Tag: storyteller

I have a long way to go as a storyteller and a writer

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Sorry I’ve been absent from the blog for a while. I’ve had some personal issues to deal with, which I’m sure we’ve all had. So now, I’m ready to jump back into it.

In recent months, I’ve read over 15 books and binge watched several hours of anime. In that time, I’ve written maybe 20 pages in my current novel. I don’t know if it’s simple writer’s block or a lack of inspiration. I mean, I have my story outlined, I know what I want to say, but I just can’t put it down on paper (or the computer screen in my case). So what do I do, I read and I watch anime to motivate me; but instead, I find myself lacking… Lacking as a storyteller, as a writer, just lacking in general.

I find that my stories are, sometimes, less than. I find missing pieces, repeated words or sentences, and blatant plot holes. It’s a mess, and quite ddemoralizing.

I know it sounds kind of like a defeatist attitude, but it’s really just a reality check. I thought I was pretty good, very proud of my imagination and the stories I’ve been able to weave together. But, as I read other people’s work and watch the sometimes in depth story arcs you find in anime, I got a sense of humility, a longing that what I was doing just wasn’t enough. I still have a long way to go.

We all have our own shortcomings, and I aspire to be better, but at 56, it’s hard to find myself ever getting there. I know there are those authors who didnt get published til they were older, but I could never begin to compare myself to them.

I have to find my own voice, and to be honest, I thought I did. When I first wrote Forever Avalon, I thought I did a great job. The story was, to me, a perfect story. Then my mom read it, and gave me two pages worth of spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and othere corrections. That was a humbling experience to say the least.

It took that experience to help me develop my writing, the storytelling process, and even how I edit to further my style and capabilities. However, I still find myself staring at that computer screen from time to time. I know the story, I know how its supposed to go, but it’s just sitting there.
I think it’s a form of self doubt. My books are self published, I’ve put in more money into them than I’ve made, and with my latest book (The Outlander War) looming, I worry how it will do.

That comes with the territory for any artist, whether you be a writer, a musician, a filmmaker, etc. Frustration in your work spurs lack of inspiration, self doubt, and stress like you cannot believe. I’m trying to find the motivation for me to write these stories and not to doubt myself as a storyteller. It’s just a matter of time, and patience.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniversepublishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

All writers start out with some failings, so don’t get discouraged

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4-Inspirational-Quotes-for-Writers“All good writings begin with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” — Anne Lamott

There are many hills and valleys associated with being a writer, but the hardest part of being a writer has been managing discouragement. It’s hard to keep a “stiff upper lip” when you get rejection letters, low book sales, or constant writer’s block.

Joel Osteen said, “We all have unfair situations and things we don’t like. You can get bitter, discouraged, and sour, or you can see it as fertilizer and say, ‘The difficulty is not going to defeat me, it’s going to promote me. It’s not going to hinder me, it’s going to help me.’ Do go through it, grow through it.”

I love that last line:  “Do go through it, grow through it!” That sentiment is how I work as a writer. I keep chugging away, learning from my mistakes, and fight on. I never stop writing, even if I’m the only one reading my stories. I can’t keep them inside and let them stew. I have to keep going, no matter what.

It’s hard not to get discouraged, but there are worse things than a rejection letter from a publisher. I have my health, my family, and a good job that allows me to pursue my writing career. It’s fighting back against the discouragement that adds to my passion for writing.

5ffe80f826477383c6083865818ce228I spent more than 30 years in the Navy as a Navy Journalist and Public Affairs Officer. That training and work experience gave me the tools I needed but did not satisfy my needs for more creative writing. I fight my own self doubt every day, but it’s a battle I have to win. Being a writer, an accomplished writer and storyteller, is something I desire more than anything. It’s not for the fame, the glory, or the recognition. It’s just for the satisfaction of having someone read my stories in the hope that it gives them a good feeling or a chance to escape.

There are thousands of quotes, advice, or methods out there to beat back the funk of being discouraged. Personally, I like to throw myself into my writing. It helps me when I take myself to a magical fantasy world and follow the adventures there into my stories. It gives me an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and keeps my dream alive.

I may or may not achieve my goal of being a published author, but if even one person likes my stories, then I’ve done my job. I’d like to leave you with this thought.

“Very few writers know what they’re doing until they’ve done it.” — Anne Lamott

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

The Ancient Magus Bridge has the heart and spirit of Hayao Miyazaki

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AncientMagusBride-110117As I’ve said in previous blogs, Hayao Miyazaki is an inspiration and one of my favorite storytellers. He has a brilliance that I aspire too. The art and words of his many wonderful stories give his anime a life of their own. I want my own stories to have the same “magic” as his. In fact, I see that same look of wonder in The Ancient Magus Bride anime.

The Ancient Magus Bride is a Japanese fantasy shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki. Hatori Chise has lived a life full of neglect and abuse, devoid of anything resembling love. Far from the warmth of family, she has had her share of troubles and pitfalls. Just when all hope seems lost, a fateful encounter awaits her. When a man with the head of a beast, wielding strange powers, obtains her through a slave auction, Chise’s life will never be the same again. The man is a “magus,” a sorcerer of great power, who decides to free Chise from the bonds of captivity. The magus then makes a bold statement: Chise will become his apprentice–and his bride!

I have been watching this anime and it’s amazing. I see the same heart and soul in these characters as I did in many of my favorite Hayao Miyazaki films. For example, the relationship between Chise and Elias is the same as Chihiro and Haku in Spirited Away or Howl and Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle. The women are stronger than they think and they can reach the heart and soul of the one they love, even when appear to be a monster.

Chise doesn’t see a monster in Elias, even with his bone face. She sees someone who loves and cares for her, something that has been missing her entire life. It’s touching to see her touch and caress his face, even though any normal person would be repulsed by it. It’s a great example of the old adage about seeing the beauty on the inside, not the outside. Even its simple music–mostly a piano softly playing in the background–lends to this unusual but everlasting love story.

Another great element of the story is how they explain magic an alchemy as two competing forces. I’ve always seen alchemy as “the science of magic” which is how I use it in the Forever Avalon series. In the anime, they see magic and alchemy as opposing forces. Alchemists use magic to alter reality by manipulating and “tweaking” the laws of nature, while mages break the laws of nature to alter reality by taking power from fairies or spirits.

This is an inspired system for magic that I’ve never  heard of before, especially focusing on Britain as a land of powerful magic. This is something I relish and aspire to in my own stories. Another great concept is that dragons are one with the world, and when they die, they return to the Earth as mountains and trees. The interaction between Chise and the ancient dragons is sad and heart-wrenching. Along with the music and its sweet, loving song, it is a reminder of how the myths and legends of our own world can be seen in the places we see as magic in itself.

The last thing I want to mention is the villains in this. They are incredibly scary. With their heartless attitude for human life. Once again, it’s frightening when you look at the face of evil and see it smiling back at you. Evil like this is hiding in plain sight, and wee, as humans, we only see it when we want to. It is a reminder of how and why we must face evil and tear it down.

I would highly recommend this anime to anyone. The writing is magnificent with a little bit of comedy in all the right places, with heart and even horror thrown in where it needs to be. It has the heart and soul of a great story and, in the spirit of Hayao Miyazaki. It’s a story that will remain as an inspiration at the heart of any magical, fantasy story.

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

What is our love affair with myths and legends?

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  “I am fed to the teeth with elevated themes! Old dead legends! Why must we go on forever writing about gods and legends?” 

Baron Van Swieten:  “Because they do. They go on forever. Or at least what they represent. The eternal in us.” 

─ Amadeus (1984)

I think it’s safe to say that people love stories. We’ve heard them since we were children, at bedtime, around a campfire, on our favorite TV show, and in the movies. Stories are what entertain us whether were sitting in a Broadway theater or watching the latest anime on our smartphone.

kingarthurThere are so many ways for authors and writers to tell their favorite stories, whether its a retelling of an old legend or a brand new story. These folk tales and fairy tales are the composite of our combined history. The give us hope, give us faith, and make us believe in something more than our everyday life. For writers like me, myths and legends are the source of inspiration for my writing.

As you travel around the world, you’ll find that every culture has a lot of the same stories, just told with different characters. There are creation stories, love stories, tales of famous heroes rescuing a damsel in distress, and some about a girl saving the day too. It’s all part of that shared history that all human beings have. No matter what the color of your skin, the language you speak or where you live, its the stories of the past that bring us together.

I’m reminded of the television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by author Alex Haley on how he discovered his lineage all the way back to Africa. He found it through a family story that was passed down from generation to generation. It was the story of how Kunta Kinte went out into the jungle to cut down a tree to make a drum for a gift, and how he was captured and taken away from his village. This story resonated through history until Alex Haley returned to the village of his ancestor and heard the story again, but from one of the village elders. That story connected them together over hundreds of years and thousands of miles That’s the power of stories.

“That’s how it is with legends. The greater they sound, the more must’ve got left out.”
― Tim Tharp, Knights of the Hill Country

Thou some are flights of fancy, others are based on some truths. We’ve seen some stories told over and over again, from Greek mythology and King Arthur, to stories from the Bible. These are some of the great tales that resound in all of us due to their morals, their heroism, their faith, and how they impact us emotionally. These tales have resonated from century to century, across thousands of miles and multiple languages. That is what makes them immortal.

Clash of the Titans is one of my favorite movies, from the original 1981 with Harry Hamlin and Sir Lawrence Olivier to the 2010 remake with Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson. No matter how much the story changed in 30 years, it still had the same myth at its base–Perseus, the Kraken, Medusa, etc. No matter how it inspired the writer, the story was the same at its core.

No matter how they’re told, myths and legends are the stories that we all share. We have a responsibility to keep passing these stories on to the next generation, in whatever form possible, to ensure they remain part of our history.

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Chapter 3 of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.