One-Way Streets & The Hybrid Writer. There are many writers who either go indie and/or self-publishing; or there are those who will only follow the path to traditional publishing. The argument behind traditional publishing is merit. There's a label on your book and check to say this book was seen to be worth at least this much. Some self-pub writers will argue their method is the only way to truly express your writing. It brings so much freedom and a much higher royalty rate.
With that in mind, I was furious and than impressed by this article by Rob W. Hart on Salon.com. Hart seems to hold a mutual viewpoint of the many publishing media. He traditionally publishes his manuscripts, while some of the smaller ones that don't fit into a specific commercial market, he reserves those for self-publishing. He considers himself a "hybrid writer." Although I think the term is a bit inflated, I fall into the category. For instance, many of my works involved signatures, but then there's No-Injury Policy which has been fairly successful since its release in October 2012. The short story collection might found some sort of accreditation in the traditional market, but I knew a book of its nature wasn't expected to be a bestseller. However, it is a collection of stories I believe many people will find--or already have found--interesting. There's just not real a demand for short story collections in the general markets, especially a work like #NIP that crosses between genre fiction and not.
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 A little shy of a year ago, I touched on the subject "The Benefits of Irrational Thinking," in which I used a writing example to show why I think what seems crazy at the time (or even when you dissect it) can lead you to some real opportunities.
The general idea was irrational thinking brought hope. Today I intend on showing you some of the ways irrational thought can be concentrated and deployed as a means of bettering yourself. So there's this Kickstarter program for American Psycho, the Musical.
Sigh. Here's the deal: I love the novel American Psycho, and the movie wasn't too shabby either. Actually, I think the movie was a little less twisted, but that's neither here nor there. However, Bret Easton Ellis has been a little strange as of late. First, he wanted to rewrite the book and modernize it. Why? It's still prominent in pop culture as it was during it's cult heyday. Quick summary: The protagonist is bank investor Patrick Bateman who's obsessed with image from suits to business cards. He's obsessive. He's compulsive. He's sweet. He'll rip your vagina out. That's the kind of story we're talking about here. Second, I like the idea of a musical over a retake on the book. For the same reason Fight Club was annoying to some, this notion of an American Psycho musical is driving me insane.  By large, I'm a traditional writer in the sense that I prefer my work to mature in the form of a book, short story, etc. From time to time, I've done work in film, radio, and music. However, I want to add something new to the list: a cartoon.
For the most part, there seems to be nothing wrong with exploring all the different forms writing can take other than what's literal. I've probably said this before, but I believe, in the end, the story is what matters. With that said, I'm thinking about writing a cartoon with the aid of some buddies. This project is a long time from fruition, but I figure if I post about it now, I'll be pressured into learning more on animation and making this thing move along. To start things off, you always need an idea. So I could use a little help. Keeping reading for my plot concept, and let me know what you think. Also, let me know if you think it would be better than to take a serious plot-line and add ridiculous character interactions, or if it should just be goofy. (At this point I don't have the skill to make a series animation piece come to life.) Just Some Food for Thought, I Guess The coolest part about fiction, in my mind, is exploring the lives of other characters. Even stories that may be more "plot heavy" have fascinating characters, for those that don't usually fall flat.
For instance, you could have the bulkiest man--some sort of body guard or what have you--and if he's sad at the right moment, it would be the one of the most powerful moments. See, one thing we have all in common are our emotions. In fact, even Darwin wrote in The Expression Of The Emotions In Man And Animals that all humans beings, at the end of it all, still share our emotions in common. Despite how evil or good you are, weak or tough, you still feel the same emotions as everyone else. How you express them is the interesting part. |
