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My First Published Short Story

/ Damean Mathews, Author / Leave a comment

As promised, I have decided to post my first published short story to give you all an example of my writing style. I hope you enjoy it, and perhaps even find some inspiration from it. Feedback is, of course, welcome.

The End

By Damean Mathews

 

            “The system has failed you,” the professor said, raising his eyes to the mostly full classroom beyond the boundaries of his desk.

 

            “The government has failed. The militaries have destroyed all hope for survival. The world has begun its quickening decline from civilization and we don’t matter anymore. The battle will rage,” he spoke sternly while walking around his desk, “and we will cease to be of any importance.”

 

            His students stared, the usual low rumble of the incessantly distracted pupils now nonexistent. They didn’t know what to make of this speech. Their professor had never been this forward with them and they were a little unnerved by the sudden change.

 

            “The totalitarian form of government that has controlled the world under the guise of democracy has turned its back on us. The attitude toward citizens is now the age-old saying “every man for himself.” There is no fate that has been set supposedly, but this certainly seems to be the closest thing to fate I’ve ever seen, and the powers that be have chosen ours for us.”

 

            The professor stopped, rubbed his temples, and leaned back against the desk. He slowly picked up his water and drank deeply, savoring the chill as it ran through his body. He looked at his pupils through his thick glasses, and saw the faces of the next generation- Generation X- looking back at him in vague confusion.

 

            Standing, he spoke again, “You all have not experienced true betrayal yet, but it is coming. The world will slowly take back that which belongs to it. The wild which has been cut back will take back the hold it once had. As many people who have been born on this earth will not be enough to save it, or, for that matter, themselves.”

 

            “What are you saying sir,” one annoyed young lady asked.

 

            “That there is no hope for human kind. As a whole, we have almost no chance of survival in this matter. The big groups will be targeted, then the smaller ones. Individuals will be slain mercilessly. In effect, this will discourage life as a society, and as an individual, causing us to break all the bonds of civilization, and lose the will to live alone.”

 

            “Are you saying the world’s gonna end? So, what, like are we gonna be attacked or something,” interrupted a student.

 

            “I don’t know how it will come about, but it will happen. You see, every now and then Mother Nature just has to do something to show us that we aren’t what we think we are. We created the system to protect us in a hostile environment, so it makes sense that it be used against us. We think we own the Earth, and it is about time the Earth proves us wrong.”

 

            “So, you’re saying that the Earth is going to use our own defense system against us?”

 

            “No. The system is not something that can just be controlled, that’s what I’m saying. We have been treating it like a tool, thinking we have won, and that it’s all ours. Humans take advantage of all this. We will learn. The system will see to that.”

 

            He was met with silence after this stern speech. Slowly, as he stared intently into the crowd of pupils facing him, the murmur built up. Turning around, he walked back to his seat and resumed his work. The pupils continued the hushed conversations for the short remainder of the class, then gathered their things and left.

 

            Going home, a few of the students thought of their professor’s speech, wondering if there could be any truth to it. Sooner or later, however, all thought of the old man’s absurdity was driven from their minds. The evening rolled on into the night, and the students went about their lives as usual; either partying, studying, or sleeping.

 

            At midnight, the bombs began to fall. The System had won.

 

Killer stress

/ Damean Mathews, Author / Leave a comment

There are many things in life that can have negative effects on us. These things can range from the personal to the professional, and they can seriously damage our work if we aren’t careful. This post is about caution, as the one yesterday was, but in a different fashion. We, as authors, have to constantly be on the lookout for things that are going to kill our work. Personally I find the higher the stress level, the harder it is to write these days. Which, sadly is the exact opposite of what used to happen. When I first began writing it was the writing itself that helped lower my stress level, but now it seems that stress hinders me more than anything else. That is a very disappointing situation to a fifth year English major; stress is an essence of life, and if the one thing I was put on this earth to do is hindered by the one thing I have to do in order to be taken seriously  in that task then I am in a very tight spot. That’s a destiny that awaits all writers at some point in their lives; running into a spot that hinders all writing and makes your inspiration sporadic and trite. But there is always a way out, and this post is more relative to past posts in that it refers more to my post about inspiration. Because this post is a reference post it will be relatively short. The reason for this is because I am personally just getting over my own bout of writer’s block due to stress and am reaping the benefits of my return to my own creation. Maverip 2 is currently going very well, and I’m still looking for a publication deal for part 1 so you can all see the work I’ve done instead of having to just listen to me ramble about it. Tomorrow, I may post a bit of my work so you all can get an example of what I’ve done so it will sound less like I’m just sitting here blowing smoke in your faces. For now, enjoy whatever inspiration you are getting and write your hearts out like I’m trying to do. Thanks for sticking with me, and feel free to contact me with any comments, concerns, questions or feedback you have.

Dealing With Fraud

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This will be a fairly short post I think, but one that is going to help a lot of people potentially. One of the biggest things you need to be on the lookout for as an author, especially if you are looking into trying to use online resources to get your name out there, is fraud. There are countless websites and individuals out there who would love nothing more than to take your money and leave you high and dry, and worse off than you were to begin with. If you are searching for online publication you have to be very very careful about who you trust.

One thing that is very beneficial to you in this field is caution. Google, although perhaps not the absolute most reliable 100% of the time, can be your best friend here. You need to Google the name and stats of any person or website you are considering before you entrust your work to them. If they are fraudulent there is a good chance you aren’t the first person they’ve tricked- but they’d love you to be next. An easy way to tell if these sites or individuals are trying to pull one over on you is whether or not they try to charge you before even looking at your work. This is something that can easily be forgotten when you’re being given a great pitch, believe me. I recently fell victim to one of these too-good-to-be-true situations and very nearly wasted my money trying to get somewhere with it.

Research is going to be your absolute best friend as you are starting out in this business, and a very reliable companion once you’re name is out there. Success can be ruined by falling into a scam. I don’t want to see it happen to anyone of you anymore than I want it to happen to me, so take heed here. 99% of the time Professionals will not charge you money to read your work, and they will not ask for a fee just to talk to you or give you opportunities. Do your research and enter this with caution, or you may well end up at the bottom of a deep dark whole of scam and trouble.

Completing my first novel

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Today I think it would actually be beneficial to explain a bit about my biggest work; Maverip and its subsequent series. The work itself is one thing that I am most proud of in my life. It took three years to write the first novel in the series, and at the end of those three years I felt like I had finally accomplished something I could really be proud of. I spent three years on this work, not just writing and thinking, but researching. That was one of the most important parts of the novel. I had to look into the vast depth of vampire lore and rip it apart to find what I felt I needed. I have spent the last five years of my life immersed in a literal plethora of everything vampire, and I couldn’t be happier. I am one of the biggest vampire fans you will ever meet, and now I am basically an expert on nearly all things vampire too. But I’m not trying to brag here, that is farthest from my purpose. I’m just trying to really share the depth of my experience.

I spent three years with almost nothing but Maverip on the mind. I did and still do eat, drink and breathe vampire, and I wouldn’t accept anything less with my life. I love it. That is one reason I tell you all that you have to write about something that you are passionate about. It is the reason I became a writer of fiction, especially horror fiction with a specialty in vampires. It’s something I’ve always been nuts about.  That’s what makes it so easy to just dive in. Writing about it is just about the most natural thing in the world and the research has given me so much more added knowledge on something that I absolutely love.

In a manner writing this series has basically been less than work in any way and more of an immensely fun and incredibly life-changing event for me. When I ponder the work, its history and it future, I feel like it is something that will change the world. That is a feeling you just can’t help but love. I think about these novels and they make me realize how blessed and lucky I am to have the gift of being able to write as I do, and I am eternally thankful and grateful to God for giving me this gift and allowing me to attempt to share this series with the world.

Thus far the hardest part of this has been trying to find a publisher who will give me a good deal. Granted many people look at my subject matter and think that it will fall short of the expectations of some, I must assert that one of the biggest things I have attempted to do with this series is return to the true origins and roots of vampire tales. But that will come later, especially once the work has actually been picked up. Basically the point of this post has been to give an insight into my experience and to help you guys get to know a bit about me personally. I hope it has been interesting at least. My next post will include something that’s actually helpful, I promise. Thanks guys.

Life Can Hinder Us, If We Let It

/ Damean Mathews, Author / 2 Comments

I have a lot of experience in the field of writing, as I’ve said. It gets really difficult at times trying to keep everything sorted out and on track, I know, but the rewards are like nothing you can imagine. Once you finish a novel, or even just a short story, you have this overwhelming sense of accomplishment that makes you realize that all of the struggle and all the work you put into the piece was more than worth it. One of the hardest parts of writing, though, is keeping your mind wrapped around the task when life is going on as quickly as ever all around you. Many things can break our focus, which is why it is extremely beneficial to take notes and attempt to outline the future of your work so that when these things do come up and break your focus you have at least an idea of where to take things.

Another very important thing that can be the saving ground of an author is making time every day to write. No matter what is going on, it is important that you make time to put down at least a couple of ideas every day. Your work is something that needs consistent attention. You can’t (most can’t anyway) just write every now and then and expect the work to be as strong as it would be if you gave it daily attention. Think of it like caring for a plant of sorts; that plant is going to need daily watering and sunlight if it is going to reach its full potential. I believe it may have been Hemingway who said that he made himself sit down and write at least two pages a day. Granted I know many people also say you can’t force the story, you need to coax it as much you can. Like I suggested; throw down a few ideas, go back and read what you already have of it, develop some things you’ve been vague about. Do what it takes in order to stay connected with your work and make sure it has a future. One of the saddest things in the world is an unfinished story; and even sadder, an abandoned one.

Life can throw a huge monkey wrench in our plans, yes. That’s a given. But it doesn’t have to ruin our work. We, as writers, must be able to entertain and work around any hindrance imaginable in order to keep writing. It is our calling, after all. So you have to find what works for you. If forcing the words out gives you what you need, then that’s your solution. Just as no two works are exactly alike, neither are any two authors going to be identical. It is for that very reason that I can’t express enough (even though I’ve certainly tried) that no two methods of writing, inspiration, or achievement can be expected to be the same. It just doesn’t work that way. Everyone is different, and every result is going to be different. And we have to realize that and make sure we never give up. No matter what. Only you can give your story to the world, and I am here to assure you that no matter what that story is, it deserves to be released and shared.

Write it now?

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So when you have an idea, but it doesn’t quite seem fully developed what are you to do? Are you supposed to write your half story and just hope the rest comes to you, or are you going to just wait and see if it finishes developing? That answer is likely going to be different for every author on the planet. The craft of writing is itself a matter of attempting perfection, is it not? Think about it. We have our fictional world that we want to be perfect, we have our fictionally perfect characters and situations, and the ending is just always absolutely perfect to us isn’t it? Don’t misunderstand me, I merely mean ‘perfect’ as in up to our standards as the author, not perfect as in infallible in nature. But in the regard to which I was referring, we want our work to be up to par in our own minds or it is unsatisfying to us. In order to reach that sort of personal perfection we have to go through all sorts of methods of development, once again allowing me to assert one of the biggest lessons I have to teach you; that no two authors are the same.

We’ve all had an idea that we just couldn’t be sure about. Either it comes to us in pieces and we just can’t see how they connect, or only half of it comes to us at a time, etc… But regardless of the situation we just know it somehow isn’t complete. One of the most asked questions by many writers, not just fresh and aspiring authors, is what to do when this happens. It’s very difficult to deal with an idea that you feel isn’t complete or good enough. Many people think it’s perfectly acceptable to just ignore or forget about these ideas, but let me ask you this; what if F. Scott Fitzgerald had gotten stumped on “The Great Gatsby”? We would be without one of the greatest books in the history of literature (in the humble opinion of this experienced reader, anyway). So it seems only obvious to me that ignoring the ideas is not the best option.

In my own experience, an idea that doesn’t seem complete can need one of two things. You either need to go ahead and begin writing the idea itself out, either as idea/outline or as a story and hope that it goes ahead and fills itself out as you go, or you need to simply let it ‘cook’ a bit longer. Those options are both very flexible for nearly any idea or situation in all honesty. Sometimes the idea can trigger itself if you begin taking notes on it as a possibility, or it can almost literally write itself if you go ahead and just start it while it still seems to be in its infancy. As I’ve mentioned that you need to sometimes listen to your stories and allow them to tell you what to do with their development, you also sometimes need to trust them to take themselves there using you as a means of doing so. The other option, letting them ‘cook’ a little longer, can be somewhat tricky at times. If you choose to go about this route it is important that you don’t forget about them. You have to dwell on them a bit, try to see inside them, and look around the problems or hindrances in its completion and get to the place you feel comfortable starting them.

Personally I usually tend to use a mixture of these two methods. If I have an idea that just doesn’t seem complete enough to actually get it started I’ll take notes on what I have and attempt to let the idea itself sit in my brain and build itself up until it has a strong enough base that I can go forward with what I have and allow the rest to catch up and fill itself in along the way. I hope this has answered a question that most people think there isn’t really an answer to, and I hope this has helped someone, or will in the future. Just remember to write in whatever manner is best for you. The methods and mannerisms of another author aren’t necessarily going to fill your needs and be what gets you a best seller or even a completed work, in reality. Your work is your own, and it is not necessarily going to follow the same format as someone else’s. It is part of your duty as an author to find out what works best for you, which is what a lot of my posts may tend to emphasize. Good luck with your work, and keep your eyes open for my next post.

Inspiration

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As I promised, here is my post on inspiration. The first and most basic thing I have to say about is that it can be absolutely anything. You simply cannot put a label on it in any way. What one person finds the stupidest and most pointless thing in the world can be something another person finds to be the biggest and best inspiration of their life. The best thing about a good bit of inspiration is that it can do many things to the person it inspires as well. For instance some things may inspire you in that they just give you a vague desire to write ‘something’, much as the smell of a summer evening does to me. On the same note some things may inspire you so much that they give you the full idea for a thousand page novel. You just can’t label it, and you can’t say that you know what to expect, because more often than not you don’t.

One of the things that gave me some of the greatest inspiration I have ever felt is a simple quote by Jules Verne. The quote lead to a 12 page short story that vastly exceeded even my own expectations and intentions upon completion. I intended on it being about 3 pages at most, but as I said yesterday, you have to be flexible. The thing that gave me the most inspiration, however is a simple 4 minute song that allowed me to literally envision the story line that became the complete basis for my Maverip series, which thus far in my career seems to be my ‘magnum opus’. It is certainly the work I am most proud of.  I developed the entire story from this song, and basically had the ending before I even wrote the beginning.

My main point here I suppose is that every writer needs to keep their mind and eyes open for their inspiration. The mind must be open largely because you cannot expect something that inspires other people to be inspiration to you, and if you do expect that you are likely to be very disappointed, and let me assure you right now; disappointment can cripple an author. Period. You can’t allow yourself to slip into disappointment in regards to your own work. But back to the point. In relation to the mind, you must keep your eyes open in order to figure out exactly what it is that does give you the inspiration you so desire. You’ve got to look at every possibility and rule nothing out. Anything can be what gives you your idea for the biggest masterpiece in your collection, from the smallest pebble to the greatest and most magnificent experience of your life. You just can’t expect or gauge what any one thing may or may not do until you give it a chance and try. Granted, the word ‘eyes’ here is relative and more metaphorical than literal, as inspiration can come from any sense or sensation.

Basically you just have to be ready for inspiration to come from anywhere at any time.  I want you to know that any item that gives you inspiration can be the thing that vastly changes your life.  Don’t ever throw inspiration aside, and don’t ever squander an idea. Granted that doesn’t mean you need to rush them, but that’s a whole other post altogether; maybe even my next one. That sounds like a good way to go to me. So look for the next entry to come in the next couple of days, based largely on the dilemma of letting an idea ‘cook’ or throwing it straight out there. As always feedback is welcome, and I hope I have helped. Good luck finding your inspiration and giving the world its next set of masterpieces my friends.

A Little Back Story

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So far I have given a number of tips and what I hope to be helpful pointers, but tonight I think I will largely focus on giving a bit of my history with the craft of writing. First and foremost, I should express the fact that I have been writing pretty much my whole life, as I have been reading my whole life. That is a very important part of writing, I have found. You have to read. It is the easiest way to get involved with your topic, the easiest way to know how to make your work flow, the easiest way to build your own knowledge and interest, etc… But that isn’t exactly the point of this post.

As I said, I have written pretty much my whole life, but it was the summer before my junior year of High School that it hit me that writing is what I really want to do with my life. It was in those moments that I dedicated my life to my work as best I could. The real ideas began to flow and I was immersed in my work more than ever before. That is a real incredible feeling, let me tell you; having those ideas spring up and allowing them to take over. Of the novels I have started since then, only one is complete. It is the third one I started, and it took about three years to finish, and I love it. As of right now I am looking for a publisher and a good deal to get it out there in the world.

As for my other works, I currently have around 7 other novels in various stages of completion, one of which is a sequel to Maverip, my first completed work. I have a number of short stories completed, and have five publications so far, all in non-profit publications, one of which I have been made Managing Editor of due to my contributions.

The main point of this post was to share a bit more about myself and my work. Tomorrow’s post shall be a bit more informative again, I assure you. I think tomorrow I’ll talk a bit about inspiration; what it can be, where it can come from, and what to do with it. As always, I hope this has helped, and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Feeling your work

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One of the most important messages any author can get or share is that you must be able to relate to your work. It HAS to be something you can feel. You wouldn’t want a full time police officer trying to do your taxes would you? No. Well an audience is not going to accept someone whose interest level lies highly in the field of horror fiction trying to write romance either. You have to stick not only with what you know, but what you are comfortable with writing about. If you know horror, write horror. If you know cooking, write a cookbook. If you know history, write some historical piece. It is imperative that you love your work. That is something I can’t express enough. You should be able to wake up in the morning loving what you do and wanting to do it to the best of your ability. It shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should feel like a blessing and a privilege.

That being said, there are still many benefits of stepping slightly outside of your comfort zone and your area of advanced knowledge. Sometimes the slightest adjustment to your work can help you break writer’s block or monotony that you may feel if you let yourself get too immersed in the fine points of your work. This is a trick that not many people are willing to use, but the slightest tweak of your mental prowess in regards to your work can lead to a potential flood of work, and sometimes the floodgates are opened by a small amount of research or questioning.

Basically the love of your work is your best friend. That is something you should never doubt, and something you should strive towards. Do work you love, because if you love it chances are someone else out there will too.

The words are life

/ Damean Mathews, Author / 2 Comments

It is commonly said that many people don’t write because they want to, but because they have to. I know this feeling. That incredible sensation of an idea in your brain swelling, growing, writhing to be released. It is maddening at times, but unbelievably liberating at others. It is a feeling you would never forget if you’ve experienced it, and to many it is a feeling that tells you that you were truly meant to be an author. That isn’t to say that people who haven’t had the feeling aren’t meant to be one, not by a long shot. Every person’s inspiration is going to be different, just as most everyone’s style and writing itself is going to be different, so it only makes sense that the experience of writing itself would be different for everyone. That is one reason it is such a great thing to do. It is an amazing way to relieve stress and share your ideas, even if it is only with yourself. So my first message of inspiration stands as this; write. Just do it. Don’t question your methods, your inspiration, or your results. Just do it. Even if no one is ever going to get to see it. Do it for yourself. Don’t hesitate. If it comes to you let it out and relish in it. It is your creation, and it came to you for a reason. Don’t doubt it.