The stories of Bryan Young

Confessions of an Independent Filmmaker

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

I've been working full time as a producer of film and video projects for a long time now, and I've been working at that even longer as a part time job.

I've worked on a lot of films, I've made a lot of films, and I think I've done some things that were fairly unique over my years. I've built spaceships, infiltrated Sundance, and if there's a job on a film, pre-production, production, post-production, distribution, or marketing, I've figured out a way to do it on my own, without the support of a massive studio or even a mini-major.

My background in film is really what taught me the skills to do what I've accomplished in the world of publishing.

In the hopes that my stories might inspire or inform other aspiring creative types, filmmakers, writers, etc., I've begun collecting the best stories and advice I've experienced into this new series.

Part One was released today and details what it took to make Missy, which is the first movie I co-wrote and co-directed (with Elias Pate.)

This is intended to be the first part of a serial that takes people through my personal experience through independent filmmaking and my study of the craft. If nothing else, it will serve as a giant "What Not To Do" warning.

You can pick it up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

When the serial is finished, it will be collected in print, until then, it's going to be digital only.

Announcements: A Signing, Movies, and Release Dates

2012-01-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that I'm lucky my brain hasn't exploded with how many different balls I'm juggling with my career, both as a film and video producer and a writer. Those jobs really aren't that different, to be honest. My career is as a storyteller. The fact that I can produce it on video or publish it in a book is just a matter of medium.

But I have some announcements and we'll get to them in order.

This is a reminder for my next signing. I will be at two different stores on February 18th, 2012 in the Salt Lake Valley. I'll be signing with Tracy Hickman, Dave Farland (Wolverton), L.E. Modessit, and Paul Genesse. Facebook events have been made for each store with more details. I hope to see you there as I will have the brand new print copies of God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut on hand for the first time. Here's the first one. Here's the second one.
There are new items in the store. I've added the documentary films that I've produced, other films will be added there periodically.

On to release dates:

2/15/12 - God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut (print)
2/15/12 - Lost at the Con (audio book cd with eBook versions)
5/25/12 - Operation: Montauk (print and digital)

There are some more projects that will come out in and around all of those dates, some I can't talk about yet.

I'll keep you updated, though!

A New eBook, a Signing, and an Announcement

2012-01-19T07:16:00.004-07:00

First: An Original, a short story that appeared in Man Against the Future has been made available exclusively on Amazon as a single.

An Original is a story that is near and dear to my heart, about a man who learns a terrible secret about himself.

It's currently being adapted into a screenplay.

Second: I will be attending a pair of book signings on February 18th. Here are the links to the Facebook events pages. (The First Signing and The Second Signing). I will have print copies of God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut there, as well as CDs with the audio version of Lost at the Con for sale.

I'll be signing alongside Tracy Hickman, L.E. Modesitt, Dave Farland, and Paul Genesse.

Third: Over this last weekend I lost my grandmother after she had a long battle with Alzheimer's. I was asked to write the obituary and I thought I'd share it with you. She was an incredible woman with lots and lots of fascinating stories and, though all 85 of her years had to be boiled down to about 500 words, I hope you get that impression reading the obituary.

You can read my words about her here.

And, as always, I want to thank you guys for all of the support you've given me as a writer over the years. It's meant the world to me. And if I could ask one more time for you to review any of my books or stories that you've read or liked, that would help immensely. It can be on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, or wherever else you let people know what you think. I can't explain how important friends, fans, and readers spreading the word is to a writer.

Origins Game Fair

2012-01-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

For the second year in a row I will be a special guest at Origins Game Fair.

I will be signing books, doing readings, and teaching writing seminars.

You can get more information as it's available on the Origins website and here when I'm able to announce more details. The panels I've been asked to be on are sure to be great. And if you find me boring, there are always panels with Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston, and Mike Stackpole.

I hope to see you there.

I'll be debuting my new science fiction novel there: "Operation: Montauk".

Recent Press

2011-12-28T23:52:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a bunch of press lately, so let's start at the beginning and when we get to the end we'll stop.

First, I did a lengthy interview for the Hello, Sweetie Podcast. You can listen to it here. We covered everything under the sun, including the books and, of course, Star Wars.

Secondly, Andy Wilson over at Huffington Post was kind enough to include God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut on his list of 5 books and apps you have to try for the Kindle and Nook, saying this of the book:

"Young displays here both his depth as a writer and passion for the art itself--much of which he traces back to Kurt Vonnegut. In a chapter devoted to teachers, Young recounts both experiences in his own public schooling and his feelings for Vonnegut as a passive teacher of sorts. Young also touches on the incredibly personal and political, recounting painful dealings with the US "health care system." There's a little bit of everything in here. And something for everyone. And at $3.99, it's hard to go wrong."

You can pick it up digitally now or pre-order the print copy for it's release next month.

Lastly, I want to leave you with this:

This is me with Terry Burden, discussing MAD Magazine's 5 Dumbest People, Places, and Things of 2011 on my regular guest spot on Park City TV.

Yes. I'm wearing a shirt, tie, and Boba Fett hoodie.There's nothing wrong with flying a geek flag, even on live television.

New Short Stories and an Xmas wish...

2011-12-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

I want to wish everyone who reads this site and my material a Happy Holiday, Christmas, or whatever else you might celebrate.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to be opening an eReader, don't hesitate to pick up stories and books from indy authors like myself.

You can check out the complete list of my books and stories and most are available for all major eReaders.

I've also published a brand new selection short stories today that you can check out:

The Accidental Date contains four short stories:

The Accidental Date, One Last Kiss, The Night Sky, and the Girl With Green Eyes.

They're all on the romantic side of the scale I get with my work, so if that's not your thing, I won't mind if you skip them.

It's available for Kindle, Nook, and on Smashwords.

Either way, I hope your holiday is a great one, filled with friends, family, and plenty of relaxation.

Lost at the Con is Free for 24 Hours

2011-12-17T01:01:00.016-07:00

For the next 24 hours, Lost at the Con will be available for free on the digital Kindle format.

You can pick it up here.

If you like it, I can't stress how much it would mean to me for you to rate and review it just about everywhere you can think of and to tell your friends about it.

There is nothing more important to the life of a book or the well-being of an author than word of mouth for their projects. Be sure to spread the word and feel free to take a gander at my other written works.

And if you're still on the fence, here's an interview I did talking about the book on the week of its release:

Want to get Lost at the Con for Free?

2011-12-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

For the next 90 days, Lost at the Con will be part of the Kindle Lending Library, meaning that you can go to Amazon and check Lost at the Con out as though it was from the library. And with their new fund for their library, I'll get paid for you to go read my book for free.

But it gets better. If joining up on Amazon Prime isn't your thing, I'll be giving Lost at the Con away for Kindle this weekend. On Saturday, December 17th, for one day only, you'll be able to get Lost at the Con digitally FOR FREE.

No strings attached.

(Though I'd love it if you reviewed the book and told your friends about it.)

Just visit Amazon this weekend and download the book.

If you're still on the fence, feel free to read what the critics have been saying about it:

Andy Wilson, Huffington Post:

"Young's style is terse and crisp. He writes in a way that compels you to keep flipping pages as you delve deeper and deeper into what is either the strangest of cultures you will ever enjoy or something warm and familiar to all geeks who go to these types of cons...Young writes with a familiarity of this subject in a way that blends the best of gonzo journalism with comic book/pulp sensibilities wrapped with just a tiny bit of a noir vibe -- perhaps that comes from the omniscient first person narrative style. But if I had to compare it to anything else, I'd call it Hell's Angels meets Breakfast of Champions meets Amazing Spiderman."

Amy Ratcliffe, Geeks With Curves:

"Young's hard-hitting style pulled me into the story immediately. The dialogue and story move in a direct and snappy tone. No time and words are wasted but nothing is rushed or bland...This book has appeal for both geeks and new initiates like Cobb. From the geek perspective, it's fun because you have the inside knowledge and you get to feel a little superior to Cobb. You'll recognize the setting, but you'll still be surprised by where events lead. I recommend checking it out."

Brett Schenker, Graphic Policy:

"The book’s concept is great, only bettered by it’s execution...The book is solid. It’s entertaining, funny, eye opening (if you’ve never been to a convention), over the top (but realistic) and most of all it has heart. You care about Cobb towards the end, and while it’s not some amazing transformation like an After School Special, he shows enough growth that you’re cheering for him by the end. If you like gonzo journalism, politics or conventions, really if you like a good read, this is a definite buy and read."

[insertgeekhere]:

"Young’s writing is direct and keeps a quick pace. The book is funny and smart and thought provoking. That is why it is the perfect book for geeks and non-geeks alike. So follow Cobb on his wild ride and enter now!"

Kate McIlvane, The Girl Who Was Plugged iN:

"Have you ever stayed up late reading a book, only to dream about the book, wake up early and properly slack off so you can finish it? THAT is a 7/8 Sleepless Hours book. Or in book terms: Lost at the Con by Bryan Young. In short, one of the funniest books I've read... If you have ever been to ComicCon or Dragon*Con, you need to read this romp of a book, just for the geekster eggs."

Carrie Clevenger, Mindspeak:

"A fun ride, even for non-geeks. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a book to have you laughing out loud for real. Bryan Young is a very skilled writer with wonderful character development skills, a bonus in my book. I look forward to his future releases."

And please, don't forget to visit the new shop.

A Book Signing (Featuring Me and Tracy Hickman)

2011-12-15T07:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday is a big day for a number of reasons. One of the biggest, though, is that I'll be at a book signing with Tracy Hickman, signing copies of Man Against the Future and Lost at the Con.

Here's the information from the press release:

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Eborn Books at Valley Fair Mall will be hosting a signing of science fiction authors on December 17th, just in time for the holiday season.

Headlining the event will be New York Times Bestselling author Tracy Hickman Hickman is a bestselling fantasy novelist and has worked extensively in the Dragon Lance universe.

Other authors signing include Mills Crenshaw, author of “The Christmas of ’45”, and Bryan Young, author of “Lost at the Con” and “Man Against the Future”. Crenshaw is a local radio personality. Young is the editor-in-chief of Big Shiny Robot!, the writer behind Salt Lake City Weekly’s regular geek column, and a contributor to The Huffington Post.

There is no better gift than a signed and personalized book from a local author and no better time to get it than at a signing as big and monumental as this. Eborn Books is located inside Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City. Authors will be signing books from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm.

Valley Fair Mall is located at 3601 South 2700 West, West Valley City, Utah.

I hope to see you there!

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

2011-12-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut. Disciple might be a better word than fan. His body of work might have influenced more than anyone else (including George Lucas).

Over the years I've been collecting short stories, letters, and essays published elsewhere that have been directly about or inspired by Kurt Vonnegut.

I've finally put together a book's worth of material and it is now available to you.

It includes:

Kurt Vonnegut is in Heaven Now - essay
To Be Me - short story
A Good Case for Universal Healthcare - essay
The Train From Hell to Heaven - short story
Tony Snow's White House Press Briefing 9/1/2007 - news satire
George Bush's Farewell Address - news satire
Late Term Abortion - short story
A Simple Country Murder - short story
All Life's a Game - short story
Forlorn - short story
God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut - essay

It also contains various letters and other connecting material.

You can buy it digitally right now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other eReaders.

The print copies will be out in the next month or so and are available for pre-order below. All copies bought through my site will be signed and personalized.

Writing Tip #327

2011-11-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

We all have different methods at getting us through those dark, dreary days of a first draft. They're not so dark, I find I actually have a lot of fun writing, otherwise I wouldn't do it, but sometimes you get stuck. When you get stuck, the worst thing you can do is just to give up. I'd never have completed a single manuscript if I gave up every time it got hard.

Over the years, I've come up with little shortcuts to help me get through those times that are harder than others like we all do (or should do.)

My brain sees stories as movies playing in my head. I came from a world of screenwriting and I'm a very visual, cinematic writer. That method of writing poses its own challenges since you can't just follow a logical chain of events in a novel the same way you would in a movie. At my most recent writing critique group (With Janine Spendlove and Aaron Allston), I was torn a new asshole because of all of the random POV shifts in the rough draft of my manuscript that would make perfect sense in a movie.

Although some techniques don't carry over as well, there's one I've picked up over the years that's helped me a lot when I get stuck working on characterization.

I cast my book.

I'd do it with my screenplays, too. But I would use a cast of characters from movies I loved, but it would have to consist entirely of dead actors. There's something more literary about the sensibilities of old movies, but imagining that my bad guy was being played by Sydney Greenstreet and my hero was in Ray Milland's shoes would help me work through scenes. Greenstreet's sort of villain was entirely unflappable. My version of Ray Milland always seemed a little pissed off he wasn't as sophisticated as Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart and turned to cutting corners in life.

The list of dead actors I've cast in my screenplays, novels, and short stories would be a mile long.

I don't always do it, and I'm not a slave to it in any way shape or form, but it helps me imagine my way out of some situations I would ordinarily get stuck on. And it allows the characters to surprise me.

Some might say, "But they'll see right through you! It's cheating!" But I'm not actually writing these characters. I'm letting them, in the rough draft, fill in holes that happen to create fascinating dichotomies with the characters I've already worked to create.

And in order to prevent them from completely taking over and to smooth out the dialogue and mannerisms, I'll recast the part during my revisions, usually from a living actor with a completely different sensibility. How much would Richard Dreyfuss bristle at being in a Ray Milland part? How would Harrison Ford handle getting cast in a part written for Sydney Greenstreet or James Cagney?

For me, it adds an energy and depth to my characters with very little additional effort. It helps me surprise myself with what comes out on the page and it layers characterizations that would otherwise seem flat.

Maybe this technique isn't for everyone. I have a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of a lot of movies and this comes naturally to me, it's just how I think. But next time you get stuck with a character, why not cast Cary Grant in the role and see how he'd play getting out of the situation?

This technique helps me muscle through scenes to write that would force other writers to stagnate. It's just one of the things I've developed that works for me and brings an extra energy to the page that helps you get through that hard times.

And you really never know where it'll take you.

Try it. Let me know how it works for you. And I'd love to hear about what gets you through tough pages and passages. I'm always looking for new tools to put in my toolbox.

Interview with Max Allan Collins

2011-11-15T08:08:00.001-07:00

I had the chance to do an exhaustive interview with the author Max Allan Collins about his new book from Mickey Spillane's manuscript, The Consummata. It's a fantastic read and a sequel to the top selling Delta Force.

For the portions of our interview regarding Spillane and The Consumatta, those will be appearing on The Huffington Post. For the portions of our conversation that had to do with Collins's time at DC Comics and writing Batman, they will be appearing on Big Shiny Robot. I'll link up to them as soon as they go up.

This portion of the conversation had a lot to do with writing and the state of the book publishing world from a writers perspective, so I felt this was an appropriate forum for it.

Bryan Young: How much of your time as a writer do you divide between producing collaborations with Spillane’s work, which are popular and excellent, and your own work which I think is just as unique and important for a reading audience?

Max Allan Collins: I’ve always been prolific and I sometimes get kind of beat up for that, I’ve certainly gotten beat up for doing the movie novelizations and TV tie-ins I’ve done over the years.

BY: Don’t, though, the Dick Tracy movie tie in is one of the first book I was absolutely daffy about as a 10 year old when it came out

MAC: I bet you got it at school, too.

BY: I did, actually

MAC: That’s a lucky break, too, because the edition that went out to schools is the only edition that has the complete ending because the Disney people censored the ending because they didn’t want the book out there giving away the ending before the movie came out and I was just beside myself because they published a million copies of this mystery that didn’t resolve the mystery. That’s one of the great frustrations of my early career.

I guess my point is that what happens is, really what the situation is, and really it’s ridiculously simple is that I’m a professional, full-time freelancer and I’m somewhat well known. I consider myself successful, but I’m also not a super star. I don’t have sales on the level of Harlan Coben, Mary Higgins Clarke or those kinds of folks. So I can’t write one book a year, like everybody else I have to go to my office every day and go to work.

What looks like this incredible amount of material flying out of my office is just the work of a steady, blue-collar writer who’s just hanging in there and doing the work. I’m also lucky the way that my mental make-up is such that I have a lot of enthusiasm. Even when I do a novelization, it’s a usually some property that I’m really interested in. Sometimes I get to do something like Saving Private Ryan, other times I do something like GI Joe so it’s not always a picnic.

I do like telling stories, I really enjoy working in a variety of mediums. I love doing screenplays, I’ve done comics at the start of my career and I’ve even done video games. I view myself as a storyteller. A lot of people that are not in the upper reaches of the super-star authors, if you go look at them and find out what’s going on in their lives a lot of them are teachers, some are lawyers, doctors, but many many of them have day jobs. I don’t have a day job, this is my day job so a lot of stuff tends to come out.

BY: I’m in that other boat, my day job is film and video production and journalism stuff like this and you know the writing.

MAC: It’s a job that really takes the same kind of juice. I found that early in my career I was going to University of Iowa, in the summer I was lucky to work in a newspaper. I found that when I got home I used up the juice at work. I thought maybe I should get s job at a shoe store or something so that when I come home there’s something creative in me.

On the other hand, it sounds like you have a lot cooler job than working at a shoe store! Film and video production is something that I actually like a lot and I don’t get to do that every day

BY: I’m a freelancer all the same, sometimes I get to do really creative stuff for me like I’ve put out a few documentaries that have done really well that got put out. I guess maybe I’m sort of in some respects I feel like you were 30 years ago, I’ve had a couple of books published, a couple of comics published, a couple of movies distributed but no one knows my name. I’m just working as hard as I can

MAC: One of the really gratifying things lately for me has been, this just may be the result of being around for a while but I do talk to a lot of people who’ve read my books now.

It’s very rare where I do an interview with someone where they’re not familiar with my stuff, sometimes in depth. That didn’t used to be the case, but what happens with me is there’s sort of a compartmentalization. I mean I talk to people who are big fans of one segment of what I do; for example loved the CSI novels or they’re fans of the comics but they don’t read anything besides the comics. I guess that’s fine and it’s interesting, but it’s always a little frustrating to me because I’m like well if you love my comics you’ll probably like the novels too. It’s funny, people do compartmentalize.

I think the most important thing is, this is going to sound so incredibly basic but if you can be a freelancer and you can make a living in that area that you love, even if it is GI Joe sometimes it is still such a gift. It is such a richer, better life than the vast majority of people are subjected too. I’m always grateful that I work at home, that I kind of generate my own stuff.

I still am going after jobs like any freelancer, sometimes getting them sometimes not.

Writing proposals for books, sometimes getting a contract sometimes not getting a contract.

It hasn’t changed all that much in all this time that I’ve stayed at it and produced a certain body of work. I’m lucky that a lot of stuff is being reprinted for the very hungry e-book market.

BY: I was going to ask if you’d considered dabbling into that as far as original stuff

MAC: I actually have because just recently AmazonEncore, which is sort of a boutique publisher within Amazon empire, approached me about my Nathan Heller series, about doing the backlist because I have a new book that’s been out for about a month called Bye Bye, Baby and it’s the first one in about nine years so I just jumped at the chance to get the backlist out there and they were proposing that they publish all twelve novels and two short story collections basically at once. They’d make them all available on e-book and trade paperback. I thought if you’re going to gamble on something, they’re the biggest bookstore in the world so I went along with it.

Last week they launched it and put my novel True Detective, which is the first Nathan Heller story that goes back to 1983 out and sort of showcased it, they put it on sale at a bargain rate of $.99, I’d given them my blessing to do what they needed to do, and the book was number 1 in the Kindle e-book best seller list by midafternoon. It’s remained on their top 100 most of the time in the top 25 even after they put the price back up.

I am very impressed by the ability of the e-book to bring a whole new audience to my material. They sold more e-book copies of my novel True Detective in one day than, granted at $.99, they sold more copies in one day than they entire print run. So I may actually do a book for them.

It’s kind of controversial because some book sellers see them as the evil empire but I think it’s misguided and people are going to have to learn to adjust to this new landscape and see how we all fit into it. It’s no different than when television came along and threw a wrench into radio and movies, it’s no different than when the VCR came along. Anytime something changes the landscape, people react in negative ways but eventually it settles into something different, sometimes better.

BY: It’s hard to take it out on the authors when they are concerned, they have to make a living and sell the books where the books go. It shouldn’t be our responsibility to any type of retailer, we want people to read our stories and we’ll get it to them however we can

MAC: I actually think the independent book sellers stand to make comeback now. You’ve got Borders gone, that changed the landscape drastically. The chains anyway, were not the type of place where books were handsold the way that independent booksellers do.

I think that, here’s one example of where Amazon and a mystery book store can coexist, is that Amazon put out all of my Heller stories. If you’ve been around a while, and have a new book come out there’s a kind of resistance of readers if they can’t access the other books in the series. Most book stores, true of chains and independent book stores, don’t have shelf space to stock 14 Nathan Heller books by me on the shelf. They both benefit. The independent bookseller sells by book by hand to the reader because it’s so fabulous, then they’ve got someplace they can go where they can fill in a book they otherwise wouldn’t have bought.

I think there’s a positive flow between those that will eventually develop, I sort of see the independent sellers as the gate keeper. They’re sort of the tide pools where the books the publishers maybe haven’t chosen can find life and find their way to a best seller list.

BY: Do you think that the stigma will affect you on The Consummata or do you think people are thirsty enough to dive in without Delta Force?

MAC: I haven’t done anything original for Amazon or for the eBook market yet except for a short story collection, again that’s a Nathan Heller collection called Chicago Lightning that’s out next week coming out from AmazonEncore. There’s no stigma yet, I hope that the stigma would not attach to the author.

I think what might happen is that a bookstore might not stock a book that Amazon published, but if Amazon is selling thousands of them, I think I can get over that. I think it’s shortsighted, when the landscape changes you have to navigate it, you don’t bring a plow in and try to make it what it used to be. That’s a losing battle, and it’s always been that way.

I also got to ask about the mountain of material Mickey Spillane left for Max Allan Collins to adapt and flesh out and publish, wondering why he had so much stuff he just did nothing with.

I think it speaks a lot about how some people write and what their process is.

BY: What had him say he wasn’t going to finish or publish these things in the 80s’? he still had 20 years left in him...

MAC: There were several things going on, it’s complicated. The short answer is that Mickey, at the height of his fame in the early 50’s converted to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and they did not approve of what he did. So Mickey basically didn’t publish a novel for almost 10 years. He went from Kiss Me Deadly, one of the most famous mystery novels ever written, the first private eye novel, to the charts.

Then he stops because his church said they didn’t like the sex and violence. About 10 years later he left the church and then he had a very prolific period of about 15 years, then he got back into the church. Then the rest of his career he spent in sort of start-stop mode.

He’d occasionally publish, one time he got in trouble again, so I think a lot of these he put aside thinking he’d get in trouble with his church so he didn’t finish it. I know it sounds like a crazy story, but it’s absolutely true.

BY: Reading The Consummata and the subject matter in it, I guess that makes perfect sense...

MAC: The other factor is, there is another factor, is that he [Mickey Spillane] was a guy with a lot of enthusiasm and if he lost his enthusiasm on one story, if he got distracted, he often wrote books in 9 days or 2 weeks, but if he had to stop and go do promotion or something of if he got another idea for a different story he would drop it and just go do the other story. Some of it had to do with the fact that he would say “I’ll get back to this another day” but it was hard for him to get back to something. He did things in the white heat of enthusiasm and if he lost that, he would just start something new.

I think this was a fascinating discussion, and I hope you did, too.

Be sure to check out The Consummata. It was a very fun read that I enjoyed immensely.

And if you found this interview helpful, be sure to do me a favor and buy some of my books. That enables me to bring you more content like this.

Television Interview

2011-10-19T23:51:00.001-06:00

I did an interview on Park City TV's Mountain Views with Portia Early about my books and my upcoming projects.

It was a great spot and I hope you guys check it out.

We talked a lot about Man Against the Future and Lost at the Con, but we also talked about the book I have coming out next month, God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut, and my next two novels.

The Cruel Kids: Four Short Stories

2011-10-18T09:07:00.000-06:00

I've put out another pack of short stories for the Kindle and the Nook.

For $2.99, you'll get:

The Shadow of Dream - Protecting your children can sometimes be a nightmare.
Bryan and the Case of the Disappearing Playboys - A true story from my youth.
The Cruel Kids - If you found out a kid you mistreated in your past killed someone, would it change you?
Hungry - Sometimes you can still be a kid and have lived through horrible things in this story from World War II.

The thing that unifies these stories together in a way I think makes sense for a collection is that they've all got an element of lost innocence to them. People don't often talk about the darkness in the lives of kids these days, and these all shine a light on that in some way or another.

You can get The Cruel Kids for the Kindle or the Nook.

Lost at the Con - Audiobook

2011-10-07T12:12:00.000-06:00

One of the projects keeping me busy is recording (with the help of renowned musician Mark Dago) the audiobook of my first novel, Lost at the Con.

We'll be done with the final product by the end of the month and it should be available by the beginning of November, but we have Chapter One finished and I wanted to share it with you guys for free.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD (or listen) TO CHAPTER ONE of LOST AT THE CON, as read by me.

If you like what you hear, you can pick the book up at the Lost at the Con website (click the "Order Now" button to buy signed copies, or there are links to the digital copies).

If you'd prefer to wait for the rest of the audio book, you can preorder it by clicking the link below. There are two options, one for digital download and one for having a CD shipped to you. The CD will have the eBook copies included.

It should ship by the first week of November.

A Book Signing

2011-10-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

I will be signing copies of Lost at the Con, Man Against the Future, and The Colossus at Dr. Volt's Comic Connection on Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 12pm - 3pm.

Dr. Volt's is located at 2033 East 3300 South in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Also signing will be Tyler Kirkham (who is working on Green Lantern: New Guardians) and Jake Black (Ender's Game, Supergirl, and he's written episodes of Brave and the Bold and Ben 10).

I hope to see you guys all out there. The staff at Dr. Volt's has been a big supporter of the books and have been carrying them since day one. Since everything is on sale, this is the best time to pick up comic books, graphic novels, and get books signed by the three of us.

Pub Quiz Trivia

2011-09-28T09:08:00.001-06:00

Some of you might know that I have been hosting a weekly Pub Quiz (along with Shannon Barnson from the Geek Show Podcast) for the last couple of years. I write forty questions a week and I didn't realize how much material I'd come up with until I put it all together. Writing trivia is a learned skill and I can definitely say that I've gotten better at it.

In my early days of the Pub Quiz, I looked high and low for resources I could go for trivia questions and no good options existed. Now an option does exist.

I've divided all of the Pub Quiz trivia questions I've written into 4 books of trivia questions now available for the Kindle and Nook.

The books are as follows:

Pub Quiz Trivia Volume 1 - History and Current Events (Kindle and Nook)
Pub Quiz Trivia Volume 2 - Wildcard Rounds (Kindle and Nook)
Pub Quiz Trivia Volume 3 - Geek Trivia (Kindle and Nook)
Pub Quiz Trivia Volume 4 - Film Trivia (Kindle and Nook)

I'll be compiling all four into one book soon and publishing a print and digital version soon.

I know not everyone is into Trivia, but if you are, these are a great resource.

As for a writing update: I've got another book coming up in the next week or two full of essays, editorials, and short stories I've written all about or inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I'm also hip deep in editing my next novel and gearing up to write another one.

Aside from all that, recording has begun on the Lost at the Con audio book!

Lots of great stuff is coming, I hope you guys stick around for the ride.

A Great Piece of Writing Advice

2011-08-31T01:02:00.001-06:00

I found this piece of good writing advice from Brian K. Vaughn. You might remember him from Y: The Last Man and as a writer on Lost.

According to him (and I agree completely) the secret to being more successful as a writer is as simple as can be:

WRITE MORE, DO OTHER STUFF LESS.

That's it. Everything else is meaningless. You can take all the classes in the world and read every book on the craft out there, but at the end of the day, writing is sorta like dieting. There are plenty of stupid fads out there and charlatans promising quick fixes, but if you want to lose weight, you have to exercise more and eat less. Period. Every writer has 10,000 pages of shit in them, and the only way your writing is going to be any good at all is to work hard and hit 10,001.

He also said that writers block was just another word for video games.

I found this piece of advice a long time ago and I've had it tucked away. Since then I've all but given up video games and I can vouch for the efficacy of the advice. Though his metaphor about eating less and exercising more rings a little hollow after all of those years working on Killer at Large. Obesity is WAY more complicated than writing.

50 Rules and Tips About Writing I've Collected Over the Years

2011-08-22T21:07:00.000-06:00

I have twenty or thirty notebooks and journals filled up with snippets about writing, my plans for stories, bits of dialogue, interesting ideas, plotlines, scraps of short stories, and a dozen other things. I carry one with me at all times and it takes me a couple of months to fill one up.

One of the things I've kept in one of my notebooks was a collection of writing tips and rules that I've collected over the years in my travels. From teachers, from books, from wherever. Most of my career has been spent screenwriting, so a lot of these are most applicable to that, but I wanted to present them so they might be of use to you as well.

I've never stopped collecting these over the years and I never will.

To start the list are Kurt Vonnegut's eight rules of writing. They are the first in my notebook and, I think, the most useful. I'll add a star to those I think are applicable most to screenwriting. Some of these aren't applicable to everyone in every situation, but for the most part they're all helpful.

1) Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2) Give the reader at least one character they can root for.

3) Every character should want something, even if it's just a glass of water.

4) Every sentence should do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5) Start as close to the end as possible.

6) Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them--in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7) Write to please just one person. If you open the window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8) Give your readers as much information as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such a complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

* 9) No one likes to read large blocks of text, keep action to one or two lines but no more than four.

* 10) Unless you're directing, keep inflections, camera direction, and editing suggestions out of the script.

* 11) Action should be clear and concise, like a children's book.

12) Statements like "begins to" and "starts to" are nonsense. Someone does something or they don't. It's just more words for people to read for no reason.

13) Be economical with your words. Omit all words that aren't 100% necessary to tell the story.

14) The more sparing you are with adjectives and adverbs, the more impact they will have when you do use them.

15) Monologues are for the theatre. Break up long stretches of dialogue with actions, reactions, sense of place, other senses, etc.

* 16) Be as conscious of how the page looks as you are of what it says. If a page looks easy to read with little text, readers are more likely to read it.

17) People talk in contractions and broken sentences. Virtually no one speaks perfect English. (See Twain's dialogue.)

18) Be true to your characters and your story. Let them write the text.

19) Care deeply about each word and line. Details down to every word mean something, own them and care about them.

20) Read other peoples books and screenplays that you admire and are better than your skill level. You don't necessarily need to switch to their style, but adapts their strengths into your style and learn from their mistakes.

* 21) Avoid metaphors and similes in the action. Readers generally skim and if they only skim the metaphor part of the sentence, they'll get images in their head that aren't actually in the movie.

22) If someone doesn't understand the images you're trying to show them, if someone doesn't "get it," it's your fault. As a writer, it's your job to make people "get it" and if they don't, you haven't done your job properly.

23) Avoid cliches. Avoid them in characters, action, dialogue, story, plot, and anything else that risks being cliched. If you must use a cliche, add uniqueness and freshness to it.

24) Don't write a story you only have half a heart for. It does a disservice to you and a disservice to the material.

25) It's a good writer who can write what he knows, it takes a great writer to write what he doesn't. Cut your teeth on what you do know and research the hell out of everything you don't and you'll do fine.

26) There is no such thing as a final draft.

27) Never show people your rough draft. Show people your fifth draft and tell them it's your rough draft.

28) Don't ask people to read your material for praise. Tell them to hate it and criticize it to no end. If they do that, you know exactly what to work on.

29) Don't get defensive or mad when someone criticizes your work. Criticism is done to help, not hurt or compete. And chances are the more mad they make you, the more right they are.

30) Don't go back and revise until you've finished. Otherwise you won't get past page 15.

31) The hardest part of writing is starting. Finishing is no trick as you've already committed to start.

32) Qui-Gon Jinn said of pod-racing, "Feel, don't think. Use your instincts." The same is true of first drafts.

33) 32 is only true if you have an outline and a roadmap. Otherwise it's just meandering drivel.

34) It's helpful to write scenes to music of a similar tone. It will give your scene a beat and pace you don't have to think about.

35) Qui-Gon Jinn said, "There's always a bigger fish." You will never be the best writer. There's always someone better. Learn from them.

36) George Lucas told Irvin Kershner, "Don't expect things to work." That hold true of writing and filmmaking in every aspect, starting with the first words you put down on the page.

37) Fairy tales and kids stories should have frightening things in them.

38) The ego is the enemy of the writer. Listen to what others have to say about your material, even if you don't agree with them. Don't assume you know better than they do.

39) Have fun.

40) Wait a while before you think you're finished with something. After a time away from the material you'll see problems you hadn't seen before.

* 41) Try to avoid where possible characters thoughts and feelings in the scene setups and action. It won't play visually.

42) Don't guess trends. Write what you want to read or see.

43) Paranoia about theft is wasted energy.

44) Know your mythology. Know your classic story structure. Know your Robert McKee, know your Joseph Campbell.

45) Irvin Kershner said, "A director is always guessing." So is a writer.

46) Read your dialogue out loud to yourself to make sure it's natural. That's what Tennessee Williams did and look at how that turned out.

47) If it helps, write parts for dead actors you admire, then rewrite them in your revision for living actors. It gives you two different perspectives on the character and adds an extra, easy layer of depth.

48) Story isn't alchemy and inspiration. It's a craft, like engineering or mechanics. There are parts to everything and nothing extra. Learn your trade with this in mind.

49) Learn to do everything you can in the world of writing on your own. If you don't believe in your work enough to bleed for it in every way possible, why should someone else?

50) Never stop learning. Never stop studying. Never stop reading great books and excellent films.

51) There are no rules to writing. Only principles, guidelines and suggestions. Take each of them with a grain of salt.

(While you're thinking about it, feel free to check out my books Lost at the Con and Man Against the Future.)

UPDATED: My Dragon*Con 2011 Schedule

2011-08-17T17:03:00.002-06:00

So, I moved too late to get a table for the show (I was numbered in the hundreds on the waiting list), but I did manage to find myself on a panel with my good friend Janine Spendlove (author of the ridiculously popular and very fun to read War of the Seasons books).

Mon 1:00pm Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing in YA- In this era of instant media, what are some advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing your YA novel, vs. the traditional path often taken?
Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, Jonathan Maberry, Jackson Pearce
A707

It should be a very fun and interesting panel. And I think there are distinct advantages to each method of publication, so I'm not for one side or the other.

I'll be roaming the convention the whole time (tweet me if you want to meet up) and I'll have books on me in case you wanted to pick some up. (I'll be carrying Lost at the Con, Man Against the Future, and my convention only versions of The Colossus.)

If you see me, feel free to say hello.

UPDATE:

I'll be on at least one Star Wars related panel. I'm confirmed on The Clone Wars panel and possibly one more.

Clone Wars!
You've seen the show on Cartoon Network, now come and talk about it with some die-hard fans!
Sun 08:30 pm; A706;

Why Pottermore will be good for all of us

2011-08-15T16:10:00.001-06:00

I got into the early beta for Pottermore this morning and I've spent a lot of time messing around with it. It's immersive and fun and I've spent way too much time there.

You can read my full thoughts about the experience itself on Huffington Post or Big Shiny Robot!

But there's something else about it that excites me as an author: I'm not even the biggest Harry Potter fan, but sitting there trolling through all the behind the scenes content of the books, I was dying to get the digital versions to make it easier to follow along with the experience.

That's their next big step, launching the eBooks. I've already bought copies of all the books, but something about the experience of Pottermore made me desire the digital versions.

Imagine that happening to the millions expected to be using this free service and want to buy an eReader to buy the digital versions of the books proper? These readers aren't going to be buying just seven books. They're going to be starving for all kinds of content. And we're going to be the ones filling in the gaps to give it to them.

J.K. Rowling, whether she knows it or not, is helping us widen our audience exponentially, and that's good news for everyone.

And if you're interested in dueling me in Pottermore, feel free to add me. My Pottermore username is Lightnight 111. I won't be on much now that I've already been through the first book since I have so much writing to do, but when they add subsequent books I can see myself easily wasting days on it.

The Whiskey Doctor and other stories about the new Great Depression

2011-08-15T01:30:00.002-06:00

I have a brand new three-pack of short stories available for .99 cents on the Kindle and Nook today. This one is called "The Whiskey Doctor and other stories about the new Great Depression".

It contains three stories:

The Way It Is
The Whiskey Doctor
By the Bootstraps

Included below is from the introduction to the collection:

Some of my favorite art and stories grew out of the plight of the “working class” and those affected by the Great Depression. From Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath to every Three Stooges short and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times and a hundred other examples, in that era there was an overwhelming amount of art in the popular culture that brought attention to the horrible things going on in the country because of its economic realities.

We’re living in a very similar period, but I haven’t seen the art reflecting the times. Every show seems to be about highlighting what it’s like to be rich, and our shows, movies, and magazines adore those who have everything but work for nothing. I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m the only one writing about these sorts of things, but I wanted to do it so that we don’t lose empathy for those struggling in our country.

I’ve been accused of being “hyper-empathetic” and perhaps that’s true. Maybe I’m just overly idealistic. In either case, all I want to do is remind readers that maybe they don’t have it so bad and illustrate to them how bad things are out there.

Whatever your feelings, at the end of the day, I hope you enjoy these stories and possibly learn something.

You can grab all three stories for the Kindle and the Nook for just .99 cents.

An Orgy of Laughter: Three books from the fringe of society

2011-08-14T23:22:00.001-06:00

If you've been interested in picking up a digital version of Lost at the Con but haven't yet, you might be interested in a new three pack of humour books.

I've teamed up with Warlizard and Jen Ashton to put all three of our books together in one collection.

It's called "An Orgy of Laughter: Three Books from the fringe of society" and you can pick up all three books together for $9.99. Separately it would be a lot more than that. The link to get it on the Nook will be up shortly.

I'm going to assume if you're here that you know what Lost at the Con is about. (If you'd rather just pick up my book, you can do so at this link.)

As for the other two books in the collection:

THE WARLIZARD CHRONICLES by Warlizard

My new fiancée Betty and I were sitting on the couch, watching the Westminster Kennel Club dog show when she looked over at me and casually said, "My first orgasm came from a dog."

As I sat there stunned, trying to control my reactions and collect myself, I had two immediate thoughts:

1. Now I know why my dog likes her better.
2. I wish this were the worst thing she'd ever told me.

And so begins the descent into the crazy improbable world of Warlizard, an average guy with an exceptional life. With no excuses and no apologies, Warlizard lives his life by one simple rule - "If opportunity knocks, answer the door." Gulf War Veteran, womanizer and serial troublemaker, sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses, but his stories are outlandish, extreme, fast-paced and funny as hell.

TURDS IN THE PUNCH BOWL by Jen Ashton

Turds in the Punch Bowl is not your ordinary tale of friendship. Though unconventional in its material, this story is both hilarious and sweet. Meet Joe, the author’s quirky best friend, sidekick and, quite literally, partner in crime. A stunning mix between Seth Rogan, Alfred E. Neuman and Cosmo Kramer, Joe takes the author on a series of wild adventures spanning the last decade, from losing his dignity to finding his dad in a swinger’s club. Chock-full of irreverent wit and banter, this book is a laugh-out-loud narrative filled with unexpected moments of honest endearment within a friendship that anyone would count themselves blessed to have, but most aren't lucky enough to find.

Both books are very funny and I hope you'd be interested in checking out all three.

Three New Short Stories for Nook and Kindle

2011-07-28T20:19:00.000-06:00

There are three stories in a .99 cent pack now available for your reading pleasure on Kindle and Nook.

The stories collected are:

A Simpler Time
Respiratory Alert
The Reckless Abandon of Youth

All three are mostly true stories from my childhood.

I hope you enjoy them!

A Simpler Time: Three Stories by Bryan Young - For Kindle and for Nook.

A Message from Marcus about My Books

2011-07-10T23:15:00.002-06:00

The redoubtable comedian, Marcus, saw fit to grace me and my books with a hilarious video. You can obviously buy my books from these links: Lost at the Con and Man Against the Future.

You can pay Marcus a visit on Facebook and Twitter.