Richard Schiver

Tag: stephen king

  • Embracing One-Star Reviews: A Writer’s Perspective

    Embracing One-Star Reviews: A Writer’s Perspective

    My apologies, I got so caught up in yesterday’s football games I failed to write today’s post. So I’m dredging up this old post from the stone ages of self-publishing and touching it up a bit for today’s audience.

    It was bound to happen eventually. It happens to every writer who puts themselves out there.  No one is immune.  Not even F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose novel, The Great Gatsby, has received a total of 162 one-star reviews. Stephen King is known the world over as a writer worth reading. Yet his novel, The Stand, considered by some to be one of the best post apocalyptic stories ever written, has gotten 245 one-star reviews. 

    Every writer gets them. Everyone. And I’m no different. I’ve gotten several on some of my earlier works, as well as my more recent works.

    Does it bother me? Not in the least, and I only mention it to make a point. If one wishes to be a writer, singer, painter, dancer, actor, or anyone who puts themselves out in the public eye, you need a thick skin. Because not everyone is going to like your latest masterpiece.

    But I as a writer do take one thing from these one-star reviews. The reviewer, for all their loathing, did finish the story. Even though they didn’t like it, they admitted to reading to the end.

    How a writer responds to a one star, or a bad review, can become the stuff of legend in this day of instant communication coupled with the anonymity of the Internet.

    I’m personally aware of a writer who used sock puppets to attack anyone who dared impinge upon the quality of his work. I discovered this when the author in question reviewed my work in a couple of different places. In one place he posted the review under his sock puppet, while in another place he posted the exact same review, word for word, under his real name. I guess he wasn’t really paying attention that day.

    Upon closer examination I discovered that the writer had reviewed his own work in addition to attacking anyone who dared give his work less than four stars. In case you’re wondering his work was self-published.

    Overreacting to bad reviews is not restricted to those who self-publish.

    Anne Rice is well known for her Vampire Chronicles that have sold millions of books worldwide. When Blood Canticle was released many of the readers who had been waiting for the book were less than thrilled and responded with negative reviews. At the time of the writing of this original post there were 109 one-star reviews out of a total of 406 reviews on Amazon. Anne’s response was not nice. I’m not going to share any links here but if you do a search you can find out everything that happened.

    While researching this post I discovered that self-published authors are more inclined to get into a fight with reviewers than those who have followed the traditional route. Sadly, this leads many people to frown on self-publishing. And reviewers may refuse to review self published works for fear of being confronted.

    I’m no expert but I personally believe it may be because those who have followed the traditional route have endured rejection by editors in the past, yet continued to submit, thereby thickening their skin, and preparing them for bad reviews. With some exceptions.

    While those who self-publish may not have experienced rejection until they are reviewed by the public who are known to not pull any punches when it comes to letting others know how they feel about a product they’ve paid for. Does this mean I frown on self-publishing? Absolutely not. Back when this post was written self-publishing carried a stigma that was slowly being erased. I’m just making an observation from my time in writing and publishing. I’ve been writing off and on since the early 90’s. A computer failure in 2001 wiped out ten years of hard work and put me off from writing for some time, but I’m back and going after it as hard as time and money will allow.

    I’ve self-published in the past and will continue to do so. Anymore it seems like the smartest route for most people. Yet I still submit to those publishers open to submissions, and I did get one of my works published by Severed Press that has since reverted back to me.

    As a writer, how does a negative review make you feel?

    If the book or story you read was bad, do you post a negative review?

    If not, why?

  • Upon The Shoulders of Giants

    Upon The Shoulders of Giants

    I’ve heard new writers complain that there are no more good story ideas out there. That everything that could be, has already been done. I wholeheartedly disagree with this. While there are only seven central archetypal narratives that form the basis of every story ever told, each writer brings their own unique perspective of the world to work at hand.

    The seven narratives are: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.

    When we retell a particular story we are in essence as writers, standing upon the shoulders of giants. We are taking existing ideas and retelling them from our own unique perspective.

    The most successful authors of our time understand this and use it to their advantage. To cite just a few.

    Stephen King’s novel Fairy Tale features many familiar fairy tale elements including a royal family, a cursed princess, and a monstrous guardian. Typical for his work he leans into the darker, more gruesome nature of the Brother’s Grimm originals. With references to Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood.

    Stephen King’s Dark Tower series took its inspiration from Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Arthurian legend, and spaghetti Western films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  He envisioned the Gunslinger as the man with no name featured in many of Sergio Leone’s westerns.

    Dean Koontz  is currently tackling the Frankenstein story with Prodigal Son book 1 of his Frankenstein series.

    I’ve heard of a rumored quote from Richard Matheson that contrasted the largely psychological, ambiguous atmosphere of Hill House with his own novel, which presented a haunted house where “you damned well know it’s haunted” I’ve been unsuccessful in tracking down the quote though I’ll leave it at that.

    Each of these writers stood upon the shoulders of giants to bring their own vision of a classic to life. The examples are endless.

    I’m currently reading Dan Franklin’s newest novel, Steel Machines. A retelling of the Golem story that has been redone multiple times. If you were to look deeper into every new story ever told, you would find it has its origins in the past and the author is in a sense standing upon the shoulders of giants.

    So, the next time you hear an author complain there’s no new plots or story ideas out there, remind them that the innovation comes not from the plot, or central idea, but in the unique way they tell a story.

    Free Book

    I’m looking or my people. Are you it? Sign up for my monthly newsletter and get your free copy of Zomething Dead This Way Comes. If you enjoy my work do nothing and every month you will receive an email containing either a free short story, or a sneak peek at a work in progress. If you don’t like my work, unsubscribe and keep the free book. This book is only available via my newsletter.

    Jimmy and his friends have come to the roof of their apartment building to watch the passage of the comet Omega9. Little do they know the dust from the comet contains ancient organisms that are about to turn their world upside down.

    They’re already dealing with tough times, but things get even crazier when Robert’s mom is attacked by his dad and turns into a zombie. This is only the first act in a chain of events that plunges the world into the zombie apocalypse. Forcing the boys to figure out how to survive in this new, terrifying reality.

    Trapped between the undead, and the evil living in the building, their future becomes more perilous until Robert makes a startling discovery in the basement. In the end it’s all about survival, friendship, and facing their fears as they fight to protect each other and their home.

    Sign Me Up!

  • Exploring Time Travel in 11/22/63 by Stephen King

    In 11/22/63, written by Stephen King, the hero of the tale, Jake, is shown a portal to the past. It’s where Al, the proprietor of the small diner where it was located, has been buying his hamburger, taking advantage of the price. Offering a much better reason for his lower prices than was generally believed by those who thought he was using stray cats and dogs. It’s here we get to the gist of the story. Al enlists Jake’s help to save President Kennedy from his assassin. Those who have read the story know what happened. I don’t want to post any spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that. If you’re wondering what happened, go grab the book, it’s worth the read.

    It’s a pretty good tale that grows into your typical King story that he is well known for. It also serves to make one wonder about alternate realities and the multiverse. Theoretical physicists have proven, via math, that alternate realities do indeed exist. Not every physicist subscribes to the theory, but it’s out there. Some believe every event, or decision, creates a new branch in the timeline.

    It’s here where things really start to get muddled. I’m sure there’s not a  limit to the number of timelines branching from each of the others, creating a swarm of timelines traveling in multitudes of directions.

    Could you imagine the headache that would cause to whoever had to keep these things straight.

    One of the first things you come up against is what triggers the timeline to branch off? Is it major events, such as the aforementioned assassination of a sitting president, or does the timeline branch based on either/or decisions? If so, is it a worldwide phenomenon, or say a collective decision? Or is it a more personal one.

    On the one hand you have a solitary timeline with other timelines branching off of it with every major event in the world. If it’s a more individual level, does the branching occur at major intersections in one’s life, or does the branching occur based on everyday decisions and changes in our routine.

    Like something as simple as forgetting to turn off a light causes you to leave the house thirty seconds later than you normally would. Now we have dual timelines for your departure where in one you arrive safely to your destination, while in the other you’re delayed by an accident, or possibly involved in one yourself.

    It starts to get really confusing when you consider all the possibilities occurring at every juncture in your life.

    The biggest question of all is what forces are at play to create the branch? Is it a mechanical process that requires extreme amounts of power, or does it use a type of power that for a lack of a better word we might call magic?

    Say these portals do exist. Are they visible? Are they permanent? Do they move? What would happen if somebody accidentally walked into one? Would that explain some of the assorted mysterious disappearances that have occurred over the years? Maybe it’s an explanation for the assorted mysterious strangers that have appeared throughout history.

    You would think these portals would have to be in remote locations to prevent major problems. Could you imagine one appearing in the middle of New York City during rush hour. That would be one hell of an excuse for missing work. Sorry I couldn’t make it in today. I fell into the stone age and couldn’t find my way back right away.

    It’s all just more fodder for the what if machine operating at the center of every writer’s mind. Of course it’s not really restricted to writers, as most people run into situations and events that prompt them to wonder, what if?

    But it’s usually the writer who takes that idea, throws a few characters into the mix, and hits the blend button. As a writer myself I’m always running into these what if moments. They fuel my fiction and inspire me to try harder.

    One such event occurred recently when my wife and I were visiting our grandson, he has two children of his own, a little boy, and a little girl. The boy is four, and his little sister is nine months old. I caught him looking at her, and the expression on his face was one of pure love. In my mind I saw them fifty years from now having to say goodbye to one another. It hit me pretty hard on the emotional level.. It’s one of those moments that will remain with me as my subconscious comes up with a vehicle to carry it properly.

    I’m sure everybody else experiences this. If you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it, put it in the comments below.

    New Update: Zomething Dead This Way Comes will be off to the editor at the end of this month. Had to find another one as my former editor is no longer taking work. It is what it is. See you next time. Be safe.  

  • Update 10/18/2022

    It’s been a while since I’ve been here. My last update was the end of May, so it’s been nearly five months since we’ve last spoken. To be honest I really don’t know what to write about in these updates aside from what I’ve been working on, and what’s been happening in my life. The biggest problem I have is I’m a private person who doesn’t like to air personal matters with others. As for updates on my writing I worry no one really cares. I could be wrong, I know.

    On the writing front I’ve been quite busy. Played around with Amazon Vella for a bit, posted a couple of short stories and an ongoing story that I eventually called complete and unpublished. The ongoing story was originally called This Way to Heaven, but the title didn’t really bring to mind the subject matter of the story.

    If you’d like to check out the two shorts they’re still available here:

    The Locked Room

    They Dance to Mother Moonlight

    This Way to Heaven is about four boys trapped in an apartment building during the opening days of the zombie apocalypse. I know original right? But there’s a little twist in the tale I’m not going to reveal, you have to read it to see what’s going on. Which you’ll get a chance once I’ve taken care of some other things.

    I re-titled the story to:  Zomething Dead This Way Comes. At it’s core it’s a coming of age story that delves into the extremes people will go to survive. Jimmy, Wayne, Todd, and Robert will be forced to grow up or die as the dead come back to life and attack the living. I’ve completed the first draft and it’s coming in at around 97,000 words. I’ll trim this to around 80k by the time It’s done.

    I know the title is a rip off of Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, it too was a coming of age story. But my book will be available as a reward for everyone who signs up for my newsletter when I get that started up again. I’m looking at the early part of next year. Each month subscribers will receive a free short story and updates on my current projects along with the occasional contest for unique swag only available to my followers.

    The biggest problem I face with my writing is I tend to compare everything I write to the writers I enjoy reading. At the top of this list of course is Stephen King, I’m a big fan of his work, but I don’t restrict myself just to his work alone. Two other writers get my money every time they release a new book. Ronald Malfi, and Greg Gifune. There are many other writers I enjoy as well. Dan Simmons, Christi Nogle, Ben Eads, just to name a few. Were I to sit down and focus on building a list I’d probably have a hundred names on it. But this post isn’t about them, it’s about me and my writing.

    As I said every time I write something I look at it and think, Would so and so do it this way? I’ve got to quit doing that and trust my own instincts about my writing. I feel like I’m good at what I do, and getting better, and I’m, confident there’s an audience out there for my work. I’m looking for my tribe, those people who enjoy the way I write. Are you one of them?

    Currently I’m working on Assimilation, book three of an alien invasion trilogy I started in 2012 with Adversary, then followed up in 2014 with Parasite. I’m about 40,000 words into the first draft and working strong towards the end, managing anywhere from 900 to 1800 words a day.

    After I finish Assimilation I will then turn my attention to my series, This Lawless Land.

    While writing book 5, Faces of Our Fathers, a new character introduced themselves and I realized they should have appeared at the beginning of the series. Work stopped on book five as I focused on this new character’s story, that is intertwined with the main characters of the series.

    There will be two other books after Faces of our Fathers. book 6 will be Lair of the Broken Queen where we will learn about what happened to Window’s mother after his birth. Book 7 is tentatively titled, Birth of a Gunslinger. The circle will close, and the trinity will be joined as the forces of evil face defeat. From this cataclysm one will emerge to embark upon a quest to bring order to this lawless land.

    Quick question, Who’s your favorite author?

  • Weekly Update 05/27/2022

    As a writer of dark fiction my thoughts tend to stray into some pretty strange territory from time to time. My wife is always complaining that sometimes I’m not really there, as my mind has wandered off following an errant thread in search of an answer, or the germ of a story idea. Most of these thoughts take on the form of a what if question. Of the notions I’ve followed with that question the most intriguing one to me is: What if the universe we live in is contained within one molecule in a drop of water. Surrounded by 1.5 sextillion molecules, each containing its own universe. A vast multiverse within a single drop of water.

    There have been multiple books written about the multiverse, of those I’ve read the best one in my opinion was Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

    Naturally we have to take this thought one step further. Where is this drop of water? In my mind it resides in a cosmic garden, a drop of dew clinging to a blade of grass, surrounded by hundreds of billions of other drops of water, each filled with multiple universes. This patch of grass lies at the base of a tree whose shadow protects the droplets of water from the sun. But the sun is moving, following its course. In a short period of cosmic time, for us that would be hundreds of trillions of years, that light will fall upon our little drop, and we will evaporate. Pretty gloomy end huh?

    Writers typically begin their careers as readers. I’m no exception, and the musing above can find its genesis in Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, book one of his Dark Tower series. Instead of a dew drop on a blade of grass, the multi-verse is contained within the molecules of the grass itself lending it a more substantive future, that is until a cosmic gardener comes along to cut the grass.

    Everyone who writes knows there is really nothing new under the sun. It’s all been done before it’s been said. The only unique thing we bring is our own view of the world and our own voice.

    Work continues on This Way to Heaven.  

    Word count update.

    Beginning total : 64,575

    Written this week: 4,668  It was actually more but I tend to edit while I write.

    New total: 69,243

    Work continues on this as well as the two shorts I’ve been focusing on.

    Here’s a little taste of Nobody’s

    Excerpt

    Another dark alley opened before me, and I hurried through the gloom, ignoring the things in my peripheral vision. I believe they were human, as least I hoped they were. At the far end of the alley a car pulled up and Velma slipped into the passenger’s seat. She looked back at me, her mouth forming an oh of surprise, then she was gone as the car sped away.

    The alley spilled out onto forty second street where life continued at its hectic pace. I was trapped between my desire to learn what happened to Velma, and a moment of time that was slowly drifting from the consciousness of those all around me.

    Sure, they remembered where they were the moment it happened, but that moment had taken a back seat to life’s nature to move on, a feat I seemed unable to perform. When I returned home that day I realized the events I’d witnessed had changed me. I no longer felt the same desires as before. In their place a hollowness had opened. It was like I was no longer a part of the living organism that was society as a whole. I was an outsider, destined to spend my life looking in at what would have been my life if I could only bring myself to accept what happened and move on.

    How many others were out there like me? Survivors for whom a simple stroke of fate saved their lives when everyone else they knew perished. Office workers who woke up with a head cold, a hangover, or simply a desire to play hooky that day. A janitor who missed his mid-town connection only to arrive as the cries of a city under attack overwhelmed the usual bustle of everyday life. We were survivors in a sense. If I had not been dwelling on the events of the day before I might have gotten a good night’s sleep and arrived in time to take my place on the stage in destiny’s ongoing play. If the janitor left a couple of minute earlier instead of grabbing that extra slice to toast, or a last kiss from his wife, they might have shown up when they were supposed to and died as destiny demanded.

    End Excerpt

    That’s all I have for this week. If you like what you’ve read and want updates when I post I’d appreciate it if you hit the like and follow button for this post and my blog. I’ll soon be giving a free short story away every month for everyone who signs up for my newsletter. I’ll share more details when they’re available.

    What book or short story have you recently read that really stuck with you? Let me know in the comments.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Have you read All Roads Lead to Terror?

    Click on the cover image to order.

    In a chaotic, post-apocalyptic world, an endless night is closing in, and only the strong will survive. In the midst of the turmoil, fourteen-year-old Meat, and his three closest friends, embark on a mission to rescue kidnapped children from the compound enslaving them.

    Battling their way through treacherous terrain and immeasurable odds, the boys must learn to lean on each other if they hope to survive. Little do they know fate has far greater plans for them. For they represent the trinity, a symbol older than time itself, that keeps the darkness at bay.

    They are three, bound by a fourth, destined to save mankind.

    With time running out, and the cloak of eternal night descending, can the boys find a way to turn the tables on evil?

    Or will they be the next to join the growing legion of the dead?

    Grab your copy of All Roads Led to Terror today!

    Amazon