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