How I Became an Author

How I Became an Author

1. Decide what genre you want to focus on. Do you like horror? SciFi? Mystery?
2. START WRITING
3. Self-Publish. Start a blog. Publish online. Print your own or find a Print-on-Demand company such as createspace.com (I’ve been publishing with them for years now. They do fantastic work!)
4. Run yourself as a business. It’s great to be creative, but you also have to think like a business. Set a schedule like you would a job. Set aside time to write. Plan out your goals. Are you setting up a web site? Social media sites? Are you hiring artists for book covers or illustration? Graphic Designers? Printers? How are you going to handle sales and royalties? Do you want to be a sole proprietor or incorporate? In other words, also plan to the business side so you can reach your goal of publishing your work. It will also make you look more professional. Copyright your work. Here's a link to the Copyright site.
5. My planning looks something like this: I have two files I keep: One if for “Writing and Ideas” and the other is for “Publishing”.

Writing and Ideas Planning Sample:
Write for an hour every day
Research ideas and locations to better describe a location
Develop characters
Devote a weekend to writing a chapter
Have a friend read a passage to see if it flows

Publishing Planning Sample:
Research online DIY/Print-On-Demand Publishers
Find a graphic designer for book covers
Find events to promote book
Find online sites that sell PDFs of my book
Create social media site to market book
….. and so on

This will give you a better picture on how you can reach your goal, and become an actual published author.

You basically are becoming your own publishing company.

And now the fun part!: Promotion! Make it fun! Really!

I take it a little further to promote my image as an author through these steps:

1. Create a persona. Are you a Vampire writer? You don’t need to dress like Elvira but you can create a mood and look about you that people can identify with. Steampunk fiction? Dress the part!
2. Create a logo. If you are doing a series on Vampire books or SciFi books, a catchy logo will be great on stickers that you can have on hand with your web site.
3. Create a web site. It does not have to be an expensive one, but it can be your online “booth” for promoting and selling your work. Or even a blog.
4. Have photos of you as an author with your books, in costume.
5. What is a one line that you can come up with that would describe your work? For me, my “tag lines” are “A New Breed of Vicious Vampire” or, “Your Guardian Angel is now a Vicious Vampire.” What’s yours? What would you say that would catch people’s attention? Another way to do it is to write your description after the words “What if………..?”
6. Start “living” in your world. Decorate your writing space. Visit places for atmosphere. “Co-Splay” your character. People are visual. Create an audience for yourself and your work.
7. Don’t be afraid to promote and market your work through web sites, business cards or stickers, blogs, social media, instagram. If you are passionate about your work, share it.

Most Commonly Asked Question I get on Writing

A most commonly asked question I get: “I’m in the process of writing a novel, and I need someone to guide me with some tips. If I want to write it myself, do I need to outline my book? How do I put my ideas together? Or if I prefer to have someone write it for me, how do I find someone to help put the book together and edit it?”

My answer to this one: Please see my writing tips on how to put your book together. As for someone to help you write your book or help out it together, you can search online freelance sites on Google.

You can't accomplish anything if you're negative

Copyright Lia Scott Price

I've always done things my way: producing and publishing on my own. I didn't have to ask anyone's permission to do so,  and I didn't settle for the word "no". When I was born, there was no contract from anyone that I signed where I had to follow a path carved out by family, certain societal and cultural expectations, or even significant others. I've had my fair share of lessons and mistakes and frustrations, but I never gave up. I don't like to fully rely on someone to get my project done, which was one of the reasons why I learned to do everything from filming to editing to composing. (Of course, if you do work with people, make sure they are professionals who follow through. There is nothing more frustrating than having a project held up by someone on your team. On a side note, this is why I prefer to never take on partners, or work on other people's projects. I get more done, and when I hire people, I make sure they are reliable. That's just my choice.)

Besides staying true to working on my own, I made it a strong point not to listen to other people who tell me I can't do something, I can't fulfill my dreams, or that it will be too expensive to publish a book or produce a film. Of course, I listen to constructive criticism from colleagues who suggest better ways to do something, or not to do something. I listen to constructive and helpful suggestions. I don't listen to people who judge and I don't make 20 excuses on why I can't do something. If I felt passionate enough about a project, I find a way to make it happen. I only work with people who can get the job done. And if one project doesn't work out, I re-work it or find another way. I re-invent it and myself as well until I come up with what works.

I have tried to inspire and help other people as well. It's easy to come up with ideas but hard to actually make them a reality. I have told people time and again to analyze what you can do realistically, and to be prepared to adjust, improvise, and find ways on their own, to make mistakes and learn from them, to improve and to do their research. I can't magically transfer all I know into someone, and sometimes even if I could they are still skeptical about their own abilties. It just doesn't work that way. I can only share what I know and you need to do the legwork.

However, in the process, there are some things about people that I've found that I cannot help them with. One is negativity, and the other is desperation.

I don't like having to waste my breath trying encourage people who come up with 20 excuses on why they can't do something for every piece of advice I give. Constructive questioning is OK. Whiny, what-if-everything-I-do-fails is not. That is something you yourself have to work on, because no amount of advice from me or any other professional author or filmmaker is going to help. The second thing that turns me off is pure desperation, the "I'll-do-anything" kind of attitude. No, you won't do anything. This means you're not thinking clearly. Do you really think Hollywood is about giving up your entire life and even your dignity? It's not. Instead, your thinking should be "I'll do whatever it takes with research and reason and planning. I'll analyze things, approach it as a business, and see what I need to do to get it done." And I always try to avoid the "desperation" part, as in the "I'll-do-anything-to-make-it-happen, bargain-on-anything; sell-my-house, give-up-my-life-for-this-project, sign0anything-etc." That may not work either and you may lost everything in the end, and you will regret being so desperate.

Another thing I've come across with people is that they worry too much, or become too much of a perfectionist, and nitpick on every little thing. Now, keep in mind that being cautious is OK, after you've analyzed all the pros and cons and not made brash decisions without thought, of course, and it's OK to have standards so that you can make a good product, but too much perfectionism can derail a project. People worry too much if something's not good enough, not perfect enough, or become too obsessive-compulsive about a sentence, a piece of music, or the color of a DVD cover. Months, years will pass and they can never get the project done because it's not perfect yet and everyone else has either quit or moved on. A word of advice: don't be too hard on yourself, or you will never get something out there. It will stay in your head until it;s good enough, and in that case, it will never be good enough. It makes you lose focus on the main goal.

My rule is to keep it simple, get it out, and always follow through. I know people out there will say I am settling for "good enough", but the point is, I got something out there: It's produced, it's published, it's out there. I never procrastinate or out it off unless I'm waiting on an important decision or element, but I am not held back by fears of "it's not good enough". And how will you know if you never publish it? The worst that can happen is that you simply learn from your mistakes and move on, and try again. Nothing happens until you do something. You will never get anything accomplished if, to you, something is never good enough. If it doesn't work out, find something that will. It's all trial and error. It took me years to find out what is successful for me. I started out with novels and films. A graphic novel project I started failed, but I wanted to improve on that, and it led to an even better project: my current comic book series, and it is by far the most successful project I've done, but I guess in a way it would never have happened had I not failed with that one graphic novel.

Another is the people who surround them, and if they are negative, chances are, it will affect a project---badly.

I've seen a lot of reasons why people fail, or who just do not get anywhere with their projects. They get discouraged by their friends judging them, they listen to reasons why they should not et it done, they hang around "enablers", people who, for whatever reasons of their own, tell them what they do its not good enough, or that something sucks, and instead of putting their energy into the project, they put their energy into trying to please the naysayers. I make it a point to get rid of enablers and negative people in my life, but for those of you who can't, maybe it's time to think about who, or what, may be holding you back and how to best handle them.

Would you want your future and your projects controlled by naysayers, or would you want to control the direction of your own future?

So you have choices. You can decide whether or not to continue coming up with excuses on why you can't do something, or you can start making a plan and finding ways.

You can be negative, or you can stay (realistically) positive and work towards your goal. If one thing doesn't work, find another way.

You can keep worrying about what others will say, or you can ignore them and seek more positive advice and encouragement.

I can't begin to count how many people I know who have given up or who are simply stuck because of these reasons.

Just remember that nothing happens unless you work towards it.

My General Writing and Publishing Advice and Tips

Here’s a compilation of some of my advice:

1. Think Outside the Box: I know it's a cliche, but when I heard that phrase today, I don't think I would have become a self-publisher or independent film producer without it. I remember agonizing about how I would ever get to publish a book. So I sat down one night and just searched the Internet, looking for ways to get published. I found other DIY ways such as online publishers. In filmmaking, I researched what was needed to make a film--cameras, actors, etc, and did it myself. In short, I thought outside the box. What was needed? How do I get it done? it's like building or cooking something--what are the materials or ingredients you need? Can you improvise? What can you use?  Start thinking beyond the ordinary, beyond the unconventional. Imagine. Create. Don't limit your mind. So go ahead--start thinking. Get out of the box, don't get stuck in it. :-) Think outside the box---even if you're actually, um, in the box, as in the case with horror. :)

2. Allow Your Mind Wander. Don't Try to Think Too Hard or Force the Ideas: I get my best ideas when I'm in the shower, doing laundry, or washing dishes or doing simple chores.

3. Frugal Self-Publishing and Marketing: A Simplified List
How I accomplished publishing my novels:
1. Go online and check out self-publishing sites such as createspace.com and iuniverse.com.
2. Write your own bio and book descriptions. Check out other author bios and book descriptions online and get some ideas.
3. Design your own book cover, or find an affordable artist, such as art students, or talented friends.
4. Marketing: Use social networking sites. Create online “flyers” with book or project images and web site URL
5. Create a web page for your work.
6. Create a blog for your book.
7. Determine what your niche market is and what your book genre is. Research web sites that you can submit your book to for review.
8. Go online and research press release formats. Learn to write your own. It's basically who, what, why, when, where, and how. Submit your press release to web sites.
9. Learn to create your own online flyers to market the book. Use email to promote your work.
10. Contact libraries or bookstores to set up book signings. Market the event on social networking sites. Be persistent, and learn to toot your own horn. You are your own best publisher and publicist!

4. Staying Focused
Someone asked me recently how I stay focused on one story idea, especially if you have a lot of ideas for a lot of stories. How do you sort them all out? First, I have my "jigsaw puzzle" method that I often talk about. You take folders and notepads. You label each folder with the title of the idea for your story. Example:
a. Mafia Crime Story, 19--s
(Title, if any)
b. Romance Novel (17th Century Love Triangle)
(Title, if any)
c. ScifFi Novel, 1950s (Time Traveler)
(Title, if any)
And so on. Then pick an idea that interests you the most for that day, week, or month. Make a timeline for working on that project. For instance, you plan to work on the SciFi novel for 6 months, and the romance novel for a year because it may require more historical research.
a. Romance Novel (17th Century Love Triangle)
(Title, if any)
b. ScifFi Novel, 1950s (Time Traveler)
(Title, if any)
And so on. Then pick an idea that interests you the most for that day, week, or month. Make a timeline for working on that project. For instance, you plan to work on the SciFi novel for 6 months, and the romance novel for a year because it may require more historical research. Then, get out your notepads. You may have several separate notepads or notebooks for each idea, each corresponding to the folder. Schedule a time each day to jot down notes for each story: outlines, thoughts, plans etc. Don't worry about putting them together. You can lay the notepads or notebooks all out on a desk so that if you happen to be, say, washing the dishes, and you have a thought about one of those projects, you can go over to the desk and quickly jot it down. (after you dry your hands, of course!) This method made me feel more organized and focused when I wrote three books in the same year, all completely different from each other. Think of it this way: if you happen to cook, you file away recipes by dish: Chicken dishes, dessert, and pasta. Each recipe has a title and ingredients. Simply think of your folders as the filing system for those ingredients. You will put them all together later. In terms of priority, say you have a scifi or crime novel, and a romance novel, and you don't know which one to start with first. Think of whether the Halloween season is approaching. If it's February, you may want to start work on the crime or the scifi novel so you have something to announce for Halloween. if the novel is, say, an anniversary gift for your loving spouse, then that's the one you can start on. it depends on how strong your interest is on each subject and maybe the purpose and timing of it. Schedule our writing like you would a job or a chore. You can schedule anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour a day. it's up to you, but treat it like an important, but fun and fulfilling, task.

5. Keep it Simple: I often find myself overwhelmed because I have too many ideas and too many projects I want to accomplish. What helps me is simplifying, and narrowing down what each idea really is about. How would I describe the idea to someone in less than a minute? And if I were to write the story down on paper, how would I describe it? Would I tell the story the way someone would clearly understand it? Simplify. Summarize. Simplifying a project helps me make better decisions, especially financial ones. Sure I want a big flashy web site, and I'll write down all sorts of ideas and goals, but then I'll narrow it down to what I can afford both in time and financially. I can link videos. I can make my own graphics. I can design the site in a way that it's simple to update. If I'm short on time, I'll break my films up into "mini-films". Or mini-stories. Again, an example of simplifying. My stories and films are now more to the point.  I also run myself as a business, in addition to the creative work. It seems complicated, but it's actually a simple concept. I make time for my projects and treat them as i would a job. That way, I know that "work" time is for projects and I can break it up into simple schedules and time management. Can I consolidate errands? Can I schedule the more urgent things sooner and schedule other tasks later in the week, or month? That way, I get stuff done little by little, and I feel more accomplished.

6. Keep a Work Journal: I keep a work journal whenever I do projects. It's basically a daily record of what I am doing towards a goal. What have you done today? What have you done this week? It helps keep me on track. For instance, I would write down that I worked on a blog idea for 10 minutes, or I purchased some miniDV tapes for an upcoming film shoot, or that I worked on a short story for half an hour. It also helps me see how much time I've devoting to a project, and helps me keep track of what's working and what's not. if I'm not spending time on something, I may not be as interested in it as I thought. If I'm constantly planning for something, then I am able to record my progress in the journal towards the goal.

Copyright Lia Scott Price

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

Writing and Publishing Help Disclaimers

I do give advice on writing and self-publishing, and I publish those methods here on my blog, or if I am invited to speak at a panel, a class or seminar, in interviews, or if you meet me at a convention and I have a Q & A going. I am open to being part of panels on comic books, writing and self-publishing, giving media interviews, or answering questions at conventions. :)

I’d rather be honest with my fans than make the think that I am blowing them off by seemingly not wanting to give advice on a one-on-one basis. At the same time, due to so many requests, I would end up having to charge for giving advice, and that’s not why I want to end up doing because I do want to help in some way. But there has to be a balance and a middle ground. Hence, I added some sections on free writing and self-publishing advice on this blog.

Otherwise, in general, please note the following:

I get a lot of individual requests from people who send me messages if I can read/review/edit their manuscript/story/book etc. or publish their books for them. I have made it my general policy to not do so only because it is a full time job and takes away from my own work which is a full-time job in itself.

Although I do encourage readers to read my blog writing advice, I don't have the luxury of giving writing advice one on one or publishing other people’s works full time. It’s not what I do and I need to concentrate on my own works. Otherwise, I’d be working on other people’s projects that are not my own and that is not what I want to do.

My production company also does not accept screenplays for producing, and I don't review screenplays. That's the full-time job of a script reader, which I'm not. I don’t produce other people’s movies, unfortunately.  There are other companies that do and you should seek them out.

If you do email me with questions, I will direct you to my blog for tips and Q & A that I have already posted. If I get enough questions about something I haven't addressed yet, I will make a blog entry on it.

So all I can provide is general tips and advice that you can find on my blog. As far as editing and review of our work, you will need to find or hire an editor. (Some of my own  books have been independently edited/reviewed, and even though I am a DIY author, I do make it a point to hire an editor, or I take the time to do it myself.)

So please respect my time as a creator as well. I will find way to share my advice such as the entries in this blog, and please understand that I have to draw the line somewhere.  It would be difficult to answer 10 plus requests a day. I've found that I give the same answers to questions anyway, so those answers are reflected in my posts, so please see my articles in the Writing Methods and Self-Publishing Methods sections.

Copyright Lia Scott Price

The "Letter Writing" way of Creating your Book Chapters

The "Letter Writing" way of Creating your Book Chapters

Copyright Lia Scott Price

Write everything down like you are writing a letter to someone telling them a story of how your day went. Of course, the intro will be something like "I had something really weird happen to me today!" With that opening, people will automatically ask "What? Tell us!" That is the same as the opening of a story of a book. You want the reader to read more. You want them to say "Go on! Tell us more!"

Continue on with your story, and your letter format. This can help narrow down the plot. In other words, if you only have one minute to tell someone of the story, how would you describe it? What's the main story? "I had a weird day. Someone thought they saw a UFO fly over the freeway in Los Angeles, and the highway patrol shut down the freeway!" So , the whole premise is about aliens in Los Angeles.

Then break it up into chapters. For instance, you can start the story with something like "I am going to tell you a strange story." The first chapter can be about the man who saw the UFO and stopped in the middle of the freeway, blocking traffic. The second chapter can be about the people stuck on the freeway. The third chapter can be about how the cops got involved. Again, describe the story in a letter. To make it easier, devote two pages to one chapter, then another separate two pages to the next chapter. That way, you can put them together later and rewrite it as a novel or in any way you want.

Be sure to copyright your work. As soon as your story is done, go to the web site for the copyright office (type in US Copyright office on google) and download the forms. Make sure your book or manuscript is complete though, since you will need to send in a copy with the form.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

Any Customer Service Job is Free Public Relations Training

Copyright Lia Scott Price

In a way, it is. If you're an aspiring self-published author, musician, filmmaker or artist and you have to have a day job where you deal with the public, you might as well take advantage of this "free training". Why? Because publicists are expensive, and one of these days you may have to deal with the press on your own, and field inquiries on your own about your work. I've had friends who work in customer service positions who are artists and who grumble about having a day job, and I tell them there's opportunity there. What can you learn in customer service? It's public relations training, and even sales training Here's what you can learn:

-Professionalism
-How to market or talk about a product. This can definitely apply to the marketing of your own work. How do you talk about it? How can you help someone learn more about it?
-How would you respond to a difficult question?
-How would you respond to frequently asked questions?
-How would you respond if someone doesn't like what you do?
-What would you write and say in your own press release and public statements and responses?

These are just some of the things that you can apply to your own work. Explore life and be inspired by everything around you. There are so many things to be learned from it, even from the most unexpected of places.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

A Positive Person Writing about Negative Things? The Horror!

Copyright Lia Scott Price

I once received a message, a comment about how positive I am, but how I write about negative stuff such as serial killers. Well, it’s simply a what-if scenario, using my imagination, and also a way of getting negativity out of my life. So what if I write about what I write about? It’s my choice.  To me, creative writing is venting and releasing negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings, and thinking outside the box. I turn them into stories, or I use the negative emotions and people that I meet or hear about. Of course, I don't advocate or support violence, I'm just using creativity to address my fears, experiences, and explore my imagination. It's therapy, and sometimes even better than therapy.  Would this person think the same ways about horror film producers, writers and actors? Just because I write horror doesn’t mean I’m “negative”.

I also encounter this thinking whenever I talk about my love of death metal and heavy metal. Most people think that because the lyrics and music are “negative”, the band must be negative too. But it’s in fact the opposite. People in metal bands and in the metal scene that’s I’ve met are the friendliest, most open-minded, creative, coolest, most supportive people who are more family to me than the people who choose to criticize what I do.  They write about politics, social issues, and other things that are considered negative to make a point, to be vocal about what they see is wrong in society, or about what they fear or change or whatever else they want to write about. It’s a creative way to vent or make a statement. It’s better than keeping your own fears in and thinking that the world will become more violent if anyone expresses it in a creative way, like saying that listening to certain music will make you a serial killer. If that’s the way you think, then maybe you should avoid horror movies and books. If you think these things are going to come true, that’s a little unrealistic. Then you might as well live your life in fear of everything.

What I am Thankful for

I'm thankful that I am able to to what I love. I'm thankful that I can make do with what I have, and do something creative. I'm happy with who I am and what I have been able to accomplish, happy with the decisions I have made in life, looking forward to learning more and creating more, and most of all, I'm happy that I used writing to cope with adversities in life and that life was able to inspire creativity.  I got all the negative elements, people and naysayers out of my life, surrounded myself with positive friends and creative people, and I'm looking forward to the new year and to new projects and to continue being creative and doing what I love to do, and I hope this inspires you to do the same. Go out there and create, and share your talents with the world!

What “Secret Formula” ?

Copyright Lia Scott Price

I was recently asked by someone about how to go about writing and publishing. I gave him my usual advice of balancing creativity and business, running yourself as a business, and my writing techniques. I said it was simpler that you think, and that he didn’t need a big publisher to get started. In terms of writing, when I tried to share how I put together ideas, overcome writer’s block etc, he got agitated, telling me to stop making it sound so easy and that I was holding back the “good stuff” from him. He implied that the only way to become a “writer” was to take classes and form sentence structures correctly and take proper grammar lessons and that was the only way and he had to do all that before he even out a sentence to paper.

I tried to tell him that the process was not that complicated. Instead of listening, he became even more angry at me because he was convinced the process was very difficult and that I was hiding  the “Secret Formula” and that I was refusing to share it with him (What “Secret Formula”? Really? There is one? Then I must be going about this all wrong!). He said that nothing I said or did worked and that I was not giving him the “real” ways to write and publish. As he rambled on, I kept thinking to myself that if nothing I did “worked”, then how was I able to publish my novels and comic books? (And I’m on my 5th published issue of my comic books now). He called me selfish for refusing to divulge “secrets”. He was completely convinced that there was some sort of magic writing formula that he was supposed to follow, that there was only one “correct” way to write and that I was “cutting corners” and “making things up”, and to “deviate” from that was “not real writing”. He also kept insisting that the only way to be a writer was through a big publisher and that whatever I did was “not legit”. (Never mind the fact that I’m on amazon).

He finally ended his rant by saying he was too “skeptical” and scared of trying my methods and that I couldn’t help him and that he would find someone else who could, who would help him do it "the right way". Well, I wish you al the luck in the world. In the meantime, I will keep doing what I’m doing. I really don’t feel I should waste my time again with negative people who ask for advice and then put you down for it. When I asked if he planned to get started and take his classes and go about things his way, he scoffed and said “Nah, it’s too complicated. And I don’t have the time.” Well, there you have it.

I'm not sure what advice to give for this, but I guess I can sum it up this way: Don't be this guy. If you ask for advice, listen to what someone has to say, especially when they ARE a published author. Don't be negative. I guess that is sort of a secret formula: Don't put something down and give up before you try it because of some preconceived notion of what a published author should be. You've failed before you even tried. The only thing stopping this person was himself.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

Writing as my Therapy

There has been a LOT of turmoil and challenges in my life that I have managed to overcome due to one thing: Writing.  (and I’m amazed that I did because some experiences were…damn. So glad I have a dark sense of humor.)

1. Writing has kept me sane. And I think my type A “let’s -get-things-done” personality has also gotten me through a ton of stuff because it’s given me a sort of guide and roadmap and grounded me.

2. I channel a lot into my writing and harness that creative energy. So I really do invest a lot of myself into my works. I build a fantasy world of my own that gets me through reality.

3. It’s a great way to cope, especially since other parts of my personal life have proven to be, well, extremely unfulfilling, but I always have writing and creative work to look forward to, to get me through. :)

4. Stay positive!

5. I write my goals and plans down as a guide to my life.

6. I keep a journal and see what is positive and what is working and what is negative and what I must let go of.

7. I have learned not to listen to negative people. My biggest question is what are THEY doing with their life? If it's nothing, then these detractors' opinions DO NOT COUNT. You don't want to regret a missed opportunity or not doing what you love because of a detractor. And they are left happy and you are left miserable.

8. You will, in time, find out who your supporters are. Surround yourself with them.

How I learned to write the novel that became my comic book series

The majority of my chapters in my Vampire Trilogy Novel “The Guardian, Revenant, and Dominion” started out as scripts.  I wrote the scenes and dialogue first, and then filled in the details later. At the time I was writing for an acting class on a weekly basis, and I tested out my own scripts and dialogue with the actors to see if it flowed and made sense. I actually started the novels out with one random scene, and pieced the novel together from there. I would randomly write chapters out of order depending on the scene I felt like writing that week. If I wanted an action dialogue, or a creepy scene, then I wrote depending on how I felt and how I wanted the actors to act out the scene. I would even travel to locations in order to get a feel for the atmosphere for the novel. (“Revenant” was written in Brooklyn, New York). I wrote the novel depending on the location I was in at the time.

Sample Scene from the Script and Novel

When I decided to turn the novel into a comic book series, the challenge was condensing about 90-200 pages of each story into 24 condensed pages. I had some favorite scenes but  I had to figure out which was ore crucial to the story. There was a lot that  had to be cut but in a way that still kept the focus of the story. Sometimes you have to emotionally detached yourself in order to make the story flow more when condensed down to just the main points, including the dialogue. I use the script method for each scene in the comic book, sent it to my artist, who turned each page into a storyboard.

Now, the sequels to the original novel are still written in script form, but for comic book format. I’m also incorporating a little bit of the graphic novel method, where one page will have a full-page scene and a longer dialogue will appear on the opposite page.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

How I develop my Characters and their Personalities

To build a character,  I first look at their zodiac signs, and research the negative aspects of each sign. For instance, if one of my characters is an Aries, I look at the worst possible traits of that particular sign.

I also base them on personal experiences and personalities of people I’ve known or met, but I won’t say who, or when. ;-)

Sometimes if I’m especially affected by a personality type, it becomes inspirational and I can develop a whole new character in minutes. It really depends if I’m inspired or not. I write more from feeling than I do from just creating a character for the sake of it. I have to be fully inspired by it.

Some characters are minor players in the background, so I don’t really develop their characteristics fully (since I kill some of them off), but I write about them or include them just enough to make them part of the story. They become the motivational driving forces behind the main characters.

There are days when I really struggle coming up with a new character, and there are times when I could write for days straight about a character and become so focused on them. I have to be in the right mood, with the right music. There are times when I’m so uninspired by my surroundings, it could take a while to come up with a new character. Mood and setting are everything to me when I write.

Much of the characters were developed in my original vampire trilogy novel (“The Guardian, Revenant, and Dominion”—the original novel, not the graphic novel version), the one I turned into a comic book. Gabriel (Book 1) is by far my favorite character because he is so evil, and from there I was able to come up with more characters based on his personality and motivations (He is a serial killer so it was easier to come up with other serial killer Guardian Angels). But their personalities had to be different and distinct. Janos (Book 2) was by far the most complicated character I had to develop, because his personality was so intense. The original novel dealt deeper into his life, and it is much harder to convey all of that into a comic book. Which is why I try to give glimpses of how my characters interact and what motivates them to do what they do in the comic series. It’s hard to fit an entire novel into 24 pages, but I try to include what stands out the most about their personalities and how they came to be who they are.

I also threw myself into the comic book series (Book 3)  because of course, I always wanted to be in a comic book series (my character is also part of the original novel). My character is by far the hardest to really write about and develop, because I’m basically writing about myself, so it becomes rather personal. So I tend to develop the other characters around me a lot more. Who says I never put a 100% of myself in my work? lol!

Each comic book is written when I decide where I want the characters to go—whether I want to kill them off so the story can continue in a new direction or as a reason for another character changing or doing something, or I find that I create another character because of a backstory or an incident. it really depends, and if it makes sense in the story. But that’s how my mind works—I am constantly thinking about where I want to story to go, why my characters do what they so, and what’s next for them. It also depends on where I am at any point in my life. Like the time I was taking martial arts, a comic book will have more martial arts in it. If I’m traveling or if I’m in certain atmospheres and places, the story will reflect it, and not only that, it will reflect the people I meet in certain situations. I could meet someone only once and build an entire character around them. It depends on how they make me FEEL.

So that’s my process in a way. I know, I’m rambling. But you all get it.

Toxicity and Guilt Trips as Writing Motivators

I’ve had a lot of toxic people in my life: Whiners, users, people who just wanted to use me as their personal, 24/7 therapist regardless of my time, energy or feelings, and who just complained about their problems constantly with no desire to solve their own issues or find a solution. They wanted me to devote all my time and attention to their “me! me! me!” needs and their problems. They were always playing the victim and trying to get attention by constantly whining about the worst things in their life that they wanted someone to always fix. And sometimes it would always be the same things they complained about. They wanted solutions, a “savior”, and someone who would always be there to vent to. If I refused or had something else to do, they became desperate, depressed, hard-to-please, always unhappy with everything, pessimistic, clingy, helpless, panicky, draining, angry, and accused me of not being a good friend, and if something went wrong, they blamed me for not “being there”, and treated me like I just did the worst thing in the world to them. Or they became manipulative, as in they would do something to themselves if I didn’t appease them right away. It was exhausting and I hated the way these people made me feel like I was “abandoning” them.

I bet that’s how Guardian Angels feel when people cry to them for help, and feel they don’t “answer”. And they were tired of humans feeling “abandoned”. And it can feel too much to keep up with.

The way I got these people out of my life was through writing. They were great character studies. There were whiny, desperate characters that my Vampire Guardian Angels fed on. My Vampire Guardian Angels were tired of being therapists and their methods were to put whiners out of their misery instead of saving them, so that they did not have to play therapist anymore. In a way, it was therapeutic.  Now I avoid toxic, overly emotionally needy people like the plague.

Then there were the judgmental, fault-finding, close-minded, overly criticizing, suffocating, guilt-tripping, holier-then-thou-I’m better-than-you-you-are-a-sinner people I grew up with who used their religion to abuse me psychologically and physically, and treated me with contempt and anger because they feared divine retribution if I “sinned” in any way (and abused their own religion in the process, which made them, and their religion, look bad). I was always told to “pray for salvation” and beg for mercy from a higher power, and punished with fear if I didn’t. Today, I'm respectful to the positive aspects of religion even if I am now an atheist. But back then, I was supposed to be the “toxic whiner” and the Guardian Angel was supposed to be my “savior” and my “therapist”. I had to imagine what a Guardian Angel would feel like when constantly faced with demands from a toxic human. Then I turned these Guardian Angels into serial killers who only targeted toxic whiners, and, as vampires, fed on them. That’s why my Guardian Angels rebelled and went against mankind and welcomed becoming vampires—because they were tired of being slaves to these toxic humans. (But on the upside, they did make a great meal.)

So in a way, my own comic books turned out to be, well, therapeutic for me.

How I turned Romance into Vampire Slasher

No, it's not about romance--it's how I went against it.

I majored in Journalism in college, and took Creative Writing classes. One of my professors once described my writing as “silly and simplistic”. And as a female writer, I was often encouraged by peers that if I was ever to become an author, there were only two genres I “should” write for: either “Romance” or “Children’s Books”, or even "soap operas". That irked me. That, along with the implication that my ideas were not good enough to be published and that I had to "conform" to certain mainstream ideas and images.

Well I did try writing romance. That was in fact one of my first writing projects, romance as in the hero rescues the heroine in the end. However, I found that ditching the hero and killing off the heroine in a gory, slasher way was actually a lot more, um, fun. I realized I wanted more shock value, more horror, more WTF, more pushing the envelope. I wanted no happy endings, no happily ever after, just a lot of….screaming, where the serial killer is the anti-hero.

I wanted to read more Stephen King novels rather than romance books. I did have nightmares, but I found the world of horror way more appealing. Those nightmares had a profound effect on me.  If it was scary, it was inspiring. So I rebelled against the image of a woman writer as having to be a romance or children’s book author (nothing wrong with that—it’s just not my preference) and started writing about vampires. And I wrote vampire stories that were not romantic—they just had “romantic drama” as part of the background story but not as the main theme, but which was way darker and bloodier and disturbing.

So in a way, I’d like to thank the people who pissed me off, who tried to dictate what I should write, and thankfully I rebelled, and never listened to them. \m/

Other Influences on my Writing that were not Vampire-themed

My other influences that were not necessarily vampire-themed but were horror-related were Stephen King novels, X-Files, Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone.When I first wrote my Vampire Trilogy novel (the novel that I turned into the comic book series), I imagined it as an X-Files - type screenplay, with a film-noir, Twilight Zone feel. And that’s how I also wanted my comic book series to look—that black, white and red film noir look, but with the added bloody horror slasher element. I also imagined the comic book as an anime, which is also one of my influences (I’m a fan of the 1970’s anime robot shows).

History is also another influence on my writing, 15th century, medieval history, the inquisition, the more bloody, brutal side of religious history such as the crusades, “saints” being martyred, and the Catholic church’s more controversial, hidden, bloody history that you don’t read about too often.

More on my Writing Process

I’m very independent and I enjoy being an underground artist.  I even relish and enjoy being alone, as I require solitude when I work or write. I’m social and extroverted, but when it comes to creating and writing, I’m rather introverted, simply because it helps me avoid distractions and  keeps me focused  on my work. I’m very disciplined when it comes to that, and I guess I sort of have a “laser focus” when it’s time to sit down and write and when I work to meet a goal. I have no problem with seclusion, coffee, a laptop and a playlist of black metal albums (such as Deafest - Alpine Expanse recommended by my friend Alix). I let my mind drift while I write and that’s why I can’t have too many distractions. However, if I'm not listening to music, I do need some ambient background noise such as the TV.

I also find that I have two main methods: I hand write my notes — very short sentences or just a few words—  on paper, and then start typing those notes out and I can only complete them if I type them out. I can never fully complete my thoughts when I hand write them, but I expand a lot more on the concepts and ideas when I type. And I can’t seem to do the opposite—I can’t type out simple notes and expand on them by hand writing them. They have to be typed. So, there’s one of the reasons I need solitude to expand on my thoughts.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

Music I listen to when Writing and how I got into Metal

If you’ve ever wondered what kind of music I listen to when I write my comic books, it’s death metal or black metal, mostly melodic or instrumental black metal as well. And if you’ve ever wondered what’s with all the metal bands in my comic books, well for starters, I’m a fan of death and thrash metal, and more recently, black metal. And I’m a fan of many local bands in the metal scene here in Los Angeles. So here’s a list that pretty much sums up what got me into metal to begin with:

-My hubby is the guitarist for Los Angeles death metal band Enthraller, and I used to videotape their shows and run their merchandise booth, and I became a fan of their music and of other death metal and metal bands who I saw them play shows with. I’m especially amazed by the technicality of how these bands play and it is amazing to see them perform live. That’s also why I’m a fan of independent local, underground artists. It takes a lot of hard work and talent to play instruments and a live show, promote, put together an event, work on, create, and market a CD etc. (Of course, just like what I do, only with comic books, which is why I respect the metal scene.) Metal influences and inspires me, I feel accepted and energized. I've met many open-minded, wonderful, creative, fun metal heads who have become my "metal family". There's nothing else that has inspired such camaraderie. I could walk into a metal show any where in the world and feel instantly at home.

-Enthraller was the first metal band to do a cameo in my comic book. When I started writing the comic books, I thought it would be fun to put metal bands and friends in scenes that had a band playing on the background or have them featured as vampires in background scenes along with the band logos, kind of like movie extras and product placement. It began as a way to give the band exposure and to promote them, and it’s all for fun. I’m amazed at how my artists draw them in scenes—their likenesses are spot-on! And it’s fun to turn my friends into vampires.

-I was invited as a vendor by local metal promoter Angie Gabriel of Metal Invictus to an event called Maidens of Metal (where I saw some incredible female metal performers) where I could showcase my comic books. I met talented bands and promoters in the local metal scene, including photographer/videographer Adrian Mejia of Metal Warzone. If it wasn't for Enthraller, local metal promoters Angie Gabriel, Jimmy Armenta, and Cesar Escobar of Metal Invictus, Daniel Dismal of Church of the 8th Day, Adrian Mejia's awesome videos and photos of local bands, Anna Hummel of Spirit of Metal, and of course my hubby Mike Naz,  I would never have been introduced to many amazing local bands and so many great people and my "metal family". I began to go to more shows and even sponsored a Metal Warzonefest show. I put more of my friends’ bands and promoters in my comic books as a way to help support and help promote the local metal scene. Some of the bands in my comic books include Mesmeric (US), Sacred Ruins, (and in upcoming issues will be Arachnigod, Highland, and Madrost).

-I got into black metal after seeing performances by local black metal bands Highland and  Arachnigod, and I became a fan of black metal since then. I’m still new to the music but it’s always great listening to the bands and getting into the music. And many thanks to my friend Alix Vallecillo for introducing me to some great black metal music!

-I try to go to local shows but if I am unable to, I share their flyers and events on social media.

-If I ever turn the series into an anime, I plan to have black or death metal music in the background.

\m/\m/

My Mind: Seeing Things a Different Way

I could sit in a hospital waiting room and make up all sorts of stories about what I see. That’s the way my mind works. I could be sitting in traffic and suddenly it becomes a movie set, with cars turning into whatever I want them to turn in to. I also get my ideas from daydreams and dreams. I always turn something ordinary into something else. I could be staring at a one and it becomes something else with its own storyline, personality etc. And that’s pretty much the way I write my stories.  But it does become kind of hard if I’m washing the dishes and my mind starts racing with ideas and I have to stop what I’m doing and dry my hands and write it down. (But no, I never write when I’m driving or when I’m doing something that requires concentration.) I love playing this “what -if” game and seeing what I can turn things into—turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.  Try it sometime. When you see a person, what can you turn them into? What is their “secret life” or alternate life? If you’re sitting in a classroom or an office? What alternate universe can you turn it into? (I’ve turned many a corporate office I’ve previously worked at into a giant spacecraft filled with aliens with different quirks, for instance. Somehow it made work more tolerable). For me, it makes life a little more creative to see things in a different way and who know what else I can create from that.

Please read my writing and self-publishing disclaimer here

What Writing means to me

By Lia Scott Price, Vampire Comic Book Author and Creator of Vampire Guardian Angels^TM

When I first started writing, I was told that as a woman, I should only be writing romance novels or how-to cookbooks. And for a time I believed that was why I should do, to conform to what society wanted me to write. In college, I was also told that my writing was too “silly” when I tried to deviate into more ideas that were adventurous or “out there” (thus barely passing their “creative writing” class).  But when I attempted to write my first romance piece, I ended up killing off the heroine, the hero, and pretty much everybody else. Happily ever-afters, I found out quickly, were not to my taste. I preferred to write about monsters, horror, and creepy stuff, and generally freak people out.

So, after a three-week binge on Bacardi and Orange Juice and Bacardi and whatever else went with the stuff, I ended up with a serial killer novel story — the first story in my Vampire Guardian Angels trilogy series. And as I wrote and pushed my imagination more and thought “outside the box”, I found that writing did not have to mean conforming to expectations and what mainstream society thought I should write about.  Writing meant pushing my imagination further, using my dreams as inspiration, and questioning things people considered “normal”, and turning “ordinary things” into the extraordinary. Horror was what I loved writing about. Because it was a distraction. I could turn my fears into fiction and when I came back to reality, I found that life wasn’t so bad compared to the nightmares I put on paper.

Writing also turned out to be therapy for the challenges in my life. (Although I did find that I could not write when I was happy. I was at my writing best only at the low points in my life). So instead of wallowing, I use a bad day, a depressed day, an “off from being normal” day, to write the bizarre, the strange, the weird, the fantastic. Fiction is therapy. Fiction is freedom for the mind. --Lia Scott Price, Comic Book Author and Creator of Vampire Guardian Angels^TM