Monica Valentinelli

Take the Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge and Change Your World

Lemons, Sugar, Lemonade

This week's news, announcements, and musings are about Make Art Not War, sample excerpts, and more! Just as a reminder, I am off of Twitter/Facebook unless it's for work.

I have been doing the best I can to get back up to speed, and it's been slow going. Part of that is because I've gotten a cold, but also because of travel-related snafus, surprise visits, and planning for Gen Con: Indianapolis's 50th Anniversary. Wow, no wonder my brain feels like mush, eh? You'll be pleased to know that I am embracing the lemon, and will be squeezing them hard to make lemonade. I've got a lot to do, and right now I'm very excited to focus on work.

You may have noticed that I've been posting more excerpts to my work recently. That was intentional, to help readers like yourself know what sorts of things I enjoy writing. (Hint: it's a lot!) I also kicked off Friendly Friday, to highlight the work of other artists I admire, too. That's turning out to be a lot of fun! One thing I haven't mentioned, is that I've also started to contribute and help out more at FlamesRising.com. If you're so inclined, contributor Crystal Mazur has an interview with Christopher Mihm, a B-Horror movie filmmaker and aficionado.

Hope you are all doing very well!

Best,

- M

In the 05/11/2017 edition:
*|MC:TOC|*

MANW Check-In Week 19: Fun Work Isn’t Necessarily Free

By Monica Valentinelli on May 10, 2017 03:40 pm

We’re now a little over four months into my Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge, and I’d like to start talking about aspects of the craft assuming that you are continuing to make art either for personal or professional reasons. Today’s post ties into JOY, which is this month’s theme, and talks about some psychological aspects of making art and getting paid for our efforts.

Why tackle this? Well, there are deep, deep psychological associations between art and commercialism. Besides the myth that you must be mentally ill, impoverished, or suffering to make art, there are also ideas attached to making money. An author who has a best-selling novel is a “sell-out”, for example, because their book is too commercial. That often leads to a comment about what should and shouldn’t make money based on its quality or the nature of the artist, too. Good books that don’t sell are then a tragedy — especially if the author is a nice person! Good books that do sell if the author is an asshole is often believed to be forgivable to an extent Sound familiar? This isn’t new. It’s tied to our beliefs about money and who “deserves” it.

Many, many people who are smarter than I am have often discussed the psychology of being wealthy and poor. If someone is wealthy clearly they deserve that blessing and, if they made art to become successful, then they “did it all themselves”, fueling the myth that anyone can make it without help. And, there are deeply-rooted beliefs in the idea that a wealthy person must clearly be better in some way, shape, or form than someone who’s poor. If you are poor, then you can simply work harder or make better decisions to no longer suffer — which is so asinine and not at all the reality of being broke.

Making Art Is Work

I’m sure you have your own ideas about art and commercialism; I don’t think I’ve met an artist who hasn’t. The aspect of this topic I want to focus on, however, is the idea that making art isn’t work–because it’s so much fun! On a simplistic level, the notion that work cannot be enjoyable for it to be work is tied to a line of thinking that goes something like this: since capitalism is bad, the pursuit of money is evil. Ergo, if I enjoy myself in my work and expect to get paid, then I might become evil, too.

The idea that money has a good or bad alignment is extremely toxic to artists, because it is neither. It is a tool that many of us need to survive and thrive. The system of capitalism is also neither good nor bad, too. Simply, people use a tool (money) within a framework (capitalism) to further their goals. These goals can be very self-centered, and we have seen what happens with respect to corruption and the like, but a desire to be paid for the work you do shouldn’t be an outrageous concept. Nor, should it generate responses that you’re “greedy” for wanting to be compensated.

Okay, this leads to the question of whether or not making art is work. Is it? Here’s (one of) many definitions about work courtesy of Merriam-Webster:

Work is an “activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something”.

Based on this, and multiple takes on the definition of work, making art is definitely considered work. What these definitions don’t include, is the financial component and emotional aspects. You do not have to be paid for your efforts to be considered work; your state of mind and your feelings do not change its definition, either. Whether you’re happy or not, work is simply work.

Commercialism Adds Complexity

Hopefully by now you’ve realized that making art is work. With me so far? Here’s the not-so-fun part. The financial component is infinitely harder, because once you attach a monetary value to something you create you’re dealing with perceived value, cost of materials, distribution, etc. It is extremely complex to figure out not only what to make, but how often to produce, when to sell it, what places are good to do business with, etc. This level of complexity, dear reader, is why I believe many artists undervalue their work and often give a lot away. It takes time to learn business, and often it’s so intimidating that many artists don’t. Instead, they treat their art as a hobby until it “takes off” and they’re forced to think more deeply about it.

There are a million roads in between “I’m New” and “I’m a Best-Selling Artist”. Visibility, popularity, reception, and number of copies sold aren’t predictable and business planning is the exact opposite of that. There are some factors you can control, like production, and that’s what I focus on. I also think this idea of being embarrassed to ask for money has something to do with the joy we feel when making art. If it doesn’t feel like work, for example, then we feel guilty asking for money or other forms of payment. We might even feel small, because we aren’t a Very Famous ArtistTM, and talk ourselves down claiming our art isn’t worth anything because art produced by a VFA will be better.

Value Yourself

Valuing yourself and your art can be difficult to do, especially since the weight of “other people’s opinions” can drag you down, but it is an important first step in a longer process. I find that the first step to being taken seriously as an artist, is to take yourself seriously. Your time, creativity, and talent are valuable, and I feel being new only affects you so much. What is new, anyway? You may be new to selling your work, or certain forms of it, but you’ve probably been making art for a while.

I am hugely sympathetic if you’re feeling down or know you’re too hard on yourself. After you agree that yes, your art is work and yes, you would like some form of payment you can then learn more about the business aspects to make better, informed decisions. That process is hugely transformative, and I personally feel you shouldn’t have to wait to sell your first piece of art to ask questions. And yes, in case you’re wondering? You’re totally worth it! After all, if you undermine and undervalue your work — then why should someone pay for all that great work you’re doing?

• Mood: Recovery. (I have a chest cold.)
  Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Managed
  Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Living room to kitchen. Make tea. Rinse and repeat a thousand times.
  In My Ears: Lucy soundtrack
  Game Last Played: Final Fantasy X-2
  Book Last Read: Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora
  Movie/TV Show Last Viewed: ONCE: Upon a Time
  Latest Artistic Project: Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge and Rules
  Latest Releases: In Volo’s Wake for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Unknown Armies Books 1-3, and Kobold Guide to Gamemastering.
  Current State of Projects: Read my latest project update. New project update coming in May.

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[New Release] Cabal RPG

By Monica Valentinelli on May 08, 2017 02:13 pm

You have an agenda.

Together, you control a powerful organisation; it might be a company, a conspiracy, cult or corporation. You control vast resources over a global powerbase. You employ teams of specialists with very particular skill-sets to protect your secrets.

Your agenda might be anything, world domination, the defence of the planet, vast wealth or just unlimited rice pudding.

What you are willing to do to achieve those ends, well, that’s up to you…

Cabal is a stand alone RPG, designed by Andrew Peregrine, where the players control a single character together,and set out to advance its goals and power. Funded by Kickstarter, the Cabal RPG is now available on DriveThruRPG.com. This collaborative project includes art and factions by several designers, including myself. Hope you enjoy the conspiracy!

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Redwing’s Gambit Sale, Novella Excerpt, and Design Essays

By Monica Valentinelli on May 06, 2017 10:59 am

Today, I am pleased to announce that Redwing’s Gambit, which takes place in the fun, romping Bulldogs! universe, is on sale through Saturday, May 13th at DriveThruFiction.com. Written in 2012, this novella is an earlier look at my storytelling — perfect if you’re waiting for my upcoming stories to come out! When Redwing’s Gambit first debuted, I wrote notes on the story’s and setting’s design, and am re-sharing those here in addition to one of my favorite scenes.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to Redwing’s Gambit on DriveThruFiction.com. The story is formatted in ePub and PDF; you receive both when you order the file. Additionally, I pulled some links to design essays I wrote about the novella for you, too!

• Constructing Redwing’s Gambit: Research and Background Part 1 of 5 – The first question I asked myself was not about what story I wanted to write, but how I wanted to present the tale in such a way that felt more like Fate than d20. In my mind, the Fate rules really emphasizes and focuses on relationships or the ties that connect and bind the characters to one another.

• Constructing Redwing’s Gambit: Characters and Treatment – Part 2 of 5 – The treatment evolved from the original concept for a number of reasons. At the time, I thought the story required one perspective, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. One mystery in a closed environment was “okay,” but it wasn’t enough for the readers to get a feel of what makes Bulldogs! a cool science fiction setting. Initially, my thinking was that an observant character could really dig into and tell a tale, highlighting the different aspects of the alien races and the worlds. Boy, was that ever wrong! While that technique sounds good, it didn’t work when I started writing it because I bored myself going on and on and on…

• Constructing Redwing’s Gambit: Structure and Plot – Part 3 of 5 – After I had an approved story and treatment, I went to work writing the first and second draft. My inclination was not to offer one perspective, but to offer several. A mystery just did not work from an observer’s point-of-view because I had a lot of characters and they’re all not physically located in the same place on the ship. The logistics of having Dan sneak around like a ninja were not only boring — but creepy and Clueish. So, I added in other perspectives straight off the bat. I knew multiple viewpoints (there are three) was outside of how I normally write, but I felt it was necessary for a good story.

• Constructing Redwing’s Gambit: Revisions and Cut Text – Part 4 of 5 – I have about 7 to 10,000 words of cut text that I removed from Redwing’s Gambit during the revisions process. Once I erased Dan Daget’s character, I restructured the flow of the different perspectives and ensured that they read correctly. The biggest reason for the revisions, however, was to reduce any extraneous worldbuilding or plot hooks to keep the pace strong. With this being a novella, that meant minimizing certain aspects and also changing the strength of the relationship between Violet and the security chief to one of hidden, but mutual, feelings for one another. This first bit was altered because the spying robots was less important than Xax or Edna’s kidnapping.

• Constructing Redwing’s Gambit: Easter Eggs – Part 5 of 5 – The goal of this story was to help you get to know the characters and based on the reviews so far? That’s what you got out of it, too. Here are a few “easter eggs” to show you how some elements in /www.drivethrufiction.com/product/100801?affiliate_id=185516" target="_new">Redwing’s Gambit evolved.

Redwing’s Gambit Excerpt

One of the characters that readers really enjoyed was an angry teddy bear/mercenary named “Fang”. This short scene is Fang’s debut! The angry bear is a stowaway on board the ship, and he’s facing off against a feline robot.

Deep within the bowels of the cruiser, a small bear-like creature crawled through a grimy pipe and dropped down through a narrow opening. He wiggled his way down, down, down until he landed on the floor of a sooty vent.

The animal bared his teeth, hunting for signs of the enemy, but could not see his prey.

Turning a corner, he came face-to-face with a cat. It nudged its cool body against him and purred.

The mechanical noise grated his ears. It wasn’t a cat, it was cat-like. A robo-cat. And it was colored a bizarre shade. Watered down red. No, pink. An albino cat?

“Out of my way,” the creature hissed. “You will move for Fang.”

A clicking sound. Then, a high-pitched squeal. An antenna poked out of the metallic cat’s mouth, its red tip blinked urgently.

“Move. Now.”

The small bear stepped forward, but the robo-cat would not budge.

“Stupid cat.” Fang grabbed the robo-cat’s antenna and yanked back hard. The pink robot yelped in pain, its head spun faster and faster until a thin plume of smoke escaped from its pointy ears. Crouching low, Fang swept his foot and knocked the cat on its back. Then, the creature pulled out the robo-cat’s leg and beat its rosy body with it until he was satisfied.

It was an empty victory.

Redwing’s Gambit is available at DriveThruFiction.com.

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Friendly Friday: Transformers and Dan Khanna

By Monica Valentinelli on May 05, 2017 09:34 am

There’s something about Transformers that I find uniquely satisfying. Is it the big giant robots beating the crap out of each other? Maaaaayyyyyybe. Is it the hilarious way that Megatron would shut down Starscream‘s whining with a single glare? Or the fact that there were ultra-rare female Transformers who showed up in the movie but were thought to be extinct? Okay, maybe not so much. (Side note: I want that story. Did Megatron kill them all?) Starscream was definitely true to his name. But Soundwave, hoo… He was the shizzit. I mean, seriously, you have a boom box Transformer with a chest that can open and close to release other Transformers. That is legendary, right there.

Thanks to a re-issue of the original, I did manage to get my hands on this bad boy.

Fast forward to New York Comic Con many years later… I wasn’t able to attend, but for our anniversary my SO brought home several retro Transformers prints beautifully illustrated by Dan Khanna. As it turns out Dan has worked on Transformers for some time, and is a frequent guest at comic book conventions who can often be found in artist alley. Dan is one of the artists that I refer to as “hoofing it”, because he’s always on the road with a sketchbook in hand and another booth to set up. I honestly don’t know how he manages to live in NYC, travel as much as he does, and draw so beautifully. So awesome! Thanks to his busy travel schedule, I did manage to catch up with Dan the following year at C2E2 and enjoyed a “geek out” moment.

According to the Transformers Wiki (Life goals!), Dan started out as a fan artist before he was hired to work on the official line. This, right here, is a testament to what I keep preaching: fans become pros all the damn time. There’s no such thing as “just a fan”, and I’m very happy that Dan’s talent continues to be recognized and appreciated.

Known primarily for his work with Transformers, Dan has also worked as a colorist/illustrator on comics for IDW and Titan UK; he has also designed packaging for Hasbro toys as well. In fact, you could say that Dan is…more than meets the eye. (Insert groan here.) I’m hoping someone will tap his creativity for the sequel to Pacific Rim. Can you imagine Dan illustrating big, giant Jaegers beating the crap out of each other for a second time? Yes, yes I can.

For more about Dan and his work, you can visit www.dantheartguy.com or Dan the Art Guy on Deviant Art page.

• Mood: I forgot what day it is.
  Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Eh… I admit NOTHING!
  Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Holy spring cleaning, Batman!
  In My Ears: The soft, soothing bubbles of our fish tank.
  Game Last Played: Final Fantasy X-2
  Book Last Read: Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora
  Movie/TV Show Last Viewed: ONCE: Upon a Time
  Latest Artistic Project: Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge and Rules
  Latest Releases: In Volo’s Wake for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dark Ears Companion, and Kobold Guide to Gamemastering.
  Current State of Projects: Read my latest project update. New project update coming in May.

Read in browser »

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