613 Media — Telling the Story

A cliché is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel. The term is generally used in a negative context.

So, why am I starting out this post with a cliche? I mean most of you know what a cliche is. It is tiresome, reused, over extended, over exposed, etc., etc., etc. You know, sort of like this summer’s movie entries. Let’s see there were sequels (actually some of which were threequels and fivequels) like Spiderman, Pirates, Shrek, Harry Potter, Rush Hour, Jason Bourne, and a sort of sequel to a cartoon series, Transformers.

You see, there is more than meets the eye here. Repetition does not necessary mean something is a cliche. Take stories, for instance. In 1991, I co-directed a Writer’s Conference in Louisiana and one of my favorite Christian authors, Robert Don Hughes, was a speaker. He gave an excellent workshop on fiction writing and was currently finishing a book that “outlined every story that has every been written or ever will be written.” Now that is a huge claim. How do you place all the stories that have ever been written into one book?

Bob’s claim was that there are only so many basic stories and only so many prototypical characters. Take “The 13th Demon” for instance. Jonathan Steel is a cliche. He is a stereotype. He is the tough, rough, violent reluctant hero with a soft spot in his heart who happens to have amnesia. Now, I wrote the book long before Jason Bourne came on the scene, but the amnesiac hero is one of the common elements in fiction. 

Also, Josh Knight is a stereotype, a cliche. He is an arrogant, abrasive, annoying teenager. Of course, I would argue that this describes almost any teenager in existence so how do you avoid describing one without being accused of creating a cliche?

Then, there is Cephas Lawrence, the wise, crusty old mentor. Of course, in my experience, most wise people are older since age tends to bring wisdom. And, as I have discovered with my own aging, the older you get the more stupid most other people seem to get. That makes one a tad bit “crusty” as time passes. So, how do you create a mentor who is not a cliche?

I say all of this because the charge of a cliche ridden book can be seen as negative. But, I maintain that it can be positive. Familiarity can engage the reader. I prefer characters that I can, in some way, relate to. I recently read “The Ruins” a best selling book from last summer. The characters in the book were all nasty, selfish, narcissistic young adults. I didn’t care for a single one of them. I finally skimmed the rest of the book because it became obvious that the characters were not slated to grow through the experience. They were all going to die. How boring! Who cares if these obnoxious, self absorbed, beautiful people all die? The author did nothing to stir any concern for the characters. I was glad when they finally died. So, the book ended on a hopeless, despairing, nihilistic ending. Sort of like the typically naturalistic outlook on life. You know, you live, you die, you rot. Have a nice day.

So, if it takes putting some cliches into a narrative to build relationships with the readers, I see nothing wrong with it. It is the story that revolves around the characters that is important. It is the growth and change the characters undergo as a result of the events in the story. If they all end up the same as they started, why bother telling a story? I would certainly not want you to spend your money on such a thing. I wish I had my money back from “The Ruins”.

My philosophy of writing is to create memorable characters my readers can relate to with provocative, thoughtful story lines that lead to either the characters growing or the characters failing. After all, this is what life is about. Moving through chaos to joy to chaos to sadness and then hoping that God can pound something through my head so I learn from the experience. Otherwise, the whole event is a failure. We only fail if we fail to learn from our failures.

So, if you want to read anymore of the Jonathan Steel books, and you hate cliches, don’t bother to buy them. In fact, don’t bother to buy any book to read it. They all contain cliches!

The “galley” proofs are in my hands for “The 12^th Demon: Vampyre Majick”. This is VERY exciting to see the actual layout of the pages with the chapter titles and the fonts used for the actual text. I can tell you that the book will have 389 pages and 41 chapters. It will be longer than the first book, but I promise it will be answering a few questions raised by the first book. Of course, in true “LOST” fashion, for every answer, there will be new questions. Otherwise, how can I keep writing the story over a course of several books? You see, the story of Jonathan Steel is truly epic. It is the story that many of us are caught up in. It is the story of meaning; the story of hope, purpose, and destiny. And, it is a story that cannot be told in one book. the Story that God is writing through creation and time is a larger canvas than my mere mortal series of books. But, we are all a part of that Story. And, within the larger Story, each of our lives has a meaning; hope, purpose, and destiny. These are uniquely suited to our individualities. Our part, or role, in the story is far bigger than ourselves. God has written a script for our lives that maximizes our unique spiritual gifts, talents, and skills. Within that script, as any good actor, we have some latitude in interpreting the part. But, only within narrow limits. We cannot go “off script”. When we do, God allows our own natural proclivities to bring discomfort and unhappiness in our lives. We are only truly joyful when we stay on script. And, the script will, like any good story, have elements of terror, of joy, of betrayal, of pain, but of ultimate fulfillment in the service of our Lord. So, enjoy your script. Get to know it. Seek the wisdom of the Scriptwriter and Director of your life. And, then go out and enjoy life! Because, for the short term, Jonathan Steel will not be enjoying life!

Tonight was the premier of PLUMMET by Perennialmedia. It was an awesome film and the turnout was fantastic! Chris Lyon and Luke Lee did an unbelievable job on the film. The acting was superb and the music was good. And, Fred wasn’t bad either! But, my favorite part of the film was the acting debut of Romeo! Not the Shakespearean Romeo. No, the famous golf cart chasing, frog eating, surfdog Romeo! Not only is Romeo showing up in films he has a minor role in “The 13th Demon”. Just check out some of the later chapters when Jonathan Steel visits the Beall household and you’ll see Romeo. So, congrats to Luke and Chris and the cast and crew of PLUMMET and congrats to our favorite Jack Russell Terrier (Wishbone eat your heart out!) Romeo!   

If you got here by any other way than the 613media site, you may not have heard my latest. I am currently beginning on the third book in the Jonathan Steel Chronicles: “The 11th Demon: Children of a Higher Dimension”. And, I want to give YOU the reader an opportunity to be in the book. That’s right! If you have had an encounter or sighting of a UFO (Or you know someone really, really well who has had one) just write down a short account and send it to me in Word format at bruce@613media.com. I will choose an account of a UFO sighting and include it in the book. And, if I choose YOU, I will send you a free, autographed copy of all three books! So, get out your video cameras and digital cameras and keep an eye on the sky!

I just received the final edit of my second book in the Jonathan Steel Chronicles: The 12th Demon: Vampyre Majick. My editor had this to say:”The 12^th Demon was an exciting read right up until the end! I especially enjoyed how the two books tie together so closely. I’m looking forward to seeing what 11^th Demon has in store for Steel. One of these days Vivian is going to get her hands on the power she wants, and he’ll have to watch out! On the whole the book is very solid.”  I was very pleased at her appraisal of the book and now I am embarking on the final corrections she advised. Soon, the book cover design will be completed and it won’t be long until the book begins the final phase of processing.I have completed the outline for the next book in the series, “The 11th Demon: Children of a Higher Dimension”. The first third of the book is written in rough draft and I have finalized the new characters you will meet in the book. I have also written the backstory (Jonathan’s flashbacks leading to recovering more of his memory) for the book and I believe the 11th demon will be the most suspenseful of the books so far. The reader will learn some new and startling facts about Jonathan but will also be left with a couple of new questions. Also, I promise the reader will get the first glimpse of the elusive “Council of Darkness”. 

Jeremy Johnson just uploaded the ad for Relevant Magazine. Check out the July/August issue for a full page, full color ad featuring Shane Reed as the infamous Jonathan Steel! Many thanks to Shane for posing and for Hannah for her photos and to Jeremy for composing the ad.

Just to give everyone an update, I will be going to the CBA in July. This is the biggest retail Christian show of the year and features every type of media. I’m looking forward to hearing Ravi Jacharias in person! And, I hope to generate some interest in 613media. Specifically, I’d love to run across a publisher to pick up the Jonathan Steel Chronicles from book three onward. It will be very exciting and very interesting.

On the 12th demon front, I’m in the process of the final edit with my editor from Synergy Books. It’s coming together very well. It’s a good thing! I can’t tell you how many calls I get every week from someone who has read “The 13th Demon” and wants an opportunity to “proofread” the second book. They can’t wait until February!!!! That is a wonderful problem to have! I’m excited about how the book turned out. God took me in a very different direction from the first book but I believe it complements and completes the story set up in the first book.

I’ve spoken with Luke Lee and Chris Lyon of Perennial Media regarding the short film for “The 12th Demon”. If we pull it off, the film will be very sensational and a mite bloody. So, I’d like to address something. Tanya Montgomery in her review of “The 13th Demon” from the website, curledupwithagoodbook had this to say about the scary stuff in the book: “Overall, this gritty story encourages the reader to examine personal beliefs. While some of the scenes are perhaps too descriptive, this may be attributed to the author’s attempt to pull no punches in discussing ultimate evil – it should be appalling.” That brings up an important point I make about this book. Evil is real. Evil is not pretty. Evil is nasty and dirty and dangerous and deadly and chaotic and bloody and all around us. Just watch the evening news! Sometimes, we tend to rationalize evil and try to explain it off as an internal expression of human psychic turmoil. Evil originated outside of us. It came in the form of the rebellious angel, Lucifer. And, he wants to destroy all of human existence. Period. So, yes, my book contains some dangerous and disturbing imagery. I could have made it worse, because in real life it is. I pulled back from the dark brink of just how depraved the human mind really can be for the sake of my readers. But, at the same time, I wanted to be realistic about the danger of evil. “The 13th Demon” is not for everyone. It is not a children’s book. It is not a happy, zipadeedoo da day, sunshine and lemonade experience. But, I promise the reader there will be redemption. Good will win. It always does. For remember, greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world!

That is why I hope no one is put off by the title of the second book, “The 12th Demon: Vampyre Majick”. Vampires are nasty, bloody things that creep in the night and drink blood. They are a perfect metaphor for the undead that move among us in the ephemeral form of demons. Wait until you read it. It is far more redemptive than the first book and you see a larger chunk of Jonathan Steel’s past that I promise will not disappoint you. Of course, the book is not without its unanswered questions. The final scene will have everyone clamoring for the third book. I hope!

I am heavily into research on the third book, “The 11th Demon: Children of a Higher Dimension”. I am also toying with the idea of introducing another book that I have written in the interim while waiting to get “The 13th Demon” published. The book involves Jonathan Steel as a minor character and I may put together a book proposal to take with me to the CBA. The book is entitled, “Death by Darwin” and Jonathan Steel is asked to help an attorney defend an innocent man of murder. If you want to pick up the hints of this story, check out Jonathan Steel’s blog (the link is at www.13thdemon.com) somewhere back around December.

Enough for now. It’s back to the writing!!!

I can’t say enough about how talented Jeremy Johnson is. Wait, I can say something more. Hannah Parker is truly awesome! And, so is Shane Reed. 613media was offered a killer of a deal on a full page ad for Relevant Magazine’s July/August issue. But, the kicker was we only one day to get it ready! I managed to convince the Relevant guy to give us a few more days. Then, I asked Hannah Parker to shoot some images of our very own Shane Reed as Jonathan Steel. Hannah blew us both away when she took Shane and I into a totally dark room, turned on her camera, and painted him with light! The images were totally unbelievable. Then, Jeremy took the images and put them together in a killer layout for Relevant. So, I guess Jonathan has a face now! And, everytime I see Shane at Brookwood, I’ll wonder if he’s going to beat the snot out of me!

There will soon be an update to the look of 613media thanks to Jeremy’s unending tweaking and we will post some of the images from the ad on the website.

Also, I am here in Orlando, Florida finishing up a great vacation with my family. You can check out our pictures at http://web.mac.com/bhennigan/iWeb/Site/Photos.html . We had our first annual board meeting of the directors of 613media and the future is very exciting. Say a little prayer for me on Saturday, May 26th. I will be signing books at the Barnes & Noble on W. Sand Lake Rd. If you know anyone in the Orlando area, send them my way. I’d love to say hello.

Check out this review by Tania R. Montgomery of Curled up with a good book. Thanks, Tania, for an honest, enlightening, and encouraging review!

http://www.curledup.com/13thdemn.htm

Follow this link to a web page of pictures from the book signing.

http://web.mac.com/bhennigan/iWeb/Site/Photos.html

Saturday, May 12th at the Barnes & Noble on Youree Drive from 2 to 4 P.M.
Book Signing.
If you mention this blog, I will give you a free tee shirt (up to 10 people).
I did an interview this morning on KTBS. You can access it by going to this link:
http://www.ktbs.com/ktbs_livevideo_popup.cfm?news_id=1694

It has been a great week. I’ve had lots of feedback on the book and I’m looking forward to the last two interviews next week for “The 13th Demon”. I turned in the official, real for live, not to be joking about it, final draft of “The 12th Demon: Vampyre Majick” this past Wednesday. I’m already working on the next book, “The 11th Demon: The Coven of the Third Eye.
So, see you at the book signing.