Wattpad Community and Etiquette

It’s been a busy last several weeks. I still have a lot more to do, but I wanted to give another shout out to Wattpad because of some of the amazing people I’ve met there and the opportunity Wattpad offers to writers. There are also a few things I noticed for those hoping to get more reads and followers. It might fall into the line of etiquette, or an unspoken case of courtesy and support for your fellow writers. It’s not much different than what I posted about recently in regards to Ben Affleck playing Batman and the support he found with Damon and Smith early on.

When it comes to writing, or most artistic and creative endeavors for that matter, it’s a struggle for many of us who aren’t making enough to live solely off of our creative work. We have jobs we have to work, maybe we have kids, and then we have to make time to actually produce something creatively to even have a chance of someday being able devote more hours to what we love. Trying to find the time to also support other artists can be difficult, especially with something such as writing where you have to read the work they’re putting out to comment on it.

But if you can find even a bit of time each week for a bit of professional courtesy it can go a long way. There are many ways to do this, and some only take a few seconds of time. Let’s go through some of the ways you can support your favorite artists, and why you should. We’ll use Wattpad as an example since they’ve been so great and I’d like to support them for the support they’ve given me. Although, keep in mind that these ideas can be used in other areas if you’re a bit creative and understand the sites you’re on.

Getting more Fans and Reads on Wattpad

1) A few months back I noticed one of the volunteers on Wattpad posting about the voting system and how many people were unaware of it, or rarely used it. Voting on Wattpad is one of the simplest ways to show support for your favorite writers. Voting on the work of others can also help you get noticed. To vote on the Wattpad app you merely click the star on top of the screen of the chapter you’re reading. On the website you’ll notice the star on the top right of every page. Something I don’t think many people are aware of is the fact that the votes count per chapter. If the story has multiple chapters as many do, the votes count for each chapter, not the story as a whole.

Us writers notice votes, and we appreciate them! Imagine spending all your time and effort writing a great story. While you might get a lot of reads, if no one’s voting it’s discouraging. You might think no one likes your story. On the other hand, if everyone’s voting for your chapters it encourages the writer to keep going. How terrible would it be to read a great story and the writer quits writing half way through because he’s not seeing votes. He might think everyone hates it, and thus there’s no point in continuing. Not only that it, your votes help the writer’s ranking, which means more readers, more encouragement, and they’re more likely to continue the story.

And here’s a bit of a secret, your votes also help in getting you noticed! As a writer on Wattpad, I do go through the people voting, and when I have time I check out their profiles. While I don’t have a lot of time to read, if something catches my eye I try to at least read a chapter or two and give a vote or two in return. At the very least I’ll add their to my reading list so those that view my profile may catch it and read it themselves. It’s a way for me to help support those who are supporting me, and hopefully we both benefit.

2) Commenting on Wattpad works very similarly to voting! If you get a chance, and are enjoying a story, leave a comment. Again, you’re encouraging a writer. Also, myself and many others on Wattpad notice comments more than votes. We’re more likely to check out your profiles and leave a comment of our own to help you out, much like I mentioned doing with voting.

You may also notice that most writers on Wattpad, especially the popular ones, comment back and try to return the favor on your stories. That’s part of the great community Wattpad has, and part of being successful at finding readers. It has to do with building relationships. People are more likely to support you, or notice you, when you comment or speak with them. It’s a two-way street of support. For someone like me who tends to read in spurts and gets really busy, comments stand out more than anything. I also feel as if I have a higher obligation to respond to comments than votes because someone took the time to comment. They deserve that same time in return. I’m sure there are many that feel the same. If you Google Vin Diesel and Facebook, there’s an interesting article on how he had one of the largest groups of followers on Facebook because he took the time to interact with the fans who made him such a big name. Wattpad is no different, regardless of how popular you are at the moment.

3) Follow your favorite writers on Wattpad! I’m not really sure where this would fall. Sometimes it’s as effective as commenting, and other times it ranks slightly lower than commenting but still better than voting. I usually try to check out followers as much as I check out comments. Although there have been times I’ve picked up so many followers at once I fell behind and it slides off my plate, unlike comments that I always try to respond to even when it takes me awhile to actually do it.

One thing I’ve noticed is that unless you’re following some of your favorite writers, you won’t always notice new stories they post, or maybe a follow-up book to one they’re writing. Following them keeps you up to date, so you can see all the new stuff they’re adding, or maybe a second book of your favorite story. There have been times I’ve gotten votes and comments and checked out profiles to find they had great stories of their own. In such cases I give them a follow, and usually they do the same in return. Even if they don’t, it’s a nice way to show your support for them. It can also help them acquire readers from those going through your list of followers. Again, supporting each other is the name of the game!

4) So far we’ve talked about supporting each other on Wattpad, but Wattpad needs some love too! They’ve created this great site that allows us to post our stories and hopefully get noticed. The very least we can do is to help them get noticed in return. Social media’s a great way to do this, and it can help us too! Sharing your stories on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, Blogger, and other social media is a great way to help people find your story and Wattpad’s website. You can also share the stories of your favorite authors on these sites to help them out too.

Don’t be afraid to also shoot Wattpad follows and likes to show your support. Remember, liking and sharing stories on Facebook and Google Plus, or retweeting from Twitter takes very little time and helps everyone out since it shows up in your feed for other people to find. If you can’t find time to read and vote to show your support, this is likely the easiest and fastest way to show support for those with little time. As I just found out today, Wattpad has a few social media sites for sharing that I wasn’t aware of. For those looking to help support Wattpad, here are the sites I’m aware of as of today: Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. If anyone’s aware of them having a Google Plus page, feel free to let me know in the comments as I know it’s a great ranking builder for the search engines. I’d like to show my support to them there if I can beside just posting links there back to their website.

That’s everything I can think of off the top of my head. If anyone has any other tips for supporting each other feel, free to mention so in the comments below. Remember, every one of us and Wattpad are bound to do better when we support each other. I know some people tend to be fearful of others getting ahead of them in the rankings, but by doing so you’re only hurting yourself. You’re walling yourself off from a wonderful community of people who help one another. When you’re part of the community, even if someone beats you in the rankings, or even in getting published, you never know if they might return that favor of support by recommending someone take a look at your works. And that is the benefit behind supporting each other in our goals to be artists. Making a living off of writing or creative pursuits is tough enough, why not help one another out and lighten the load.

Also note, I’m not recommending voting for the sake of voting, or following just for the sake of getting a follow back. I have noticed there are people who tend to do that and it doesn’t help anyone if no one is reading. Take the time to actually read a bit, even if it’s a little. If you really enjoy a story, vote, share, and consider a comment. If you don’t like it, be a part of the community by commenting and helping the author out. Don’t be harsh but be constructive (and it might be a good idea to ask if they want a critique first too! Some people don’t). Remember, the intention behind everything should come from genuinely wanting to be a part of the community, and not just following the above tips to get your own readers. I think for the most part, a lot of us there can tell when it’s genuine and when it’s not.

Speaking of support, what type of hypocrite would I be if I didn’t support some of my favorite Wattpadders myself. So here’s my list, in no particular order, of those you might want to check out on Wattpad for their great stories and because they have been so generous in showing their support to others.

• LittleCinnamon – One of my favorite writers on Wattpad. Her Playing Dead story recently hit number one, and her Dark Sanctuary stories are great too! Super supportive and a must check out! I can guarantee you won’t be wasting your time!
• KeepAustinWeird – Another one of my favorite writers from Wattpad who’s amazingly supportive. I love her Sinners and Saints story. Definitely recommend checking out her Maggie Moon story also, which is her main focus.
• SeriousMoonlight – Just recently came across her work after she commented on my story. Great story with Something Lost, and her second Something Found novels. Highly recommend for those who like romance stories!
• HisGorgeousChaos – She’s been extremely supportive with voting. Her story Breath Me Fire had a really interesting start and I hope she continues it. Shoot her some encouragement!
• kchandok – Another one who’s been so kind in voting. Hasn’t written anything of her own yet but has an interesting profile where she mentioned considering it. Someone shoot her some inspiration and see if she’ll start.
• SamanthaCTallon – Just came across her work after she commented. Bunch of stories on her page, and from what I can see they’re really good! All lengths of stories too depending on how your time is!
• iriniheart – A young writer on Wattpad and one of my first readers. I think she may have taken down a few stories but her Bad Dreams book is still up. At such a young age, there’s no telling where some encouragement can take her.
• sydhud5 – Another young writer on Wattpad. Extremely imaginative stories and currently ranked #80 in Historical Fiction. Definitely worth a look-see and some well deserved encouragement.
• GeMiniMeG92 – Some very interesting romance stories to find here. If you like hot and steamy these are the stories to read.
• MartyCat – Two stories here. For those who like Harry Potter fanfiction there’s Cracking Severus Snape. I glanced through her Princess Choice story and liked it. Interesting plot and a really nice writing style.
• xxSMxx – Another really creative writer on Wattpad with quite a few stories to choose from. A great variety too so you’re sure to find something you like.
• NowonMai – A very interesting writing style in both stories. The Calm and The Wild is the longer story, although I’m also really liking what I’m seeing in Midnight. Can’t wait to see where it goes from what I’ve skimmed.
• TrailsInTheSky – One of my favorite supporters. It’s a little tough for me to read since his stories are in Spanish, but he’s ranking in Mystery/Thriller and Horror for his story Death Symphony. Definitely worth a read!
• bri1019 – Recently read through what she had for her story Summerlyn. Really great writing style and story. She’s also got Essence which I haven’t had time to look through but has a very interesting premise.
• niamhisnowhere – Just one story here that’s a poem. I thought it was really well written. Hopefully she’ll add more in the future as I think there’s a lot of potential there.
• MrsJessicaHoran – Several short stories here, perfect for those who don’t have a lot of time and like stories aimed at teens. Looks like they’re fanfiction so if those are stories you enjoy, you definitely may want to take a read.
• OwensMartin – Haven’t had a lot of time to check out his stuff, but what I have looked through looks really good. Great writing style, and I always see him in threads having interesting discussion when I browse them. Really can’t understand why he hasn’t gotten more reads, as they would seem well deserved.
• Mrs_Manhunter_Jonzz – Another writer with a bunch of really interesting stories in the range of super heros and DC comics fanfiction. I definitely think at the very least a lot of younger readers would really enjoy these, and she as some more mature content too. Very creative indeed!

Wattpad Community and Etiquette

Flawed Artists - The Power of Insecurity

Artists can be said to have many flaws. One of the greatest is sometimes said to be insecurity. It reminds me of a quote I’ve seen that pops up every now and again. It goes along the lines of stating that those who know the least speak the loudest, and those who are the most qualified keep quiet because they question themselves and the world. I think it may be safe to say that the more we learn about life, or our various pursuits, the more the wisest among us realize how little we actually know. This in turn leads to insecurity in life.

If we look at some of the greatest artists that have ever lived, many in their interviews mention their insecurities over their own work. Old interviews or memoirs of past film stars such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe show a deep insecurity of their abilities. Some of the most talented writers, actors, and artists I’ve met always seem to think their work is terrible. Those artists I’ve met who talk about their brilliance or incredible talent leave me to wonder if they’re seeing something I’m not when I’ve watched what they’ve done. In most cases, not all but most, I’m left shaking my head wondering what type of inflated ego must possess them to think they are as talented as they seem to believe.

The sad fact I’ve read about most industries, both in the arts and other areas of life, is that confidence will help one achieve more than actual skill and talent. There was an actor turned casting director who wrote a book I had read several years back who had mentioned the same. Those who came in and gave terrible reads but held their heads high and pumped their fists at the end fared far better than those who gave moving auditions but chastised themselves at the end.

The most he could make of the situation was that the casting directors knew little of acting and based their casting decisions on the reaction of the actors when the audition was over. If the actor was excited it must have meant they did an amazing job. If the actor was tough on themselves it must mean they did something wrong. That was the thought process of the many casting directors he worked with.

While it’s sad that our reactions to our own work may weigh more heavily than the actual skill level of the work we do, I do believe that those who are insecure about their work possess the most potential and have a powerful tool in their hands. In life, it is those of us who are most insecure that will continue to strive to learn and improve. No matter what level we achieve we will always feel as if something is missing. As long as that feeling burns inside of us, as long as we continue to search for that missing piece to make us feel complete, improvement will come. That’s when great artists and great art are born.

It is those artists that feel as if they’ve mastered their craft with supreme talent, those that feel they may be a “gift from god” that will stagnate. These artists have achieved their best work, and there’s nothing more to come from them. What reason is there to strive for something more if one already feels like they’ve arrived?

It is that feeling of insecurity that is the most powerful tool one can possess, regardless of the struggles that may come with it. So take heed my insecure friends because it is you who will create art and achieve great things. It is each one of you who will do ten times what the over-confident cannot, that will bring substance to a world filled only with meaningless flare. That substance is what gets remembered for all time, where the rest merely get their 15 minutes.

Flawed Artists - The Power of Insecurity

Ben Affleck and the Batman Saga

Ben Affleck has taken a lot of abuse since it was announced that he’d be playing Batman in the sequel to Man of Steel, with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. I’ve never consider Ben Affleck to be as talented an actor as his old partner Matt Damon. His choice of films usually isn’t the greatest either. In a tux I don’t think it’d be hard not to see him as a rich playboy, although contrasting that with the gritty Batman is a bit tough for me to picture. Some people have mentioned the Jersey accent might ruin it, but of course that’s what speech and acting coaches are for. If he plays the character well the accent might not even be noticed. It may even add a nice dimension to the character.

I’m not really sold on the idea of Affleck playing Batman but I also believe in giving people a chance. I think he does have a tough act to follow with how well Christian Bale played the role. I’d give him a chance though just because of who Ben Affleck is as a person.

Regardless of how great or terrible you may think Ben Affleck is as an actor, he’s a loyal person. It’s one thing I’ve always admired about Him, Matt Damon, and Kevin Smith. What they did starting off is something very rare among most artists. I’ve experienced it, and I’ve seen several posts in the last few weeks with others making the same observations. Whether it’s acting, writing, photography, or anything else in those creative fields, a lot of people are terrible about understanding the idea of working together to pull each other up.

What Ben Affleck, Damon, and Smith did was use their own success to help one another. When Smith got in with Miramax for his films, he used his pull with them to help Ben Affleck and Matt Damon get Good Will Hunting done. While Matt and Ben had done films before then, Good Will Hunting really helped in putting them on the map and launching their careers. They didn’t forget about Smith when their careers took off. Instead, they still took time out of their own schedules to appear in Smith’s films. In Hollywood having those big names attached to your film helps in getting investors and getting an audience in theatres. This went on for several years. They used each others success to help each other out. I’m sure if one of them needed the help today, they’d be there again with a helping hand and opening doors for one another.

For most of us working to break into the creative industry we see the opposite at lower levels. I’ve shared the work of photographers, musicians, filmmakers, etc. even when their work isn’t exactly my cup of tea. I know how hard it is to break in, and how much having people do that helps in getting exposure. Even if their work isn’t something I normally enjoy, I know there’s an audience that will enjoy it. If I can help in bringing them that audience and giving them that opportunity then I’m happy to do it, or at least I was.

Helping each other is a two-way street. I’ve noticed most of those I know, even the ones I consider nice people, aren’t too big on returning the favor. In most cases they never do. I remember going through that several years ago with theatre classes. Myself and one or two others would share every audition we heard about, even if those we were sharing with would be competing against us for the roles. It was several months later when we found out that while we were trying to help all of us as a group, most of the group was taking all the information they could but sharing nothing in return.

What Ben Affleck, Damon, and Smith did in helping each other is rare. When you find people who believe in helping their fellow artists out, even at the cost of losing out on opportunities themselves, those are the ones you want to surround yourself with. Those are the ones we should shower with opportunity. The reason is loyalty. It’ll give everyone a chance to learn and grow as opportunities are shared back and forth. You know that whatever you work on together, they’ll do their best to help promote it as much as you will. You also know that they’ll likely be sharing the work you do even when they aren’t a part of it. If you’re any kind of decent person you’ll do the same in return. As I’ve experienced, there are very few in the creative industry who think in that way. I’ve seen several other creative types, who often share the work of others, mention experiencing the same in having the favor returned.

That’s the reason I think Ben Affleck should be given a chance as Batman. People that exhibit those qualities of helping fellow artists will do everything in their power to help make it a success. It doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily succeed. What it does mean though is that you’ll get 110% of their energy and effort. I think Ben Affleck has shown himself to be that type of person. I also think a lot of up and coming artists could learn from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Kevin Smith, even if that’s the only quality they take away from them. If only we had more Afflecks, Damons, and Smiths in the world.

Ben Affleck and the Batman Saga

Web Design for Beginners

Web design can be difficult for people when they’re first starting off. When I started my first question was, “What do I need to learn?” I saw things mentioned like C+, JavaScript, Java, PHP, HTML, CSS, Python and a whole other mess of acronyms and letters that I had no clue about. The problem was not knowing which one to learn for web design. Most of these can be used in web design in some way, but they’re not primarily used for web design itself.

In later posts I’ll go more into what programming or other languages can be used, or how they’re used in web design. I’ll also write up a few tutorials, or do some video tutorials for those looking to learn about web design. For this article though I’d like to just stick with the main languages that are used by most websites on the internet.

If you’re starting off in web design then the very first language you should look into learning is HTML. HTML is a simple language to learn. The majority of HTML entails putting tags around different parts of your text or document. For instance, when writing a paragraph in HTML you’d place a tag at the beginning and end of each paragraph. The tag before the paragraph would look be <p>. At the end of the paragraph you’d place an almost similar tag like this </p>. Notice the only difference in the end tag is the slash after the less than bracket which tells HTML that it’s the end tag. There are a few more rules for how HTML works, and a few exceptions, but the majority relies on opening and closing tags around elements of the page.

The second language you’ll want to learn is CSS which stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS basically deals with the layout of a website along with colors and fonts. With CSS you can change the width of a page, add extra space around paragraphs or pictures, change the font size or color, and even change the font itself. Its like someone writing up what they want on a plain sheet of paper (HTML) and then you moving stuff around, coloring, etc. to turn it into a creative design (CSS). Most books these days include lessons on both HTML and CSS.

You’d be able to design extremely great looking websites with only these two languages if you stopped learning here. The only thing you would possibly miss out on is the ability to design your own slide shows, maybe some nifty animations, or add working forms to your page among other things. Basically little things that might make the website pop a bit more, or might be fun, but nothing that would hurt you in the long run.

If you do want to start doing things with your web design to make your site more dynamic, such as using animations, putting up slide shows, making forms that will actually work, along with a host of other options then there are at least 3 other languages you’ll want to look at.

If you’re looking to be able to do some animations, have colors change when certain things are hovered over, do a photo slide show, pop ups, etc. then you’ll want to consider adding JavaScript to your web design plans. Even games can be designed using JavaScript. These are just a few of the things JavaScript can do. There’s a whole list more, but the above is what it is usually used for. If you’re going to look into learning JavaScript you’ll likely want a book that includes Ajax and jQuery. Most JavaScript books I’ve come across lately include a section on Ajax so that shouldn’t be hard to find. JQuery is actually a JavaScript library with prewritten JavaScript code to help make writing JavaScript easier and quicker. A solid understanding of JavaScript should be known first before looking into jQuery. If you can find a book that includes a section or two on jQuery then you’re ahead of the game. Finally, JavaScript should not be confused with Java. They’re both different languages. JavaScript runs in your browser, where Java is a compiled, server-side language.

The last two things you may want to look into are PHP and MySQL. Usually they’re used together. If you’ve ever used a WordPress or Joomla site, both are designed with PHP and MySQL (along with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/jQuery). You can have a whole web site built with HTML and CSS, and only have one PHP file to handle a form for sending information once the form is submitted. An example would be a PHP file to handle a “Contact Me” form. Most websites today use PHP because of how easily it can be used to add pages to a website. It also makes it easy for those who know nothing about web design to run a blog or web page. This is usually done along with using MySQL.

MySQL itself is a database. You can picture MySQL as looking like an Excel spreadsheet or a grid with rows and columns. It’s usually used to track and store data, or content on a website. If you’ve ever seen a WordPress website, the layout and what visitors see is HTML and CSS. The files though contain PHP code. As you enter or write in the forms on the website, it sends the information to the file containing PHP and the PHP then sends the data to the MySQL database. It may store a name in one column, maybe a comment or article you’ve written in another column, and so on and so on in an organized fashion. PHP in this case merely works with MySQL to get the information from each column in the MySQL database and sends it back to the user. The PHP is wrapped around the HTML and CSS when displayed to the user.

So that’s it. There are other languages that can been used in place of a couple of the above mentioned languages (in particular PHP and MySQL) with web design, but the 5 listed above are the most popular and widely used for web sites. In many cases they are also the easiest to learn. If you’re looking to design your own website start with HTML and CSS. Then turn to JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL to add an extra bit of oomph and go above the basics.

Web Design for Beginners

Life of a Quiet Mind

Life has a mysterious way of making one reflect upon the path they’re on. We all have our share of struggles, some more than others. Sometimes we become so focused on certain aspects of our life that we lose sight of what’s going on around us. We lose sight of the intentions of those we’ve allowed into our lives. Some surprise us for the better, others the worse.

For six years I’ve buried myself so far into work that my awareness became clouded. I always listen, but I don’t always hear. I see but yet I’m blind. Life has a funny way of making one aware, perhaps when they need it the most. Sometimes we come across roadblocks in life. They can be devastating and painful. While I don’t know if they happen for a reason, I do believe we can find reason in them. In my case things came to a halt. I became lost without my work but it forced me to take some time to reflect upon those I’ve allowed into my life. Have I learned from the lessons of my past, or was I still repeating them because of the single-mindedness of what my work meant to me?

My grandfather had an old saying that your best friend was your back pocket. In essence people are there when you have something they want, in his example it was referencing a wallet, and when it’s gone you’re left with silence. I’ve allowed people like that into my life in the past, particularly with relationships. I thought I had learned my lesson. Apparently I had not.

It’s odd how when one has the time to examine one’s life, the different dynamics they begin to notice. You begin to see who adds to your life, or journeys along side you as you both grew. I’ve always believed in that, that people could do more when working together and they shared the journey of growth. You also begin to notice those who only seem to be there when the pursuit benefits only them and how quickly they move on. I’ve had far to many of these in my life, and I guess it was my time to examine this once again. It is neither good nor bad, merely lessons upon our path.

It is time to cut bonds and for others to strengthen, to bring a renewed appreciation for those whose generosity surprised me even if only in words alone. That’s the interesting part of life. Kind words or deeds sometimes come from those we least expect it from, and sometimes those we expect very little from cannot achieve even that. Those perhaps are the relationships we should examine the most heavily. In the end it’s our choice. But the best way for each of us to find enlightenment and our life’s purpose is to journey alongside those whose beliefs most closely match our own, and who treat us as we would treat them.

Life of a Quiet Mind

Acting"s Like Great Sex

Yes, I said it. I also meant it. Acting is a lot like great sex and vice versa. I guess I could have said it’s also like being in the zone or having a runners high. I don’t think that headline would have gotten as much attention though. Regardless, all three are very similar when you’re “On”. It’s a complete feeling of freedom and yet an awareness. Time seems to fly by so quickly you may not even remember it. Most importantly, you’re completely immersed in the moment.

Since people seem to struggle more with acting than sex, let me explain it from the later point of view. It’s my belief that great sex happens when there’s very little thought. It could last for hours but you may barely remember it when it’s over. It’s not because it was forgettable, but because you weren’t thinking about it. You were in the moment. It’s like those moments when we’re enjoying something so much that time seems to fly by.

While great sex does involve a lack of thought or analyzing, there’s also an awareness that comes with it. We’re so in the moment that we may notice how a certain touch makes the other’s body quiver, or a kiss placed in a peculiar area draws a gasp of breath. We may play to that, tease and move away, only to come back to that spot later on. The catch is, it’s not preplanned. There’s no thought other than pleasuring the other person. Thinking about it too much only makes it unnatural and boring.

There’s no fear when you’re in that frame of mind. It’s merely playing and finding out what makes each other tick. It could be said that there’s a childlike curiosity to it. Fear, like thinking, causes an odd feeling that something’s off. You take yourself out of that moment and place yourself in your head. It’s a terrible state to be in for sex, just as it’s a terrible state to be in when performing on stage or in front of a camera. It could be said that great sex is about making yourself completely vulnerable to the other person, and them making themselves completely vulnerable to you. It’s a state of complete trust and playing off of one another.

Great acting is exactly the same. It deals with being aware of the person you’re on stage with. You breath in their words as they breath in yours. You both must be completely vulnerable to each other and trust each other as the scene plays out. Pre-planning how to say a line, or how to react, creates this odd feeling. It feels fake and off. It’s like watching someone fake an orgasm. You just know something’s not right, even if you’re not sure what it is. If this happens it means you didn’t prepare properly. It also means you’ve taken yourself out of the moment. You’re not allowing the other actor to affect you, and you’ve likely made it that much more difficult for yourself to affect them. It causes in instant wall to grow between the two actors.

Acting should be almost completely about the other person. How are you trying to affect the other person? During sex we may touch a certain spot to get a gasp. We don’t pre-plan it during great sex, we just get a feeling at some point that it feels right. We go with an urge. In acting we are trying to do the same thing. We are saying a line to get a reaction. We’re aware and studying how the other person reacts to that, and as they react back we allow that to affect us before returning it again. There is no point in time though that we pre-plan this. We are merely in the moment reacting and acting based off of what we are seeing and receiving. Acting is like a dance. In this case, it’s like a horizontal dance.

If you want to take your acting to another level then think of it like great sex. There’s no thought but there is an awareness. You should be lost in the moment. Play with the other person and try to get a reaction based off of how they’re responding to you. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, and trust that they too will do the same. Go with your urges without fear. Never, ever pre-plan how to say or do something unless you want to come across as a badly faked orgasm. When one learns to do this with their acting, I can almost guarantee they’ll reach a new level of truthfulness and realism to their performance. And if it don’t there’s always porn…

Acting"s Like Great Sex

Fan Fiction Writing Contest

Fan fiction writing contests are a fun way to get your work seen by others and to get a nice boost in the search engines by using popular stories. It’s also a great way to come up with ideas of your own when your faced with the torturous struggle of writers block. Focusing on a short story for someone else helps me when I start to struggle on my own writings. I believe part of it is because it helps to quiet the mind. Some of the decisions are already made for us because of the writing contest rules. Fan fiction has the same allure. We already know about the characters. We are allowed to place our favorite characters into our own fantasy situations.

When I started writing The Bewitching I had several things in mind. First, I wanted it to be a trilogy where each chapter would make a good movie and appeal to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight fans. My second goal was to write it in a way that there would be multiple ways to turn it into a television show. The way The Bewitching is written it can be made into a Buffy the Vampire like series in the modern time. I also had a second idea in mind. What if it was written in a way that made it easy for fan fiction writers to create their own stories of the characters.

When I was younger I was a fan of the television show Sliders and Quantum Leap. These shows were written in a way that the possibilities were endless in where each show could go. In Sliders the characters would jump to different dimensions, worlds that were only limited by the writer’s imagination. Quantum Leap revolved around the lead character taking over bodies of different people in different time periods. For instance, in one episode he found himself as the body-guard of Marilyn Monroe. In another he found himself in the body of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the famous sex therapist.

I left those possibilities open with The Bewitching in a similar way. There are little bits and pieces of the character’s past lives. While writing about their past lives I researched some of the attire from those periods, what was going on in certain time periods with wars, or the routes people traveled and places they populated. While the first book didn’t go into a lot of detail, the second and third I hope to include more of that research.

I believe there are a lot of possibilities in a fan fiction writing contest for the past lives part of The Bewitching. I’m sure there are ideas I haven’t even thought of with ways to incorporate real history with The Bewitching characters. With some of the stories I’ve seen on Wattpad I’m sure there are those who can come up with some amazing possibilities. So here are the rules for the first ever The Bewitching fan fiction writing contest.

Fan fiction Writing Contest Rules

1. The characters used must either be Dantes, Elyssa, Annette, Alicia, or Tobias in any combination together or by themselves
2. Remember the last time Elyssa and Dantes were together was during the Salem Witch Trials. If your story has both of them after that time period, but before the present, they must not be aware of one another
3. The story must be no shorter than 2,000 words and no longer than 4,000 words.
4. Bonus points if you can incorporate any type of ancient or spiritual symbols that fit your story
5. More bonus points if you can mix the story with an event in history and place the characters in that setting
6. Multiple entries are allowed
7. You can email me your entry on FB at The Bewitching Fan Page or to Martin@TheBewitching.com and put The Bewitching Writing Contest as the subject
8. The contest ends September 30th and fan fiction winners will be posted by October 14th.

You can find an example of one of the past lives in chapter 13 of The Bewitching – Memories of a Lost Love. While that chapter deals with a flashback of a past life, for the writing contest feel free to write the story as if it’s actually happening.

I’ll post the top 5 fan fiction stories on both of my websites at MartinDouglas.info, TheBewitching.com, along with several social networks I have set up on the web. If you’re on Wattpad I’ll give you a shout out there so all my followers can find you. For those who haven’t noticed, in the last week alone my followers have gone from around 13 up to over 250+. I have some things I’m working on that should increase that number even more, along with a feature spot that’s been mentioned by the Wattpad managers. That’s a lot of possible followers that will be able to find your work through me.

If you’re up for a fan fiction writing contest then I’m up for checking out all the great stories you can write. I’ll be posting updates for the fan fiction writing contest on The Facebook Bewitching Fan Page and The Google+ Bewitching Fan Page for those who’d like to follow me there. You can also follow on my personal fan page on Facebook at Martin Douglas or on Google+ at Martin Douglas.

For those who may have missed it, besides the writing contest we still have The Bewitching character contest that is still open for entries posted here!

Fan Fiction Writing Contest