Airplane flights are a good time to read a book and I read The 5th Wave while on the plane to California and back last weekend.
The book is about Cassie Sullivan and her experiences in survival during an alien invasion, with a subplot about Ben Parish and what he experiences while being trained by soldiers at Camp Haven. The aliens engage in several "waves" to wipe out the human population, starting with a large electromagnetic pulse that shuts down all machines and technology to the so-called "fifth wave" that I shall not spoil for you if you haven't read the book.
I though the book did a great job making Cassie a sympathetic character, one who you are rooting for to come through and be reuinted with her younger brother Sammy. Cassie is the character that sells the story and makes it work.
The main issue I have with the book is that it puts Ben Parish's subplot into the first-person viewpoint, which is a bit jarring. The thing about first-person viewpoint is you get drawn so much into a person's mind, you may lose something when you pull away from that person's viewpoint for too long. Using the third-person limited viewpoint (which is used in a couple of points) might have worked better.
With that said, I liked how the storyline took a different twist on an alien invasion. It was a unique take on a typical plot device and one that stays rooted in scientific theories.
I have not seen the film adaptation, but it's too bad the film received negative reviews. The 5th Wave did have the potential to reach the heights of The Hunger Games, given how well the book is written. I would hope those who saw the film but have not read the book won't pass up on it, because the book does a great job with character development and its take on what might really happen if aliens were among us.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Just Some Short Notes
I'm just going to go over a couple of things this week, some which pertains to writing, some which pertains to life.
1. Queries are still going out to agents. I believe I need to keep exploring this route until it becomes clear it's not the best route for me to take. I plan to send out several in the next few days and keep looking for others who seem like a good fit.
2. In the meantime, I wrote a short story for the Kansas Writers Association's 2016 Anthology. The story is only in the second draft and I'm hoping to get a little more feedback at the next KWA meeting before I send it in. The anthology won't be published until later this summer.
3. I spent time with the family at Disneyland the past couple of days. The best part was spending time with the family, of course. The least favorite part was flying to California and back. Thank goodness for books -- the flight gave me the chance to read The 5th Wave. I'll have a review up next week. I just need to sit down and think about what I want to say.
4. Once my work schedule lightens up, I should have more time toward writing the second book I have in mind. I also have other ideas swimming through my head and will likely sit down to get those ideas out in written form. Perhaps one of those other ideas will let me get my foot in the door.
5. I should also have more time to get a few other things sorted out, such as a Facebook page, an Amazon author page (even if I don't have a published fiction work yet) and who knows what else. Also, I hope to be a little more active on my @sixpackwriter Twitter account during the summer months.
1. Queries are still going out to agents. I believe I need to keep exploring this route until it becomes clear it's not the best route for me to take. I plan to send out several in the next few days and keep looking for others who seem like a good fit.
2. In the meantime, I wrote a short story for the Kansas Writers Association's 2016 Anthology. The story is only in the second draft and I'm hoping to get a little more feedback at the next KWA meeting before I send it in. The anthology won't be published until later this summer.
3. I spent time with the family at Disneyland the past couple of days. The best part was spending time with the family, of course. The least favorite part was flying to California and back. Thank goodness for books -- the flight gave me the chance to read The 5th Wave. I'll have a review up next week. I just need to sit down and think about what I want to say.
4. Once my work schedule lightens up, I should have more time toward writing the second book I have in mind. I also have other ideas swimming through my head and will likely sit down to get those ideas out in written form. Perhaps one of those other ideas will let me get my foot in the door.
5. I should also have more time to get a few other things sorted out, such as a Facebook page, an Amazon author page (even if I don't have a published fiction work yet) and who knows what else. Also, I hope to be a little more active on my @sixpackwriter Twitter account during the summer months.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Review of Captain America: Civil War (SPOILERS)
This year, we have had two movies that explore conflict between superheroes, with DC/Warner's entry into the series, Batman vs. Superman, and Marvel Studios' entry, Captain America: Civil War.
The latter does a better job exploring the depths of this arc than the former does, finding a good mix of lighthearted material with more somber moments that cause one to reflect about who is really right or wrong in the debate between Captain America and Iron Man.
Spoilers come after the link, so don't read any further if you haven't seen the film yet and don't want to know what happens.
The latter does a better job exploring the depths of this arc than the former does, finding a good mix of lighthearted material with more somber moments that cause one to reflect about who is really right or wrong in the debate between Captain America and Iron Man.
Spoilers come after the link, so don't read any further if you haven't seen the film yet and don't want to know what happens.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
What's Really The Easy Way And The Hard Way?
There's an expression that I'm sure many of you are familiar with that goes like this: "We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way."
It gets tossed out frequently in movies, usually in which somebody is prepared to interrogate another person. We all know what's considered the easy way in this scenario: Just talk and nothing else will happen. And you can guess what would be the hard way.
But perhaps there's another way we need to think about the easy way versus the hard way.
The easy way is that everybody should just conform to whatever one sees fit. The hard way is recognizing that everybody is different and not insist people conform to everything you think is right.
The easy way is to embrace one solution that takes care of everything because it sounds good to you. The hard way is recognizing that most issues are complex and there is no single solution that will solve everything.
The easy way is to expect every problem be solved in a short time span because we have things ranging from the microwave to the Internet that can get things done quickly. The hard way is to recognize that solving most problems takes time, much like it takes time for a tree to grow (and in some cases, it's a long time).
The easy way is to stick by your principles, no matter what. The hard way is recognizing that, while you can't bend on a few principles, refusing to bend on them all is going to make things worse rather than better.
The easy way is to pretend that if every human being just followed one set of rules, all the world's problems would be solved. The hard way is to recognize that every human being is flawed to a certain degree and no one set of rules is going to keep every human being from making mistakes.
The easy way is to insist you are always right. The hard way is to admit you might be wrong.
The easy way is to demand instant gratification. The hard way is to recognize you can't always get what you want.
The easy way is to do things the way they have always been done. The hard way is to recognize that, while not everything needs to change, some things to do.
The easy way is to refuse to adapt. The hard way is sometimes you need to adapt if you want to keep moving forward.
The easy way requires little to no thought. The hard way requires you think about what you are doing or saying.
If you think about it, the easy way as referenced in my opening example is actually the hard way. It's hard to wait for someone to talk until they are ready. But it's easy to do something vicious to get that information out quicker.
Anything easy doesn't require patience. Anything hard does.
So the next time you think about that expression, "we can do it the easy way or we can do it the hard way," ask yourself what you really want. Chances are, the easy way isn't what you think it is.
It gets tossed out frequently in movies, usually in which somebody is prepared to interrogate another person. We all know what's considered the easy way in this scenario: Just talk and nothing else will happen. And you can guess what would be the hard way.
But perhaps there's another way we need to think about the easy way versus the hard way.
The easy way is that everybody should just conform to whatever one sees fit. The hard way is recognizing that everybody is different and not insist people conform to everything you think is right.
The easy way is to embrace one solution that takes care of everything because it sounds good to you. The hard way is recognizing that most issues are complex and there is no single solution that will solve everything.
The easy way is to expect every problem be solved in a short time span because we have things ranging from the microwave to the Internet that can get things done quickly. The hard way is to recognize that solving most problems takes time, much like it takes time for a tree to grow (and in some cases, it's a long time).
The easy way is to stick by your principles, no matter what. The hard way is recognizing that, while you can't bend on a few principles, refusing to bend on them all is going to make things worse rather than better.
The easy way is to pretend that if every human being just followed one set of rules, all the world's problems would be solved. The hard way is to recognize that every human being is flawed to a certain degree and no one set of rules is going to keep every human being from making mistakes.
The easy way is to insist you are always right. The hard way is to admit you might be wrong.
The easy way is to demand instant gratification. The hard way is to recognize you can't always get what you want.
The easy way is to do things the way they have always been done. The hard way is to recognize that, while not everything needs to change, some things to do.
The easy way is to refuse to adapt. The hard way is sometimes you need to adapt if you want to keep moving forward.
The easy way requires little to no thought. The hard way requires you think about what you are doing or saying.
If you think about it, the easy way as referenced in my opening example is actually the hard way. It's hard to wait for someone to talk until they are ready. But it's easy to do something vicious to get that information out quicker.
Anything easy doesn't require patience. Anything hard does.
So the next time you think about that expression, "we can do it the easy way or we can do it the hard way," ask yourself what you really want. Chances are, the easy way isn't what you think it is.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
RIP Prince
The death of the musician Prince caught me by surprise. He was one of those artists whose songs I liked when I was younger, but I didn't grow to appreciate him more until I got older and paid closer attention to his lyrics.
Musicians are like writers in that they use their talents to express themselves and can tell a story in their own ways. Prince was a master at doing this. I didn't really think about the deeper meeting of the title track of his album "1999" when I first heard it, but it was more than just a party song.
A good song can tell a story as much as a novel can, but most songs need to tell that story in just a few minutes. And putting together a collection of songs that tell a longer story isn't an easy task, but Prince was one of those artists who could do that, as evidenced by perhaps his most famous album, "Purple Rain."
And watching the movie of the same name puts that album into context. By itself, the song "Darling Nikki" is indeed suggestive, but its place in the movie is to illustrate how The Kid (the character Prince plays) is using his musical talents in the wrong ways. In the movie, he sings the song in an attempt to prove he can be edgy and as a retort against his girlfriend. All he does is upset people, and it isn't until after his father shoots himself in the head that The Kid gains perspective and starts composing lyrics to a tune his band members created. The end result is a number everyone loves.
Prince did go through a period in which plenty of fans wondered what he was going through, a time in which his works were perplexing, often considered poor quality, and his popularity waned. That sounds a lot like periods that writers go through -- Stephen King has related his own tales about how his battle with alcoholism led to some subpar efforts and pieces he doesn't even remember writing.
But once Prince got past that period and came full circle, people could once again appreciate his talents. It's just unfortunate that he was taken from this life too soon.
Musicians are like writers in that they use their talents to express themselves and can tell a story in their own ways. Prince was a master at doing this. I didn't really think about the deeper meeting of the title track of his album "1999" when I first heard it, but it was more than just a party song.
A good song can tell a story as much as a novel can, but most songs need to tell that story in just a few minutes. And putting together a collection of songs that tell a longer story isn't an easy task, but Prince was one of those artists who could do that, as evidenced by perhaps his most famous album, "Purple Rain."
And watching the movie of the same name puts that album into context. By itself, the song "Darling Nikki" is indeed suggestive, but its place in the movie is to illustrate how The Kid (the character Prince plays) is using his musical talents in the wrong ways. In the movie, he sings the song in an attempt to prove he can be edgy and as a retort against his girlfriend. All he does is upset people, and it isn't until after his father shoots himself in the head that The Kid gains perspective and starts composing lyrics to a tune his band members created. The end result is a number everyone loves.
Prince did go through a period in which plenty of fans wondered what he was going through, a time in which his works were perplexing, often considered poor quality, and his popularity waned. That sounds a lot like periods that writers go through -- Stephen King has related his own tales about how his battle with alcoholism led to some subpar efforts and pieces he doesn't even remember writing.
But once Prince got past that period and came full circle, people could once again appreciate his talents. It's just unfortunate that he was taken from this life too soon.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
The Pitch: Get To The Point
The timing couldn't have been better.
One of the subjects of yesterday's Kansas Writer's Association meeting was perfecting your pitch. Because I'm sending out query letters, it was the perfect time to pitch my novel to the rest of the members and get their advice. What one person said: I was sharing too much and she couldn't follow everything I was saying.
That advice allowed me to refine my pitch and put it into the query letter. Although that means the first few agents I contacted won't get the refined pitch, any others will and perhaps that will result in a better attempt at selling my work.
Admittedly, some of my approach is trial and error, but that's like the writing process. You have an idea, you put it down on paper, you share it with somebody else and you learn what works and doesn't work.
While my first couple of queries might not draw more interest, I'm fine with that. Because another point brought up in our discussions at the KWA meeting was that you should not give up in the face of rejection. We've all been told, at one point or another, that somebody isn't interested in what you offer or that somebody else got the job you wanted. But you have to keep moving forward.
On another note, I did watch Batman vs. Superman yesterday. Long story short, our newspaper received free movie passes in exchange for running an ad, so I figured I'd see what it was about.
As with Man of Steel, I don't have a strong dislike for BvS, but it's not that good. They tried to do too much, they tried to squeeze in so many nods to graphic novels and comic book series (some which the mainstream audience may not be familiar with) and they dropped all these scenes that seemed to hint at events in future films but could leave people confused. A much simpler storyline would have made the film work better.
To an extent, what I observed about BvS goes hand in hand with what I learned about refining a pitch: Don't cover too much at once. The result should be a better product.
So I will sit down and put out a few more queries, only I'll be a little wiser now that I have a sharper pitch. And with any luck, I'll find somebody who wants to see more than just a query letter.
One of the subjects of yesterday's Kansas Writer's Association meeting was perfecting your pitch. Because I'm sending out query letters, it was the perfect time to pitch my novel to the rest of the members and get their advice. What one person said: I was sharing too much and she couldn't follow everything I was saying.
That advice allowed me to refine my pitch and put it into the query letter. Although that means the first few agents I contacted won't get the refined pitch, any others will and perhaps that will result in a better attempt at selling my work.
Admittedly, some of my approach is trial and error, but that's like the writing process. You have an idea, you put it down on paper, you share it with somebody else and you learn what works and doesn't work.
While my first couple of queries might not draw more interest, I'm fine with that. Because another point brought up in our discussions at the KWA meeting was that you should not give up in the face of rejection. We've all been told, at one point or another, that somebody isn't interested in what you offer or that somebody else got the job you wanted. But you have to keep moving forward.
On another note, I did watch Batman vs. Superman yesterday. Long story short, our newspaper received free movie passes in exchange for running an ad, so I figured I'd see what it was about.
As with Man of Steel, I don't have a strong dislike for BvS, but it's not that good. They tried to do too much, they tried to squeeze in so many nods to graphic novels and comic book series (some which the mainstream audience may not be familiar with) and they dropped all these scenes that seemed to hint at events in future films but could leave people confused. A much simpler storyline would have made the film work better.
To an extent, what I observed about BvS goes hand in hand with what I learned about refining a pitch: Don't cover too much at once. The result should be a better product.
So I will sit down and put out a few more queries, only I'll be a little wiser now that I have a sharper pitch. And with any luck, I'll find somebody who wants to see more than just a query letter.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
And So The Journey Begins...
I'm pleased to report that I have finished the final draft of my novel and have started sending out queries. And the other day, somebody suggested to me that I might be better off looking at self-publishing or crowdsourcing because agents and publishers aren't interested in newer authors.
I respect those who have ventured into the world of self-publishing and know they don't have an easy task. With that said, I believe that I won't know if an agent would be interested in my work if I don't try that avenue first.
While my expertise on book publishing is limited, I look at it this way: Everyone should take the route they feel most comfortable with to start off. If it doesn't work as expected, try a different approach. It's the only way everyone will find out what works best for them and what path leads to success.
I will freely admit I'm not great at self-promoting, which is something I know self-published authors need to do well. I admire those who have been successful with it and realize that, if my first planned route doesn't go as expected, that self-publishing is an alternative.
But as I read up on literary agencies and the agents who are out there, I can tell that most of them are good people who enjoy good books and wants to promote authors. I understand agents can't take every project that comes their way, but I'm not prepared to reject them all just because some of them may reject my writing. I understand that rejection is a part of the process and to be prepared to deal with it.
If it doesn't work out, I will move on to Plan B. But I'm going to give Plan A some time before I go to Plan B. When you consider that many popular works were rejected multiple times before somebody agreed to publish them, I understand this is going to be a long road ahead.
But the only way to get down that road is take those first steps and not look straight ahead to the end of it.
I respect those who have ventured into the world of self-publishing and know they don't have an easy task. With that said, I believe that I won't know if an agent would be interested in my work if I don't try that avenue first.
While my expertise on book publishing is limited, I look at it this way: Everyone should take the route they feel most comfortable with to start off. If it doesn't work as expected, try a different approach. It's the only way everyone will find out what works best for them and what path leads to success.
I will freely admit I'm not great at self-promoting, which is something I know self-published authors need to do well. I admire those who have been successful with it and realize that, if my first planned route doesn't go as expected, that self-publishing is an alternative.
But as I read up on literary agencies and the agents who are out there, I can tell that most of them are good people who enjoy good books and wants to promote authors. I understand agents can't take every project that comes their way, but I'm not prepared to reject them all just because some of them may reject my writing. I understand that rejection is a part of the process and to be prepared to deal with it.
If it doesn't work out, I will move on to Plan B. But I'm going to give Plan A some time before I go to Plan B. When you consider that many popular works were rejected multiple times before somebody agreed to publish them, I understand this is going to be a long road ahead.
But the only way to get down that road is take those first steps and not look straight ahead to the end of it.
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