Sway

Hello, this is Ian, opposed to the legions of disciples I have that manage my universally acclaimed social media. I thought I would write to my loyal followers, for the past two weeks, about what is happening with my book writing.

Most authors take themselves too seriously, I feel. Not that it’s not an interesting profession, it is neat, I shall concede. But it’s not harder than being an electrical line worker. I do not like heights. Just an example.

So, if these posts sound as if I’m a bit’ silly, I am. But I also write good stuff. It’s funny, heartwarming, compelling, dramatic, romantic sometimes, and just flat-out entertaining material.

You see, I believe that we hyper-categorize fiction. In bookstores or Netflix, for instance, they categorize books and media based on singular aspects, generally. A Western is in the Western category. A romance is in the romance category. And a Steven Seagal movie is in a remote Kansas gas station.

But life isn’t just a single thing. You can be a Doctor but also build crafts. You can be a nurse and be a vigilante at night. People are far more than just their assigned category, and stories are versatile in nature.

That’s why I include all aspects of life in my books. When in Rome has parts that are hilarious, politically intriguing, true romance, the bizarre, absurd, despair, and great joy.

Because that’s life, man. You don’t go through your existence just thinking one emotion, and an authentic character experience in a novel isn’t just one emotion, motivation, or singular personality. People are complicated, it’s what makes life interesting.
So, I strive to do the same in my books.

Categorizing things as one thing – a true Shakespearean sentence – simply helps people who make money off art sell things better. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s the nature of the world. But I feel it helps to point out that fact.

You may have had times in your life where you experienced the greatest of sadness, loss, etc. But then maybe you laughed your ass off thinking of a good memory, or something came up, or a loved one made you feel better.

Or you read my book.

Storytelling is fun. It’s a job, but like I implied earlier, it’s just a different strength. I would encourage you not to throw me a million dollars to build you your dream house, for example, because I have absolutely no idea how to build a house. But my uncle could, or I guarantee you, some guy named Rick in Indiana. That sounds like that’s probably also a thing.

My point is, is authors, as I said – and perhaps this is just my opinion – can often come off as overly self-important people. It has tailored the public’s perceptions to view the wildly successful ones as such, I feel. So, when I try to add some levity, I’ve received feedback that I should be more serious. And while it’s important to take life seriously, it’s also quite important to have a grand ole’ fun time while we’re embarked upon this wild ride of existence. So, these posts may sound unorthodox, but I’m an iconoclast by nature. Meaning, I do not like rules I feel are silly.

Which is why I don’t pay my taxes.

Hyper-categorization, this phrase I think I made up, helps sell books for publishers, yes. But it does not add to the reader’s enjoyment, in my self-important, authorial opinion. Because if you think a book is a romance, and you only like action and comedy, you might miss out on a funny book that just happens to be centered around a romance. And likewise.

And that’s why I write stories that cover the full spectrum of life. Because life is silly, serious, saddening, interesting, bizarre (maybe you’ve seen a UFO, or the ever-elusive lizard people), and anything and everything.

That’s existence in a nutshell, everything. So, a fine story does its best to encompass as much of everything as possible. I consider my stories fine, and they’ll just get better as I learn to integrate the full range of human experience into them. Plus, they’re funny as hell.

So, if you haven’t checked out my book, there’s a link on this page. Buy it if you want. Or gift it, people like gifts, it makes them feel good.

It’s good to give –

Me money.

Sincerely, my dear followers,

E-N