Read the Damn Book (#IWSG October 2019)

Warning: This Month's Optional Question inspired a bit of a rant. I apologise in advance.

October Question

It's been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don't enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?

"It's been said" that writing without reading is a good idea? By who? That's terrible advice.

(To be fair, 90% of all writing advice is terrible, so statistically speaking it checks out. Also, there's a 90% chance that everything I say below is complete and utter garbage.)

I don't believe you can write without reading. Reading will make you a better writer. Period. Reading will provide you new ideas, not just for content but in style and substance. Whether you learn new things to do, or things you shouldn't do, you can always gain something from reading. I find the most formulaic, boring writing comes from people who don't read, because they have limited ideas of what a story is supposed to look like. They keep writing it the same way over and over again.

I'm a just leave this here.

I firmly believe there are no new ideas. In the thousands of years humanity has been writing stories (and tens of thousands they have been sharing them orally), everything has been said. You are not going to come up with a new idea for your first-ever self-published supernatural YA cozy romance mystery. But there are other ways to say the same things, other ways to express similar ideas, new settings and ways to deconstruct themes. You can tell stories with your voice, with your perspective. But in order to do that, you need to learn other people's voices, to learn about other themes, from different writers, different perspectives, different times, different cultures. You can't bake a cake without multiple ingredients. Writing without reading other people's ideas is like trying to make cupcakes with only a bag of flour.

Some people might be into it, I guess?

Tangential Anecdote Time: It's in my bio and I mention it from time to time, but I have a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts. I originally wanted to be an actor. One of the (many) reasons I didn't pursue acting is because I hated the way my school taught performance. They encouraged everyone to be edgy and creative and "true to themselves." The number one lesson was "Break all the rules." The only problem was that they didn't teach us the rules. There was no basic instruction on how to project in front of an audience, how to interpret text in performance, or even how to tell a coherent story. How can you deconstruct something that you don't know how to construct in the first place? I watched so much experimental, weird performance in that class, and so much of it was terrible. There was broken glass, raw meat, gratuitous nudity, fake blood, simulated masturbation, impromptu make-out sessions with strangers and more (I did three of those myself in a single piece; I'll let you guess which ones). The people that came in with a background in Theatre, or that were just really naturally talented, could pull it off and do interesting stuff, but the rest of us were lost and just making horseshit. We thought (and were told) that we were imaginative and creative but we didn't have a fucking clue what we were doing, and no one would watch our shows that weren't forced to sit through them as part of class. It's the exact same reason there are so many terrible self-published books out there on Amazon.

Conclusion: Writing without reading is like pretending to masturbate in theatre class.

I think I'm going to put that on a business card.

TRICK OR TREAT READS!

OCTOBER IS FINALLY HERE! HALLOWEEN SEASON! Know what that means? Yes, dentists are rubbing their hands in greedy anticipation, but also...

AUTHORS WILL SOON BE GIVING AWAY FREE BOOKS LIKE CANDY!

Once again, the lovely and talented Miss Patricia Lynne/Josephine will be hosting Trick-or-Treat reads, an awesome blog hop where anyone can join to give or get free books on October 31! 

Authors, sign up to give out free books! Find new readers and get your books into appreciate hands!

Readers, all you have to do is go through the list on Halloween and grab any freebies that you're interested in!

The list of participating blogs/authors is below. Authors sign up any time between now and October 31. 

Be sure to check out Patricia's blog as well, for full details and just because she's an awesome person.

Until next time!
Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/.

Books I Should Have Read This Summer

So two months ago I started writing this list of books I was hoping to read this summer. I'm a slow reader at the best of times, and the last few years I've just had so much trouble concentrating that it's very hard for me to get into a book no matter how much I enjoy it and want to read it. Usually publicly declaring I was going to read something at least marginally increases my chances of getting to it.

Needless to say I never posted the list, and I haven't read any of these books. I suck. Between vacations and various people being sick or out of town and a busier-than-usual summer at work, I just haven't gotten much reading done these past few months. Maybe I'll have to bump this to my fall reading list.

A God in the Shed
by J-F Dubeau

A couple of years ago I submitted my book Hell Comes to Hogtown for a contest at Inkshares. Obviously it didn't win, but this is the book that I thought should have won. It didn't either, which is why it took so long to come out. It's been quite a wait so I'm really looking forward to it. It's has the creepy, brutal feel of a Scandinavian murder mystery with a supernatural bent. The first couple of chapters are really dark, so we'll see how this goes.

The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 
Douglas Adams

At the complete other end of the spectrum... it's been ages since I read the original HHGG books, and I must embarrassingly admit that I've never read the later ones. I was beyond pleased when I found this for $5 at a thrift store. I very much look forward to returning to the universe of Arthur, Ford Prefect et al, but I must admit I can't read Marvin the Paranoid Android without hearing Alan Rickman's voice in my head.

Jem and the Holograms Volume 5
by Kelly Thompson and Gisele Lagace

Yup, I'm a Jem fan and I won't deny it.

To be fair, this is NOT the cartoon you may (or may not) remember for the 80s, and it's certainly not that abomination of a film that came out a couple of years ago. The characters in the new Jem comics by the extraordinary Kelly Thompson are far more modern, fully-fleshed and real. They are body- and - LGBTQ-positive. They are not just barbie-doll-esque caricatures fighting over guys and trying to murder each other (wassup, Misfits) but actual human beings with goals and opinions and ups and downs you can relate to. I hope my daughter can read this book and find role-models to look up to. Hell, I hope my son can, too.

The Vagrant
by Peter Newman

The Vagrant was a big deal a couple of years ago when it came out, and it and its sequels continue to garnish rave reviews. Plus Peter Newman is a really cool guy. It's the story of a silent protagonist protecting a baby as they travel through a monstrous wasteland, so it sounds pretty badass. And a goat is very pivotal to the story for some reason, so I have to check this out. I picked up the Kindle version on a 99-cent sale so I have no excuse not to get around to it.

Beyond Redemption
by Michael R. Fletcher

Another book that was huge in my circles last year, it's the first of a trilogy that Fletcher's publisher stunningly did not pick up for future volumes, despite winning critical acclaim and even a couple of awards. It just didn't have that big sales drive out of the gate to convince the publishers that it was worth investing in future volumes. Much like movie studios, publishers as of late are more concerned with the "opening weekend box office" than anything else.

Mike has gone on to self-publish the second volume with the third forth-coming, and he continues to do well for himself and has published another series with a different publisher. He'll be fine, plus he's Canadian so he has that going for him.

Canada
by Mike Myers

I had to throw some Canadian non-fiction in here somewhere. While I doubt this has the hard-hitting satirical bite of the Canadaland book I reviewed a few months ago, sometimes it's nice to read something funny and positive. Part memoir, part history of Canada, I'm also curious to read exactly what the hell Myers has been up to the last few years. He was on top of the world with stuff like Austin Powers and Shrek, and then he just kind of vanished.

Save the Cat
by Blake Snyder

For those not familiar, this is a very famous and popular screenwriting book that brought to the mainstream a writing formula used by virtually every Hollywood film in existence. It breaks down, in mathematical detail, exactly where every beat in a script should go: when the hero should be introduced, when the theme is revealed, when the hero should suffer his greatest setback in Act II, etc. While it's intended for writing movies it translates very well to novels as well. I will shamelessly admit I've used the formula myself from time to time, even though I've never read the book it came from. I aim to correct this oversight.

King John of Canada
by Scott Gardiner

I found this book on my office's "leave a book, take a book" shelf, which is usually full of crap (Windows 95 for Dummies, or a French copy of 50 Shades, anyone?), but this looks fascinating. For those not familiar, it's the story of Canadian and British government collapsing in a series of weird accidents, and then a random guy in Toronto is named King of Canada. Only it turns out he's really good at being king, and fixes all of the countries problems with common sense solutions. It's obviously satire, but it came out during the height of the country's Conservative led-years, so I'm very curious to see where it goes.

(Side note: Funny how bad we thought it was during during the Conservative Harper years in Canada, and now we're looking down South and I bet you guys wish you had Stephen Harper running your country...)

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The Times They Are A Changin' (#IWSG February 2017)

I'm going to keep it short this month.

I'm undergoing some turmoil in my life that will have some drastic effects on my writing habits. I'm just not sure yet what that's going to look like.

One of two things are going to happen: I'm either going to have a lot more free time for writing, or significantly less.

Sorry for the vagueness. There's just a lot up in the air right now so I don't really want to talk about it.  I don't talk much about personal stuff on this blog anyway, so we'll leave it at that.

Anyway, I'm feeling like an idiot right now so let's jump to that handy question...

February IWSG Question: 

How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

Ugh. It has certainly diminished it, that's for sure. To clarify, writing hasn't diminished the quality of my reading, but it has a huge impact on the quantity.

See, with a wife and two young kids and a full-time job and a long commute, I don't have a ton of free time to begin with. After housework and playing with the kids and getting them dressed and ready for bed and packing lunches and whatnot, there is very little time left at the end of the day. My wife and I are lucky we get 30-60 minutes to flake out, and even that isn't a daily occurrence by any means. Once or twice a week if we're lucky.

The only time I have regularly to myself is on my bus ride to and from work, and during that time I have a choice: read or write, and it's a struggle sometimes to decide which to do. It sounds dumb, but this is a legitimate question I have to ask every day when I get on the bus. Do I pull out my laptop to write a chapter, or pull out a book or e-reader? (There's a lot of shit in my bag, it weighs a ton)

This is basically me on my way to work every morning.

There are SO many books out there I want to read, but on the other hand if I DON'T write regularly I just feel lousy. I'm sure most of you understand this - if you're not writing it feels like something is missing in your life. I've tried splitting the time to mixed results; if I write regularly and consistently, I can get a couple thousands words a day, on the bus. But if I only write every other day or in irregular spurts I have to struggle to get a few hundred, as I spend as much time getting back into the story as I do putting down new words. It's so frustrating to have the ideas and no time to put them down on the page.

I make a point of reading a couple of books between projects to reset my brain - I recognize that you have to read to be even a moderately-competent writer, and you need new stories and new ideas to keep your brain juices flowing. Plus, like I said, there are so many books I want to read and enjoy. But man, sometimes I fear I won't have the time to really put into writing (and reading) until I'm retired. Assuming that I'm ever in a position that I'll be able to retire, which at the rate I'm going doesn't look likely...

Anyway. It's a dumb thing to obsess over, but I've been told I worry about dumb things.

#

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group here.

My Fall To-Be-Read List

Below is a list of books sitting on my shelf and in my e-reader, patiently waiting for me to get to them. I know I won't read them all in the next few months, and you may not care, but if nothing else this keeps them all in one place as a reminder for me. And hey, if you're wondering how my mind ticks, checking out lists like this is a pretty good way to find out.

Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville

One of the winners of the Nerdist/Inkshares publishing contest I took part in last year, I'm actually in the middle of this book right now and I'm enjoying it immensely (which is good, because I was quite disappointed with the other winning book). It's a zombie apocalypse story with some actual strong YA themes about coming of age and sexuality, and I'm very pleased with how it's going so far. Again, I'm only halfway through so there's plenty of time for it to go off the rails, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The Pickpocket by Celine Jeanjean

I love Celine Jeanjean's fantasy/steampunk/mystery whatever-you-want-to-call-it series, and she just released a new novella detailing one of the main character's backstories. It's burning a hole on my e-reader right now waiting for me to finish Welcome to Deadland.

Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of the Circus by W.C. Coup

My post about The Toronto Circus Riot last week renewed my fascination with 19th-century circuses, and I found this book, written around the turn of the last century, filled with first-hand accounts of living and working with said travelling shows. It's said to be pretty hard to stomach in places (they weren't exactly known for the sterling animal rights) but it should be an curious read.

The Bear Who Wouldn't Leave by J.H. Moncrieff

I've been meaning to get to this one for awhile, as it's by a fellow Canadian horror author as well as a member of the IWSG. Plus how can you resist that creepy fucking bear on the cover?

Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

I read a collection of PG Wodehouse stories earlier this year and it blew me away. The fact that such simple jokes stand up nearly a century after they were written speak to the exceptional style and skill of the writer. Plus, his influence on future British comic writers like Stephen Fry, Douglas Adams, Hugh Laurie and even Terry Pratchett is obvious. I picked this one up on sale at Kobo and I'm really looking forward to it.

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

I'll be honest, I know next to nothing of this book, but I've heard it described as the funniest book ever written, and it in fact was one of the influences on Wodehouse. That is more than enough to make me want to check it out.

Utopiates by Josh Finney & Kat Rocha

I won a copy of this cyberpunk graphic novel in a contest - apparently it's about a bleak, Blade Runner-esque future where the most popular drug changes people's personality, rewiring their brains to basically swap their souls with someone else. Sounds pretty freaky and worth a looksie, but I will admit when I signed up for the contest I actually thought it was for another book (Casefile Arkham) by the same authoer. Still, I'm not one to turn down a free book!

Wisconsin Vamp by Scott Burtness

Scott is the organizer of Vampire Books For Blood, the charity drive I'm taking part in during the month of October. Wisconsin Vamp is just one of the many fine books that are available (including of course Hell Comes to Hogtown!), proceeds from which will be donated to the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services. And just looking at the cover, you KNOW this book is right up my alley...

One Goblin Army by Philip Overby

It's Philip Overby. It's Splatter-Elf. You just have to read it.

We've been waiting for this one for a long time. It had better be good, Phil. ;-)

Rise by Brian Guthrie

Another book from the Nerdist/Inkshares contest that I somehow got a free copy of. Once again, I know nothing about this one or how it was entered into the contest when it was already published last year, but I am willing to check it out. 

So what books are you planning on checking out this Fall?

Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

(Thanks to Broke and Bookish for the ongoing Top Ten Tuesdays blog-hop meme!)

I don't see myself leisurely reading on a beach this summer (I have 2 small children) but if I DID have time to relax on a beach, of if I have time to read anything at all, this is what it will probably be:

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The Guardian: A Trace Anderson Adventure by Andrew J Dolha

I have repeatedly heard this referred to as a "summer read" or "beach book." Basically it's the story of a construction worker, a beautiful archaeologist and a mysterious lost civilization. Nothing about that sounds summery. It sounds ridiculous but probably something I could wile away a few hours with.

A Man Called Spade by Dashiell Hammett

I admit, I love this trash. I really got into Mickey Spillane for awhile until his raging misogyny and homophobia just got too much to take. I don't have high hopes that this will be any better, but someone gifted me a nice old paperback copy, so I have to check it out.

Thanmir War by Loni Townsend

This was written by the lovely Loni Townsend and I've had it on my eReader for awhile, so I'm really hoping I will actually get to it this summer. Her "This World Bites" was hilarious and a lot of fun, so I have high hopes.

A Slip of the Keyboard by Terry Pratchett

I'm still coming to terms with Sir Terry's death. I'm hoping this collection of his non-fiction works will help with that.

I can't believe his last Discworld book will be coming out this fall. I also can't believe it's a Tiffany Aching book. 'Twas a cruel joke, Sir Terry.

Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett

I love Follett and adored the first two books of his Century Trilogy (I learned way more about 20th century history in those two books than I did in the entirety of my high school history class), but I have yet to get to the final installment (see again: two kids). This is pretty hefty for a "beach" book but I Follett is a breeze to read and once I settle down to it I should breeze right through this one.

Kingdom Come by Alex Ross and Mark Waid

I haven't read many comic books in a long time, but this will be the next one I pick up. It has that dark, gloomy and pessimistic view of superheroes (a la Watchmen) that I love. I've been meaning to read it for years.

Knights of the Dinner Table by Jolly R. Blackburn

Speaking of comics... This is my favourite comic. Like, ever. It features the adventures of a five hapless table-top gamers as they bumble through life, the entirety of their existence revolving around THE GAME - HackMaster, a suspiciously Dungeons & Dragons-esque role-playing game. Their story has been going on for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS and it continues to be hilarious. You probalby have to be a gamer to "get it" but anyone who's tossed the dice should get a chuckle.

Not to mention they're up to collected volume 48. I think the last one I read was 32, so I have a lot of catching up to do!

Wild Cards III and Wild Cards IV by George R.R. Martin et al.

I knew Book 3 had come out last year, but I had no idea Book 4 was already out, too.

For those unfamiliar, this is NOT by George RR Martin (it actually says "Edited by" in tiny letters up there). It's actually an anthology of super-hero style tales by different writers that, when taken together, form a sort of novel. It was originally written by Martin and his peers/friends and published over twenty years ago (actually more like 30, now) and I'm pretty sure was actually based on their super-hero role-playing game campaign. When Game of Thrones exploded a few years ago publishers were desperate to print anything with Martin's name on it, which included these previously hard-to-find, out of print anthologies.

That being said, they're actually pretty fun. Some of the super "heroes" have bonkers powers (like the guy who gets super psychic abilities by abstaining from sex), but the stories flow together so well and it becomes a closely-linked universe better than any comic book universe going (sorry Marvel).

The Girl in the Spider's Web by Not Steig Larsson

Yeah, I know it's not coming out until September, but there's no way I'm going to finish all these other books in three months anyway, so a guy can dream, right?

For reference, this is not based on the manuscript that Larsson left with his widow, so there's a chance this one will actually be good. ;-)

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So there you have it. What are YOU reading this summer? It's going to be Ten Thousand Days, right?