Sleeping Beauty and Simplicity

I went to the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles to watch Sleeping Beauty. It was nice watching a Disney classic on the big screen, and it really has a charm that I do not see in much media today. Maleficent is of course just an iconic character and villain in all media from her design to behavior. The story, in my opinion, is basic but done well and creatively. I can appreciate things like the art, colors and backgrounds much more now as an adult.

I subscribe to the idea of keeping it simple and not over-complicating a story. Like in Sleeping Beauty, there is a protagonist, a villain and a conflict that needs to be resolved. Writing my own fantasy stories, I generally abide by that simplicity, but in a book, I can draw out the characters and conflicts much more than in a time-constrained movie. Some writers can do twists and turns quite well, but I am just unequipped to do so.

I am still learning this writing stuff, as I am pretty much self-taught. Even after years of writing The Mustard Prince, I am improving on the story and the characters. New criticism and different media bring something that I did not see before.

Complacency and Mentality

I noticed a regression in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lately. I was giving up bad positions, not really putting effort in advancing and electing to getting into stalled positions. After some contemplation, I realized that my mentality was negative, and it reflected in my performance. Part of it was due to complacency, and another part may have been coming back from injury. A strange thing happens in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu though, if I don’t exert a lot of effort, maybe because I don’t want to get too tired, I end up getting more tired. It is not as if my partner stops working just because I have. I end up working harder, not smarter.

I think that this mentality also transfers to writing as well (among just about everything else in life). If I get lazy, I’ll go on the internet or look at my phone more frequently, but the consequence is that less of the story gets created. I am stopping myself from reaching my goal quicker when my mentality, which is a part of discipline, is compromised. Now, I have to work harder, when it is smarter not to be lazy and subsequently distracted. It’s not like the internet will go away after I am done writing.

It is understandably a tough thing though to have a positive mentality at all times when it is needed. Under situations of stress and duress, it is easy to surrender even if it is not in one’s best interest to do so. I think that it just goes to show that in reaching goals, the biggest obstacle truly is yourself.

Opportunities and WrestleMania 2022

I sent The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom to a publisher even though they were not asking for any such content. My thought processing was simply that I have already faced a lot of rejection from Literary Agents, so I have nothing to lose and have learned to take rejection in stride. However, my friend told me that I am presenting them with something that they did not know that they wanted. It was simply an opportunity that I could not pass up, and I will wait and see what happens. It is a longshot, so I do not have much in terms of expectation anyways.

I also watched WWE WrestleMania Night 2 with some friends. Many did not know the current product but used to watch it in its heyday. I am admittedly a big fan of professional wrestling, and as I got older, I got more into the stories that are being presented. Now, we are not getting Tolkien or Shakespeare in the ring, but when done right, professional wrestling can provide entertaining stories. There is a good guy (the babyface) and the bad guy (the heel). There is a story that leads to a match between the two, and there is the story that is being told in the match itself. Despite not being current on the product, my friends seemed to enjoy themselves and had a good time.

That type of distraction and escape really is a basic tenet of any story. I make stories hopefully to entertain and create a vehicle to escape to a different world in my stories. If done well, the characters become “real,” and the audience feels a personal connection to those characters with a vested interest in their journeys, not unlike professional wrestling when it is done right.

Critiques and Introspection

I sent a Query Letter to a Literary Agent recently for my story, The Land of the Wooden Statues. I got a rejection saying that this story is far too short for a Young Adult audience. After thinking and meditating about it, this agent was absolutely correct. I started to analyze the story and realized that I pretty much rushed through so much of it. For example, in the story, a built up this evil and nasty place that the characters get thrown into, but I only gave it one chapter. The story does indeed move hurriedly, and it is a problem with my writing. This critique really made me analyze things, and I need to allow the story to breathe at times.

There is a connection here with the martial art that I practice, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Rushing things in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will get me swept, out of position or submitted. Pretty much, mistakes are made when one rushes things. It applies to martial arts, and it applies just as aptly to writing a story as well. With writing, rushing things will not allow the audience to really soak in and digest any big events or battles that happen in the story. Instead, it is on to the next thing.

I have learned to take criticism a lot better with my stories and learn from them. This particular criticism turned on a light bulb for me, and it has made me look at The Mustard Prince and where things need to breathe with that story. I thought that there wasn’t much else that needed to be said in The Land of the Wooden Statues, but I was wrong about that. Hopefully, after adding a few things here and there that it will be a much stronger story.

Jujutsu Kaisen Zero and Good Stories

In my last blog, I wrote about a bad movie. Today, I watched the Jujutsu Kaisen Zero anime movie, which was in my opinion a very good movie. A new character, Yuta, was introduced as the protagonist, and we got to some him grow, become stronger and more confident. There was humor, horror, action and other things that made the story very good, along with awesome animation. The villain had a particular motivation that uses that villain logic that is not totally untrue, but morally and ethically dangerous. All in all, it was just a good story in about two hours utilizing a movie platform.

One thing that I am seeing more these days is complexity in stories that I do not feel always has to be there (that and a myriad of reboots). A villain cannot just be bad or evil, and not everything has to be in some moral gray area, for example. I am finding that simplicity in telling stories has been one of the better practices as of late, with substance over style, especially when we are seeing so much style over substance. To its credit, I think that Jujutsu Kaisen Zero blended well the substance of the story and characters with the style that the series is known for.

I suppose that it is good to watch good stories and bad stories. There is a lesson in what not to do with bad stories, and obviously, a lesson in what to emulate with good stories. Understandably, this is easier said than done as what is in my mind that I put to paper seems like a good idea, but I do not know if an audience will accept it.

Bad Stories and Expectations

I just watched a Japanese movie called The Cherry Bushido. I really did not feel that it was very good and was really disjointed at times. The movie started out well enough with some interesting ideas, but by the end, it really went off the rails. It did not help that the middle of the movie just dragged on to the point where both me and the friend that I watched the movie with fell asleep during the middle of the movie. I have a higher expectation for Asian movies in general compared to movies here in the U.S. (yes, I am an international film snob), so it was a bit disappointing how bad this movie was.

It also concerns me a bit as a writer. I question if my works become available to a wider audience if they will enjoy what I write or not. This goal of being a professionally published author has always been a gamble, and I am aware of that. I can see how the middle of the movie can drag on, as for me, the middle of a story can be something of a grind to write. It’s easy to start writing a story, but the middle part has always been the most difficult because writing it can be a bit tedious at times.

While I am confident with what I write, there is something of anxiety and anticipation presenting my works to a wider audience. I am writing something that came from my own head and putting it out there with the hope to entertain and intrigue. I can only hope that people will find reading my works will be time well spent, and not something that they will fall asleep from.

Demon Slayer and Mistakes

I bought the whole Demon Slayer manga series a few months back and finally got around to reading it. I recently finished it and enjoyed it very much. I will not spoil it, but it had action, drama, tragedy, and so many other things going for it. Personally, I like what I see from the anime a little more than the manga, which is quite rare as personally, manga in general tends to be better than the anime. When I write fantasy, I tend to model my stories more on Japanese anime, manga or JRPGs. Demon Slayer has those fantasy elements that I like to write about.

I can only hope that my stories will get out there, but I cut myself off at the knees and did not realize it. When sending query letters, many literary agents will ask for the synopsis of the story and a short biography. I did not have these items, and I still submitted The Land of the Wooden Statues to different literary agents. It was admittedly an amateurish move on my part, as it is a reflection on my professionalism not having the required items. It also does not allow the literary agent to get a full grasp of the story.

The good thing is that I now have those items and am somewhat excited to send queries to literary agents. I think that I have a worthwhile fantasy story and hope that it gets accepted.

The World and Gratitude

It is difficult to see photos, videos and whatnot of what is happening in the world right now and not feel anything. Those are situations that many of us just will not experience in our lifetimes. It makes me think of what I have and the general security that we have been afforded here. I am not fearful of losing my home forcibly over here, and the thought of it happening is almost incomprehensible. We do have it much better here, and for that, I think that we should have gratitude.

I can work a full-time job and try to reach a goal of becoming a professionally published author at the same time, but many are not afforded that opportunity. Life here can be mundane, and we take that for granted, as we do not live in fear for our livelihoods. Maybe this is a lesson to appreciate the plain, the boring, the repetitive and whatnot. While many of us are looking at our phones, laptops, televisions and other modern convenience, others are in a bunker, migrating miles to escape violence or having to protect themselves.

I suppose that this is motivation to get working towards a goal, as we are afforded an opportunity to do so. I can write in peace in a home that is not in pieces, and some cannot say that.

Presidents Day and Boredom

I had a fun three-day weekend going to Chinatown in Los Angeles and seeing the Bruce Lee statue. I cosplay as Bruce Lee at conventions wearing his signature yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death. The food also was very good (even if the service is not always of the best quality), and the prices are much cheaper than anywhere here in Orange County. Overall, it was nice to go out with friends pretty the whole Sunday and do different things.

On Monday, Presidents Day, I was actually quite bored. While I did some productive things like the laundry and went to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, for the most part, I either watched anime or read manga. It is honestly a bit uncharacteristic of me to do that on my days off, as I have conditioned myself to do chores or just get things done before I ‘veg’ out. In a sense, I felt that I played “hooky” as an adult, and I have mixed feelings about it. For one, I did need a day to just be ‘bored,’ and this three-day weekend allowed that opportunity. However, it feels unfulfilling not to get something done whether it be chores, selling items online, cleaning or something else. Also, I only got a limited amount of writing done this whole weekend.

It made me think that when I get older and retire, that I will probably start gardening or take up some sort of hobby so as not to be totally bored. I can imagine that I will keep writing, as that is always fulfilling, even if it gets tedious at times. It is strange though how things can change as an adult, where time is a precious commodity worth as much as money, yet when I have it, I feel uneasy with being idle.

Attitudes and the Super Bowl LVI

This week at work was admittedly slow. I am not a fan of slow days at work because time just seems to go by slower, and I like to generally stay productive. It was tough though because I felt that I was having a bad attitude about it, not openly but discreetly. I would look online for things to do when work is slow, but nothing really seemed to click. I also did not want to just be stuck looking at websites all day during work hours while trying not to get caught.

It was hard, but I did change my attitude at least one of those slow days. I just focused on what I could do that is productive at work or outside of work. If I am unable to be very productive at work, then what could I do after work and at home to make up for that lack of productivity? Were there any long-term things that I could do at work that would eventually need to be done? There was one day where this method of thinking changed my attitude, but I could not always replicate it.

The week was just leading to the weekend, and it was the Super Bowl on Sunday. It was fun having friends over, barbecuing and just watching the game, even though I am admittedly not an ardent football fan. The L.A. Rams ended up beating the Cincinnati Bengals, and coincidentally, the way the game went changed everyone’s attitudes. The Rams were doing well early, giving off the attitude that this was going to be a one-sided game. Then, the Bengals were up, but finally the Rams ended up winning the whole thing. In the matter of a few hours, the attitudes and perspectives started out a certain way, then changed with the game, but ultimately went back to where it began.

Time and Sacrifices

Writing, along with getting older, has made me realize the sacrifices that I have had to make. The biggest thing that I have had to give up is time, but it also makes me cherish the time that I have to myself. My weekdays consist of going to work, and then after work, I will go to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class or have something with my Church group. I have to fit writing into their, and then, whatever time that I have left, I use it to relax. Weekends are usually reserved for friends, going out and errands, but I will have a few hours of free time as well.

It has gotten to the point where I am uncomfortable just sitting around watching television or going on the computer or phone without having to accomplish something first whether it be chores, writing or something else. I always think that I wasted my time in my twenties and am now making up for it. I used to play video games, but now, I do not own any next generation consoles and really have not played video games in a while. I enjoy reading books more, and I like to think that writing is just an evolution of everything that I enjoy. Instead of being an audience member of an existing story, I am now the creator or said stories.

Once I get married, and if/when I have children, the sacrifices will pile up even more. Time will be an even more valuable commodity. It is a function though of growing up and being an adult, and it has shown to have more benefits than costs.

Readjusting and Back to Grinding

With my vacation to the Philippines over and now engaged to be married, I had to readjust to normal life. That means going back to work, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Church and of course, writing regularly. I was relatively consistent with my writing even on vacation, but now, I feel much more compelled to write and edit to get my works finished faster. I also feel that I should send query letters to Literary Agents at a more frequent clip.

It was not too difficult getting back to my usual routine with wedding plans and whatnot added to my days. My cardio and stamina for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu took a big hit, and I must get back to regularly exercising again. I have also decided to eat just a little better by not eating fast food on weekdays with cheat days on the weekends. Small adjustments need to be made after having a big event like an engagement happen and a marriage coming up.

As far as writing goes, not too much has changed except for added motivation. I read two books during the vacation, so it is always helpful to see how other authors write. There is also a sort of compare and contrast that I have been doing with other authors and my own writing lately. From that, there is still work to be done.

Philippines and Being Engaged

I have not written a blog for at least a month, as I was in the Philippines on vacation. The big thing that happened over there was that I got engaged. Being in the Philippines is so much different than the U.S. from the traffic, mosquito bites, places to go and operational systems. There were obviously many good things there too, especially the food and the price of many items and foods. However, it makes one grateful for what they have and what they can achieve here in the U.S.

Being engaged changes my perspective on things. I am now thinking more about my money, what I am spending on, my general health and the future. This, of course, includes writing. I am now more determined to become a professionally published author with the hope of it being my career that I can make money from. Ideally, I would be able to work from home, or anywhere that I want for that matter, while making a living, which would be beneficial for me and my future family. It makes me want to try harder to achieve this goal.

The engagement taught me that there are very few truly big moments in a person’s life. Most of our days tend to be quite mundane and routine. The big moments do not happen quite often, and a lot of times, it takes some level of effort, work sacrifice and risk taking to achieve them.

Friends and Writing

I am going to the Philippines in just a few days and will be there for two weeks. This weekend was the last weekend that I will be in the United States until next year. It was fun hanging out with friends, going out to eat, watching UFC fights and just shooting the breeze. Company really does make eating out that much better. Like many believe, I also believe that people are not meant to be solitary and are naturally inclined to want interactions with other people.

With writing characters, that experience is very useful. Interactions between character will vary, and how one will act around one character will be different with others. When I first started writing stories, I really did not understand dialogue very well and still need work in writing witty dialogue, but natural dialogue with less filler has been more prevalent with my writing.

I hope that I can maintain a writing schedule while on vacation. I would not be surprised if I missed a day or two. It is difficult for me to totally relax as it is, so I will most likely be compelled to write. It will be different though dealing with jet lag and not writing at the usual time that I write.

Asian Movies and Messaging

I finally saw a movie in the theaters after a long time. It has been a while during the pandemic that I went out to see one. The movie was called, Spiritwalker, and it is from South Korea. I enjoyed it quite a bit as it was an action movie that just tried to be an interesting, action-filled movie. It did not try to put in any type of messaging or try to be something that it wasn’t, and these days, I am fine with that. My friend and I left the theater not feeling that we wasted money or time, and we were entertained. When I originally created The Mustard Prince, I just wanted to write a fun fantasy adventure story. Any messages or themes that anyone takes from the story were not forced in there and were organic.

I feel that at times, we have gotten away from that in more modern-day stories. Messaging and just trying to reinvent the wheel and be different seem to be a mentality towards creating stories. Granted, so many stories from so many different platforms have now been created and distributed. It is difficult to be original, and I can attest to taking an idea from another story and putting my own spin on it. I believe at this point, it is near impossible to be totally original, as most ideas, themes and whatnot have been put out there. For me, it is about characters and how I execute the story.

I really hope that when people read my works that they will remember the characters. I want people to just be entertained and to experience a certain level of escapism. I do not have much desire to reinvent the wheel, as the wheel is functional, efficient and does its job well. Sometimes, stories just need to be as simple as that.

Setbacks and Comfort

At the end of this month, I am going to visit the Philippines with my family. When I bought the plane tickets, inbound travelers from the U.S. had to quarantine for three days. Because of the Omicron variant, this has been extended to five days for vaccinated travelers. I suppose that I can learn from this is that setbacks will happen unexpectedly, and it is easy to get comfortable in certain situations. Bad things can happen at any time, but it does seem as if they happen when one is most comfortable.

With writing, there are these types of setbacks. There is a similarity with writing every day that is like going to the gym. When one builds a routine and gets comfortable with the routine, then things are good. However, miss one day, and it can destroy the whole routine. It is doing something by choice, and we can find any excuse not to do it. Writing is similar. I can choose not to do it for a day or two but that can ruin the routine and discipline that I built up over time. Unless writing were my full-time job, I do not necessarily have to do it every day, but I choose to since I believe it works toward a greater reward.

While I do get comfortable with a general writing routine every day, it is uncomfortable to write every day. I could easily be sitting on the couch watching a screen every day after work. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu works in this same way, as there is a benefit to getting comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. There are eventual rewards to it as well especially from a learning perspective.

Thanksgiving 2021 and Gratitude

Thanksgiving happened, and I have a lot to be thankful and grateful for. I bought a condo in a nice area this year, my job has been steady, I have a significant other that I will see soon, and my family is doing well. I am grateful that I had a good, safe upbringing thanks to my parents, and it has allowed me to be able to pursue writing without much obstacle. I am grateful for the learning process, but I do want to say that I would be thankful when I become a professionally published author.

Having a four-day weekend was nice. I have been watching the show, Dexter, and it is a lot of fun along with watching some anime. There is a level of characterization in Dexter that I would like to emulate. Within a few episodes, I already built an emotional connection and equity to many of the characters. With my writing, I am all about the characters and making them memorable. There are many nuances but also a human element to making these characters that one would care about that I hope to convey with my own characters.

There is only one more month for the year 2021. Despite all that is happening in the world, I am personally grateful for many things that happened to me this year. I got back into sending query letters this year and bringing back this blog regularly. I hope that these are just the building blocks to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming an author. I will be thankful when that happens.

The Bible and Good Versus Evil

I have read the whole Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Reading the King James Edition of The Bible, I made it a point to read just a little a day. It is tougher to read than other versions. I have been told that all stories derive from The Bible, as it is the origin story for Good versus Evil. What I took out of reading it is that it is a story about the human condition. Reading it as an adult really put certain lessons from it in perspective.

When I first started writing stories, I created protagonists who were blank canvases. They had little personality, and my work suffered because of it. They were absent of the human condition and just went with the flow without the audience knowing how they felt or reacted to certain situations. As I got older and started to learn more about writing and stories, I made it a point to let the audience know exactly what they were feeling at any given time. It opened my stories to audiences much more.

The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom originally did not have a villain. It was just a collection of short adventures featuring The Mustard Prince and his companions. Eventually, I created a villain, Marinara, organically. He just had to be in the story, and I suppose it was to have that opposite component to The Mustard Prince, who is generally a good, earnest individual. It goes without saying, but having that polar opposite from the protagonist adds so much more to the story.

Sports and Slow Weeks

Not much of note happened to me this week. It is in these slow weeks where the mental game really comes into play as far as writing is concerned. The word “grind” really comes to mind in writing, but in just everyday life in general. I still must schedule my time and make sure that I get some amount of writing, editing or both every day.

I am not into many sports except for combat sports, and even then, I really enjoy watching mixed martial arts. There was a UFC Fight Night with the main event of Max Holloway versus Yair Rodriguez. It is amazing how life can imitate art sometimes, and sports can really encapsulate it. The stories just write themselves. Yair Rodriguez was coming off a two-year layoff and fought one of the best fights of his life against a former Champion in Max Holloway, who is still proving that he is one of the best to ever get in the cage. The fight was amazing with different skills, heart, momentum swings, and just a good story encapsulated in twenty-five minutes of fight time.

Sport in general just naturally tell good stories. I am a sucker for most sports movies like McFarland USA to Rudy, and I enjoy sports anime like Eyeshield 21 to Ace of the Diamond. Some of these are sports that I do not normally watch, but I can enjoy the same ideas of pushing past the human limits, achieving high goals, success and failure.

The Power of Stories and Escapism

I own a condo and live with a roommate. The other day, I had to “lay down the law” with my roommate, and it is not something that I am comfortable or accustomed to doing. Afterwards, I did not feel particularly good about it even though it was something that needed to be done. After everything was settled, I sat on the couch and watched some anime.

I put on the newest episode of the anime, “My Senpai is Annoying,” and it is admittedly a cute and funny anime, to me at least. It was also exactly what I needed at that time considering how I was feeling. Stories from all types of platforms can evoke different emotions and act as a form of escapism. After a serious confrontation with someone that I live with, I needed something light-hearted that could make me laugh or smile.

The hope is that my stories can do that for a wide audience. I want someone to read The Mustard Prince and experience a sort of escapism into the Condiment Kingdom. One of my other stories, The Land of the Wooden Statues, is much darker, but I want people to read it intrigued by what is going on and at times, horrified, yet will remain reading. Stories are capable of taking an audience to different places and feel different emotions, and I can only hope that I can be a professional published author with works that will do that for various people.