How "The Empire Strikes Back"...

[Rath Darkblade]

...should have ended.

We all know that at the end of "The Empire Strikes Back", Darth Vader chops off Luke's hand and reveals that he is Luke's father. But there was another scene that we were never meant to see. Here it is, in all its gory--I mean, glory...

VADER: Obi-wan never told you what happened to your father.

LUKE: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!

VADER: No! I am your father!

LUKE: No… No! That's not true! That's impossible!!!

VADER: And Princess Leia is your sister, you pervert!

LUKE: That's not true! That's... um... improbable?

VADER: And the Empire will be defeated by Ewoks!

LUKE: I find that one very unlikely.

VADER: And when I was a child... I built C-3PO!

LUKE: You what???

(10 minutes later. Vader drinking coffee, Luke leaning on the pole smoking a cigarette)

VADER: (smiling) And the Force, now that's just microscopic bacteria in your bloodstream called "midichlorians".

LUKE: (gives Vader a look that says 'WTF?', throws cigarette over the edge) Look man, if you're not going to take this seriously, I'm outta here. (walks past Vader and out of the room)

GEORGE LUCAS: CUT!!!

[Mostly]

[Rath Darkblade]

OK... I've never seen Robot Chicken, here. Sorry 'bout that. *shrug*

[Mostly]

OK... I've never seen Robot Chicken, here. Sorry 'bout that. *shrug*

Why are you sorry?

I'd seen that clip before and recognized the dialogue. I assumed you were referencing that scene so I thought posting it would add some context for others.

[Rath Darkblade]

Er, Mostly... check your PMs. I've just sent you a message.

[MusicallyInspired]

Why does it matter whether you've seen it or not?

[Rath Darkblade]

Sigh. When I wrote that little thing, I didn't know that "Robot Chicken" - or anyone else, for that matter - had beaten me to the punch; I simply thought it was a creative way to have a little fun with "Star Wars". When I found out about "Robot Chicken", my first (negative) reaction was "Oh noes! Panic, panic, panic!"

But now, after an exchange of PMs with Mostly, I've come to realise that I simply jumped to the wrong conclusion. In other words, I was reproaching myself and being too strict.

[MusicallyInspired]

Ohhhh. lol

[Rath Darkblade]

Yeah, well. *shrug* I've been writing since I was 18, and performing music for the past 13 years. So you know how it is when you're being (or trying to be) creative - you get the adrenalin flowing, you get a sort of buzz, everything is coming together, and you're thinking "Yeah! This is fantastic! It's all coming together! Everyone will get such a kick out of this!" etc.

Then, when you find out that someone else beat you to it, the whole thing comes tumbling down and you start thinking "Oh noes! Panic!"

I'm sure that everyone who's ever tried being creative will know exactly what I mean. We're our own worst critics.

[BBP]

{pats Rath's back}

You know I once had an idea about a young woman with a harsh background, who after a suicide attempt gets sort of possessed by a spirit she has to live alongside in one body...
A few weeks later there was this movie-after-a-book by none other than my former alter ego Stephenie Meyer with a very similar possession...

[Tawmis]

Then, when you find out that someone else beat you to it, the whole thing comes tumbling down and you start thinking "Oh noes! Panic!"
I'm sure that everyone who's ever tried being creative will know exactly what I mean. We're our own worst critics.

This has happened multiple times. In D&D, as you know, there's a monster called the Scarecrow in the monster manual. I had come up with this idea for Dungeon Magazine, that the Scarecrow goes rogue and begins terrorizing the town (committing acts of murder and such, and people can't find out who is committing these acts of murder - very, Jack the Ripper feel to the module). I write it all out. Send it in as a submission. Get a reply back, along the lines of, "We have a similar module being published in the near future, so we're unable to accept your submission." Lo and behold, no joke, several months later...

[Rath Darkblade]

BBP, Tawm, that's terrible. Yes, plagiarism seems to be rife no matter where you go. Now I'm even less encouraged to try and do creative things, like writing a story.

Sigh. The more applications I send out, the more rejections I get from publishers... and the more research I try to do into indie publishing, the more daunting and formidable it seems. From what I've seen, to even start in the indie publishing business, I have to:

1. create a website,
2. create a blog,
3. create a YouTube channel,
4. create a Facebook page,
5. create a Twitter account,
6. create a Tumblr account............

...and keep them updated, of course... ...and after all that, I have to do all the marketing, all the accounting, all the management, and all that on my lonesome.

All that while also holding down a job, of course, so that I can actually finance all this and not starve! So if I'm doing all that, when will I actually find the time to - you know - write something? *G*

*sigh* Oh, well, I may as well just give in to the herd mentality - which means lie on the sofa all day eating potato chips, watching sports all day long while belching, farting and picking my nose. THEN I'll be Mr Average Australian!

<rant mode == off>

I'm sorry if that sounds defeatist, but well - that seems to be the state of publishing these days... it's a big, exclusive club for people who have joined it; and for those who haven't, it's a big club for beating them on the head.

[BBP]

It's not about plagiarism, it's about having a good idea that you work on and develop carefully, and then somebody else walks away with a cheesier version.

[Tawmis]

BBP, Tawm, that's terrible. Yes, plagiarism seems to be rife no matter where you go. Now I'm even less encouraged to try and do creative things, like writing a story.

This is pretty cool (taken from: https://www.writingforward.com/creative ... ideas-left ) -

Creative writing is about discovery, imagination, and sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with readers. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had several writing ideas that seemed brilliant at first but later just seemed like a retelling of some old story that everyone already knew.

But lately I’ve been seeing stories in a new light. When I read a great novel or watch a mesmerizing movie, I often realize upon reflection that these works have common elements with lots of other stories. I don’t know if J.K. Rowling ever realized that Harry Potter had so much in common with Luke Skywalker. Whether she did or not, the lesson we can all take away is that she forged ahead and believed in the story that she wanted to tell.

So I’ve come to realize that creativity isn’t always coming up with something new; often, it’s simply finding new connections, perspectives, and combinations of elements. Letting go of your ideals regarding originality and reshaping them with this new understanding will send you soaring into less inhibited and better writing experiences.

They even say, there's only 7 basic plot elements for which every story comes from. So if you consider the thousands and millions of stories and novels out there, there's a good chance, that the one you want to write is going to be closely resembling another story (like in the example of Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker). Now, while I firmly believe JK Rowling is an exception and not a norm - she received hundreds of rejection letters for the first book (imagine their regret now?) and had lived a pretty difficult life and managed to come out on top, obviously.

So I would say, never stop trying. The moment you do, you've lost.

Sigh. The more applications I send out, the more rejections I get from publishers... and the more research I try to do into indie publishing, the more daunting and formidable it seems. From what I've seen, to even start in the indie publishing business, I have to:
1. create a website,
2. create a blog,
3. create a YouTube channel,
4. create a Facebook page,
5. create a Twitter account,
6. create a Tumblr account............
...and keep them updated, of course... ...and after all that, I have to do all the marketing, all the accounting, all the management, and all that on my lonesome.
All that while also holding down a job, of course, so that I can actually finance all this and not starve! So if I'm doing all that, when will I actually find the time to - you know - write something? *G*

Well, the good thing is, a lot of those things can interconnect. Like you can post to Facebook and have it also post to Twitter, without going to Twitter to post it.

Self Promotion is difficult - because you have those you know, that you push it to - hoping they push it out, as a favor to you, to reach a larger audience - but a lot of times, they don't. Because promoting something can sometimes feel pushy. So the self promotion is the most difficult part, and you have to be able to accept that you're literally going to have to spam forums, and the like, in order to get the word out.

I'm sorry if that sounds defeatist, but well - that seems to be the state of publishing these days... it's a big, exclusive club for people who have joined it; and for those who haven't, it's a big club for beating them on the head.

The thing with anything creative - whether writing or painting - or anything like that - it's all "matter of opinion." There is no "Right"/"Wrong."

Thousands of people loved Harry Potter - does that make the thousands that don't, wrong? No. Because it's not something that's scientific - it can not be said to be right or wrong. So getting through the first gate of publication is an endless battle.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm, up until last Friday (2 Feb) I was working on what I thought was an original idea.

And then I fell sick into a very, very stressful and unhealthy time. I had to go through some very unpleasant medical tests. They're still not finished, and I will need to have an operation. But at least the worst is over, I hope.

Anyway, that's why I haven't been around recently. Been feeling very, very sick for about 3-4 days, but it felt like much longer.

Still not out of the woods, but at least I'm past the first post. Thank $deity$.

My parents deserve endless thanks and love for putting up with my pain and bitching. And I thank you all too for waiting for me to catch up. I'm sorry I've been away without notice or word of why.