Blog Assignment #3 - Facebook Likes... Business Dream & Nightmare

So a Facebook buddy of mine sent me a link to a video. I thought it was gonna be more "My cat did some crap" crap. Yeah I get that stuff all the time. But this one was an OMG for me.

As an author, aspiring to be published, we newbies are told that social networking is vital to our success. We are told to build followers and keep them active. And it's not just so that you can sell them your product. No, it's to prove that your product is worthy of being put in front of more viewers than just your followers. So one would ask, "How does someone show that they are successfully networking socially?" The answer is simple; "Likes".

When people show interest in your pages and posts, they click a button that has a "thumbs up" on it. This symbol is the "Like" symbol, and for some reason it has developed a monetary value.

That's right. People actually pay for likes. Facebook made a stand against "fake likes" back in 2012. It's hard to believe that something as simple as a click could cause such a stir. It's sad that we have made Facebook so important that people are spending their hard earned money to get people to click "Like". What's worse, something that should have been advertising Gold has become a Business Nightmare. Why? Because by adding monetary value to the click, we have diminished the value of the advertisement itself.

Blog Assignment #2 - Creating Myth and Lore

As I'm writing my screenplay, I'm researching vampires, angels and succubi. Vampires and angels aren't that hard. There is a lot of tales and legends about both. You'll even find people out there claiming that they are experts on these topics. While their expertise is questionable, their ability to create myth and lore fascinates me.

It is this fascination that has created a stir in my fictional world. Could you imagine creating your own myths and legends, and people viewing them as a possible reality? I would've never thought to do so, until Succubi became part of my world.

When you are dealing with a subject that has so little exposure, you tend to wonder where to start with character development. In all honesty, the majority of exposure to succubi comes from erotica and porn. The idea of a sex demon doesn't generally have a place in literary fiction; or even most genres. But what if there was more to a sex demon than just sex?

So I'm starting to work on my myths. It shouldn't be too hard since there aren't a lot of famous Succubus stories out there. The only thing I've come across that many have heard of is a Canadian series called "The Lost Girl". I think I'm going to watch it so I can make sure I'm not going too outrageous with the Succubi. It just makes sense to understand what the people who know about succubi know. Even with all of the research, I have to come to a place where my myth and lore is unique, and stands apart from what is known.

So even with my research, I must remember rule #1 - Creation... Not Duplication.

Blog Assignment #1 - Research... Or Just Plain Fun

It's time for me to do a little research for my screenplay. I spend as much, if not more, time researching for my screenplay, as I spend writing it. The theme, plot points, settings and characters in this piece require more research than most of my pieces.

Why is that? Because I'm not a sexually driven person (contrary to the believe of my readers), nor am I a serial killer. But to make my stories believable, I have to convince my readers that it's possible I am and that's why my characters and stories are so good.

So for sex and sexiness, I turn to the same place most women do... Cosmopolitan Magazine. Not only do I read the magazine itself, but I follow a few of the blogs. My favorite is the Best Sex Ever blog.

I like this blog because it makes sex less mundane, and gives new ideas to spice up my characters' sex lives. It's not about porn, erotica or smut. Although, at times it feels like the writer is looking very unrealistically at sex, for the sake of shock value. But since I'm not trying to duplicate what they write, it's still a good source for a fresh outlook on sex. It's all about bringing characters closer, pushing stories forward or giving a serial killer her Modus Operandi.

That's right... Sex as the serial killer's M.O. or "method of operation" (English translation of Modus Operandi). I learned the term on my favorite TV show "Criminal Minds". Not only did I become aware of the world of serial killers, but became fascinated.What I discovered was that when creating killers, you have to let go of all pleasantries and realize that you are dealing with the scum of the earth. So to keep the realism, without actually committing murders, it's important to read about them. I do a lot of my research using blogs like "The World Of Serial Killers".

This blog exposes it's readers to  many cases of serial killers. As well as gives information about famous serial killers, like Jeffrey Dahmer (Pictured left). These articles and stories start me on research mode for M.O., victimology and signatures from which I can create psychological details from my characters. Understanding how the minds of killers of all levels work, can create a level of realism that won't just flow naturally without research.

Now I know that you are probably disturbed by the content I have researched thus far. But truth be told, I research pretty much everything, prior to writing anything. And when I'm feeling that my writing muscles just need a bit of exercise, I like blogs with prompts and writing tips that I can practice. One blog that I really like is "The Write Practice". Tips like "When You Don’t Know What to Write, Write About Your Insecurities" you have a great guide to keeping your writing pretty fresh.

So as a whole, blogs are a great source for research information. But remember, you are reading a person's thoughts, and topics that they researched. So it's not always the best source for all topics. All in all though, it can be pretty fun doing your research with blogs... Especially all of Cosmo's blogs.

Oh well... Back to my writing.

Creation... Not Duplication

As a writer, I naturally observe everything, and everyone. While observing, I sometimes find myself inspired to create. So I'll write a story, and set it in the mall... Oh wow. I said create didn't I?

The one problem with fiction is people will use reality as 100% of the basis for people, places, and things. When this occurs, the reader is drawn into a world, then ripped out by their own thought. What do I mean by this?

While reading a story written by an old classmate, I started craving pizza. My mind kept drifting from the story to thoughts of driving to Mellow Mushroom. Why? Because a scene of her story was set in Mellow Mushroom. So instead of finishing her story, I went to experience Mellow Mushroom for the first time. And it was amazing.

It was probably a few months later that I saw the movie Inception. Great movie. And in the movie, there was a scene with one of the characters (Ariadne played by Ellen Page) building the world of the dream that she and Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) were walking through. This one part of the scene stuck with me.

The statements "Never recreate places from your memory. Always imagine new places." and "only use details" are some of the greatest pieces of advice that most writers are never given.

I once wrote a story that was set in San Diego, Ca. A friend of mine, who read the story, criticized my fictional work, because I left out details of a location that I felt didn't matter. But as a native, I should know that the location I left out is one that the locals loved. Of course, when I asked what she thought about the rest of the story, she had nothing to say. She had focused so much on my flawed setting, the story no longer mattered to her. To an author, this can be career ending.

Same can be said with creating characters based on real people. I love watching Benedict Cumberbatch play Sherlock Holmes. He is an incredible actor, and he has brought that character to life for a generation that might never have desired to meet Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's character. But one thing that sometimes happens is a writer will find someone they think would play a character well, and next thing you know, the character looks just like the actor. Not a good thing.

So how does one avoid these mistakes. Start by remembering that fiction is creation. And with creation, you can have inspiration, but avoid duplication.

You can use Arrowhead Mall as inspiration for a story, but change it's name and layout. In the Foothills Plaza, put the food court down stairs and a fountain in the center of the indoor mall. The Foothills 18 movie theater can still be across the walkway from the Silver Dollar coffee shop.  These are little details, and the reader can visualize them. But they won't be the focus.

With your characters, your angel can have eyes like Benedict Cumbatch, that should be the only detail that sticks. Why? Because you want people to fall in love with your angel, Kane. Not Benedict Cumberbatch as Kane. Especially if Kane isn't even being played in a movie.

So next time you are developing your fiction... Remember Creation, not Duplication.

I'm A Character

Hello... And welcome to my mind. My name is Rasheda Poe. You can call me RJ if Rasheda is too hard to remember.

I am 36 years old and live in Glendale, AZ. I'm a student at Glendale Community College, working on a Associate Of Arts. After graduation, I plan to go to Northern Arizona University (NAU) up in Flagstaff, AZ. My plan is to get my Bachelors in Electronic Media and Film and Masters in English Creative Writing. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with any of it, but I still have time to figure that part out.

I have three beautiful children. My oldest daughter, Jeramya, is in the second grade. Then there is my son, Trae, who is in the first grade. And finally my youngest daughter, Loyis, who is in Kindergarten. When I started back in school, I had the desire to be an Elementary Educator. Then I hosted a play date with 6 of my children's friends. Nine kids and me equaled me with a headache cursing the world at the end of the day. So I decided I didn't want to teach small children. Then someone suggested Secondary Education. It's possible, although I like the idea of Post-Secondary better.

When I have time to breath, I tend to read (mostly Supernatural Romances and Thrillers), or watch movies. I have just discovered the series' Sherlock and The Originals. I've been watching those lately.



More often than not, I'm writing a story; one of the many that lives in my brain. I create characters, give them complete lives, put them in a world of my creation, and let them act a fool. It is one of my greatest passions. I hope some day to pen a novel, screenplay or both. 

So this is me... And I am a character.