section and be sure to check out my about page.
earn to deal with it and roll with the punches. So often in life we get caught up in the petty minutia of things.
Introduction