What's that, you say? Why the change in normal greeting? Well, let me tell you. I am drunk. And I have not slept in weeks. Drunk at noon, you say? Fuck you, says I. I have been editing, editing, editing...oh, and filling out contracts and sending out rejections and crushing dreams and making payments. Never let anyone tell you that you should ever edit an anthology!
But since I already did the hard work, I hope you'll all tune in on Wednesday to see how THE PERFECTLY FINE NEIGHBORHOOD (that's right, I tied it all back together) will look. I hope to see some of your smiling faces at the big Table of Contents announcement on Wednesday.
Here's the link, which you can click right now to add it to your schedule of events, or just click at the appropriate time.
Anyway, I spent the last year or so planning for a big trip to Europe. The day I got back was actually when my last ATB post went up (don't worry, I scheduled it weeks ahead of time.) But knowing that I would eventually want to share all of my experiences here on the blog, I made this video. And now I can finally share it!
Since I ended that video by starting to eat some of the British snacks, I decided I'd better eat them all for your viewing pleasure. So the next week I basically made a mukbang as a direct sequel.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been juggling a lot of creative projects atop the usual journalism work and so have fallen behind on staying on top of these.
One of the biggest of my projects lately has been this new podcast I just launched. It's named after my company MONOMYTHIC (my writing LLC I made for projects and creative work) and in it, I interview authors, creatives, and people working in the industry about their own hero's journey and what they're promoting.
First, starting with a few comics folks like my buddy Trevor Fernandes-Lenkiewicz about his latest indie comic, then with Fantagraphics creator Natalie Norris, and then horror writer and Marvel Unlimited published author Clay McLeod Chapman (whom you may remember from my interview with him from before.
Then, of course, I brought on fellow ATB: Writer and wonderful author Mary Fan as we talked about her superheroic origin story. Followed by another comics interview with comics legend Mark McKenna, an original member of John Romita Sr.'s Romita's Raiders and my current boss for my first indie project!
Yes, that's right. I have my first big comics publication to come soon hopefully. We're planning to launch a Kickstarter real soon this Fall. All-in-all I've been busy. But I'm still here. Still shooting stories. Still supporting in spreading the news of fellow creatives.
If you want to be a guest on the podcast, give me a shoutout. I'd love to promote your book and talk stories. You can check out the podcast (link below) to listen to what I do, and if you enjoy it, please like and subscribe. I'll be interviewing lots of creatives in the future and this will be my own private flagship to give you the experience of getting to know fellow creatives. All with a person-centered approach to interviewing. Questions? Yes. But about the artist. About the journey of making things.
If
you’re addicted to social media like I am, you’ll notice a lot of
ads for mobile games popping up periodically. I’ve got to say, I am
getting sick of these ridiculous ads.
One
thing I have noticed is that for one, most of these game ads have crazy
plots that don’t have anything to do with how the actual game is
played. They somehow are blatantly able to get away with outright lying
to you about what kind of game you’re signing up for. A good example is a
game called Empire of the Ants, which I played for a short time. It’s
basically just a building game with some strategy involved, but the ads
would have you thinking you’re waging war against giant insects and
fighting crazy battles. It’s literally just a building game, and it’s
dumb. Seriously, these ads would not work in any other medium. Imagine
seeing an ad on TV for a utility knife that boasts it can help you kill a
bear and then prepare its corpse into bear steaks, and then when you
actually order it, it’s a plastic spork.
Another
thing I’ve noticed, is the games almost always involve a woman (usually
pregnant), and sometimes a child getting kicked out of their house by
an abusive man, and made to live on an island or in a jankity ass house
with no heating or plumbing. What is the deal with that? Is there an
appeal behind using puzzles to rescue a wayward woman and her kids from
certain doom? I saw one the other day of a woman getting KICKED OUT OF
AN AIRPLANE by her boyfriend and landing on a deserted island where, big
surprise!- she must clear bushes and build a farm to survive. Is there
something fun about seeing people in despair and using matching games
and farming as a way to save them?
The fashion based games are just as bad. Usually, the plot involves an extremely disheveled woman with wild hair, covered in garbage, her face a mess of pimples and boils. She's typically trying to impress some rich pretentious asshole who will only be nice to her if she looks good. The goal is to dress her up pretty to make him love her. Somehow, the person playing the game in the ad fails and the woman ends up crying on the street corner or even worse, IN PRISON! Oh yeah, she's usually pregnant too.
What is it with mobile games and
violence towards women and kids? And am I overthinking it?
Less
frequently, I see ads for games about animals that usually involve the
animals being injured or abused in some way. Somebody shoots a dragon
full of arrows, and you save it by matching eggs together or something. I
don’t know. Almost all of these games are the same. They are matching,
building, or puzzles. It’s all the same crap. I fail to see how any of
these games profit off of using violence and abuse as a selling point
when the game itself is pretty benign.
Sometimes
they go the other direction though. Sometimes they use romance as a way
to lure in gamers. It still usually starts with some kind of horrible
event happening to a woman, but lo and behold, there is a really nice
man with a pie or something who will save her and help her open her own
shop. A lot of times the romance games delve into supernatural stuff and even straight up bestiality. I'm afraid to even try these games, so I can't even tell you how accurate they are.
Last thing. Why do these games insist on showing us the worst
possible way to play them? They’ll show a disembodied hand doing the
match part of the game and doing it badly. Usually somebody dies or
starves to death as a result of these poor choices. I’m guessing this is
a way to get people to play them so they can show that they can do it
better. It’s still really annoying and I do not understand where these
advertisers get their ideas.
Do any of these games
actually appeal to people? Can we just be honest and say it’s a puzzle
game and leave it at that?
These
tactics must work or else I wouldn’t be seeing ads like this all the
time. I’d like to know if they are actually tricking
people, or if people are just bored and clicking on them for the sake of
it.
Hey everyone! Mary here, still somehow recovering from Gen Con even though it's been a week since the almighty gaming convention. Brave New Girls co-editor Paige Daniels and I have been doing this con every year since 2015 (except for 2020, of course), and our shtick has evolved quite a bit since then.
For instance, it took three years for us to figure out that we should brand ourselves as something... enter The Sci-Fi Gals (kind of by accident... in 2017, we realized we were the only table that had only sci-fi on it, whereas most people around us had fantasy). So in 2018, we showed up with a "Sci-Fi Gals" sign to give our booth cohesion. In 2021, we realized that our big "Sci-Fi Gals" sign, which featured four Brave New Girls covers and a cartoon robot, made it look like we only had children's books (when all of Paige's books are actually aimed a grown-up audience and rife with f-bombs). So last year, I printed a second sign with all our grown-up titles and a more serious sci-fi-looking background.
This year, a new thing we tried was bringing a tall collapsible bookshelf to stand behind our table, giving us more space to display our ever-growing collection of books (we seriously have so many now, some things have to go spine up to make room... interestingly, that doesn't stop people from noticing them; in fact, several make a point of pulling out the spine-up ones to see the covers). It definitely helped in terms of expanding our display space.
Another thing I've been doing with my series is having little signs displaying the discounted price for buying multiple books (for instance, the Jane Colt trilogy is $15 for one book, but $35 for the set). We kind of accidentally A/B tested this because Paige didn't have an equivalent deal for her Non-Compliance trilogy. The result? She sold out of Book 1 but was left with a bunch of sequels. I sold out of trilogy sets before I sold out of standalone Book 1s (which I'd brought more of than the sequels).
Since Paige sold out of Book 1 halfway through Sunday, with a whole afternoon of shopping left, she steeply discounted her sequels, the pitch being that you could get them directly from the table (and get them signed) for cheaper than they'd be on Amazon, then go home and order Book 1 to complete your set. She didn't think she'd get any takers, yet 3 people ended up walking away with the sequel sets.
I remember back when I only had the first 2 books of Jane Colt, it was tough getting anyone to pick up Book 2, even as part of a two-book deal. But it was easier to sell 3-book sets once the trilogy was complete. Which makes sense as a buyer... either you just want to dip your toe in with Book 1, or you want the whole thing. I wouldn't want to risk buying an unfinished series either. Which is why I wasn't too concerned when no one really picked up Starswept's sequel when I only had Books 1 and 2 out. Once I had my trilogy sets though? People began scooping up the whole collection.
It's impossible to predict what people will want year to year, though. Last year, copies of my cryptid tale, Found Footage, kept walking off the table. This year, I literally sold two. No one even wanted a closer look at them. Maybe cryptids aren't trendy anymore?
Another new thing we did this year was printing short stories as mini books, between 50 and 100 pages long, and selling them as $7 for 1, $12 for 2, or $15 for 3. Lo and behold, people were happy with these low-commitment impulse buys and they walked off the table (I sold out of 2 of my titles).
And lastly, we did a new "mystery book" thing this year because we have so many titles between us (I think it's literally like 30 now), some people just can't decide. Plus, this is a gaming convention, and a little risk is fun. All our paperbacks are $15, and all our hardbacks are $20, so we set it up so that you pay $15 to roll a D20, with each number corresponding to a book. Most are paperbacks, but the higher numbers (16-19) are hardbacks. Nat 20 gets you a whole trilogy. We didn't get a ton of takers (I think maybe 6 over the whole weekend), but those who did do it had fun.
Anyway, I'm sure we'll try new things next year as well. I was very happy with how Gen Con went overall this year... it was our best yet for sales. That could be because it was the most populous Gen Con ever (they sold out of 4-day badges and Saturday badges), but I like to think it's at least partly because we've gotten better at running our table.
It's the summer of strikes in the entertainment industry.
The Writers Guild struck on May 2nd, with the Screen Actor's Guild following on July 14th. Both unions shared many of the same complaints - shortened seasons causing less pay for the actors and writers, the absolute dearth of residuals from streaming services, and the use of artificial intelligence.
There's been a surge of interest in the topic lately. Much of it was kickstarted by the introduction of ChatGPT late last year. ChatGPT is a large language model chatbot that has been getting scarily good at mimicking human writing. Coupled with the surge in AI generated art, there's a real feeling that this might mark a significant step forward in artificial intelligence. (At least once the AI figures out how many fingers humans have.) Still, things have progressed far enough that the new Marvel show on Disney+, Secret Invasion, used AI to generate the opening credits.
The WGA has demanded that no AI be used to write or rewrite scripts. Now, after having seen some attempts to get AI to do writing based on prompts, you might be saying "What's the big deal? Those writing prompts were terrible." And that is true! G/O Media tried to experiment with some posts on their websites that were written by AI, and it was a disaster. The AI wrote a post for their science fiction site, io9.com, that was listing the Star Wars movies in order of their release and it got it wrong. This is something that you could find on any number of websites, and the AI could not scrape it together. (Just as an aside, AV Club, io9, and Deadspin were some of my all-time favorite sites to read and comment on, and G/O Media has utterly destroyed them over the last several years. G/O Media can go right to hell.)
So if the AI cannot look up something like "Star Wars films release dates" on Wikipedia or IMDB, then how could it possibly write something truly original and creative?
Here's the thing.
I am not worried about AI or ChatGPT writing a masterpiece.
I am worried about them becoming mediocre.
I do not think an AI is going to write the next Slaughterhouse-Five or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Everything Everywhere All At Once. AI bots scrape the web for existing work and add it to their database. No AI is going to create a personal, inventive, or heartfelt original story.
I do think that AI may get to a point where it can spit out ten episodes of a cliched, cop show pastiche.
People watch shows differently that they used to. There are very few shows that demand your rapt attention, like Game of Thrones or Succession, where you'll miss a huge plot reveal if you look away to scroll through Twitter (I refuse to call it X.) or play a round of Marvel Snap. (God, that game is like crack.)
TV is just on for a lot of people. Goodness knows, I've done that. I like having Law & Order on in the background while I do chores or write. I don't have to catch every word, since I know the plots are basically on rails. I just like hearing Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterson. Also, it's the only reason I've ever seen Bones. I've never once in my life said "Hey, you know what I want to watch? Bones! That show with the improbably hot scientists." Yet I have seen dozens of episodes because it came on after Law & Order on TNT for a while and it was just okay enough of a show that I didn't change the channel.
Bones! Just engaging enough so you don't turn it off!
So what if instead of Bones, TNT put on a procedural "written" by an AI? Suppose the AI scans enough scripts from decades of cop shows that they can put the cliches together in the right order. Maybe the show has two mismatched partners. Maybe one is a gung ho rookie, paired with a jaded veteran. Maybe one is a straight arrow, and the other plays by his own rules. And they have a hard ass lieutenant who gives them 24 hours to crack the case. If you weren't paying close attention, would you even notice or care?
I probably wouldn't. If I was deep in writing a chapter, I might poke my head up when the new theme song started but I probably wouldn't care enough to change the channel.
But the networks and producers care! If the bar is "just ok enough that I don't instantly change the channel," that's low enough for them. They're quite happy to pump out garbage if it means lower costs and fewer residuals to pay out.
Now, you may ask “so what?” If a show is bad or forgettable, who cares if it was written by a human or a computer?
Well, you should, for one. You know how TV writers learn their trade? By working on shows, and they can’t all be The Wire. They break in, working in the writing rooms and then they get hired on other shows. George RR Martin wrote about his experiences starting off as incredibly green writer on the Twilight Zone in the ‘80s. That was how he learned how to make TV shows. And if computers write the crappy shows, humans aren’t going to get the experience they need to write the good ones.
Netflix and Amazon produce an incredible amount of content, most of which you've never heard of. NPR pop culture writer Linda Holmes asked her Twitter followers if anyone realized that a remake of the 1994 Meryl Streep movie The River Wild was being released, now starring Leighton Meester and Adam Brody. Only about 7% had heard about it. That's a film based on a recognizable title with actors you've seen in things. It's not something they dredged up from the depths of Tubi. If the streamers just need CONTENT, why bother with making it good? Why bother advertising? Cut your costs, make the shareholders happy, and get your golden parachute packed.
In the battle of art vs. commerce, commerce will usually win. The streamers and studios have the money and don't want to share it. They will be perfectly happy to have one intern scan scripts into an AI and produce dreck rather than fairly compensate the writers. They will count on us all being too passive and distracted to notice.
Maybe they're right.
But I take solace in Barbenheimer.
Audiences have flocked to Chris Nolan's three hour biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb and the sly comedy that Greta Gerwig made out of what should have been - by all rights - a two hour toy commercial. Both are very personal and creative takes that could have in no way been created by an AI that read a Wikipedia article.
Barbie is on track to make over a billion dollars and Oppenheimer is on pace for about half that. There is money to be made if you are willing to let smart filmmakers do something creative.
Will studios understand that? Or will they instead try and write a Hungry Hungry Hippos movie with an AI?
We'll find out soon.
Victor Catano lives in New York City with his wonderful wife, Kim, and his adorable pughuaua, Danerys. When not writing, he works in live theater as a stage manager, production manager, and chaos coordinator. His hobbies include coffee, Broadway musicals, and complaining about the NY Mets and Philadelphia Eagles. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @vgcatano and find his books on Amazon
"Broadstreet Bastard" by Chad Lutzke. I was sent my copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Alcohol was my demon. Weed was its less attractive sister. She kissed a whole lot different but still had a nice tongue."
Jex is eighteen, in recovery, and living in his first apartment. Staying out of trouble isn't something he's good at, and he's even worse at forming and maintaining relationships. While working his twelve steps, Jex finds himself in a murderous situation, begging the question, who could possibly want him dead?
Just one question of many, Jex struggles to maintain his sobriety and schooling, taking us on a journey of relapse, self discovery, and grief.
"And then she unknowingly ruined the moment by pulling a small bowl from her purse, as well as a baggie that held a single green nugget. I hadn't been near the stuff in six months. When I saw it, I knew I wouldn't say no and that tomorrow would bring another day of grief, where I mourned the loss of dignity I thought I had."
Jex is yet another character of Lutzke's that just completely rips your heart out. His recovery and addiction journey really resonated with me, as I'm in recovery myself. He was a relatable character, while maybe not the most likeable.
I appreciated the elusiveness of Moonie's character. She's mentioned just enough to keep you guessing on what she's about to bring to the table.
When it comes to Jex, I have a lot of unanswered questions. Did he finish school? Is he still sober? Did Jason ever find out about what Jex did? Was he angry? I need answers!!
Thankfully, Lutzke said some of these answers can be found in "Slow Burn On Riverside". and "The Same Deep Water As You". All of these books can be read as a stand-alone and are available on Amazon!
We're a diverse group of writers, ranging from kidlit to adult. What is the one thing we all have in common? The love of a good story. Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. We'll see you on Mondays & Thursdays!
