Jim Johnson

Yeah, I’ve been playing some Portal. Fun game. Anyway, I’m still alive and well. I didn’t realize it’s been almost a month since my last post. Bad, bad blogger! I’ve been busy, though. Searching for a new job, interviewing, finding a new job, and getting ready to start it in a couple weeks. I’ve done a little writing, some reading, and some other associated stuff, but nothing worth reporting as yet.

I’ve also been spending an inordinate amount of time cleaning spam out of my wordpress site. I have my comments set to be approved first, so my dear readers don’t see the mess, but I’m clearing 5-10 spam messages a day out of the filter. It’s so annoying, but amusing too. I get the same spam from several different email addresses. The best of the bunch so far has to be one that read: “hi i can want to has sex texting with you?” Made me feel like some lolcat somewhere wanted to get it on, but anyway.

Expect more regular posts from me once I get settled into the new job and the new routine. Things are a bit hectic at the moment, but that’ll resolve itself in short order.

On the iPod: Salt soundtrack, by James Newton Howard

Perhaps unwisely, I spend some time on various writing forums and bulletin boards lurking and offering occasional advice or ideas on writing, the writing life, publishing, and related information. I lurk more often than I post, and one of the more interesting things I’ve noticed of late (though I’m sure it’s been a constant for a long time) is that many, many writers, at all levels of ability and experience, make writing-related decisions based on nothing more than emotion. No practical business sense, no due diligence, just gut feeling or pure emotion.

While I have certainly made some decisions based in part on gut feeling or because it ‘felt right’, rarely if ever have they revolved around business decisions that may or may not have had dollar values attached to them. I don’t think it’s smart business to make decisions based entirely off your emotions or gut feeling. Getting caught up in the moment happens to us all, but to play it smart, take a deep breath and think it out, do some due diligence, get your ducks in a row before you dive in.

Remember: your stories and novels aren’t your babies, they’re not precious children you’re sending off into the big bad evil world–they’re product. Pies in your magic writing bakery. Goods you’re offering up for sale. Develop the means to write the story with as much emotion you can pack into it, but then learn how to turn off the emotions and switch to dispassionate business sense to sell the thing or otherwise market it.

On the iPod: “Radical Notion” by Hans Zimmer (soundtrack: Inception)

Well, not so much a book as it is a series of books, concerning various ancient Egypt topics. They’re by the UK publisher Shire. I’ve only recently discovered these, though they’ve been around for some years based on the publication dates. Each book is a bit larger dimension-wise than a standard mass market paperback, but there’s only about 50-60 pages in each. Mix of full color and black and white illustrations. Good text too, naturally.

What’s really great about the series is that each booklet is focused on one specific topic, so if you’re looking for information on just ancient Egyptian metalworking, or textiles, or scarabs, or pyramids, or whatever, you can just get the booklet that focuses on that topic. That way you’re not having to roam through a larger or more comprehensive book to find one small reference.

I’ve found several of the books on Amazon.com, and a few on eBay, but judging from Shire’s site, some are out of print. I guess I’ll have to cultivate some connections in the UK and see if someone over there can pick up copies at UK bookstores (assuming there’s better distribution over there than here in the States).

Anyway, neat series, good information, worth checking out or adding to your library.

On the iPod: Inception soundtrack (Hans Zimmer)

Ran into this the other day. I just finished reading Rick Riordan’s generally excellent new novel, The Red Pyramid, a YA novel about a pair of siblings who have ancient Egyptian blood and do cool magic and save the world and stuff. Fun read, highly recommended.

However. I finished reading it and thought, “Dammit! Riordan used several ideas and concepts that I’m using in my current manuscript!” After that came the usual feelings of ’should I bother writing this cause I might be seen as derivative, etc.’ and so on. And my beta reader and wife said, basically, STFU and write your story your way.

So, this post isn’t so much from me as it is from her. Did you see a movie, tv show, book, postcard, or something else that has plot elements, devices, characters, or concepts similar or possibly almost identical to something you’re making in a manuscript? Don’t fret over it and just write the manuscript in your own voice and manner and don’t use it as an excuse not to write. Ever forward.

On the iPod: Star Trek: First Contact soundtrack

While reading one of the two most readily accessible (and available) magazines concerning Ancient Egypt, the appropriately-titled British magazine “Ancient Egypt Magazine,” I noticed in an advertisment that Manchester University offers several 6-week e-learning courses on various Ancient Egyptian topics. That the courses are managed and taught by Professor Rosalie David and Dr. Joyce Tyldesley is pretty sweet–I’m familiar with both of them through many books in my personal library.

I signed up for one of the courses and I find I’m seriously considering the 3-year certificate courseload they offer as well. I think I’ll check out the shorter courses first before committing to the larger course. That all the course work is online is a big positive draw for me, as I work full time and don’t live in an area where there’s an easily-accessible college that offers a post-grad degree in archaeology or Egyptology.

Oh, and why am I doing this? Why not! It relates to a theme I’ve mentioned before, and that’s to learn something new every day. Constant personal improvement and self-development and continuing education. I may never be a professional Egyptologist (and honestly, there’s not much money in it), but I’ll learn more about one of my pet hobbies.

Anyway, if you’re interested in checking out the course offerings, go visit Manchester Uni’s website. Registration for the fall course (Queens of Ancient Egypt) is open now.

On the iPod: “Signal to Noise” by Peter Gabriel (album: Up)

And it’s writing-related, of course. Ancient Egypt became an interest of mine in high school, though I didn’t know it at the time. I remember taking a history course that started off with a lesson or two about Nut and Geb and so on, and for whatever reason, I don’t remember my History teacher explaining that they were part of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. It wasn’t until college that I got the finer details and really started digging deep into the history (aided in big part by my working at a bookstore and having the means to order in all sorts of books).

But I digress. One of the reasons I really enjoy studying ancient Egypt is because, on the whole, it’s a great setting to use as inspiration for world-building. Since I write a lot of fantasy, it’s useful to have a real-world culture to look at and review. Ancient Egypt was together for some 4000+ years. That by itself is mind-boggling. Four thousand years? America’s been around for a couple hundred and change. That’s like a sneeze in ancient Egyptian terms. Heck, Ramesses II ruled for about that long!*

Too often I read fantasies that feature or reference ancient cultures that have been around from thousands of years, but offer no details about that culture, other than the occasional ‘ruins on a hill’ or the like. Long-lived cultures, even ones that had highs and lows like Egypt, leave stuff behind that future generations find and puzzle over. How’d they build the pyramids? We’re still not sure and we live in the 21st century! You’d think our computer models and all the Ph.Ds on the planet would figure something out someone did 6,000 years ago, but no. We’re not sure.

So, yeah, I loves me some ancient Egypt, because it gives me a great basis for world-building, and it reminds me that even though humanity is constantly evolving and presumably moving forward, we lose stuff along the way.

* He didn’t, actually. Just 80-odd years or so.

On the iPod: “California Love” by Dr. Dre and 2pac (single)

testing lj mirror

EDIT: Test is successful. Dave Mack is the Man.

And when I say Robin Hood, I mean the 2010 version with Russell Crowe, directed by Ridley Scott. (Good movie, some shaky writing and plotting, but good addition to the Hood mythos.)

Firstly, watching the movie reminded me that I really like medieval/dark ages quasi-fantasy movies and stories. I like stories that could have been a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. I like sword-and-board battles, archers sniping from the woods, and low magic. Being reminded of this reminded me that I don’t read nearly enough of this genre and I don’t write nearly enough stories in this genre (possibly because there aren’t many short story markets for traditional low magic fantasy?).  I intend to remedy all of those.

Second, I was reminded how fun it is to cast stories as I write them. What sparked this was my tendency to see someone in a movie or TV and be able to remember what other movies or TV shows they were in. My wife calls it “IMDB Jim” and I guess that works for a description. 

There are some great character actors in Robin Hood, notably Mark Strong, Kevin Durand, Max von Sydow, Mark Addy and Scott Grimes. These are the sorts of character actors I love to mentally picture when I’m writing novels and short stories. Sometimes I find that when I’m stuck on a story or on a character piece, it’s because I can’t visualize the character. Remembering who I ‘cast’ for the role often helps out.

On the iPod: “Lorelei” by Cocteau Twins (album: Treasure)

I’m working up a short list of writing books and courses I’ve used in recent months and years to help build my own career, in an effort to provide a one-stop reference for those tools that are actually, you know, useful for a writer. Given that I’m an early-career writer, expect most of the references to be aimed toward novice and early-career writers, though I know some pro writers who use some of the references. Also, note that these aren’t basic writing books–I’m assuming you have at least a functional grasp of the English language and can put together some form of story. We’re beyond the basics here, folks!

So, please keep an eye on my Writing Resources tab. I’ll update it approximately whenever I find another useful reference to add to the list. And, of course, if you’ve read or used some good books, writing courses, or websites you’ve found to help you in your own career, let me know. I’m eager to learn something new, so the more the merrier.

Finally, keep in mind that the two best ways to learn how to write better is to read a whole lot of books and, you know, always be writing.

On the iPod: “Manhattan Skyline” by Julia Fordham (album: Porcelain)

Here’s one you probably haven’t heard of unless you frequent Screen Archives or are a big motion picture music buff. This is the score from the 2010 movie Black Death, which I don’t think is going to be released in the States except maybe on DVD. Wiki says:

The action takes place in 1348 in plague-ridden medieval England. Osmund, a young monk, is tasked with leading the feared knight Ulrich (Sean Bean) and his band of mercenaries to a remote marshland village which has remained untouched by the Black Death. Their quest is to hunt down a heretical sorcerer, who is rumoured to be able to bring the dead back to life.

The lead role is played by Sean Bean, and based on the album artwork and the trailer I saw on youtube, this could just as well be titled “Boromir’s Other Adventures.”

Anyway, about the music. The score has a lot of great atmospheric pieces, and a lot of mood pieces. Dark more than anything else. Several tracks offer some monk-like chanting, which gives the score something of a Dark Ages vibe. But, as the wiki description states, there’s some sorcery and witchcraft folded in there, making some parts of the soundtrack feel like your standard fantasy score fare.

Overall, I really like this score, especially since I haven’t seen the movie and have no specific scene or dialogue to tie to the music. I can appreciate the musical cues on their own worth and the emotions each one generates. I also like the fact that the composer, Christian Henson, makes use of several non-standard orchestral instruments, which adds to the not-quite-Hollywood flavor of the score. I’d recommend checking this one out, even if you just listen to the brief previews on iTunes.

On the iPod: “Song Without Sin” by Living Coloür (album: Collideascope)