Buying Local isn’t just a way for hipsters to make themselves feel better about their consumeristic behavior patterns. There’s another major benefit of buying local that many people don’t realize.

An Author’s Incomes

As a member of the MNSpec Writer’s Group, I see many fellow authors struggling for months or even years with their stories,  laboring to make their novels the very best that they can. Despite what Na-no-wri-mo would have you believe, novels take a long time to write well. Musicians and Filmmakers would agree with Authors that good art takes a lot of time, resources, and a lot of physical, mental and emotional energy.

When you finally finish that sure-to-be-a-bestseller, when you finally see the hard copy on the bookstore shelf or view the listing online, there’s more than just money soon to be coming your way.  In fact, there are several different ‘incomes’ that you receive as an author.

There’s the satisfaction of a completed project. Fan mail. Reviews. Stalkers.

Death threats from political/religious factions will start up, but the death threats from your agent and publisher will stop, so that’s a wash.

But one of the incomes that will always bring you a warm fuzzy is the simple action of selling your book to someone.

Signing a book for someone, dedicating it to them specifically and handing it to them directly is a perk of being an author that few people will ever get to enjoy. This is an invisible currency, but every bit as valuable as cash.

I had the opportunity to experience this myself firsthand. Handing out copies of The Blackness Within (a compilation containing my first published short story, Big Game) to my friends and family was a thrill in itself, but there was more:

“Aren’t you going to sign it? You have to sign it!”

They didn’t just want my story. They wanted it signed by the author.

I’ve been on the Please-Sign-This-Book-For-Me side of the street many times before, so I know exactly how that feels. But the feeling that comes from autographing books for other people – part humility, part pride, part hack and part superstar – is a rare blend. Maybe famous authors get used to it, but for unfamous local authors like myself who are still amazed that they actually got their work published, much less that anyone would want to read it…

The sale is nice and all, but the bonus compensation of Gratitude and Praise are part of a writer’s income that makes me feel good about what I’ve done. That it was actually worth the countless late nights, lunches and weekends spent slaving over a hot keyboard when I could have been doing… well, pretty much anything else.

Supporting Your Local Arts and Artists

If you really love books, then check out local authors at readings and book signings.  Dreamhaven Books in Minneapolis has a continuing series of monthly readings by local Speculative Fiction authors, and you’ll see plenty of regulars from the MNSpec Writer’s Group in attendance.

Sure, you could jump online and buy the book right now. Or you could go to the used bookstore and get it dirt cheap. But think about it. The author gets nothing from your purchase of a second-hand book, and you’ve also denied them the satisfaction of interacting with the people who read their work. You’ve also denied yourself the experience of meeting the person who made the book possible. Learning what the author is like might make you more (or less) excited about buying their books.

When you buy directly from the author, you not only get the book you wanted, but you’re giving back a lot more than just a purchase. You are casting your vote for the kind of art you want to see in your area.

Best of all, you’ll be able to say that you helped out one of your own local authors, and that you actively support your local arts community.

“It’s All About Sales”

…at least that’s what my friend said. We were talking about web design and web copy writing, but we could just as easily have been talking about writing in general.  It made me wonder about the purpose(s) other writers might have for writing novels. Now I’m certainly not going to turn down cash for my writing, and I don’t know an author who would, but that isn’t the primary reason that I write.

What is it then? Why do I write? You’d think a Philosophy major would have asked themselves that question before typing a single word, but I’d never really thought about it before. Why would anyone voluntarily put themselves through such a notoriously frustrating, unflattering, and poorly-paying field that makes a career in porn sound more rewarding?

Below is the list of seven reasons I could imagine motivating authors to write. There are probably more, but I think I got all the major ones. If you can think of any I missed, toss them in the comments.

It’s probably pretty rare for an author to fall under a single one of these motivations, and there may be different motivations for each story an author writes. More likely it’s some combination of several motivations, even if they’re subconscious ones.

1 – Commercial

My capitalistic friend does have a point. The most obvious answer to the question “Why write novels?” would be, “For the Money” and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the most popular answer, although anyone who knows anything about the publishing industry should take my advice and buy lottery tickets instead. The dress code is the same but the pay is better, and so are the hours.

I’d lump Charity into this category as well, since it’s work being traded as a gift of some value.

“Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art.”

-The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

If there was ever an artist who could have created art solely for commercial purposes, it was Andy Warhol. His New York gallery project The American Supermarket contained works of art laid out like food items in a supermarket (along with the infamous Campbell’s Soup Can painting) which pretty much hits this nail on the head with an aircraft carrier.

Nowadays we have “Commercial Artists” a title people aren’t even ashamed of. A writer example of the commercial artist is called a “Copy Writer” – one who writes advertisement/product/web copy for a living. The fact that this career path exists is proof enough that cash is a major motivation for some authors.

But that ain’t me. Not yet, anyway. I still have a day job, so I have the luxury of not depending on my writing to put food on the table. Believe me, this is a good thing. But it still leaves my core writing motives unanswered, so let’s dig a little deeper…

2 – Fame

Some authors think they can actually get famous by writing. I mean, red carpet famous. I mean, their likeness parodied on The Simpsons famous.

It’s not unreasonable for beginning authors to release their work for free in an attempt to grow their fan base. In fact, it’s the method I use to increase membership in The Cult of Zero, and it works quite well. Giving away free samples of your work will make you more popular. But if you think your writing is going to make you the next Stephanie Meyer or Stephen King: read this and calm down.

I don’t write for fame, and I have no delusions of being the next Neil Gaiman or Amanda Hocking. If I wanted fame, I’d release the home video of me, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann. Ahem. Moving right along…

3 – Informational / Educational

No one pays the writers of the articles on wikipedia. Many of those authors are driven by a desire to teach. To educate. To share information.

Authors of non-fiction must be at least partially motivated by the need to inform or educate others. Even if they have an ulterior Commercial motivations, they simply aren’t going to sell many How To Write the Best Dark Fiction Ever books if they don’t actually inform the audience How To Write the Best Dark Fiction Ever.

Memoirs and biographies (especially auto-biographies) generally fall into this area, unless you’re interesting enough that someone approaches you with a book deal for your life story.

I pepper my writing with factoids, but stories about how to save the world from Giant Carnivorous Poisonous Exploding Spider-Leeches… well, they aren’t generally found the in the “how to” section of the bookstore. (If I’m wrong about this, please drop a link in the comments section.) So this isn’t really a motivation for my writing either. Maybe someday I’ll write a real Demonslayer’s Handbook…

4 – Influential / Persuasive

Some art exists only to front an ulterior motive or agenda. Political and Religious texts that are not objectively written can fall quickly from the Informational / Educational category into this one.  It could be argued that authors who do this are actually Commercially motivated, because they are “selling” an idea or philosophy. I don’t “buy” that. (Pun intended.)

If there’s any influence in my writing, its not intentional. Persuasive writing generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth even if the writing is good, and even if I agree with the agenda being pushed.

Georges Braque said, “Art is meant to Disturb.” He did NOT say, “Art is meant to justify and perpetuate your narrow-minded opinion.”

5 – Aesthetic / Entertainment

Simply put, some people make art just to change the world. They want to make people laugh, or cry, or swoon, or simply “mess with their minds.” Graffiti probably belongs in this category. Can you imagine what the world would be like if all authors only wrote for aesthetic value?

Perhaps this motivation would be better summed up by the word Power. Aesthetic implying power to change the world, and Entertainment implying power to change other humans.

Is this why I write? Not completely. Of course I want my novels to be glittering gems of dark fiction treasure that make women’s toes curl, shots of bestselling urban-fantasy-meth that make men thrust their fists in the air and chant “Hell Yeah!” But if this was the reason I wrote, I’d be writing some cross between James Patterson and Danielle Steele.

6 – Forced / Compelled

Speaking of motivations, there’s plenty of reasons someone might write something they really don’t want to write:

• My boss made me do it.
• My teacher made me do it.
• The Devil made me do it.
• My publishing contract made me do it.
• Someone had to do it.

This covers anyone forced to write at gunpoint, and pretty much all of your business and school writings. It also covers automatic writing and people possessed by evil spirits.  In fact, I recently saw a book that the author said was “…dictated to me by the Creator.” I guess if the Creator dictates a book to you, you’d better write it down. (But you don’t necessarily have to publish it. Just sayin.)

You’ve probably heard about the ‘contractual obligation’ manuscripts some multi-book-deal authors complain about? Those authors might fall into this category, but they won’t get much sympathy from me. It’s like complaining about the payments on your foreign sports car, while the majority of authors are walking. But at least when the commercial motivation fizzles, they have an agent and a publisher with deadlines that will help motivate them to write.

Obviously, this isn’t my main motivation for writing, although I have had stories “haunt” me, and I felt that if I just Got-The-Damn-Story-Out-Of-My-Head I could have some peace. But this is usually during the initial phase of writing a story, so it isn’t my primary motivation.

7 – Because Writing Is Fun

This one seemed so simple I almost missed it. At first blush this seems similar to “forced or compelled” motivation crossed with the “Aesthetic” motivation and  mixed with Rainbows and Vermouth. There’s no shortage of the romanticized visions of authors dreamily constructing their bestselling masterpiece, usually in a very short montage with a soundtrack of hipster music and bright lighting.

Of course this is mostly Bullshit. The real writing process for me takes place in a basement that looks more like the set for a High On Fire video than Beck. No rainbows, and hardly any Vermouth.

But notice I said “mostly” bullshit. There is a small piece of that Fictional Fiction Writer’s World that is non-fiction to me.

I actually enjoy writing.

My stories, with all the doom, gloom, blood, death and disembowelment are, strangely enough, what I call my  “Happy Place.” I enjoy writing dark fiction because it means I get to go to interesting places and hang out with cool people, hideous monsters, unfathomable evil, Exploding Spider-Leeches and chicks with swords.

Call it a sickness if you will, but there’s no cure that I know of. No, not even more cowbell.

Perhaps this motivation would be better labeled as “Escape” which, interestingly, is the same reason many people READ dark fiction.

And there it is. My primary motivation for writing is that I really enjoy it. It’s why I also write song lyrics and blog posts like this one. I wish it paid better. But like I said, if I was doing it for the money, I’d get a second job and buy some lottery tix.

There must be other people out there who simply enjoy writing for its own sake, and not for external motivations. The alternate motivations like fame, money and such are nice if they get fulfilled, but if writing itself gives you pleasure, then the journey is the reward and anything else is a bonus.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think? Am I way off? Can all these different categories be subsumed under Commercial? Or Aesthetic?

Can you add to the list?  Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

I’ve never given much thought to story length. My stories come out at whatever length they are, and changing the length of the story once it’s written is generally the domain of publishers and editors. But it’s interesting to hear Stephen King talk about it in this short youtube clip:

A Convention for High-Level Author Discussion

The 4th Street Fantasy Convention Conversation describes itself this way:

• a convention for people who are serious about good fantasy and good stories.
• a weekend of high-quality, high-intensity, mind-stretching fun.
• a single track program sized so that everyone can experience the same panels.
• fascinating conversations.
• an opportunity to promote interest and quality in fantasy literature.

I like that they call it a Conversation, not a Convention. The panel programming is structured like a Convention, but the audience is allowed to interact  add, and steer the conversation (under the control of a panel moderator). Some of the best conversation for me was found outside the actual programming, when writers would break into groups between panels, kibitzing in the back room, noshing at nearby venues, assembling in the hotel bar for some social lubrication, or taking over the conference room after hours for a late-night music jam.  The ability to digest and process the info with other authors is great because it allows you to take the high-level theory back to the day-to-day applied practice of writing.

Fourth Street is geared more toward art than craft. The level of discussion is more philosophical and abstract than the discussions we have at MNSpec Writer’s Groups. The topics are heady, and even panel topics that were started simply because “I didn’t like it when author X did this…” end up getting analyzed at a high level that might throw newer authors. With a roomful of experience, intelligence, alcohol and overcompensating introverts, your mileage will definitely vary. You could get moments of non-topic pedantic bullshit, but the results are usually writer-philosophy-Nirvana.

Who-All Was There

It was good to see a respectable turnout of my fellow MNSpec writers: the talented, published (and MODEST, damn him) Michael Merriam, his lovely wife Sherry Merriam, the uber-talented Dana Baird, the lovely and talented and very pregnant Abra Staffin-Wiebe, the cheerful uber-hipster couple Eli Effinger-Weintraub and Leora, and the charming Tracy LaChance. It was comforting to know that we could have taken the conference if we had to (except maybe Elizabeth Bear, she seems like a scrapper) but fortunately it didn’t come to that. It would be great if MNSpec could have an even greater presence at 4th Street in 2012. I was glad to have plenty of people I knew at the convention, because socializing is a major component of the event, and if you have people there whom you know, (or if you’re naturally outgoing and extroverted) I think you’ll get more out of it.

I was forewarned that there is a “country club” feel to the 4th Street convention, and I can tell you this is  is kinda-sorta true. A high percentage of people attending conference have been there before. I would say less than 10% of the group were first time attendees. Overall the regular crowd was friendly and accepting of The New People. There is also the core group that created 4th street called the Scribblies. These are the royalty in the not-so-invisible hierarchy of 4th Street. You don’t have to bow to them, but it’s clear that they run the show.

If the Scribblies are the Royal Court, then the Queen would be Janet Grouchy, the real power behind making 4th street a success. Janet is actually a Momma Duck in Disguise who made sure we were all taken care of over the long weekend. She was my personal caffeine source, keeping me supplied with Diet Coke and Louisiana Coffee for my high-octane needs. Janet was the epitome of Southern Hospitality. She checked on each table personally to make sure our lunches were alright before she sat down herself. Fourth Street is very lucky to have someone like Janet to coordinate this awesome event/resource for writers.

Highlights

Conrad Zero and the Queen of Urban Fantasy, Emma Bull

The #1 highlight of the convention for me was when one of my personal hometown heroes Emma Bull sat down beside me, and we got the chance to chat. For those who don’t know, Emma Bull wrote War for the Oaks in 1987, which is considered to be the book that defined the Urban Fantasy genre, and had a huge impact on my own writing career. I told Emma that her work inspired me greatly, but that she should not feel responsible or guilty for any stories I might publish because of that inspiration. After three days of observing Emma in action, I can tell you she is smart, sparky, fun, and still passionate about writing after almost 25 years. She is living proof that writing will not eventually turn you into Harlan Ellison.

Another personal highlight was during a panel called “Off with ‘is head!” which discussed how, when and why authors might kill off main characters. One audience member was struggling to come up with an example of a character who become immortal, even mythological, by transcending death. I yelled out “Frodo Lives!” The guy looked equal parts confused and annoyed, like I had Tourette’s Syndrome or something. I could just as easily have yelled out “Jesus Christ!” but I figured more of the audience had read The Lord Of The Rings than The Bible. (I’m waiting for the movie myself.) But seriously, I didn’t just make up this phrase. If it has it’s own wikipedia page, it qualifies as pop culture. Good thing I had a +3 Potion of Snub-Resistance on me.

The “Another Panel” is complete genius. If anyone tries to take the discussion off-topic (intentionally or not) people can claim “That’s Another Panel” in which case someone writes it down on a board and the discussion returns to the topic at hand. At the end of the weekend, the last panel is called “Another Panel” where the list of topics is examined for further discussion.

There was so much book/author-name-dropping that it made me feel guilty for not reading more. The good news was that I was able to add a whole slew of fiction books to my amazon wish list. (Thank goodness for free wireless.) and a slew of movies to my Netflix queue. Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore had a handy table at the conference with an assortment of books by the authors in attendance.

I picked up a copy of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, and got Scott to sign it. Scott is a great speaker with a great sense of humor and an odd combination of gregariousness and modesty. One of the discussion panel topics was about killing off main characters, which apparently happens in this book. Of course, I immediately had to buy it. Not because a main character dies, but I told Scott that any author willing to take chances like that is going to take chances in other areas too, and that’s the kind of author I want to read.

The best parts of 4th street for any author are information, motivation, and networking. Just talking about writing with writers, and bouncing around so many great ideas made me want to go home and write ten novels. If you’re a writer in the Minnesota/Minneapolis area, you owe it to yourself to attend the 4th Street Fantasy Conversation.

Things I learned at 4th Street Fantasy Conversation 2011

• If you have a clean house, you are not an author.
• If you aren’t a control freak, you aren’t really an author.
• Weight gain in authors is also known as “street cred.”
• Write better.
• Write things you have a passion for.
• Simply because you talk a good talk on a panel doesn’t mean your writing is good.
• Simply because you botch or get trounced on a panel doesn’t mean your writing sucks.
• You’re never going to keep your audience if you worry about keeping your audience.
• The deadline for your Science Fiction manuscript is Fantasy, and the deadline for your Fantasy manuscript is Science Fiction (esp since it involves Time Travel.)

Apple iCloud vs. Amazon Cloud Player vs. Google Music Beta

Online music storage is the future that replaces MP3 players, just like MP3 players replaced CD players, just like CD players replaced cassette players. The beauty of accessing your music where ever you go on whatever device you have available might just launch a renaissance of music appreciation. Or not. At the very least, it keeps your music backed up for you, and there’s some free options, so you should at least check them out.

PCMag.com has a great article describing the differences between Amazon, Apple and Google’s online music players.

I’m in on the Google Music Beta and I’ve been choking my internet connection with about 60GB of music that’s been uploading for the last two days. People complain about how long it takes for the initial upload, but seriously, 60GB is a preposterous amount of data. People are quick to dismiss data size because hard drive space is so cheap but seriously, it would take you MONTHS of listening for 24 hours a day just to play through all that music. And once its up on the cloud, it only needs to sync changes.

Too bad it took so long for online music storage to get popular – mp3tunes.com has been doing online music storage for YEARS. Sadly, their business model doesn’t work. 2GB is not enough space for all my music. And paying for more space is not reasonable. If I was going to pay for storage, I’d pay for generic online file storage like Dropbox or SugarSync that works for all my data files, docs and pictures, not just music.

Ah, music storage in the cloud. Ah, no DRM. Ah, no Apple or Itunes involved. Life is good. My nest step is to pick up a 4G phone so I have access to my entire music library almost anywhere. Can I get a Hell Yeah?

Dreams With Sharp Teeth

At the MNSpec writer’s group, there are three names that keep coming up. These three would be the Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna of writers for our group. They are writers who not only pushed the boundaries of commercial speculative fiction, but have also stood the test of time. They are Stephen King, Anne Rice and Harlan Ellison.

So who the hell is Harlan Ellison?

I was asking myself that very same question. Despite knowing a bit about his antics (See this fantastic rant from Harlan.) I’d heard more about Harlan’s personality than I ever did about his writing.  So when I tripped over a documentary called Dreams With Sharp Teeth I had to check it out.

Harlan is such an interesting and quirky person that even if you aren’t an author or an avid reader, you still might want to watch this well constructed and highly entertaining documentary, directed by Erik Nelson. Guests include Robin Williams and Neil Gaiman.

Scattered throughout the documentary are clips of Harlan reading from his work. The man definitely has a way with words. I’ve never read anything by Harlan Ellison, but with titles  like “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, I’ll be checking these out soon. My favorite parts of the film are clips of him being interviewed back in the 70′s. Harlan is one cool cat, no question. And his biting cynicism, worldviews, chaotic behavior and intolerance for stupidity made me feel like I just discovered my real father. (Harlan might actually be my real father for all I know. My mom told me I was dropped off by the gypsies… long story.)

Dreams With Sharp Teeth is an excellent documentary about a fascinating human being. If you were thinking it would be  cool to sit down and have dinner with Harlan, make sure to check out the bonus feature where Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman and the director sit around a table eating pizza and telling stories until Harlan looks at them and says, “When are you guys going to leave?” Fabulous.

Michelle Raftner, whom you may recognize as the brains behind WordCount’s Blogathon 2011, tossed a little light on yours truly in her secondact.com article Blogging Their Way to a Midlife Makeover.  I was thrilled to be interviewed by Michelle for her article. Sadly, it wasn’t until after I read the article that I realized my response to her e-mail interview questionnaire was firmly planted in my drafts folder, and did not make it back to her in time for the article. Thankfully, she was able to piece together a reasonable article from our conversation. My sincere apologies to Michelle.

For those who care, here are the more detailed answers to her questions:

Name of blog:

Conrad Zero – Dark Fiction Author

URL:

www.conradzero.com

What is your blog about?

Tips, tricks, inspirations and motivations for all authors and writers, and the occasional day-in-the-life revelations of a dark fiction author.

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging since 29 Jan, 2004. At first, my blog was more entertainment-based, and I did reviews of movies, music, books, video games and occasionally, self-important bullshit that I mistook for “life.”  Over time, I’ve changed to become more of a mix of useful writing information and entertainment (infotainment?) spiced with interesting website links, news and technologies that I hope writers would find interesting or useful.

What have you learned about blogging?

1 – Know the difference between facts and your opinions

I once had a commenter who kept flaming me because I made fun of Naomi Watts performance in Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong. No, seriously. I tried to get him to understand that we simply had differing opinions on the matter and that was OK. But he valiantly attempted to “prove” me wrong, and made an ass of himself in the process. Luckily for him, comments got reset when I moved from Blogger to WordPress, but it made me realize that some people will read your blog and think you are giving them real, objective facts when you’re just stating your opinion.

If you are clear with your readers about what you feel vs what you know, you can prevent some (but not all) angry responses. For those that manage to be pissed off at you anyway, if you know the difference between subjective and objective you’ll be better equipped to defend yourself against the flamethrowers.

2 – See both the good and bad in your reviews

Cynics can be funny and even entertaining, but if you are one of those snide reviewers who think its fun and funny to be anti-Everything, why do I need to read your blog? I already know what your opinion is going to be, and I’ll never take your reviews seriously, because I wouldn’t trust you to find the good in anything.

Remember that there are real people behind these projects (movies, books, music, whatever) and they worked really hard to create them.

As a member of the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writer’s Group, one of the things that impresses me about our writing critique workshops is that our members always try to see both the good in writing submissions as well as the bad.  Authors who are diligent enough to finish a piece of writing and brave/conscientious enough to share it with a crit group deserve at least a charitable interpretation.That includes both constructive and destructive criticism. Few bloggers do this, because it takes more work and requires thinking. But, if you can do this, you will raise your blog from stand-up comedy to a useful source of info that helps artists make their own works better.

3 – The Very Best PR You Can Get

Lots of bloggers fuss over colors, keywords and SEO, meanwhile they ignore, or even snap back at their audience, missing out on the very best PR they have at their disposal: their attitude towards their audience.

I sent an e-mail to an up-and-coming author telling him I really enjoyed his new book. Six months later I got a confused reply, ‘Did I ever thank you for this?” I was thrilled to get that much, but I decided that I would do better when it came to my own fans. [Editor's Note: Tell that to Michelle Raftner! LOL]

Last week, I received an angry e-mail from a reader about my recent post comparing online file sync systems Sugarsync vs Dropbox. The reader was angry that I didn’t include anything about online security. I replied calmly, presenting the reader with my OPINION (See above) and the research I’d done on the matter that backed up my opinion. The reader responded saying he had never considered the points I presented, and he mentioned how nice it was to receive an intelligent thoughtful reply “for a change”.  People may not expect a personal reply, much less a thoughtful one, but they certainly do appreciate it.

4 – No, it really isn’t all about you.

Most bloggers favorite subject is themselves. This is great after you’ve sold a million books, because people might actually care. Till then, the only people who are going to read you going on and on about yourself are your mom and your psycho ex, (neither of which are going to buy your book, btw.)

A tip for the unfamous: if you can become a resource of a specific kind of info (not yourself) you will get all the linkage, comments, and SEO you could want.

5 – You are no expert, but you don’t have to be

Here’s a great bit of blogger humor:

Q: How many bloggers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Tell us what YOU think in the comments below.

Many of the more successful bloggers aren’t necessarily the best knowledge sources on a subject – they are enablers. They find, filter and focus content and are able to pull together like-minded people who can help with the answers. Look up crowdsourcing, and then see how it’s done on sites like lifehacker, digg, imdb, problogger, etc. The truth is that anyone with a passion for something can make a website that will draw like-minded people, regardless of their credentials.

The goal is not to be (or pretend to be) an expert on things and to have all the answers. What’s more important is meeting people on the same journey you are on, and to share and grow wisdom along with them.

Google prepares for world domination with new product lines.

Sure Google is Evil but so is my ex. But just because they’re evil doesn’t mean they aren’t attractive. Buzz on the web indicates Google is poised to shake some pillars just in time for the end of the world in 2012.

Project Tungsten

Mobiledia reports that Google is nearly finished with a “Smarthome” platform code-named Project Tungsten.  This is straight out of every damned future-movie we’ve ever watched. You pull up the driveway and the door unlocks, the lights turn on, (to a preset level dependent on time of day and ambient light intensity) the stereo pulls up your favorite playlist, and your android-enabled kitchen mixes you an unnecessarily strong Iron Butterfly.

Just add a holographic model in a French-maid outfit, and we’re all set. Except we will need a new vision of what the new future living quarters will look like.

Google Music Player

Finally. I’ve been waiting for someone…anyone to come out with a decent music player and online storage system  so I can tell Microsoft and Apple both to suck it.

I would have bet money on Amazon’s new cloud storage, or maybe Dropbox or Sugarsync, but I never thought our musical savior would be Google. Lifehacker.com gives a sneak peak of Google’s new cloud music player.  Store 20,000 songs in the cloud, and access them through the android smartphone app. Yet another way to suck both your phone batteries and your data plan minutes dry, but it trounces carrying two devices or suffering with I-tunes.

By invite only, so make sure to get on the list.

Google Voice

I was grandfathered into Google Voice a few years ago when they bought Grand Central, so this service isn’t very *new* and I’m surprised that Google really hasn’t bothered to promote the “One Number To Rule Them All” but I think it’s a damned miracle. One number rings all your phones at once, or you can set rules based on time of day or the incoming number. For example, if anyone from my Family group calls between 8AM and 5PM, then forward to these phones. If my student loan officer calls at any time,  dump it directly to voicemail.

Custom messages means you can leave a “Hi There! I sure am sorry I missed your call!” for your mom and your sweetie, while unlisted numbers get the generic “Leave  a message, but don’t hold your breath.”

Messages left for you get translated into text and e-mailed to you, meaning you can actually get your voicemail messages during meetings with your ringer turned off, AND messages are now stored forever in your e-mail, AND searchable via text.

I could keep going, but QED. Google Voice rocks, and the reason I add this to the list is because Microsoft just announced plans to purchase the mega-online phone mogul, Skype. This action alone will call attention to Google Voice as an option, and  so they won’t even have to promote it, and it may force Google’s hand and make them fess up as to their big plans for such an awesome and underrated service.

Regardless, I predict that you’ll be hearing more about Google Voice in the near future.

Google TV

And if that wasn’t enough, Google TV should just about clench it.

Evil is the new Good

So Google’s got your personal communication device, your entertainment center and your house in their digital pocket. Oh yes, and they are sifting through your contact list so they got all that, too.  I’m just going to send them my credit card now and get it over with. Who am I kidding? They probably already have it.

When you add it up, it really does look like Google is going to take over the world. Maybe it should. Google may not be able to run for President of the United States of America, but it could certainly take a position as a world-dominating authority. Google knows all our secrets (Well, except maybe China)  so it wouldn’t be a difficult task.

Come on Google, you’ve already botched your Don’t Be Evil slogan, and Be Evil, but just evil enough to make your online experience better isn’t going to cut it.

If you don’t step up and take over the world, I’ve got Cthulhu on speed-dial. Wait a minute, does Cthulhu own controlling stock in Google? That would explain a lot.

Are you fighting a chaotic mess of manuscripts? A plethora of plot outlines? Reams of rejection letters? Do you lose documents and important info? Do you have enough paper on your desk to potty-train a herd of baby Godzillas?

You’re not alone.

I recently did some research on organization specifically for writers and authors, then I presented my findings to the MNSpec Writers Group. I’ll post a link to the podcast here when it goes live, but this blog post highlights five key points from that presentation.

One book that was very helpful in my research was Organizing for the Right Side of the Brain: A Creative Approach to Getting Organized by Lee Silber. According to Mr. Silber, writers, authors and other creative types have special needs when it comes to keeping organized.  Writers (especially Fiction writers) tend to be right-brain dominant, and right-brain dominant people are wired for creation, not organization. Their thinking is more abstract and intuitive than left-brain dominant people, whose thinking is more linear and analytical. You can read more about Left-Brain, Right-Brain Theory here, and you can take this test to see whether you are right or left brain dominant.

The most surprising discovery I made in my research was that I’m not as disorganized as I thought I was. It all started with this revelation:

Cleanliness Does Not Equal Organization

I used to believe that a clean desk was an organized desk, but on closer examination, I found that is not always the case. For instance, I work with someone whose office cubicle looks like it was ransacked by the FBI. It looks like the contents of every desk drawer were turned out onto her desktop. But she never loses things. She knows exactly where everything is. She can pull stuff out of the chaos like a magician. You wouldn’t know it by looking, but she is very organized.

Meanwhile, another coworker’s cubicle looks like it’s her first day on the job. Not a scrap of paper in sight. You literally could eat off the surface of her desk, it’s that clean. But she’s constantly asking me for copies of paperwork I gave her earlier. And when I ask her for paperwork, the usual response is, “Oh, I’m not sure where it is. I’ll have to dig for it. Let me get back to you.”

So there you are: Cleanliness does not equal Organization. If you “clean” your writing desk by shoving all those stacks of paper down the laundry chute, then your desk really is clean. But if you spend hours sifting through a mountain of paper in the basement, looking for manuscripts instead of writing, then you really are not organized.

So if organization isn’t cleanliness, what is it?

Redefining “Organization”

Bing.com suggests Organization is “effectiveness of arrangement” But we can do better than that. Try this:

Organization: The ability to find things in a reasonable amount of time.

The more organized you are, the faster you can find things when you need them. You either know EXACTLY where they are, or you know MOSTLY where they are, and can find them after a short search. Either way, if you are organized, then you don’t waste much time looking for things, whether these ‘things’ are contact information, appointments, character bios or that manuscript you haven’t worked on for months.

None of which has to do with cleanliness, which leads me to my first tip for writers and authors trying to get more organized:

Writer Organizing Tip #1 – Don’t Fear The Clutter

Authors, writers and other creative types are less limited by clutter than your average person. They are able to see patterns in chaos that would drive a left-brained person barking mad. Having things out where they can see them is a trait of right-brained folks who tend to believe that out of sight = out of mind. Where others see piles of paper on a desk, right-brainers are able to see a series of tasks they are working on: Manuscripts to revise, royalty checks to deposit, and rejection letters to burn to offset the heating bill.

So just because you have piles of paper on your desk doesn’t mean that you aren’t organized. Measure your organizing skills by how long it takes you to find things, or how often you lose things. Obviously its more pleasant to work in a clean work environment, but that’s a blog post for a different day. As long you are able to find what you need when you need it, don’t be afraid to have things out where you can see them.

Writer Organizing Tip #2 – Use Containers and Labels

The bad news is that being organized requires setting limits on the areas we have to search and flagging items so they can be easily found. The two tools that help us do this are containers and labels. These are also the core philosophies (and the core differences) in the way the Microsoft and Google approach organization.

Microsoft Windows was designed to be a digital desktop replacement. It has a desktop, and a series of containers just like your real office has file cabinets/drawers/file folders, etc.  So when you’re done with your manuscript, you file it under MyDocuments/Writing/Manuscripts/2011/RejectedByEveryone/Twice. Later when you go to look for it, you navigate through the containers to the folder “where it oughta be” and there it is.

Google approached organization in a different way. “If we can search through everything to find what we’re looking for really quickly,” they thought, “then why bother to separate things when we put them away? We’ll just tag things with labels to look for later and throw them all in a big pile!” Using this system, we search for [MyDocuments Writing Manuscripts 2011 RejectedByEveryone Twice] and there it is.

Regardless of which you prefer, Containers and Labels serve the same purpose: to help us find things later on. Unless you have a perfect memory, you will need these tools to be organized.

Containers and Labels sound like tools made by left-brainers for left-brainers, but here’s actually where creative people like writers and authors have an advantage. Creative people are able to see containers as an abstract thing instead of a bunch of boxes you buy from IKEA:

• A calendar can be a container for appointments
• Your cell phone can be a container for all your contact information
• A room of your house can be a container for manuscripts
• A computer can be a container for digital documents
• A website you log into can be a container too.  For example, gmail.com is a container for e-mails.

In fact, you are already organized to some extent. Your manuscripts are already in a container called Planet Earth. It’s just going to take you a few thousand years to search it, but if that’s not an unreasonable amount of time, then congratulations! You’re organized.

For most of us, a few thousand years is about how long it’s going to take to hear back from our agent, and certainly an ‘unreasonable’ time, so we’ll need to narrow the boundaries on where our important documents are kept (container) and paint them bright orange (label)  so we can find them in a more reasonable amount of time.

Writer Organizing Tip #3 – Outsource the Search

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a house-elf (lets call him Dobby) that you could send to fetch your manuscripts, notes and character bios for you? Would you care what the filing system was? Would you care if Dobby had to run down a slippery circular staircase with only a torch for light and fight off a hungry dragon to get your manuscript that was filed underneath the cat’s sandbox?

Hells No! As long as Dobby was able to return it in a reasonable amount of time, you wouldn’t care. You’d just throw all your documents down the laundry chute and be done with it! The best part is that you would STILL be organized!

Well, if you are able to get your info into a digital format, you’re in luck. Because there are Dobbys all over the digital world. They’re called Search. Your operating system has a search feature to help you find files on your hard drive. I think every e-mail program has a built-in search feature, and if yours doesn’t then you need a new e-mail program. If you store stuff in EverNote, WordPress, Gmail, Google Docs, etc… then you have plenty of little Dobbys just waiting around to find things for you. Take advantage of them and let them do the search work for you.

Writer Organizing Tip #4 – Don’t put things where they belong. Put them where YOU will look for them

“I don’t believe it! There she goes again! She’s tidied up and I can’t find anything!”

-She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby

If that sounds familiar, then this tip will help you a lot: When you put something away, don’t automatically put it “where it goes.” Instead, put it where you will go to find it when you need it later on.

Would you store a cookbook in the kitchen? For left-brainers, sure. But for right-brained types, it might just as well be near your desk where you make the grocery list, or in the bookshelf with the other books, or on the nightstand because you like to read the chocolate fondue instructions aloud during intercourse. One of the authors from my writer’s group keeps her dental floss in the living room where it’s easily accessible while watching TV. A good rule of thumb is to put the thing near to where you will actually use it.

This goes for labeling too. When labeling things, make sure to use labels that you will look for later. For example, all the email fan letters I get from Suzanne Vega I tag with:

• Fan Mail
• Superstar
• To be read aloud while making chocolate fondue

So when putting things away, don’t think about putting this thing away. Instead, think about looking for this thing later. That will help you determine how to label it and what container to put it in, which will help you to be more organized.

Writer Organizing Tip #5 – Three FREE Programs To Help You Get Organized

Evernote

Evernote works great as a container for story ideas, outlines, research, marketing info, and much, much more.  Read this blog post about how Evernote rocks for authors.

Gmail

There are plenty of e-mail clients out there, but a Gmail account gets you a LOT more than just  e-mail:

• Use Gmail contacts as a container for all your contact info.
• Use the Gmail calendar to contain your schedule and appointments (Bonus Tip: Set up SMS messaging for important events. I do this for birthdays and appointments, and receive a text reminder on my cell phone.)
• Use Google docs instead of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, then your documents are contained and organized for you.
• Your Gmail account also gives you access to Picassa, Google’s online picture organizing software
• Google Reader makes a great container for RSS feeds and podcasts
• Of course, all of these services come with labeling and search features to help you get and stay organized

SugarSync

There are many free file-backup software services: SugarSync, Dropbox, Mozy and more. But any of them can act as a container for your important documents, manuscripts, photos and other data files. Read my review of SugarSync vs Dropbox for all the reasons why you want this FREE software.

Rejoice

Does this mean you can just throw all your manuscripts, notes, and character bios into a single folder (or a single program like EverNote) and call yourself organized? Does this mean you can have stacks of paper on your desk and still call yourself organized?

Hells Yes. As long as you can find things in a reasonable amount of time, you no longer have to feel guilty calling yourself an organized writer.

So rejoice all you authors, writers and right-brained friends! Putting together a system of organization is easier than you think. It’s keeping things IN the system that’s a challenge. It requires willpower and motivation, which are topics for another day.

If you have any useful organizing tips for writers/authors, drop them in the comments section.

The breaking of my Dark Fiction virginity - Dark Forces #1 - The Game by Les Logan

Early Books That Inspired My Path Into Dark Fiction

Someone recently asked me what books I read while growing up that influenced me to write the kind of stories I do. I was a fairly voracious reader in middle/high school, and fully capable of devouring one complete paperback book per day. (It was a long bus ride to school and back.) I was also lucky to have parents who valued reading, and although money was tight, books were considered a necessary expense, like food and clothing.

Much of my early reading was non-fiction, but filled with elements of horror: Bigfoot, The Bermuda Triangle, The Loch Ness Monsters, Witchcraft, Aliens and my favorite subject – Sharks. I decided after seeing the movie Jaws and reading the story, I decided I was going to become an oceanographer, although I didn’t even know what an oceanographer was. But I knew they got to hang out with sharks. Cool.

My taste in fiction took a while to gel. I enjoyed the Encyclopedia Brown series of mystery books, and I have fond memories of the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I remember reading a Hardy Boys adventure and thinking it was utterly lame. Ditto for Nancy Drew. Ugh.I don’t recall why I read the first 35 volumes of  the Trixie Belden series of mystery books, but I can safely say that Trixie Belden was my first fictional love.

I latched onto a mystery-adventure series called Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators, the first of which was The Secret of Terror Castle. A cool cover led me to read A Clockwork Orange at far too young an age to appreciate it. And I enjoyed The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings when the only people who read such things were the social outcasts who played Dungeons and Dragons.

Most of the fiction I read was dark, but it was all mystery or fantasy.  The very first book I can recall that I would classify as horror or dark fiction would be the first in the Dark Forces series of books, The Game by Les Logan. I hadn’t even finished the book and was looking forward to the next in the series. No doubt if I read any of the Dark Forces books today, I’d find them filled with enough cheese to keep a Taco Bell in business for a month.

I quickly graduated to modern horror classics by Stephen King and Clive Barker. Reading Alan Dean Foster’s Alien late at night in bed with a flashlight was a bad idea. Soon, I found myself branching into older horror classics by authors like Edgar Allen Poe and my all-time favorite horror author, H.P.Lovecraft. And it wouldn’t be until years later that I decided to write dark fiction myself (a blog post for another day) but these are the roots of my love affair with horror, paranormal and occult fiction.

How about you? Any early books, movies or inspirations that set you on the author’s path you find yourself on? Drop your experiences in the comments below.