"Is my writing relevant?" by Adrian Milan

     Writers from all genre's have a wealth of various techniques and preferences on how they choose to approach a new body of work. Some choose to begin with "the title," and then from that starting point manufacture an entire novel, literally making up everything as they go. Others are inspired by an idea or a concept and spin their tale or poetry with that concept in mind. Some do outlines first, giving a brief synopsis for each chapter and then work on completing the story in each individual chapter based on that synopsis, and then sew those individual chapters together like a patchworked quilt, to complete their final manuscript and publish it as a book, novella or novel. The list of methods and approaches goes on and on. I've learned over the years that there is no one method that is better than the other. This is one of those semi-gray area's where that old adage "DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS," definitely applies. There is an element within it all however, that is not gray at all; 

"IS MY WRITING RELEVANT?"

     As a writer, a poet, a playwrite, what matters in your message, is that what is being expressed, is "RELEVANT." Meaning people can relate and resolution is found. Otherwise, honestly, what is the point?

     A huge problem that most "WORDSMITH'S" have is their insatiable need to constantly demonstrate their prowess in their command of their native language. For most of us, that is the English language. In fact, most Wordsmith's are so focused on how to "OUT-ARTICULATE" the next person, that almost no thought is being given to "THE TOPIC" of what is being discussed, even when the topic is weak or idiotic. In other words, being able to sound more intelligent than the other person is actually a moot point, if what you are talking about in the first place is garbage. And that is exactly what is happening to a great many writers today. I have read books by writers who clearly demonstrate a powerful ability to articulate themselves and express the various nuances and emotional content of their characters and stories effortlessly, the problem was their topics were garbage. Their focus was garbage. And it reduced the literary value of what was probably about 9 months of writing down to NOTHING.

     Be clear on this point, this has NOTHING to do with GENRE. Every genre is an art form, and every genre has value. And that includes Urban, Street Lit, Erotica, and Goth. I am specifically pointing out these genre's because these happen to be the least respected genre's within the - Mainstream Literary Community. -Why? Because they have smaller commercial audiences that make it harder to market and distribute to with any real measure of consistency, but that is secondary to the fact that as a writer, what we all truly want, is to author a literary masterpiece that will impact not just individuals or specific sub-cultures, we all want our work to impact the world! We all want to leave our legacy. We all want our voices to be heard, and for the rest of the world to be able to read our words and say; "Oh,...I get it,...now I understand,...wow!" Writers are points of light trying to bridge the gap between those who do not know, and those who do.  And there is value to be found, a lesson to be learned, an emotion or sentiment to be shared, a revelation to be experienced in every genre, no matter how dark, or how gruesome, no matter how different someone else may think what you write about is,...if written the correct way,...they can be brought into the light of understanding and even acceptance. The trick is making what you are writing RELEVANT.

     If the focus of your writing is simply to provide yourself a canvas for you to showboat your writing skills, you will fail at this miserably. Your only hope at success with this lies within your ability to write with intent. You have to know what your message is BEFORE you write the story. You need to be able to construct the foundation of your plots with the understanding that it all leads up to "THIS!" (Your plot.) There are concepts and themes and scenarios that are timeless. Meaning, regardless of how many centuries come and go, these things will always be apart of the human condition. Things like love, sacrifice, betrayal, faith, fear, hope,...they inspire us. They fuel us. As a writer, your narrative skills in being able to describe what is going on and what things look like or sound like or feel like, is not nearly as powerful as your ability to explain to the reader, from the characters point of view; "WHY?" When you are able to successfully communicate "the why" of a character and their behavior, to the point that the reader is able to see it, relate to it, and understand it, your job is done. Making them understand "THE WHY" of a thing, is the connection that every writer should strive for. The why is your conclusion, justification, resolution, explanation, your reason for everything that has been done. It's what makes all of your turns and twists makes sense at the end.

     "THE WHY" is also key in what makes your story relevant. It doesn't matter if your story is a period piece, romance, thriller, suspense, mystery, young adult, a biography or pure science fiction. All of our stories are drawn from one of two places, personal experience/knowledge or pure imagination. In both scenarios, real life desires or fears have been drawn upon for the construction of your narrative. We draw from what moves us. From what frightens us. From what hurts us. Because those are the emotions that we want our readers to feel at those specific parts in the story. It is the emotions, the lessons learned, the revelations experienced, that we are trying to give our readers. And it is here at this core, where we possess the power to move our fans mentally and emotionally. 

BUT IF THE THINGS YOU ARE 

WRITING ABOUT ARE NOT EDIFYING

OR TEACHING OR IMPARTING SOMETHING

OF SUBSTANCE OR RELEVANCE, 

THEN WHAT IS THE POINT OF WHAT YOU WRITE?

     That being said, if you want your work to be relevant, if you want to strive to create a body of work that could well stand the test of time, if you want to create and leave a legacy;

1. Know what your message is BEFORE you begin to write.
2. Write with intent.
3. Always employed elements that can never be separated from the human condition; ie,...love, hate, hope, fear, pain, sacrifice

     William Shakespeare, a poet, an author, a playwrite and actor, understood these rudimentary elements. And he employed them in everything he ever wrote. He died on April 23rd, 1616, and to this day, is still regarded as; 

THE GREATEST WRITER IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

     It's 2014, almost 400 years later. Now that my friend, is what you call "LEGACY." Just some food for thought. And hopefully some motivation that will inspire you to push your skills and abilities even further now. Writing for the sake of writing is meaningless. And fruitless. Increase your level of understanding to increase your ability empathize with the world around you. That empathy will translate into what you write.  And for the hard core writers who insist that they don't care at all what anybody thinks about their writing, I submit to you that you have to care. Honestly, if you don't care about how your writing is received,...who exactly, do you expect to buy your books? Writers need readers. And readers need their writers to be RELEVANT. Otherwise, you will find your career as a writer very limited and very short lived. - Adrian Milan 

Writing Basics 101: "The rules for using PUNCTUATION with QUOTATION MARKS." - by Adrian Milan

      For a great many, there is confusion about whether to put the punctuation used at the end of a sentence, INSIDE or OUTSIDE of the quotation marks.

     Quotation Marks are primarily used in identifying quotes or the literal words being articulated by a person, but they are also used by writers to identify dialogue being used by a character in a novel or short story. Regardless of the scenario, the rule for the utilization of quotation marks is the same.

     When using QUOTATION MARKS:  

• "ALWAYS ENSURE THAT ALL PUNCTUATION MARKS FOUND AT THE END OF YOUR SENTENCE IS INCLUDED INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."  

     Writers, as creative beings, like to feel as though we can do things differently in an attempt to establish our own unique style or signature within our craft. This is a common misconception that has hurt the career and acceptance of a great many writers.

     You can demonstrate your unique sense of style and flare within the dialogue of your characters. Within your powers of articulation found within your narrative. But basic fundamentals will always apply and remain a standard that we must all adhere to. Learn and master the rules so that you can achieve more freedom in expressing your own uniqueness. - Adrian Milan

     A good source on this topic can found at the following link:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/quotes.asp

Dont' confuse "YOUR STYLE" with "THE STANDARD." by Adrian Milan

For the sake of preserving the artistic integrity of their work, writers utilize slang, colorful mis-spellings, ebonics, profanity, cliche's and phrasing that they deem current or relevant and absolutely necessary to aid them in translating their vision to the pages of their work and into the discerning minds of their readers. Every writer works from a very specific perspective that they desperately want their readers to be able to identify with, comprehend and appreciate. And from that, a great number of writers are able to derive their own particular styles or "signatures." However, there are some fundamental rules for you to keep in mind when structuring your manuscripts. Every writer wants to establish their own unique style, but we must all still adhere to the base fundamentals of writing. Here is a helpful hint that you will hopefully find useful.

There are two primary elements to every story. The first is "THE NARRATIVE," the second is "THE DIALOGUE."

Traditionally, the narrative is the telling of the story from a 3rd party perspective. In this element there is no slang, no ebonics. The goal is the progression of the story in a clean, clear and concise manner. "The Dialogue" is where you would exercise the slang and ebonics and any other subtle (or not so subtle) nuances. And that is because the dialogue is where you are demonstrating the personality of each individual character.

Now, have there been stories written, where the slang, ebonics, or so-called "signature style" is being utilized within the body of the narrative? - Of course there are. There are authors who have mastered the art of constructing their stories in this fashion, and they are better than good at it. But if you were able to ask them, each would tell you that their secret to being so effective at this skill came about only AFTER mastering the fundamental rules first. That is the secret. If you want to be able to break the rules, you must first master them. Understand them and their purpose to a fault. Then you will possess the ability to bend them to your will.

That being said, there are still some things that simply cannot be changed. Here is a small list of just a few.

1). Capital letter at the beginning of each sentence.

2). Proper punctuation at the end of each sentence.

3). The use of quotation marks to signify dialogue.

4). The separation of the dialogue, (in quotations), from the body of the narrative.

5). 5 space indents for each new paragraph.

These examples are not meant to insult the intelligence of anyone, especially those of you who are seasoned readers or writers, but the simple truth is that there are literally "THOUSANDS" of new, young, passionate writers who are completely untrained and unprepared and have not had a formal education in their craft, but they are out here putting pen to paper every single day creating poetry, writing novels, screenplays for dramas, comedies and full fledged movies. It amazes me that in all of these groups, that are suppose to be "SUPPORTIVE," all anyone actually finds is criticism. Rarely do I see a scenario where others are going to a writer and simply trying to give them some constructive criticism or guidance. Everyone is too busy looking for an excuse to weigh in on the writers faults or shortcomings or mistakes. A person's writings, their work, is not a joke. For the most part, this is their passion. Even if they are not actually any good at what they do,...we are in a position to help them become better by sharing our own personal knowledge or expertise.

I believe that every person was given a voice for a reason. And that reason is because we all have a story to tell. And every person on this earth has a right to tell their story. Understanding that everything is not for everyone, we each have a God given right to not read it or hear it, if you so choose, but no one has the right to silence the voice of anyone.

Instinctively, my first advice to EVERYONE who is dead set on pursuing any craft is to GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND GET A FORMAL EDUCATION. Unfortunately, few adhere to that advice. But as an alternative, the internet is a wealth of free information. If you want to learn and grow and be effective in whatever your passion is, take the time to learn everything that you can about what you love. Read, write, participate in any activity that will help you broaden your horizons. And above everything else, IGNORE YOUR NAY-SAYERS. It doesn't matter if they don't get it or appreciate what you do. Someone else will. And your words, your sentiments, your experience, your vision, as you have it annotated in the pages of your work, may well be the light and salvation that leads another soul out of the darkness. Learn your craft. And continue to create with pride. - Adrian Milan

The truth about LEGAL & BINDING CONTRACTS by Adrian Milan

Knowing the truth about contracts
can be the difference between life
and death of your literary career.

IN THE LAST 3 WEEKS, I have had the misfortune of being contacted by over 27 authors who are currently in a business relationship with a publisher who has failed to live up to their end of the agreement between the two parties and now they feel trapped because they "THINK" that they are in contracts that they cannot get out of. Let me CLARIFY some things for you:

First of all, a common misconception is the belief that if someone sends you a copy of a contract "VIA EMAIL" and you agree to it, by clicking a box, or typing your signature and sending it back, that it constitutes a legal and binding agreement here in the United States.

"IT DOES NOT."

Contracts can be sent back and forth by email for the purposes of clarifying the contents and resolving disputes, but for ANY CONTRACT to be "LEGAL AND BINDING":

YOU NEED TO HAVE A PRINTED COPY SO THAT YOU CAN PHYSICALLY SIGN IT, "IN INK," IN THE PRESENCE OF A NOTARY WITH A VALID PHOTO I.D.. THE NOTARY MUST THEN SEAL THE DOCUMENT WITH THEIR VALID REGISTERED NOTARY SEAL FOLLOWED BY THEIR OWN SIGNATURE - AS A THIRD PARTY WITNESS TO THE SIGNING. - THAT CONTRACT IS THEN SENT BACK TO YOUR PUBLISHER TO BE KEPT ON FILE. BOTH SIDES SHOULD HAVE COPIES IN CASE THERE IS EVER A BREACH OF CONTRACT BY EITHER PARTY. IT MAY BE THE PUBLISHERS CONTRACT, BUT ALL CONTRACTS CONTAIN LIABILITIES THAT EFFECT BOTH SIDES.

PERSPECTIVE:

For those of you who have ever bought a home or bought a car, you may have filled out the loan documents online or over the phone, and they were able to tell you whether or not you were approved or denied over the phone, but the deal was not sealed until after you went into the dealership or the bank and sat down and put your signature on about 7-15 documents. That document is called a contract. And this is no different.

Be clear on this one point: It does not matter what is said in a phone call or in an email between the parties. If the contract is not PRINTED OUT ON PHYSICAL PAPER and then PHYSICALLY SIGNED BY YOU IN INK and then has A NOTARY'S SEAL, along with their official signature;

"THEN THERE IS NO 'CONTRACT' BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PUBLISHER."

"PHYSICAL CONTRACTS, PROPERLY SIGNED IN INK AND NOTARIZED BY NOTARY'S ARE WHAT IS RECOGNIZED IN A COURT OF LAW AS LEGAL AND BINDING." - PERIOD.

For the 27 authors I spoke to about the other publishers who are either neglecting their duties or obligations as publishers or are simply thieves looking for a way to earn money from your hard work, this is a simple matter. Your books fall under the category of "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY." Simply find a lawyer in your state who specializes in "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY." They love cases like this. Because litigation is quick, swift and fierce. The judge will demand that the Publisher produce the "ORIGINAL DOCUMENTED CONTRACT" for his review. He will then outline all of the responsibilities and obligations of the publishing company. The publishing company will then have to provide physical proof of everything that was promised as outlined in the contract. Any and all evidence will have to be time dated and time stamped, such as receipts, bank statements, royalty reports, expense costs an receipts for printing costs, for press releases, advertising, et cetera.

"FAILURE TO SHOW THE JUDGE OR THE COURT THE REQUIRED PROOF FOR ANY OF THE THINGS OUTLINED IN THE CONTRACT QUALIFIES AS BREACH OF CONTRACT. AND THE ENTIRE CONTRACT IS MADE NULL AND VOID."

Someone suggested to me that they had a contract that was worded in a way that if one part of the contract was not met, that it did not negate the rest of the contract. - That may have been the intention of the writer of the contract, but fortunately for us, THAT IS NOT THE WAY THE ACTUAL LAW WORKS. AND NO JUDGE WILL HONOR THAT CLAUSE. - You have the ability to word contracts as you please, but even agreed to contracts have to fall within the RULES AND CONDUCT OF THE ACTUAL LAW. And the law has been designed so that if ANY part of a PHYSICAL CONTRACT has been violated, that the ENTIRE CONTRACT is made null and void. Contracts are made and agreed upon in the spirit of good faith. If any part of that contract has been violated, "GOOD FAITH" has gone out of the window. That is why the entire contract is made void.

Again, this only applies if there actually is a physical contract. For those of you who have been mislead into believing that you have some legally binding agreement "VIA EMAIL" your case will never make it this far. No physical contract means there is no case. Plain and simple. Now this doesn't mean that your Publisher tried to trick you. Some really just do not know or understand the legal difference or what is actually required by law. They may have well been acting in good faith simply not knowing any better. It still however doesn't change the fact that "THERE IS NO PHYSICAL CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU."

So you can make this very simple. If you like your publisher and want to stay, simply contact them and tell them that you need to SOLIDIFY THE BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU BY SIGNING A REAL CONTRACT, ON PHYSICAL PAPER, SEALED AND SIGNED BY A NOTARY.

For those of your who are unhappy with your publisher, simply dissolve the relationship between you. Let your publisher know that you want to go your separate way, hopefully as friends. If they say NO and claim to have ownership over your publishing rights;

DO NOT HESITATE TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO A LAWYER WHO SPECIALIZES IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY!

Sue the publisher for breach of contract, withholding royalties, neglect in promotion, advertising, no press releases, not supplying you with copies of your own book, arranging book signings, failure to provide proper tax forms, W-9's or 1040's. Then contact the IRS. Inform them that this publisher has failed to properly pay you royalties and that you believe that your monies are being illegally handled and withheld. The IRS will immediately launch a full fledged investigation into the Publishers PERSONA & BUSINESS finances going back a minimum of 7 years. They are swift and unyielding. NO ONE WANTS THE IRS IN THEIR BUSINESS.

So if you have legitimate gripes with your publisher, please do not think that you don't have a foot to stand on. Especially if they have not done what is required of them. And most of all, DO NOT BE SILENT ABOUT ANY OF IT! - Take to SOCIAL MEDIA and let others know that you have been taken advantage of or lied to or stolen from. Don't allow others to be tricked or manipulated like you were. Help to shine a light on this madness so that we can help real authors promote their good work and get properly compensated and recognized for the work that they do. No one deserves to be lied to or tricked or manipulated or robbed. It's time we stand up and shut folks like this DOWN!

Legitimate publishers will be able to read this and smile giving a nod of approval simply because they know that this is how they have always conducted business. And because they have conducted their business properly, they have no reason to fear anything from anyone. Anyone else who has a problem with anything that I've written, it is because they have not been conducting proper business the way it is suppose to be conducted. And they don't like having this light shined upon them. Understand this; business is business. And you do not get to just MAKE UP THE RULES AS YOU GO ALONG. There are standards that are meant to be either met or exceeded. If you fail to do that, if you fall short, then there are penalties that are meant to be paid. Some in cash. Some in prison time. That is the true cost of doing business. So you either come correct or risk paying the price of trying to take advantage of others. - PERIOD.

Remember, WRITING YOUR BOOK, is just the beginning. Once written, your book becomes a BUSINESS. Treat it as such. If you take care it,...it will take care of you. Blessings to you all. - Adrian Milan, PUBLISHER.

Copyright Laws and Myths by Adrian Milan

Ok, this issue and topic has come up in about 14 different conversations within the last 48 hours. So let me help you all understand how the LAW actually works in this situation.

Here in the United States of America, there is only ONE COPYRIGHT AUTHORITY! And that is "THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!" Which is a GOVERNMENT AGENCY! 

So, if you DO NOT HAVE AN ACTUAL COPYRIGHT FOR YOUR WORK, POEM, MANUSCRIPTS, BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC, ART, WORDS, PHRASES OR QUOTES, then they ARE NOT protected under copyright law! 

Just because you put the copyright symbol (©) next to your work, it means NOTHING unless you have sent in a copy of that work to the Library of Congress to be recorded and kept on file within their vaults. Your work is then assigned a registration number which is issued to you in the form of a certificate. That is the only legal proof that this body of work originated from you and gives YOU exclusive rights to it. Registration costs $35.

Now if you do not have a ACTUAL LEGAL COPYRIGHT and you have your work posted somewhere like facebook. And someone decides to steal it and publish it, and they secure a legal copyright first, YOU ARE SCREWED. Even if your facebook page can prove that you wrote and published the work 4 years ago and its been on your page ever since, all the thief has to do is say that they wrote it first and you stole it. It's your word against theirs, which means NOTHING in a court of law. However, the legal copyright that the thief now has, will trump your facebook page, because the copyright is acknowledged by every court to be a legal document of proof provided by a Government agency and is irrefutable proof of ownership for the owner,....in this case the owner is the thief! YOU LOSE! 

So, NO, YOUR POETRY ON FACEBOOK IN YOUR NOTES IS NOT CONSIDERED A LEGAL PUBLICATION PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. WHICH MEANS ANYONE CAN STEAL IT, COPYRIGHT IT, (IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT COPYRIGHTED) AND THEN PUBLISH IT! AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY SECURED THE COPYRIGHT FIRST!!!! PROTECT YOUR WORK!!! PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY!!! EVERYTHING ELSE IS A LIE! POOR MAN'S COPYRIGHT WILL GET YOU NOTHING!!! PUBLISHING IT FIRST SOMEWHERE ELSE MEANS NOTHING!!! YOU NEED A REAL COPYRIGHT FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WHICH IS THE ONLY GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT IS AUTHORIZED TO ISSUE U.S. COPYRIGHTS! PERIOD! THAT'S ALL THERE IS, THERE IS NO MORE! 

If you do not know the law, you are allowing yourself to be set up to be someone's victim. This is apart of your craft. This is apart of your business. Learn your craft! Learn your business! - Adrian Milan