Being Hurt.

              Being hurt is not easy. Being told that a part of your story has to be removed is not easy to consume, and to hear your English, the way you write, is not acceptable.
                           With that being said. I’m going to tell you a story:
            I came down to the city to try and obtain a new-fangled profession. Originally, I came down to this metropolitan to make videos games. I did have the story, and I am currently thriving on that written study; however, I was going to write this story, and sell it to a video game publish. I was going to create a story for a video game. I found that it is almost impossible to sell your story like that. You need to be the head of your own video game company, and I don’t have the money for that. So, I switch career mode, switch schools, and I saw a VFX course.
                                                 I got very excited.
            I brought my fiancé down to the university to look the course. Later during that month, I emailed the teacher, and I got a return reply. I kind of wish I kept it.
            But, I remember the words he said:
             “Lucas, is this normally how you write? I have ESL student that have better English than you.” Said the Random VFR Teacher.
                                                                 Ouch.

                                                         That one hurt, a lot. 
                       That comment alone almost derailed my train.
                                           

                                                                            Almost.

This is where you decide to push forward, or stop. You now have been insulted on your work, and you as a person. It will happen, and it sucks;however, I tell you now, my English was that bad. Though he should have never insulted me because I did dropped from the course when he email me that reply. But, beside all of that, his response showed me one thing. If I was going to go further in this career I would have to pay for upgrading. I thought I had maybe a Grade 10 level. So, it would be a relaxed way to get back my grades.

         I took the test.

            I found out I had a 4^th Grade Math and a Grade 2 English Level.

                I was devastated.

                                                 That was three years ago.

 I kept trying. I did not give up. I paid for the course. I worked eight hours a day, and went to school for six hours. I was tired each day, and I kept pushing. After about a year, I was at a Grade 10 level. I found out my passion for math. Then, I found out, I could write. I was not afraid to write to anyone anymore, and I could write my story. I asked myself if I can be an author. Then, my English teacher, saw how creative I was, and she became my first Mentor.

Going through pain and failing are two of emotions you will feel. Keep writing, and you will be where I am. Coming up on my quest: I get my first critique on the first few pages on my First Chapter in one and a half weeks; my work, my story!  I am living proof that you can do anything you want!

                                          No matter what, don’t give up! And keep on writing! 

Time

Time.

            Good old Father-Time. This Anthropomorphism is depicted as an elderly white bearded man, dressed in a black robe, and carrying a scythe and an hourglass. He is a trope used to illustrate the passing of time, and the bane of all authors. Time becomes an issue quickly as I’ve learned. Now, in the first time in my life, I have a dead line for my story. The first three to four pages from Chapters one are going to be examined by a critique group.

C-3PO quote: “Exciting is hardly the word I would choose.”

          Thanks, C-3P0.

            Time has passed by, so my time is now.

               Time to show the world I am writer and I am an author.

            How I’ve worked towards this, and prayed for this. Over the time that has passed on my story, and the endless time that I have long that my work will be looked at. I feel like I am standing on the epic stage. The stage of the edge of the world. I stare down the cliffs edge, and looked into its water. I raise my hands up like Prospero a character from Shakespeare play The Tempest when he sees the sailing boat coming to his island. Waves crashing onto the sides of the cliff. And I breathe in a sigh.

             As I’m writing this blog I feel attached to this writing world finally. I am writing about old authors and story makers, and now can see me standing beside them. The time for me to connect myself to the world of writing has come. I have a mentor, I have a writing group, well two of them, and I’m so happy to be part this. Anxiety gone, and happiness returns.  I have shown my First Chapter to a few people, and now I get to show it to a group of people. I hope that I get both sides of the coin; the hate and the love. Maybe just one side, they might hate it and say what I’ve done is wrong. I hope for both. But hope for negative.

I am not saying that they are all negative feedback will be bad thing, but rather an erudition curve. I just want them to find the stuff they did not like, so I can approve on my writing and my book. If I just go in blind, and offer my story to the first publisher I will most likely fail. With these writing groups, I’ll be able to correct what they find in my story they say was wrong, and with their help I will be able to show the world what I can do. This is my chance, this my option.

             This is my moment in time where I become my dream.

                                       I am an author.  

Titles.

This  will be a little different. I will Podcast this Blog as will this week, and see how it works out. You can see the Podcast at

with the word "Titles" and this pictures at: https://threeangrynerds.wordpress.com/

              

                  Titles, or a title, are imperative to any story or novel. As long as there has been books there has been titles. But why? Why as a living race need titles to thingamajigs? How is this so important to reader, your book, and yourself? Sit back, get excited like the time the Firefighters fought to save your house for burning, found your answering machine that had a message form your agent, and all you heard is that your agent just called you.

                

                         Titles. Let’s look at the words. Titles are names that identifies a book, make you sigh or screamed at a movie, a song, recognized a painting, categorize musical arrangement, and other literacy or artistic work.  But it also does something a little bit more important when you see a title.

                              

                              It clasps your mind, and halts the grind of your daily life. 

               

   Grass, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Air, Dungeons and Dragons, Rocks, A Farewell To Arms,                             Beer, Alanis Morissette, Spider-man, and the Staff in the Stone.

                

               These titles are tired to emotions, response, and pull on the heart of life. They remind you of a time that has come, or has yet to come. For example, when the radio DJ blares out a name of some artist, you think of titles of songs that this Artist has. You wonder, will it be your favorite song? Y’know the title of that song. That’s very important to anything we do as humans. We categories things we hate and like with titles. With a title of your story, you set the mood. Spider-man, Superman, Lord of the Rings, are titles that set the tone of the story. The Staff in the Stone. My book’s title. What does it tell you? I bet just the title itself will tell you what my story could be.

                

        So, beside the title of your story that will set the tone of your story, what does a title do for you?

                

                    Ever watch the news, read a newspaper, and you see a mononym? A single name. They use words like student, I, you, person, and such other nouns to catch your attention, to bring you into their story. The student burns the chapel, you are being warned about a virus, a teacher has sex with a student, and a gorilla grows three feet taller and makes milkshakes. You've seen it. 

                                       But, let’s change those mononym.

             Lucas burns the chapel, Lucas warns you about a virus, Lucas has sex with a teacher and a student at the same time, Lucas grows three feet taller and makes you a milkshake.

                                            Let’s change it again.

                    Michael Bay burns the chapel, The Pope warns you about a virus, Rowdy Downy Jr. has sex and laughs about a teacher having sex, Master Chief grows three feet taller and makes you a milkshake.

                                                    The story has changed.

               I always hated the news for not using people’s name. They slap in a noun, a verb, and we get a story. Like your name is not important enough to effect the story.

                                          Let’s take it to the next step.

  

                  Here is ABC top news story: 7 NJ school Football players charged in Hazing. Ebola Patient had 103 degree when released from hospital, Women exonerated, freed after 17 years in prison.  Who are these people? I do not know. Does it matter? No, but they are titles to a story.

Let’s change it again.

        Lucas is a football player; charged in hazing. Lucas had 103 degrees when he was released from the hospital, Lucas exonerated, freed after 17 years in prison. Who am I? You kind of know who I am. But, it’s a name. Changes the fact that I am not just some random person. I’m getting ahead of myself here.  Again, the story has changed.

Let’s change it again.

              Michael Bay is a football player; charged in hazing. The pope had 103 degree temperature, Sonic the Hedgehog exonerated, freed after 17 years of bad video games. Sorry, I would follow the trend of RJ’s name, but Iron man would or could not be jailed.

                                

                                            Titles mean everything

             A name changes everything. Having your name instead of a “I, you, student, person, teacher, and ect.”, will place an emotional charge to that. A face, an idea, and you want to be that. You want your name, and not just “Author” or “Writer” I want a newspaper to read Lucas Charlston is awesome, and everyone will know it’s about a novel.

        So, what’s my point? Beside a title for a book, you should now get the idea that you are the title of the book. It all leads to this.

As a writer, I figure you can be three title people:

1.      

          1.)         Can I do this?      This person has the title of the dreamer. This person wishes to be a writer or an author. He or she questions there placement in life.  Can they be a writer? Is my story good? Every writer will has been at this stage. That question will be the first of a choice of many.  This person will be judge by that choice he or she make from that question, and looks at itself, and that’s a question we all must face. If we burn away all worthless information that we need for that choice, we are left with a pure product. The choice, for all time. You have this, you have a choice to do whatever you want. But the choice cannot be absolute. Being the dreamer doesn’t mean your excepted dream will come true, and may never be. Do not assume your decisions means you are going to be that; however, do not subscribe to fear. Do not fear what you can be. Keep living life. Keep saying, can I do this? Can I write? These people have the title of the dreamers. Always dream. Even if you think you have made the wrong choice, you got to always think that making the wrong choice is a challenges to overcome, and not an obstacles to avoid.

2.         2)               I can do this!      This person has the title of the writer. He or she who have condemn themselves to the slavery of the word and the will. Although that sounds terrible, I always like to think of it as something as simple as a common cold. It just happens. You catch a cold. You catch the writing bug. Now you are going to keep on writing, for the rest of your know life. That means you can write, you can be an author, I can do this! That is what you will have to say when you are a write, because you will come face to face with trouble. Being a writer means you will have little money, so you will have financial issues. If you are not good at grammar, you may have to go to school for years. You still need to eat, and when you eat you are taken away from your writing. Family and parents not understanding why you write, and not become a doctor. You do not want sex anymore, death of a love one, loneliness, and depression. Yet, we can look at all those trouble in the face, and say I can do this.

3.       3.)        I am this.           This is the most powerfulest saying ever. And the title of an Author. I am this. I am electrician. I am an Xbox tester. I am a man. I am a women. I am the best soccer player. I am an author. This is the most important thing to say. I am an author. This is what you say when look in the mirror, and you got to say it. I am an author, and believe in it. I know it sounds childish, but it empowers the idea of who you are in your head. This is a secret to many, and a simple choice for some. This person title is the Author, and not just a novel. Author of their own story, and the author of any choice they make. That’s where I stand, I tell everyone, and anyone. I am Lucas Charlston, I am an Author. I do not stray from it, I do not say maybe. I say it with a straight face. Because I know, I am an Author. Think about it. Saying you are an author; I am author. This saying leads you to a life of these words: I am this. You get to see your own immortally by saying this. You see how long it takes to make your dreams come true, and not choosing a life that is an easy choice. You get to see how fragile life is, and how important each moment is as you walk down the path of, “I am this.” So, you do no drift through your life. With the plan of going to one interview, to the next agent, to the next writing convention, and you say “I am this”, and rock out like a rock star. You will seize all the opportunities knowing that you are an author, and not just a writer. You will show the world that you are, I am this. You got to learn to risk it all, to not play it safe. And to get noticed by every single person that you and me meet.

                So, there you have it. A title is not just for your book. It is just important for yourself. I am Lucas Charlston, Author.

Keep on writing.

Muppet Babies were writers?

                Muppet Babies was a Saturday morning kid’s show that first aired on September 15, 1984, and was last aired on CBS in 1991.  They lived in this massive large window nursery, and they were watched over by a green and white socked nanny.  All these babies had hyperactive imaginations, and often embarked on an escapade into the world of fantasy world; however, they tend to get themselves into a chancy position. This adventures would entrain me for hours, and watch as the Muppet’s baby avatars were placed into famous characters rolls; Kermit being Luke Skywalker from Star wars fame.  Eventually, a peripheral event, like the nanny coming to see what noise was, saved them form their unpredicted kismet. They were constantly finding creative ways to entering themselves, as they learn to work together to endure their wild-imagined voyages.

                Now after that brief descriptions where is this proof that these guys would be writers. Well, in the intro song:

                                 “Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true

                                      Muppet Babies, we'll do the say for you

                                      When your room looks kind of weird

                                       And you wish that you weren't there

                                         Just close your eyes and make believe

                                                    And you can be anywhere.”

                                                                 That’s what they did!

                  They played in a blanket, and used their thought to portray fun! As an adult, we now can write to make our world come to life instead of playing it out in a nursery. Well playing in blanket pretending it is a monster octopus is fun, we as adults cannot find the fun in that anymore-well, we could, but it would not be fun for very long.

                    They wrote their own stories! They used the media they had, brought out their inspirations, and gave it a story. Short and copied other people’s ideas, but they were making stories. That’s how you write. You place down your imagination, and play it out! The Muppet Babies were writers!

                    Other such media have helped writers as well.  Through music, we can feel the beat of the trumpet flare as you lead an army, a quart of slow playing violins can make you feel at peace and in a meadow filled with floors, and with the sounds piano can make you feel that you are in the 1800’s with a bunch of cowboys beating at the Poker table. TV, can show you the drama of daytime shows, and show you sports you love. Video games let you control an avatar in a digital world, comics can show you pictures of another planet, dancing can free you from stress, live show can take you into any time period, and a novel, a book, can bring you anywhere with just a few words.

                The Muppet gang with their great imagination would have been great scientist or great writers.

            So here’s my advice to the people who are writing right now. If you need some creativeness to write right now, go watch some Muppet Babies. As Miss Piggy says, “Just close your eye and make believe, and you can be anywhere.”

Putting on the show

w

That really is the whole entire life cycle of writing. It’s a party.

            You are putting out your fiesta, and everyone is invited to your special event. The first chapter is the introduction. You pointed everyone out, and tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry who they are. The middle of the party, is all about the gathering of people, and they start to groove about as they make the next part. Happenings happen! People laugh at a joke, they play a video game, they cook some wieners on your heater, they start playing baseball in your bathroom, and build a flourish statue to the chair god out of your table. Time pass by, and you get to the end. Everyone leaves, and they tell you what your party was like.

             Your party goers are going to like the party, get bored, pass out in the bathroom, or return to want one more party.

            What makes a good party? You! You are the maverick showstopper party with host with the most…uhmm..host.

                        

                          YEA! DOUBLE ENTENDRE! NYUNYAAN! ß Guitar solo noise 

                                    

                                     Be prepared to go out there with a smile.

As my next step is starting. I find myself facing two divided decisions. One being that I can go to school, and spend a whole bunch of time on more writing, or what my mentor is pointing out to me. My mentor told me to head towards the writing circles. I never really been in one right away.

                    From my understanding, you go in, and you write. This has been done by every author, every writer, and every critical thinker. Just like scientist using coffee houses in the 1800’s. Like Isaac Newton went to the Grecian Coffee house, and used to have conversations with the Whigs!

                But you and me, we got to put on the show. We got to put the fireworks on, and dance with the guitar strapped on our shoulder. Slide your tongue up and down on those strings/words on your paper. Raise our hands in the air, and say “Thank you very much, I will be here all week, and try the liver!”

    
           What I’m trying to say, to be an author, you got to know that you are an author. Do not be afraid to spread around. Though, personally I have never been to writing circle. I am going to rock and roll my ideas in there, and walk out a rock star. But with a book, and not a guitar strapped to my shoulder. Texts and sentence, baby! NYUHYAAH! Book solo! Get it? Instead of guitar solo?

                                                  Keep on writing. 

The Frist Edit.

The first edit,

I am going to be hiding names for now. I do not want to offend people; but really, the only people I know that read this blog right now are close relatives or close friends.

I should or could go on about other things first. The first write, the first page. How I got where I am, how I created the story, and yadda yada. But I prefer to take this root. As you already have your own story, you know what it must take to get to this certain points. I went through 17 reimagining of my story- no joke, and to take you through all 17 I would have to list all of my main protagonist’s names first. Kit, James, Kid….. And so on. Those edits are important. What’s kind of crazy is the one person name that did not change was Calico’s name. Off topic here, sorry.

                The first edit was really an adventure. The huge journey I went on to get to just one person to read the first Chapter, and help me get ideas. I got reject from schools, teachers, famous authors, friends, family members, and even a ninja that was dressed up like the siding of a building. They kept saying they have no idea how to publish; how to start editing. Luckily, I found someone that would help me.

                See when I first came up with the story I wanted I was so excited, but I failed an English. The first time I tired getting an idea on where to start this publishing of my book I sat down for a meeting for two hours to talk to someone for about three minutes. She told me about her mentor that helped her in her class. I talk to him, and he blew me off right away. Saying that I crazy, and pretty much never going to make it because there’s no way to get in.

               

                 I got lucky! I had found a way to get an hour sit down time with an author! I had a chance for a famous author to sit down and read it with me, but after half an hour, I only got to sit down and joke with him. He did not point out any flaws in my story, he just said to keep on writing. So now what?

                                                  Then I meet my mentor.

               

                   A teacher I knew told me to talk to someone. She knew I was having issue with starting my book in the proper way. So she pointed me to someone. My mentor.  

                

             It was in a class room we meet. I kept asking who this women was to each person, and assuming each person the entered the room would be her. They all laughed, and said no; however, she know who I was, and greeted me instead. That day was wonderful. We went through the first page, and the first chapter. I still have her notes, all of them, in a blue binder from that day. This was it, and I knew than I was an Author. You've heard if it before.

                                             The spark. 

              The rapper Eminem sings that you only get one shot, y’know, that song from his movie 8 Mile. I’m being simple here, and I am talking about how people all have dreams. But you’ve got to have that dream, you see what I mean? You've got to be crazy about it. Can you lose hope? NEVER! Life’s too short to be sane, and get some real job that just pays your bills. You’ve got to go fully into it. Be a Funky Bozo, who care if you get embarrassed that someone reads your story. ‘Cause you’re only given a petite trigger of fantasy…and if you misplace that, drop it, or lose it. You’re nothing. You are not just one more person texting on cell phone on how much your day job sucks.

                You are an Author. Say it to yourself! Make a book cover of your book, and place it on your desk to prove you are. Open your writing tools each day, and read them to remind yourself you an Author. KEEP DOING IT!

                

                                               The first edit is a must! 

                           My mentor-I tell her that she is, has taken my story leaps ahead of what I would it could be! This would have never of happen without her. She encourages me, she even told me that no one she knows has gotten this far, and a lot of people would have given up by now. Not me. I am trapped in my fantasy. I look at my first edit of my story and tell myself, “I can now stay that one other person has read my story.” As my Mentor would say: Keep writing Lucas. I’m reading.

                                                        I’ll keep writing. 

                   So one day the world will know that I am an Author. I will have my dream. 

                                                         And so will you.

How long will it take?

How long will it take to write your novel?

 That is an enquiry I cannot answer, but can give you an idea by how long it will take you by the appearance of myself and how long it has taken me to get where I have been. Back in 2008 (being 2014 now), I came up with the idea behind Staff in the Stone. I worked at bottle depot in Kamloops called General Grants for a very long time, and I was very happy there. After that, I moved down to Vancouver. In-between all that I have been writing. I write on buses, cars, parks, and even on the greyhound. I went to school to improve my English and writing skills for two years, and need to learn more about English.  I am now close to my 3^rd edit of my story. I tired being Dungeon Master for my DnD group, and think of idea I can get from there, and that has been four years of my life. You can find a great many idea from a couple of friends and a dice that has twenty sides.

Why am I telling you all this?

I have invested a lot of time into this. A LOT! Many weekends, and many things I have skipped to keep writing. I am not even close to being done. I will need all of this and more if I am going to publish my book. So how long will it take? Your life. It is a dedication to your story. Career, kids, and other such society achievements will never or may be late. If you want to write know that you will always be writing. Your first novel might take two years, or it could take ten to fifteen years. I am up to six years now, and I think I still have four more years to go. Good luck.