J.B. Sommerset

  "Trillium" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) My last quote of the week was about how mankind fails at happiness because he destroys it to find more. Part of the reason for this is that we also have no gratitude, instead we have anger, and a lot of it. So, here's your quote of the week: "It's a shame so many people prioritize anger over gratitude, no wonder there is so much pain in the world- that's what we have made a priority..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Sometimes, it's important to remember that writing is about transmitting ideas and the audience receiving them. If we are writing an academic paper it is best to be technical with what we are saying and concise- to the point. If we are writing an instruction manual it is best to be orderly and descriptive. etc. If we are telling a story, we need to show the audience what the characters and events mean. The reader or the person listening to the story must go on a journey with the characters.  We need to show them, not tell them, telling them takes something away from the journey.  Sometimes in my YouTube wanderings and explorations, I find videos that I see as particularly useful for developing skills. I then sometimes post them so all of you don't have to spend 40 years in the desert looking for a home. I hope this one helps some of you develop your skills, enjoy! Cheers!

I am not sure if I have posted this one before, but I am going to post it nonetheless. When I was a child this was one of my favorites, by one of my favorite authors, Jules Verne.    I used to read his books on the reg, everything from " Journey to the Center of the Earth "  to " Around the World in 80 days . " When it boils down to it, he is all about adventure, and let's face it, we could all use a little of that. So without further delay, here's "20000 leagues under the sea!" Cheers!

So I did another art.  This one stares into your soul, and not in a good way. It turned out better than I thought but also a lot worse than I thought. Recently I have been demonizing politicians, and a while ago, I posted several of the ones I have already done. Then I tried coloring them with " Krita ," one of my favorite art programs. I liked the results, and it was easier than I thought it would be. If you are in the market for a free art program (available on Mac OS, Win, and Linux), I highly recommend downloading and getting to know it... biblically- if you know what I mean.   Check it out... Cheers, and keep on creating.

As a younger man I really fought it, that is, liking Stephen King's work. I resisted his work for a minute. It was just too damn trendy. It took me a while to figure out that sometimes something is trendy because it really is good. As I have stated before, from the descriptions on the dust jackets, a good deal of his work shouldn't be good. Case in point, a summation of " It ": Pan-dimensional spider beast returns to dear to eat fear." It just doesn't sound as good as it is. I had some catching up to do when I finally succumbed and started reading his work, then I learned what made him special. I have been over that before, and I will touch on it again at some point.  Anyway, I dug out some more advice from him. I was letting the almighty algorithm pick my videos, and this one popped up. I thought I would share it with all of you. Hope you all find it worthwhile.  Cheers!

Like many of you out there, you might have been interested in writing early in life but just never had the time to commit or get started on that novel. Well my friends, wine isn't good until it's aged. Some of the best stories are the ones that have matured, and only time ages a things in the right direction.  My writing career parallels this. I wrote my first novel when I was a teenager. I never did anything with that book, I just let it sit. Thank god! In retrospect, it was crap. The premise was great, the story was and still is original as far as I know, and the character development was also good. However, I didn't know how to write back then. I could loosely call it a "daytime television fan fiction" and that's giving the shite it's credit.  Any value was, to say the least, theoretical. It's still hiding in my desk in shame like a hunchback in the attic, hidden away, an abomination. I am so glad I made the decision to hold on to it. I think that k...

This week, its another from H.G. Wells , a man who predicted the future because he understood science and was able to combine it with his understanding of the future. I read this one years ago, but then I watched the movie and blocked both of them from my memory. If it's been a while, I thought I'd give it another go. H.G. Wells can't be blamed for the literary mishap that was the  1996 movie starring Val Kimer . That masterpiece of shit was enough to turn me off the book for a couple of decades, however, I feel it's time to give it another try. This week I will be listening to it again.  Thats right... It's " The Island of Doctor Moreau ", lets hope that turd of a movie didn't permanently damage the integrity of the story. Cheers!

I was saving this one for a special occasion. The raining day read, not that there is one now, I just know that sometimes it's best to play a card when it feels right, even if there is no rain. Many of you most likely know the movie Fightclub, but the book is just as good. I, like most authors, like to read the book before I see the movie. This, however, is an exception to the "read it before you see it" mantra. I saw the movie long before I knew who Chuck Palahniuk was. I still feel the movie is as good as the book.  Needless to say, when I did read the book I was opened up to a whole new style of writing. That style is what I currently refer to as the "know the rules and break them anyway" style. From a literary stand point, nothing about this books should work- but it works wonderfully. Chuck was well aware of what he should do, he knew the rules to writing. He looked at them, and completely disreguarded them. I was so fascinated with the way that this novel...

Just a quick post, I was going through some of my old work and found a piece I thought deserved a little more credit. This was a picture I was working on that was supposed to have a second part, like a comic book pane. I never got around to the second half, I think I might work on that in in the near future. Anyways, here it is, enjoy.  Cheers!

I might have posted this one before, but I feel it deserves a re-post if I have. We all have origin stories when it comes to how we became writers; that place, time, or situation in which we decided, and then became writers. It's important to know where we came from because that will always shape where we are going.  One of my favorite stories about how a person became a writer is Paul Auster's story and his journey. Incidentally, he is also a really good storyteller and for anyone who hasn't read his world, I recommend them. Enjoy! Cheers, and keep on creating!

This one is not only for the writers out there, but also the spoken word junkies, the coffeeshop screenwriters, and even some of the songwriters out there. Karl Iglesias is a writer, teacher, and storyteller, and he has some valuable insight into why storytelling is so important, what its purpose is, and how to build a story that really moves people. I thought I would share it with all of you because I feel that what he has to say is important, especially what he has to say about the purpose of your story. Enjoy! Cheers, and keep on creating!

One of my all-time favorite books, and movies, come to think of it, is Fight Club . It's one of the few books I saw the movie for before I read the book- and still loved it! From that moment forward, I started reading all of the author's ( Chuck Palahniuk ) works. I chewed through them as fast as he could write them. Even now if there is a new one, I guarantee I will pick it up. Every now and then I listen to a new interview and rediscover him all over again. This week I found a new (at least to me) interview and thought I would share it with all of you. So cheers, and enjoy it!  

Last week I posted some tips that I found useful when I first started writing. These tips were simple. In one of the tips, I mentioned to "keep cranking the shit and diamonds crank until you start to find diamonds". This might have been taken the wrong way, and I also said I would explain. In that section, I thanked " Struthless ". Struthless is one of my favorite creators on Youtube. He makes animations, tells stories, and gives some good advice. Some of that advice he wrote down in his book: " Your head is a houseboat. " Which, if you are interested, you can get on amazon.  Struthless is where I first heard about the "shit and diamonds machine". Originally it was in reference to what is known as impostor syndrome , but I feel it applies elsewhere too, which is why I co-opted it. I thought I would let him tell you in his own words what it means.   Cheers!

I was perusing the interwebs, as one does when one has some extra time. So there I was sitting on the crapper scrolling through my newly created Twitter account. I am still adjusting to Twitter when I came across a rabbit hole. This particular rabbit hole is a controversial one when it comes to art, music, and the crafts of writing and storytelling. But nonetheless, I recognize it as one of the most expressive mediums to work in and have even dabbled in it from time to time.  If a person knew where to look and could dig deep enough, they might even find some of my old work buried between the dark web and the deepweb- not to date myself. I am of course speaking of video games as a storytelling medium. If there are some older folks reading this I understand your trepidation, but I would argue that some of the best storytelling ever has been done on game consoles and PCs. Between consuming Tolkein and  Conan Doyle Some of my favorites were the likes of Square enix and Capcom. In ...

Many times in my writing career I have been asked why I don't care what publishers think about my work. Thus far I have replied- "If they don't care, then they can shove off!". But that isn't what I want to explain to them. I have struggled to explain it to them. There is something about the craft that most people don't want to or can't understand. People who don't create, don't understand it for the most part.  There is a cultural view of writing, art, and music (at least here in America) that is toxic. It's this idea that you aren't an author, artist, or musician until your work gets you rich or recognized. I never felt that was accurate. I always felt that there was something inside me that forced me to write. Something that wasn't motivated by money, fame, or ego. I have struggled to explain the desperation in storytelling to people who don't write (paint or sing etc.)  Part of it is that we seem to wait for someone to "oka...

Some of the greatest creators in history were never known until they died. As an author, this idea of posthumous fame and fortune used to depress me. After all, what good is a fortune you never get to use? And what good is fame you never get to enjoy? If we look at the greats, many of which I mention on this site regularly, a good deal of them never got to see all the money and recognition others collected from their works after they passed on. The works of Tolkien, Lovecraft, Asimov, C.S. Lewis (among others) became famous after they kicked the proverbial ink bucket. But Still, we all know these authors. Their work was so good that even after someone else interpreted it and made it into a movie, it never lost its shine. At the core of these greats, there was an innate ability to tell a story everyone could identify with. But what about the writers who never got recognition even after they died? There are a few, but how would we know about them if they were never recognized? Some w...

Richard Walter here has a realistic, and some would say sobering, look at the craft. I want to share his words with all of you because sometimes us dreams need to put our feet on the ground.  Cheers, and keep on creating! 

I think I have posted this before. It's still as valid now as it ever was. Kurt Vonnegut is by far one of my favorite writers and I think he has some of the best advice for new writers. His advice is simple and easy to follow. If you have seen this before, watch it again, we could all use a reminder from one of the masters.  Cheers!

A voice is one of the most important parts of writing. It makes the story interesting, compelling, and recognizable. It's important to cultivate your voice as a writer but also be flexible with it, and let it change when needed. Voice is what all the greats speak through when they write. Voice is crucial to good writing. Here's my take on it; how I see the subject of voice.   Your voice isn't defined, it's found, it's heard, and transmitted through your writing. Some "experts" will tell you to look to others; ask yourself who would you want to narrate your story?  Spoilers: the answer is always Morgan Freeman. This process is important, but only for the sake of experimentation and exploration of who you are as a person, not a writer. It's a good writing exercise, nothing more. Indulge in it from time to time, but when you are serious about finding your voice, abandon it!   A writer's voice should never sound like someone else. The voice of a writte...

Here is some good advice from Neil Gaiman about the anxiety writers struggle with each day. And mind you, the struggle is very real. Neil's advice is always good, especially to the burgeoning authors out there. Cheers!