Creativity and Finding an Outlet

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, On StorytellingLeave a comment
Creativity Sessions writing process. Evening Satellite Publishing.

Creativity is tricky. Trying to be creative is even trickier.

In recent months, I’ve found myself searching for more of an outlet for my creativity. Writing stories is my first creative love, but the fact is that it comes with several limitations, some of which I may be unnecessarily imposing on myself.

I also struggle with a lot of the mental aspects of sharing my creativity with others, especially through social media. How much sharing is too much, too revealing, too damaging to my own privacy? Ideas run through my head all the time, and I feel compelled to share them with people, but I often don’t, or perhaps more often I share them in person with my wife or my friends. That type of creativity sharing can be quite cathartic, but it leaves open the question of whether, and what, and how I share my creativity beyond that limited group of people.

This very post comes out of a sense of frustration that I didn’t have something else to write about. So, I’m going to do some unpacking here and see where it takes us.

Limits on My Creativity

I mentioned above that it feels like there are limits to my creative outlet in writing stories. As soon as I wrote that, I thought that many of those limits must be self-imposed, so I’d like to examine them. In no particular order:

  1. Not enough time
  2. Worries over my copyright
  3. Keeping ideas about my fantasy world-building close to the vest
  4. Limited formats
  5. Limited platform(s)

Five off the top of my head; not bad. That should be enough to delve into for a bit.

Not enough time

I’m not a full-time writer and likely will not be in the foreseeable future, so this limitation is partially by circumstance. However, I think it’s also due in part to the way in which I approach writing. I primarily write novels or at least short stories, and so sitting down to write 100 words doesn’t feel like much of an accomplishment.

Now, look, I fully realize that every little bit counts towards the greater goal. I get all the writing mantras. But it can be difficult to maintain that steadfastness day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month as you churn over a longer story.

Worries over copyright / protecting my ideas

I’m combining items two and three, because they feel very much related, although still different

Worries over copyright infringement is not easy to navigate, especially online, as I discussed last week. But even beyond the notion of someone stealing my work, I’m quite protective of my creative ideas, especially when it comes to my world-building universe.

With enough prompting, I can quite easily ramble about the myriad ideas I have for my fantasy universe, but I sometimes worry that speaking my ideas out loud will… release them from my mind. As if the words roll off my tongue and the ideas themselves evaporate.

Strange, I know. I’ve learned to be careful about how much I reveal about my stories, my ideas, and where I might take them, because I don’t want to lose the drive to write them down. Speaking them out loud is a form of sharing them with the world, but I know I can develop them in so much more depth and with more coherence if I write them down. So, I try to “save” my ideas for my writing, or maybe only discuss certain aspects of them, if I want to workshop them with someone I trust.

Another piece of “protecting” my ideas springs to mind.

Limited formats / platforms

I’m also combining items four and five.

I realize that there are tons of platforms out there where I can publish stories for various online communities to read. Wattpad, Tumblr, Reddit, IngramSpark, Kindle, this blog… and literally hundreds or thousands of other websites I cannot even name.

But does publishing my story in one space restrict me from another? Is a freemium story platform like Wattpad too open to exploitation of my ideas? Is there just too much damn content online for any of this to matter? I have no clue.

Creative Limits

If you couldn’t tell, I’m in the process of reassessing how I write and publish my stories. I love the idea of publishing novels, and I will continue to strive for that. But if I’m only publishing a novel once in a blue moon, then where do the rest of my ideas go? Is there somewhere else I can put them to get them into the world without feeling exposed — to copyright infringement, or loss of my ideas to the ether, or whatever else?

These questions bug me, so to this point I’ve resigned myself to the full self-publishing process with novels, novellas, or short stories, because it feels more official, and safer.

But I think I can find something else to fill the drawn-out in-between spaces — spaces in my head, in my publishing schedule, in my day-to-day schedule where smaller ideas can be nurtured and thrive. I just don’t know what yet.

Steve D

Questioning Online Publishing, because Internet

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On PublishingLeave a comment

Of the multitude of world problems to concern a reasonable human being over the last few months, one has lingered in the back of my mind in a more personal and, dare I say, private, way. I think about my writing a lot. It’s the main reason I have this blog, as a space to write about writing–my ideas, the writing process, the publishing process, the connective tissue of good storytelling.

I also think about my place as an “author” a lot. Not my level of notoriety or what I earn from writing — negligible in either case — but in how my writing and my “profile” is seen online. Privacy is always a consideration for someone who has a presence among the online public.

Every time I get a new idea or see a new tool for my writing, I consider whether I should be doing more to protect my own privacy and security online, as well as protecting my data and copyright. In an era when AI-generated tools are quickly gaining the ability to look, sound, illustrate, or write like real people, I question whether I should have an online presence at all.

With search engines becoming harder to navigate and the overwhelming glut of Content out there, it’s hard to find cogent, well-thought-out answers to these types of questions. So, I just want to pose my questions in a general way, talk a little about my thought process, and see what other writers or creators of any type think.

Is copyright sufficient to protect my writing in the chaotic realm of the internet?

I have registered US copyright of my only published novel, and automatic copyright over all of my writings on this site, a short story in an online litmag, and a 12-part series published on Wattpad. (See a rundown of my writing here.) My writing is generally available to anyone who happens upon it online. My novel costs money to purchase, but that’s it.

Is this enough to protect my work from billions of users who may find it online? Legally, yes. But practically? I really don’t know. My novel could have already been lifted, translated into another language, and republished under someone else’s name, and I’m not sure how I would find out about it. The odds of that happening are probably slim, but IP theft definitely exists online.

Should I care?

At a certain point, I feel like worrying about copyright infringement online is like chasing ghosts. In my broader existentialist view, I will have no control over the things I write and publish after I’m gone, so is it worth fretting over it now? To some extent, I think, but honestly — I just want to be able to publish my own work and sell it to people who want to read it. I would hope I can carve out a space to do that much.

Are free publishing platforms “safe” for putting content out there?

I published my short mythology series on Wattpad in 2019, mostly as an experiment to see what kind of readership I could get publishing one chapter per month. The short answer is: not much. Wattpad is social media for writers, so you have to be really prolific to gain a real following there. A lot of authors use Wattpad to publish first-look drafts of their novels, section by section, to gain a following ahead of self-publishing it in full. (Traditional publishing will generally not publish something that has already been published, so Wattpad is a readership-building tool for self-published authors.)

I don’t doubt the success that some authors have on Wattpad, and I have definitely read some good content there. But is it worth the effort for me to provide my writing there, for free? I’m not really concerned about providing free content. I have given a lot of thought to doing just that to build readership of my work. But Wattpad is a platform where anyone can sign up under anonymous usernames and scrape content from millions of stories by nearly as many authors.

Is that really a “safe” place to put my work? I’ve already done so, but only with a side project, not my primary novels. Wattpad is in the business of bringing authors to its platform, so I would think they take copyright infringement and data security seriously, but it’s a free service (that has a premium user tier).

Is cloud storage really secure enough for my writing content?

George R.R. Martin famously stores all of his writing on a DOS computer in his basement, which has no internet connection. I don’t use cloud storage for my writing yet, but I’ve thought about it. Currently, every outline, draft, and finished manuscript of my writing is stored on a flash drive. I’ve used it for years, but I’ve always had a little fear in the back of my head that it will break, or burn out, or get lost, and all of my work will be gone.

Cloud storage offers a back-up plan, if not a primary storage option. I pay for a cloud storage solution for personal/family photos, but I still hesitate to put my writing there. Cloud storage servers can get hacked, data can be corrupted, and work can still be lost.

I don’t have solid answers.

But these are the questions that pop up every time I think about doing something different with my writing. I can (and probably will) do a deep-dive into the writing/self-publishing threads of Reddit at some point to see how others feel about this. For now, I just wanted to voice my quesitons.

Who else thinks about this stuff? How do you approach it with your creative work?

Steve D

Book Review: SECRET SON is family and sociopolitical drama wrapped in one story

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, ReviewsLeave a comment

Secret Son portrays the life of a young man in a Casablanca slum trying to find his way. Caught between the stories of orphanhood and struggle his mother raised him on and the discovery of his real family, Youssef tries to understand who he is versus the various roles that society asks him to play.

As a fatherless boy from a poor area, Youssef’s prospects are limited until he finds a glimmer of hope in the discovery of his unknown wealthy father. Youssef is suddenly thrust into the elite circles of Casablanca life. As he tries to fit into this new world, he must navigate college, friendships, life as a working man, and the opposing wishes of his parents — the mother who raised him, and the father he always wanted.

Ultimately, Youssef’s uncertainty leads him astray, and he must find a way out. Like many disillusioned adults, he turns to the only people who seem to understand his struggle, a local political organization who promise to help the people of Morocco.

For the first part of this story, Youssef is the only point-of-view character. However, this changes when the meeting between he and his father is told first from his father’s perspective, and then again from Youssef’s. In this and other mirrored scenes, the reader is able to understand the interior thoughts of each participant — how they react to and often misunderstand each other. I found myself relating to each of the characters in different ways, whether Youssef’s desperation for a path forward, his mother’s attempts to set him on that path, and his father’s hope for a brighter future with his newfound son. Other characters, as well, helped to fill in the gaps between these three, to give the reader a full picture of the history of this family.

The abrupt ending and non-finality of any characters’ stories were surprising but fitting. The notions of Family, Identity, and Home don’t have beginnings, middles, and ends. They are relationships an individual evolves over time that shape one’s decisions and outlook, but rarely settle in one place.

Lalami captured the turmoil of family, of adolescence, and of despair amidst social stagnation in ways that many will be able to relate to. Great story.

Steve D

February Write Day: Revision Time

On By Steven D'AdamoIn FantasyLeave a comment

January was cool. I feel like it somehow took me three weeks to get over the holiday craziness and get back to a normal routine.

Work has slowed down for me, and for a day or two last week I even felt a little bored.

But, the next thing is always coming.

I’ve managed to do a lot of reading and TV/movie watching this month, which has been a nice change of pace. I just need to balance that a bit with revisions for The Herb Witch Tales duology, starting with Uprooted.

Last Month’s Goals

  1. Start revising The Herb Witch Tales, #1 and #2.
  2. Read three books.
  3. Exercise at least three times a week.

Start revising The Herb Witch Tales?

Yes, I have started. I’ve gotten about a third of the way through the first story, and I definitely could have done more if I had focused a bit better. I’m just reading through my draft on my laptop, focusing on overall flow and consistency more than anything else. I’ve started leaving comments in the margins whenever a significant theme or an important detail crops up, to ensure that I can refer back to it later.

I intend to read through both stories in this way, looking for overall flow and consistency, before reading again to look for deeper thematic resonance, and then ultimately style and wording. So, I think I’m in for three phases of revisions before sending these to other readers.

I’m not sure how I’m going to approach that yet. I’d like to send them to my editor, for sure. I think I’d also like to use beta readers, but I’m not certain how I will find/work with beta readers yet.

In any case, a vague timeline for these stories is starting to coalesce in my mind, but it’s still to early for me to verbalize that yet. I’m making progress, and that’s good.

Read three books?

Yes, and I’ve already made it almost halfway through another in the final days of the month. On top of that, I made some little progress on A Memory of Light. I’m into the middle third of that novel now, and I’d like to pick up the pace a bit. I just need to give myself more time to read at night.

Exercise at least three times a week?

Not quite. I had a predictable post-holiday slump, for whatever reason. I’ve picked it back up in the last week though, with more of a focus on yoga. My flexibility has suffered without doing any yoga consistently for a while, so I’d like to change that.

A random imgur gif I saw the other night reminded me of a balance and leg strength exercise I used to on one of those balance board balls. I need to get back to something like that.

Now, however, I’m debating whether I should start buying equipment, or just find a gym again. I haven’t had a gym membership since the 2020 lockdown, and it’s hard to imagine finding time to go to the gym regularly. So I might have to make do for a bit.

Goals for February

  1. Complete my first round of revisions on Uprooted, The Herb Witch Tales #1. I’d like to jump into this revision phase with more intention, so now we’re back to real goals. If I can get started on revising New Earth as well, all the better.
  2. Read three books. I’ve made a good start for the month, and I’ve found a few one-off fantasy books on Audible that I might try to dive into.
  3. Exercise at least three times a week. With my more deliberate focus on self-care and a less arduous work routine ahead of me, I’m finding it easier to find time during the day for a decent yoga session. I just need to show up.

Steve D

3 Elements to Revise in an Early Draft

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, On StorytellingLeave a comment
Creativity Sessions writing process. Evening Satellite Publishing.

I’ve started a full revision of The Herb Witch Tales this month. I’m currently revising the third draft of Uprooted, and will move straight into revising the second draft of New Earth.

These novellas form a duology, so it’s important to me that the characters, plots, and narrative themes align between them. I had written the first part in full, started the second part, and then decided to rewrite part one. Now that I’ve finished a subsequent rewrite of part two, I’m taking the time to revise both parts together.

Thus, my focus for this revision phase is first on consistency of those big pieces, knowing I’ll likely have to come back again to revise for smaller details.

That got me thinking about which elements are important to focus on during a given revision phase.

I’ll start by looking at what to focus on when revising an early draft.

3 Elements to Revise in an Early Draft

I’m using the term “early draft” here, because every writer drafts at a different pace. Some take three drafts to get a polished story; others take ten, or fifty. An early draft could be a discovery draft, where you’re just getting words onto paper, or it could be a draft that has already gone through a couple of revisions, but still feels raw.

In any case, you have a completed draft that you know needs some work. Where to begin? I’d like to highlight three places to start.

1 – Scene Development

This might seem obvious, but an early draft likely has a lot of plot holes to fill. Read through your draft with a questioning mind. From scene to scene, are there any questions left unanswered about how your characters are behaving, jumps in time, or events that are not presented to the reader directly?

It’s okay to leave some of these things for the reader to interpret, but that should be an intentional decision. If you’ve skipped a ton of scene development for the purpose of getting that draft finished, then many parts of the story may feel unfinished when you’re revising.

With every scene you revise, ask yourself:

  • Does this scene transition well from the previous scene?
  • Does the scene demonstrate new or reinforce established information about the characters, the plot, or the world they’re in?
  • Does it transition well into the next scene in a way that readers can follow?

2 – Character Consistency

Pay attention to the way your main characters may change – or not change – over the course of the story.

  • Do their attitudes shift, and do these changes serve the narrative?
  • Does each character have consistent voicing — the way the speak, act, fidget, or think?
  • Do their decisions align with what the reader knows about their fears, their motives, and what’s happening around them?
  • Does each character have agency, able to make decisions in reaction to what’s happening around them, rather than being buffeted through each scene like a toy doll in a hurricane?

Similarly, do your side characters have a purpose in your story? These are the folks who may only appear in a few scenes, or in the background of whatever the main characters are doing, but they should be there for a reason. A character who just reacts to what’s going on around them – a child who only complains to their parents, or a sidekick who only cheers on their leader – will fall flat. If you’re taking the time to create a character and place them in a scene, then give them something to contribute.

3 – Narrative Flow

This follows on element number one above, but forces you to take a step back and view your story not just for each individual scene, but for how the entire piece comes together.

  • If the story is intense with drama or action, are there moments of quiet and calm, or is the reader constantly pushed from one crisis into another with no respite?
  • Does the narrative meander from one scene to another, taking random expository detours that last for pages on end?
  • Does the plot flow naturally, or will the reader feel jolted along due to unexpected time jumps, or sudden changes of place?

Finding Your Story’s Intention

None of these things are bad to have in a story, but they should be intentional. Revising an early draft should give you the opportunity to understand, and improve on, the tone, pacing, and style of your story.

And don’t fret the details of Editing or Proofreading just yet. That will come in later revision phases.

Steve D