Sex, Violence, and to Curse or Not to Curse

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I have some stories, one especially, that contain profanity. Well, okay, all my stories contain some profanity. Do I throw it in there because I can’t help myself? Nope. Do I have the writing equivalent of Tourette’s? Not that I’m aware of. At all times, as a writer, I want believable, realistic characters. And you know what? People curse, lots of people. Almost everyone I know curse to some degree, some more than others. I knew a guy, years ago, who said the f-word almost every other word. It was just the way he talked. The only person I know who very rarely curses is my mother, but I have heard the occasional swear uttered from her mouth, never anything that would be considered the stronger curse words (you know the ones I mean).

From feedback on my stories, and looking at feedback on other author’s stories, I realize there are people who are deeply offended by profanity and even more so by any sort of violence and/or sex (what some would deem as gratuitous).

What to do? In my opinion, you can’t write for everyone. It’s impossible. No matter who you are as an author, there will always be readers out there who do not like what you write, be it because of content, quality of writing, structure, character, verbiage, and I could go on and on about the smallest details which affect a reader’s enjoyment. And you know what? That’s okay, because everyone is entitled to their opinion and have every right to voice it.

What would be nice is a constructive review. But that doesn’t always happen. Here are some examples from my short story, Hell (I’m paraphrasing for brevity and clarity, but this is the gist of it): Reads like a 12-year-old wrote the story (yeah, this didn’t make me feel good); gross (it does get graphic so I understand this story is not for everyone); disgusting (yep, sometimes; again, not for everyone); worst story ever written (Really? I laughed when I read this review); too much swearing (I get that less can be more, and that sometimes too much of one thing loses its intended effect, but these were the characters I created, and that’s the way I felt they would talk. If I wrote it again, would I change things? Maybe. I’m constantly learning so as I get more experienced as a writer, I find different ways to tell the story). Anyway, as you can see, not too constructive at all, other than I appear to have offended some people enough that they felt it required warning any others whose eyes may happen to befall the oh-my-god-who-wrote-this-crap story.

My goal is not to offend, only to entertain, but it seems inevitable at some point that someone somewhere is not going to like what you wrote. So I’m getting better at not sweating it. I really shouldn’t even look at reviews, but I can’t help myself. I need feedback to better myself as a writer, but there are just some things I will never, as the author I am and want to be, compromise on. I’ll never write a fluffy, rainbows and sunshine — flowing from the butts of the characters — story. It’s just not something that I would want to do. The villain in Hell is evil, no question, and I could not realistically portray that in any way but the extreme, not in this story. I was not intentionally going for shock, like some have commented. The characters really did take over while I wrote the story, more so than anything else I’ve written so far.

Sigh! Alas, most of the harsh reviews were on Amazon, and I pulled the story from there because I was getting a majority of negative reviews. I know they warn you to develop a thick skin as an author, but, wow, people can be really mean. The flip side to that was I did get some positive comments, people who really enjoyed it. So, for those people, I left it up on Smashwords. Before I pulled it down from Amazon, I put a disclaimer up, warning that the story contains strong sexual content and language. But that didn’t stop the curious so the negative comments kept coming in, and off it came.

Here’s a review, from another short story, Over the Bridge (still on Amazon; this one didn’t require as much thick skin, which I didn’t have enough of for Hell). A reader actually commented that they didn’t know it was a short story, and they said, and I quote, “Very deceiving”. Now this one got my attention and I made a note on Amazon telling any potential reader that the story is a short one. The kicker is that the story is free. Baffles my mind.

And the best of all is when someone trashes your story, and you as a person, and then also mentions they didn’t read the whole thing. Say what now? Didn’t read the whole story? Now, come on, that’s not even fair. More than one person commented on Hell that they could not, and did not want to, finish it. Had these readers completed it, they would have realized what the villain was, which, in my mind, justifies everything that came before. But because some readers were so shocked and disgusted by the things that were said between the two main characters, they balked at it and then wanted lobotomies to forget they had ever heard of me or my wicked and offensive story. Again, that’s completely anybody’s choice (balking … not a lobotomy … oh, the humanity), and I’m not questioning that. But, if you don’t read the whole story, I feel tearing the author a new one (use your imagination) is unfair as some of the comments will totally be out of context as the reader doesn’t have the whole picture. They assumed Hell to be the ramblings of a desensitized, disturbed teenager. Nope, just me (I haven’t been a teenager for a long time). And other than a small case of OCD … I have a thing with water. Not scared of water, but a heightened awareness (yeah, that’s what I’ll call it) of something leaking, like a toilet, or a washing machine, so I’ll just say that I check things a lot. I could never be a plumber. Anyway, other than my case of OCD, I don’t consider myself troubled, and definitely not disturbed, and neither does my wife. Does she think I’m weird? No question. But, and I know this is a whole other topic, I am not the characters in my stories. Maybe a trait here and there, but I am nothing like either of the main characters in Hell. It’s just a story. Look at the stories that Stephen King has written. If you’ve never seen the guy in an interview, he’s very well spoken, funny, intelligent, and an interesting person to listen to. But, I digress (just had to add that little sidebar … a topic for another day).

I’m not writing this to complain, nor justify, but only to declare you cannot write for “everyone”. Even the Harry Potter novels, which — even though there’s no cursing ;) —  I adore by the way, are disliked by many people. Personally, this is a series of books I can read over and over again. Not everyone feels the same way. I saw a documentary about a religious group that thinks of these books as evil and, dare I say, satanic, which I think is absolutely ridiculous.

I guess it really all comes down to life experiences, and everyone’s is different. Each one of us have different beliefs and opinions, and that’s cool. To each their own. It’s when people push their beliefs on others that I have a problem, but that’s a whole different discussion (relax, I won’t stray again).

So, with all that said, my experience has been one of loving science fiction, fantasy, horror, and action, through movies and books, since I can remember. My writing tends to contain cursing, violence, suggestive scenes and dialogue, but not only this, and not for the sake of it. I do not throw cursing in just because I can, nor violence, nor anything else. Everything I use to tell a story, as best I can, stems from character and situation.

Contrary to what some think of an author’s work (even the short ones) — like they wrote it in fifteen minutes — writing is a time consuming and solitary endeavour for those of us that give a crap. And I think most of us do (just a hunch). I do. I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, but I write because I love writing stories. If I can ever make a living doing it that would be incredible, but at the moment, especially posting stories for free, I would be living on the streets if I quit my day job and depended on the money coming in from what I currently have floating out in web land. I strive to get better, to put out the best work that I can, and always will.

And I will continue to write what I want, and how I feel it best serves the story and characters, because you can’t please everyone. That’s a mission impossible that even Ethan Hunt could not succeed in.

 

Movies, Books, and Inspiration

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It seems more and more these days that people — at least the people I know — are getting further away from reading and more towards the quick fix of movies. Don’t get me wrong, I love movies, but they are pumping them out these days like a production conveyor of touted knock-your-socks-off entertainment but most leave you wanting more or wanting your time back (and your money).

My friends and I are always up for a good movie, but if I try to get my male friends to check a book out, it’s like pulling teeth. For example, the Harry Potter books are wonderful, and are some of the few books that I will read again and again. Yet, I do not have one male friend who has read any of them. Those books make me feel like a kid again and take me back to the magic of childhood, when anything seemed possible, before the burdens of adulthood come along. It’s books like Harry Potter, and incredible imaginations like that of J.K. Rowling, which allow all of us to take a journey and make believe again. I feel like some people are missing out by limiting their imaginations to moving images instead of surrounding themselves with the written word. But movies are their own source of inspiration in different ways to everyone.

I’ve been watching movies since I can remember and they have always been a source of entertainment and inspiration. Like the Harry Potter novels, and to a lesser degree the Harry Potter movies (very good, but the books will always be better), movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Matrix, Inception, The Dark Knight, Alien and Aliens, Unforgiven, Tombstone, Heat, The Thing, Insidious, Cloverfield, Source Code, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Bridesmaids, and True Grit (I could go on and on — way too many movies to list) are all examples of movies that have inspired me in one way or another, or at the very least brought about laughter and an escape for a short while.

Sometimes it’s the characters that amaze you, like in Jaws and True Grit. The pure thrill of movies, like Aliens and The Thing, that keep you on the edge of your seat. Everyone loves adventure so you can’t go wrong with Raiders of the Lost Ark. When I think about my own writing, all these movies, and all the books I’ve read have had an effect on what I produce. And with authors like Rowling, Koontz, King, Crouch, and Konrath, that quick fix the movie watchers need will be satisfied and then some because a novel will always be a richer and more fulfilling experience than any movie. Of course there are books that are as bad as some of the movies out there, but to each their own. One person’s “worst story ever” is another’s favorite. 

Ever Been in a Haunted House?

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Since I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal and creeped out by anything referring to demons. When The Exorcist played on commercial TV when I was a kid, I could not watch it, and had to cover my ears so I couldn’t hear it or I would have had nightmares for several nights. Now, after a plethora of horror movies, I’ve desensitized myself to the point where I have no problem watching any horror movie late at night by myself. Granted, a movie like the Exorcism of Emily Rose would still get my mind wandering to some not so nice places.

I’ve read a lot of books about ghosts and demons. Even though I know many, if not all, of those stories that were declared true were sensationalized, just the thought that something may have happened to someone, such as unseen hands choking you, does not leave me with the warm fuzzies.

I’m not a religious person, but I think my fascination with strange occurrences stems from a hope that there is something else out there after we die. But I’m a I-need-proof kind of guy so one day, a few years ago, I happened to come upon an article in the newspaper about a local haunted house. The house, a large, three-storey, built in the early 1900′s, had been converted to apartments. Each renter seemed to have had some experience while living there: faucets turning on by themselves, bed sheets getting pulled off while the occupant watched, a hazy figure of an old woman rocking in a chair. When I read that the house was vacant and to be torn down in a few days, I knew I had to go see it before that happened.

I told a buddy about it while having a coffee at a place near the house. Both of us, intrigued by its history, were left with little doubt that we would at least go take a look, which is exactly what we did that night.

The front door had been boarded up, along with all the windows, so we strolled around the massive house to the back. To our excitement, the back door stood open, awaiting our arrival. A metal fire escape filled the back wall of the house, stairs leading all the way up to the third floor. With no flashlights, and a moon-less night, we decided to check out the main floor only.

I walked in first and my friend after me. The house stood a mess, the demolition already under way, with some of the rooms gutted. Bits and pieces of junk lay strewn about and no furniture remained. The stairwell had been torn out leaving a gaping hole from the main floor up to the top. The basement stairs endured. Since we could not see well, the trip did not last long. As I lead the way out — a beautiful, warm summer night, jacket-less — my friend shivered as a cold wave of air moved through him. The odd thing: he walked two feet behind me and I felt nothing.

The next night we came back, three strong, with two flashlights. We clanged our way up the metal fire escape, to the third floor, with the plan to start at the top and work our way down. Just before we walked through the open doorway, we heard voices down below. You can take that how you want. It sounded like two distinct voices, which I always attributed to other people walking around on the main floor. But as soon as I walked into the house, the voices stopped, and we didn’t hear another peep the whole time we were there.

I borrowed my sister’s 35mm film camera. This was before digital cameras were anywhere near in existence. It used to be my camera so I knew how to use it. I snapped photos as we walked through the house, taking a nice shot on the third floor from the top of where the stairs were down the wide opening to the basement. At the time I took it, I remember feeling like some unseen thing could easily push me over.

We took turns with the flashlights, which made me feel safe when I had one, and I wanted to move closer to someone when I didn’t have one. It’s strange what your mind does to you. I felt no fear the night before with no flashlights at all, but this night I got goosebumps whenever I didn’t have the light with me.

As we worked our way floor by floor, checking each room, my friends marveled at the craftsmanship of some of the woodwork, which, at the time, I could care less about. I wanted to see something, something odd or mysterious. A ghost would have been the ultimate, but I would have settled for an object moving. The night did not go without a couple of unusual occurrences, one that I didn’t find out about until a few days later.

The first unusual thing that happened involved a constant banging sound we noticed soon after we started checking out the top floor. It got louder as we moved down, and when we got to the basement we found the source of that sound. As soon as I walked into the musty smelling boiler room, I could hear the banging at its loudest, but didn’t see the source right away. And then I noticed an old iron coal chute door swinging up and down. At first, it didn’t seem unusual as I associated its movement to the wind outside. When we went outside, and this I swear as fact, there was not even a whisper of air movement, nothing that would explain that coal chute door swinging up and down, banging metal against metal on its downswing.

After taking several more pictures outside, we left, and the house got torn down the following week. Today there are two separate properties on the land this one house had sat for so many years. I have heard no further ghostly events taking place in either property.

All in all I had taken about twenty four pictures on our journey through the house. I gave the camera back to my sister the next day, and I remember it being a thirty six frame roll of film and there were a few left for her. My sister called me a few days later. She told me that she turned the camera on but nothing happened. The batteries were dead. That always struck me as odd, because I know the batteries were brand new the night I used it. And the crappiest part of all: my sister took the film in for development and not one picture turned out. They were all black. I wonder, if the pictures had turned out, what those snapshots in and around the house would have revealed.

What’s Next

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I am currently working on my next series of novels. My plan right now is that it will be at least 4 books long. The gist of it will revolve around a man on the run from his past, something his parents caused. A legitimately paranoid man who carries two seven shooters (that’s right, you heard me) with single shot action (meaning he has to cock the gun every time he wants to fire) like the kind used way back when. And why, you ask, does he use an old style gun? Well, he’s a die hard fan of Western movies and a believer in the kind of justice they doled out. Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent here. The story will revolve around this character and events that occur due to his past and due to the fact that he joined a paranormal investigation team. Things get weird on his solo apprentice night in a known haunted house.

Surviving The Theseus audio book

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Available NOW on Podiobooks.com (and it’s FREE)

The audio version of Surviving The Theseus is currently available on Podiobooks.

I created a promo, which, after some feedback, I found out is a little too long and that the music level needed to be brought down, but I’ve attached it here if you feel like a listen (it’s only a minute and a half).

Randy

Surviving The Theseus Podiobooks Promo (long version) — Right Click to save to your computer

Surviving The Theseus Podiobooks Promo (short version)

Trailers

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When I finished my short story, Hell, I created a trailer for it and put it on Youtube.

And, after I was finished my novel, Surviving The Theseus, I created a new trailer for that, and also put that up on Youtube.

The links below will take you to Youtube. You’ll notice there are two versions of my book trailer. They are basically the same, except I released a second trailer when my book was finished and available on Smashwords.com, and the only difference is the last image on the video saying the book is “Now Available”.

I hope you enjoy . . .

Surviving The Theseus TrailerHell Trailer

The Blue Stone

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The Blue StoneBill sees a strange blue light out his kitchen window in the middle of the night. Before he knows it, Bill is being hunted in his own house, and must find out what’s hunting him before it’s too late.

This is a free short story available on Smashwords in several different formats for your convenience. I hope you enjoy.

Over The Bridge

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Over The BridgeNathan, forced to hide in his backyard in the dead of night, gets a disturbing phone call from a stranger. Now, before time runs out, Nathan will discover if his once honed instincts will keep him alive or take him to the brink of the impossible and a fear he thought he conquered.

This is a free short story available on Smashwords in several different formats for your convenience. I hope you enjoy.