Stay Tuned!

I don't have any topics to blog about today. This is me getting my thoughts out.

These past five months have been a roller coaster. Things are changing so fast before I could even blink. I can't think of any place to start so I'm tapped out.

What I can say is I'm doing okay and ya boy needs a time out.

Stay tuned, cats!

Be Honest, be truthful, and be yourself.

When I was writing a blog during #FebWritingChallenge on Twitter I showed my writing group the second and third drafts, and they said "Looks good. But what are your thoughts on your topic" to "Are you writing for a grade?" I wondered what was I doing wrong with my article because 1) I was getting my thoughts out; and 2) It wasn't college related. Then it all hit me that I was coming at my blog like an academic rather than from my own angle.

Sharing the realization with my peers, one of them said:

Be honest, be truthful, and be yourself.

Thinking about it now, it's the best advice I'd ever gotten. Why? Because what you create in a song, painting, or a book comes from your own honesty. And that's what people want.

The characters in my stories have jobs like a barista, mechanic, or an accountant. However, I don't have any experience with their job descriptions. What I do know is how working a "normal" job can be stressful. You like it. You love it. You hate it. You don't wanna do it but you have to. The emotions of working is all there.

When you're writing with the earnest honesty you're coming in clear to readers, regardless of what kind of world you create from your own sweat and tears. They will identify with the "real" elements of your creation. Ice Cube once said this,

Our art is a reflection of our reality.

Bottom line: Write with honesty and truth. And above all, be yourself.

Interesting Characters, Part 3: Sister Grimm

We now return to the third edition of my Interesting Characters series. And today's interesting character is Nico Minoru AKA Sister Grimm from Marvel's Runaways. She first appeared in Runaways #1, created by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona in 2003.

Like all members of the team, she's the daughter of super powered criminals called "the Pride"; in the case of Nico, her parents are dark wizards. Finding out their parent's secret, she ran away with her fellow teens but discovered her parent's aptitude for dark magic. Whenever Nico bleeds, she summons a powerful staff from her chest allowing her to bend magic. Seeing the damage the Pride has done to Los Angeles, the kids set out to use all their special talents to make up for the sins of their parent's crimes.

The first time I read Runaways I was, rather, curious about the idea of this group of young cats and how they play in the Marvel Universe. After Vol. 1 of the complete series, it had me wanting to see more of them. In particular to Nico, she's unlike any character in comics I read in years. A Japanese American heroine wearing Gothic attire, wielding dark magic was not the one thing that made her cool in my book, but how she's very human. Being a very emotional person who seeks comfort in people after times of stress or highly emotional periods. However, regardless of this weakness, she's very open when trying to express her feelings and has been able to connect with her team mates on an emotional level.

And that's what makes Sister Grimm an entirely interesting character to me.     

Interesting Characters, Part 2-Talon

And we're back with another edition of my Interesting Characters series. Today I discuss another character I came across in recent years...Calvin Rose-Talon.

Calvin Rose made his comics debut in Talon #0, created by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Guillem March in 2012. Not possessing any superhuman powers (accelerated healing at the time of his resurrection in Talon #8), Rose is a gifted escapologist trained as an assassin by the Court of Owls. Like all Talons before him, Calvin was recruited from Haly's Circus as a child. 

Rose was eight years old when his father locked him in a dog kennel on a stormy night, literally throwing away the key. He kept hitting the chain at the gate for three night with no progress. On the third night he found the chain's weak spot and hit it with all his strength and ran as far away from the house. He soon discovered an old man who performed at Haly's Circus, who took him in and trained him in escapology until his death. At thirteen, Calvin was set to become a star at the Gotham Spectacular. However, Mr. Haly took him to a private performance for the secret cabal the Court of Owls. After performing his usual act, the Owls had found their new Talon.

Years after training to become a new Talon, Rose was sent on a mission for the Court to kill his target but he saw that it was an innocent family which opened his eyes to the truth. After his disobedience he fled the Court who want him back...dead or alive.

What makes Calvin Rose an interesting character is that he's relatable in a fashion. A loner by nature but he's willing to do good after the what he's been through with his former masters. Being an escapist has come in handy in the most dangerous situations for him when he's facing the Court of Owls. For me on another level is how he's able to think ahead and improvise on the situation. That's what makes him a likable character.

Interesting Characters Part 1-Gorilla Grodd

Today I will be blogging a series of posts on characters I've come across who are interesting in my opinion. And I start with The Flash villain, Gorilla Grodd.

Grodd made his comics debut in The Flash #106, created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino in 1959. For those not familiar with the character's powers, he possesses abnormal intellect, super strength and telekinetic powers such as mind control telepathy. Grodd was a normal ape until an alien being crashed landed in his home in Africa. Later, he and the rest of his troupe were imbued with great intelligence and psionic abilities, created an advanced civilization called Gorilla City. When a group of explorers discovered their existence, Grodd took control of one them and killed their leader. Then replaced him with plans to conquer the entire world. That put him on a collision course with Barry Allen-The Flash.

What makes Grodd interesting? In an interesting and terrifying way, he can be classy and menacing. With his intellect he can make his own inventions and combat that of his foe, The Flash. In a more scary fashion, his telepathic powers make him dangerous when he's transferring in his consciousness into his victims.

And that's what makes Grodd an interesting character to me.

Casting Call-If my books became Movies.

Like all writers, I've pictured which actors/actresses would play the part of the characters in our stories. I often look at who would be who in my stories but it's the main characters that come to mind. With that being said, here's my idea for who I'd picture as my heroes/heroines.

Lindsey Morgan-I love her work on The CW show The 100. Her character Raven has that toughness and vulnerability which she wears so well. It's something I see in my "first" protagonist, werewolf Rhea Ortiz.
















Ryan Reynolds-In my humble opinion, he can be serious and funny when he pulls it out. His role on Blade: Trinity was a slight influence on my male protagonist. I think Reynolds can do the cop role when it calls for it.

Ciara Renee-For the role of college coed/superheroine, I think of Ciara Renee. Her portrayal of Hawkgirl in The Flash, Arrow, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow is good. The whole "coming-into-your-own" character is the central concept for my superhero comic I have in mind for everyone including young girls and Renee pulls it off.

And that's my dream casting for my characters coming to life on TV or movies. 

Urban Fantasy 101.

Hello, aspiring writers!

    So you're looking to try your hand at creative fiction. Awesomeness! If you're looking to try out urban fantasy, let's get your feet wet. Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy that takes place in contemporary times with supernatural elements. But it can take place in the historical, modern, or futuristic periods. The characteristics of the genre are set in a city and may involve alien races, mythological creatures, co-existence between paranormal beings and humans, etc. Bewarned, true believers. These stories may be set in contemporary times but it's not necessary for this characteristic to be labeled urban fantasy as it takes place in the historic period or in the future, real or imagined. Another characteristic to point out is that characters of urban fantasy have A) self-esteem issues or B) tragic pasts.

    As you may know, there's urban fantasy for grown-ups and teens. The grown-up side of urban fantasy is aimed at an adult audience and is told in first-person narrative to third-person narrative, features mystic beings, and female protagonists who operate in the parameters of vigilantism or law enforcement. Seanan McGuire's October Daye novels follows the adventures of a changeling that's born to a human father and a faerie mother moonlighting as a private investigator and knight errant to San Francisco's faerie. The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher explores a wizard working as an investigator and blends aspects of fantasy with noir themes. Last, but not least, the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs focuses on a shapeshifter working as a VW mechanic and the paranormals living in the Tri-Cities.

Death's Mistress by Karen Chance

     Now we're covering urban fantasy for teens. Teen urban fantasy explores protagonists that are accidentally drawn into the unknown. They find romance, gain allies, and develop or discover preternatural abilities of their own. An example of this subject is the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast that follows a school for future vampires. Another example is Alyson Noel's The Immortals series which tells the stories of a girl who gains special abilities after an accident and follows a mysterious new boy at school. In addition, love triangles play a prominent part in these and other UF stories.

*Author Jeanine Holmes pointed out the distinction between urban fantasy and paranormal romance in an online commentary saying:

The two share 90% of their genre DNA. However, the main differences are this: Urban fantasy focuses on an issue outside of a romantic relationship between two characters. Paranormal romance focuses on a romantic relationship between two characters and how outside forces affect that relationship. The best litmus test to determine if a story is urban fantasy or paranormal romance is to ask the following question: 'If the romance between Character A and Character B were removed, would the plot still stand as a viable storyline?' If the answer is 'yes,' chances are good it's urban fantasy. If the answer is 'no,' it's most likely paranormal romance.

And that's urban fantasy, friends. So...who's ready to write some UF action?

*Wikipedia-Urban fantasy  

When was the last you read a good Book?

I've read my fair share of books growing up. Anything in the school library to (you guessed it) comic books. As you may know, I've read comics by the dozen which played a role in my individual growth but I had to "grow up" and sell my comic book collection. Some time later, my dad begged the question: "When was the last time you've read a good book?"

For starters I read the likes of R.L. Stine to Edgar Allen Poe.*

Being fresh out of high school and retired from comics, I was curious about any authors that are very good. Reading makes you curious in my opinion. Seeing everything in an old Waldenbooks store at the ol' Crossroads Mall I found some books in the genre I'm mostly familiar with which is fantasy and horror, and I've discovered authors that piqued my interest.

Greywalker by Kat Richardson- Of all reasons for picking up this book was the concept and title of Richardson's book. A small-time PI beaten and left for dead for only a couple of minutes and comes back as a gap between our world and the next. Also I'm a fan of gumshoe stories thanks to TV shows like CSI: Miami and Law & Order.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs-I researched Briggs' writing credentials in 2006 and saw this one. Being curious about how good she is I decided to check it out and the book that followed which is Blood Bound. They both were good and the main character became one of my favorites in the contemporary fantasy genre. I liked the characters and the idea of the series since then.





Nightlife by Rob Thurman-Now when I came across the title, my first impression was a male protagonist that's some kind of otherworldly being dealing with New York's "other" residents. Thurman delivered a superb tale of action with two brothers that's in the spirit of Supernatural. The plot, Cal's voice and his supporting cast kept me all the way to the end. Definitely worth picking up!










Well, that's all the good books I enjoyed. I could go on...but my library's stacked to high heaven with authors I'm waiting to explore.

So friends, when was the last time you read a book that was really good?

*Disclaimer: I didn't know about Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" until I watched The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror when I was a kid. The poem was narrated by none other than James Earl Jones. At thirteen I found Poe's collection of poetry and short fiction at the library in middle school.

How college influenced my Writing.

As a college student, I've learned a lot of things and having fun with the experience. Plus in more ways than one, it has influenced my writing. College is one of themes for one of my comic book series in progress and the subject of history (US, World, European, etc). Those two gave me an idea for a superhero that's reminiscent of Peter Parker, but instead of being a science geek, the main character is a history geek.

While sitting in a US History course back in 2012, I put myself in the shoes of my super heroine/college student/history buff, taking in all things about the American Civil War to World War II. I thought of all the possibilities for a heroine to be mixed up in super hero fantasy as well as facing the highs and lows of higher education which is the theme for her story.

If I wanted to write a superhero fantasy adventure, I have to go beyond the slam-bang fist fights. I have to give my story a deeper meaning.

Another aspect of going to a community college is the interaction with a wide variety of students on an international scale. But I wanted to go outside my comfort zone for my story. Thus I took my sweet time researching all things Seattle for the setting of the comic. I don't know the city in all four directions but I sincerely want to do it justice as I write my character's adventures.

Moreover on college influencing my writing is that I wanted tell a story as I explore the realm of higher learning and give readers a character that they can not only root for, but can identify with as a "real" person who lives a world mirroring the real one. 

    

What I'm trying to say.

"The theme should be the consistent driving force of the plot."

-Writing for Comics & Graphic Novels with Peter David, pg. 64.

When I started writing for comics, I thought had everything in order with the usual essentials. Plot. Setting. Characters. Story structures. Everything. But in recent years, I came across something else that plays a central part of storytelling and it's theme. There have been many discussions about how it works in fiction and the role it plays. Most of the time it's the "moral of the story" but it's not always the case.

When you look at Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, you think Sarah Michelle Gellar fighting the scum of Sunnydale's nightlife. That's just only the surface of the series. What the series is truly "about" is the highs and lows of high school from teen issues, desperation for acceptance, and what happens when you sleep with that "nice" boy. Basically it appealed to anyone who thought high school was hell.

  Everyone including the the show's leading lady was dealing with their own end of teen angst while fighting vampires, ghouls, and beasties.

As I think about my own stories, I wonder what themes did I put in without even knowing it. The first thing in my graphic novel I found was redemption. A member of my book's supporting cast was inspired by a relative who was sent to prison for a few years, and he decided to keep his nose clean when he got out. Seeking redemption is a relative thing for all of us when wrongdoings of the past are hanging over us. What makes my secondary character "real" in that regard is how he's looking to build on a second chance despite the fact what he's done will never be erased.

The theme of the story should be as solid as the story's plot. If it's not as strong as your plot, then your story can't sustain itself. What you should do is think about what you're going to "say" in your story while planning the story in your mind. For me, nothing's important as what you're "saying" in your fiction.    

Reconnecting with Myself.

At times like this, I can't help but think I let writing become a sole purpose in my life while forgetting other aspects of myself. Don't get me wrong I enjoy creating fictional worlds for comics but I do other things to maintain my sanity as well as the next person on Earth. For this week I'm going to touch base with what makes me a unique individual.

Here's what I enjoy doing.

Sketching. As long as I can remember I've had a soft spot for art especially since childhood. I can't exactly recall my first drawing but comic books had a great effect on me when I read The Death of Superman at the age of six. Recently, I did a random sketch as therapy over college studies and missing #FebWritingChallenege.

Cooking. Like any self respecting person I can make a really good dish in the kitchen like a Philly cheese steak sandwhich and shrimp lo mein. 

Reading. Comics. Novels. I read 'em all! Don't get me started on what book I consider really good.

And that's what makes up the man here. When you're a writer of any genre, you have to keep in touch with yourself or the hobby will consume you completely and you're at a loss on who you are an individual. 

Keep in touch with yourself, friends.

The Misadventures of a Working Adult/College Student!

The following is a non-writing related blog.

When I started going to Oklahoma City Community College a few years ago, it was to not just earn a degree or to earn a degree so I can get a better paying job, it was to make myself a better and informed person. The idea hit me when I had a professor for American Federal Government lecture about what makes college an important aspect of human growth.

In some regard I felt that I hadn't taken the time grow myself as an individual. That's one of the things in life I regret today. Now for what's happening right now, I'm currently taking a couple of courses in Psychology and Federal Government. They both are turning out interesting for it makes me think about how they affect our everyday lives.

American Federal Government opened my eyes as to how I'm not political, by any means, but there are issues that I feel compassionate about like gun control, immigration, and health care. I know a thing or two about Congress and the House of Representatives but it goes beyond what I knew before.

 Psychology is another matter. It sheds light on what little did I know about human behavior to the foundation of the science of the human mind. Anything in the subject is just interesting and it's not just about "bearing your soul" to a professional as it's typically put. If there's something to take away from psychology is that not only does it help the mentally distressed but explores the workings of mind.

My overall experience in a community college has been a very good one. I got to know other bright, unique individuals who are after the same thing I am. To grow as an individual and contribute to society for generations to come.

What a Rip Off!

This post comes from two things. First, the experiences of other writers who been accused of biting other writers. Second, serious thinking on embarking the writer's path.

Reason for this is because it happens to best of the brightest minds in fiction who had an idea for a story and someone called them on plagiarizing another one's work. Nothing says it than the old-fashioned "What a rip-off" from a fan with an eye for being critical. So if you have any interest in being a writer, you'll have to face plagiarism accusations at one point or another.

In fact, it happened to me once. When I joined an online writing group, I had a novel-in-progress receiving critiques, then one of them came down on me for ripping off the likes of an established author and a little mean comment came after that. I told the person that it's akin to what he knows so well, and he apologized. *Recalling what Peter David mentioned about the topic, he said it happens to him all the time. When he was writing Supergirl, fans called him on ripping off Joss Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer. A character he created was revised to be a mirror of Whedon's Spike, especially when the character harbored feelings for the titular heroine. The character's creation predated Spike's creation by a year, and his being enamored of the book's blonde heroine predated by three years. Despite David coming up with his own ideas, no came after Whedon for biting off him.

Everything has been done before. In comics, movies, and books. Most likely what the other person came up with before will be an inspiration for the next project. But it's what they do with the inspiration that makes it their own. Translation: Ain't nothing new under the sun. Let's consider the following examples:

• Green Arrow-blended mixture of Batman and Robin Hood, with trick arrows instead of a utility belt.
• Swamp Thing-DC Comics' answer to Marvel Comics' Man-Thing.
• The Atom-Inspired by Richard Matheson's The Incredible Shrinking Man. 
• Wonder Woman-Greek myths meets flag waving patriotism and the Lasso of Truth (That's the creator's idea. Don't ask.)

   Is that to say that R.L. Stine, Brian K. Vaughn, and Andrew W. Marlowe are plagiarists? Hell no. To repeat what's said: It's not the ideas one comes up with, it's what they do with them. When you look at Vaughn's Y: The Last Man, it shares the common theme of the last man on Earth with I Am Legend and Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth.

In my humble opinion, the line between inspiration and plagiarism is blurred every once in a while. It's important to separate the two things so everything doesn't get all out of order. On the one hand, it all comes with the territory.

*Source: Writing for Comics & Graphic Novels with Peter David, pg. 172.

Lack of "Super" Girl Power?

Captain Marvel

The year was 2011. I was a member of an online writing group called WeBook at the time. Another member told me that I make up for the lack of super heroines in a WIP I was working on. That while pointing out how I justify the whole stupidity factor on female super heroes and thanking me for making them badass.

Vixen

I can't help but recall what the person said and had to point out the heroines that go hard in their own right. Sure, there are ones we know and love like Storm to Wonder Woman and Black Canary, just to name a few. Half of the world says those are stupid names for a strong female in a man's world as the other half says "Wow, she goes hard as hell. I dig what she's doing."

Supergirl

As long as I've been reading the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I've taken notice of women who've taken their place among the strong, yet vulnerable role with whatever abilities they have. When I say "strong, yet vulnerable", they are strong but have weaknesses like their male counterparts. As funny as it may seems, we can relate to them. The heroines I've come across that go H.A.M these days are similar to those that I've always known. Possessing a certain ability that humans dream of while living like one. So there's balance between our supermen and superwomen.
On top of that, they wear the spirit of "Girl Power" on their sleeve.




So who believes that I'm making up for the lack of strong female characters? I don't believe it. They've been around for a long time and I don't think they've slowed down one bit. You just have to be on the look out for what comes out from writers of today and yesterday. Check them out and express your thoughts while being entertained.

Batgirl