Monday Reviews: These Days by Jack Cheng

Time is the most valuable asset you have to invest in your life. Although intangible, it has its own weight, its own personality and cannot be recovered once spent. You can't earn more time than what you have in this life, for however long you live. Those are some pretty deep thoughts to come from reading a book, the thing is that reading These Days, I read myself in one of the characters while being able to compare the value of life experiences.

The details in life, the unexpected, the thrill of success, the pain of failure and disappointment, the elation of joy, the desire to switch an answer after you handed in the test, the exhaustion we sometimes go through, the satisfaction of knowing you did your best and the end result, be it good or bad just for the sake of closure. All of these things floated up while I read.

If I had to compare this book to anything, I'd compare it to a good cup of tea. You see, tea has nuance, it has structure, it is delicate, it has minutiae, it begs to be drunk slowly. This is not a book to blitz through; it's one to enjoy a sip at a time. For me, tea keeps me grounded, it's something I use as a reboot or a stabilizer... it's something that forces me to slow down or get burned. These days is a book that after finishing it is like a wonderful cup of tea. It's a book about time and technology, about how we use the time we have and how technology can either bring us closer or break us apart.

A wonderful read that urges the question, what is the next book going to be about?

Audible inspiration: Elbow

When it comes to inspiration, our senses can definitely free our mind. In my constant search for great music, 9 years ago I stumbled upon an English band that would become one of my favorites and would eventually mark my work to a huge degree. Elbow is on my bucket list to see live for several reasons although the obvious one is that their music is amazing. A band that still believes in albums, track listings and letting your ears take you on a journey, each Elbow album is amazing in its own right and they keep getting better, which is why they are the band I’ve most recommended in my life... well that and the fact that a lot of people still don’t know about them stateside at least.

Regardless, the Elbow lads have incredible layers of sound with deep soulful lyrics that are quite relatable.  They can capture beauty in the simplest of things and describe friendship in a way I don’t think anyone else can. Then again, these are guys who enjoy each other’s company, who play because they enjoy it, who write and play because they love it and who go out for a beer right after a show because they’re family.

In my writing they figure largely into a short story in an upcoming compilation and a YA novel that is about 25% done. In my life, they pop in regularly when I need a pick me up or just because. They also consistently figure into lists of people I’d most like to have a beer with and chat. While other English bands are full of themselves, Elbow has always been characterized by how low key they are, even when writing music that is a permanent staple in the soundtrack of my life.

If you haven’t listened to them, by all means, do yourself a favor and change that. 

The long haul: why I chose to self publish

Thanks to years of work and Amazon, I am a published author.

In today’s world, publishing has become something most anyone can do, regardless of talent, merit, or originality. So a few months back, after another query letter that didn’t get a response, I had an important decision to make, would I insist on writing to publishing houses until I got someone to hear me out or would I self-publish?

The question may seem simple, but it’s not. It’s basically asking if you want to be taken seriously from the get go or do you want to work hard for people to take you seriously. I say this because self-publishing is often looked down upon as a step below large house publishing and I get why that is, there’s no filter and you didn’t have to pass any type of test or prove yourself.

When I made the decision to self publish, there were actually a lot of factors going into it. I won’t say not getting a reply from a publishing house wasn’t a reason, then again, the reality of the matter is that it’s quite likely my query and the book description fell off the edge of the email inbox because publishing houses receive hundreds if not thousands of manuscripts from people wanting to be the next J.K. Rowling. So I had the choice of insisting or going my own way.

That’s when I realized; I’ve spent too much time on the vision of what I want to write to have someone edit it (for good or bad). I’m not saying a book editor won’t help you get your book to a better level (they most definitely can), I’m just saying that to me, that would mean that the process becomes a collaborative effort and for once, I want to be selfish with what I release with my name on it. Did I spend years researching, writing, transcribing (I wrote Only Human by hand), formatting, editing and nurturing my novel to allow the possibility of one person chiming in. For other projects? Maybe? For another book? Quite possibly. But for Only Human and its two sequels in the Human Cycle? No way.

What you get when you read Only Human is my vision of a world I thought up in my head (and there’s many more). It’s a story that runs a gamut of emotions and writing styles, it can be sweet at one moment and macabre the next. It talks about humanity and how much we’re willing to sacrifice in order to help others, even if you’re expendable... even if you don’t matter. It sets up things that will be resolved in a second and third book. It has angels, demons, vampires, wraiths and therians (NOT werewolves). It has sex, it has death, it has dreams and challenges most of what you know, stating that’s it’s all BS. That there is more truth in books by Tolkien than history books. It’s something I could offer people who enjoyed Nightwatch or Constantine/Hellblazer. It’s a book I would read and that’s why I was comfortable enough to release it.

Some of my heroes are great do-it-yourself kind of people, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Bill Hicks and Fugazi come to mind (JK Rowling’s perseverance does as well). Each has a moral barometer that is borderline brutal because each in their own way have walked their path without thinking of the consequences of their choices. They just stayed true to their vision and in my own little way, I self-published because of them.

The reality is that I want to write, and I want to write a lot so having to stop my brain long enough to deal with the uphill battle that is getting the attention of a publishing house is not in the cards right now. Creating is in the cards and enjoying the freedom I’ve NEVER been afforded in a typical job.

In addition, if you read my twitter page, you’ll see that when I talk about my book it’s me inviting people to read it. You will see a lot of content for the blog and a lot of tweets interacting with people around the world. My intention and my mission are to connect to other people. I firmly believe that and although I want my books to be successful and I’m working for this to be my career, my messages will always be an offer to connect with a work that is deeply personal, that grew with me, that wrote itself and corrected me when I thought I could control it, that made me smile and made me cry, that gave me grief as I edited out pages worth of words that weren’t necessary and that is 100% mine.

There are scars hidden between the lines, there are messages of hope embedded into the font and there are thousands of hours invested in a work you can acquire with a click. It’ll last a long while and it has vampire pirates, demons, a mid dimension and its trajectory will take you to places like Spain, Egypt, Eritrea, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Consider this another of many invitations... it is not a plea and it is not spam. It is an invitation because I believe in my work and I believe you will enjoy it.

I started by saying that I am a published author. Regardless of the level of success I achieve, that will always remain true and you can be part of my life story. You have been most cordially invited.

Cheers,

JD

Music to write to: Xenogears Creid Soundtrack

When we write, sometimes we want to inject our words with an extra feeling or emotion. We could be drinking something, reading something on our off time or listening to music while we write (something i do a lot). Regarding our sense of hearing, I have LOTS of music I can write to although I'm not the norm since I can listen to music with lyrics without having pieces of the lyrics popping into what I'm writing... although sometimes it does happen and maybe even for the better.

Recently a friend asked me for recommendations of music sans lyrics to write to and I decided to share the wealth.

The first entry I'm posting is the Xenogears Creid Soundtrack. [Click the link to go to the youtube playlist with it]. Although some tracks have vocals, I think it's an incredible collection of tracks that definitely inspire to write. I chose Creid to show that good music can come from anywhere, even videogames. Xenogears in itself is one of my favorite games of all time and the music had a lot to do with it.

So keep an eye out here and in the future for more music to write to.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD

Method to madness: finding inspiration

“How do I get inspired?”

This was actually a question I got asked the other day and to be honest, it kind of scared me. As a writer, lack of inspiration has to be frustrating, as a person it has to be borderline depressing. In essence, inspiration is quite possibly the best feeling in the world, especially since it can apply to anything you do. You can feel inspired to cook, clean, create, work, talk, chat, paint or help. It is the currency of desire and it’s up to us to spend it wisely and look for it anywhere we can.

So when I got asked that, it really made me think… what can inspire me?

Lucky for me, I’m actually pretty inspired and often look into different things to keep the muse fresh and flowing. I read, I write, I listen, I play, I try new things, I doodle and I daydream (a lot). I also work to the bone because although money can’t buy me love, it does happen to pay the bills and afford me the possibility to do other things. So to answer this question, I offer you two options, the five against one method and the stumble/spur method.

The five against one method is focusing on each of your senses and looking for alternatives to see how each one affects your inspiration.

·       Touch – Texture is vastly overlooked when it comes to inspiration and it’s one of the most powerful senses we neglect. The best way to explore this sense is with the assistance of someone. Arrange a series of materials and textures nearby and have them pass you the material so you can focus on how it feels while wearing a blindfold. I suggest a two person operation to ensure you deprive your sense of vision so all other senses are heightened. Have them pass you materials and then spend up to one minute with each material. Feel the contours, the shape, how it resists when you tug it or squeeze it. Really explore it and have your hands do the talking.

·       Taste – I LOVE tasting new dishes, new drinks, new candies. Does that mean I overlook my favorites or what would be deemed a classic? Of course not. The thing is that by broadening my horizons and exploring taste and texture, I gain a whole new appreciation for every new thing I taste. Some people stick to chicken and lasagna… although I enjoy both dishes, life is not the same flight every day and by varying what I eat, I vary the destinations I can traverse. When describing lumiere and nova in Only Human, I had AMPLE culinary experiences to know how they taste in my brain. Think of it this way, what did Butter Beer taste like in JK Rowling’s head? I’m pretty sure it’s pretty close to what they offer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter because at least for me, it was spot on and it brought a smile to my face to taste something I read. She could already taste it even though it didn't exist at the time. The same happened when I tried Turkish delight for the first time… and it didn’t take me a second attempt to understand why Edmund was enchanted by the White Queen.

·       Sight – by far the most abused sense is sight. It is also the one that receives the least variety. If you have a dayjob, you will probably end up looking at the same things over and over and over. Workbook sheets, texts, charts, powerpoint presentations and the such… if you don’t cleanse your palate, your sight might dull. What’s amazing about sight is that we also don’t care for it as we should. Most office lights do not project light in a full spectrum, this causes eye strain, visual fatigue and contributes to retinal decay. So it’s your job to look at fresh images to keep the brain functioning and active. On Facebook there are a ton of groups with interesting visuals to share which is a great starting point. Another thing you should do is check out nature. When was the last time you saw a leaf up close? We are surrounded by amazing achievements by nature and it’s there for you to appreciate if you only give it the chance.

·       Hearing – a lot of people say they don’t like X or Y genre of music, and I often think they’re doing themselves a disservice by not trying to find something within the genre that works for them, just to expose their senses to something new. So the first recommendation would be to listen to as much music as possible, including classical music. A lot of people say they don’t like classical music and I disagree… I just think they aren’t looking right because I’ve heard symphonic orchestras play the theme song to the Predator Movie and an Angry Birds suite and it’s fascinating how intense these pieces are. Not into classical music but a videogame freak? Then every year there are dozens of concerts that celebrate the achievements of videogames. Now that I got that out of the way… here’s another suggestions… take off your headphones. Listen to nature, listen to the bustle of people and see how many things you can pick up. Although it may not seem like it, we are immersed in melody and the thumping of machinery are the rhythm section. If you want to see to what level, listen to music by Stomp! or check out Koyaanisqatsi. 

·       Smell – As with all other senses, smell can be taken to another level by simply paying attention to it. Our bodies are amazing and we owe it to ourselves to explore each of our senses.

The second method I was referring to is the stumble / spur method. This one is actually a lot simpler. In a digital age where we have apps and the Internet readily accessible, it’s funny people don’t search for more information. Ask yourself what a nebula is, wonder what a base prime number is, search for Bruce Lee’s one inch punch, refresh information from grade school. Use apps like Stumble Upon, visit Mashable, click on I’m feeling lucky on Google.com and whenever a random question arises, either write it down or look for it in realtime.

And lastly, make sure you don’t have something else that’s keeping you uninspired. It’s also up to you to keep your mind, body and soul healthy (btw, you don’t need religion to nurture your soul, just saying).

Hope this helps and feel free to keep in touch here through twitter @jdestradwriter or through email @ jdestradawriter@gmail.com.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

Method to madness: order in chaos

Writing can be a chaotic experience. If you’re like me, ideas tend to pop up suddenly and it’s best to have a good capture tool nearby to make sure that idea doesn’t go anywhere. Although that in itself is another post, once you have an idea, developing it fully and fleshing out the details is another challenge in and of itself.

Think about it, how many Hollywood movies start off with a fascinating premise, a great 15-20 minute start and then all downhill from there? I’ve actually lost count and am not about to start because with every new mark on the chart, I’ll get frustrated.

That’s when discipline, methods, habits and strategies come in.

So you have the end all of ideas in your head and you were actually able to put it down to paper (quite a feat and I salute you for it). What now? Some people have this silly notion that inspiration will run in one large burst each and every single time you create something. Not the case, although I’ve been able to capture a full story in one sitting, it’s happened only twice and that was because A.) I was lucky and B.) I dropped everything and obeyed the desires of my limbic system. Every other project I’ve worked on has required a lot of work on my part, be it research, structure, method or what have you.

The most important thing to remember is that you are unique, your makeup is unique and what will work for you is unique. This means that doing as I do will be as much a guarantee to your success as the numbers that appear in a fortune cookie will be in your winning the lotto (meaning that sure, it may work but there are no guarantees).

If you’re having a hard time finding what works for you, I suggest going at it in a scientific or almost medical fashion. In science, when you want to test for variables you vary constants individually to see how that affects the outcome. Say you want to see the effect of temperature and wind velocity on the descent of an object, there you have various things you can play around with to see the effects (a. temperature, b. wind c. velocity, d. trajectory of descent, e. mass of object, f. size of object, sg. hape of object, etc.). Here you can literally have your base reading and then vary each and every single factor to see how it affects the outcome. be ti time, word count, approach, method, pages, etc. If this is a bit too complicated an explanatoin, then let’s go the medical route, it sounds harder than what it is. If you know someone who has severe allergies you may have heard of them having to eat nothing except X or Y thing and slowly introduce new foods into the equation to see what triggers the effects. With writing, it’s the same, you can set yourself a time limit, a wordcount or page count limit, a topic limit or whatever other limit you want to see how that affects your writing and vary it up until you find your own formula.

If you want some more tangible and specific strategies you can try out, here are seven things you can try to see if they work:

1.     Schedule to write in the morning every week for half an hour.

2.     Commit to writing 500 words in ten minutes.

3.     Take a walk every afternoon and write under a tree or at a bench for fifteen minutes.

4.     Go to your local coffee shop three times a week, buy the same beverage and a typical snack and sit down to write 5-10 pages (try to always set the same amount).

5.     After lunch every day, write 500-1000 words.

6.     At 8 PM every night snap your fingers 4 times in a row with each hand, repeat the phrase “I will write four pages” 5 times and sit down in the same spot with the same notebook to write 4 pages.

7.     Every time you receive a text or check twitter force yourself to write 100 words.

Each one of these exercises is to gauge how much structure you need. Some factor in time, others quantity, others reactions and others establish rituals to put yourself in the correct mindset.

Neurolingüistically speaking, you can hotwire your brain to gain better structure and discipline. Specifically look at exercise #6. Here you are basically giving tribute to BF Skinner and his conductive theory (one which I actually hate, although it does have merit and value when used responsibly). Here you are using most of your senses to basically prepare to write and by creating a habit out of it, it’ll be like what fighters use to effectively psyche themselves up for before a match. In other words, if you do this often enough, you will accustom your brain to NEED to write every time you snap your fingers four times or see that the clock chimes 8 PM.

Fun fact, example #7 has more of a Pavlov approach to it because you prompt yourself to always have a reaction when something happens and if you’re in a block you can basically ask someone to text you from time to time and will be surprised when it works. Regardless, classical or operant conditioning is conditioning and you can use it to your advantage.

The last thing to take into account is habits. Habit is a nice way of saying casual discipline, something you do out of instinct. That’s why so many people practice their craft, basically to condition and prepare their bodies and minds to react at lightning speed when facing stimuli. That’s why a batter can hit a baseball he doesn’t necessarily see, that’s why a tennis player will know to swing their backhand even when they are off balance, and that is why a boxer will instinctively know when to throw a counter left hook when their opponent throws a lazy jab. So practice… a lot. Every day. Don’t ALWAYS work on your story, work on other things, vary your method, now always write, and write more.

After all, if that’s what you want, then do it.

Thanks to @Writer_Phill for input on the writer chaos concept.

Monday Reviews: Gutmouth by Gabino Iglesias

It's not every day you can read something as smart, nasty, twisted, crazy, convoluted and overloading as Gutmouth. At times, it's almost as if each sentence insists on upping the ante of how much you can take and it's delightful from start to finish.

Think of the Aristocrats joke and pass it through a cyberpunk neo noir bizarro filter with a future you DON'T want to live in, but can't help but stare at. Gabino Iglesias wants you to laugh and become nauseated in one sentence, and he achieves this countless times, grossing you out while leaving you smiling at what you just read.

At 84 pages, Gutmouth is streamlined and my only two complaints are:

1. It wraps up rather quickly
2. You're left wanting to see more of that sick future.

That's it... Apart from that, if you have tolerance for nasty literature, then you'll totally relate to why a three breasted prostitute fell prey to a navel invading autonomous mouth with a British accent. This is some delightfully sick stuff and is actually in my gift list for at least 3 friends who not only get this, but will want to discuss this over beer.

Monday Reviews: an introduction

As part of what makes this blog tick, I will be including reviews (reviewable topics will include books, movies, videogames and music). Genres will vary as much as my reading, listening and viewing habits and I'll try and post them on a weekly basis.

The main intention of these posts is to share some of what makes me tick and little gems I find through the Internet, be it self published or big published. So hope you enjoy and by all means, write me @jdestradawriter@gmail.com if there's anything you want to share or might want to have reviewed.

A little note, no ratings will be given on these works, just my overall take on them. In essence my intention is not to judge, but to share things I've mentally ingested for the sake of connecting with other people.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD