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Dark and Introspective Fiction

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Three Things I Learned Writing Surviving the Storm

September 16, 2020 by Shane 6 Comments

I wrote the first words of what would become Surviving the Storm almost five years ago. During that time, the lessons have been many, and the learning curve steep. With the task of navigating my first series being much closer to the end than the beginning, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a little something about the experience. Here are three things that I’ve learned along the way that I hope to always carry with me.

The world is a confusing and scary place. Move forward with respect.

People suck. We’re territorial and opportunistic. We go out of our way to be terrible to each other. Our own systems and cultures are built around inequality and greed. I want to say you need only look to our past for proof, but truth be told, the present isn’t a whole lot better. That being said, I believe the opportunity for positive change has never been greater.

One such opportunity revolves around the path to reconciliation for Canada’s Indigenous population. I’m doing what I can to understand how we got here and what I can do to be better moving forward. In the spirit of inclusion, I wanted to create a home for something positive. That’s when I found Mati.

As one of the two protagonists of Surviving, I was excited to tell her story, and show the world how strong she is. I used one of the most poignant scenes from the book for a project that paired local artists and writers in a collaboration of creativity. Mati shared a story that her grandmother told her. It was a story that gave her hope for the future. I loved the message, and what it brought to the novel.

Sometime after, I read a book called Elements of Indigenous Style, and it changed everything. It helped me to understand Indigenous culture in a way that I had never been shown before. I wanted to do the right thing, so I reached out to The Nation where Mati’s family would have come from with the intention of starting a discussion about how best to represent her. I never heard back, but as it turns out, that may have been a stroke of luck. Another point made in the book that took a little time to sink in, is that Mati’s story, especially the parts relating to history and origin, are not mine to tell.

I saw no other way forward, so I changed Mati’s background. I made sure certain details still fit from a cultural perspective, but that culture, for better or worse, is no longer showcased in the story. Maybe the line between being inclusive and telling a story that is not your is narrow, and maybe it’s not. What I do know is that I regret putting the first version of that story out into the world. It weighs on me now, and likely will until senility finds me.

I write characters of all ages, backgrounds, and orientations. That doesn’t mean I’m comfortable putting up a billboard with flashing lights to advertise the fact. Whether that’s the right decision, only time will tell. For the moment, I prefer to stay in my lane while I learn and understand so I can move forward with respect.

Don’t be afraid to burn it down and start again.

I’m no <insert your favourite writer here>, but I’m getting better. I see it with each project I finish, especially this one. I still have a lot to learn, though. The road ahead is long. Longer than I sometimes want to admit.

A year ago, I thought Surviving was in good shape. I planned on publishing it last November. Then I attended, my first When Words Collide writing festival. Long story short, it became clear I had started the story in the wrong spot, so I cut the first 3,000 words. A bunch of other issues were brought up as well. The plot had some room for improvement, so I brought in the Alex character. The book was headed in a better direction, but in the back of my mind, a few minor details worried me.

Earlier this year, I put the manuscript out for feedback. An avid reader new to The Storm series came back with a long list of it. This turned out to be both wonderful and disappointing. Disappointing only in the way that it confirmed the concerns I had, and how much more work it required. I fine-tuned Mati’s character, and took Alex from a meek government employee to a troubled anti-hero who not only helps push Surviving forward, but will transform the next installment in the series, Chasing the Storm.

No, it hasn’t been easy. Maybe if I had written it all in one go, if it wasn’t a jumbled pile of starting and stopping, it would have come together easier. Maybe doesn’t matter here. I was given what I was given, and it’s my job to make it the best it can be. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much work you’ve put into a piece, if it doesn’t fit, then it needs to go. Have the courage to realize it and keep going.

You can only do what you can do.

It’s not easy finding time to write and publish books with a growing family and a full-time job, especially a job that continues to take most of my time and energy. I’m not looking for sympathy, this is all my choice. If you can call it a choice. I don’t mean to be over-dramatic, but some days it seems to be the only thing that keeps me going.

I’m finicky about a lot of things in life. Meeting deadlines and keeping my word are high on the list. This means I do what I say, even if it’s harmful to my physical or mental well-being. It’s possible I’m coming around, though. Perhaps it’s the years of saying I need to take better care of myself, or the pandemic is changing what I’m willing to give, but I’m moving at a different speed these days. The fact that I’m only human is beginning to settle in as fact.

That’s nice, you say. Everyone can take better care of themselves, but what’s your point? The point is, I’ve decided to push back the launch date of Surviving the Storm. It needs a little more polish, and as much as I’m still coming around to the fact that nothing is perfect, I need this to be as close as it can be for where I’m at in my writing journey. I have a tentative launch date set, but I want to do this right for once, so look out for the official announcement coming soon.

 In the meantime, here’s to facing the future with an open mind and an open heart. I hope you are safe and well.

***

Filed Under: Blog Post Tagged With: lessons, publishing, writing

Tattoo Fever and News About Books

December 4, 2019 by Shane Leave a Comment

It’s been ten years since my last tattoo. I’m pretty particular, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that it took something pretty important for me to head in for a new one, or in this case, three things that made a huge impact on me this year. This is a bit of a long story. Hold on tight.

Initially the plan was to have each of the elements stand on their own. I had a hard time deciding where to place them and which one I would get first. That’s when the idea came to mash them all together. The image of a messy desk stuck in my brain, so I printed everything out and started ripping up paper. I reached out to an amazing local artist for a consult, and soon enough the appointment was booked. If you’re in Airdrie, I highly recommend checking out Danica with Human Kanvas. I gave her a couple scraps of paper and a lot of trust, and she gave me something to be proud of.

I talked about my plans and introduction to self-publishing last month. The process was stressful, but it showed me how wonderful it can be to spread your creative wings. With all of the good feelings still front and centre, I talked my best friend into helping me take my publishing company Pencil on Paper (insert hyperlink) and grow it into something more. Now we offer services to help writers bring their own dreams to life. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, and perhaps the tattoo was a little premature, but even if this goes no further it’s been one of the biggest experiences of my life, so that’s why the PoP logo is right up top.

Do better comes next. It became a near daily reminder that we all can do better, and it’s something we should all be aspiring to. It doesn’t matter how far along you think you are, how good you think you are, there’s always room to do better. While writing it out myself would make sense, I really wanted someone special to write it out for me. Long story short, because there’s a lot going on behind the scenes with this that I don’t feel it necessary to share, I reached out to an artist, singer-songwriter seems too simple a term, that I am a huge fan of. The idea came to me, and it was just crazy enough to give it a shot. You only live once, right? I reached out, and they graciously obliged. I still feel weird about it, because I’m weird and why wouldn’t I feel strange about asking a public figure for something?

So it goes is on the bottom. I typed it out on my 80-year-old Remington portable typewriter. Kurt Vonnegut wrote it originally, and used it to what I feel is great effect in his novel Slaughterhouse Five. The last two years have not been easy on a personal level. It’s been a time filled with loss and conflict, sometimes brought on by the very things that are supposed to bring happiness. We’re constantly put into situations to learn a lesson, but the path isn’t always easy. It’s up to meet the challenge, or not. Life gets in the way of your dreams. People leave. Hearts are broken. Nothing is forever. So it goes.

The finished product.

Now it’s time to talk about all the books that I made mention of last month.

The opening novella in The Storm series will be off to final edit in two weeks. Then it will be time to format the interior and finish up the cover. It seems rushed, and it is, but it’s necessary so that we have enough time to proof and order test copies before launch in February.

This time around I’m looking to try something new with distribution. I distributed This and That through Ingram Spark and have few complaints. The plan for The Storm is still bubbling away in my brain, but at the moment what I want is to launch the ebook on Kindle Unlimited, and print a limited run of paperbacks for local shows and give-aways.

As if there’s not enough going on, we’re also about to launch a new short, short story compilation. It’s titled More of the Other, and if it’s not apparent, is an add-on to This and That but Mostly the Other. Would you like a copy of the new compilation for free? I’m going to send the file to anyone who subscribes to blog notifications here. If that’s not your thing, click the contact link in the header or send me a message through Twitter or Facebook (scroll down for links) and tell me what your favourite story is from This and That, and I’ll still send it along to you. Haven’t read This and That but Mostly the Other? It’s available for only $0.99 on Kindle and Kobo! You can find the links here.

Until next time…


Shane

Filed Under: Blog Post Tagged With: books, life, publishing, tattoo, writing

An Off-Grid Cabin and Too Many Books

October 31, 2019 by Shane Leave a Comment

This past September I did something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time, I rented a cabin to get away for a couple nights, all by myself. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it was a huge deal for me.

The reasons it was a big deal are many. It really comes down to the fact that the last year or so has been tough when it comes to work and family obligations, and I’m terrible at taking care of myself. I had to make a decision to put myself first. The thing is, much like everything I do, I went a little overboard.

I started by searching for a small place that was out of the way. Not much was catching my eye, until something did. Searching through Airbnb I found an ad for an off-grid cabin in the middle of a field. Perfect! So, I signed up, which was a whole process in itself, and started planning for my stay. This is when I started to second guess what the hell I’d gotten myself into… There would be no electricity, and only a wood burning stove for heat and to prepare meals. Luckily I booked a couple days before the first nights of below freezing temperatures so at least I would have running water!

The big day arrived, so I loaded up my cooler and writing gear, then hit the road. It only took about an hour to arrive, and it was easy enough to find. I will say that driving through a pasture in a car with near bald summer tires was fun.

I tucked the car in behind the gate because I was told if I didn’t the horses would eat bits off of it. After a quick look around, I hauled all of my things inside and settled in.

It was a really interesting space, but I truly knew it was meant to be when I found a creepy Thomas in the windowsill. I’ll give you a hint, it’s because I’m known as a freight train. More on this later.

It took a bit to learn the ins and outs of cooking on a wood burning stove, but I managed to finish dinner before I starved to death.

The rest of my first evening was spent reading and writing by battery powered lantern.

Two things became clear that night. Being able to see twice as many stars in the sky as you do in the city is inspiring and something I need more of. The second is that walking across a pitch black yard to get to the outhouse is even less fun than you would imagine. I also slept like a damned baby. It was wonderful.

The next day was spent killing flies, not writing as much as I had hoped, but reading and napping a lot more than I thought I would.

Even though I had no other distractions, the day passed quicker than I thought it would. Soon enough the sun was dipping below the hills, and it was time once again to exist in the dark.

Unfortunately the second night I didn’t sleep nearly as well. Likely because of the nine hours of sleep and three hours of naps from the day before. I was up with the sun, had a simple breakfast, then started cleaning up to go home. To be honest, I was a little sad to be leaving, but I needed to get back to my responsibilities. As I crept down the ruts to the gravel road, I said goodbye to the horses, then made my way home.

For almost two full days I did not see a single other human being. It was exquisite! I’m about as introverted as they come, and I don’t remember the last time I was alone for more than a few hours. I very much look forward to doing it again one day. If you’d like a link to the listing, send me a note and I’d be happy to share it.

Okay, let’s talk about books.

Earlier I mentioned that I am sometimes lovingly referred to as a freight train. I hope it’s lovingly anyway… Once I start in on something, especially creative projects, it takes a lot to slow me down. And so, please allow me to introduce you to my plans for 2020.

Three years ago I started writing my first novel. It stalled in the early stages, it sat for a while, then eventually I came around and got it finished. By finished, I mean I had a shitty first draft. The original plan was to publish a collection of short stories and the novel by the end of 2018. That turned into publishing the collection in February of 2019, and putting the novel off for a future date. Sometimes life gets in the way and sometimes publishing books is more work than you think.

Let’s flash forward to August of 2019. I thought the novel was in pretty good shape. That is until I spent the weekend at the When Words Collide festival. I learned a lot, maybe too much for my simple brain to absorb, but when I walked away I knew I needed to make some big changes.

It started by cutting two chapters worth of words from the beginning, and a few other small tweaks. Where it ended up was with a plan to write a novella as an intro, and one as a finale. This is in addition to a graphic novel that I’m proud to be creating with my business parter and best friend which we plan to have available for next Christmas. So, yeah. I’m publishing four books next year…

This year I was given a unique opportunity to focus on catching up on life and to get a lot of writing done. Whether I succeeded in either, we’re on track to release Into the Storm early in 2020. Two months later, Surviving the Storm will come. Two months after that, we will release Chasing the Storm. I have some fun extras in between too. By fun, I mean dark. Then the focus will be on Beyond the Divide, finishing novel number two, and getting started on novel number three. I know it won’t be easy, but I have to take my shot. Everyone deserves to go after their dreams, and I don’t want to let my chance slip by.

Until next month, take care friends.

Shane

Filed Under: Blog Post Tagged With: books, cabin, off-grid, publishing, storm, writing

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