Why Investors Are Scared To Invest In New Media

The video game industry, the film industry, and the book industry. What do these three entertainment giants have in common? They are really fuckin scared. And the industry is expensive to produce something new.

I’m not even going to go into indie publishing and film-making and the cheap $1 app games. I won’t talk about music, either. That’s a whole other blog post. I’m talking about mass-produced, mass-consumed media products.

Why are the industries scared?

They are scared to invest in something new and different because it might not sell to an audience that has only been fed sequels and remakes and other non-original trash.

Let’s look at E3, the biggest video game expo on the planet:

  • Microsoft announced its upcoming games:  Sequel, sequel, sequel, sequel, sequel, sequel, and sequel. Then it announced two original games, both for very young children (Disney World and Elmo).
  • Sony announced its upcoming games: sequel, sequel, reboot, sequel, sequel, special edition of a sequel, sequel, another special edition of a sequel, new game based on existing property (Star Trek, for those of you interested), then three more sequels.
  • Nintendo, sadly, only offered sequels. Then it announced the new console with the idea that you can play sequels from other consoles on it.

Now, let’s take a look at someof films of 2011. 2011 is noted for being the year with the most sequels released, ever, at twenty-seven.

I’m not listing everything. I’m just making a point.

Now, when it comes to the book industry, agents and publishers are rather the same. They only want to invest in something they think will sell (it would be crazy if they wanted to try to sell something they didn’t think would work), but they have limited notions of what will sell. They think loading readers with similar stories will work – this leads to trends and crazes. Never mind that many of the greatest novels ever written were completely original, somewhat different to what others were writing, and sometimes ever only published after the author was dead.

What I’m trying to say is, the book industry doesn’t need sequels and remakes (not including trilogies and series) because so many authors are writing similar stuff already. I’ve read heaps of advice telling authors what to do, what not to do, make sure there is a beginning, middle and end and a realistic villain that is introduced early on, make the conflict evident from the fist chapter, write a satisfying climax etc. But the biggest selling novel today in YA (next to Harry Potter, of course), Twilight, barely even has a plot until three quarters of the way through the novel. Twilight doesn’t stick to the conventions of the day and as a result, too many books try to emulate what has already been used and was a major success.

Books can easily be compared, just like films and games. “If you like this book about fallen angels and romance and paranormal and teenage girl protagonists, you’ll like these hundreds of other books written for the niche that is no longer niche” – kudos to Gina of Fantasy Casting for bringing this to my attention.

That’s the beauty of the industry: yes, we do want to enjoy what we love and read/play/watch similar things to rediscover the joy we found when we read/played/watched the original: but we also need originality. We need something different. Too many industries are too afraid of investing in something new and different. How are we supposed to discover a new genre or mode of storytelling when we’re saturated with similarities? How can originality shine through when markets are saturated with the same thing?

What are your thoughts on the industries and their love of remakes/sequels/retellings/general investment of sameness? Do you like to consume similar media, or do you search for those great originals as well? Will you invest in something different when buying a new book/game/seeing a movie, or do you play it safe with something you’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy based on past experiences?

The Domestic Princess: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

This post will be somewhat different than my other dissections because I have to keep in mind that Disney’s Snow White was released in 1937, which is a dozen years before the 1950s housewife because the feminine ideal. And in my mind, Snow White is little more than a glorified housewife.

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Except she's awesome because she communicates with animals by singing.

Everyone should know the story. It’s based on a Brothers Grimm fairy-tale, and Disney made it more kid-friendly: beautiful queen, outshone by her step-daughter orders a huntsman to kill her in the woods. When we are introduced to Snow White, the first and only thing on her mind is how much she wants to fall in love with her OMGSHINYTRUELOVE. And maybe he’ll be a prince. That would be the BEST THING EVER because even though she’s a princess, her step-mother is a total bee-yatch that dresses her in rags and makes her do domestic stuff like wash the steps.So you get it. Snow White is totally boy crazy.

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We all want our men to carry us, right? Right?

Then the pervy prince comes along and spies on her from beyond the castle walls. He’s totally a Creepy McCreeperson and sneaks up on her. I don’t blame her to running away and closing the door: she’s certainly smarter than a lot of YA heroines who would go OMGSHINYTRUELOVBOI!!! And want to get married right away. At least Snow White has the decency to be alarmed that some guy stalked her and then scared the crap out of her.

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I'm a stalker, but at least I don't climb in your second story window and watch you sleep.

I also have to add that the queen might have been a lot more beautiful if she’d uncovered her hair. Long healthy hair on a woman has long been a sign of fertility and youth. (I’ve just spent the last hour reading about hair length on Wikipedia… sigh this post will NEVER get done).

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A pretty cool villain!

The huntsman takes pity on the princess because of her innocence and beauty and lets her go, taking back a pig’s heart as evidence of her murder. Snow White does nothing except scream and cover her face. Then when she runs into the forest she starts hallucinating from the fear and stress of everything. I said to my hubs (who is patiently watching Disney with me, bless him) “I hope she doesn’t just faint!” but luckily, she only collapses in a heap sobbing her poor little broken heart.

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It's a very one-sided conversation.

Snow White, with the help of her woodland animals friends (which I can only assume are friendly to her because she is so beautiful and innocent?) stumbles upon a little house that she thinks belongs to orphaned children, cleans it with the help of her animals friends, and cooks supper. She immediately takes on the role of the mother she thinks the orphans are lacking, much like Wendy in Peter Pan (which we shall address in a later blog post).

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We all know that "Heigh-Ho" song, so I'm not even gonna bother.

The dwarves, when they return home from their mining, think that a monster has taken up residence and prepare to kill her. They bully Dopey into investigating. When I told my hubs the dwarves were just bullies (after forcing Grumpy to have a bath) he said, “It’s just a bloke thing. If all of them have to suffer, one’s not going to get away with it.” When they discover she is not only a beautiful young woman but their princess as well, and the Queen wants her dead, they allow her to stay in their house and basically become their mother – cook, clean, sew, sweep. Do all their housework that they suck at because they work all day, Right? They take pity on her because she is young, beautiful, and innocent. By the way, Grumpy is most definitely my favourite: he’s a realist and he tells it like it is. He mutters about women’s wiles and stuff. Ha ha.

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You're little men, not orphans! So why do you all live together?

The queen finds out Snow White is still alive when her truth-mirror tells her exactly where she is. To disguise herself, she changes her appearance and her voice into that of an ugly old crone. I hope she planned on turning herself back. I can’t even say anything like Disney is presenting ugly people as evil because the Queen was originally very beautiful on the outside, just consumed with envy and jealousy at Snow White’s beauty and innocence. Perhaps that’s what made Snow White so beautiful: she was pure inside and out, and the Queen was all twisted up in her own vanity.

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No one will suspect me with this disguise!

Anyway, she gives Snow White a poisoned apple, telling her it is a wishing-apple. Snow White wishes for her true love to come to her, takes a bite, and falls into a deathly sleep. The dwarves arrive home to chase away the queen who falls to her death (in typical Disney style, although this is the first instance of it, it is a trope widely repeated because it allows children to put two and two together and realise the villain is no longer a threat). They place Snow White in a glass coffin so they can still perve on her beauty and then the prince comes along and kisses her (necrophilia, anyone?) and she comes back to life and he takes her away to live in his castle, which is what she’s always wanted and wished for. But… like… why the fuck would anyone want to kiss a corpse?!

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Mmm, cold, dead lips.

Supernatural Romance and the Power of the Other: Disney’s The Little Mermaid

In a lot of romances, the women are the mortals and the men immortals: vampires, werewolves, angels, demons. Yes, there are some really cool books where the women are magical and fall in love with mortal men, but these aren’t as common. The mainstream idea is that women fall in love with magical men. Or maybe that women gain the love of magical men.

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Erik the Romance Seeker

In Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Ariel – for the case of this blog post – will be positioned as the magical/immortal woman. She’s an Other to Erik’s human. Erik is the one in this romance concerned with finding a wife: he’s pressured by his adviser and presumably his parents to get married – not necessarily be happy or fall in love. And Erik, feeling the pressure, obsesses over Ariel’s unearthly voice, and vows to marry the girl it belongs to. He’s pressured to find a wife because he is royalty and needs to produce an heir – he’s not chasing a romance because it will make him complete, but because it is his duty.

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This is why he is too afraid to KISS THE GOD DAMNED GIRL ALREADY!

In one way of looking at it, this could be Erik’s way of resisting marriage. Sure, he wants to marry the girl the voice belongs to, much like Cinderella’s Prince wants to marry the girl the glass slipper belongs to, but he may never find her. If he vows to only marry that girl, and he can’t find her, then he doesn’t have to get married. But maybe that’s the cynic in me .

Ariel’s Sacrifice To Otherness

In contrast to Eric, Ariel is shown as having outside interests other than her romance. She’s obsessed with everything human because it’s so exotic to her. She’s not an Other in her own world, but she’s an Other to the human world. She wants to be a part of the exotic world so much that she is willing to trade her voice and ultimately put her life at risk to get what she wants. Ariel shows a distinct interest in the human world before she discovers Eric, and her voice is the defining aspect of her identity: so much so that Ursula can use her voice to hypnotise Prince Erik.

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He's so dreamy... literally.

When comparing this other romance women who are offered a chance at getting everything, I find the other women lacking. Often they don’t have to sacrifice anything. Or it’s something paltry – like sacrificing being with their family in exchange for getting their spouse’s family and life, wealth and prosperity. Even Bella Swan, of Twilight fame, thinks she is giving up something monumental to be with rich, handsome Edward. Whether it is her family (which she doesn’t end up abandoning at all) or her soul (it is never finalised whether vampires have souls or not), Bella does not sacrifice as much as Ariel does to get what she wants. She kind of falls into her role as Edward’s wife, whereas Ariel actually fights for her destiny. Bella certainly never gives up any aspect of her identity, for she never really has enough of a personality or ability to sacrifice in the first place.

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Go on, bite her. End her miserable existence.

Yes, I am bashing Twilight again – so what? YOU LOVE IT.

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Now THAT is the kind of thing I like to see. Woman rescues man. Or post-pubescent girl-like fish-thing rescues handsome prince. If you wanna get technical.

Another monumental difference I want to point out is that Ariel wants nothing more than to be a human. Sure, being human is hugely different an exotic to her, but Bella wants so much more: Bella wants to be an immortal vampire with magical powers; Ariel simply wants to be human and all the problems and flaws that come along with that. Bella gives up her normalness to become an Other, while Ariel gives up her Otherness to become normal.

Ursula’s Power And Otherness

Ursula is an Other even within the underwater world. We don’t know what she did to be called a ‘demon’ and untrusted. We do know however that she openly rebels against the Sea King, Triton, and that it might be because she is both a powerful woman and an othertype of human-fish hybrid: an octopus. She rebels against Triton’s patriarchal hierarchy by using her power, in a sneaky way, to give others what they want. But her payments – and she has the right to be paid, for not only is she a businesswoman but apparently knows something about contract law – often allow her to take possession of the victim. What her ultimate goal in collecting them is, I can’t figure out. I do know, however, that her ultimate goal is taking Triton’s power – in a way, castrating him – and ruling the sea.

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I had to put this iconic picture in SOMEWHERE.

The thing about Ursula is that she’s obviously grotesque – mostly because she is grossly overweight and also an octopus – yet for some reason the film makers show us her vanity – she is seen adjusting her hair and applying lipstick. She’s camp and knowledgeable about sexuality, and also kinda dirty when talking to Ariel about getting her man and singing a song with obvious sexual undertones. Ursula is also the most provocative of all the characters we meet. She often slips into sexy poses and uses her breasts and hips to make a point. Her octopus body is reminiscent of a black evening gown, and she wears make-up (although I can’t figure out what she’s using).

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Why doesn't Ursula get a sea-shell bra? Is she too old to bare her midriff?

This is in direct contrast to Ariel’s innocence and purity – although Ariel was deliberately drawn to enhance her cleavage, she doesn’t wear make-up or take much pride in her natural appearance, nor does she seem aware of any kind of sexuality beyond kissing – which, according to Ursula, is ‘true love’. Now, Ursula’s clearly older and more worldly than Ariel, and obviously taking advantage of teenage hormones – but it’s her contrast to beautiful, sweet-voiced and good-natured Ariel that gets me. Even her skin is purple! What’s up with that?

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Seriously, what is up with mauve skin? Was it the 'in' thing in the 80s? I must have missed that memo.

In the end, it’s Eric who has to destroy Ursula with a rather phallic-like symbol, therefore regaining the patriarchal ideal. In my opinion, this is because Ariel has already saved Eric’s life several times, so it’s his damn turn. Triton hands Ariel over to her new husband, and all is well in the world.

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Happily ever after... if you don't include the sequel.
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Seven Deadly Sins Flash Fiction Challenge

Antimony of Thoughts, Musings and Broken Promises is hosting a flash fiction blogging challenge. The premise is such:
Seven Days
Seven Deadly Sins
Seven Flash Fictions up to 100 words
Starting 7/7

Does this not sound like one of the most awesomest challenges ever?

Because I’m querying one series with two books written so far, and editing my sci-fi and short story collection, this is perfect to get me back into writing.

I’ve only ever written one flash fiction before, and that was autobiography. I tend to write quite a bit to get my point across (as you might be able to tell) so having this 100 word limit is going to be quite a challenge. I’m also kind of obsessed with the seven deadly sins. This sounds perfect for me.

Write What You Love Or What Will Sell?

A few of the blogs I’ve read recently have started saying things like, “The most important thing to a writer is a reader,” and “You must write what will sell,” and “You must write what will appeal to a reader or you will never sell anything and you’ll be a FAILURE!”

That’s great if you’re looking to be the next Stephen King or Danielle Steele, and never have a novel that differentiates too much from what you’ve already written and sold.

But where’s the heart, the soul, and the passion of a writer who isn’t writing what they love?

The books that are written to a trend are obvious to savvy readers. Maybe the agents and publishers think we’re stupid, but we can tell when someone’s trying to rip off Twilight or Harry Potter and quite frankly, I’m not impressed. The rip offs will never be as good as the original and sure, some people might be duped into parting with their hard earned cash; but in the long run, they’re missing something. An essence. A passion. Love. Call it what you will, but trend-written books are never as good as originals.

So what do you do? Do you write to trends and turn out a bunch of similar novels that can never compare to the original (oh my god, where do I start!), or do you write what you want to write, write something that makes you excited and hope that a similar trend comes along in time to take advantage of that enormous wave of popularity?

Of course, I don’t have the answers, because I’m not a published writer. In fact, I’ve done both. I’ve written a short story collection of some generic paranormal tropes such as werewolves, vampires, fairies, angels, and sirens – but my full-length novels are a space opera about cyborgs and a high fantasy/paranormal series about magical creatures no one’s ever written about before. If I ever write something trendy, it will be by accident.

What are your thoughts? Would you ever write to a trend – considering it takes 2 years for a book to go from bought by a publisher to on the shelves? Or would you write to a trend and self-publish (faster turnaround)? Do you only write what you’re interested in reading, like Meyer did with Twilight? Do you hope a trend might come along that you can surf the success of?

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