Mast Brothers Chocolate
Somewhere in the dark heart of Brooklyn, the Mast Brothers are making chocolate.
Not just any chocolate, but the intense, vivid chocolate of my most fevered cacao-inspired dreams. Using the powers bestowed upon them by their mighty beards, they personally handle every step of production from beans to sublime final product.
The experience comes in waves once you put a piece in your mouth. The snap and temper is perfect when you pluck a square from the slightly glossy bar, and the melt when it hits your tongue is gradual and smooth. The first taste is that of any excellent dark chocolate, but as the melt progresses, the flavor simply unfolds in your mouth, unpacking itself into something that could not possibly have been contained in that one square. Most bars are blended with aromatics and spices that perfectly complement the sophisticated chocolate choice for the bar, and the finish of the cacao itself is so deep that it actually becomes a berry note at the end.
It’s no exaggeration to say that it will change the way you experience chocolate. Seriously.
I’m down to five bars from the original ten, which is sad. But at the same time, I only eat these with friends, so that’s five amazing shared experiences down, and five to go. And when I run out, well, I know where they come from.
And now, so do you.
Working in the Word Mines – Purpose
There are three things that you need to write a book, but only one of them really matters.
You need the what, which is the format and the story idea.
You need the how, which is your craft and the sweat it takes to wield it.
And you need the why.
This is the big one. Why are you writing this story? This book? At all?
The why is your guide and your muse all rolled into one, and the reason you started putting words to paper in the first place. It’s the thing that keeps your ass in the chair and what gives you a rush when you see it on the page. Without answering the why, everything else ends up haphazard or mechanical.
The best way to talk about the why is through example. Let me tell you about mine.
Like most of you, I grew up reading every book I could get my hands on. I wasn’t looking for anything more than entertainment and escapism, so to me, they were just books and nothing more. But somewhere along the line, I started running into Books with a capital B. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. The Belgariad by David Eddings. The Man Who Never Missed by Steve Perry. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.
They started in the same way as every other book, but after a few chapters, something happened that I had never experienced before. There was a synergy between the story and the characters and ME that generated pure electricity. Moments of stunning clarity and emotional highs that were completely new to me.
It changed my relationship with stories, but more than that, it changed the way I felt about myself. It allowed me to believe that it really was possible to change the world and do important things that mattered to you. When Bad Things happened, they weren’t beating you down, they were simply the challenges that were always there in a good story, and that they were in need of a good ass-kicking. And that I was capable of delivering it.
Those feelings and realizations changed my outlook on life. I like to think they made me a better person. Those moments are what what I look for as a reader, and represent the gold standard against which I measure what I write. Attempting to give that experience to other people is my Why, and ultimatly what drives me to do what I do.
You have a Why. Maybe you’ve never thought about it in those terms, but it’s there. Get clarity around the why and your writing will move to a new level of effectiveness, your plotting will have new purpose, and hammering out that prose will be that much easier.
Never forget that the how and the what are always in service to the why.
I’m going to leave you with some homework. Spend the next 18 minutes watching this TED Talk with Simon Sinek. When you hear product, think story. When you hear leader, think author. Think about your why.
Alert Level: Boogeyman
DID YOU HEAR THAT?
Cher just grabbed her blanket from across the room, pulled it to her bed, and then proceeded to create what I can only describe as a boogeyman shelter. It’s broad daylight.
It comforts me to know that this is what I can look forward to in the event of a zombie apocalypse.
There Can Be Only Two
It’s contest time!
A Book Vacation is sponsoring a giveaway of Bad Radio, where one US winner will recieve a lovely paper copy with my signature scrawled illegibly inside, and one international winner will get an electronic copy. Since the electronic copy won’t be defiled with my handwriting, I promise to intone the winner’s name in my most serious voice when the copy is launched into the ether.
For those unfamiliar with the site, I urge to you to take a look. While I do like community reviews when deciding on books, like what you’d find on Amazon, I think there’s a lot to be said for recommendations given by a critic whose work you are familiar with and you trust.
One quick note: I used ABV to find books to read before I was reviewed, so I’m not recommending it because I was lucky enough to get a review slot.
So, go here to enter the contest, and then stick around to find out what you should be reading.
Ze Frank is My Captain
Click to watch a quick episode of The Show. Seriously. Click it. I'll wait.
There are people around you every day, people that you know and have lunch with and sometimes kiss, that know who Ze Frank is, even if you don’t. These are the people that will light up at the mention of Earth Sandwiches or Sports Racers and who may, without promting, show you their Power Moves. These are weird, special people, and you should cherish them. And if you are one, then pretend that I’m winking at you and making a pistol shape with my fingers. Because I am.
The Show ran for a year, every weekday no matter what, between 2006 and 2007. Each episode was short, frentic, and packed with about 20 percent more cleverness than there was actually time for. They were alternately inspiring and hilarious, moving and irreverent, silly and all too real. If you watch The Show and don’t come away feeling giddy, then I guess I still love you, and would recommend that you keep watching them until you do.
The faithful know that earlier this year, Ze Frank used Kickstarter to start the whole thing up again, only better. And because people are awesome and the universe is a generally cool place, it was funded at about 3x the asking price. The result?
This is one of the most sincere and affecting things on the internet, and I’m glad it’s back. If you haven’t watched Ze Frank before, do it now. And I envy you.
A Thing I Needed
BEHOLD! THE NEW HOTNESS!
Picked up a new video card this week. It’s huge, expensive, and absolutely necessary for … writing … purposes. YES. THAT IS THE REASON.
It has *nothing* to do with this, and I resent the implication. Jerk.
Sorry.
Okay, so it might have something to do with it, but I promise to meet the sacred quota every day before doing anything remotely fun.
grumble
Best School Ever
The wife sent me this picture a few minutes ago from the kid’s school.
And this one:
Looks like my kids are finally learning something useful. Like how to tell a real zombie from an evil real estate broker who’s trying to scare you off so he can drill for oil.
I dunno what the final exam is like, but I bet it’s HILARIOUS.
Gaming: Table Top on Geek & Sundry
As you know, I’m a huge fan of nerding out over tabletop board games. I’m also a huge fan of both Wil Wheaton and Grant Imahara, who I like to think of as my imaginary friends. They’re real, it’s just our friendship that’s imaginary.
No, I’m fine. I just have some dust in my eye.
Anyway, even though they refuse to stop by the house so I can crush them at Mansions of Madness, the next best thing is watching Table Top, which is a new series all about gladiatorial board gaming with your favorite geek icons.
Here’s the first episode:
If you liked it, and I know you did, you can subscribe here.
Working in the Word Mines – Reviews
Mmph!
When you get reviews, and Cthulhu willing, you will, some of them will be bad. And not just bad, either. Mean-spirited. Dumb. Incoherent. And the worst one of all, correct.
It happens. Don’t worry about it, and for the love of all that you hold dear in this world, do not reply to them.
If it’s a blog post, don’t comment. If it’s an Amazon review, don’t comment. If it’s on Goodreads, don’t comment. Seriously.
Consider reviews to be in ReaderSpace. You can see into ReaderSpace and learn from what goes on in there, and you should, but if you interact with it, you’ll catch on fire and explode. On the internet. In front of everyone.
But bad reviews hurt my sales!
If most of them are bad, then yes. However, if I might tactfully suggest something, if most of your reviews are bad, your main problem might not be mean people on the the internet. A few bad reviews won’t hurt you, and in fact, if you only have a handful of reviews and all of them are awesome, then people are going to assume those are all from your friends and family.
Go to Amazon, and check out the reviews for books you consider to be above reproach. The Name of the Wind has over a hundred 1 and 2 star reviews. Does that mean it sucks? Of course not, don’t make me punch you.
But the reviewer is complaining about stuff that doesn’t even happen in my book!
I feel your pain. This is actually really hard for me, because completely independent of wanting to refute a bad review, the urge to factually correct someone that your epic fantasy did not, in fact, contain any space aliens, can be overwhelming. People will read all kinds of stuff into your work, and there’s nothing you can do to change that fact. Disagreeing with them will have zero effect on their convictions. Your elf space troopers will still annoy them, whether they are actually there or not.
But I agree that the reviewer found a problem and I want to thank them!
This is wonderful and a lovely sentiment. If you can thank them outside of the review area, feel free! If not, then stifle the urge. Showing up in a review area, whether as an Amazon comment to their review or in a thread on a blog, is a bad idea. It contaminates the area, for lack of a better term, and makes everything weird for your readers. As a result, you might get fewer reviews of all kinds. Or your good reviews might suddenly become suspect. If nothing else, you’ll seem unprofessional.
So if I can’t have my say, what can I do?
Learn from them.
Check for common complaints. For example, the number one complaint about Bad Radio is that nobody knows what the title means. It makes no difference what I have to say about it, if I keep hearing that, it’s a problem. I learned, and hopefully, fixed the issue with a two sentence revision.
Look for words that indicate pacing issues, even in good reviews. Stuff like, “At first it was boring, but then wham!” are warning flags. Just because they stuck with you long enough to be entertained doesn’t mean that everyone will. Make a note of it for next time.
Also, don’t dismiss people complaining that it wasn’t the kind of book they normally like. This isn’t a case of a crackpot randomly selecting your sci-fi book and then whining that it wasn’t a murder mystery, but instead a sign that your cover or blurb may be misleading.
As painful as they are, bad reviews are valuable. Don’t waste them.
Just remember: “Praise is like candy. Delicious, but bad for you.” – Paraphrased from every article on criticism, ever.
Here Comes Science
Fact 1: They Might Be Giants is the greatest band ever. Let us all agree on this and move on. Thank you.
Fact 2: They released Here Comes Science in 2009.
Fact 3: I am dumb, because I *just* realized fact number two. Like, in the year 2012.
But, as my loan shark is always saying, better late than never. Just in case you’re not sure where this rates on the awesome scale, I present you with these:
I know, right?
