What I Will Do With My Prehensile Tail

There are many reasons why a prehensile tail would be useful. And fun! Especially if I was the only person who had one. Here are a few of them:

For Balance

A long, prehensile tail would be great for those times when I need a little extra support. Like when perched at the edge of a dangerous cliff. Or perhaps at the end of a vigorous night drinking with friends. Like a third leg, the tail could form a tripod of stability to save me from getting embarrassed or even injured!

As a Conversation Piece
There's no better way to break the ice at an awkward social function than to unveil a glorious prehensile tail, capable of astonishing feats of practical dexterity. While some may find it strange or even creepy, all fears would be quailed when I display its ability to crack open a beer, change the music, or even light a friend's cigar. "So...what's with the tail?" They might ask. "I'm Brian. Let me tell you the story!"

For Multitasking
More than once I've wished I could clone myself. But really a clone is just an annoying identical twin. So in reality, the best way to get more things done simultaneously would be to have another appendage. Like a tail! I could cook eggs and fire up the espresso machine at the same time. Or hold a coffee mug while my hands are full with the latest Stephen King novel. The usefulness of a prehensile tail for multitasking is obvious!

To Tap People on the Shoulder
A long tail would be immensely useful at getting people's attention. It could be done in all seriousness, like over the cubicle walls at the office. Or as a joke, like sitting on the bar stool next to an unsuspecting prank victim. Tap, tap, tap. Who's there? What the?!

For That Part of My Back I Can Never Reach
There is that one swatch on my back that I can just never get to. Whether it's itchy, sore, or just needs a dab of sunscreen, the damn piece of skin is always a tease; the only part of my body I just can't reach. Problem solved with my dexterous and flexible tail!

As Means to Hang Upside Down While I Sleep
It works for bats, why not for me? All that blood rushing to your head must surely make for some vibrant dreams. My only concern is if it lost its grip in the middle of the night, sending me on a headfirst, groundward spiral!

For Climbing Trees (Of Course)
Scientists seem in general concurrence that the main function of a prehensile tail is to enhance the arboreal qualities of primates. Humans have an opposable thumb, which makes gripping tree branches (and just about everything else) possible. There is no doubt, however, that monkeys are far superior at climbing trees due to the practicality of their tails. I want one!

To Show When I'm Excited
Nothing gets a tail whipping around faster than a bit of excitement. Like when my wife tells me dinner is ready. Or when we're loading up in the car to go on a drive. I can imagine that tail would really add an element to the excitement of a lot of things!

For ?
I'm sure as I got used to my new appendage I would discover all sorts of excellent, hilarious and practical uses for a prehensile tail that I'd never thought of before. The mystery of what I might learn is quite possibly the most exciting part of all!

As always thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this whimsical and nonsensical post, found it somehow enlightening, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting below. Better yet, sign up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever (unless, of course, you actually do want to hate on me), but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog (should you have one, if not, I'll brainstorm another way to repay you.) Generally I enjoy blathering on about anything from the novel writing process to Giant Redwoods to the Ancient Maya and more.

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

The Ancient Mayans Were Disgusting...Yet Terribly Fascinating

***UPDATE: My debut novel, The Sword of Ixchel, is now available. It's a fantasy novel set in the time of the ancient Mayans. Kindle price is $3.99 (free if you have Kindle Unlimited) or $12.99 if you're a print lover like me***

The Ancient Mayans Were Disgusting...Yet, Terribly Fascinating

I'm in a cave, standing over the bones of a murdered baby...

Disturbing? It's not quite as gruesome as it sounds. Well, in some ways it is. Let me explain.

Silhouette in the pyramids of Caracol, Belize

The murder took place over 1,000 years ago. The cave is a sacred Mayan sacrificial chamber in the deep Belizean jungle. Still, this knowledge makes that sad, broken skull no less innocent and tiny. 

It is the ATM cave in central Belize. Voted by National Geographic as #1 on the list of their top ten sacred caves of the world. We had to hike, swim, climb, crawl, and, worst of all, pay to get here. And all shoeless, by the way, out of fear our careless feet could crush a priceless artifact. 

This pitiable figure at my feet, this busted skeleton once belonging to a child no more than one year of age, was innocent to whatever misguided notion led to such a brutal act. Sadly, it was not the only murder victim here. Not even close. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of others alongside him. And yes, him is correct. As far as archaeologists can tell, every single one of the sacrifice victims in the cave are male. 

Staring agape at the gruesome, crystallized remains, I can't help but think: the Ancient Mayans were profoundly disgusting....

Humbled in Caracol

Mayan pyramids at Caracol near the
Belize-Guatemala border

The day before, I sat in the back of a sweaty 8-passenger SUV on a seemingly endless ride through the middle of BFE Belize searching for a castle. Yes, a massive stone castle (well, technically a pyramid) 150 feet tall. It is so large, in fact, it is still the tallest man made structure in the entire country. It was once the home of the lords of Caracol. Of course they didn't call themselves lords (they were viewed more as gods) and they didn't name their city Caracol but rather something like "Oxwitza," or "Three Hills Water." The city, whose innumerable structures had faded progressively deeper into the jungle from the time it was abandoned around 950 AD until its accidental discovery in 1937, was once populated by an estimated 150,000 people.

It was over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit, sorry international friends, 100 degrees just sounds more impressive than 37.7 degrees) as we arrived at the lonely outpost of Caracol and scurried across the manufactured lawn to climb the tallest pyramid in the sprawled ruins of this once-great city. The humidity hovered somewhere around 90%. My body was so depleted of electrolytes that my thighs cramped with every ridiculously tall step towards the top.

Why are these steps so massive? I wondered as I brushed a layer of slime from my brow. Were they giants! As it turns out, the ancient Mayans were actually quite small. The steps were tall intentionally, as a way to sort of humble and humiliate the people forced to climb them.

Thighs clenching and lungs spasming, I finally reached the highest stone platform. An endless green and gray sea of ruins and jungle spread in all directions to the horizon. For just a moment I indulged my ego and imagined myself the leader of this vast city, staring down with contempt on the many lesser being scurrying like fire ants far below me. The soaring heights, the giant pyramid, do make me feel a bit like a god.

The Dark Depths of the ATM Cave

Actun Tunichil Muknal. It means "Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre." Gringos shorten this mouthful to simply the "ATM." It is one of the most fascinating places I have ever seen. The ATM serviced the sacrificial needs of the people in nearby cities, like Caracol. There is no doubting its magnificent beauty: the breathtaking stalagmites, the creek cascading over gurgling waterfalls, the cathedral-like caverns larger than my house. 

The Crystal Maiden in the ATM cave in Belize.
A misnomer since the remains are actually male

But the numerous sacrifice victims strewn almost haphazardly on the stone floors infuse an element of the macabre that stands in stark contrast to the natural splendor. This place is powerful. The tremendous beauty. The horrific death. Having just climbed and swam nearly a mile in the darkness to get back here, I can't imagine being dragged along the same route unwillingly, knowing what fate awaited at the end.

What did await the sacrifice victims? What was the preferred method of execution? Blunt force trauma to the back of the head for most of them, our guide explains. But the others had an even more gruesome death: a hole sliced just below the ribcage and their heart ripped violently from their chest. 

Lunch churns in my stomach.

Apparently they were so skilled with this method they could do it in mere seconds. The gruesome possibility occurs to me that the victims might live long enough to see their own heart still pulsing between the fingers of their murderers. 

My imagination is wild, and slightly ill, with the possibilities.

The ATM is a powerful place, but it's quiet now. Watching the dancing light of our headlamps reflecting on the writhing surface of the creek, it could almost be peaceful. No sacrifices for a long, long time. But it feels as if there's something residual lingering in the walls and the waters. Something ineffable. I don't know if I believe in ghosts, but I don't think I would want to be alone here.

After we pay our final respects to the tiny bones of the sacrificed baby, and his many silent companions, we swim, crawl and downclimb back to the light. It is a somber feeling now. A overbearing sense of humility seems to have fallen over the group, a stark contrast to the levity we felt on the way in. Very little is said as we backtrack through the jungle to the van. We have visited a cathedral, a tomb, a sacred place. It isn't fair for me to judge these ancient people for what they did. I may not understand it, but I didn't feel what they felt or see what they saw. All I know is this place is beautiful. Beautiful and disturbing. Profound and sad.

The Mayans were disgusting... yet, terribly fascinating.

RELATED
-10 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About the Ancient Mayans

-I'm a Published Author, I Guess

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
As always thanks for reading. I do apologize for the macabre tone for this post, most of my writing isn't like this. If you enjoyed it, found it somehow enlightening, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting below. Better yet, sign up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever (unless, of course, you actually do want to hate on me), but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog (should you have one, if not, I'll brainstorm another way to repay you.) Generally I enjoy blathering on about anything from the novel writing process to Giant Redwoods to the Fountain of Youth and more.

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

Fantastic Medieval Ships (And Where to Find Them)

There is something seductive about a ship. The sleek beauty of its streamlined hull. The glistening, water-polished gunwales. The primal scent of the surrounding ocean. They promise adventure and paradise. I could watch them dip and bob in the harbor, masts drawing slow circles, for hours.

Two carracks and a caravel

Of course, there are many types of ships. From tiny skiffs that skip over the water like flat stones to massive, lumbering barges tooting their baritone horns. It's the sailboats, however, in all their varieties call to me the most. Maybe it's that they're powered solely by the wind rather than some roaring, smoke-churning motor. Or maybe it's simply that the art of the building and piloting a sailboat is nearly as old as culture itself. Sailboats are beautiful ships that elicit dreams of places you might explore aboard them: the rugged coasts of Northern California and Oregon, the palm-tree paradise of the Caribbean, the calving glaciers of Alaska. Nowhere on Earth is more free than the open ocean and there is no way to experience that freedom more profoundly than from the deck of a sailboat.

I suffer from the lifelong affliction of dreaming to become a published novelist. In my most recent flare-up of this cursed disease, I found myself facing the topic of the sailboat. Well, more specifically, a medieval sailboat. One of my characters was a pirate (he prefers to be called a "smuggler," so you'd be wise to watch your word choice around him so as to avoid a hook through the jaw), and while writing for him I found myself using the word "ship" far too often. Surely, there were more specific names for these damn crafts. Names that would have a better mouthfeel in certain sentences, or lend a greater measure of authority and authenticity to the voice of the narrator. As with horses, I had uncovered a crack in my knowledge that needed plugging.

Alas, the dramatic entrance of the mysterious, wise magician they call google....

Medieval Shippery

No, "shippery" is not a word. But yes, I'm going to use it anyway. I like how it sounds. Call me a renegade....

Anyway. Of course, this is an over-simplification of what surely could be a lengthy discourse. There were many phases, spanning many centuries and myriad geographic locations, of what we now call the Medieval Period. Generally, it is defined as beginning with the downfall of the Western Roman Empire (roughly 476 AD when Romulus was deposed) and lasting until and merging with the Renaissance. The Middle Ages can be broken into three sub-time periods: the Early Middle Ages (the time of the Byzantines, the Germanic Goths, and the supposed reign of King Arthur), the High Middle Ages (a time of great population expansion and the invasion of Britain by the Normans), and the Late Middle Ages (which included fascinating events like the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War). In that vast stretch of 1,000 years, many different types of seafaring craft were used by many different people. What follows is a summary of a few of them.

Galley

Galleys are long, sleek rowing ships used for centuries primarily as vessels for war. Most galleys had small sails but all relied on oar power as their main source of propulsion. Galleys date back as far as the second millennium BCE and were employed by many cultures from the ancient Greeks onward. Though they were eventually transitioned out in favor of sailing ships, galleys were still used in certain circumstances far into the Middle Ages.

Longship

The Viking longship was developed separately yet simultaneously to the galley. Picture a Viking craft... You are probably thinking of something like the longship. Longships were sometimes called "dragonships" by Norse enemies, due to their unique appearance. Though they were developed over centuries, the height of their use was between the 9th and 13th centuries. There are various sub-categories of the longship, including the karvi, snekkja, skeid and others. 

Knarr

A replica of a cog

If the longship was the Vikings' preferred craft for war, the knarr was the workhorse. A single-masted sailboat capable of hauling loads of food, goods, livestock and men over long distances. They were around 50 feet in length and 15 feet wide and could haul up to 24 tons. Only one well-preserved knarr has ever been found, that in 1962 in  the Roskilde Ford in Denmark. The knarr, and the Vikings, were ahead of their time, and Viking technology went on to influence much of the maritime tradition in Europe and all over the world.

Cog

In some senses, the cog was the successor to the knarr. It was another single-masted ship but had a flat bottom that made it easier to load. They varied more in length than the knarr, the bigger cogs extending up to around 90 feet in length. They could hold nearly 10 times the load. They were popular for trade in Medieval Europe, particularly by the Hanseatic League, and had high hulls to make them more difficult for pirates to board.

A two-masted caravel

Caravel 

The caravel appeared in the 1400's and ushered in a new age of medieval shippery. Thus far being limited to coastal navigation, the nimble caravel had a shallow keel that allowed it some ability to travel upstream in rocky rivers. Though it could only handle a relatively small crew and cargo, it was fast, light and had triangular sails that allowed it to sail against the wind. Though not all ships that fall under this umbrella category were multi-masted, the caravel often had two or three masts. Caravels are famous in history for being the ship of choice for many 15th century explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Prince Henry and Bartolomeu Dias.

Carrack

In some sense the carrack was the super-sized version of the caravel. Having three or four masts and six or more sails, these massive ships were capable of carrying vast amounts of goods on very long journeys. They were able to withstand heavy seas and haul large numbers of people. The biggest carracks weighed around 1,000 tons and were the product of the blossoming era of global trade in which explorers from Portugal, Spain and other parts of Europe would make runs along the coast of Africa and to India for spices and other commodities. Famous examples from history include the São Gabriel, the flagship of Vasco De Gama's fleet that sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, and Ferdinand Magellan's Nao Victoria, which became the first ship to circumnavigate the world. The carrack was later replaced by the more modern galleon which was used extensively in the 17th and 18th centuries for war and exploration.

Modern replica of a medieval
carrack

There can be no doubt, ships are fantastic. Especially the classy old wooden ones. While the reality of sailing in the Middle Ages was of hardship, danger, risk and death (209 of the 227 men that set out on Magellan's global circumnavigation died, after all, including Magellan himself), I cling to a romanticized notion of the era. It was a time when vast spaces of the map were either completely inaccurate or utterly blank. Whole continents were still being discovered, and on the sea ultimate freedom was the way of life.

As always thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, found it useful, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting below or better yet, sign up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever (unless, of course, you actually do want to hate on me), but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog as well. I use this space to generally blather on about everything from the novel writing process to Giant Redwoods, the Fountain of Youth and more.

***My first novel has been published!! You can check out the link here***

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

WRITING YOUR NOVEL: Part 5- Giving Birth to Your Masterpiece

Seeing your book finally published is the fulfillment of every
author's dream

You've conceived it. Gestated it inside you. You nurtured it with all the care you could muster. Now it is time to birth your novel out into the dangerous world.

Welcome to the final post in my blog series, Writing Your Novel. So far we've covered the value of building a believable world, the necessity of plowing through your first draft, the ruthless slash and burn tactics required of editing, and the hows and whys of platform construction. Now it's time to move on to the best and hardest part: publishing.

I can't lay claim to being an expert on this topic, though I've spent obscene hours researching it, dreaming about it, and strategizing ways to make it happen. The disappointing fact remains: I have never published a novel. I'm afraid self-publishing will damn my hard work to a life of mediocrity at best, and as of yet I haven't had success with the traditional approach. I have, however, had somewhere around 100 short stories, non-fiction essays and poems published in various journals and magazines and have worked as an editor for two literary journals and an internationally syndicated magazine. While quite different than a novel, these experiences shaped my understanding and approach to watching an unpolished idea pushed through to the printed page.

There are two main avenues to get your novel into the real world: traditional (professional) publishing and self-publishing. Each comes with its own unique advantages and disadvantages:

Self Publishing

Advantages- Self-publishing is a seductive option. You could publish tomorrow and spare yourself the tedious process of courting agents and editors. Vast markets will, at least in theory, be able to reach your novel at the click of a button. You maintain control over the entire process and collect a greater share of the revenue. 

Disadvantages- The elephant of marketing rests entirely on your shoulders, and if you are anything like me you are a writer, not a business person, and would prefer to spend your time working on your next book than selling your last one. As an indie publisher, soliciting great reviews from major publications (like the New York Times Book Review) will be nearly impossible. It is immensely difficult to get your book to stand out among the tens of thousands of others now in circulation. The curse of the "Friends and Family 50" (the 50 books bought by your friends and family) is difficult to break.

It is true, some people have success with self-publishing. Andy Weir's The Martian started out as an indie novel, after all, but became so popular that it was eventually optioned by a Big Five publisher (a division of Random House) and given a movie deal. However, this is not reality for the vast majority of self-publishers, most of whom will never sell more than a few hundred.

Self publishing strategy- There are many companies who make publishing your own book a breeze. A little knowledge of formatting and boom, it's on the market stand. But to give your book a truly professional finish, one that can compete with any professional publisher, it would be crazy to do everything all by yourself. In my opinion it is still necessary to hire a professional editor. Here is a great article about the need for professional editing for ALL manuscripts. If you don't feel like reading it, the essential message is this: you may think you can't afford a professional publisher, but if you wan't your book to be a success than you can't afford not to have one.

The rest of your strategy will revolve around platform. Platform, platform, platform. You need thousands of people eager to hear what you have to say, or no matter how good your book is odds are nobody is going to read it. Again, there are heaps of books and articles about platform construction. My message here is simply that no matter how daunting and unpleasant it seems, you have to do it. Welcome to the 2010's, writer.

Traditional Publishing

Let's get your book to the printers

Advantages- There is no doubt that traditional publishing offers opportunities that you just can't match on your own. Access to vast resources for marketing, professional editing by industry leaders, advances, signing bonuses, exposure to top-notch critics. Pretty much every book that reaches the bestseller list is traditionally published, so for those of us that dream big this is the only viable option. Remember, once you have self-published many agents and editors won't even consider your book. 

Disadvantages- Finding an agent, not to mention a publisher, can seem as hard as trying to win the Super Bowl. Agents receive countless queries and reject more than 99% of them. Even if you are accepted and you get a good agent who finds a good publisher, your book will be largely out of your hands. It will be tweaked, cut, changed, maybe even maimed from your perspective, and could very well flop on its face nonetheless. Not to mention that your agent will rake in a stiff 15% of whatever profit is left after your publisher takes their share, leaving you with just a few meager scraps of what was once your heart and soul.

Strategy- If traditional publishing is your choice, get ready for rejection. Even a great success story like J.K. Rowling talks about how many times she was rejected before someone took a chance on her. In online forums, I've read tales of writers being rejected more than 100 times before finally securing an agent. And rejection hurts. Each one is a devastating blow to your ego. How many times can you be told you aren't good enough before you just give up and want to quit? Skin like treebark is a must for the brutal gauntlet of traditional publishing.

To get that agent, you need a fantastic query letter and a bombproof first chapter. There are great articles about the art of the query letter, but essentially it needs to be character-driven, original, and busting emotional appeal. And it needs to land in just the right hands at just the right time for it to be successful. This link takes you to a useful website with forums where writers share their successful queries and agents post advice and wishlists for queries they would like to see.

So that's it, the end of my five-part blog series on writing and publishing a novel. Writing a novel is the most foolish, frustrating, terrifying yet exciting and rewarding thing you can do with your artistic energy. You just might pour your soul into it only to find ultimately no reward, no audience and no money. Or you might write the next bestseller that will change the world in some surprising way. I hope to see your name on the the cover of a beautiful book someday soon.

As always thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, found it useful, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting below or signing up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever, but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog as well. I use this space to generally blather on about everything from the novel writing process to Giant Redwoods, the Fountain of Youth and more.

Read Part 4: Life as a Cyborg or the Author's Platform in Today's Age

All posts in this blog series:

• Part 1- Forging Your Idea
• Part 2- Surviving the First Draft
• Part 3- Slash and Burn (Turning Your Brick into a Book)
• Part 4- Life as a Cyborg (The Author's Platform in Today's Age)
• Part 5- Giving Birth to Your Masterpiece

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

Fiction Writers Can Save the World (or One Writer Justifying His Existence)

"The pen is mightier than the sword"

Art is a waste of time. Literature was never art anyway. Books are dead. Writers are cowards. Get a real job. Your life is a waste.

Harsh. Yet, I sometimes feel, in certain circles anyway, this sort of venom directed towards me. And every time I encounter it, a part of me wonders if they're right.

It seems strange that "starving artist" has become synonymous with "artist." It is far more noble these days to identify as a doctor, a teacher, a carpenter, a plumber. Hell, even nail pounder would probably be a more respected job title in many parts of America.

What have I gotten myself into? Only two paragraphs in and I'm starting to regret my choice of topic. This claim, that art (and writing by extension) has value, should be the subject of a dissertation, not a mere blog post. But the thesis I set out to support remains valid: Us, me, you, every fiction writer scribbling sentences in dark library nooks, quiet coffee shops and cluttered desks everywhere, can save this troubled world.

I suppose the first task is to establish that the world needs saving before making any grandiose claim on the ability to do so. No, I don't think the recent change in my country's executive administration spells certain doom for the world (though I will admit a measure of disappointment and anxiety). Far more concerning is this trend of discovering nearly everything I love labeled as threatened, endangered, or nearly destroyed. Humankind has become like two-legged locusts, swarming in overwhelming numbers, consuming resources recklessly and, when every last, fragmentary morsel is finished, pushing on to the next location to start the eating all over. For those of us trying to affect positive change, it often feels like we run as fast as we can just to move backwards slowly.

Recently I read that scientists are positing we've entered a new epoch: the Anthropocene Era. This new phase is defined by the profound influence of one species, humans, who have shaped the world, its environment and all its inhabitants in such a comprehensive way that it has altered the nature of the entire system. The most recent estimates of global population suggest there are 7.5 billion bipedal humanoids living, breathing, eating and, yes, pooping on this liquid-slathered rock called Earth. Just 45 years ago we were half that. That means, on average, we have grown roughly the population of New York City every month for the past five decades. Ouch. Exponential growth dictates that with a 45-year doubling period, sometime just after 2060 global population will reach an unfathomable 15 billion people.

This liquid-slathered rock we call Earth is in trouble, 
but you can save it!

I didn't mean for this to be too doom and gloom. I know there is a lot of world-is-going-to-end rhetoric out there and I hate to add yet another pessimistic voice. But for someone who wants to see the amazing plants, animals and places I cherish thrive on, all of this is very troubling.

So where does art fit in? What could a few glorified liars, oh, I mean fiction writers, possibly do to reverse this apparently terrible and unavoidable disaster?

Plop a textbook in front of someone and most likely he will be bored to sleep in minutes. This renders any sort of world-saving enlightenment nearly impossible. A person has to be interested to want to take action. Now give him a story about the same topic, one with vivid characters that generate a visceral and emotional response, and suddenly he is flipping through the pages with reckless abandon. His disinterest shifts to engagement, which hopefully translates to action, and perhaps, just perhaps, he will motivate to make a change. To allude to the most cliché but honest writing lesson ever taught: the textbook told him something about the world; the fiction writer showed it.

Art is how we interpret this strange life. Sculpture, painting, theater, even fiction all play an important role. Purposeful, meaningful storytelling is far more than entertainment and frivolity. It instills morality, teaches empathy and compassion, and illuminates a bit of knowledge in an interesting and engaging way. Win a person's heart and you can change it.

So write that beautiful book that can save the world. Struggle forth proudly with your pen aloft, ready to parry critics and stab world-burning dragons through the heart. We need you, writer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, found it useful, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting below or signing up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever, but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog as well. I use this space to generally blather on about everything from the novel writing process to Giant Redwoods to the Fountain of Youth and more.

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

WRITING YOUR NOVEL: Part 4- Life as a Cyborg (The Author's Platform in Today's Age)

Gear up, writer, you are about to become part machine....

Your book is written. Editing nearly complete. You are now ready to publish that masterpiece destined to top the New York Times Bestseller list.

Or are you?

You are not just a human but a digital entity too

Welcome to part 4 in my blog series about the process of writing a novel. So far we have explored the idea of pre-writing, laid out a survival guide for conquering your first draft, and offered you a metaphorical machete to slash and burn your way through the editing process. Before we move on to publishing there is something we need to talk about that, hopefully, you have already started in one form or another.

The author's platform.

Ugh. When I first encountered the prospect of creating my platform, I nearly choked on the staggering amount of work laid before me. The concept of an author's platform, at least in its modern iteration, is relatively new. In the past, writers focused on writing, and when the time was right submitted their work to a publisher who did most of the marketing for them. Maybe their publisher sent them on a book tour. Maybe they convinced someone important, like a book reviewer for the LA or New York Times, to publish a critique.Then boom! The book was on its way to glory.

These days things are different. The rise of social media and self-publishing have changed the way books reach the masses, and altered how we as writers must market ourselves in order to stand out among the myriad voices simultaneously shouting for attention. It is daunting. Stepping forth onto a media platform such as Twitter, the sheer volume of people calling themselves writers is staggering. You start to sound just like the others, "Fantasy novelist, coffee lover, please buy my book!" We all try to convince each other that our book is great and original. Some of us (hopefully you, hopefully me) are right.

Here's the curse of self publishing. It's called the "Friends and Family 50." What it means is that, sure you can self-publish your book on Amazon and theoretically your book is easily available to the biggest market we as of yet know of: the world. Most likely, however, given the other 10,000 books whose synopses sound startlingly to yours, you will probably only sell around 50 copies to your friends and family. Fifty copies is not enough to support you. Its barely enough to pay for a single day of hard work. Perhaps some of these writers had a story idea in their head and they just wanted the pleasure of being to label themselves an author. For them selling 50 books sounded great. If that's you, then don't worry. But if you were hoping for more, then you better have an audience. And that precisely what the author's platform is.

The title of this blog post comes from a great book on this very topic by Kristen Lamb called Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World whose concept I found intriguing. Lamb explains the process of building your platform far better than I can here in this limited space. Here is an excerpt from her synopsis on Amazon: "The new author in today's publishing world is a cyborg of sorts—part human, part machine. The machine part allows us to compose series of words, copy them, email them, and then send them across the globe with a push of a button. We can research faster and more accurately than ever before. We can communicate with people all over the planet real-time and virtually for free. The new power technology has given writers has made us, in effect, superhuman."

There is a bevy of information out there about building a platform. Buy this book, or another, and read about it. I suggest, as always, using multiple sources for your research. But to sum up, if you want to sell books to more than just your friends and family, you need to get connected on social media, build an author website/blog and fill it with great content, start a mailing list and get people to sign up. (By the way if you want to sign up for mine, I will love you forever!). Your platform is an engrossing thing, and can be as multifaceted as you allow. It can also include things like getting involved in writer's groups, writer's conferences, volunteering for literacy outreaches. Anything you can dream up that allows you to get your name, your ideas, and your brand out there.

But how important is this platform business? Is it still possible to succeed without it? Sure it is. Taking the traditional approach to publishing (i.e. getting an agent and being published by a professional publisher) is still possible without spending countless hours on a platform. But even if you are focused on going this route, why neglect the marketing, the exposure and the potential to reach new audiences that platform building provides? Every little bit will help you become the most successful writer you can be. And judging by the many self-published writers on Amazon who have one or two reviews of their books, we all need all the help we can get.

So go out, become part flesh, part digital being. And sell those books!

As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, found it useful, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting or signing up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever, but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog as well. I blog about everything from the novel writing process to the Fountain of Youth and more.

Read Part 3 of this blog series: Slash and Burn- Turning Your Brick into a Book

All posts in this blog series:

• Part 1- Forging Your Idea
• Part 2- Surviving the First Draft
• Part 3- Slash and Burn (Turning Your Brick into a Book)
• Part 4- Life as a Cyborg (The Author's Platform in Today's Age)
• Part 5- Giving Birth to Your Masterpiece

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions

How I Discovered the Fountain of Youth

Damn I'm getting old....

Turning 30 was the beginning of the end. I saw it coming like Nell Fenwick tied by Snidely Whiplash to the railroad tracks as a roaring locomotive bore down at breakneck speed. Ha! Even that reference makes me feel old.

A walk among the old giants

These days, my back crackles like sap on a campfire every time I stand up. My cheeks are starting to show the many sunny days sans sunscreen in the thin mountain air. My morning ritual has become a painful reanimation of my body, one stubborn limb at a time. I know I'm too young to complain about these things, as my parents (who just recently hit their sixties) constantly point out. "You think the aches and pains and wrinkles are bad now...." But I just can't help but believe my seven-year-old niece when she happily proclaims that both 30 and 60 are decidedly ancient.

So...the Fountain of Youth. The lingering myth is that Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce De Leon voyaged to the new world in search of vitality-restoring waters that could reverse the ailments of aging. This myth, like so many others, is of course false. There is no Fountain. As a matter of fact, the very idea that Ponce De Leon was searching for such waters is now widely believed to have been retrofitted to his agenda well after he was dead.

Even ole Ponce didn't buy such nonsense.

But I love myths. They capture my imagination with notions of a world more magical and lovely than the one I see. I want to believe in that world. Instead, I see a place utterly divided, where warring factions draw invisible lines around themselves based on religion, race and politics. A world where hatred spews from the omnipresent cyberspace and the dreaded doomsday war feared so acutely during the 1960's seems somehow closer than ever.

I'm seduced by the possibility of a place instead where the toil of age magically melts away. A place where one ladle of holy water banishes all aches, pains and worries. This is where I want to be.

And perhaps, in a sense, I found it....

When Legolas, Aragorn and Gimili step into Fangorn forest in The Two Towers, Legolas comments that the trees are "old, very old. And full of memory. So old that I almost feel young again...." This is precisely the feeling I've discovered here in Northern California's Redwood Forest.

Feeling small (and young) next to a Giant Redwood

The Coastal Redwood is the tallest tree in the world. Growing up to 380 feet (115 meters) tall and 70 feet (21 meters) in circumference, these giants tower over all other living things. But it isn't just their size but their vast age that dwarfs me. The Giant Redwood can live up to 2,000 years. This means that some of these magnificent beings, full of age and memory, have stood in place since long before the castles of Medieval Europe were even a dream. Before the Mayans stacked their great pyramids in the jungles of Central America. They stood rooted to the earth since the time of Christ. Great civilizations have come and vanished in less than a quarter their lifespan.

Oh I wonder, great trees, what many things you have seen?

Walking through these trees is like walking through a fantasy novel. The setting is unearthly. Redwoods have been treeherded through the world for so long, their old-growth groves feel like misplaced pockets of a different era when megaflora and fauna still flourished. When dragonflies had six-foot wingspans and brachiosaurus stretched its enormous neck for leaves eighty feet off the ground.

Sadly, my back still aches. And these crows feet around my eyes sink a little deeper every month. The forest that is my beard is a little more frosted and the memories of my youth fade into the increasingly foggy bank of my memory. But age is a perception and walking through this amazing, ancient forest, has made me feel young again.

As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it, found it useful, or just plain want to hate on me, consider commenting or signing up for my weekly mailing list. Not only will I love you forever, but I will reciprocate by reading, signing up for and actively commenting on your blog as well. I blog about everything from the novel writing process to horse gait and more.

Opinions are like, hmm... well, you know the rest. Everybody has one. Want to share yours? Visit my Speculative Worlds Forum

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sign up for my Mailing List

All writing is the original work of Brian Wright and may not be copied, distributed, re-printed or used any form without express written consent of the author. Find out here how to CONTACT me with publishing and/or use questions