Quantum Storytelling

In The Midnight Disease, Alice W. Flaherty writes:

“Writers in love with their tools are not unlike surgeons obsessed with their scalpels, or Arctic sled racers who sleep among their dogs even when they don’t have to. Another difference between amateur and professional writers, almost by definition, is that the latter more successfully engage their audience. It is partly a question of skill, but more often a matter of goals. Amateur writers tend to write primarily for self-expression, whereas writers able to become professional can hide or transform their own agendas enough so that they are of interest to others.”

What I find interesting is how many writers I’ve stumbled across, even published ones, who are not entirely in love with their tools. Perhaps it is the like or dislike of one tool over another, but it seems as if many writers have a very limited set of favorite tools, or their only tool is writing itself as a means of self-expression. By Alice W. Flaherty’s definition that would make them amateurs?

The other interesting part is where she notes the ability to hide or transform agendas enough so that they are interesting to others. This is a key bone I have to pick with both fellow writers and many people I know within the game industry. There is a common phrase within the game industry that goes: “I like to make games that I enjoy playing.” Which of course begs the question, “But do others enjoy playing the games you enjoy making?”

The route to self-expression is easy. Just write. Just create. Make stuff. Make whatever you want. That’s the easy part. Getting other people interested in what you’re doing is the hard part. People often give that job to the marketing departments. It’s the creator’s disinterested ego that says, “Selling it? Bah. I’ll leave that to somebody else. I just like making stuff.”

Yet the very same creative person who abdicates all marketing control and shovels it off to a marketing department somewhere, will upon failure, turn right around and blame the marketing department of the publisher for that failure. Is that not only ignorant, but grossly hypocritical? This is why ‘professionals’ enjoy giving up 85% or greater of their profits to publishers. The writer who cares nothing for the interest of others, or selling their work, has only earned 15%. If you want control, take control. If you abdicate control, do not be upset with the results.

Until you can create for the interest of others or take charge of your own marketing, you only get 15%. Want more? Then step up!

If your goals are not commercial, why not just be an amateur? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Yet I sense that amateurs crave the prestige of the professional title, without having to bear the responsibility of being a professional by creating interest for others and selling the work.

It all depends on your goals. What are yours?

Reading Fatherland by Robert Harris. Much like Philip K. Dick’s The Man In the High Castle, Fatherland’s premise features a “What if Hitler won?” scenario. I may write up a comparison/contrast of the two, as I find this milieu pretty fascinating.

I also started reading The Midnight Disease by Alice Weaver Flaherty. It’s about hypergraphia, and conversly, writers block.

What are you reading?

I’ve been thinking what a great summer (and possibly year) this will be for movies. There is a huge slate of stuff already out, and coming up, that looks promising:

[2006]

• Davinci Code - Saw it. Twas ‘OK’
• Nacho Libre - Saw this, it was funny.
• Cars - I’ve seen most Pixar movies in the theater… need to catch this before it goes out.
• Superman Returns - I grew up with the Superman movies. Must see.
• The Lady in the Water - Can M. Night Shyamalan do it again? Nice to see Giamatti in a lead role.
• Casino Royale - Read the novel in anticipation. Extremely curious to see how the I.P. reboot works out.
• Miami Vice - Ok, ok, I know. Silly, but… hey, I’m a child of the 1980s.
• Pirates of the Carribean 3 - I’m not a huge fan, but it’s guaranteed to be entertaining.
• Apocalypto - Mel Gibson’s weird-looking flick about the Mayans. I went crazy studying the Aztecs for a bit, and while I haven’t moved on to the Mayans, this looks *very* interesting.
• Snakes On a Plane - Will probably suck, but I admire the straightforward honesty of the cheese high concept.
• Saw III - These are always entertaining, and make amazing gobs of money due to low budgets and high revenues.
• A Scanner Darkly - I’m a Philip K. Dick fan. Must see.
• District B13 - Luc Besson directing some urban acrobats running around Paris doing martial arts. Come on, why not?

[2007+]

• The Bourne Ultimatum - Bourne Identity is one of my fav action-thrillers. Bourne Supremacy wasn’t quite as good, but still enjoyable. I feel obligated to see this when it comes out.
• Sin City 2 - Love the simplistic violence of Frank Miller and I’m a huge fan of Robert Rodriguez. Must See.
• Indiana Jones 4 - Are you kidding me? It’s Indiana freakin’ Jones!!!

Is it just me, or is there an unusually high amount of interesting stuff this year and next? Or maybe I was just underwhelmed at the last year or two’s worth of flicks?

What current or upcoming movies are you looking forward to?