I’m on the wrong career track. I want to write for a living but I want to write stories that last.
What I learned at the Banff School of Fine Arts:
I’m much funnier than they gave me credit for in university. Maybe that was because I wasn’t so angry all the time as soon as I got out of journalism school.
What I learned in my 20s:
I used to believe a bad thing: Pay your dues. Be patient. Wait your turn.
(What was implied: “This has nothing to do with keeping us up by keeping you down.”)
What I learned in my 30s:
I wanted to be a spiritual person for the comfort. It didn’t stick because I looked honestly at all the suffering.Also, I unlearned the lesson from my 20s. Underestimating me and keeping me a second-class citizenwas always about fulfilling other people’s dreams.
What I learned in my 40s:
My kids redefined love for me. They expanded my capacity.
What I’ve learned in my 50s:
Not everyone who acts like a friend really is. Unfortunately, learned that lesson before but I think this time I really get it. Betrayal sucks and sticks.Not everyone you meet along the way will stay by your side. For those who do, we cherish and support each other. We stick together.
What I know now:
Dream bigger. Ask for help. Work like hell to make it happen.
I have yet to learn:
Forgiveness. Yes, I hold grudges. In AFTER Life, the flawed hero admits that he supposes he must have forgiven somebody once but he can’t think of a single example of having done so.That’s me. I’m not sure that forgiveness is something I want to learn, either. If someone treats me badly, shouldn’t heightened vigilance and isolation simply be called learning? People can make mistakes and I’ll let that go, of course. (I’m Canadian.) But when malice is involved? Hell, no.
Please note: The Night Man has just been released.
It’s about a wounded warrior who returns home to the shady side of small-town America. Earnest “Easy” Jack just wanted to come home to train guard dogs and be left alone. Then his father got kidnapped. Between a billionaire’s bomb plot and dirty cops, Easy has hard problems to solve.
You can grab it now at this link or wait until tomorrow, Saturday, January 12, for fan pricing (read: free)! Either way, enjoy!
And now, on with the nigh hopelessly ambitious list of what I plan for 2019. (I said nighhopeless, dammit!)
1. Revise and publish the huge vampire novel I’ve got banked. 2. Revise and publish the huge literary novel I’ve got banked. (Or submit it to a publisher. Since it’s more literary, trad pub may be the way to go.) 3. Revise and publish my next Hit Man novel I’ve got banked (working on that now). 4. Publish The Night Man, my new crime thriller. I’ll do that this week. 5. Write and publish the sequel to The Night Man, launching in November. 6. Publish a big book and a novella under a pen name (in progress). 7. Publish six anthologies (five stories each). 8. Revise and prepare three books for publication that will finally go wide, off the Amazon platform. (Here comes Kobo, Apple, etc.,…! 9. Learn how to make my AMS ads work using Dave Chesson’s course. 10. Figure out how to use Machete properly. 11. Blog three times a week, twice on AllThatChazz.com, once on ChazzWrites.com. 12. Set up the website and email etc for the launch of the pen name. 13. Write a paranormal thriller trilogy with Armand Rosamilia (the first book’s already done.) 14. Contribute 10-minute segments to the Mando Method Podcast (all about writing and publishing). 15. Send out a newsletter once a month and build my email list. (Yes, I have some ideas on that I got from Seth Godin.) 17. Facebook Live, every second Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST.
I’m writing full-time but this list is too ambitious, isn’t it? Fetal position.
Recently I was struck by a post by someone telling us what not to say. The plea came as a strike against cultural appropriation. This can be a dangerous path. Here’s how I navigate this debate when I’m writing fiction.
Monoculture is boring
Literary society in the West has been too monochromatic for too long. By that I mean it’s been filled with white people telling stories solely about white people. White guys owned the big publishing companies. Most women who worked in traditional publishing were either on the front line selling books in bookstores, writing books or in the editorial end of the business. There were not a lot of people of color in that mix.
In the ’80s in Canada, a marginalized group of writers came up with an idea that did not fly. They proposed that white people should only write about white people. Leave other cultures alone, thank you very much, and let minorities and the oppressed tell their own stories. The response at that time was basically that writers of any color or creed should write what they want. It’s up to readers to decide whether they will buy it. We shouldn’t self-censor (or be “pushed around”) depending on how you felt about the demand.)
In recent years, this idea has resurfaced and gained steam. The tac is slightly different now. The phrases you’ll see frequently focus on the following phrases: “not your stories to tell,” “cultural appropriation,” and “check your privilege.” I am a bit conflicted about this because most people who feel this way are not trying to censor me. They are trying to be sensitive to a history of colonization where white guys feel entitled to own everything or exploit anything. Yeah, that’s not good.
But what about reflecting the world as it is?
In a recent review of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the folks at Pop Culture Happy Hour praised the show for the writers’ depiction of Captain Holt, a gay African American man who dealt with homophobia as he climbed the ranks of the NYPD. It’s a fine comedy that somehow navigates these waters in a way everyone loves. Holt is gay, but that’s not a joke. He’s black, but that’s not a joke. These are aspects of his identity that are treated sensitively. His personhood is not denied, watered down, stereotypical or incidental.
That success is quite a contrast to the short shrift female characters got in Star Trek (both the original and TNG). I loved STTNG, yes. However, I rarely felt they wrote well for women. I guess this is my way of pointing out that when we write women and minorities well, it’s rightly celebrated. Perhaps the problem is that it’s not done well often enough.
The loss of representation
Years ago I watched a John Travolta movie that everyone has probably forgotten. White Man’s Burden was released in 1995. Here’s the description: “In an alternate universe, successful African-Americans live in gated communities, while impoverished Caucasians populate crime-ridden inner-city ghettos.”
The best of this film was how it turned our world on itself. A white child clicks the remote on the TV. She sees no one of her race on television. She is not represented at all in mainstream culture and it’s clear she has no place among the elite, celebrated or wealthy. In another scene, a black clothing designer comes out on the stage surrounded by a gaggle cute little white kids. It’s a great satire and a righteous skewering of cultural norms. Using cute little black children as props used to be a real thing.
I’m old enough to remember commercials for fast food outlets that were segregated. You could go to the black McDonald’s or the white McDonald’s but the streams did not cross.
What happens when we cross the streams. I imagine racists imagines it would the same as the worry from Ghostbusters: “It would be bad… Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.”
Geek cred achieved. Back to racism and perceived racism in literature…
Reality is diverse. Fiction should be, too.
I want my novels (yes, even and especially the science fiction) to reflect our world. Mirroring reality is how fiction works. Recognizing a familiar context is how strong fiction connects to readers. For instance, much of the feedback I have received on AFTER Life is so positive because it takes place in our world. Readers dig the story because “it could happen.” It’s a zombie apocalypse novel that starts when we lose control of nanotechnology. Diversity of the series’ cast and realistic details allow the suspension of disbelief.
I’m a white guy who is a member of a mixed race family. I don’t claim any special insight into Asian culture. However, I want Asian characters and black characters in my stories because diversity reflects our world. Though some might say I should censor myself, that would take away one of my writing tools.
Any agent will tell you they don’t want yet another story about middle-aged white guy existential angst. I’m open to all kinds of stories and I don’t want to limit myself. I want my fiction to roam free in the literary universe. How would self-censorship end? I guess I’d have to mimic Portnoy’s Complaint with an Irish protagonist for the rest of my life. No, that’s not going to work.
Fragmentation into more monocultures isn’t going to bring about world peace. Diversity and representation across cultures might solve a lot of problems, though.
All that stipulated, I don’t aspire to offend with the (other) F-word, the R-word or the N-word. I don’t want to tell a First Nations story that is too far outside of my experience. However, I can write characters from varied backgrounds without poaching their experience or plagiarizing their fables.
One of my favorite characters from This Plague of Days was a black South African woman living in England. Dr. Chloe Robinson from AFTER Life is the engineer behind AFTER. Joshua, in my new thriller, is an American of Philippine heritage who lives on the wrong side of the law. The physiotherapist who emerges to play a key role in Dream’s Dark Flight is an African American woman. I’m writing these characters like people we all know. These are, in most respects, ordinary people places in extraordinary circumstances: no Mary Sues, no othering, no idealization and no racist stereotypes.
I want to write compelling fiction. Real world details provide a context that makes the fantastical elements believable. I live in a diverse world and I want readers of many backgrounds to be able to see themselves in the pages of my books. I think I can achieve that aim with sensitivity because my intent is pure. I’m pretty sure most readers recognize that.
A writer’s experience does inform their writing but I’m far less interested in the writer than the writing. There is a mistake around the consumption of fiction that is quite common. Readers assume writers of erotica are all sexpots and if you write action adventure, it would be best if you’re a male ex-CIA operative. That’s not only silly given the vast research resources available, it divides and limits us. The ghettoization of literature is not good for readers.
Ghettoization. Hm. Aye, there’s the rub. Balkanization might be a better word choice but maybe not. Some readers look for opportunities to be offended and others actually enjoy the self-righteous high condemnation yields. Take the word ghetto. Boombox is the preferred term because ghetto has racist undertones. However, if you assumed ghetto has a racist subtext against blacks, you might be triggered for the wrong reasons. Here’s the quick internet pull on that complex etymology: Early 17th century; perhaps from Italian getto ‘foundry’ (because the first ghetto was established in 1516 on the site of a foundry in Venice), or from Italian borghetto, diminutive of borgo ‘borough.’ Ghettoization was originally aimed at Jews.
We must also recognize that the cultural rules change and not everyone gets the memo at the same speed. Twice in the last three months, I noticed someone objecting to the cultural appropriation implied with the use of the phrase “spirit animal.” This was news to me but I’m glad to avoid its use. That particular phrase didn’t come up in my lexicon often and I’m not invested in offending anyone. (I’d also appreciate getting the benefit of the doubt if I screw up due to sheer ignorance of the shifting tides.)
There are also folks who are a little too interested in defending their privilege in the name of anti-censorship. I hope you feel by now that my position is more nuanced than that. There are those who will say that language that ingrains racist stereotypes may not be helpful but it’s not important enough for them to worry about. In other words, we are wasting our time or are too sensitive. Snowflakes, for short.
I don’t agree with that, either.
As John Cleese has said, snowflake is a term used to devalue the virtue of empathy. All language, messaging, art and nuance matter. 1984 taught us that words have the power to shape ideas or destroy them. If you mislabel a government shutdown as a strike, for instance, you’re trying to deceive someone.
Writers and readers respect language. Is the potential for cultural appropriation implied in “spirit animal” more important than the ongoing water poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan? That tragedy is rooted in racism and no, a spirit animal meme is not life and death. However, we spend an average of eighteen minutes just trying to find something to watch on Netflix. Surely, we can try to solve both those problems and many more.
Don’t get too distracted by people who don’t have time to worry about minor racial offences. Most of those people aren’t really worried about the major abominations, either. They’re just trying to skate on civil rights violations and don’t give a single shit about the brown and black people poisoned in Flint.
The good news
Fortunately, since around 2009 forward, we are in a new era of writing and publishing. There is more meritocracy, more diversity and less gatekeeping that insisted on too much monoculture. A privileged elite is not steering the cultural bus anymore. They’ve been replaced by more options from smaller operators in a fragmented marketplace of ideas.
The new world of books offers a wider and more varied experience. Representation by more and varied authors is here and their characters will reflect that diversity, too. I’m glad. That’s the world I want my kids to live in. I didn’t care for the world when artificial divisions erected barriers to mutual understanding and love.
I will continue to include characters of different races, faiths, beliefs, sexual orientation and gender identities. Any character inside or outside of fiction can be relatable to an open heart. People who object to inclusiveness in favor of a white monoculture don’t interest me. If a racist world makes them feel more comfortable, their amygdalas are hijacked. Those readers are not among the demographics I wish to serve. That’s okay. There are plenty of other readers and I suspect there are more of them with each new generation.
Last night I was writing late. It was New Year’s Eve. At midnight, I got up from the keyboard very briefly to hug my wife. Then back at it. It is tempting to make resolutions but habits are better. Mornings are for coffee and writing. Afternoons are for revisions and marketing. I try to eat clean, cut back on the carbs and get to the gym.
Those are the basics and they don’t vary for holidays. Rain or shine, I’m at bat, swinging for the fences. I love to read fiction and write fiction. This is my happy heaven. I have several manuscripts to revise and new thrillers to publish so 2019 will be a very busy year.
I hope you have a heaven on Earth, too. It’s a tenuous state. Going through some scary medical tests, I ate my feelings and soothed myself with too many carbs. That didn’t help, of course. (Actually, it did help but the soothing endorphin effect was temporary.)
I’m back to the routine. “Routine” sounds boring, but the writing life is never boring. I’m creating worlds, reflecting this world and listening to the many voices in my head have fascinating and funny conversations.
Wherever you are, I hope you have a reading life and I wish you a fantastic 2019. There’s much work to do, but it’s not all grim grind. We can work toward saving the planet and escape into books when we need a break from being superheroes.
Cheers!
Chazz
PS Speaking of heroes, my new crime thriller, The Night Man, launches later this week. This roller coaster is packed with action and jokes as we delve into intrigue and betrayal is rural Michigan. Watch this space (and subscribe!) Thanks.
It’s the last day of 2018. It’s been quite a year. I retired from my day job of 26 years and went full-time as a writer. My little girl is in her second year of university and works at a bank. My son is growing up and I can’t quite understand where the time went.As I sit here, I’m thinking about the future. I’m worried the future will be too short.
Meanwhile, the world is in chaos.
The US government is shut down and a lot of folks don’t seem to care how all those federal employees will pay their mortgages. FBI agents and prosecutors are out of work but that’s not a threat to safety and security? Are we in the Upside Down?
Real talk: Donald Trump is a lying racist given to tantrums and still evangelicals support him. His charities diverted funds away from children with cancer and veterans in need. His kids aren’t even allowed to be on the board of a charity in New York State anymore. Trump has a long history of cheating contractors yet his base still say he’s for “the working man.” Well, he’s for them more than he is for women, I guess. He can’t stop insulting women, particularly if they’re women of color. Don’t normalize it. Keep being surprised. Keep being outraged.
I follow US politics somewhat obsessively and, let’s not put any sparkles on the facts: it’s a shit show. Any administration where you know the names of so many department heads is clearly messed up. I know who Betsy DeVos is. I’m Canadian. I shouldn’t know that. And the more I know, the more I worry for my many American friends (and the world.)
Children were put in cages with no care and no plan as to how to reunite them with their families. Radioactive waste? No big deal, put it anywhere. Dismantle the EPA. Oh, and we’re cool with killing journalists, just don’t interfere with arms deals, please. That would be rude.
The MeToo movement is still in its infancy. Sure, a few bad dudes had their careers ruined but most of them were rich, are still rich and, mostly, they’ll be back soon. This isn’t a triumph for women everywhere. So far, it’s a blip. Get a woman in the White House who is held to the same standards as a man and maybe I’ll believe progress is being made.
The war on minorities continues to ramp up and expand its goals. Since 2001 we’re supposed to hate all Muslims. Blacks are scary and what about those hordes of Latinos? All that manufactured fear is great for the incarceration industry. Prisons have more slave labor.
Cops almost always get away with shooting unarmed black men. For people who take on a tough job, there are far too many police officers who spook too easily. Between abuse of authority, lack of accountability, and civil asset forfeiture we should all fear out-of-control law enforcement. Black lives don’t matter yet and no, imbeciles, asking not to be shot doesn’t make BLM a terrorist organization. Kneeling is an outrage but state-sanctioned murder is fine? We need a U-turn on this madness.
I listened to an interview with Ta Nehisi Coates recently. He made a point that shook me awake. When reporters interview Trump supporters and ask if their faith is shaken yet, the answer is usually, “No, this is fine. He’s a great president!” The reporters always express shock but the premise is messed up. Those journalists (and the rest of us) are actually underestimating the intelligence of Trump loyalists. They knew what he was. They don’t care. He’s doing what they want.
They lack empathy so they don’t give a shit about his lack of moral character, his cowardice, poor impulse control or his lack of mental capacity. They want that wall between themselves and reality. When you’re drowning, I guess it feels good to push someone else under. We’ve seen this before. When the myth of austerity spreads, economies sour and income gaps deepen. Fertile soil for the seeds of fascism and othering. And the oppressors will claim they are oppressed.
Tonight, the ball will drop in NYC. The event will also be in honor of press freedom. You know, those “enemy of the people” folks who are generally trying to keep the public informed about how messed up things have become. Fascism and the politics of fear is back in fashion and doing quite well despite our previous attempts to stomp it out.
It’s not all bad news.
The NRA’s leadership, cozy with a Russian spy, funneled money from the Russians. The NRA is going bankrupt so maybe there will be a little less scaremongering in the future. Everybody still has their guns so don’t panic. By the way, how is that bankruptcy even possible? What massive mismanagement of dough occurred? They don’t have a huge surplus cushion of cash from the Obama years when they scared gun owners into thinking their guns would be taken away? Inconceivable.
The Democratic party is roaring back. I’m reserving judgment on that. They have a history of being spineless and their leaders talk way too much about compromise. I have no interest in compromise with people who profess hatred and racism. What’s the plan? Compromise and meet fascists halfway in the spirit of bipartisanship? Let’s not.
There is hope for a better planet. Elizbeth Warren just announced she’s running for POTUS. AOC is stirring things up even before taking her oath of office. Progressivism is on the upswing if the neo-liberals don’t strangle it in the crib. To succeed, they need to offer something voters are concerned about: consumer protection, less status quo, less incrementalism, boldness, truth.
The greatest challenge ahead.
We’ve lost time with Trump. Neither he nor his party care about the dangers of climate change. It’s still a debate for them despite findings from most of the relevant scientists on Earth (including research sponsored by the Koch brothers and policy from the Pentagon). I used to be a friend with a climate change denier. I don’t have time for that shit anymore. None of us have that kind of time. We have to turn this around fast and hard or my kids and your kids are screwed.
Climate change is already here. It’s not theoretical. Unfortunately, Liberals lose arguments because they believe in nuance. They say, “Well, we can’t actually say this particular storm/firestorm/tornado/flood is because of climate change but…” That’s all the opening deniers need to say, “I guess it needs more study. Do nothing. We can’t worry about the climate until Wall Street is literally underwater.”
Climate change has and/or will cause famine, floods, fires, droughts, food shortages, mass migration, destruction, increase terrorism and war. I wonder how the deniers think that’s going to be good for business.
What about solutions?
Solar and wind, not coal. More people work at J.C. Penney than work in the coal industry.
Eliminate your debt as much as possible because when the recession hits, interest rates will rocket upward.
Activate activism: call your politicians, vote, write letters, get your friends and families to write letters, protest, show up at politicians’ offices. Bring others to the polls. Given the opportunity, Republicans will rig and steal an election. That’s not a conspiracy theory. We’ve already seen the evidence. When it comes to gerrymandering and voter suppression, Republicans are the champs.
Immigration is not an invasion. It is a humanitarian crisis. Anyone screaming about the dangers of “open borders” is trying to con you.
“Thoughts and prayers” do not equal solutions.
Voter suppression and social media manipulation is a concern. Voter fraud is a statistical nothing.
Misinformation mixed with fake outrage is not a patriotic act that helps anyone. Fair reporting doesn’t mean reporting both sides. Fair reporting requires telling the truth. Check facts, spread facts. Not all reporters commit these offenses equally.
Networks: fact check politicans and their mouthpieces in real time. yes, even during debates. Especially during debates. You’ve got 24-hour schedules. You have the time and resources. (Also, there is no reason to allow Anne Coulter, Bill Crystal or Tomi Lahren as guests to balance out the facts. Those are not people who talk truth.)
FOX viewers: remember when Sean Hannity assured you Mitt Romney would win? Remember how angry you were that you’d been lied to? Reconnect with that. The bullshit didn’t stop because you forgave FOX. They doubled down because you forgave them.
Reduce, reuse and recycle but don’t fall for that crap that the individual can reverse climate change. 100 companies are responsible for more climate change than all the individuals on Earth. Go ahead, live your life and take that vacation on a jet if you can. See Fiji before it’s underwater. You get to participate in life before it becomes a socialist utopia. Don’t put up with scolds who don’t really give a shit about the future. They’ll say you’re a terrible hypocrite if you fly, drive or own a phone. They don’t really care. That’s a distraction from the real issue: the systemic dismantling of the infrastructure that allows for a safe future for everyone on the planet.
Politicians get their policies from people, not the other way around. Let them hear your suggestions. Make them pay the price at the polls if they don’t listen.
Our duty is to the truth and to the betterment of humankind. That is how we bring honor to ourselves. We do not swear oaths of loyalty to a politician. Country over party. People over countries. World future over failing industrial agendas set by robber barons.
Liberals, stop trying to make your racist uncle see the light. He’s a lost cause. Let it go. To save the planet, focus on bringing in liberals who don’t already vote. Inspire them by insisting on leadership that will inspire and protect them.
Late stage capitalism is a war on the poor. If you can help it, don’t use your credit card. Pool resources, create and work together. Give if and where you can to help others, especially in areas where the government will not step in to protect and help its people.
Don’t accept stigmas. If you are ill, that doesn’t mean you are weak or a failure. If you are poor, it could very well be because the system is designed to serve people who are perpetually at the top. There are opportunities out there when we band together. Rugged individualism is so close to a myth, it’s stupid. Nobody makes it on their own.
The problem is not that you enjoy a cappuccino. The problem is that you aren’t paid enough. 100 million Americans are poor or live in “near-poverty” and can’t deal with a $400 surprise expense without going into debt. When you’re hired at Walmart (one of the most successful corporations on Earth) you fill out forms to receive government assistance. But it’s not you who are on welfare. Walmart is getting the benefit of government assistance.
Don’t fall for typical financial commentary from hacks. It’s out of touch. Stocks are not the measure of the healthy economy. Most people can’t afford that gamble. A healthy society takes care of those who cannot work, houses the homeless, and provides healthcare and hope for the future. Many will tell you that’s an impossible dream. I guess they’ve never been to most First World nations where these measures are taken as a given in a responsible society.
Smart folks know that paying people a living wage allows them to participate in the economy. Conscious people understand that the child you educate today could be your future internist, nurse or the urologist that saves your life.
You’re probably working plenty hard enough already. I don’t know anyone who is slacking. Working three jobs and still worrying about the bills is no one’s dreams of success. Stop beating yourself to death. That’s what someone else wants for you. That someone is not your friend.
Refuse to be afraid of the word socialism. Alarmists point to the tragedy of Venezuela, somehow forgetting all the other socialist success stories. And surprise, you’re probably living in a socialist success story to some degree already. Do you enjoy police protection? Do you like the military, firefighters and roads? Congratulations, you’re already a socialist. Socialism does not equal communism and there is no such thing as a purely capitalist society. Communism fell with the Berlin Wall but capitalists, don’t gloat. Capitalism failed in 2008, remember? The banks were bailed out and Wall Street laughed at the taxpayers who saved them.
Don’t accept toxic people in your life. What’s the point? It will only add to your stress. Markets are fragmented already anyway. Don’t be afraid to alienate people who wouldn’t like you. Haven’t you noticed that the people who carry the banners for the right-wing all sound like assholes you wouldn’t want to hang out with? The cool people aren’t on that side of the fence. Cool people don’t want to put a fence around you.
Tucker Carlson espouses racist propaganda and pretends he doesn’t know it. Companies that advertise on his show need to know that’s not okay. Buy your stuff from someone else. Tell the advertisers why you aren’t buying their product anymore. Denying haters their funding works.
Know that you are not alone. If you take politics out of it, most people want left-of-center programs. They’re for taking care of the poor, the disabled and the elderly. They want medical care and they don’t think anyone should go bankrupt because of huge medical bills. They don’t want war. They want children to be educated and safe. It’s only when you call it Obamacare instead of the ACA that the answers swing right-wing.
Come from a place of love. That doesn’t mean you can’t speak out or fight back. Please do spend your energy where it counts, though. Twitter is rarely a useful outlet. Trolls and bots have all the time in the world. The world doesn’t have that kind of time. Neither do we.
To save the planet we need strong voices and strong leaders. Lose your fear. Stop apologizing so much. There is a time, a place and useful energy in righteous anger. Use that power where appropriate.
Those are the suggestions off the top of my head. I’m sure there are many more.
Also, know that it’s not all on you. All the responsibility does not fall on the shoulders of the United States, either. However, as the self-proclaimed leader of the free world led by the most powerful politician, it is not acceptable to wait for everyone else to do the right thing before we do the right thing. They used to criticize Obama for leading from behind (and on several issues he certainly did.) We’re supposed to be getting better with time. Let’s do that.
A warning
Success is not guaranteed. It is frustrating to listen to people say they can’t do anything about climate change. It is especially galling to hear that from people who are sure they can solve Middle East conflicts or make the embargo of Cuba work if they just give it a little more time. Obstructionists and denialists assure us climate change is unsolvable but let’s keep that war on drugs going, shall we? Fuck. All. That.
I wrote a little anthology called All Empires Fall. I wasn’t kidding. So hear it again: success is not guaranteed. I’ve written a bunch of novels about the end of the world. Those dangers are not confined to fiction. If it isn’t climate change, plague could do immense damage. Nuclear weapons could do us in. Right now, I’m hoping we get a chance to deal with the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Chances are we won’t last long enough to face that scenario.
This ship is sinking and not enough of you fuckers are bailing.
Plenty of species have gone extinct. If we don’t change our ways, our end will be the first extinction by suicide.
And with that, this rant ends. Happy New Year, everybody! Buckle up for 2019. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Proceed with love and fury.
Since Dec. 21, Bird Box has been viewed by over 45 million Netflix accounts (as I write this). Judging by some of the reviews I expected a movie with more gore. Perhaps because of that expectation, I was pleasantly surprised by how suspenseful it was. I also don’t expect to see a lot more properties like it anytime soon.
They did several things right with Bird Box. The key to a great monster movie is not to show the monster until you absolutely have to. They hit that target better than any horror movie I can recall. Also, the acting is great. John Malkovich and Sandra Bullock are only two actors but they make up a dozen reasons the movie did well. Though I predicted how the story would end, I thought it ended well enough.
The movie had some of the creepiness and imagination I enjoyed in last year’s Annihilation. However, don’t expect Bird Box to kick off a powerful uptick in apocalyptic movies. Unforgiven is a great movie, too, but it did not herald the return of a bunch of Westerns.
Bird Box was fun and profitable, but it’s a blip. Don’t expect another huge franchise to emerge from it. Here’s why:
The apocalyptic genre is in trouble
Bird Box is a successful movie, certainly. (Good on you, Netflix!) I could easily see this being made into an ongoing series like The Walking Dead. Unfortunately, that would probably beat the idea to death. There’s a trend afoot: people might enjoy a taste of horror like Bird Box or The Haunting of Hill House or Stranger Things. However, they don’t want too much of it.
In recent months I’ve been made aware that the appetite for apocalyptic stories is dwindling. A fellow author who has been very successful in this genre is going back to the day job. I have several apocalyptic/dystopian epics* and I’ve seen sales decay over the past year. This Plague of Days is my most successful series but most of my IPs are taking me on a wander outside the apocalyptic genre as I hunt for my next hit.
Why is this happening?
The wax and wane of trends in consumer tastes has always been opaque to me but I think I’m beginning to get it. There are several possibilities why this is happening to apocalyptic narratives now. Here are a few:
Most books in the genre are too repetitive. I’ve noticed that even among the positive reviews of This Plague of Days, some reviewers mention that they love it because it defies expectations of the genre. The tropes are there but it’s not the same story over and over (I’m looking at you, Walking Dead.) Readers get tired of a steady diet of the same thing, even if they liked the taste in the beginning.
Speaking of The Walking Dead, times are tough and, until recently, TWD didn’t offer much hope. The relentlessly grim and humorless tone is probably why viewership of the series has lessened. Times are tough right now and a real climate change apocalypse is here and/or coming (depending on where you live). With all the bad news, people want something to cheer them up or allow them to forget real-world dangers. Instead of confirming their suspicions that most of humanity sucks and deserves a grisly fate, readers want a different kind of escapism.
Zombie and apocalyptic horror don’t necessarily have a huge fan base. It’s historically a vocal and devoted following but it’s not as big as we might hope. If it were as big as I’d like, there’d be as many zompoc movies as there are mystery/suspense movies with titles with “Girl” in the title. (Note: Those aren’t girls. They’re women. Catch up!)
The popularity of genres has always waxed and waned naturally and it goes in cycles. Some of those cycles are long and others are short. There’s even a strange hypothesis out there that zombie and vampire stories are more or less popular depending on whether the Republicans or the Democrats control the US government. Hardboiled, as a genre, hit its peak with Mickey Spillane. Elmore Leonard kept the coma patient on life support with Chili Palmer. Westerns used to be huge but they really haven’t recovered from John Wayne’s death. In my lifetime, the vampire genre has been declared dead repeatedly. That alarm is always false. Vampires always come back. That might be the next trend. I’m counting on it, actually. I have a big vampire book in the works.
If you’re a zombie fan, what can you do?
Give fuel to what you love. If you dig apocalyptic fiction, keep on buying it, reviewing it and tell your friends. The fanbase for any genre never completely goes away but if you want more of what you love, you have to double down and support your love.
Give new writers a chance and if they delight you, please do spread the word.
If you’re a creator, be excellent and also dare to be a little different. The joke in the horror writing community is that there are no horror writers anymore. They’re all called science fiction writers now. Consider crossing and mixing genres to find new readers. (For instance, the engine that fuels my latest zombie apocalypse (AFTER Life) is nanotechnology. So yes, it’s a sci-fi zombie trilogy.
What’s next?
That’s kind of the point: No one really knows. As my writing idol, William Goldman famously said, “Nobody knows anything…… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.”
But what’s my educated guess?
My next book that is apocalypse-adjacent will be a big stand-alone book about a vampire cult. Meanwhile, I have two crime thrillers coming out in the next month. (Watch for The Night Man, releasing next week!)
I know there are writers trying to find underserved markets in which they enjoy writing. When writer Chris Fox wrote Writing to Market, he enthused about the need for more stories that take place in space. He is successful writing his own books that way. Using his research methods, he determined a niche where readers had a big appetite but not enough books.
Rather than follow his advice and do research to find their own unique niche, a lot of writers only sort of followed Chris’s advice. They wrote a ton of books in the genre that was his example. Boom! Space marines and covers featuring spaceship ass everywhere!
Some writers dream of making a big play and doing something new, forging ahead and breaking trail. They point to JK Rowling’s astonishing success with the Harry Potter books. It is indeed an amazing series. The next few years after Rowling hit it big, tons of knock-offs appeared that tried to follow the magic kid trend. Many mimics, but no duplicates. I actually have no objection to that. All those hungry Harry Potter fans naturally found something more to feed their new addiction to apprentice sorcerers. Nothing wrong with that as long as the attempt is not cynical. There is still joy and profit in smaller niches if those readers can be reached, their brains tickled and their hearts touched.
As for me, I have a lot of books in my editorial pipeline at Ex Parte Press. Are they written to market? I can only say that they are what I want to write. Will any of them hit big? No one knows and the market will decide. Hitting singles is much more common than hitting home runs, but I’m at bat and I take a lot of swings. This is not a three-strikes-and-you’re-out situation. This is a keep-swinging-for-the-fences situation.
Is this the end of the Apocalypse? I don’t think so but I’m not betting as big on it as I did in 2012. I don’t know where all the zombie readers went and what they’re enjoying as I write this. However, books are forever. Genres do come and go but they never fade away entirely. These are lean times for the genre but we’ll still be here when a wider readership decides their new tastes have become old and stale. We’ll be here when they’re ready to come back. In the meantime, we write and write and write.
*I’m Robert Chazz Chute, suspense writer and maker of fine salmon sandwiches. My apocalyptic epics are This Plague of Days, Robot Planet, The Dimension War Series and AFTER Life. You can find all my books through the affiliate links to the right or click here for the universal book link. Thanks for reading and please do subscribe to my newsletter for more.
We’re home safe after many miles on the road. It wasn’t easy and the trip got pretty stressful. In Toronto, the check engine light came on, the heater died, and warning lights in the dash lit up: cruise control flashed, the slipping icon came on, and most worrying, the low coolant signal beamed emergency red.
My first thought was not: Shit, how much is this going to cost me? My first thought was: We’re still 2.5 hours from home on Christmas night at 10 p.m.
We stopped at a gas station, consulted the manual and bought coolant. The reserve was low but it was difficult to determine if there was a leak. Generally, I consider anything that goes on under the hood none of my business. Could be machinery that makes it go, could be squirrels spinning little wheels. Was it safe to get on the 401 at night?
Standing there trying to assess our next move, a knowledgeable fellow stopped and asked if he could help. Delroy knew what to do to assess the problem. The heat came back on (thank God) as he inspected our hoses and thought it through. He assured us that we’d probably be fine and the car should get us all the way home. The coolant did not appear to be leaking (or at least not fast enough to be a worry.) The instrument panel was still lit with warnings but with the heat on and the coolant light extinguished, it looked like we wouldn’t be marooned by the side of the road.
He probably spent 15 minutes with us as the engine ran, just to be sure. All I had on me was $10. Delroy wouldn’t take it. “This is what I do. I help people on the road with their cars,” he said. We thanked him profusely but before we got back on the road, he stopped us. “If you run into trouble on the road, call me. I’ll drive you all the way to London, no problem.” He gave us his number and waved goodbye.
Folks, I often write some pretty dark and edgy stuff. I often have a dim view of humanity and our collective future. Despite all that, I want to assure you that the Earth needs some coolant, too, but it is worth saving. Delroy lives here. Not everyone is a monster. Some even go above and beyond and are extraordinarily kind.
It’s past midnight. I’ll send Delroy a text tomorrow to thank him again and to let him know we made it home safe.
Now that we’re all home safe I am worried: Shit, how much is this going to cost me? However, I feel a little better knowing guys like Delroy are out there helping out where they can.
~ This post recently appeared in my private Facebook group for fans of my work. I often share snippets from works in progress and members of the Inner Circle get the first heads up about new stuff coming out. To join us, click Fans of Robert Chazz Chute here.
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