Got Back Into BL(Boy's Love)

I'm really glad I'm getting more into the Boy's Love(BL) genre now. Because years ago, there was a lot of problematic elements in it being worked through and even the genre's fans pointed them out. Probably being a newbie to this medium, I may have taken those problematic elements for granted and unfortunately, may even have adopted them into my own works. 

MY LOVE MIX-UP!(2021) [1 season/10 eps] based on the manga series by the same name "Kieta Hatsukoi" by Wataru Hinekure Watch the series on Viki now! Or on YouTube!

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN(2021) [6 eps] adapted from the novel "He, Who Is Beautiful" by Nagira Yuu Watch the series on Viki! Or on YouTube!

Tweets on my recent Scifi

TIME TIGER:/4846

Two 1/2 pages of that 'spinoff' series... Hilarious that I'm writing spinoffs when I haven't written a significant amount of the groundwork stories yet.😜😖

A GIRL AND HER CAT

I can't believe how many incarnations this short story has gone through over time.😳 It went from some teen HS manga drama to a mystery-thriller with horror elements...😬

I had to do some concept sketches of the main alien character. Now that I worked out his look, I can tackle the human MC next. I want to work on her head shots and braids. But I am writing the story in the middle of this.

Trying to revise and update the looks of different #alien species from old notes and previous drawings is fun and tedious at the same time.

IG: handdrawnbycarmenjr 

Worked on a scene from my near-future short story series(3rd or 4th entry) & I find it harder to develop the #technology 80-100 yrs from now versus the #tech I'm developing in my space opera set within the same universe about 2700+ yrs later.

The Art of Plugging Away - for 2019!

I've got this furry short story to write further on. I'm just going to dwell more into dark fantasy, which is the thin slice of genre between fantasy and horror, which is where I can comfortably sit (i.e. I can't do straight horror. I can barely read it, write it, much less, watch it). Let me just say, the dragons in this won't be the scarier elements nor the villains in this piece.

Book covers As Art Galleries

Since I'm uploading art on this blog and will upload to my DeviantArt account later this week, I wanted to talk about how book cover art has influenced and continues to influence me to this day.

I don't wish to get into a long discussion but I will split these blog posts into a mini-series by focusing simply on ONE particular science fiction series.

'The Rowan' Anne McCaffrey (pb)

During my community college days, I 'discovered' this paperback in the college bookstore.

These were the days before college/university bookstores were still owned by their schools.

Done by the artist known simply as Romas, his full name is Romas Brandt Kukalis, he has done mostly front covers mostly in the speculative fiction field. As a very young art major, book covers became my art galleries and I not only devoured the stories but also 'ingested' the covers!

Here, what I can only assume are the hardcovers:

(Hardcover version)

(Hardcover version 2)

Dynamic, huh? Still a fan of these covers. The heroine's/shero's strength of character, her superiority/insecurity complexes, the distinction of her authority, the outfit and fashion of her time period, and her potent psychic abilities seemed to radiate from the paper.
Now, why do I speak on this?

 Well... Most of my reading material have become 'classics' and therefore, in need of updating. While I can't complain that books need re-editions and updating like everything else, I'm a little troubled by a lot of contemporary cover art. Back then, different genres had different 'looks', different aesthetics. And while things weren't perfect, and plenty of speculative fictional books were given a bad rap in poor-looking artwork, book covers that didn't tell a story, there were still gems and once you looked at enough bookshelves, you began to tell, even if the book was stuck on the wrong shelf, this was a romance, this was horror, this was a thriller, this was comedy, this was memoir, fantasy, suspense, etc. Nowadays, it seems book cover art is suffering from sameness.

(Updated cover for 'The Rowan')

Take a look at the updated cover art for The Rowan now:
Nice cover. Nice art. Sigh. But I don't feel anything, and if I didn't recognize my late favorite author's name, this would be the cover to any other genre. As an emerging author who may have books published one day, I feel kind of sad that my cover won't be distinct and unique from others. Because, as a new name, I will already have obstacles to get my titles out there, and as a lifetime reader and lover of books, a bland front cover will prove to be another obstacle.

8/9/16 - More musing... A rant here and there

Some people don't seem to understand why I write fiction, why I write fantasy, why I work in anthropomorphism, or why do I read SF/F at all.

I don't know what to think. I do know on some level why I do the art that I do. I know there's a lot for me to say and if the characters looked too familiar, readers might shy away. SF/F brings up the ideas and discusses the topics many normally won't talk about. But once dressed in animal or nonhuman, it becomes easier to get away with speaking about taboo subject matters and controversial topics. I can use such devices and literary genres to tell the stories about mundane things.

I often don't want to tell people where I'm published because of their reaction. The statements can be any number of superficial magazines that they think my submissions are better suited for but this advice couldn't be further from the truth. No, I've learned that some of my writings are categorized under sub-genres. I consider them speculative fiction. That means they aren't mainstream and because of this, my works may be found online or purchased directly from the publisher.

Don't look for me in The New Yorker or other such mainstream and coveted titles anytime soon. I also find a number of women's magazines foolish and some men's magazines even worse. Right now, and you can say I'm limiting myself. I've heard it all before, but I'm better off where you may find me: niche, sub-genre, speculative, mixed genres, and mostly nerdy.

When Things Get Crazy, We Go Back To Science Fiction & Its Siblings

In this current political environment, long during the campaign, so many news correspondents, journalists, political analysts and others in the media continue to hearken to science fiction/fantasy/horror, genre media including comic books that actually predicted these events.   

Pinterest.com

The Twilight Zone, which became popular in syndication, is being referenced more often. Rod Serling! We need you! 

Amazon.com

Next is references to Alan Moore's controversial but now classic comic "Watchmen". Moore is no longer writing comics and has moved on to other genres, but, the comic that turned the superhero as infallible demigod on its head is now more relevant than ever.

Oh, and Alan Moore is featured in the latest issue of World Literature Today! 

More blog posts on this subject. It's gonna be a bumpy ride, folks.

Celebrate Banned Books Week With Me!

[Facebook Post - Orig. 9/26/15]

Banned Books Week Started on Sept. 25th!

Gilbert Hernandez's "Heartbreak Soup"

Jaime Hernandez's "Maggie the Mechanic"

September 25, 2016 - October 1, 2016 

Celebrate Banned Book Week with any Hernandez Brothers' "Love & Rockets" comic from their long-running series!

Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez have been and continue to be pioneers in the comic book world. They are highly well-respected and admired in the comic industry as well as for their storytelling skills and enduring, universal fiction. Each brother has his own illustrative style and create incredible series and short comic stories that stand dynamically on their own. Yet, the Hernandez Brothers often collaborate and their joining of talents produce magical results.

With their shared worlds, mini-stories, use of cross-genres: realism, sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, alternative lifestyles, fully-realized Latin characters, multicultural society, biographies, and family history thrown into the mix. 

Also, the brothers have an ongoing story about a fictional Latin town by the name of Palomar. Pick up their single issues. Pick up their collected volumes. Pick up their new stories. Pick up their classic stories. It doesn't matter. 

Support BANNED BOOKS WEEK by reading two of the powerhouses in comic books!

It is a New Year!

Original date in journal 11/2/14

While reading Scott McCloud's "Making Comics" on page 232, McCloud speaks about artists basing 'his or her comics around [a]...'collection of values. ..'

And as I do readily subscribe to one of these values, the other three aren't far from my thoughts. I do want to tell the best story I can, but I want to strive for excellence, experiment and test the boundaries of my skills.

One day, my supervisor and I discussed my novel-in-progress, and I gave updates about my latest feedback. I mentioned I may be the only anthropomorphic writer in the writing program, but I also explained there were other MFA programs that did separate by genre. My supervisor immediately disregarded that idea, for though she is a genre fan buff too, she told me it was better for me to be in the present program since I'm exposed to other genres at once. She even pointed out all the topics and variety of issues I pinpoint in the story: romance, historical, sociology, anthropology, economics, racism, segregation, crime, politics etc.

That was important for me to know and understand. I also want to create lasting art. Art that endures.

Now, to continue getting ready: new goals, more writing and packing for residency next week!

More on Martin Greenberg - Part 2

Here is a continuation of my tribute to Editor Martin H. Greenberg and what he did for the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Here are just three of the Daw (publisher) books I have in my home library. 

"Wizard Fantastic" has at least four of my favorite short stories of all time! 

The last "Cat Fantastic" before my dear Andre Norton passed away.

Another title from the "Elf Fantastic" line. 

There are more Greenberg anthologies to upload. In the meantime, view my part 1 blog post about the incredible editor of genre anthologies, Martin H. Greenberg.

http://inprettyprint.blogspot.com/2014/09/rip-martin-h-greenberg-editor.html

We admit that we are still figuring it out

Even after the publications, after the blogging, after you've figured out your platform and branding, what does it all mean when you still can't get your act together?

I cautioned a classmate not to try categorizing herself. "Leave that to the presses and publishers."

As we work on this journey, and submit, and write, and submit, and write some more, there comes a point when you have to admit: What the heck am I doing?

I don't mean, the 'meaning of life' type questions, or how many writers ask themselves their reason, their plan, or their passion.

I mean, how best to tell the stories one wants to tell in the best possible media?

I ran up against this idea when I asked some classmates to review and critique a possible submission.

One reviewer gave me positive but crucial feedback. My classmate told me I should make the story visual.
This was not the first time I've been told this, yet, it made me really ponder.

What new directions could I take a story in? How far can this story go?

Now in a new chapter of life, I also came to another self-truth: I will have to work on what story wants working on, and not what I can DECIDE to work on this time.

In other words: "I need to work on the sequel to this published short story" versus "This old story of mine is giving me new ideas on how to write it".
I should take the latter, but, unfortunately, our brains aren't that pat, or, even that structured.

My challenge for 2014 is to work IMMEDIATELY on the story that wants working on now.
If I stick with the sequel, I will be stuck, and when I am stuck on a project, is when I mentally feel stuck.

As a writer, or any creative type, I really don't need a new obstacle to prevent me from completing and/or journeying through a new idea or new perspective.

Storytelling involves the quest we talk about to audiences.

Today doesn't feel like a Saturday...

It's been a while, but this week was the end of the semester and so I will have my Christmas season to do the things I WANNA DO.

I'm reading the 125th volume, Issue 1 of the Writer Magazine (please search my Twitter account for how much I adore this mag!), and I came to a realization:
Writers are influenced by so many, wide, broad strokes of humanity and conditions.

I remember being told that my book reports and stories for English/Reading were entertaining. Yet, those same strengths of what made my stories shine were my Achilles' heel when it came to writing research papers.

Finally, in community college, not only did I write an essay that glowed with my professor's comments, until I was even encouraged to take a Creative Writing course (They had these?! Who knew!).
And later, in that same class, I ended up scoring the highest - with another person - out of the entire English classes in the college, that this propelled me to being able to register for an honor's class afterward. More about that in a minute..

Eventually, before all that, after completing this course and the second required course (with a grade I was NOT happy with), I took my professor's advice and enrolled in CRW2001 with a professor Austin.

She has since retired, but not before she lit my imagination on fire for her practical yet illuminating advice into the writing business. From her, I learned to specify genre, write synopses, and how and where to market my writing.
She was also one of the few teachers who didn't mock my wanting to write about talking animals and applying Scifi tropes into my story. She was more interested in how I structured a tale, how convincing my characters' dialogues, setting, exposition, etc.

I was never so proud as when my short story, "Su Ling", was published in a now out-of-print fanzine and I handed a copy to her.
She made me blush when she handed the issue back and told me to autograph it first before she accepted it!

I want to thank my Reading/English teachers in middle school, my AP English teacher, my first English professor, Professor Austin and later the honors English on Myth, Professor Tixier. More about this wonderful woman in my next post.
A writer's work is never done, true. We constantly are bombarded by ideas, advice, and our own internal dialogue, but a writer's mentors' list doesn't end either, and for that, I AM GRATEFUL.

How writing morphs

The ideas are coming... Have some new ones for the fantasy-cyperpunk 2-part, the science-fantasy, and a new beginning and set-up for the marine-biology/oceanography.

I'm sorry I sound like a demented publisher, talking in Genre-speak, but I realized I compressed and created limits to these alternating views. Why do I say this?

Well, one story deals with guardian angels being a part of regular life. Another deals with goblins at war, while the third with several species trying to fix climatic catastrophes to their world - and the different/opposing solutions implemented.

Each of these ideas may need a style change tune-up. Even their length and how I format them cannot be the same.