Who I Am 1

Today is a little tangent. I needed to write something and this is what came out. Here we go.

I believe it was the great Popeye who said, "I am what I am and that's all that I am."

The more experienced I get, the more I find out who I am. As it should be. The rough patch is accepting what I'm not. I'm having a hard time with this, the whole "limitations" thing.

I've always wanted to be the best. Period. That's it. Since I was a little kid, I was afraid of being the worst, so I dreamed of being the best at every last thing. And, fair enough, what child doesn't want to be a geneticist-poet-millionaire-playboy-insert-other-cookie-things-here? The rough patch has only reared it's very figuratively-real head within the last two years. Two years ago, I looked in the mirror and thought that I was the single worst thing on the planet (I'm better now, don't worry).

I've been doing some personal work, lemme tell you, and part of that is finding what I'm good at. I'm a part of so many projects (holy crap there's a metric fuck-ton), not to mention the personal maintenance and training I'm going/have had to go through over the past deuce. The whole time, I was trying to find what it was that I truly loved and wanted to dedicate my years too. What I was best and worst at, I needed to know.

SO, the short of it was easy: I wanna be a dancer and writer, over everything else, with inspirational so-and-so thrown in for good measure. 

The thing that makes my life complete (aside from food, friends and good ol' fashioned fun), is the arts. They are the most inspirational thing on the planet, they influence our societies (I'm counting hip hop, of course, and yes, Jersey Shore...seriously), and they make us think. The funny thing is, most people tear down other artists for being different. He's to abstract, to excited, to dark, to modern, to...you get it. And for some time, I was so angry when I heard this. That was until a friend set me right, or at least, opened my eyes and ears. He said (paraphrasing): I love where your heart is at. 

Something about that, the lack of judgement and the abundance of simplicity, something stuck with me. I look out now and I have mostly stopped seeing a group of negative asses. What I see now is a group that lacks the inspiration/confidence to believe in themselves, and so they tear others down. I'm not mad at fear. How could I be? Fear keeps us alive, keeps us from fighting howler monkeys, from eating the molded cheese brick that has been sitting in my fridge for two weeks. How could I be mad at self preservation?

Instead, I've been working to remember his words, and my favorite quote: "I will not reason and compare, my business is to create..." - William Blake. 

The short of it? Who gives a shit about the guy that hates you? What did you think about what you love to do? Was it the best you could give or is tomorrow going to feel better than today? Hippy? Yes! But, it's also something that I've had to teach myself, over and over, until it finally sank in. 

I allowed someone else to tell me what I was good at and what I should be doing. Then I listened to the people who would raise me up as I do for them (hint: these are the people that matter). My life changed and I became powerful. I gained purpose and a confidence that (though I may have bad days) no one can take away from me. 

I am an artist. I'm a writer, a dancer and I will inspire those around me to find their true strength and reach their goals.

If I'm going to the top, you're all coming with me.

Andrew

The Kung-Fu Formula or Style Makes the Sale

Can't stress this enough: If you love kung-fu films, go see The Man With the Iron Fist. Stop reading this. Go see it. I'm just using it as a jumping-off point, so if you want to know what the movie's about, wikipedia that shit. In fact, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_with_the_Iron_Fists

Go see it. Enjoy the violence and killer soundtrack.

I grew up on such fine films as the original drunken master (where getting boozed up was good for Jackie), Iron Monkey, Zhu Warriors, things like that. One thing that Kung-Fu cinema does so well and makes me...well, let's call it "rock hard," is their ability to stylize. Granted, that comes with Lucasian names such as Brass Body, or my personal favorite: Thunder Leg, but it's worth it. What you get, in return, is a story with very identifiable and marketable characters. You don't really have to remember names (which is good, because let's face it: Thunder Leg. Come on.), all you have to remember is "that guy who could vomit fire," or, "turn his body to iron." Easy. I call it: The Kung-Fu Formula.

Also: merchandising. Can't go wrong with an action figure for things like this, but that's not what this is about. But take a moment and saver the thought of a Jet Li lighter. Awe yeah.

Now, granted, if you're planning on writing a story, you don't have to name all of your characters after what they do (that gets old real quick when no one is murdering up a storm). However, using this method as a way to play with character design and bio-fleshing (just made that up...kinda gross, yet shexy), is a great way to practice your character building.

I am, first and foremost, a character designer. Always have been, and I always think it's where you should start when you're developing a story. Figure out who your story is about, then go from there. Most people start with a name, an actual first and surname. Fair enough, but that's putting yourself in a box, as far as I think. Start with what he does and what his goal is.

For today (and for sweet self promotion), I'm going to use Tom Valentine, my lead character from my book (shameless plug music here), Crossroads (available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Nobel's Nook). Tom's name came last, lemme tell you. I started with his problem (spoiler alert...BUY MY BOOK): Tom wakes up with only a faint ability to hear and, shortly thereafter, gets his sight back and sees his reflection. He is no longer a man, but a giant voodoo doll creature.

SO, that's where I started, my main character would be a living golem made of burlap. I decided from there that I wanted it in a place folks could tangibly recognize (New Orleans), since they would have to deal with Tom's lack of senses and therefor, a descriptive writing style that they might not be used to. Sensory deprivation is a bitch to write, incidentally, and really fun.

From there, I brewed up Tom's back story. The keys were his skills/job and his home. He works in his family's shipwright business. From there, I made the magic that Tom would deal with more physical, than it was hocus-pocus. It became more of a science than a few fantastic spells and what not. I did this, so Tom could latch onto the familiarity of 2 + 2 = 4, in the beginning, as opposed to HERE'S ALL OF THE MAGIC CRAP EVER!!! Eat it and take my seed! J.K. Rowling is a master of tweaking the familiar (old news, I know), and is a huge inspiration to me and my type of story telling (more on that in a later post). It was a cinch to place Tom's childhood home in New Orleans (it also felt right). And there's one of the secret ingredients to a good story: You take something familiar and make it unfamiliar in some way. To make the mundane intriguing is priceless. Tom knew the New Orleans that he grew up in, not the one stocked with hoodoo/voodoo/etc.

Picking his quirks came next and flowed like sparkling spring water. Grew up in New Orleans: loves food and Jazz music. Managed family's shipwright business: stickler for time, always checking his watch, with an eye for detail.

SO, I made Tom, then I made a world where he fit, one filled with physical based magic, in a place that he grew-up, a place that people have heard of but slightly out of the ordinary. Eventually, I named him, but his name only acted as a compliment, not a crutch (Tom is Swedish for empty, and Valentine is from the Latin word valens, meaning roughly "strong and healthy." It's also a name of several Roman Catholic martyrs, but that's just coincidental and kinda cool.).

The Kung-Fu Formula. Take what is known and slightly alter it. People know a kick, or a brute, so you tweak them into a fiery kick, or a solid iron monster. People know New Orleans, so I tweaked it to fit a hoodoo'd Tom with science-based magic. Simple, tangible and fun to write! Making your characters physical, especially in fantasy/sci-fi, leaves you room to develop your story, and it's a damn-sight more enjoyable to read.

Andrew

Getting it up and Published

Finding and agent/publisher wasn't a concern, at first.

I had this fantasy in my head that when I uploaded my book to the kindle or nook network, I'd be rolling in money within a few days. I mean quite literally rolling in it. That my monitor would open and vomit forth the answer to all fiscal problems. I was a tad off...

Okay, I don't need to bitch or moan, but I do need to get some traction here. I've never been down this road before, and no one is being all too upfront with just what works. Every blogger/advice column says to submit your manuscript to a publisher/agent, which is both obvious and straightforward. However, what do you do when submissions aren't being accepted? Or when you're too flat broke to get your manuscript in print? If money makes the world go round, then my blue planet is most definitely standing still. How do I get over this?

SO, that in mind, I've been hunting for ways to promote the crap out of my already eBook published novel.

Idea 1. Post it here! - My book is titled "Crossroads."

kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OVDR1K
nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crossroads-andrew-slac/1113375513?ean=2940015569285

Set in the 1930's, the story follows Tom Valentine, a young man who'd never had a dream in his life, until he had a horrifying nightmare that belonged to someone else. Tom travels to New Orleans to celebrate his mother's birthday around Mardi Gras. During the festival Tom is knocked out, awaking some time later without any senses, save for the slight ability to hear. When Tom's sight returns, he catches his reflection to find that he is no longer a man, but a creature more resembling a voodoo doll, than a man. Tom must learn to survive in his new form and discover a way to return to his real body, all the while searching for who had done this to him and why.

Excerpt from Tom's personal Journal:

My name is Tomas Valentine. I was born October 18th, 1912. I died February 14th, 1934. How am I telling you this story? Because I didn't stay dead. Of course, there is a price to pay for a second chance. My body was taken from me and I was stripped of all my senses. I was no longer a man, but something that straddled the line between life and death. I would spend the next few months searching for a way to return to the life I once knew. I would encounter things that people only see in their nightmares, wrought by a man wrapped in shadows. Whoever he was, he'd made me this way, and he had all the answers. But if I knew then what I know now, I never would have asked the questions.

Idea 2. Reviewers - I put it out there to the community at large that "daddy's looking for reviews for free." I had to include "for free," because it turns out that you have to pay a large chunk of professional reviewers to take a gander at your material. I get it, it makes sense, but goddammit is it frustrating. No money, no pro review...yet.

Idea 3. Have sex with agents/anyone who might know an agent/anyone who might buy the book - Pretty self-explanatory.

Idea 4. Get a backer - I know people with money. Maybe they might help me out with a few bills for printing. The real of my situation is that I need cash to get my books printed, either my own, a backers or a publishers. Always accepting donations to help my dreams come true.

I'll find a way to make this happen. I'll keep looking for an in/more bodies that will accept a PDF format (turns out that many say they will, and then report back to you later stating: we prefer a physical copy. Yup. Fuck you, buddy.) But, I'll focus on raising that cash to get my book printed while finding said agent/pub/industry in etc.

Until then...lunch?

Andrew