Why I chose to write a book series called Mixed Identity

Hey!

It's been awhile! Sorry about that I had a lot on my mind these past few weeks. 

Before I explain why click the link below and read the article by Sharon H. Chang:

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2014/05/talking-mixed-race-identity-young-children

^^^ After reading this I had come to a realization that there isn't enough media (TV shows, Books, Movies etc) covering this topic of mixed racial identity. Parents that are mixed race themselves who have kids may have a hard time explaining about to them about how to properly identify oneself. She mentions that her son was four years old when he asked her the question "Mom, Am I white?" In which it threw her off a bit. I feel if there was something on TV like a kids show that dealt with this type of subject matter then it probably wouldn't be an issue. The fact is every single multiracial or biracial person in their life will deal with some sort of identity crisis. There are plenty of shows, movies, books and plays that feature different ethnicites but I can't think of one that displays a biracial or a multiracial person at the helm. With the increase population of the mixed race community all over the world I feel that this needs to be explored.

My mother is Filipino and my father is from Trinidad. They met in Canada, fell in love and had me. Unfortunately my father passed when I was only a year old so I didn't really know him. From what my mom tells me he was a respectable man with a strict attitude. Some days I feel sad that I didn't have a father but that's life. As I grew older I started to question my identity. I never asked my mom or anyone about it...I kinda just left it up in the air for some reason. I don't remember why but it is what it is. My mom brought her kids from her previous marriage over to Canada from the Philippines. They questioned who I was at first but accepted me as the years went on. I didn't really know my father's side of the family until I was a teenager. I've led a confusing life and to make a long story short just like with everyone born mixed I was confused about my personal identity.

The reason why I'm writing this series is because I feel it's personal to my heart. I haven't heard of any biracial writers write a drama about it. I think it's because it doesn't pertain to a specific group and instead has to pertain to everybody.  Like for example some the 1st book in the series is called "A Tale Of Two Blasians" and it stars two people of mixed race heritage of black and asian. I'm afraid it might only appeal to people who are born of that mix and not to the people who aren't. That's a risk that I'm willing to take because at least it will get some sort of notoriety out there. Word of mouth is important and it might as well happen sooner rather than later. I'm actually now thinking of writing a separate dramatic fiction about a multiracial family.

That's pretty much the gist of it. These next few months will be interesting as I write. Until next time.

Sincerely,

James

  

Overcoming the fear to write about sensitive subject matter

Hey!
Another wednesday another blog post!

I've been battling with this for quite sometime and I must say it's not easy. My next book will contain rape, murder, sex, drugs, gangs, pedophilia etc pretty much everything that isn't for an audience under the age of eighteen. Before I decided to write it as a book I wrote it out as a script. It was suppose to be episodic but I knew how risky it was going to be if someone decided to produce it so I decided to make it into a book instead. I had eight episodes written before deciding to write it as a book. But that's besides the point...it was what I was writing which shocked me. I didn't realize how hard hitting the subject matter was until someone else read it and told me. I got to admit I was scared. It made me question why I was writing about it and I realized despite the fact of me disagreeing with what the characters I write about do I wouldn't be doing them a justice if I dumb them down. I have to keep in mind that STORY is the most important thing.

I don't agree with the actions my protagonists or antagonists would do but given the circumstances that they're in I feel that's what they would do. Okay let me share something; While I was writing a rape scene I was literally sacred at what I was writing. When watching a rape scene on screen is easy because you can cover your eyes/look away...but writing one is a whole different story. I felt gross and wanted to throw up. But when I was done and read it back to myself...that feeling of disgust is exactly the type of feeling I want the audience or the reader to feel. If I've achieved that then I've done my job.

If you're scared of what people might think of you chances are they're not going to understand. I've had people accuse me of being a homosexual because I wrote a gay couple in Vampire Pigs. Take it all with a grain of salt and focus on your story. The fear of writing something must fuel you to actually write it and once you've overcome that fear then you'll feel great about yourself.

Thanks for reading! Until next week!

Sincerely,

James

Writing while listening to music helps stimulate my brain and expand my immagination

Hey! It's Wednesday!  YES!

As I begin to type this I'm listening to music from a site called Soundcloud. The artist's name is Tony Anderson and he composes some of the best tracks I've ever heard! Check him out here:


                                 Click here to check out Tony Anderson on Soundcloud

He is just one of the many artists that I've randomly found on Soundcloud and enjoyed listening to. There's nothing like finding music that takes you to places where you have never been before. This goes with all types of music. It has the power to put you in moods in which you can't control but to succumb to. While writing Vampire Pigs I would listen to a lot of George Strait; I'm not a big fan of country, however when I hear him sing I feel like I'm in Texas for some reason. I feel like I've transported into another universe. Right now I'm listening to a mixture of Orchestral/HipHop/EDM while I write my next book and it helps immensely. The characters to the overall story are fueled by the music I listen too. The vibrations that trickle into my ear effect my mind which in turn control my finger tips to type words - I don't know if that made any sense at all but that's how I feel.

There are times when music doesn't help and I have to shut it off. Sometimes I just want complete and utter silence so that it's only me, the universe and the characters. Sometimes I let the music just play in the background and not write at all. I close my eyes and enjoy the vibrations. I can picture in my mind a different universe that I've never visited before in my life. THIS IS GOLD TO ME! I write down what I see and save it in a file on my laptop so that in the future I can return to it.

I've met a lot of writers who use drugs and alcohol to get their juices going...Even though I've never tried doing it I'd rather stick with music because I can rely on it picking me up and it's way cheaper! I've been intoxicated plenty of times and believe me I can barely even think while under the influence let alone write something. I don't know how they do it. But it doesn't matter because every artist has their own way of doing things. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to this because if it helps THEN IT HELPS!

Music like with every artist I know is a HUGE part of our lives. I wouldn't know how I could live without it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post! Take care!

Sincerely,

James Melville

Why you should write from the heart

HEY! Welcome back to my weekly post!

As I'm beginning to prep the universe and story of my next book I started realizing how personal this is for me. I started writing this project 8 years ago and for some reason it feels like I'm the only one who can actually write it. Fictional books about biracial/multiracial characters are scarce since there's no big market for them. Everyday I get this tingling feeling inside of me saying "You need to write this book....YOU NEED TO WRITE" These 'needs' are making me wake up early in the morning to work on it...these 'needs' are like delicious mouth watering food waiting to be eaten. Writing satisfies these 'needs' on a daily basis. While I write this I'm currently trying to find another job in order to support myself. I'm beginning to see my bank account starting to drain and surprisingly enough I'm not worried. Not worried at all. Because eventually I'll get a job, heck I've been working part time jobs my whole life. What is clouding my mind right now is my book. Going from one book to the next is extremely tough especially since they're not set in the same genre or universe. After eight years of trying to figure out what my calling is...It's been in front of my eyes the whole time but I was too scared.

This fear has always gripped me from when I started to write(and get criticized harshly for it) but now that I have finished my first book and started my second that fear has faded away entirely and is replaced with confidence. I fully know that someday what I write now will be read for future generations to come. But I wouldn't be writing if it wasn't from the heart. I feel if I have no personal connection to the story then what's the point of writing it. That's just me though. I'm sure the majority of you who read this can agree with me when I say the reason why you should write from the heart is because it's something that you WANT to write. Something that's true to who you are as a person. That's it. Bottomline.  

Take care everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read! Until next week again!

Sincerely,

James

Why you should write a stories that YOU want to write!

Hey! Hey!

It's Wednesday and you know what that means! Another blog post!

A lot has been going through my mind through these past couple of days. As I begin to prepare to write my 2nd book (Mixed Identity) which is completely different from VAMPIRE PIGS. I realize that these stories are ones that I enjoy writing. Anything that I was forced to write in writing class back in college I never enjoyed doing. If you have no personal love for what you write then what is the point. YOU SHOULD WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE! Whether it be an obscure thing like...I don't know uh...Zombie Dragons or anything you're passionate about. Try NOT to look at what's trendy because chances are if you write based on trends then you're not really writing in my opinion. All you're doing is looking at what's popular and going off that. If you decide to do that then by the time you're done writing your script/book then another thing might pop up that's trendy making your mind change constantly about your decision to write in the first place

I say if you're hesitant on writing something because you feel it won't sell or is a waste of time WRITE IT ANYWAY! Take as much time as you need. YOUR STORY is YOUR STORY! It's no one else's. You're maybe inspired by many books, movies, T.V shows, comics etc to write something. If so then do it!

Just something I just wanted to get that off my chest. I've been going through the motions lately but what keeps me coming back is my story. I'm constantly working on it and falling in love more and more. It's hard work but I know it's something I've always wanted to write. In the end it'll be worth it, just keep having faith.

Have a good one and see you next week!

James

5 Things I've learned from writing my first book!

HEY! HEY! HEY!

I missed my weekly post yesterday but I'm back today sharing with you the top 5 things I've learned from writing my first book. Hopefully when I share these personal experiences it can shed some light on what it's like for me writing something from beginning to end and help or relate to what other people who write go through.

1. Social media is distracting BLOCK yourself from it! - As I started writing my book I began to just constantly launch google chrome or safari randomly to check Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr from time to time. I realized that it was taking up WAAAAAAYYYYY too much of my writing time. Every time I read a controversial post on FB and comment on it then get so caught up in the discussion afterward that I totally forgot what I was writing in the first place. It would take time for me to get back into writing my chapter again. So after the first month or so I decided to turn off my wifi on my laptop and open it ONLY to do research. That's it. Same with my phone. I would turn the wifi and data off on that as well. I would only answer phone calls.  Distractions are everywhere and I know sometimes you can't help yourself - heck even I had to take social media breaks from time to time but I rarely did it while I write. I would do it after I write. It's such a great feeling too because you've worked hard on something for the day then as soon as you're burnt out and feel as though you can't write anymore, you can whip out your phone to catch up on things. 

2. NEVER let what others say hinder your decision to write -  I know this maybe a given but this was getting on my nerves as I was writing my book. People were constantly telling me that my type of book wouldn't sell, that it sounds absolutely retarded, no one would read it because it included gay and bisexual characters, that I'm wasting my precious time and money. The best advice to myself was obvious: NOT GIVE A DAMN WHAT THEY THINK. It was extremely rare that I came across someone who understood why I was doing what I do. I'm proud to be an artist through and through. Yes I haven't published anything yet but I'm not going to stop until I do. It's that simple. It was hard for me to write sometimes because of the constant negativity that surrounded me. I feel every writer has their obstacles to overcome especially when it comes to others criticizing you when you have nothing to show. 

3. Being Patient- This has got to be one of the most important lessons I've learned throughout the course of this writing phase. I wanted to write my book as quick as possible so that I can get it out there. In the midst of my speedy writing I looked back at what I had written and none of it made any sense! NONE! It was like I vomited out words on a page that didn't have any meaning what so ever. It was just there as filler. I know a few of writers who do this. They write out their first draft then edit after but I decided not to do that. If I felt something was out of place I deleted it right away. I would spend a week on a chapter and after finishing writing it I would read it out loud. If something was off or it didn't fit the book I would delete and rewrite it over again until it was to my satisfaction. Even though it took awhile to get use to I started seeing the benefits of it. My chapters were more refined and I liked the story I was building. When I got to the editing phase there wasn't that much to edit other than a few grammar mistakes here and there. From here on out I expect to take as much time as I need with my books and try to stay away from vomit drafts. 

4. To be truthful in your writing -  I have to admit when I first started writing I caught on with trends. I would research what do people like to read or watch. What's the most commercial thing I can write so that I can easily sell it and make a lot of money. I didn't have anyone back then to tell me otherwise. In fact I had people tell me it was the right way to think. To steal from highly successful books and shows instead of making your own. However I've learned to not think that way because if I just write for the audience or reader then I wouldn't be writing. I'll just be writing some bullshit story because I know in their minds they would approve of it. (The good guys fight the bad guys and triumph in the end) (She falls in love with him and they live happily ever after) These are the types of things I've read in books and seen in Movies/T.V shows all the time. Was it something that I truly wanted to write about in the beginning? Yeah...but that was because I knew there's a better chance of making money off it. After much thought I decided to write the things I was passionate about and that interested me. Instead of being fake and write something that is not in my league. At this point I feel what matters most is the truthfulness of the story. Not making one person overpowering to the next but finding a balance in between. No one is perfect. Everyone has flaws. People do good and bad things in life. I feel that should be reflected in stories. So what I'm trying to say is that I've learned not to bullshit and if it feels right follow your impulse and go through with it.

5. Completing a book is only half the battle -   I'm learning this one as I type this. So far after fully editing my book, I've been working on my query for the past 2 weeks then spent the past few days looking for an agent who is interested in it. Granted I know some might be hesitant on reading something that has "VAMPIRE PIGS" in the title but all I need is just one person to read it and believe in the project. I'm glad that some of these agents suggest putting your first chapter in the email even though they probably have tons of emails from other people all I can do now is play the waiting game. While I do that I have to start researching on Self-Publishing but I feel that as a writer who has not published anything it's a bad move. I'm trying to sell it as a series, I'm not exactly sure how I can do that when I self publish. There's this feeling of enjoyment when you send out your query and the first few pages of your book. Knowing all that hard work will be read by someone. That in itself is one of the reasons why I write.

THANKS FOR READING! I hope this helped if you're trying to write anything!

Sincerely,

James Melville

Editing process

Hey back again! This will be a short one!

Ever since I finished by my book I've been editing it non stop. But I'm constantly thinking about who I should send this too. I've been reading a lot of books in my genre but as I edit my own I start to realize there's a mixture genres in my book. It calms me to know that when I read a YA horror that there's a mix of genres in there too. I know when a lot of people hear or see the title Vampire Pigs there's going to be a sort of skepticism about picking it up and reading it. I'm working hard so that if they do pick it up and read it they will have an enjoyable time doing so. This is where risk and chance come into play. The vampire genre is huge and there's a lot of competition out there but at least when people pick it up to read it they would know what they're getting themselves into.

What I'm trying to say is that at the moment as I edit I find myself trying to figure out the right way to approach this. Writing a book is the easy part. The hardest part is trying to get it out there especially since I'm a new writer. Okay back to editing see you next week!

Sincercely,


James Melville

The reason why I decided to write a book series called Vampire Pigs.

Hey back again with another blog post!

Let me first off say that Vampire Pigs isn't the first series I started to write. It's actually the second. The first series I started to write is called Mixed Identity(I'll share more on this series in a later blog post). Vampire Pigs was something I always wanted to write but never got around to do it. As you know from my previous blog post I've always been scared of Vampires. I remember when I was seven and I watched the old black and white Dracula movie for the first time. I have no clue why but the atmosphere scared the crap out of me. I never watched black and white films before in my life since I was so used to watching things in colour. I had no clue what was going on but when it was done I couldn't even go to sleep. Nothing leaves me shaking in my boots than a good vampire flick. When I was in college I would borrow a copy of Bram Stoker's book version of Dracula from the library and read it on my spare time. I was engrossed. It was clear to me that I would love to someday write a fictional story that contained the vampire element in them but I didn't know what it was going to be about. Ever since I've gone through this vampire phase reading everything from classics like "Interview With The Vampire" to modern vampire books such as the "Twilight" series. No one knew I had an obsession with vampires. No one knew that I wanted to write my own fictional story about them...until now.

Ever since I told people that I'm writing a series called Vampire Pigs people look at me with a raised eyebrow. I may not be a mind reader but I bet they're probably thinking 'How can an idea like that work?" or "Oh my god that sounds so stupid." Well I admit in the beginning it was stupid jumbled idea. But now I've turned it into a solid fluid enjoyable story. It's so surreal that this is my first ever completed book.  As I take time off from editing to type this blog post I'm constantly thinking of new ideas to add to it. Before I even started with the initial concept of this series I searched high and low all over the internet for any books that had animals being vampires as the focal point. There were none! As far as I know of. Oh and if you know of any please feel free to post a link in the comment box! I've read about infected animals but not vampire animals. I felt there was a void that needed filling and I'm the one that has the opportunity to fill it. I'm extremely excited to finish my editing process so that I can send it off to various agents.

Alright! It's time for me to explain why I chose pigs. I felt as though they're the least respected animal. They're dirty and not as intelligent. They're the type of animal no one gives a damn about. I've witnessed first hand how pigs are treated in slaughterhouses and it's not pretty. They're just products to be sold and that's it. No one cares about them. Which made me start to think in depth about my potential idea. If the pigs had some sort of power then they would be able to fight back. *DING* Vampire Pigs. However having Vampire Pigs being focal point wasn't enough. It took me awhile to figure out a way to make the story much more personal. While I was at the slaughterhouse I noticed the people who worked there were all eccentric in their own ways. This is were I started to think about a character that embodies these people. After much time and thought I created the fictional character called Darren Brones. I made him the central focus of the storyline. Here's a brief summary of the book:

"Darren Brones is the owner of the largest slaughterhouse in Texas. He is well known for his relentless brutality against animals, especially pigs. When one day he becomes bitten by a Vampire Pig his whole perspective of his treatment of animals changes. After realizing the pain he has caused he vows to the Vampire Pigs that he will help protect them. By any means necessary."

After I wrote that I had another *DING* moment in my head. Having Darren as my main focus gave the story depth. It gave a reason for the Vampire Pigs to exist and it gives Darren a character arc going from this sadistic pig killer to a man who is sympathizes with them. This however is only one part of the story. I'm so excited for people to read it. Right now I'm going to go back to editing.

Take care and thanks for reading! Check back every Wednesday for an update!

Sincerely,


James

 

My first blog post!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog!

This is my first blog post! Ever! I'm excited! Okay, alright so I guess I should introduce myself. Ahem! My name is James Melville. I'm 25 years old. Born and raised in Ontario, Canada. For as long as I can remember I always loved to write stories. Whether be short or long. It didn't matter to me. I enjoyed it! It was way more easier for me to write fiction than it was to write essays, reports, etc etc. My imagination would always run away with me. Every time I woke up from a dream whether it be pleasant or nightmarish I would write down a brief summary of what I had dreamt of. Sometimes I would write a short story based on them. Despite some of them being hard to write about, I did it anyway. To my dismay I lost majority of them before moving to Vancouver. But I have a lot of recent ones saved and I'm deciding whether or not I should write a full book on them or not.

Speaking of books I'VE WRITTEN ONE! I finished the first volume of it just two days ago. I'm excited to see where this takes me. It's a new series I started writing two years ago called Vampire Pigs. At first I wrote it as a short story. Then I wrote the script. And after much trial and error I finally decided to write it as a book. I also have a few other scripts that I'm turning into a books as well but I'll talk about that another time. You're probably wondering why I decided to write a book called Vampire Pigs. Well for one I always wanted put my own spin on vampires. I have to admit I'm a lot more scared of vampires than I am of zombies and as to why I decided to combine it with pigs...well it's a long drawn out story that I won't get into. Let's just say witnessing a pig slaughtered in front of me just made me feel bad for them. Weaving that factor into the story is one of the main reasons why I wrote it. In any case, I'm just taking a break for a few days before I enter the editing phase. I've already prepared the full character bios and summaries for volumes two, three and four. Right now I'm just getting everything prepped and ready before submitting to various writing agents.

Even though I've been writing my whole life it doesn't mean I was good at it. Before I could write decently I had to go through an EXTREMELY STEEP learning curve. Meaning I had my butt kicked so many times from all types of people (Writing teachers, friends, story editors just a name a few) So I knew I always wanted to do it but my confidence level was at an all time low. Especially when I was in college. My stories were flawed, my sentence structure was terrible and my characters were so flat and unlikeable. I didn't give up completely however. When I realized the college course I was taking wasn't really for me I decided to do something that has always interested me but I never gone through with. ACTING! Which is the main reason why I still reside in Vancouver, B.C and not in Ontario. Applying to the acting course at VanArts really changed how I write. It made me understand proper character development. Subtext. Story structure. Dialog. The proper answers to the questions Who, What, When, Where, How. I would always have a  few *Ding I get it now!* moments in my head during the course. When I graduated two years ago I immediately went back to the drawing board with all the concepts I wrote down, scripts I partially finished, short stories I completed and did a major overhaul. I learned so much from acting that it actually improved my writing. The only way for a person to know that is by reading what I've written. When I told people I was writing a book series called Vampire Pigs they pretty much all laughed in my face. I think it was because they thought it was going to be stupid. But I always told them to read it first then criticize after. Not before. I feel that now that I've finished the first book in the series, the hardest part will be to get someone to read it. Which is why I'll be dedicating a lot of time to prepare and edit.

So that's where I am at the moment. As an artist I've had my share fare of ups and downs. I mean who hasn't right. Like many of us we remain focused and determined. I fully know that success is not guaranteed but will that stop me from trying to do what I want to do in my life...Never. I love acting and I love writing! One of my goals in life is to live off my passion. I feel that now is the time to take a risk and pursue it to the fullest. I'll leave off by revealing what I'm writing and currently working on. I've thought of these projects thoroughly before I decided to pursue them. It may take awhile but I want to write and complete them in my lifetime. Here's the list:

1. Vampire Pigs Volume One (Book Series) (Completed - Editing phase)

2. Mixed Identity Volume One  (Book Series) (Structuring the plot and characters)

3. Spirits And Souls Volume One (Book Series) (Early phase. Building the universe)

4. Queens and Kings Volume One (Book Series) (Early Phase. Building the universe)

5. Bi Bye Volume One (Early phase)

6. Living In A Living Room (Theatre Play) (Working title)

I'll share more about these projects and my experiences with them all right here on my blog as well as many other personal experiences. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I greatly appreciate it! Take care!

Sincerely,

James Melville