What you can learn from Sam Jackson (other than cool ways to say f***)
courtesy of IMDB.com
I just read this incredible NY Times article on Samuel L. Jackson and felt the need to wax philosophical on the benefits of preparation.
It was a quote by director William Friedkind (Rules of Engagement) that stood out to me initially (a lot in the article stands out and I could base a series of posts on the phenomenal actor’s life, but for now…), “Sam is a director’s dream. Some actors hope to find their character during shooting. He knows his character before shooting. Sam’s old-school. I just got out of his way. I never did more than two takes with Sam.”
I put the emphasis on ‘before’. For a reason.
For Spring 2012, Jeremy Lin has been the international poster boy for ‘readiness’, the idea of maximizing a singular opportunity even when you’re at the low point of your career. It’s a great in-the-moment story, but it remains to be seen if we’ll be discussing Jeremy in the same breath as the greats (or even next year).
Sam Jackson’s longevity stretches back 40 years. HE DIDN’T GET HIS BIG BREAK UNTIL 1994! But he’s maintained the same level of preparation and professionalism through feast AND famine. Let’s be real…the last 2 decades have been a fantastic feast for him. He averages 4 movies and 300K in residuals per year, he’s the highest grossing actor in history, this guy could phone it in for the rest of his life and still be a BAMF (go to any crowded theater/fanboy flick and anticipate cheers if he should pop up…it happens every time).
My point: this isn’t a guy who shows up on set hungover, with an assistant making up cue cards because he doesn’t know his lines. He could. But he doesn’t. He’s still treating the work like he’s struggling, like he’s not the most memorable character from Pulp Fiction, or Mace Windu, or effing Nick Fury.
After all his massive success, he’s still ready BEFORE.
Are you?
Broken Promises/My Cave
I started the year telling you I was going to update this blog weekly. Didn’t happen. I know you don’t appreciate it, but I hope you can understand my reasoning. I’ve been in my cave. Not hibernating. Writing. A lot. Two-novels-and-a-short-story worth of writing.
Because I’m CIA-like in my distribution of information, here’s how we’ll refer to my current batch of works-in-progress (WIPs):
WIP #1 – WHISPERTOWN. You already know about this one. It’s currently in its 5th (or 6th, who’s counting?) draft and as soon as I receive editorial notes from HarperCollins, I’ll be revising again. Remember, writing is rewriting.
WIP #2 – Untitled Fantasy-Action Hybrid. Currently on Draft #2, starting Draft #3 this week.
WIP#3 – Untitled Horror-Action Hybrid. I completed Draft #1 yesterday. Letting this sit for awhile.
I tell you all that so you know I’m not sitting on my ass playing Call of Duty (well, that does happen sometimes). Still, you deserve an explanation if you’ve been a long time follower.
I will try to do better here. In the meantime, for more immediate updates and musings, I recommend liking my Facebook Fan Page or following me on Twitter. With current time constraints, I’m able to send updates through those tools more frequently.
Thanks for hanging in there. Big news soon folks.
The Darkness Kept – FREE on Kindle 1/7 and 1/8
My fantasy thriller THE DARKNESS KEPT will be available this week as a FREE Kindle download.
That’s right. FREE. NO STRINGS ATTACHED. NO TAXES. NO MEMBERSHIP FEES. Just exciting reading that you can tell your friends about.
The promotion starts Saturday at 12AM PDT and runs through 11:59PM PDT on Sunday. Please spread the word. Thanks.
Spread the word.
2012 Kick-off: New Interview on StoryDam
Brandon Duncan over at StoryDam has posted a new interview with yours truly. I’d like to thank him for having me, and I thank all of you in advance for checking it out: http://storydam.com/2012/01/04/author-unbound-3-l-r-giles/
Be sure to follow Brandon on Twitter, and bookmark the site.
Enjoy!!
2012: Who’s betting on the Mayans?
According to the Mayan Calendar Guys, this is it folks. The end is nigh. I, for one, don’t buy it. I call ‘World Keeps Spinning’ in the Apocalypse Pool. Since that’s how I’m betting, I guess I should share a little info on what I have planned for the new (not last) year on the 3rd rock.
I’m not calling these resolutions. Any one who’s read “The Track” knows how I feel about those…however, there will be some changes in 2012.
This Blog Thing
Yes. I’ve got to get this under control. A post a month just won’t do. For the record, I do blog frequently. You can check me out on a regular basis over at Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis and The Lucky 13s. Still, I can’t neglect this blog or you loyal followers any longer. Look for a minimum of one post per week going forward. No themes though…I have to stick to the rules on those other blogs. Here, you’re going to get whatever leaks out of my skull on any given day. Straight, no chaser. It will be fun.
This Newsletter Thing
The official L.R. Giles Newsletter will start going out sometime this winter and will continue on a quarterly basis. I know a bunch of you have subscribed (if you haven’t, see the signup form to the right of this post…it’s FREE y’all) and I promise to get you the goods. I’m talking great info, contests, and giveaways. Look for Issue #1 sometime in February.
This TV Thing
The blessing and the curse. I’ve written about how episodic TV in modern times can be one of the great teachers for aspiring writers. But, you can have too much of a good thing and I’ve got to get this TV habit under control. It doesn’t affect my fiction, but it probably does play a role in my inability to balance my blogging responsibilities. There will be a TV cut this year. But what should go? Breaking Bad (nope), Big Bang Theory (hell no), Supernatural (probably…sorry Sam and Dean, the schtick’s getting old). This one makes me sad, but if I’m going to finish those TWO NEW NOVELS by early spring, I need to free up some time.
This ‘TWO NEW NOVELS’ thing
Oops, did I let that slip? 😉 More on that soon…
Happy New Year.
The Serpent & the Stallion – On Sale Now
The Epic Fantasy collaboration between myself and Becky Rodgers Boyette is now available in the Kindle Store (Nook version should be live later today). It’s a great book to load on those brand new eReaders that’ll be under the tree this holiday season.
The heirs to the horse kingdoms think an unwanted betrothal is the worst of their problems. Smug Simeon and fire-tempered Faryn have no wish to be wed, not even to unite the tribes. Raj, obsessed with his brother’s fiancé, would gladly take Simeon’s place. But when Faryn’s homeland is attacked by a gruesome army driven by an ancient evil, lovers’ quarrels become a fight for survival. Aided by their telepathic horses, the trio must pull together or perish as they embark on a quest for answers. In a world where friend becomes foe and prophecies read like riddles, the passion of one will determine the fate of all in the final battle between The Serpent & The Stallion…
Check out my interview over at Becky’s blog where we chat about how this project came to be…
Happy Halloween: Costumes Gone Wild
Halloween, it’s not just for candy anymore. Now it’s a legitimate excuse for exhibitionists to wear lingerie in public and call themselves the Raunchy Referee because their underwear has stripes. Not that I’m complaining…
I don’t mean that in a typical guy way (well, maybe a little), but as long as you’re not hurting anyone, I don’t care how much of your treats you want to show off on the scariest night of the year. What I find most interesting about the annual slutty costume phenomena is how weird some of the “sexy versions” are getting. I was in the local costume store the other day and came across the sexy versions of Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees.
Whoa.
My mind started to wander, and I began thinking of future sexy costumes that may follow this trend and become viable options in the future.
- Sexy Bumblebee from the Transformers franchise
- Sexy Sophia from the Golden Girls
- Sexy Opie from Sons of Anarchy
- And many more
Have you seen any weird sexy costumes? Got any suggestions on what next year’s sexy costume should be? Chime in. I’d love to hear from you.
The month in review and overcompensating
I’ve been having trouble keeping up with the blog…surprise, surprise. Ever since I started a blog many years ago, I’ve gone through spurts of white-hot intensity where I’m dropping posts 3 times a week, responding to comments, and just being That Guy. Then, the inevitable drop-off comes. I don’t have much to say. I’m distracted by a writing project. I just lose track of time. Then I happen to notice the date of my last entry and succumb to guilt akin to a dieter blacking out and waking up in a bakery, having massacred all the cupcakes. Like now.
It’s been a pretty busy month, and I’d like to catch you up on a couple of things. So, see, this is how I apologize, by overcompensating. That’s healthy, right?
My New Hangouts
Because I’m so great about timely blog entries here on my own site, it only made sense that I’d agree to write for TWO OTHER blogs as well. I’m now a regular contributor at Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis – a group of YA Adult Mystery writers who blog on all topics related to crime, literature, and kids (what a combo). I also contribute to The Lucky 13s – a group of debut YA authors across many genres who all have pub dates in 2013.
There’s a lot of good stuff at both of these blogs, so be sure to check them out.
Recent Interviews
In case you missed them, I participated in a couple of fun blogs/interviews for Aimee Salter and Daisy Whitney.
In Other News
I’ve finished a draft of a YA Urban Fantasy novel and hope to get that revised soon so I can tell you more about it. And I’m halfway through a YA Paranormal novel (really it’s Horror, but I’ve been told the P-word in more aesthetically pleasing than the H-word nowadays). Again, more on that soon.
That’s all, folks. For now.
What’s it worth to you?
My friend Aimee Salter recently posted a year-by-year breakdown of what it took for me to score a book deal with HarperCollins. It’s a lengthy piece, though, and I’m often contacted by people who are looking for more condensed answers. I’m going to tackle a few of the questions I’ve received lately (look for some of this to make it to the FAQ section of this site), and I’ll continue to do the these brief Q&As as I get more diversified questions. Here we go:
What does it take to be successful in publishing?
I can’t say for sure yet. I’ve been selling fiction for a little over ten years, I’ve been an independent publisher for less than a year, and since my YA Thriller Whispertown won’t debut until 2013, I won’t know how that’s going to measure on the success scale for awhile. Also, the term ‘success’ is relative. I won’t feel like I’m successful until I’m generating full-time income from fiction. I’ve got a long way to go. However, some writers are happy to see just 1 of their stories in print. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just understand that you first need to define success before you can achieve it. Anything else is a dart game in a pitch black room.
What do I have to do to write a book?
The most obvious answer is ‘write a book’. But, that’s a smart ass response and more than a little condescending. I bring that up because I remember being a teenaged newbie and having the opportunity to ask a respected writer about the mysteries of being a novelist. The guy was a total jerk. He actually called me a stupid college kid who asks silly questions which were a waste of his time. He’s still respected among his peers, but I never bought another of his books (I didn’t like his writing that much anyway). My point: I will never treat you this way, Dear Reader. You’re not stupid and there’s no such thing as a silly question. If you ask, I will try to answer. Please note, if you ask me a question that I get a lot I may refer you to the FAQ…it’s just a matter of logistics; I’m not blowing you off. Now, about writing that book…
There’s no concrete method. It takes persistence and consistency, and much like success, you have to define what that means to you. When I’m in the middle of a project with no deadline I shoot for 1,500 – 2,000 words a day, written in the morning under the influence of 1 cup of coffee until it’s done. Once I have a 1st draft I print it, revise on paper, then key in changes until I have a clean 2nd draft. I send the 2nd draft to a handful of trusted readers, wait for their notes, then make more changes. I keep at this until I’m satisfied. I speed it up and write in the evenings if a deadline is pressing. Your mileage may vary.
I have trouble finishing the writing projects I start, do you have any advice?
This is one of those questions where the answer seems so simple to me that I have to be careful how I answer it because I may SOUND like the jerk I described above without meaning to. The problem I have here is that everyone sees the world through a slightly different lens, and it’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking your lens is better than the next guy’s when nothing can be further from the truth. There’s no better or worse…there’s just ‘is’. So, when I hear writers say they have trouble finishing projects, I see the problem through my lens, and from that view the answer reads like this: You don’t want to finish.
It’s not fair to tell others what they want or don’t want, for only they truly know that, but I do believe action is a better indicator of a person’s desires than what they say. In this regard, I’ll speak about my own actions, and the times in my life when I had trouble finishing projects.
When I was in high school I was more concerned with my clothes, shoes, and girls to spend time fully fleshing out a project. In college I had to study and maintain my GPA. After college I had a job and that bit into my time. Through all that, I kept saying to myself and others that I really wanted to write a book. I’ve got good ideas. I’ve started stories. I have the tools, but…I’m just so busy.
I wasn’t too busy to become the best NBA Live player in my college apartment. Wasn’t too busy to catch a movie at the cineplex every weekend, or buy (and watch) the hottest DVD release every Tuesday. I made sure I caught all of my favorite TV shows. And I was always well-rested, 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night.
Underneath all those distractions was the core of the problem. I was afraid that I’d spend years and years toiling away on writing (and I did) only to fail (which is still a risk based on my definition of success), so I avoided the fear with manufactured tasks and too much leisure at the expense of my writing time. I didn’t really want to finish because I might then come face-to-face with my own inadequacies. At some point I had to ask what’s worth more to me? My prowess as a gamer, being up to date on the latest film and TV, or achieving my lifelong dream of being a professional writer (meaning I actually wrote things to completion then sold them)? Once I understood that the potential reward outweighed the risks, I had no problem finishing projects. That’s not to say I didn’t have slow days (or years), but I got over the first stumbling block of simply not writing enough, and once I started I quickly got over the second stumbling block of thinking I’m not good enough. Newsflash: there will always be someone who thinks you suck. Take constructive feedback from these people when it’s there, otherwise focus on those who like your work.
Once I flipped that switch in my head, I was on my way. It started with a question: what is my writing worth to me?
If you’re having trouble finishing projects, I ask you the same. What’s it worth to you?
Ongoing
Like I said, I’ll probably condense these and get them into the FAQ at some point. I hope you found some of this helpful. Feel free to send more questions to lrgileswriter [at] gmail [dot] com, or hit me up on Twitter. Later, gang.
Me + HarperCollins = A HOT Summer 2013
I’ve been waiting a lot of years to say this.
It’s official! Summer 2013…look for my debut Young Adult Thriller (working title: WHISPERTOWN) in bookstores nationwide courtesy of my new publishing family, HarperCollins. It took 3 months to finalize everything and it’s been AGONIZING to not speak publicly about it all. But, I’ve just been given the green light and speak I will.
I’d like to give a special shout out to my incomparable super agent Jamie Weiss Chilton for all her hard work brokering this deal, and I’d like to say thank you to my new editor Phoebe Yeh who I can’t wait to work with. There are a ton of others I owe thanks to because this has been a long, long road, but I’m going to save all that for the acknowledgements page. 😉
Look for more news soon. In the meantime, here’s a little taste of what’s coming…
Nick Pearson is pretending to be someone he isn’t. Not high school pretending. Witness Protection pretending. And the #1 rule is “stay low-key”. But, when his sole friend Eli dies in the school’s journalism room under mysterious circumstances, and Nick stumbles upon the conspiracy Eli planned on exposing, staying low-key takes a backseat to staying alive.
Newspaper Nerd Eli had a secret, an in-the-works story codenamed “Whispertown”. And it’s got a lot of folks interested. Like corrupt cops, the town’s shady mayor, and certain high-ranking government officials. Teaming with Eli’s estranged (and gorgeous) sister, Nick sets out to unravel the mystery and still maintain his cover. He’ll have to use all the deviant skills he’s gained from his racketeering dad, assassin godfather, and their Serbian gangster boss to find the truth. However, each clue brings him closer to answers he may not want. Whispertown is bigger than he could have ever imagined, and in its shadow stands a killer…a killer Nick fears may be his own father.
I’m off to celebrate…later, gang!