I think I might do this for all my releases going forward: a post on why I wrote what I wrote. For good or bad, a look into the creative process — like a piranha frenzy or a garter snake breeding ball — that results in the grim and gory birth of fiction. Here, then, is a look into why I went ahead and wrote SHOTGUN GRAVY. If you feel like picking up the book (and I’d obviously appreciate it if you did), your procurement options are as follows:
Kindle (US): Buy Here
Kindle (UK): Buy Here
Nook: [Still not available, razza-frazza B&N]
PDF (Direct): Buy Here
So. SHOTGUN GRAVY.
It’s like the Pirandello play, in which I have a character — and, also, a title — in search of a story.
Way back when, when writing one of the many drafts of the script for HiM (Hope is Missing), our producer was talking about screenwriting and, in particular, brevity of description. Description in a script needs to be kept lean. Functional without being flashy, yet retaining that most elusive of things: voice.
And in this discussion he mentioned the script for Gone with the Wind, which reportedly relegates the scene of the city of Atlanta burning to a simple two-word description: “Atlanta burns.”
At first I was struck by the simplicity of that as a descriptor — I don’t know if that’s how it is in the script, as I don’t have a copy, but the lesson is still a powerful one…
You can get a lot of mileage out of short, sharp language.
But then I had a second thought:
Man, that’s a great name for a character.
Atlanta Burns.
So, I tucked that away in my brain the way a chipmunk squirrels away an acorn in his bulging cheek.
(Can a chipmunk squirrel something? That seems wrong somehow, like I’m flagrantly punching Mother Nature in her leafy, verdant vagina. It also seems doubly unfair to the squirrel, as he can not “chipmunk” anything. Though perhaps the squirrel should just take it as an honor that his actions have earned him verb status? Well. Greater minds than mine will have to ferret out the truth. OH SHIT FERRET never mind.)
Cut to later on, where I was eating at a little breakfast joint in Bethlehem, PA, and I saw on the menu a delightful-sounding item: “Shotgun Gravy.” Sausage gravy over biscuits and home fries.
And again I was like, “Yum,” but then, “Hot damn, that’d make a fine title for a story someday.”
Suddenly, Atlanta Burns — a character without a face, a voice, a life — popped up and I was like, “Ooh! Me me me!” Waving her hands in the air like a needy student. Jumping up and down. Oh-so-eager.
Atlanta Burns and Shotgun Gravy married together in my mind. Fused together.
Character and title.
But no story.
That was, mmm, I dunno. Almost two years ago, I figure.
Over the course of those two years, my brain did its thing, which is basically rolling around my environment like a giant whisky-sodden katamari ball, collecting whatever insane detritus and idea lint with which it comes in contact. Rolling, rolling, picking up crap. Lots of things started to get stuck to my brain-ball: the “It Gets Better” movement, Veronica Mars, Glee, gay-bashing, Neo-Nazis, kielbasa, cyber-bullying.
It was the “bullying” that kind of crystallized for me.
I was bullied as a kid. I think most kids were — you’re either predator or prey in grade school, and your role there is by no means a fixed position. A bully who throws you around at school might get the snot beaten out of him at home — the “kick-the-dog syndrome” laid bare, a cruel infinite leminiscate loop of use and abuse. The bullied often become bullies themselves, and sometimes the bullies end up as the victims.
What I’m saying is: the worm turns.
Any bullying I suffered was never epic — I got jacked against a few lockers, got called names. Early on kids will bully you for anything: I remember someone making fun of the way I chewed in like, 5th grade. That became a thing for a time, and it was nonsensical (turns out, I chew just fine, though that maybe gave me a slight neurosis for a good year or two, thanks, assholes), but it was what it was. Eventually I grew up — literally, as an early-bloomer I got tall for awhile until I got shorter again what with everyone springing up around me — and for the most part the rough-and-tumble bullying fell to other victims.
Thing is, you don’t have to look hard to find bullies. It’s there in the workplace. In the political process. Hell, women, homosexuals, transgendered, developmentally disabled folks, overweight kids, they all end up as the target of some mean-ass shit. Sometimes just hard, cruel words. Sometimes it goes a lot deeper and gets a lot worse. We live in this sort of… predatory world, right? Where the strong try to abuse the weak. Psychologically, physically, sexually. And in a lot of cases, it’s damn near okay. Kansas decriminalizing domestic abuse? The so-called “Protect Life Act?”
Hell, look at the rhetoric often surrounding rape cases: rape victims are forced to run a rough gauntlet wherein they must effectively prove that they weren’t somehow deserving of getting raped. That whole, “Well, what were you wearing?” question. Would it matter if she were naked? Does a low-cut blouse signify a rape beacon, drawing bad men like moths? “She was asking for it.” Yeah, not unless she was actually asking for it, thanks. Nobody ever asks this of murder victims, you’ll note. “Huh, what kind of shoes were the murder victim wearing? Can we just label this a ‘suicide’ and move on? Those are suicide shoes, jack.”
All this stuff came swirling together in my head — and then came the discussions around whether Young Adult books were getting too dark. I wrote a post back then (“Adolescence Sucks, Which Is Why YA Rocks“) which cuts to the heart of it: if YA is reflective of troubled teen culture, then we should embrace that. Because kids want to talk about this stuff. They want to acknowledge it and find power to shine the light of that acknowledgment and bite back the shadows of ignorance, because I promise you that ignorance is far more damaging. Seeing what hides behind the shadows steals the power from the darkness.
And suddenly, Atlanta Burns had her story.
Her story comes from it all: troubled teens and bullying and DADT and whatever. It’s about taking back some of that power, about turning the table on the bullies — but at the same time, that’s not an easy path, and not necessarily a sane path, either. You fight fire with fire, you might burn the whole house down, you know what I mean? Therein lurks a moral complexity and a darkness framed around a teen existence.
Does that make it YA? Does that make it noir? Probably not. I dunno. I’m not sure those terms are even well defined anymore. I know that Atlanta is, in her own way, a bit of a loser — and the book damn sure doesn’t have a straight-up happy ending, and it definitely deals with teen issues. Which is why I think of it as noir-flavored YA, or YA-flavored noir. Or maybe it’s just a story about a girl, her shotgun, and how she tries to protect a couple of friends from bullies.
It’s a bit dark, but I think it’s got some lightness in there, too. Humor and hope, not always completely realized. But in there just the same, struggling to come out. We’ll see if they do.
Because this is only the first novella, as I’ve mentioned. I’ve got more on the way — er, provided this one sells okay. (I won’t lie: the first couple days of sales were okay, but fairly low compared to my other e-books, even compared to Irregular Creatures.) I will ask that if you like the book, I could use you to spread the word. Maybe leave a review somewhere. Hopefully the story works for you. Her story just… tumbled forth, like apples from an overturned bag, and usually I like to think that it means there’s something there, something people might really respond to, but that’s up to you to say, not me.
Hopefully, BAIT DOG — which deals with animal abuse and dog-fighting — will find its way to the light. It’s a hard book to write, but again, one that refuses to be contained.
Thanks for reading.
Sparky says:
I have to be honest. I find this fascinating, the entire sort of process coming together like that. And you provide better info than most could on where the bits of inspiration or ideas or what have you came from.
That being said, while I love your books blogs and game work and look forward to more of all that, this one doesn’t sing to me. Not sure why as I’m sure it’s well written and you sell it well. I think part of it is I got really burned out on YA a while back, in particular YA with female protagonists. It’s irrational but it’s there. I have downloaded the sample because I love your other stuff and we will see how that goes.
Again man, you rock so do not take any of this as an insult. But even as a fan something about this project just doesn’t draw me in.
October 17, 2011 — 12:25 AM
Josin says:
Your naming story for Atlanta reminds me of the one Matt Groenig tells for Monty Burns in The Simpsons. It involved a Montgomery Ward store engulfed in flames – BAM: C. (See) Montgomery Burns.
Also, there’s a disturbing similarity between her appearance and my high school self. (Minus the shotgun, of course. Texas isn’t quite *that* relaxed with its gun laws.) 😛
(Also, the very concept of bait dogs makes my skin crawl. I’m very unhappy with you for making me think of it. *gives nasty glare*)
October 17, 2011 — 12:49 AM
Natalie says:
The thing that stood out for me from this post was your belief that every kid is bullied and/or is a bully. Really? Is America that bad nowadays (or even back whenever you were at school)? If so, that is horrible. Is anyone doing anything about it?
I wasn’t bullied, nor was I bully. I know one girl who was bullied and she left that group of “friends” to join mine. Ten of us, all nice to each other. And not attacked from the outside either. I didn’t know that was so unusual.
Obviously I am not from America.
Well, that was my rant. I just couldn’t let that statement stand undisputed. Hope your book sells well. I’ve really enjoyed some of your other work.
October 17, 2011 — 2:06 AM
terribleminds says:
@Natalie —
I do think so. Not in a protracted way, but I don’t believe I’ve met many kids who never once were either a) bullied or b) participated in bullying. I’m using “bullying” in the social sense. I don’t think you need to beat someone up or hold their head in a toilet to have it count as bullying.
Maybe it’s an over-reach to say that everybody has been — but in my experience, it’s a lot more than people think.
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 6:10 AM
L. Harrison says:
Yeah, I was neither bullied nor a bully, but I was good at keeping a low profile. Still, though, it was very alienating and I think bullying is, perhaps, just a portion of the larger aspect of alienation and certainly does resonate with me. Even though I hated HS, I think I have encountered more true assholes as an adult, in my experience.
On genre: I was thinking about YA as a genre and I think I have pinpointed why I didn’t like what I thought of as YA and that was because I felt like they were writing down to me, y’ know? I think, perhaps, the best YA probably just started out simply as good stories. I dunno. But I understand that marketing labels are important. Is “Carrie” a YA story? It wasn’t marketed as such, but I can certainly see how it would fit the category.
On the format: I like this idea of a series of novellas. It reminds me of when I used to read comics (comics are cost prohibitive to me now). I’d subscribe to my faves and get ’em every month. Maybe this is where ebooks and self-pubbing shines, since you can put out sort of episodic storylines on a regular basis fairly quickly. Novellas are very satisfying to me, also. To be honest, I am a little tired of loooong stories.
Just initial thoughts. Got the Gravy and can’t wait to get to it.
October 17, 2011 — 2:42 AM
Amber J. Gardner says:
I think this book will have problems getting on its feet, because I don’t think your blog’s audience is this book’s audience. It seems like something the younger generation would appreciated, and I don’t think (?) there are a lot of teens reading your blog and are fans of your work.
Also, this story deals with controversial material and is pushing a message, or at least this post makes it clear that it is, which I think can also turn off some readers since they already have their opinions on subjects and may not be interested in hearing another’s…unless it’s similar to their own or their own experiences.
Then again I just came up with this conclusion based on your mention of lower than expected sales and the comments for this post.
My two cents.
I was bullied and became a social retard well into high school and beyond. How much of it was due to my bullying or if it was simply ingrained in me from birth, I’ll never know.
October 17, 2011 — 6:57 AM
terribleminds says:
@Amber —
The lower sales are, I should mention, still good — at Amazon, enough to put the book in the top #4000 for the day, a number that, while not epic, is satisfying just the same. I did not have many direct PDF sales, though. And the lack of B&N (for some reason it still won’t load there, and I’ve emailed them to no avail) hurts me a little. (I should also note that sales over the weekend were steady, so that made a difference, too. Friday was, I think, a bad day for the initial push, what with the new iPhone hitting people’s hands. Friday seems a somewhat lazier day on the ‘Net all-told.)
That said, I think the blog audience is the book audience, definitely. I have a ton of YA readers as well as some writers following the blog, but the book is dubiously YA, honestly — it has a bunch of profanity and dark shit going on. This isn’t a light and happy story. But I think it’s funny at times, too, and it’s very much in my voice and of my humor.
Finally, I don’t think it’s a “message” book, either — I’m not preaching anything except that bullying is real and it can get real bad. And sometimes you do something to stop that bullying and the question is, how far is too far? What happens when you go knocking down a wasp’s nest?
Anyway, that’s my feelings on the subject.
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 7:06 AM
Amber J. Gardner says:
@Natalie — I don’t think he meant you aren’t from America if you weren’t bullied. And if you truly weren’t made fun of ever as a kid growing up, then good for you. I agree that you’re probably a minority, a special case, but that is definitely not a bad thing.
That’s awesome that you and your friends managed to be saved from such experiences 🙂
October 17, 2011 — 7:00 AM
Ron Earl Phillips says:
If you ever want to tackle a shorter story with Miss Atlanta, Shotgun Honey would welcome your brand of insanity.
Ordering Shotgun Gravy now.
October 17, 2011 — 7:28 AM
Kate Haggard says:
I’m going to have to come in and disagree entirely with Amber here. Shotgun Gravy is the perfect book for your core audience, Chuck. It’s got all that Wendig swagger that’s as subtle as a sledgehammer upside the head.
But it’s not YA. Now, now, before you all get out the pitchforks and torches, lemme ‘splain. One: YA is not a genre. It is a market under which all genres exist. What makes a YA fantasy stand out from an adult fantasy is, typically, the voice. Nearly every YA has to have that quintessentially YA voice. It needs to be teen fiction rooted so firmly in a teen perspective that readers can’t see the adult behind the curtain. This is kind of hard to learn to do if you don’t do it naturally.
The voice of Shotgun Gravy – Atlanta’s voice – is too mature. It feels like an adult wrote it. Kind of like Winter’s Bone in a very loose sense. YA is more than the age of the characters and the setting. It has nothing to do with language, or content, or theme, like I’ve said before.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Shotgun Gravy isn’t fabulous. It’s relentless and gritty and a perfect little nugget of love for folks that eat up dirty, rural crime fiction.
October 17, 2011 — 9:22 AM
terribleminds says:
@Kate:
First: thanks. 🙂
I do think it falls in line with my voice, both here at terribleminds and across all my fiction. Just because it doesn’t contain ghosts or goblins doesn’t mean it isn’t a book by me, you know?
As for the YA thing — I’m honestly tempted to pull it out of the YA category at Amazon (in part because I believe YA just isn’t a Kindle seller right now). I do think that it hovers around YA, it skirts it, holds hands with it — YA crime, YA noir, YA something. I would even say that Winter’s Bone has a YA edge to it. So I think you’re mostly right, though I don’t know that YA has to have that non-adult teen voice. Hell, the HUNGER GAMES series feels very adult — not just in subject matter but in the voice of Katniss. She’s not very teen-like, and I might argue that Atlanta is actually a lot more teen-like than Katniss. Katniss reads to me as an adult protagonist shoved in a teen girl’s body.
I dunno. These waters, quite muddy.
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 9:27 AM
Kate Haggard says:
Muddy waters indeed, Chuck. The voice thing is really hard to quantify, especially as lines continue to blur. (And that’s a good thing, so don’t anyone think I’m one of those YA purists :-p) I would say you’re closer to Andrew Smith than Suzanne Collins though. If you haven’t, I recommend getting a copy of The Marbury Lens and devouring it, dissecting it, and committing it to memory. It has that relentlessly dark maturity while maintaining it’s YA-ness.
And I don’t want you pulling it our of any category just on my opinion. Someone else might come along and disagree with me. *waves to the legion of lurkers*
October 17, 2011 — 9:40 AM
Todd says:
I’m a little knotted-up over whether to get this for my older kids (18 &15). I know they are exposed to “bad” language at school, but there is a fine line between acknowledging that fact and promoting it actively. I really dig your voice and the knack you have for description and metaphore. I know my son, who is almost 16 would appreciate your sense of humor as much as I do. He really doesn’t like to read, but this might be something he would grasp, same with his male and female friends. I’ve told him about you and I think he is intrigued. Maybe I can just get it for them and not go into detail with my wife (bad idea!)
Although this doesn’t sound like something I would personally enjoy, I will likely buy a few copies to support one of my favorite authors. I hope you don’t think you have to stay dark to keep your audience, Chuck. You voice will translate well to a lot of genres. I’ve said it on my blog, I think you could describe watching paint dry in an amusing and entertaining way.
BTFO!
October 17, 2011 — 10:05 AM
terribleminds says:
@Todd:
Oh, dang, don’t buy it just to support me — though I appreciate that sentiment, buy it only if you want it.
I’d suggest you read it, first. I mean, when I was that age, I read some pretty dark shit. I was big into horror back then. But, just the same, I’m more comfortable telling you to gaze over it first just to make sure you’re not throwing them to the lions. 🙂
And thanks for saying nice things. I don’t think I have to stay dark — I do like writing about dark stuff, though. Even DOG-MAN AND CAT-BIRD from IRREGULAR CREATURES is dark, despite its somewhat family-friendly nature. Flying demon cats murdering children is not a happy subject. I write dark because I tend to like it, and think it makes for interesting fiction.
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 10:13 AM
Todd says:
Don’t get me worng, Chuck, I’m sure I would enjoy the style and voice, but the subject matter is not really my bag. I will buy the books to be read, at least by me, and likely at least one more copy for my college kid, who is complaining of a lack of “reading for fun” material.
I will support you, because that’s how I roll. I want you to be able to keep on doing that thing you do so well. if all of us just asume someone else will buy it where would that lead us? Heh.
October 17, 2011 — 10:23 AM
terribleminds says:
As a sidenote, while the book isn’t available on the Nook marketplace, I’m happy to direct sell the EPUB to you via the Direct PDF link (just let me know on the invoice you want ePub).
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 12:11 PM
Elizabeth Poole says:
Todd: As an idea, you could always give the novella as a gift if you’re not interested yourself. I am giving DOUBLE DEAD to my best friend’s fiancé as a late birthday present. All I had to say was “Vampire. In a Zombie apocalypse.” and his eyes lit up like a zombie in a MENSA meeting (of course, I bought a copy for myself, because again—vampire in a zombie apocalypse).
I love hearing about where other writers get their ideas, and what sparked certain elements. I personally love the idea of Atlanta Burns because that whole cycle of revenge thing just gives me shivers. Much like Chuck talked about, it can get dark and brutal when you’re fighting fire with fire. I have a lot of other thoughts on revenge—about how it forces this inner change in the character as well as outer, how it taints even the most noble of people—but this isn’t the place for this particular soapbox. Suffice to say, SHOTGUN GRAVY will be my precious come payday.
It’s interesting though to see the variety of reactions from the readers, and also see first hand how sometimes writing genre-bending books can be a bit of struggle to market it later. I mean sure, it’s got a teenager for a protagonist, and deals with teenager issues, but does that make it YA? Would it be better labeled as something else? There’s no obvious answer.
I certainly agree that there’s a lot of YA out there that feels adult. Most of the dystopian YA, I would say. Their voices are more mature, they sound more like adults. The issues and the problems the protagonists usually deal with are adult issues, like where to find food and whether or not that hobo is going to shank them in the night. Yet, there’s a huge market of dystopian YA that seem to simply have a teenaged protagonist to classify the “YA” distinction. Of course, this is just my opinion, and though I read a lot of YA, I gravitate more towards urban fantasy as a genre, so I am not as verse in YA as a genre or classification as a YA writer is.
Muddy waters indeed.
October 17, 2011 — 1:09 PM
Darlene Underdahl says:
I was bullied by my mother and older brother when my father wasn’t around to protect me. Rather than making me timid, I became more formidable. I became the protector of a little banty-chicken of a girl at school. I’m glad I didn’t have access to a shotgun (I’d have to carry it on the bus), or I’d have taken out a whole pack of mean girls.
I turned my back on small towns for good. Even the teachers wouldn’t help the children who were bullied.
I think I’ll get your book now.
October 17, 2011 — 1:21 PM
Chad Kallauner says:
I also think simple, sharp descriptors are powerful and make for some kick-ass character names. You brought up a great point.
In my future project about a deranged wizard who raises a zombie army to defeat his nemesis, I think I will name the wizard Jesus Wept.
BTFO.
October 17, 2011 — 1:29 PM
yojimbojapan says:
I’m a bit authenticity nerd. Quickest way to get me to kick something aside is twist that node in my head that says “This don’t seem right.”
I was born and raised in North Carolina and loved Atlanta as a character even more because of that. Only because it fit though. The thing with the Confederate flag for example. Also the feelings of transplant isolation and crummy rural towns felt great as well. That’s why I loved it and will be buying the next one.
October 17, 2011 — 1:39 PM
MrJohnfro says:
Great post!
Shotgun Gravy is going on my payday shopping list. I don’t know if your workflow/magical pixel fairies can handle this request, but if I buy the PDF could you put your post as the forward? No worries if you can’t it shall still be acquired; your books always deliver the entertainment goods!
October 17, 2011 — 6:36 PM
terribleminds says:
Johnfro:
Not clear on the request? You want this post as part of the PDF? I may include it in the sequel’s PDF packaging (BAIT DOG) when/if that comes out.
— c.
October 17, 2011 — 7:16 PM
Betsy Dornbusch says:
I love how you remember where the name for the character came from. I have a character named Trinidad and I’ve been asked many times… I dunno. It just is.
October 17, 2011 — 7:11 PM
MrJohnfro says:
Sorry for the confusion Chuck, but yes I was hoping it could be bundled with the PDF. I will bug you again for it when…WHEN…BAIT DOG comes out! 😀
October 17, 2011 — 7:42 PM
Geoff Skellams says:
Chuck,
just to let you know: Barnes and Noble do not sell their ebooks outisde of the USA. I tried the other day to buy one and it cancelled my order saying it had an invalid credit card (there’s nothing wrong with my card). I just don’t have a US billing and mailing address. Apparently, it has to do with their DRM algorithm, which is tied to a credit card number and the fact that encryption software has US export restrictions on it.
So, you’re probably losing ePub sales from non-US residents as a result.
October 17, 2011 — 10:22 PM
Casz Brewster says:
I will happily purchase this book — I’m completely intrigued. Just waiting for the penmonkey masters to pay their invoices. ;p
October 18, 2011 — 1:58 AM
Dave Versace says:
Great story. I inhaled it in about four hours and immediately surfaced wanting more. More punches to the face, please.
Love the idea of doing a series of novellas to emulate a TV season arc. I hope this approach gets the attention it deserves (and if there are other good examples out there I would love to hear about them)
October 19, 2011 — 4:51 AM
terribleminds says:
Thanks, @Dave! I appreciate that.
October 19, 2011 — 6:45 AM