Project: Shadow

Developing a new world

cedorsett — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:19:18 -0500

It is time to play with all the ideas in my head. Hopefully I will have an announcement soon.

Lord Mammon and the Muse: An Artist's Manifesto

cedorsett — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:27:35 -0500

I struggle a lot with my Muse. Whether she is a disembodied genius, a demon in the back of my mind, or function of my own imagination matters little. I hear her sing. She gives me more stories than I have time to write. She shows me many worlds, many lives, and many dreams.

I have tried to discipline her. Over the years, I have introduced rules and structures to funnel her inspiration where I feel it should go. She just laughs at me.

I am not sure I would care as much if I had not allowed myself to be distracted by the idea of money. Lord Mammon snarls. He is the tormentor of all artists. He tells us all the simple truth, “You have to make money to support yourself.” How sweet is a lie wrapped in the truth?

Yes, every writer needs to make money if they are going to continue working. We read countless books and blogs on how to monetize our work. Could there ever be a bigger waste of time?

A writer needs to focus on their craft. We lie to ourselves and say that we are all publishers now. Why can’t we see that the publishing industry was a discrete phenomenon? It arose for its time, served its purpose, and now it is time to let it die. It was the business of Lord Mammon, not the Muse.

Let us rediscover some foundational truths:

There is no such thing as a writer, there is only the storyteller.

There is no such thing as the musician, there is only the performer.

There is no such thing as the painter, there is only the artist.

There is no such thing as the storyteller, there is only the artist.

There is no such thing as the performer, there is only the artist.

The artist is the servant and the master of the imagination.

I am an artist who tell stories. No more, no less. I work to perfect my craft in hopes that the stories I tell are not just my stories. I hope they are your stories too. I have to trust that our stories are good enough, compelling enough for you to want more.

We have to stop wanting the instant gratification of the quick buck, and try to build something that will last. A good story will always outlive its teller. The moment a good story enters another person’s mind and finds its way into their heart, it has done what it was meant to do.

I need to trust my Muse. I need to trust my readers. I need to trust you all to do the same.

A new vision of Clockpunk? This images are so inspiring. I have...

cedorsett — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:01:48 -0500

A new vision of Clockpunk? This images are so inspiring.

I have been trying for quite a while to kickstart my imagination and start dreaming out loud again. There is something about these horses that makes images flash in the back of my mind. They are the beginning of something, but I am not exactly sure what.

It makes me think of t a sort of Lovecraft meets Final Fantasy with a little Vampire Hunter D thrown in for spice. Then I saw the Dragon… There something in this. I need to investigate it further.

odditiesoflife:

Recycled Animal Art

Driven by a combination of her passion for fitting odd shapes together and a sympathy toward discarded objects, Japanese artist, Sayaka Ganz creates animals from thrift store plastics. She only select objects that have been used and discarded. She believes the best way for artists to help reduce waste is to show how beautiful the materials can be and what can be done with them.

Within Temptation’s cover of David Guetta’s Titanium...

cedorsett — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:30:32 -0500

Within Temptation’s cover of David Guetta’s Titanium is so much better than the original.

This Doctor Who Stolen Earth painting makes be miss the glory...

cedorsett — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:01:15 -0500

This Doctor Who Stolen Earth painting makes be miss the glory days of the series. I want more epic!

soufflegirl-in-the-snogbox:

The Stolen Earth by ~JanjyGiggins

“… Across the entire universe, never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust. And the dust will become atoms and the atoms will become… nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation. *This* is my ultimate victory, Doctor! The destruction of reality *itself!…-Davros.

Masks need to make a comeback, but you need to be able to see.

cedorsett — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:30:45 -0500

Masks need to make a comeback, but you need to be able to see.

I want so much more of Studio Ghibli’s Giant God Warrior...

cedorsett — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:30:50 -0500

I want so much more of Studio Ghibli’s Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo

Not sure how I feel about this: Live action Kiki's Delivery Service announced

cedorsett — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:02:05 -0500

Not sure how I feel about this: Live action Kiki's Delivery Service announced

Leaves’ Eyes “The Mourning Tree” featuring...

cedorsett — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:30:44 -0500

Leaves’ Eyes “The Mourning Tree” featuring Sephiroth and Aerith

O, Hocus Pocus and Drag. who will be the next drag superstar? I...

cedorsett — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:01:06 -0500

O, Hocus Pocus and Drag. who will be the next drag superstar? I vote Jinkx, but anyone but Roxxxy will do.

thepandoraboxx:

Haaaa haaaaa haaaa!

You asked for more, and your got a get it – Wand and Weaver: The Chain Special Edition coming soon

cedorsett — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:17:47 -0500

You know how much I love getting your feedback, and your feedback on The Chain has been amazing. You want more, and I am going to give it to you.

As I am working on the pre-writing for the new books, I will also be putting together a Special Expanded Edition of The Chain for you. Now this is not a ploy to get more money out of you. This is something the fans asked for, and it is something the fans are going to get.

Everyone who purchased or purchases a digital copy of The Chain will receive the Special Edition for free. If you bought the Kindle version of the book, the revised copy will include a bunch of extras within the book. Everyone else will be able to access these features from the site.

I wish I could include them in the digital version for all formats, but at this time only the Kindle format allows for it.

There is still time to suggest features for the Special Edition, either on this Branch, in the comments here, or through any of the other ways you connect with me.

As always, thank you all so much for your love and support. I am just glad I could give something back.

The Ultimate Anti-Gay Marriage Ad

cedorsett — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:45:20 -0500

The Ultimate Anti-Gay Marriage Ad

Behold the most beautiful horse in the world (via Imgur)

cedorsett — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:15:18 -0600

Behold the most beautiful horse in the world

(via Imgur)

NASA SDO - Fiery Looping Rain on the Sun

cedorsett — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:45:35 -0600

NASA SDO - Fiery Looping Rain on the Sun

Skyfall - Adele (HelenaMaria & Ronnie Day cover) on iTunes

cedorsett — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:45:34 -0600

Skyfall - Adele (HelenaMaria & Ronnie Day cover) on iTunes

Making a Website an extension of Story

cedorsett — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:52:10 -0600

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my Dragons of Night site: What are some ways to make a website and experience of and extension to story?

It should be more than just a billboard or advertisement for my books and the setting I write in. If it is just an ad, why would anyone want to visit or come back?

This is a place where the Five Codes of Roland Barthes could really be a big help. In a lot of ways, his description of the ideal story resembled the hypertext novels of the 90’s and early 00’s.

The reader should be able to enter and leave a story from any point and have a valid experience. He also believed that the reader should be able to read the story in any order, and still have a valid experience of story.

This is a tricky thing to pull off in a novel, but a website should be able to easily fulfill these aspirations.

Here are some of the first steps I am going to try to make this theory a reality:

1) The Proairetic Code

This is the code of action. Essentially, this is the actions of the plot. Most of us have this covered on our sites already.

Let me try to make a quick check list:

Plot synopses for novels and stories.
Backstory elements that could enhance the reader’s experience.
Highlight cliffhangers, unresolved elements of the story.
Anything that will cause the reader to ask, “What happens next?”

2) The Hermeneutic Code

This is the code of enigmas and puzzles. This is the aspect of the story that digs deeper. It deals with mystery and the pursuit of truth.

The elements that make up the Hermeneutic Code could be used to inspire additional web content, most of which we should be able to derive from our pre-writing notes:

What is the enigma?
What in the story begs the question the enigma poses?
What in the story confirms the enigma? What clues open the mystery for the reader and make them want to answer it?
What promises an answer to the enigma?
What clues and information can you reveal about the enigma?
What snares will pull the characters and readers further away from the truth?
What equivocations will mix truth and falsehood to muddy the water?
What blocks seem insurmountable that might prevent the character from solving the enigma?

You may be thinking to yourself, “I’m not writing a mystery.” Look carefully at your story, nearly all stories present a question to be answered, an enigma to be solved, or truth that must be uncovered. Think about ways you can tantalize the readers with that question, enigma, or truth.

It is important for entertainment designers to realize that making your readers interested in the hermeneutics of your work is the best way to generate buzz and fans

3) The Connotative Code.

This may be the hardest code to discuss and adapt for our purposes. It deals with semiotics, symbols, traits, actions, names, anything that grants a connotation to a character, or place, or to the overall story.

The easiest way to talk about it, is to think of the story, characters, and settings, and ask yourself, “what makes that unique or what it is?” These elements are called signifiers, because they create or suggest something about the story, characters, or setting.

The characters and settings are themselves signifiers, in that they give meaning to your story. This story would be different if these elements were changed. Each character, objects, and setting has its own signifiers.

Some ways we could use this on our sites might be:

Create a bio page for the main characters
Create a page for the important groups.
Create a page for important places.
Create a page for any important words, phrases, arts, crafts, unique world or setting elements.

Don’t forget to interlink these with what you’ve written about the enigma and the story.

4) The Cultural Code.

Depending on the type of story you wrote, this code may be more or less relevant to you. The cultural code or referential code is the aspect of the story that pulls from our cultural heritage to give meaning to the story.

For example: if I tell you a character is Goth, you immediately dye their hair black, add eyeliner to their face, and dress them in black. You probably also made other assumptions about them based on your experience with Goth culture. That is the cultural code.

In my latest story, In the Light of the Moon, the main character is an Amores. Fans of Greco-Roman mythology would immediately know that she is in erotes or Cupid. My reference would’ve been clearer if I had called her a Cupid, but I didn’t want to have to refute in the story the baggage that comes with that word. In choosing to call her an amores, I hoped that readers the didn’t even know what that was, would see the word amor and think of love. That’s how I chose to use the cultural code, for better or worse. Maybe that would make an interesting blog post, or a comment to add to my page on the amores on the site.

When I wrote, The Chain, I made references to bands and songs that I felt enriched the characters. The problem is I’m relying on my readers knowing those songs and bands. So maybe I should make a Spotify playlist, and use the iTunes and Amazon affiliate program to create a soundtrack for the book. That gives me another level of monetization, and even if no one buys them, gives my readers a chance to hear the music.

The reason I’m going into detail with my own work is that each of us is going to have to look at the references we individually made and try to figure out a plan to open those aspects of our story up for our readers to discover, explore, and play in

5) The Symbolic Code.

The symbolic code is similar to the connotative code, but deals with larger organizing elements, some of which you may start to see as you look at the referential code.

Whereas in the connotative code we were examining individual traits and elements, in the symbolic code, we are looking at the links and connections between them to expose a wider level of meaning.

Before we were talking about the characters, now were talking about the cliques. How the characters interact, feel about each other, and the conflicts they have. It’s easy to uncover these interactions if we look at who is opposing who for what and why.

Some things we may want to discuss here:

The contention between characters and groups.
The motifs we wove throughout the story.
The symbols and MacGuffin’s in the story and their meaning.
The themes we were exploring through the narrative.

The Open Story.

As we deepen our craft, we learn there is more to a good story than a lot of action, snappy dialogue, and interesting characters. We’ve learned to make better stories by making the stories more meaningful and richer experiences for our readers. Now is the time for us to open up our writer’s notebooks and share more with our readers.

I spend a lot of time at events talking about the elements of story and mythos from the reader’s experience. Some are interested in the process, but so many more are looking for ways to get more out of the works they read. It’s time that we give them a helping hand.

Open your story up, invite people to play in it, and develop a deeper relationship with your readers.

As I implement each code on my site, Dragons of Night, I’ll share more about what I learned with you. If you give this a try, please share your experience with me.

In the Light of the Moon

cedorsett — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:59 -0600

Alone again on Valentine’s Day, Sirel goes into the wilds to camp, and encounters the Moon Spirit, who challenges her to embrace her nature; but as her wings rise in the moonlight and her desire to take her ex boyfriend’s heart grows too strong, she must learn the price of love is sacrifice, before she casts her shadow over him to feed on his heart.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

To celebrate, I wrote a new story, “In the Light of the Moon,” and I am giving it to you for free as thank you for all your help and support.

This is the first new story I wrote with your feedback on our Branch Group and Wattpad. You made this story better than I ever could have alone.

If you didn’t participate in the discussion, and want to get involved, join us. We are stronger together.

Please share this story, and help spread the word about Dragons of Night.

Download Your copy of “In the Light of the Moon” here.

Meet the Exiles

cedorsett — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:30:45 -0600

Meet the Exiles

Hauntingly beautiful. (via Eric Dorsett - Google)

cedorsett — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:45:23 -0600

Hauntingly beautiful. (via Eric Dorsett - Google)

I love simple wonders. O, how magical our world is if we take...

cedorsett — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:15:35 -0600

I love simple wonders. O, how magical our world is if we take the time to notice. (via Eric Dorsett - Google - Fire Flower)