Inspiration for Creation

The Nature of the Existence

Posted by Becca Campbell in Books, My Works on June 17, 2013

Discovering Reality

In Gateway to Reality there are two worlds: one very much like the one we live in, and one that exists when Wes goes to sleep, in his dreams. The Logiverse is much like our world, ruled by order and the laws of physics. After a malfunction, Wes is exposed to the truth—this world ruled by logic is actually a virtual place that exists only in his mind.

It’s only then that he discovers the true nature of reality, the place in his dreams known as simply the Existence.

The Nature of the Existence

Ruled by chaos, the Existence doesn’t always obey typical laws like, oh, say gravity for one. On the surface it’s eerily similar to our world, yet crazy things can (and do) happen at any time with no rhyme or reason. Wes recognizes familiar places like the Chicago and Kansas City he knows, but he soon realizes that nothing is quite as it seems. Disorder lies just beneath the surface, waiting to break free at any moment.

People are different there, too. Wes is surprised to find nearly identical copies of the best friends and sibliings he’s known from the Logiverse, but there are slight—and sometimes severe—variations. The most extreme is Emily, his Logiverse girlfriend, who doesn’t even know him in the Existence.

For a free-spirited artistic type like Wes, the Existence might seem like a valued reprieve from the rigid structure of normal life. Instead, it awaits him as a dark and frightening reality—one he’s not sure he wants to live in.

Gateway to Reality is available:

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

iTunes | Kobo

Also, the first short story in my Sub-Normal series is now free! Grab Not the Norm at Amazon, Kobo, or iTunes.

Stop Aspiring! (Courtesy of Yoda, Nike, and Spaceballs)

Posted by Becca Campbell in Writing on June 13, 2013

I love meeting new Creatives online, whether it’s on Twitter or elsewhere. Talking to other writers nourishes my artist soul and inspires me to strive for excellence.

But there’s something I’ve seen far too often on the Twitterverse. Everywhere there are profiles touting “Aspiring Author.” To most this might not stand out, but it really grates on me, especially with how prevalent these labels have become. Here’s why.

If you are aspiring to be a writer, it means you aren’t currently one.

It’s like branding yourself “Wannabe Writer,” and believe me, there are plenty of people out there who claim that, too. When you create a profile on Facebook or Twitter, you’re creating a brand. Do you really want to brand yourself a wannabe?

A Wannabe in The Digital Age

The Internet has really lowered the formalities. We’re all overly truthful online (while simultaneously creating false assumptions), with no qualms about what we’re letting the world know, probably because they don’t feel like real people when it’s digital communication. Maybe this admittance of being a “wannabe” falls under that category. It’s understandable. There’s something freeing about being brutally honest about things that should embarrass us. But I keep going back to this: is that how you want to brand yourself?

Telling us you’re a writer who’s aspiring isn’t very specific. To what do you aspire? Fame? Best-seller status? To make enough money that you can quit your day job?

I’m a writer, and yes, of course I’m aspiring to something—many things, actually. But doesn’t the “aspiring” part go without saying? Don’t all of us aspire to higher things? If you’re a writer who doesn’t aspire, doesn’t that negate the point?

You may be wanting to lash out and correct me by saying that you’re not aspiring to be a writer, you are a writer who is aspiring, for gosh sakes! Oh, the technicalities.

That may be the case. Maybe you already are a writer. But I believe few of the “Aspiring Writers” out there are actually writing.

Take it from Yoda (or Nike, your pick)

If you’re aspiring to be a writer, I feel I must give you the wise advice of an old, green sage.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Ask yourself this: what does it take to be a writer? Only one thing: you gotta write stuff down.

That’s it. Maybe what you write is good, maybe it isn’t; but either way, it makes you a writer. So quit all this aspiring business.

Just do it.

Ludicrous Speed Ahead

Maybe you’re stuck at “aspiring” status, because you’re preparing. Thinking about all the writing that goes into a book is overwhelming, and one must e ready—right? You want to be mentally prepared for the task, and not jump in willy-nilly. If that’s the case, I’ll give you some advice from Spaceballs:

It might feel a little bit crazy to just start writing. Putting that pen to paper (or fingers to keys) without a plan? Insane, right? Maybe a little.

But to achieve anything it takes action. You have to quit thinking about, talking about, hoping for, aspiring, and DO.

What are you waiting for?

Ludicrous Speed Ahead.

A Novel Inspired by the Cloud Gate Sculpture

Posted by Becca Campbell in Books, My Works on June 10, 2013

Photo Credit: Andre Diogo Moecke

Today I’m going to share a little about one of the sculptures that inspired my New Adult Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction novel Gateway to Reality.

The Bean

The famous Chicago sculpture many refer to as “the Bean” is formally titled the Cloud Gate. This massive, mirrored, curvilinear piece of art sits in Millennium Park against a backdrop of angular skyscrapers, and was one of the main inspirations for Gateway to Reality.

I was fascinated by the sculpture before I ever got to see it in person. It’s difficult to capture the full essence of the Cloud Gate with a single photo, though many have tried. When I visited Chicago in 2006, I finally got to experience the Bean with my own eyes, and it immediately became one of my favorite spots in the city.

If you haven’t been there, you might be wondering why some giant bean is anything to write home about. I don’t have a definitive answer to that question, except my personal feelings about it. There’s something about modern art in general that inspires wonder. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been mystified and awed by pieces like this—elegant yet simple, and almost childlike in design.

One thing I admire about the sculpture is its accessibility. Not only was it placed in a public area, requiring no admission fee, but it isn’t barricaded with fences, posts, or warnings not to touch. The Cloud Gate was designed so that people could interact with it. If you’ve been to Millennium Park, you’ll know the pull that the sculpture has. It draws visitors in for a closer look as they examine the skewed reflections, enticing them in perhaps the way a funhouse mirror might, making them question their assumptions of what they think they should see . Beyond that, it urges people to touch its smooth surface, to walk beneath and gaze up at the kaleidoscope of images below the arch. All of this, the artist and builders have allowed.

Genius. Why can’t more art be like that?

In Gateway to Reality, the Bean is more than a piece of art. For Wes Teague, it’s the place where his sister vanished, and because of that, it exudes darker sensations. But it also holds what might be considered calming properties over him, drawing him to it repeatedly as he searches for equilibrium in the crazy world of the Existence.

What are your favorite sculptures or pieces of art and why? Do you think art should be set apart or readily available to the public?