"I'm Proud of My Humility"

"I'd Be Happy To Tell You Exactly Where To Screw In That Lightbulb ..."

Back in the day, I worked in a comic book shop.  Well, I ran the place while the boss was off being a landlord.  I gave up taking his tennant calls when one of them demanded my boss drop what he was doing and change a lightbulb.  "Is it in the hallway?  One of the security lights outside?"

"No," the caller answered in full indignation, "it's my personal lamp and I want him down here now."  My Idiot Meter needle went into the red zone, the receiver slammed down on the phone on my end, and the boss got an earful about taking his own calls from then on.  But I digress.

"Okay, I write a college-level manual for light bulb extraction and replacement, then I sell the movie rights ..." Photo courtesy Creative Commons.

 "What I Didn't Do Over My Summer Vacation"

In that same comic shop, we all talked about what we'd do if we'd wrote adventures for Superman, The X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, THUNDER Agents, Miracleman (actually, we didn't talk about books like the last often because we knew we'd never be close to Alan Moore's writing skills), etc.  Some of us even went so far as to dream of breaking into that hallowed market.

Only a handful of us actually worked up samples and made an attempt to reach out to the editors.  Digression #2 (and a possible subject for a future blog).

One conversationalist during one of these bull (and that's just half the story) sessions announced that upon the end of the semester, he would go to New York City, walk into the offices of Marvel Comics, and get a writing gig.*

*No, it's not that easy or I'd have done it, along with several thousand fans at any given time.

He further announced, "And I'll become the writer on Uncanny X-Men ..."

Keep in mind that at the time, this was Marvel Comics' #1 selling book and the writer, Chris Claremont was the main creative force on the title, just like Jack Kirby on the early Fantastic Four or Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man.  He would continue to helm the title for a number of years as he had before.  Chris wasn't going anywhere soon.

Even we poor, frequently-deluded comic fans knew that.  Well, all but one, it seemed.

"-- and I won't take anything else," the person announced with the confidence of predicting the sunrise.  "I'll just take my services elsewhere."  By the way, this person never made it to New York, didn't even leave campustown, and Mr. Claremont kept his job for another decade.

But what's wrong with starting at the bottom?

I spent three years working in Public Broadcasting, but that came from volunteering for the five before at the television division.  I worked in comic retail for three decades, using my endless supply of media trivia gainfully.  However, that journey began with being a customer and building a relationship with the owner -- we'd call that "networking" today.

Not everyone can be a J.K. Rowling, hitting financial paydirt with their first major published work.

Many novelists started out writing short stories.  Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather at night while grinding out copy for men's adventure story magazines during the day.  I can remember John Travolta in a TV ad for Band-Aid Band Adhesive Strips long before Welcome Back, Kotter or Saturday Night Fever.  Jack Kirby, before he became the artistic standard of the comic book industry, worked as an "in-betweener" for Max Fleisher's animation studio, filling in movements between drawings other artists had made. 

But you've got to get your foot in the door, right?

Regardless of the venue, you have to give every work your best efforts because that's part of your resume that shows you are ready for bigger and more rewarding creative challenges.  When was the last time you heard of someone being called into an HR office to be told, "You drove your forklift into the boss' new BMW before crashing both of them through a brick wall ... that's the sort of initiative we're looking for in a Overseas Shipping Manager"

Timely Publications' Martin Goodman hired his cousin-in-law Stanley Lieber as an office boy to run errands for the staff.  One day in 1941, a comic book needed a quick text piece to be written for Captain America #3 (in those days, the Post Office would not allow a publisher to mail magazines at a special bulk rate unless the magazine contained at least two pages of text).

Seventeen-year old Stanley ran to a typewriter and pounded out a serviceable prose tale that kept the comic on schedule.  Goodman allowed Stanley to continue writing and eventually to become editor and art director of the comic book line while writing not just super-hero tales, but also westerns, war stories, romances, horror, and comedy.

By the time Goodman changed the company name to Marvel Comics, and Stanley decided to write the stories he wanted to read before leaving the industry to create The Great American Novel, the writer had long ago left his real name behind.  Now everyone knew the topkick at The House of Ideas as Stan Lee.

Stan went on to succeed Goodman as publisher at Marvel before becoming a media mogul, TV and film star, and perhaps one of the most influential writers in comics history.  And that all started with a two-page short story ... and Stan still hasn't written his novel.

As profiic as he was, Stan didn't scrimp on the effort.  It didn't matter if the story was about Steve Rogers, Simon Garth, Millie Collins, or Johnny Bart.  You shouldn't hold back on the talent either.

Every creative thing you do should be with your dial set to 11.  Every comic book cover should be drawn as if it's destined for the Louvre.  Wrap those SEOs with the most readable, repeatable prose you can conjure up.  Be the ensemble actor that the audience can't stop watching.

And if I had to replace that goof's light bulb, I'd treat the job like I was doing open heart surgery on my best friend.  Even if the pay stinks, the payment you get from a job excellently done can't be put into mere numbers.

Do your best because you never know where it may lead.

Is there ever a reason for not doing your best?  Write me or comment below and let's talk this out.

"We must be doing something ... WRITE!"

As for contacting us, we are in so many places, it's a wonder you don't read this blog on your fillings.

Your comments here and via e-mail are welcome and encouraged.

 Want to subscribe to this blog so it comes to you via your e-mail?  Sign up in the upper right hand corner of this blog and your wishes shall be made real.  Also, if reading this on your Kindle would give your life meaning, then you can subscribe here.

Visit the Freelance Words website for your writing needs.  To read my creative resume to show you I can do the work, I make it easy ... see?

In December, expect news about our first Kindle publication and tell your costuming friends to keep an eye out for it.  We'll also have announcements and other insane ramblings on our Facebook page (give us a LIKE while you're there, if you would, please) or on Twitter as @BrianKMorris.  You'll be glad you did.  Trust us.

As we hurtle towards the end of the year -- slipping, slipping, slipping into the future -- you'll hear more about those diabolical Mayans ending the Earth just because they didn't have room on a rock for more years.  You don't hear anyone predicting the end of all existence when we reach the last page of our Hello Kitty Calender, do you?  It pays to research  before jumping to conclusions.

Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and stay creative!

"Think visually? I can see that happening."

Once In a Lifetime

Talking heads do more than pop on the radio to burn down the house and be taken to the river once in a lifetime.  They sneak into our work and dull down a story into submission.

Why are they so attention-draining?  That's because talking heads do nothing ... nothing but talk.  Duh!

But they're so easy to write.  Imagine getting into a typing rhythm as you "hear" the dialog in your head as it happens between your characters.  I wish I could say my knowledge of this was strictly academic.

These are not the Talking Heads you're looking for.  Move along.

Movements (and I'm not talking classical music)

So much of what makes comic books and movies and stage plays work is movement.  Dialogue tickles the intellect, but movement captures the eye.  This is especially useful when the writer gets to "speechifying."

A recent webinar I recently attended on social networking discussed selling to a listener and how we all can get into a habit of sorts where that person is asked again and again to agree to something -- an offer, a concept, a set of jokes.

Take a look at people around you when you are in a restaurant or coffee shop or supermarket or book store.  No one simply stands in place and speaks.  We gesture.  When our feet are tired, we might lean or swap from side-to-side.  We scratch, we grimace, we never remain still.

When reading prose, the eye tends to speed up during dialogue.  Perhaps it's because we don't have to interpret the descriptions into movement inside our mind's eye.  We "hear" the words and don't give a lot of conscious thought about the characters' environment.

It's like reading MAD Magazine where there's something in the foreground that commands our attention, but behind the speakers, there's this world of activity and practically another story altogether taking place. 

You'll find that inserting movement breaks up the rhythm and adds life to the scene.  No matter if it's on stage, on the screen, or held together with two staples, movement helps add color to a scene.

In comic books, taking heads can bring a story to a screaming halt. Thanks to great artist/storytellers like Jack Kirby, Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin, and the like, the reader comes to expect activity on the printed page.  In the still-educational How To Draw Comic Books the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema, the team spends a couple of pages where even the talking heads can be made more interesting by changing the angle of the reader's point of view or by allowing them to pose more dramatically than standing with their hands in their pockets.

For myself, if more than three lines of dialog occur without my adding some sort of movement, then it's because I"m not paying attention.  For a play for the stage or screen, I'll let a page and a half -- which amounts to about  90 seconds -- slide by before I add some movement whether the scene needs it or not ... which it will.

When you write, play what you write in your mind like a movie.  When your own tolerance for non-movement is reached, make the talking heads do something.  Why should YOU be doing all the work?

Sorry for no blog post last week.  We had some consultation to do, one involving an upcoming book from Freelance Words, the other with a new business that will make you feel like a super-hero.  More on that as details firm up.

If you have an insight into the creative process, you are cordially invited to pitch a guest blog.  Drop me some e-mail with some details.

As for contacting us, we are almost omnipresent!

E-Mail: bkmorris56@gmail.com
Website: www.freelancewords.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FreelanceWords (be sure to give us a LIKE)
Twitter: @BrianKMorris, 
LinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/in/morriskbrian 

We are entering a time when we would do well to remember that all isn't lost.  We still have things to be thankful for, people to appreciate, and folks who appreciate us.  Remind someone how important they are, okay?

I am thankful to those of you who let me know you enjoy this blog and that you're getting some useful information from it.  I'm also thankful to those of you who subscribe via Amazon.com and by filling in the box in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Please have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving as well as a safe and thrifty Black Friday weekend.

Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and keep on creating!

Kelly Edwards on the E-Publishing Revolution

There is a revolution happening, dear friends.   

 It's not being fought with guns and hated, but with computers and sheer creativity. 

That revolution is happening in the electronic publishing field. 

One of the people on the frontlines is Kelly Edwards.  She's a Super Friend, a terrific writer, and she's just released a great book for the Kindle called Scorcher that this Freelancer highly recommends and hopes you'll pick up.

Kelly's got some great thoughts about creativity, how to create the best book you can, and the game-changer that is electronic publishing.  So without any further ado, here's Kelly Edwards:

 

When I first started writing, there was a stigma surrounding self-publishing. The belief was that any author worth their salt had to know that self-publishing houses were over-priced vanity presses and that the only customers to be had by going that route would be the author and perhaps the author’s parents.

Times have certainly changed and are continuing to change. The invention of the e-reader has made it so much easier for writers to directly reach their target audience. Unfortunately, this means that the market is even more saturated.

So what does that mean for aspiring authors?

Well, I personally believe it means that your destiny is what you make of it. It is a lot of work to self-publish and do it successfully, (and of course, there is certainly some element of luck involved as well) but it is certainly possible. In fact, as one of my friends said awhile ago-you now have the choice to spend years trying to stand out from the slush piles that clutter the desks of agents and publishing houses, or you can spend that time writing, promoting, and building your audience.

So what steps can you take to stand out from the crowd and help facilitate success?

1. Write a book that you can stand behind. Keep working on that book until you feel you’ve done all you can and you feel it’s ready. Make sure that you’re passionate about the book because after it’s published, you’re going to spend a lot of time talking about it, promoting it, thinking about it. You will be living and breathing that book, so give it all you’ve got. 
2. After you’ve given it all you’ve got, tear the book apart in the editing process and give it all you’ve learned since the first draft. Lather, rinse, repeat. Be sure that you get as much feedback as you possibly can during this stage. Be sure that this feedback comes from people who aren’t afraid to tell you when things aren’t working. Beg for constructive criticism if you don’t have to, or better yet, find people who aren’t emotionally connected to you, if at all possible.
3. Prepare yourself for the idea that not everyone will love your book, and that’s okay. Entertainment is subjective. You will get bad reviews. You might have slow months, years, etc. If you’re in this business for the positive reinforcement, you are in the wrong line of work. Just remember that this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
4. Once you’re sure that the contents of your book are solid, make sure the package is pretty and user-friendly. Cover art is crucial to whether or not readers will even take a second glance at your book, and formatting can very easily turn off a reader if not done well. If you can afford to hire someone for these things, great. If not? Look at as many books as you can. For covers, think about what’s attracted you, and what’s repelled you. For formatting, there is a wealth of information out there about standard formatting (I found mine via createspace.com’s resources) and when it comes to formatting, you really do want to make sure it’s invisible for the most part. The reader shouldn’t be thinking about your cool fonts or interesting visual arrangement. In fact, that sort of thing will distract from the story that you’re trying to tell and will in turn distract from the reading experience as a whole. While the cover is meant to entice and draw readers in, the formatting is simply meant to be easy to read and the best display for your story.
5. So you’re good to go with steps 1-4? Now you will get into an entirely different type of work: promoting. At this point, the best thing you can do is build a web presence. Carve out as many corners of the internet as you can reasonably manage. A website, social networking sites, etc. If potential readers don’t know about your book, there’s no chance for them to read it. Aside from web presence, don’t forget the value of actual face-to-face networking. Tell your friends, tell your family, and tell that person that you just met who happens to have similar interests to you. Get the word out however you can. From there, if you’ve done the first four steps correctly, word of mouth should eventually take over.
6. Go back to step one and write your next book. After all, that’s what got all of us into this in the first place. The more you write, the more you will improve on your craft and the more chances you will have to reach potential readers.

The great news is that there are more chances today than ever for up and coming writers to follow their passion. The market is currently in an exciting state of innovation and readers are being granted a wider variety of stories than ever. Now is the time to write that story you’re passionate about and get it out there to whomever your niche is!

If your book was this good, you'd be proud too.  Kelly Edwards shows off her first novel.

 

Kelly Edwards is the author of Scorcher, a superhero action/romance that’s available on Kindle now and will be released on paperback on November 15^th. You can find her on twitter here: https://twitter.com/dreamsofnever (keep an eye out for giveaways!) and you can find Scorcher here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NOIGB4

I hope you enjoyed Kelly's first guest blog here because she has a standing invitation to contribute more.

By the way, if you don't own a Kindle reading device, you can still read Kelly's novel on your computer.  Just check out her Amazon page and you can download a FREE e-reader for your computer or tablet.

We'll be having more on e-publishing in the weeks and months to come.  In fact, I'm working on my own, Networking Made Way Too Easy that should be out before the end of the year. 

And if you'd like to contribute to this blog, pitch me an idea at bkmorris56@gmail.com.

To see what we do when we aren't blogging, head over to www.freelancewords.com and see what we might be able to write for you.  Also, check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FreelanceWords and follow us on Twitter, @BrianKMorris, and on LinkedIn at
http://linkedin.com/in/morriskbrian 

Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and keep on creating!

"You Don't Start None, There Won't Be One ... Really!"

If you start something, you should finish it.

I hear a lot of stories as an interview transcriber.  Many of them, I can't repeat in a family blog (hope you all have given up on finding one here).  I mentioned to a publisher that I could take all the libelous material my editors cut from my transcripts and put them into a book, Comic Book Babylon.  My publisher went pale at the thought ... and I can't blame him.

But I can tell one story: In Carmine Infantino: Penciler, Publisher, Provocateur by Jim Amash, Eric Nolen-Wethington and Carmine Infantino (with transcripts by Your Humble Freelancer), Infantino tells a story about artist Mort Meskin and the time they spent together at the Simon-Kirby Studio.  Mort could not begin working on a comic page until someone, often Carmine, drew a single pencil mark upon the page.  Once the virgin paper had been defiled, so to speak, Mort could begin work (and brilliant work it usually was).

Available from your favorite book monger or order directly from www.twomorrows.com

How many of us succumb to what I call "the tyranny of the empty page?"  It's almost as if that blank sheet of typing paper ... or those unmarred parallel lines on the writing tablet ... or that perfectly sterile while screen on your computer monitor ... it should remain inviolate, untouched, unaffected forever.

I feel your pain, brother.  I know what you're going through, sister.  Well, at least I used to ...

A long time ago, I didn't want to really mess up a virgin sheet of paper unless I had enough ideas and words to fill it.  I think it stemmed back to the 7th grade when a substitute teacher burst into tears -- and I'm not talking about just weeping here, but full fledged wailing -- when someone scribbled one line on a sheet of paper before wadding it up and tossing it away.

Well before the environmental movement took ahold of our imaginations and our consciences, this outburst stunned us and our class vowed to be more globally considerate.  Of course our consciences were battered into submission within a week when the daily tirade covered some new international crisis that apparently 30 midwestern school children -- yeah, us -- had created.  We couldn't even drive and somehow, we were a team of evil super-geniusses on the express route to destroying the planet?  How did that slip by our guidance counselors?

Well, I obviously didn't listen to the lady and kept on writing down my story ideas.  In fact, we all swiftly inured ourselves to her caterwaling, being the insensitive whelps we were (and probably still are).  Anyway, as I developed my writing skills, I soon found that I had more ideas than time, something you will also learn to develop as you follow this blog.  Promise.  And I needed to immortalize those creative thoughts because I have the attention span of a mayfly and still do.

As I'd come up with a halfway decent idea, at least one worth thinking about to see if I had the ability to milk it for its full potential, I'd write down the notion and place the paper in my pocket.  Eventually, I trained myself to carry notebooks or at least eventually transfer my notes to those notebooks.  Sometimes, I'd carry the paper with me until I could get some quality computer time and then I'd input the idea and expand upon it as I went.

This knowledge came from the times -- and I wish I could say I'd only committed this sin once -- I'd written down what I thought was a good idea and then dropped my trousers into the wash without checking them as thoroughly as I could.  My ideas and my dreams turned to squishy pulp ... almost a metaphor for life. 

"I Can Remember Everything ... Just Not All At Once."

I didn't realize how long I'd been doing the note thing until a couple of years ago.  I unearthed a box of old letters (for all of you who think a no-number X-Box belongs in a museum of antiquities, this was a means of communication that was quite popular just prior to e-mail and not long after cave paintings) as well as various magazine articles I'd clipped as reference for whatever reason.  I remembered compiling this ephermia with the intent of revisiting it when the muse hit me.  It was also before the Internet so I was probably concerned with losing this data to the ages.  You know, vital things like articles from Time Magazine about the role of hot pants on the Nixon Administration's foreign investments.  Or maybe I just liked the pictures.

Buried in the midst of this was a single lined sheet of college lined notebook paper.  I'd written a single word on it ... I can't tell you now what the word was because I've forgotten the inspiration it carried on that day from shortly after I graduated from college.  Whatever inspired me to take the time to grab a blue ballpoint pen and write down that single word, I may never recall. 

Perhaps that's how the legendary "Croatoan" came about.  The sign was probably a note one of the colonists wrote to themselves to remind them of a great idea.

These days, I have several notebooks going at any one time, at least one of which I tend to carry on my person.  Two are filled with notes from webinars I attend.  A good student takes copious notes, you know, and mine are the copiousest!  Another is filled with story ideas and titles and stage play concepts.  There's one that's just for day-to-day lists of things to accomplish or reminders that will be torn out and tossed away once the event is past.  Still another gets dragged along when I feel the tickle of my subconscious telling me another writing problem is about to be worked through and I transform from author to transcriber. 

There's also a couple of pieces of paper in my pocket at any given time that contains a note or two, awaiting transfer into a larger volume or a file on my laptop.  But whenever inspiration strikes, I'm ready for it.  Or I can use these to develop an idea when I'm not near a computer. 

You may use a fancy journal or a diary or day planner for your notes.  Me, I've been using these 5.5"x4.25 sprial bound notebooks, 200 pages, lined with perforated pages that can be pulled out when no longer needed.  I won't endorse the place where I buy these for a dollar (because this blog gets no product placement bribery, darn it), but let's just say that when I wondered to myself if these would suit my note-taking fetish, I said, "That's easy!"

Anyway, never let the blank screen or the unmarked paper intimidate you.  It is your duty to fill it with your brilliance.

But you also owe it to yourself to add to that first spark.  You need to place it someplace where it will continue to tweak your imagination until you can flesh out your concept and bring it to full life.  Who knows whose life you are denying inspiration or comfort until you get that story or article or poem written?

So don't let that golden slip of paper wind up in the laundry or sit in your pocket so long that you forget why you wrote it down in the first place.  Act upon your inspiration!

THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT: Purchase a small notebook that you can fit into a briefcase, backpack, purse, or even your back pocket.  You don't have to spend a lot on it, but judge this book by its cover and make sure it can take whatever punishment it's dealt.  Train yourself to write ideas, good or otherwise, within its pages.  Revisit the book frequently and expand upon those ideas as soon as possible.

Then see about writing an idea every day into your book.  Read a newspaper.  Watch a television channel you've never watched before.  Go to the park or the public library and imagine a stranger's life story.  Write it down in your journal.

I want to welcome everyone who's now reading this blog on their Kindle devices.  If you would like this humble assemblage of words sent to your blog, go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009SNG8GA and sign up.  The price is 99 cents a month and you can then claim to be a patron of the writing arts.

And if you want to have Freelance Words pop up in your computer's e-mailbox for free, go to the upper right hand corner of this page and fill in your e-mail address in the appropriate place.

Should you have an idea for a future column, I'd love to know about it.  You can leave your comments below or drop me a line at bkmorris56@gmail.com.  In fact, if your creative ideas cannot be restricted to a mere comment, pitch your idea to me at the aforementioned e-mail address and perhaps I'll let you write a guest blog on what fires your creativity.

And I might be persuaded to write one for your blog, if you're interested.

Currently, I'm working on my first book which I hope to release in early to mid-December.  It will be available on the Kindle reading device initially with a paperback release in late spring or early summer of 2013.  Ignore what your parents and Rick Springfield use to say about talking to strangers ... I know how to take the fear out of the process and so will you once you read it.

And if you have a writing assignment in mind, come on over to www.freelancewords.com.  

Until next time, you have a great one!  Take care of yourselves and take care of each other!

"Who would win in a fight? Superman or Thor?"

Ah, the age-old questions, the ones that truly matter, never seem to find an answer, do they?

Superman is copyrighted and TM DC Comics, Inc. Thor is copyrighted and TM Marvel Comics, Inc.  Their combined power terrifies me far less than the lawyers for either company.

Seriously, over the years, I've sharpened my writing skills by working on exercises that I knew might never see public scrutiny.  These included business plans, comic book scripts, television "bibles," anything that struck my fancy at the time.

At one time, I thought monologs were what led off The Tonight Show or actors read them during auditions to get a gig.  But one of my brothers-from-another-mother, Paul Barile, produced a terrific theater event that he called "The Monodogs of War."

The idea was that a writer would be paired up with an actor (although one time, that actor was me).  We would be given a subject, such as a line from President Barack Obama's inauguration speech or the Wikipedia history of the City of Chicago.  Then the actor and the writer would confer for five minutes before the latter is given 25 minutes to hand-write a three or four-minute monologue that incorporated the subject line.

Afterwards, a panel of judges would eliminate half the teams.  The wining writer/actor pairs would go at it again with a different trigger.  The panel then selected an ultimate winner while the audience selected a favorite of their own.  During the entire process, everyone drinks a lot and laughter ensues.

See?  Everyone's happy!

Not too many years ago, I wrote a story for my own amusement concerning Superman.  This tale harkened back to his earliest days when he operated more in the shadows, when everyone was afraid of him.  Thus, he did his good deeds mostly as Clark Kent.  During the course of the story, he realized that perhaps his work as a reporter could do every bit as much good as being the Man of Steel, maybe even more.

The piece had to contain four parameters:

1. No character from the DC Universe could be named.
2. It didn't have to adhere to the Three-Act Play structure (more on this in a future blog), but it did require at least one instance of external conflict.
3. This story would occur in OUR world, not strictly the four-color one of the comics.
4. It could only be around 1,000 words.


It took a few days, but I managed to hammer the story out.  The monolog helped me get into the character's head so if I had to write, say, a novel or a screenplay about Superman, I could do it more easily.  In fact, the character would now be likely to drag me along for the ride as he sculpted the plot with his reactions, not that I minded in the least.

Part of the submission process to submit to my friends at Audio Movies Club (www.audiomoviesclub.com) included writing a sentence or two about each character in the play.  This exercise not only helped the voice actors to understand your characterizations, but this also demonstrated that you had a handle on the different fictional personalities as well.

Recently, Paul put out a call for monologs for a future project and of course, I had to submit something.  So I worked up a tale of Bruce Wayne on the verge of Christmas day.  What kind of Christmas would he have?  Did he even have a normal Christmas since his parents were murdered?  As you and I would anticipate our holidays to be with loved ones and exchange presents, how might pragmatic, logical Bruce Wayne plan his personal holiday?

For a moment, I recall my seventh Christmas with my family.  I never got my eighth in the foster home.  My holidays died with my parents.  Instead of jingle bells, I now hear gunshots, my mother's screams, and the clatter of unstrung pearls striking the cold pavement, their percussion decaying in the chill of the night where my war on crime began.  On that night, at my bedside, I vowed to turn myself into a nocturnal soldier, warring on the superstitious, cowardly lot that preyed on their betters.

That boy would have his holiday.  And dammit, so will every other child in my city.

Art by Neal Adams, Batman & Ra's Al-Ghul are copyrighted and TM DC Comics, Inc.

So why write a monologue?  Aside from mastering another form of writing, which is always useful, it's a good record of a character, a snapshot of the person's mental state and history,   If you must walk away from the story, a quick re-reading will serve to place you back into the psyche of that character.  Consistency is assured.

So who's your favorite character?  Whether you are an actor studying to nail a role, a costumer who want to slide into character more easily, or a writer whose words are to make a fiction seem real, try writing a brief monolog.  Read it aloud.  Does it sound like the person you wish to bring to life?

THIS WEEK'S EXERCISE: Write up to 1,000 words in first person about your favorite fictional or historical character encountering a potentially challenging holiday situation.  For instance, how might Archie Bunker avoid Mike Stivic during National Brotherhood Week?  How would Ebeneezer Scrooge celebrate the following Christmas after meeting the Three Ghosts?  Imagine Cathy deliberating whether or not to send Heathcliff a Valentine's Day letter.

Have fun with this.  Leave comments below and tell me what you did.

He's blurry, but his eyes not only follow you around the room, but they follow you into the next room as well.

Other bits of business:

Thank you all for enduring my irregular blogging as of late as well as your compliments.  One of the reasons I'm otherwise engaged is I'm writing a book entitled Networking Made Way Too Simple that I hope to have out before the end of the year on Kindle and then in paperback form after the first of the year.  It's a painless way to master the job seeker's most potent tool.

Speaking of e-publication, check out my friend Kelly M. Edwards' first novel, Scorcher (Forces of Nature).  It's the first installment of a trilogy that's worth your attention.  So check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NOIGB4

Kelly will also be writing a guest installment of this blog in the very near future.  Be on the lookout for that!

While I'm plugging my friends, give some love to Billie Jo Ellis, an illustrator and designer that you're going to be hearing a lot about pretty soon.  Check out her work at www.bjellisart.com and let her know Freelance Words sent you.

By the way, Kelly and Billie Jo have Facebook pages for their works.  Give 'em a LIKE and feel your karma points adjust into the positives.

I've just joined Pinterest.  I've dipped my toe in the water, but little more than that.  PLEASE feel free to friend me there, okay?

If you subscribe to this blog, it'll magically appear in your e-mailbox for your reading pleasure.  Cast your gaze towards the upper right-hand corner of this missive and make life a little easier on yourself.

Meanwhile, www.freelancewords.com exists to make your life easier through writing and publishing.  So bookmark it and check out the links.

Feel free to leave a comment below, if you wish.  Until we meet again, be good to yourself and be good to each other.

"How Can You Miss Me If I Don't Go Away?"

I know, I know ... you've been asking, "Where the heck has Brian been?"

Busier than a Van Helsing at a Twilight convention, that's how busy your not-so-humble typist has been!

First of all, I attended the amazing Popeye Picnic in Chester, Illinois in early September.  The people of Chester definitely know how to put on a party!  The town where Thimble Theatre creator Elsie Segar was raised, and where some of the locals inspired many of the characters in the famous newspaper strip.

On State Route 3, welcome home, spinach fan.  (photo copyright 2012 Cookie Morris)

I also got to see Nicola Cuti, filmmaker and former Assistant Editor at Charlton Comics and co-creator of E-Man.  This man couldn't know it at the time, but way back when, he sent me a small pamphlet on comic book production that set me down the path of writing. He was a kind man, just as he was when I saw him at an Indianapolis comic book convention back in the mid-'70s.

The freelancer and Nicola Cuti (R) at the 2012 Popeye Picnic (photo copyright 2012 Brian K. Morris)

I"ll scribble down my adventures on the banks of the Mississippi River later on, promise!  Needless to say, it was a good time, especially thanks to the kind people of Chester and friends like Debbie & Mike Brooks (presidents of The International Popeye Fan Club at www.popeyethesailor.com), artist Ken Wheaton (and his mom), new buddy Donnie Pitchford, and indefatigable hostess Cathy Rinne, to say nothing of the staff of  the Chester Public Library who all made for a great and memorable weekend. 

Also, I've been spending time setting up my business website: www.freelancewords.com.  If anyone tells you that setting up a website is easy, slap them for me, would you?  Granted, I had a template to work with, but it certainly wasn't easy ... although I admit I tend to overthink some things, my website among them, apparently.

Anyway, I am now in business.  My specialties are copy writing, multi-media scripting, and e-publishing.  I've spent a lifetime learning this stuff, now I can put my talents to use for you, your company, or your friend's business.  Please feel free to pass on the news of my website, which not-coincidentally is named after this blog ... or is it the other way around?  Who knows?

During this time, I collected ideas for future blogs which will be appearing over the next few months.  In addition, I'll be retooling this blog just a bit.  I'll try to add more graphics, keep you posted on Freelance Words (the business), and I'll be serializing my first two e-books.

The first tome will be a non-fiction book on networking and the other is a childrens book that I think you'll all appreciate.  Keep visiting this blog and my website for updates, okay?

Also, I'll be offering exercises for you that I hope will inspire you to kick down the barriers that limit your own creativity.  Plus, they'll be fun!

So what is the tie-in to this blog's theme?  While it was a pain to do -- and at times, I thought I'd never finish and almost gave up -- the final result was worth it to me.  I now have a website that's in MY voice that's delivering MY message to the world.  And as a "living document," the site will grow and change to reflect any changes in my business as well as my own personal evolution.  It's "good enough" right now ... but I know what will make it better, having written and designed the site.

I'd never written copy for an entire sales website before ... just as I'd never blogged before last spring ... but if I didn't try, I wouldn't know if I was any good at it.  Also, by doing this, I learned a lot about my new business -- what to offer, how to describe it and what to not mention -- as well as honing my design skills.

Just because you've never done it before, NEVER use that as an excuse for not attempting something new.  If you are an actor, try directing.  If you script nothing but comedy plays, write a dramatic monologue.  If you paint pastoral scenes, do a pencil study of a futuristic, Mega City One (for your Judge Dredd fans) on a winter's day.

Don't just step outside your box.  Kick the walls down!

Then take the lessons you learn back to your specialty.

Always challenge yourself.  Never stop growing.

So what can you do that will kick down your limitations?  Write me at bkmorris56@gmail.com and tell me.  Or check out the Freelance Words website (and don't forget to visit my friends' links ... tell them I sent you!), hire me for an estimate on a creative consultation, and I'll see you soon with a new blog entry.

"Thank you so very much."

Two of the easiest words to say, often withheld like both syllables were bored from a vein of platinum.  It's easy enough to say them.  We should make it more of a habit.

As creatives, we don't always get paid for our work, especially when we're staring at the dust under our heels, standing on the ground floor.  We frequently aren't paid proportionally to our efforts or the rewards for whom we're laboring.  Sometimes, we have to give a lot more that we can't exactly quantify on an expense account like it's an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

(btw, YTJD is one of those properties that I would write almost out of love, The Green Lama being another, so if someone needs a writer, well, you know... one of these times, remind me to talk about what we'd do for the Klondike Bar of our creative dreams)

One of my interests is costuming.  Not just helping sew and design for the theater, but actually getting dressed up in outfits and playing Major Attention Sponge at comic conventions and similar gatherings.  For many years, I've admired the costumers who've sewn their outfits and crafted their bodies to more closely resemble their favorite characters from TV, movies, comic books, anime, whatever. 

I followed their activities for years before deciding to become one of them, albeit nowhere near the leagues of some of my friends.  Some of them make appearances at childrens hospitals, military bases, and other places where people could use a smile from a four-color personality.

The municipality of Metropolis, Illinois pops up in this blog frequently.  This is no accident.  Some of the most creative, kindest people make their ways there, if they don't live there already.  Here's one more love letter to them.

Noel Neill is more than an actress and singer.  She's more then just the Lois Lane of the serials and all but the first season of the classic Adventures of Superman television program.  Since 2003, she's been the official "First Lady of Metropolis" and deservedly so.  Well, to honor her career in show business a few years ago, the Superman Celebration put on a gala '40s-themed dance ball.  Needless to say, I had to be different (something I'd heard since first grade).

I designed a Victorian tuxedo in the colors of Superman, which my wife Cookie (that's her real name ... we just nicknamed her "Carol") sewed with a little (tragically little) assistance from me.  The pants and jacket were blue, the vest was firehouse red, and we sewed the famous S-shield onto the lapels and the back of the red opera cape.  We also constructed a belt that matched the design of the classic uniform.  We rounded out the ensemble with red trainers (there's only so much discomfort I was ready to endure) in lieu of finding the correct shade of formal shoe.  With a pair of  red suspenders and a bright yellow shirt to match the hue of the chest and cloak emblem, we were ready to go.

We received compliments for the outfit, mostly for the moxie it took to wear it.  Later on, I wore it for the 2010 Gen Con Costume Contest and received a special judge's commendation for its imagination (and the word "weirdest" did pop up).  Plus, I got my ego fed for all the pics that were taken, one of which wound up on Wikipedia.

(for those of you who aren't in the know, Gen Con is held annually in Indianapolis and is the largest game-related convention in North America.  It is four solid days of gaming and good gamer vibe as well as massive love from Indy who knows how to make out-of-towners feel like family)

So to follow up, this year my wife and I crafted a costume based on Uncle Dudley Marvel.  You see, I admire the costumers who will "become" a character, despite not fitting the original's silhouette (can you tell I watch too much Project Runway?).  This is far from a criticism.  If being their fave hero or heroine makes them happy, then why the heck not dress up?  God bless them for it, I say!

(for those who came in late -- sorry Phantom fans -- Uncle Marvel was really a lovable con man who accompanied Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel, Jr. in their adventures ... one of the most memorable was when Dudley tricked their most powerful foe, Black Adam, into uttering his magic word that robbed him of his magical abilities)

Anyway, I dressed up as Uncle Marvel (and even entered the costume contest) and immediately upon entering the Indianapolis Convention Center, I was asked if I minded having my picture taken.  After a half dozen of these requests, I started saying, "Do you this I'd be dressed like this if I didn't want my picture taken?"

Cookie was having lower back problems so I carried her backpack as often as I could.  But the longest I could carry it was around a minute before someone asked to take my picture (and Lord knows how many were taken without asking).  Fortunately, I'd worked out a pose: pointing at the camera, the other hand on my hip usually, and with a big smile.

Sure, it was tiring to pose, to find a place to pose where I wasn't blocking the aisles, and to organize a crowd so everyone got a "smile and a point" of their own.  Also, I couldn't really eat or drink a lot for fear of spilling on my uniform.  Mostly, I rinsed out my mouth with a quick swallow of water, ready to pose once again.

However, as the day wore on, more and more con-goers, young and old, male and female, thanked me for making them smile and reminding them of a time of their youth they treasured, a story they read long ago and ached to read again, or just being upbeat and cheerful amidst the sturm und drang of some videogame/anime/comic characters.  And the ladies didn't seem to mind putting their arms around Ol' Dudley ... I'm married, but I retain a pulse, okay?

And Cookie delighted -- although she's loathe to admit it -- in watching the smiles and hearing the compliments for her work.  I was just the model.  She was the designer and the one who truly "made it work."

Once I realized it, I found myself swept up in my emotions.  I wish I'd counted how many people had asked me for my picture, how many posed with me, how many compliments I accepted with as much grace as I could manage, how many people genuinely smiled at me.

(we will ignore the people who called me "Flash" because of the red outfit with yellow lightning bolt on the chest as well as the ones who called me "Captain Marvel" or "SHAZAM!"  Close enough, I say, and why rain on their parades?)

When we take the stage, or write a story in whatever format or genre, we are not just feeding our our creative urges.  We might see ourselves as singing in the dark of night, hoping someone will hear us and find our talents pleasing.

But know that somewhere, there is someone who is waiting for us to become another character or to create something that might put an aspect of everyday life into sharper focus.  Perhaps someone waits for us to simply distract them from the pain of real life, or to rekindle an emotion thought lost, or even simply to let someone know they are not alone.

We are not only creating for ourselves.  We are also creating for someone else, even if we don't know -- and may never learn -- who they are.  But when they find you, it's worth all the effort and then some.  So don't give up ... someone is waiting for you to finish what you do.

***

Have a comment?  Feel free to leave some below or drop me a line at bkmorris56@gmail.com.  And as Stan the Man -- and I ain't talkin' baseball -- used to say, "Hang loose, True Believers."  www.freelancewords.com is almost ready to be launched.

So feel free to discuss below.