As I continue to make preparations to release a synopsis and gather resources for a full on marketing campaign, there is one question that must be answered. “Why should I care about your book?” From the outset, it looks like the childish fantasy of an unproven author who is going to enter the self publishing world and fail like so many others before him.
Although this possibility is very real, I have faith that my book will bring something different that readers of all genders and ages could appreciate. Throughout all the stories I’ve written in my youth, this one I feel is the one that could potentially resonate with a lot of readers.
“Okay, but you still haven’t answered the question!”
Okay, okay! Sheesh, bully much? “The Silver Ninja” is not your typical superhero book, nor does it have the typical tropes found in almost all movies and literature. I hate to say this, but I have to reveal some minor spoilers in order to make my case. I didn’t want to reveal the gender of my hero until readers got their claws into it, but as an unproven author I can’t really afford to keep too many secrets. Here’s the list of reasons why you should read my book:
Reason #1: My super-hero is actually a super-hero(ine). This is not a story about a Captain America, Spider-Man, Superman, or Batman. This is a tale of a woman, a wife, a sister, a daughter who is challenged to overcome soul crushing obstacles. Some we deal with every day in real life. Others… well, others only a (super)hero can deal with.
Reason #2: Most of the tropes seen in movies and comics have been
thrown out the window.
– Are her parents dead? No.
– Is this a tale about revenge? No.
– Is the main character traumatized and so mentally beaten that she becomes disgusted with herself and contemplates suicide? N—Yes, maybe… (not really a trope)
– Is she a character for the sake of being a love interest? God no.
Reason #3: This is not a black and white story. You as the reader will question whether you fully support the main characters motivations and may find yourself choosing sides between supporting the hero or the villain. There will be a lot of topics and issues that we can relate to in real life which will be at the center of the conflict between her and the villain. You will have to decide for yourself who is right and who is wrong.
Reason #4: I put a lot of work into making the setting and story as close to realistic as possible; I did my best to only stretch the walls of reality, rather than break them. Most of the “super-powers” that I talk about in the story are all based on real technology that is either being developed or is already in existence.
Reason #5: It’s written by Wilmar! I kid, I kid, but I will say that I spent 10 years working on this manuscript. Yeah, you read that right, 10 years. Remember when the 1stSpider-man movie came out in May of 2002? I had my original script finished in March 2002. So my first draft of this book was written when I was still in high school.
I originally had no intention of publishing my story. It was just a hobby I did in my free time that I shared with friends. It wasn’t until I noticed the lack of heroines that I questioned if holding back Silver was the right thing to do.
I mean think about it, name 5 super heroines off the top of your head. I’ll start, Wonder Woman.
Can you think of more? Comic book geeks can give you a list, but anyone who has only watched movies can only list maybe 3 heroines at best. If I were to continue the list I would say, Storm, Black Widow (kind of lame character in my opinion), Black Canary, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and Power Girl. (Did you even know the last 4 existed? Did you really care?) That technically makes the list 7 but you get the idea.
Throughout those years of watching female characters become sex symbols; my manuscript has been through dozens of re-writes and went from 3rd person script format, to 1stperson, to 3rd person narrative. What a pain in the butt let me tell you! I had to study many, many techniques, books, and stories to fix all of the horrific writing mistakes I made with my first iteration of the book. It wasn’t until this year that I’m finally happy with the end result.
Last Reason #6: This is probably a reason that is near and dear to my heart and I hope other people recognize the necessity for this book to do well.
She’s a woman, not a girl, not a toy, not a playboy bunny, a woman…
…What? You need an explanation? Okay fine.
Throughout comics media I’ve been sick and tired of women being portrayed as sex objects, damsels in distress, psychos, tomboys etc. Wonder Woman, even though writer Gail Simone did “wonders” with this character; she’s still a boring amazon from an island of amazons. She’s not relatable, she’s a woman yes, but she doesn’t go through any ‘real’ issues. She doesn’t deal with any drama that an everyday woman would go through. She doesn’t get into fights with her husband and doesn’t really do many of the things regular women do.
I understand comics are escapist fiction, but there has to be some realistic gravity to the problems these heroes face. I feel that comics have become a bad soap opera with super powers, and that’s just not an environment I want to subject my character to. Hence, why I’m not pitching Silver to Marvel, DC, or any comic publisher; there is a very real fear that they would turn my character into a clone/cyborg/magical being/incestuous lover in order to generate sales. This would set back all strides I attempted into making a real empathetic character.
This tale will go from the mundane to the unbelievable throughout a carefully planned arc. There will be action, there will be tension, there will be drama, and yes some parts will be shocking. From battling giant mechanical war machines, to dealing with an obnoxious sister who always wants to get the best of her. The Silver Ninja will be a story that is unpredictable, thrilling, sorrowful, and hopefully… captivating. I can’t promise that I nailed a female personality 100%, but I am quite confident I came close.
I am looking forward to sharing the story with you all; I pray that you too will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
-Wilmar
P.S.
I apologize for any formatting errors, I’m still getting used to blogger.
