Lessons I've Learned: No. 2

Fail Faster

This is an excellent concept that Extra Credits explains perfectly in this video.  The idea is simple and you can apply it to your whole life: No one is perfect. No panting, movie, or novel, is ever perfect. There is no perfect plan, no fool proof method to get ahead, and no path to happiness that's bump free. You'll probably fail multiple times on your journey to success. So it doesn't make any more sense to wait until it's perfect to show people your work of art than it does to wait until it's perfect to try out a new idea. It never will be and it doesn't have to be.

To me, this means two things. First, perfection should not be the bar we set because perfect doesn't exist.  My example, of course, is writing.  It's much better to forget the idea of "perfection" and shoot for the obtainable goal of writing an effective story: a story that leaves the reader feeling a certain way, captures into words exactly how you think the story should be, etc.  There are plenty of books that are flawed in some manner but are great because of the story they tell or the way they make us feel. It's better to write a book that is flawed but enticing to your audience than to write a book that's "perfect" but boring. So don't think of constructive criticism as a bad thing. Accept that your work is not perfect and that any good criticism someone provides you helps you to make your story more effective.

And second, this means that the best and most efficient way to create a great book (or to change careers or whatever) is to attack it head on. Being afraid to make mistakes will leave you immobilized in fear of a misstep. Being bogged down in fear will stifle your creativity and will require much longer to get to where you want to be.  If you allow your mind to run free, allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, your end result will be better and will come faster.

Let's go back to the writing example: imagine one day you have your story completely done. All i's dotted, all t's crossed. So you decide it's FINALLY good enough for someone else to read. You give it to your writing partner, confident she'll be blown away by it. But when she brings it back to you, she points out several shortcomings you didn't even realize were there. Ouch. You will have so much emotionally invested in your story at that point any criticism will most likely seem more like an attack than help.  At that point, it becomes far more work to fix the mistakes, and thus you are far less likely to want to even try.  This is exactly the same thing that will happen with any other aspect of your life if you require perfection before taking action.

So take chances and try new things. If you're a writer, get your work out there for others to see. Don't be afraid to fail. If you are working on a story, the best thing you can do is get your work into the hands of someone that you trust that can give you good, constructive feedback.  If you get feedback often you can make small adjustments during your process rather than trying to do an overhaul at the end.

And that's the point of all of this.  We need to fail to get better. In order to make your story better, you need constructive criticism. So why not get it early and often, rather than be heartbroken when someone critiques what you thought was perfect? The end goal is to create the best story (or plan, or career) that you can, right? Well don't let your ego get in the way. Fail faster.

Lessons I've Learned: No. 1

Getting Started

I've been writing for almost 2 years now. Over the past 6 months or so I've been taking it more seriously, reading books on writing, subscribing to author blogs, and taking classes at an amazing literary arts center here in Minnesota called The Loft. I have 2 books ideas that are a little ways from being completed (one is being written and the other is being researched). I am still learning of course, but I would like to offer a take on the lessons I've learned so far in hopes that it may help someone else.

The Writer Swag

The very first thing I think you should do if you really want to write is to call yourself a writer. Being a writer is about what's on the inside, not going to coffee shops or bringing your laptop everywhere. I've referenced this in earlier posts because it's an excellent way to get you into the right mindset.  Initially many people have a problem with this.  They feel like since they haven't completed a book or story yet, they don't deserve to call themselves "writers".  This simply isn't true though. There is a difference between being a writer, and being a published author.  A writer is a person who writes. Simple as that.  If you write and are passionate about writing, you are a writer. There's nothing that says you can't call yourself a writer just because you have yet to have anything published.

My second suggestion about identifying yourself as a writer is if you're goal is to write for publication, don't shy away from that. A lot of people will say it's difficult to publish a book (although it is becoming somewhat easier with e-Books and self-publishing. More on that in later posts).  But look at it this way: it's also difficult to become a doctor, but it doesn't make any sense for a medical school student to say, "Well, I'm going to med school, but I don't know if I'll ever become a doctor."  Writing is the same way; if you want to publish, say that you want to publish. Don't listen to anyone that says you have to toil away writing with no ambitions in order to write successfully.

Please don't misunderstand me about that.  If you truly are just writing for yourself and you really don't care one way another if it gets published, that's great because you will be fulfilled simply by the writing, not what comes out of it. I'm not saying everyone should try to get published. But if you are someone who is saying that just because you don't want people to criticize your decision or to keep yourself from getting own hopes up, that's not helping you.

Creating Your Story

You may be like me and have a story line already in mind when you decide to write.  Or you may have no idea what to write about but know you want to write.  Either way, come up with ideas.  If you don't have a story line in mind, think up random scenarios. Things you would like to read about, things you wish would happen, things that have happened, think of worlds you would like to live or would not like to live in.  If you have a story idea already, think of different slants on the story, a different setting, different endings or different plot points. The more ideas you come up with, the better the one you ultimately write about will be.

After that, identify what makes your story unique.  After a minute of developing a story idea, you may realize it is somewhat similar to another story.  Don't immediately throw it away.  Take that basic story and add your own spin on it.  Make it unique and fresh, something that you (and by extension, your audience) would want to read.  If you're looking for a guide, "The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing" by Evan Marshall does a great job of walking you through how to choose a good story idea that is also interesting to read.

You may have heard the old motto, "write what you know." I really prefer to think of it more as "write what you enjoy."  If you really dislike romance novels, don't write a romance novel.  But don't limit yourself either.  There's nothing that says you can't write a sci-fi novel with a heavy romantic story line. Writing about things you aren't familiar with can be fun and can really help you develop as a writer. If you've the polite quiet type, try writing about a bully. Familiarity does not make a story good, but your passion and interest in it will. Besides, all you have to do to deal with something unfamiliar is a little research.

Research

Research is useful for just about any story that you may write.  It can be anything from researching a period of time for a historical book to reading books or watching movies that have a main character that is similar to your own for inspiration.  It can help you enter the mind of your characters, making them more complex and realistic. It can make the world you create for the reader seem more complete, thought out and realistic.

But don't over research. Adam Rico talks about this on the "Goins, Writer" blog.  There is a plethora of information out there.  You should find what helps you and ignore what doesn't.  In the end, lack of information is not the reason most people don't put their story ideas down on paper.  Instead you should also find resources that will help you with organizing, staying focused, plotting, etc.

Trust Yourself

From there, it's time to jump into the world of writing. You will have to find your own way, but it will be worth it.  Come up with ideas. Write about them. Throw away the ones you don't like. Consider it practice. Do research. Look for tips.  Disregard what doesn't resonate with you, keep what does. Talk to people about what you're writing.  Their feedback might surprise you. Trust yourself. You'll know what to do. After all, you're a writer.

Female Character Models

The Measure of a Bad-Ass

I've been thinking a lot about a female lead for a story I'm writing (working title: Red Lightning). She's a Byronic hero. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, it pretty much just means she is the "hero" of the story, but she frequently takes a questionable route to achieve her goals.  It would be difficult to label her as either "good" or "bad". Instead, I'll say she's a survivor. She finds herself in a bad situation and she will do whatever she has to do to come out alive. In other words, she's will leave you alone unless you have something she wants or you piss her off. Sure, she has a soft side and she tries to do what's right, but for the most part she is larger than life, ruthless, vengeful and calculating. I guess what I'm trying to say is, she's a bad-ass.

As many writers do, I am looking for inspiration to help me develop her character.  In order to have her character be borderline evil but likable I really have to clearly show why she is the way that she is, and how her morals work.  She can't be just going around killing people for no reason. That's not likable. But if she is killing the people who murdered her family, for example, we might still like her. It's a thin line to walk so I must plan her story carefully. But here's the problem: wherever I look for inspiration on how to portray her, all I see is either women who act like men or are overly sexualized.

Don't get me wrong, the "tomboy" character is perfectly fine.  The one that always comes to mind is Michelle Rodriguez from Machete, Resident Evil, and Fast and Furious.  It seems to me that her roles typically involve being a bad-ass through emulating "masculine" qualities.  It's hard to explain really, but if you've seen her in any of those films, you have an idea of what I mean. My problem is for this story I want a female character who is both bad-ass and feminine.

I also want my character to be comfortable with her sexuality. But I don't want to have that be the defining aspect of her personality. She should not be repressed, but sex should not be such a large part of her character that we find it hard to take her seriously.  This, again, is sort of a fine line because we expect a certain level of sexuality from both male and female bad-asses. But I think we see quite commonly that female bad-asses have sexuality become a defining part of their character.

On some level it may seem like I am asking for a lot, but in reality all of the characteristics I'm looking for amount to a complex character. It makes her seem like a real person with real motivations. Like a woman who is sometimes good and sometimes bad; who will take you down if you cross her, but is still empowered by being a woman; and who is comfortable with her own sexuality, but doesn't have to rely upon it throughout the story. If you really stop and think about it, there are dozens of male characters that fit that same mold. Take Batman, Hitman and James Bond just to name a few popular ones.  Meanwhile for female characters, we have a tendency to make them completely good or completely evil, completely macho or completely sweet, and completely asexual or completely over sexualized.  And even when they are evil, we often try to redeem bad-ass female characters.  Often she will have a chance or heart, realize the error in her ways, and join the good side.

I have to believe this is due to two things. First, we still have many expectations for women that we do not for men. A woman who tells people what to do is still called pushy, while a man who does so is a leader.  We still expect women to be mild-mannered and good-hearted by nature while men are able to be more aggressive. And second, I think many writers do not always take the time to make female characters realistic, complex people.  Or at least female characters are more often one dimensional than males.

This is not to say that no female characters like I am describing exist (although if you can think of any off the top of your head, please let me know!).  I instead mean that they are few and far between. So I ask you: Why does it have to be that way? Why do being a "bad-ass" and being "feminine" have to be mutually exclusive? Why can't we create more female characters that fit this mold?  Our characters will be more engaging, and as a result our stories will be all the better for it.

#YouKnowYou'reAWriterWhen

He Picked Up the Pen, Relieved

Here's an interesting thing I've found: identifying yourself as a writer helps you become a writer. Well at least for me. I've dissected every story I've heard ever since I began to see myself that way. I've sought out books and movies that will help me develop characters or plot points for the books I'm working on.  And, probably more interesting to anyone that is not me, I've changed my outlook on life.

I think how I got to this point is a common story. I was in high school. A senior. Before I knew it, graduation was around the corner. And everyone was asking me, "So. What are your plans?"  I knew what that really meant: "What do you plan to do with your life?" Or at least that's how it seems. Answer well and they believe you're going to do something with your life. If your answer doesn't pass inspection, suddenly everyone is concerned you're not living up to your "potential". I imagine that for many people in high school who felt like they knew what they wanted to do, that was an easier question to answer.  Med school. Finance. Find a job. All simple, acceptable answers. 

It wasn't that easy for me though. I had no idea what I wanted to do. Yet and still, the question was asked time and time again. And if you've ever been in that situation, you know that the pressure to produce a better answer than "I dunno" is enormous. So I ended up in college, where I changed my major 5 or 6 times and never really felt happy. Nothing seemed to be a good fit. And I didn't do very well because my heart wasn't in it. Why get up at 8am to go to a class that will prepare you for a job you don't even want? 

But I was there because I saw no alternatives. College is a time when you are supposed to "find yourself," to discover what you truly want. But all I did was stress about the bleak future I saw myself heading towards: working at a job I didn’t enjoy until it was time to retire. But all of that changed when I asked myself one question: What would I do if I knew I could not fail? I thought about this question for weeks, and then finally one day, while I was jotting down some ideas for a story idea I was kicking around my head, it hit me. I would write. 

 I would write novels and short stories and scripts and story lines for video games.  I would write.  I even thought back and realized I wrote constantly as a little child.  I realized that all my interests in college were almost like preparation for writing a novel; psychology to help me develop characters, communication studies to add realist dialog, etc.  And while school didn't motivate me, I was more than willing to spend time and money on writing classes on narrative time, setting and character development. I finally admitted to myself what I had been afraid to say: I wanted to be a writer. Man, how crazy that must sound. What are the chances I make decent money writing? How do I know if I'll ever get anything published? What if people think I'm wasting my time? What if I'm not a good writer?

My answer to those questions told me right away I was on the right track.  It was simply, "I. Don't. Care."  I feel like I have to write.   So I decided to continue to work and devote my spare time to writing.  And honestly, I've never been happier. I no longer feel a looming sense above me that I'm wasting my life away. I feel happy and productive when I finish a scene. Writing good dialog puts a smile on my face. I don't feel any pressure beyond my own to do well in my craft. Beyond that whatever happens, happens.

So what's my point?  I guess nothing other than to say I believe we all know when we find what we truly want from life. Sometimes it’s a matter of exploring your interests enough to find it.  Other times it's just a matter of admitting to yourself what you want and being ok with that. Either way, embrace it. Don't neglect what will make you happy. In the end, that's all that matters.

Hellooo World

Allow me to introduce myself....

I go by B Houston, I've been on Blogger for about 7 years and I've made 1 blog post.  And now, for now reason other than my own boredom, I'm dusting off the old blog and giving it a face lift!

Ok so maybe my blog's resurrection does correspond with one realization I've made in my life: I am a writer.  And I mean that not in the "I've already written something that's been published" sense, but in the "I'm not happy unless I'm working on a book or story, developing characters and imagining plot twists" sense.  I should have figured this out a while ago; I always was writing stories when I was little, I tried writing a never-ending story at age 12, and I bored all my friends when we saw movies because I wanted to talk about character motivation afterwords.

Whenever people would talk about how they knew that doing a certain thing was their calling, I always thought "how can you possibly know that for sure?" Well it makes a lot more sense to me now; all I really want to do is write books, screenplays and story lines for video games. I mean I'm very aware that publishing a book is hard, but I'm determined to do so, and I'll continue to write book after book until I do publish simply because it's the only thing I can see myself still doing 5-10 years from now.  My goal is to one day be able to afford to write full-time. I have a ways to go before I get there though. Don't get me wrong, I have a full-time job now and I'm working on some other paying side projects too, so I have a little cushion.

At any rate, I'm working on a book right now (working title is "Nearly Immortal") and I'm gathering research and developing a character for another.  I also love talking about stories; what happens in The Hunger Games, Breaking Bad, or Mass Effect and whether we should consider it to be a good story.  So I'm sure I'll end up posting a lot about writing, characters, stories and the like. But I'll also probably go on some rants about random stuff like sports, current events, video games, how hard it is to find a hat that's fits you well when you have dreadlocks, the moral bankrupting of society at large.... the weather, you know, the stuff like that.

So I guess the real goal of writing here is to continue my passion for writing, give everyone an idea of the stuff that goes on in my head, and kill some time.  As time goes on I'm sure I'll tell you more about my background and family and stuff, but let's save that for another post.  I have to give you some reason to come back right?