Flash Fiction: Better Left Unfound

Better Left Unfound

After four days the snow thawed, and Barry finally found Whiskers.

With his head caved in and paws singed to blackened stubs, Barry felt that it might have been better if Whiskers had stayed missing.

The Rajaqweet: Up and Kicking!

     As of last week, as promised, The Rajaqweet is up!  


















A proper banner will be crafted as soon as I can get to it, but in the meantime there's this.  As mentioned before, The Rajaqweet is a thrice-weekly-updating webcomic about immortal universe-hopping aliens, the species they've conquered, and what happens when those species revolt.
     The greater comic that is The Rajaqweet is composed of the three following arcs:

Hail To The Noose:  Updating Mondays, Hail To The Noose follows a Rajaqweet enforcer of the law of His Badass Glorification as she seeks to bring order to an unruly newly-conquered planet called Ceril, and to dispose of any traitorous scum she might come across while there.

Hiding Heinrik:  Updating Wednesdays, Hiding Heinrik is about Mav, Mave, Desna, Fera, and X, a bunch of queer kids (where 'kids' is a relative term, seeing as they're all in their twenties) who somehow find themselves harboring an alien refugee from both shady government agencies and the Rajaqweet  he was running from to begin with.  Hijinks ensue.

Shithouse Maggots:  Updating Fridays, Shithouse Maggots begins with Sklor, a Rajaqweet Conqueror, being put on a new assignment a little earlier than she expected, much to her distaste.  It's a crummy little planet called Earth, and it shouldn't take too long to grind it beneath her heel--except that her Enabler is the worst in the world, and he's making her infiltrate the planet from the ground up.  Oh yeah, and those little tiny humans, the ones that are squishy and don't have all their teeth yet?  She now has two.
     Thanks Fearlobe.

The Rajaqweet can be found on both Tumblr and on Tapastic.

Bloody, Bold, Irresolute: Late, But Live!

     Due to some unforeseen technical errors (namely, the internet connection in V101 is the absolute worst), I was unable to post the first episode of Bloody, Bold, Irresolute last night, as I had promised.
     The good news is, it's up now!
     You can listen to it on soundcloud for now, and it will soon also be available on the Bloody, Bold, Irresolute Tumblr.
     In case you missed it, this was the summary for the Bloody, Bold, Irresolute podcast:


​     Wintergreen is legally dead.  And illegally living in what used to be a carpet warehouse within what is now Eastern Deserted Daylark with her best friend and caretaker, Aiden, and the many Droids she's built over the years.  She's a Scorpio; an albino; a genius with technology that's out of this world.
     And she's also the first superhero the world has thus far seen.
     Taking to the crime-infested streets of Daylark, New York, Wintergreen spends her days kicking ass, inventing, maintaining those inventions, and attempting to unravel time and space itself with whatever meager (and subpar) materials she can scrounge up from the nearest dump.  For the time being, she's perfectly content to be Daylark's dirty little secret; it's easier to stay dead that way.  Sure, everyone in Daylark recognizes her, knows what she does, but the people of Daylark also don't ask many questions concerning the past.
     But then enters The Labrynth (who refuses to allow his name to be spelled any other way):  He's also legally dead, but unlike Wintergreen, isn't content to blend into the background of a ramshackle town for the rest of his days on Earth.  Aided by Hydra, his tigress companion, The Labrynth has big plans to lay the world at their feet and polish it until it shines--plans which happen to involve a lot of stealing and murder and, well, what the people of the twenty-first century would have called "terrorism."  
     When he makes his debut in Daylark, Wintergreen is, of course, thrilled at the prospect of a challenge, and the two quickly strike up a bitter rivalry.  
     But with the challenge comes a level of public recognition Wintergreen had neither wanted nor planned for, and with that, a slew of villains and heroes she never could have anticipated, none of whom even comes close to usurping her in the public's eye--you never forget your first, after all.  
     Will Wintergreen ever be able to fade back into the anonymity she prefers?  Will she be able to kill The Labrynth before he kills her?  And who is this "Delude" figure that's the new talk of the criminal underground?  
     Aiden, at least, hopes that Wintergreen will be around long enough to find out.

"Love Is What You Make It" Is Live!!!

     A few days ago I promised that I would start updating a story about polyamorous soul mates on Wattpad every Tuesday and Thursday--and it's really late on a Tuesday night, but it's still Tuesday (even in New York!) and the first chapter is up and ready to be read!
     The cover page isn't up to the standards I'd like it to meet, so I'm planning to remodel it when I get a free minute, but for now that up there is what we've got, and I'll post the summary again below.
     If you read the first chapter and like it, I always welcome feedback, and if you didn't like it and you want to let me know why I'd be grateful--just like all of you out there, I too am an imperfect sack of bones and meat (shocking, I know), and am ever striving towards self-improvement.
     If, for whatever reason, you might want access to early chapters, and in particular if you happen to also be PoC, LGBTQIA+ (intersex/intergender in particular), polyamorous, Jewish, or Muslim, I'm open and eager to having Beta readers (or even critique partners if you've got a WIP you'd like to swap chapters of)!  If that's the case you can reach me in the comments, dm me on twitter, message me on tumblr, or email me at TheSpiderWriter@gmail.com.
     And, since I'm new to Wattpad, if you have any good story recs for me (fantasy/sci fi/horror are my favorites, but I like a little bit of everything) drop 'em in the comments and I'll check 'em out! :)

Love Is What You Make It Summary:

Everyone is born with a name on their wrist.  One name.  Everyone gets one, that is all.
     Jack is born with three.
     Growing up in a world that's been shaped by the concept of one person, one soul mate is difficult when whatever forces govern the creation of such bonds have decided that you're destined to be polyamorous--or maybe that your soulmates are destined to die, one-by-one, along the way?  Jack doesn't know.  Jack is terrified that he doesn't know.  Jack tries not to think about the things he doesn't know.
     But what he does know is that when he meets Thomas Gray, a damaged jerk with too many pairs of glasses, everything is easy, everything is hard, and nothing will ever be the same again. 
     It's difficult, trying to figure what destiny is with only six words to guide you, especially in a world where lifting your sleeve too high might get you killed in the wrong neighborhood--but it's still four more than most people get, and Jack is eager to find out what that means.

Upcoming Projects

     It's a Sunday, and I don't usually post on Sundays (anymore), but I had some exciting news that I wanted to share with everybody without taking away one of the normal blog spots.
     While I've been online a long time, my online presence in my "rl" persona is relatively new.  I don't have a lot of stories to my name, and this year I've decided to change that; coming soon to an internet near you are the following works by Meghan D. Coates aka Maggie C. aka TheSpiderWriter aka the walking encyclopedia aka the one with too many nicknames please just stop already we're so confused:

Bloody, Bold, Irresolute:

What It Is:  A podcast about superheroes, supervillains, government intervention, a lowkey dystopia, true AI, floating robots, a talking tiger, aliens, violence, and gray morality based off of a 951 page novel I wrote when I was twelve (no worries, it's being heavily rewritten).

Summary:   In which the first superhero ever is crude, inaffable, irreverent, and incondite--in other words, a total asshole who probably shouldn't be trusted with a weapon of any sort.
     Bedecked with robots, a talking tiger, shitty police networks, half-abandoned towns, and vigilantes and villains galore, Bloody, Bold, Irresolute follows the Green-Eyed Albino (known to herself and her Droids as Wintergreen) as she kicks ass, takes names, and maybe sorta tries to save the world a little bit.

   

When:  The first and third sundays of every month, starting on Sunday, 2/21/16.

Where:  Soundcloud.com/bloodyboldirresolute

Website:  BloodyBoldIrresolute.weebly.com

Love Is What You Make It:

What It Is:  A semi-episodic experimental/exploratory slice-of-life romance story about a world where one is born with their soul mate's name on their wrist, which changes colors when you meet for the first time.

Summary:  Everyone is born with a name on their wrist.  One name.  Everyone gets one, that is all.
     Jack is born with three.
     Growing up in a world that's been shaped by the concept of one person, one soul mate is difficult when whatever forces govern the creation of such bonds have decided that you're destined to be polyamorous--or maybe that your soulmates are destined to die, one-by-one, along the way?  Jack doesn't know.  Jack is terrified that he doesn't know.  Jack tries not to think about the things he doesn't know.
     But what he does know is that when he meets Thomas Gray, a damaged jerk with too many pairs of glasses, in his class mid-junior-year, everything is easy, everything is hard, and nothing will ever be the same again.
     It's hard, trying to figure what destiny is with only six words to guide you, especially in a world where lifting your sleeve too high might get you killed in the wrong neighborhood--but it's four more than most people get, and Jack is eager to find out what that means.

When:  Tuesdays and Thursdays (hopefully in the mornings, but it may vary because school) starting 2/16/16.

Where:  Wattpad.com/ispiderwriter

The Rajaqweet

What It Is:  A collection of three webcomics concerning a race of immortal universe-hopping aliens with the single-minded goal of conquering and ruling over everything, everyone, everywhere.

Summary:  

Hail To The Noose:  Dhalast is very young, very driven, very single-minded, very accomplished; at the juvenile age of five hundred years, she earns her first face-to-face meeting with His Badass Glorification, the primordial behemoth, ever-growing, never-evolving, that has ruled over The Rajaqweet almost since the birth of the universe.
     After being promoted to a stationary rank on a small green planet called Ceril, it becomes her duty to keep the local population under the keen blade of the law, with the help of a few locals that have been delegated to act as her legal cabinet.  With Dhalast's impressive wit and keen senses (and Zharresk's understanding of local custom) it should be simple enough, but when the descendant of the most infamous rebel in Rajaqweet history makes herself known, Dhalast may finally meet her match.

Hiding Heinrik:  In a cozy seven-room apartment in the city there lives a group of five very close, very weird, very queer friends.  There's Mav, the everyman, studying for med school, and Mave, his twin sister, who's studying fashion and likes to throw knives, their friend Fera, an eight-star chef (in a rating system by her own design) who loves just about every sport, the group's default mom/dad Desna, an artist as dedicated to her friends as she is to her pacifistic moral code, and of course, X, a dabbler in all things who can't be boxed in by traditional ... anything, really.
     So when X, Desna, and the girls save an alien refugee from a crashed space ship and make Mav patch it back together, they're not exactly surprised that it fits right into their life.  And they've seen a lot of movies, so those FBI agents knocking on the door, the alien they see out of the corner of their eyes every now and again that then vanishes like smoke in the wind--they're basically to be expected.  But seeing as half of them are at least pseudo-pacifists, Fera and X are the only ones who have been in a real fight before, and Mav and Mave's mother is part of the very same government they're trying to slip under the radar of, things might get tricky....

Shithouse Maggots:  Sklor is young but not extremely young; she's talented, but not extremely talented; she's loyal, but she doesn't treat her lord's word like holy doctrine.  Maybe that's why He throws this extra assignment at her the day she's supposed to start her vacation.  Or maybe her Enabler is every bit the fucknugget she always dreamed he would be.
     Whatever the reason for her most recent assignment is, she's gotta do it--Planet Earth, fleshy meat creatures, hyper-militaristic.  Get in, rise to power, get out, should only take about a week.
     Should.  It should only take about a week.  When you add in a human form, a total lack of any kind of job experience or references, two be-legged larvae she's meant to help raise, and an only half-downloaded Culture Chip, the timeline might increase a little--or a lot.
     Well, as long as she doesn't stick around long enough to get (*shudder*) attached to anything, she should be fine.  She'll just make sure her next vacation is twice as long as this one was supposed to be.

When:  
HttN:  Mondays
HH:  Wednesdays
SM:  Fridays
Starting Monday, 3/7/16

Where:  TBA

5 Reasons Your Story Isn't Working

     Sometimes a story just doesn't work.  You're typing along, lalala, story story story, and then suddenly, BAM you hit a wall!  Then it's goodbye story, hell-llo writer's block!
     The first step in getting your story back on track is to figure out why you're stuck.  Here are five reasons you may be having difficulties.

1.  You've lost your passion

     Sometimes the spark just goes away.  You lose interest in whatever gave you the idea for this story in the first place, you realize you don't really want to work with these characters anymore, you start to hate the genre it's in--whatever the reason, you lose the will to keep pushing forward.  When you just plain lose interest, it's hard to reignite it.  You could try reacquainting yourself with your story, reworking the plot, throwing in new characters--or you could put it away for a while and see if it calls out to you again later on.  It may have potential, but maybe your gut is trying to tell you something.

2.  You're using the wrong medium

     Some books are made for a Word document, some for pencil and paper, and some for carving into the cliffside with a rusty spoon.
     Different mediums create different actions, different motions, different moods, all of which affect the way you think about your story.  A slow-paced urban fantasy written in heavy dialect might call for longhand, but a fast-paced passionate science fiction tale might need to be hammered into a keyboard.  Try experimenting with different mediums and see if there's something that clicks.

3.  You're using the wrong narrator

     Your narrator should be in the best position to tell the story--they need not necessarily be the coolest character, the most powerful character, the character who ultimately wins, or even a character at all, but they do need to be in the best place to describe the happenings of tale, which means that if they are a character, they need to be in the thick of the action, or in a position to see the story as it needs to be relayed.  If your narrator is off in the background of the story you really want to tell, you should consider either bringing them closer to the action, or making another character the narrator.
     At the same time, if you need to hold certain information outside of the audience's reach, you need to put the story in the hands of a narrator who will either not know this, or have a good reason for keeping it out of the narrative.

4.  You don't yet have the tools or skills you need

      Sometimes there are more complicated maneuvers that a story necessitates which we don't yet have the experience or finesse to pull off, and that inexperience can drag at the story, sometimes causing the tires to blow or bouncing up to break the windshield.  You might be able to get yourself to the point you need to reach through simply pushing yourself through this story, researching what you need to and putting yourself through writing exercises, but sometimes you need to stop, put this manuscript aside, and let it stew while you build your skill level.

5.  You're not telling the right story

     Sometimes there's a really amazing story embedded in a manuscript--"this galactic war is so fascinating," the reader says, "so why are we spending only three pages looking into it while eight hundred are wasted on a forced and cliched romance?"
     If your story doesn't seem to be working, look it over again.  Is there something more interesting, more enthralling happening behind the scenes?  Does some of your world's history or a character's backstory jump out at you as a better read?  Maybe you need to expand upon that, instead.
     Or maybe there's a completely different story out there, waiting for you to come and claim it.

Short Story: One Wish Left

    You turned sixteen yesterday. Your father gave you those new boots you wanted, your mother got you a car, and your favorite uncle sent a dusty old lamp. Dissappointed at first, you had rubbed away the grime before school only to find a genie living within.

     It was the best birthday present ever.

     You've used up two wishes already--one was used ridding you of your allergies, the other to grant you all the wealth you could ever need. Unlike in the movies, there have been no adverse side-effects. No consequences.  Just joy.

     You're on your way to true happiness.

     "One more wish," the genie reminds you, and there's only one more thing you want.

     You close your eyes and bow your head.

     "I wish I was beautiful," you whisper.

     "So it is done," the genie promises with the clap of his hands. There's a chill gust of wind and the lights go out in the bathroom. You stand there in silent darkness for a long time before finally opening your eyes and turning your face upward to the mirror.

     You blink. Reach up and touch your face. Blink again. You can't believe it. You're on the verge of tears.

     You had wished that you were beautiful; the genie had said was done.

     And not a single thing has changed.

On Picking A Title

     Choosing a title for your story is a big responsibility.  It's the first thing most people will notice about your book, and, let's face it, when was the last time you picked up a book with a terrible title?  It's hard to sell a thriller novel if it's called "The Wacky Fantastic Journey of Silly Sam and his Funtime Weasels," or a children's novel entitled, "KILLZONE SEVEN:  THE RE-MURDERINATING."
     Titling isn't just as simple as choosing something that sounds nice, either.  You can have a really nice title, and it may not be right for your work, and you can have a very accurately descriptive title, and it might be too clunky--even when you think you've got it all figured out, you might still have some work to do.  It never hurts to take another look!  Here's some of the many, many methods that exist for choosing a title.  (I call it: *Dramatic announcer voice*  LISTICLE 3:  A LIST TO THE LEFT)

I.  Compiling a List

     1.  Isolate the main themes of your story

          What is your story about?  The struggle between good and evil?  The appalling nature of America's treatment of minorities?  The difference between looking both ways before crossing the street and sweet, juicy, death?
          Whatever it is, hunker down and write a list of all the words you can think of that pertain to your theme, even if they're only related tangentially.  Also, write down any symbols that might occur--sometimes great titles can be made of symbolism.  Make the list as long or as short as you want.  Do any words jump out at you?  Any combinations of words?  Write down whatever combinations seem to best describe the story.  Keep those around.  If you're still not sure you like what you have...

     2.  Consider your characters

          If your story is pretty character-driven, you may want to consider using your characters to name it.  You could use a character's name (or several), or you could make another list (it's a list-heavy article.  Strap in, kids, it's gonna be a bullety ride) of words related to your character--traits, triumphs, defeats, arcs, character changes, colors--anything goes!  Then, again, pair things together.  Experiment!  Write your favorites down on your To Seriously Consider List (TSCL).

     3.  Are there any recurring gags or sayings/events that could be used?

          Especially in a humor novel, naming your book after a recurring joke can be a big hit--if you name it after the right one, everyone is going to be associating the line with your book anyway, so why not capitalize on it?  In a more dramatic novel, a particularly striking line from the book, or a common phrase--twisted or played straight (Live and Let Die vs. Catch 22), a certain level of familiarity can catch both the eye and the imagination.  Make another list, then pick your favorites and add them to your TSCL.

     4.  Are there any poems or songs that fit your book?

          I often name my books after fitting song lines or titles--if it fits the book, then most people won't realize, and the ones who do will get a total kick out of it.  Plus sometimes music is the best way to describe a thing.  Throw a few on your TSCL and prepare to examine their worth!

II.  Refining your list

     1.  Take a look at your TSCL.

          You probably have a lot of options left over; first thing's first, go through and divide your titles into the four categories above.  Go down each list and mark them S (strong) M (moderate) and W (weak).  Can you strengthen or save the weaks or moderates?  Get rid of the ones you can't; fix the ones you can.
     Check each list and decide if any of the above methods don't, for whatever reason, fit your story.  Does a song title seem too gimmicky?  Are you adverse to naming a book after a character?  Eliminate categories as you see fit.
          The rest you can eliminate using these criteria:

     2.  Does it fit the tone/genre of your novel?

          I don't go too much off genre conventions myself, but it IS important that you don't confuse your reader--BIG FANTASY NOVEL XXX isn't a title that would grab the attention of a chaste group of sci-fi nerds.
          You also don't want a title that doesn't fit the tone of your novel, and I think this is the big one.  The Grapes of Wrath doesn't sound like a comedy, and Love Story doesn't sound like a book discussing a revolution; if that's what the authors were going for, they would not, by any means, have been as well received as they were.  You may not want the audience to know absolutely everything about your story just from looking at the title, but it's the first step in deciding you want to buy a book, and as such, it should never be a liar.  Rule out anything that doesn't fit.

     3.  Does your title mean something?

          Titles are often most powerful, and have the most staying power, when they possess a double meaning, and can be viewed one way at the beginning of the novel, and another at the end.  It may mean many things, or, as I suggested above, be a literal symbol that appears in your novel.  Of Mice and Men, for instance, is named after a line in a poem--"the best laid plans of Mice and Men often go awry," which relates strongly to the recurring theme of the death of dreams and failure of plans in the figurative wasteland depression-era America was (the entire story is about two men who plan to get the money together to start a farm, only for one of them to SPOILER ALERT end up dead, the other with no will left to start the farm on his own).  But it can also be seen to refer to the relationship between Lennie and the mice--soft, fragile things, which he loves but always kills--a very important element which foreshadows the death of both a puppy and his employer's wife.  These things you realize only as you get deeper and deeper into the novel, but it works.
     Your title doesn't have to have two meanings, but it can definitely add some depth.  Play around with it, see what you can find!

     4.  Don't be afraid to go simple

          sometimes Simple is Best--capitalized and lowercased for emphasis.  Carrie, The Hunger Games, The Hobbit--all very simple, very successful titles.  The big flashy titles are great, and can do a lot to capture a reader's attention, but sometimes it's best to allow the story to speak for itself.  Name it after a character, an in-world social structure or event, a county, a planet, a species--whatever's best for your book.  Sometimes bigger isn't better.

III.  Test Your Title

     1.  Is your title original?

          Take this new and exciting title and slam dunk it into Google or Amazon--if another book comes up by the same name, this probably isn't the title for you.  While it's perfectly legal to use the same name as another book, it's not a good idea just based on the public aspect of it--if the other book is spectacular and has a large fanbase, you wouldn't want your book to be buried under the avalanche of praise for the other book, and if the other one is terrible you don't want its reputation to bring you down.
     It's impossible to be completely original, but you should still do your very best to try.

     2.  Does it fit your story?

         Be honest with yourself; did you choose this because it fits your plot, your characters, your world, or because it sounds cool?  If it's just because it sounds cool, go back to the drawing board--pick one that's cool but actually pertains to the story being told.  Don't lose hope; your title is out there.
          Look again at the tone of your novel.  Make sure it fits--or, if it doesn't, that it's purposeful.  Sometimes a misleading title can work, but only if it's done with a lot of forethought and not by accident.

     3.  Sit on it

          In writing, we spend a lot of time sitting on things.  Literally and figuratively--there's a lot of sitting involved in writing or typing, but you know what I mean.
          When you have a refined list of titles (or just the one), let them stew a while.  Name files after them, jostle them around in your head, reread the story with that title in mind.  After a week or so, you'll probably know whether or not you like it.  Maybe you'll grow attached!
          Whether you become partial to one or still have it up in the air, don't forget to ask yourself;

     4.  Does it resonate with people?

          Pitch your title to your friends and family members, followers, classmates, even strangers.  Ask them their opinions--would they read a book with that title?  At least check the back cover?  Does it stir up any positive or negative emotions?  Do those emotions fit the tone of your book?
          Explain the plot and ask them if they think the title fits.  Do they have any suggestions?  Don't take their critiques to heart, but do take it to mind, especially if they're critique partners or betas--keep a log of what they say, and analyze it to see if you think it holds water.
          Ultimately, this is your decision--NO ONE knows your book better than you.  But it can definitely help to get a fresh perspective.

     Picking titles can be difficult, especially when we think we know what we're doing.  If you find that you've made a mistake with your working title, don't feel bad--I once called a superhero novel about a villain named Labrynth (spelling intentional) and a hero named The Extraterrestrial The Extraterrestrial In The Labrynth for a year while I wrote it, because until I had finished it, read through it three different times, and given serious thought to the plot, it seemed like a good idea.
     It can take a lot of time and effort, but landing on a good title is worth it--for you, if for no one else.  It can help pull a book together, give it a sense of identity--it's no longer that novel I've been working on--It's The Great Capibara Adventure, The Amazing Trimalchio, Escape From Calcutta! A good title can even be the difference between an agent's desk and the slop pile.
     If you've already spent ten thousand hours putting your book together word by word and edit by rewrite, don't you think it deserves that extra 5-10?  Every story wants to be finished.  Let yours live its dream.