.... to the Path of Bones. I'm still your host, Klikhizz Grimscale.
Er ... sorry about that. Feeling a tad on the silly side at the moment as I'm making myself stay up all night in order to try to switch my sleeping schedule around.
As most of you already know I work in video/film post-production ... and with that sometimes comes whacked out hours (both odd working hours and long days ... sometimes combined in the same schedule.) ... Starting Monday we're beginning dailies work for several episodes of a new TV series called October Road, which means that I get to switch from a 10a - 6p work schedule last week to a 10p - 6a work schedule that may last the duration of the shoot (38 work days). After getting home from work Friday night I'm forcing myself to stay up all night in an attempt to exhaust myself so that I can get into a schedule of sleeping in the afternoons.
The result of which is that I'm not necessarily all here at the moment ... so I can't guarantee that the ramblings that follow (or, for that matter precede) this will have any coherency what-so-ever.
In any case … I was sitting here and remembered something that I heard on the way in to work Friday. I was listening to talk radio and they were talking about the up-coming elections. The host in question was, in particular, speaking to the portion of voters who have become fed up with the Republican administration’s increased spending and lack of significant progress on various issues from the borders to tax reform to social security reform, and who are considering voting Democrat in the upcoming elections to ‘teach them a lesson.’
His stance was ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, because if you do you just end up with an empty tub and have to start over with a new baby.’ … and that voting Democrat may send a message, but it may not really be the message that you want to send.
The problem is, our system tends to encourage throwing out the baby with the bath water. If you have an elected official … particularly on the national level … that you don’t feel is representing you then you need to vote them out of office …. To accomplish that you generally have to vote the opponent into office … and since there is (usually) only one candidate from each party in the final election then that usually ends up meaning that … to effect a change you have to vote the opposing party into the office….
… so what do you do when you aren’t being properly represented but ‘the other guy’ doesn’t represent your beliefs either?
Yes, you could vote them out during the primary … but if they’re not opposed by someone in their party then what? Run yourself?
I’ve heard a lot of people saying lately that they wish that there was a viable third party in this country … (many times I would argue that to have a third party we’d actually have to have a second party rather than two faces of the same party) … well, for one, there could be if people would actually support one rather than being afraid of ‘wasting’ their vote. I’ll almost guarantee that most of the people that say they wish there was a viable third party in the country will go to the ballot and vote for either the Democrats or the Republicans and most of them will do it because they don’t want to waste their vote and have the other major party get the seat. Thus making the ‘third’ party get a small percentage of the vote and continue to appear ‘unviable’.
Now … swinging back around (weee isn’t stream of semi-consciousness fun!) to voting for the Democrats to send a ‘message’ to the Republicans …. The question here becomes by voting for a Democrat, what message are you really sending to the Republicans? Yes, you’re telling them that you won’t support them if you’re not happy with them … but you’re also telling them that you agree with the ideals of the Democratic party (or at the least the ideals of the candidates that you vote for) … and the result may be that the Republicans move more toward that set of ideals in order to try and win more votes in the next election … make sure you know what message that you’re sending when you cast that ballot.
I’m certainly not saying to just go in there and vote Republican … though personally I don’t really want to see the Ds get the keys to the car either and I certainly don’t want the Rs to get the idea that I support the agenda largely supported by the Ds (withdraw from Iraq, repeal the tax cuts, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and weaker pursuit of terrorists.)
So, what’s my point? Heh … I’m not sure I had one … I’m just rambling to keep my mind working in an attempt to stay conscious a bit longer. When Election Day comes around who you vote for is your choice (obviously) … just make sure that if you’re trying to send a message, that you know what message you’re sending. You may want to check to see if there are any independents or 3rd party candidates maybe their views will better match you ideals, and who knows maybe an above average 3rd party presence in the election will make both the Ds and the Rs sit up and take notice ….
Or maybe I’ve just passed out and I’m really dreaming…..
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Plot? What plot?
Well I know I haven't kept at this every day, but part of the reason has been that I'm lazy (but you all knew that already) and I've been working on various aspects of preperation for next month's novel writing frenzy.
So I thought I'd take a break from that today and give you all a little insight into next month's project by giving you a kind of profile of the plot and a couple of the characters that will be featured in the story.
Novel Title: Mark of the Pendragon
Estimated length: 50k+
Your writing experience: bits and pieces of various projects that were started and never finished but are still in the ‘active’ folder including 1 goth/supernatural story, 1 sci-fi trilogy, 1 fantasy epic, …. Um … let’s just say it’s a long list. And a personal NoWriMo challenge from Jan 2006 “Last Voyage of the Strange Twist” (won 50,546 words)
Your genre: Sci-fi/Superhero
New genre? Or old favorite?: Yes
Other genres of your novel: There tends to be a bit of fantasy in all I write
Gonna publish?: TBD
Cliches/archetypes you're including (not necessarily a bad thing!): Mega-Corporate control of government, Oppressive crime cartels and corrupt officials, Crime-fighting ‘superheros’.
Cliches/archetypes you're avoiding: Can’t think of any that I’m officially avoiding….
Main character(s): Jack Anderson
Secondary characters: Sara, Mike, Sentinel, Mr. Black, Eyes, Merl and his cat T.H.
Protagonist(s): Jack
Antagonist(s): Mr. Black
What does your protagonist(s) or main character(s) want most in the world? Justice
Setting: Big city sprawl and all the grime and inhumanity it entails.
Is the setting static or does it shift: Largely static
Based on a place/culture/real-world environment?: Not really
Is a place/culture/real-world environment? (Which): No.
Main Conflict: Organized crime
Sub Conflicts: Various personal issues Jack has
Obstacles in the journey: Apathetic citizens, corrupt government officials, and goons … lots and lots of goons.
Expected resolution(s): What makes you think it gets resolved? ;-)
Summary of plot: The city is big … the lights are bright. People flock to the city like moths to the flame … and generally with the same result. The city is not a shining jewel, but an over crowded, over taxed, under policed nightmare where the worst elements of human society prey on those too poor or weak to protect themselves. The government, seeing things getting out of hand has established a special enforcement squad to focus on rooting out some of the more glaring problems of illegal weapons shipments and narcotics. When the unit gets wiped out in a raid, however, the government decides to cut its losses and pulls the police back to the central core. In the resulting ‘no-man’s land’ one man tries to make a difference … and finds he’s not alone.
Tagline: “Some marks are eternal”
So there you go ... that's the plan anyway ... we'll see if we can keep the characters on task this time and not have them go off on adventures of their own that I didn't plan. *Glares at Destin from 'Last Voyage of the Strange Twist'*
Now let's introduce you to a couple of the characters that I've jotted down some notes for:
Main Character - Officer Jack Anderson
Physical – 5’11”, Muscular/Athletic, Black hair, neat short, clean shaven, blue eyes
Age - 28
Info – City Police officer in the ‘special enforcement’ division. Eldest son of Richard and Sandy Anderson. His mother died in an automotive accident when Jack and his brother were still quite young, his father is still alive and lives in a nice apartment in the city core. Jack’s younger brother, William, is the head of the Research and Development branch of Obsidian Securities, the nation’s leading security corporation and main supplier of both the city and national security forces (both training personnel and equipment). Jack is currently engaged to Sara Ashford, 27, a research scientist. Jack’s occupation as a city police officer, however, is a cover for his work in the new ‘special enforcement’ division that Obsidian has contracted to provide the city. Special Enforcement is a high tech undercover squad that targets organized crime … specifically weapons and drug shipments … specially outfitted Tac Suits provide armor protection, short range sensors, and secure communications during operations.
Technically I'm still working on ole Jack there ... but then again I'll likely still be working on him well into November and (likely beyond). His parents, for example, have been both dead, both alive, mother dead, father corperate CEO, mother dead, father dies at the beginning of the book, both dead but father died shortly before Jack finished his degree, and finally where we are now ... mother died early, father alive and retired. We shall see where it all ends up on November 30 though.....
Supporting Character - Merl
Physical - Elderly man, grey hair, neatly trimmed goatee, grey green eyes, walks with a cane.
Age - 70s
Info - Known mainly as the old man who's 'always been there' Merl is often seen in the company of his long haired white cat, T.H. He lives in a penthouse on the outer edge of the city core that is a virtual museum of historical artifacts over the ages. Tends to wear dark business suits with a red tie and white rose in the lapel. His manor is friendly and easy going, and people generally feel comfortable around him. Many of the local small businesses owe their start to him and many others seek his advise on business matters believing him a successful retired old businessman who is, perhaps, a tad eccentric.
Not sure how much of a place Merl here's going to end up with in the book ... or what his role is going to be over all ... but he just sort of walked into the plot and won't get out of my head so I decided to give him a place in the story ... it was that or kill him, and I can still do that. *evil grin*
So there you go ... an idea of what I'm going to be trying to wring out of my head over the next month. Hopefully at the end of November I can post here saying that I finished and then maybe you'll get a chance to read the work and decide for yourself if I hit the mark or got drug off into a completely different story than what I set out to write.....
So I thought I'd take a break from that today and give you all a little insight into next month's project by giving you a kind of profile of the plot and a couple of the characters that will be featured in the story.
Novel Title: Mark of the Pendragon
Estimated length: 50k+
Your writing experience: bits and pieces of various projects that were started and never finished but are still in the ‘active’ folder including 1 goth/supernatural story, 1 sci-fi trilogy, 1 fantasy epic, …. Um … let’s just say it’s a long list. And a personal NoWriMo challenge from Jan 2006 “Last Voyage of the Strange Twist” (won 50,546 words)
Your genre: Sci-fi/Superhero
New genre? Or old favorite?: Yes
Other genres of your novel: There tends to be a bit of fantasy in all I write
Gonna publish?: TBD
Cliches/archetypes you're including (not necessarily a bad thing!): Mega-Corporate control of government, Oppressive crime cartels and corrupt officials, Crime-fighting ‘superheros’.
Cliches/archetypes you're avoiding: Can’t think of any that I’m officially avoiding….
Main character(s): Jack Anderson
Secondary characters: Sara, Mike, Sentinel, Mr. Black, Eyes, Merl and his cat T.H.
Protagonist(s): Jack
Antagonist(s): Mr. Black
What does your protagonist(s) or main character(s) want most in the world? Justice
Setting: Big city sprawl and all the grime and inhumanity it entails.
Is the setting static or does it shift: Largely static
Based on a place/culture/real-world environment?: Not really
Is a place/culture/real-world environment? (Which): No.
Main Conflict: Organized crime
Sub Conflicts: Various personal issues Jack has
Obstacles in the journey: Apathetic citizens, corrupt government officials, and goons … lots and lots of goons.
Expected resolution(s): What makes you think it gets resolved? ;-)
Summary of plot: The city is big … the lights are bright. People flock to the city like moths to the flame … and generally with the same result. The city is not a shining jewel, but an over crowded, over taxed, under policed nightmare where the worst elements of human society prey on those too poor or weak to protect themselves. The government, seeing things getting out of hand has established a special enforcement squad to focus on rooting out some of the more glaring problems of illegal weapons shipments and narcotics. When the unit gets wiped out in a raid, however, the government decides to cut its losses and pulls the police back to the central core. In the resulting ‘no-man’s land’ one man tries to make a difference … and finds he’s not alone.
Tagline: “Some marks are eternal”
So there you go ... that's the plan anyway ... we'll see if we can keep the characters on task this time and not have them go off on adventures of their own that I didn't plan. *Glares at Destin from 'Last Voyage of the Strange Twist'*
Now let's introduce you to a couple of the characters that I've jotted down some notes for:
Main Character - Officer Jack Anderson
Physical – 5’11”, Muscular/Athletic, Black hair, neat short, clean shaven, blue eyes
Age - 28
Info – City Police officer in the ‘special enforcement’ division. Eldest son of Richard and Sandy Anderson. His mother died in an automotive accident when Jack and his brother were still quite young, his father is still alive and lives in a nice apartment in the city core. Jack’s younger brother, William, is the head of the Research and Development branch of Obsidian Securities, the nation’s leading security corporation and main supplier of both the city and national security forces (both training personnel and equipment). Jack is currently engaged to Sara Ashford, 27, a research scientist. Jack’s occupation as a city police officer, however, is a cover for his work in the new ‘special enforcement’ division that Obsidian has contracted to provide the city. Special Enforcement is a high tech undercover squad that targets organized crime … specifically weapons and drug shipments … specially outfitted Tac Suits provide armor protection, short range sensors, and secure communications during operations.
Technically I'm still working on ole Jack there ... but then again I'll likely still be working on him well into November and (likely beyond). His parents, for example, have been both dead, both alive, mother dead, father corperate CEO, mother dead, father dies at the beginning of the book, both dead but father died shortly before Jack finished his degree, and finally where we are now ... mother died early, father alive and retired. We shall see where it all ends up on November 30 though.....
Supporting Character - Merl
Physical - Elderly man, grey hair, neatly trimmed goatee, grey green eyes, walks with a cane.
Age - 70s
Info - Known mainly as the old man who's 'always been there' Merl is often seen in the company of his long haired white cat, T.H. He lives in a penthouse on the outer edge of the city core that is a virtual museum of historical artifacts over the ages. Tends to wear dark business suits with a red tie and white rose in the lapel. His manor is friendly and easy going, and people generally feel comfortable around him. Many of the local small businesses owe their start to him and many others seek his advise on business matters believing him a successful retired old businessman who is, perhaps, a tad eccentric.
Not sure how much of a place Merl here's going to end up with in the book ... or what his role is going to be over all ... but he just sort of walked into the plot and won't get out of my head so I decided to give him a place in the story ... it was that or kill him, and I can still do that. *evil grin*
So there you go ... an idea of what I'm going to be trying to wring out of my head over the next month. Hopefully at the end of November I can post here saying that I finished and then maybe you'll get a chance to read the work and decide for yourself if I hit the mark or got drug off into a completely different story than what I set out to write.....
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Ramblings
Children –
Okay, I’m not a parent … maybe I’d see things differently if I was (I doubt it, but many things are possible). I do understand the need to protect children in certain situations. Sometimes I think that people take it too far and it becomes harmful … particularly when parents turn to the government to not only protect their kid, but everyone’s children.
Recently I heard tell of a school system banning the game dodgeball because it was ‘dangerous’
Okay … I’ll admit that children playing dodgeball occasionally get injured. I can recall bloody noses, scraped knees and hands, and sprained ankles and wrists. Not exactly life threatening injuries to be sure … and certainly nothing I’d consider ‘dangerous’ … unless of course they’re using steel balls or shot-puts or something.
So … what’s the ‘danger’ that we’re trying to protect these kids from? I don’t have the story in front of me, and I’m just going on gut feelings here, but I’d guess that we’re protecting them from competition, rejection, humiliation, and failure. And that’s what’s dangerous….
In adult life they will have to deal with all of those things … and they need to learn to deal with them early. You can’t protect them from failure … doing so stifles learning by limiting the things that they can learn from.
Now, of course, dodgeball is not the only source of these lessons and I’m not saying that eliminating dodgeball is going to turn kids into fat little pansies that can’t cope with adult life … but the more you protect them from these aspects of growing up the more likely you are to have an adult that can’t cope with them on their own.
Then again … these types of people keep the government happy because once they can’t turn to mommy and daddy anymore they start turning to the government to take care of them … to make sure that they have health care … to make sure that they can get a job paying more than the job is worth through minimum wage laws, etc.
Economy –
I listened to a political candidate today bash their conservative opponent saying ‘what about the economy?’
Yeah? What about it? The DOW today broke the 12,000 mark for the first time ever and though it closed under the 12,000 mark it is still making records regularly. The amount of people invested in the stock markets (and thus benefiting from this bull market) is higher than ever. New home starts (a measure of economic stability and individual prosperity) are up in many areas. Retail prices are down, while average household income is up. Manufacturing indexes are up … in short the economy is looking good. Interest rates are up which isn’t so good if you’re trying to borrow money (though it’s great if you’re earning interest on money), but then again interest rates are always lowest when the economy is the worst.
Now, I’m speaking in general … it’s possible that the area in question has some economic issues that aren’t reflected in the above indexes and indicators … several areas around the country are having housing busts at the moment because builders have ‘over built’ the growth, and/or prices have inflated too quickly over the last few years and the market is regulating (meaning people that bought at the high point in the bubble are probably going to have to wait it out to get their money back out of their houses.) … these are all normal cycles in most areas and it’s unlikely that government intervention is needed or desirable in most of these cases.
The fact of the matter is that over the last several years the economy in this country has been growing and improving … but certain political candidates not only refuse to see it, but continue to try and paint the economy as failing … playing on the fact that the average voter doesn’t know enough about economics to understand what’s really going on.
Okay, I’m not a parent … maybe I’d see things differently if I was (I doubt it, but many things are possible). I do understand the need to protect children in certain situations. Sometimes I think that people take it too far and it becomes harmful … particularly when parents turn to the government to not only protect their kid, but everyone’s children.
Recently I heard tell of a school system banning the game dodgeball because it was ‘dangerous’
Okay … I’ll admit that children playing dodgeball occasionally get injured. I can recall bloody noses, scraped knees and hands, and sprained ankles and wrists. Not exactly life threatening injuries to be sure … and certainly nothing I’d consider ‘dangerous’ … unless of course they’re using steel balls or shot-puts or something.
So … what’s the ‘danger’ that we’re trying to protect these kids from? I don’t have the story in front of me, and I’m just going on gut feelings here, but I’d guess that we’re protecting them from competition, rejection, humiliation, and failure. And that’s what’s dangerous….
In adult life they will have to deal with all of those things … and they need to learn to deal with them early. You can’t protect them from failure … doing so stifles learning by limiting the things that they can learn from.
Now, of course, dodgeball is not the only source of these lessons and I’m not saying that eliminating dodgeball is going to turn kids into fat little pansies that can’t cope with adult life … but the more you protect them from these aspects of growing up the more likely you are to have an adult that can’t cope with them on their own.
Then again … these types of people keep the government happy because once they can’t turn to mommy and daddy anymore they start turning to the government to take care of them … to make sure that they have health care … to make sure that they can get a job paying more than the job is worth through minimum wage laws, etc.
Economy –
I listened to a political candidate today bash their conservative opponent saying ‘what about the economy?’
Yeah? What about it? The DOW today broke the 12,000 mark for the first time ever and though it closed under the 12,000 mark it is still making records regularly. The amount of people invested in the stock markets (and thus benefiting from this bull market) is higher than ever. New home starts (a measure of economic stability and individual prosperity) are up in many areas. Retail prices are down, while average household income is up. Manufacturing indexes are up … in short the economy is looking good. Interest rates are up which isn’t so good if you’re trying to borrow money (though it’s great if you’re earning interest on money), but then again interest rates are always lowest when the economy is the worst.
Now, I’m speaking in general … it’s possible that the area in question has some economic issues that aren’t reflected in the above indexes and indicators … several areas around the country are having housing busts at the moment because builders have ‘over built’ the growth, and/or prices have inflated too quickly over the last few years and the market is regulating (meaning people that bought at the high point in the bubble are probably going to have to wait it out to get their money back out of their houses.) … these are all normal cycles in most areas and it’s unlikely that government intervention is needed or desirable in most of these cases.
The fact of the matter is that over the last several years the economy in this country has been growing and improving … but certain political candidates not only refuse to see it, but continue to try and paint the economy as failing … playing on the fact that the average voter doesn’t know enough about economics to understand what’s really going on.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Soggy Rainy Days
Yup that’s what I’ve got today … soggy rainy weather with a touch of wind. Not really cold, per say, but just gray miserable weather. You know … the kind of days that just sap the energy out of you … great for sleeping, not really good for getting anything productive done. Or maybe curling up in a comfy recliner in front of a small fire and reading a good book with a cup of coffee or cocoa.
I, however, am doing none of the above … rather I’m sitting at the office banging my head on my desk trying to figure out what the problem is with certain pieces of equipment that have suddenly started acting up today. In short … it’s a day of chasing problems and not really getting anything done. And to make it more fun … the problems are intermittent so it can take some time to figure out if something ‘fixed’ it or if it’s just behaving for the moment.
As for prep work on my Novel in a Month for November I’m slowly starting to put together my writing soundtrack. My plan for ‘writing time’ this time is to drop in lengthy playlist from my music library, put headphones on, and write … not paying attention to time or reality for hours on end. Just me, my music, and the words in my head … or at least the words that are hopefully in my head.
To this end I’m going through my music libraries and sifting through to find not only the tunes that I like, but also the tunes that I think will enhance the ‘mood’ of various parts of the novel that I intend to write … kind of like setting the soundtrack for a movie that’s not written yet of course, but to a certain degree I’m hoping that the music will maybe help me keep the plot on the course that I want it to take rather than winding all over the place like my plot in January did.
I know, I know … with 15 days to go till the starting gun on Nov 1st you are all going to get tired of hearing the day to day prep work I’m doing on my novel …
Maybe tomorrow I’ll go sifting through the news and see if I can find some story or rant worth writing ….
I, however, am doing none of the above … rather I’m sitting at the office banging my head on my desk trying to figure out what the problem is with certain pieces of equipment that have suddenly started acting up today. In short … it’s a day of chasing problems and not really getting anything done. And to make it more fun … the problems are intermittent so it can take some time to figure out if something ‘fixed’ it or if it’s just behaving for the moment.
As for prep work on my Novel in a Month for November I’m slowly starting to put together my writing soundtrack. My plan for ‘writing time’ this time is to drop in lengthy playlist from my music library, put headphones on, and write … not paying attention to time or reality for hours on end. Just me, my music, and the words in my head … or at least the words that are hopefully in my head.
To this end I’m going through my music libraries and sifting through to find not only the tunes that I like, but also the tunes that I think will enhance the ‘mood’ of various parts of the novel that I intend to write … kind of like setting the soundtrack for a movie that’s not written yet of course, but to a certain degree I’m hoping that the music will maybe help me keep the plot on the course that I want it to take rather than winding all over the place like my plot in January did.
I know, I know … with 15 days to go till the starting gun on Nov 1st you are all going to get tired of hearing the day to day prep work I’m doing on my novel …
Maybe tomorrow I’ll go sifting through the news and see if I can find some story or rant worth writing ….
Monday, October 16, 2006
Ramblings
Monday-
Well just some quick rambling while I wrap up my day at work today. I’ve been sifting through the NaNoWriMo forums looking over various plot ideas, questions, answers, and just general forum discussion as part of my prep for November 1st. I already know the general story that I plan on writing as it’s one that I’ve technically summarized before and now I’m just fleshing it out to a full length novel, but it’s always a good idea to look around at other peoples story ideas and questions since you never know what might inspire you or give you something that you can use as a lifeline if you find the word count dropping.
I don’t claim that anything I’m coming up with is earth shattering or original … it’s the not very distant future in a cyber-punkish setting (sprawling city, high crime rate, high tech comfort colliding with low tech poverty, and big corporations holding most of the power) … into which we throw a mixture of super-natural, super-hero, and magic. Hopefully what I’ll end up with will be interesting and compelling.
My main characters are fairly well already developed, but there are still certain elements of the setting that I need to flesh out a little more: Name of the city, certain details regarding the main character and his relation to the rest of his family, means of income, etc. And … well … some antagonist would probably be a good idea.
Then again half the fun of NaNoWriMo is the excitement/horror of coming up with these things on the fly as you’re flinging yourself toward the 50,000 word finish line.
The other thing that I need is a title … NaNoWriMo November 2006 – Working Title just doesn’t capture the sprit of action and adventure, or even the dark setting that I want the novel to contain … I just really feel that it needs and deserves something …. more. More what I’m not sure … just more….
Well just some quick rambling while I wrap up my day at work today. I’ve been sifting through the NaNoWriMo forums looking over various plot ideas, questions, answers, and just general forum discussion as part of my prep for November 1st. I already know the general story that I plan on writing as it’s one that I’ve technically summarized before and now I’m just fleshing it out to a full length novel, but it’s always a good idea to look around at other peoples story ideas and questions since you never know what might inspire you or give you something that you can use as a lifeline if you find the word count dropping.
I don’t claim that anything I’m coming up with is earth shattering or original … it’s the not very distant future in a cyber-punkish setting (sprawling city, high crime rate, high tech comfort colliding with low tech poverty, and big corporations holding most of the power) … into which we throw a mixture of super-natural, super-hero, and magic. Hopefully what I’ll end up with will be interesting and compelling.
My main characters are fairly well already developed, but there are still certain elements of the setting that I need to flesh out a little more: Name of the city, certain details regarding the main character and his relation to the rest of his family, means of income, etc. And … well … some antagonist would probably be a good idea.
Then again half the fun of NaNoWriMo is the excitement/horror of coming up with these things on the fly as you’re flinging yourself toward the 50,000 word finish line.
The other thing that I need is a title … NaNoWriMo November 2006 – Working Title just doesn’t capture the sprit of action and adventure, or even the dark setting that I want the novel to contain … I just really feel that it needs and deserves something …. more. More what I’m not sure … just more….
Sunday, October 15, 2006
I havent died
I promise! Seriously though … I just haven’t been able to get really good and worked up about anything recently … when I do get a little hot over something I’m usually: “but I wrote about that already, no one wants to read the same rants over again!”
There is, however, something on the horizon that will get me writing here again, though it may or may not be the political ranting and raving that you’re used to. My wife and I have ‘officially’ gone crazy. (Okay Ssark, Kiaris, all of you just hush. =P) Some of you have probably guessed it, and yes, you’re right, we’ve officially signed up for November’s NaNoWriMo event. (NaNoWriMo.Org)
Yeah I hear you saying ‘didn’t you just do that in January?’ … yes we did … BUT it wasn’t the official worldwide event, just our own personal challenge. This time we’re doing it as part of the Official NaNoWriMo: Klikhizz and Hiirazz.
So why is that going to get me writing more here?
Warm up exercises. I’m going to try and get back into writing and posting here regularly … be it rants or just journal material or even stream of consciousness; anything to try and get me back into pulling words out of my head in some sort of meaningful order. I may even write up character information, background info, or various other bits of the prep work for the plot/story I’ve got planed. (and to answer your question before you ask it Kiaris, no it is not going to be Blood and Ashes, though if I can get myself back into writing I may seriously sit down and knock that one out at some point in the near future.)
So, what IS it going to be? Well I’m not 100% positive of course, because my last one (The Last Voyage of the Strange Twist) spun so far away from my original intended plot that I don’t trust myself to keep this one nailed down any better, but we’re going for a Science Fiction/Superhero genre plot line using some characters that I’ve had for a while (in fact at one time was considering trying to publish a comic book) but taking them in a slightly different direction than before.
In any case I learned a few things from my challenge in January (and the miserable failure of a challenge that I tried in July) that I plan to put to use in this official undertaking so I’m hoping to pull it off again. Once November kicks around my posts here may drop off again a bit, but I will try and get something up to let you all know how things are progressing …. And of course you can always drop by NaNoWriMo and check on my profile to keep up with my progress.
There is, however, something on the horizon that will get me writing here again, though it may or may not be the political ranting and raving that you’re used to. My wife and I have ‘officially’ gone crazy. (Okay Ssark, Kiaris, all of you just hush. =P) Some of you have probably guessed it, and yes, you’re right, we’ve officially signed up for November’s NaNoWriMo event. (NaNoWriMo.Org)
Yeah I hear you saying ‘didn’t you just do that in January?’ … yes we did … BUT it wasn’t the official worldwide event, just our own personal challenge. This time we’re doing it as part of the Official NaNoWriMo: Klikhizz and Hiirazz.
So why is that going to get me writing more here?
Warm up exercises. I’m going to try and get back into writing and posting here regularly … be it rants or just journal material or even stream of consciousness; anything to try and get me back into pulling words out of my head in some sort of meaningful order. I may even write up character information, background info, or various other bits of the prep work for the plot/story I’ve got planed. (and to answer your question before you ask it Kiaris, no it is not going to be Blood and Ashes, though if I can get myself back into writing I may seriously sit down and knock that one out at some point in the near future.)
So, what IS it going to be? Well I’m not 100% positive of course, because my last one (The Last Voyage of the Strange Twist) spun so far away from my original intended plot that I don’t trust myself to keep this one nailed down any better, but we’re going for a Science Fiction/Superhero genre plot line using some characters that I’ve had for a while (in fact at one time was considering trying to publish a comic book) but taking them in a slightly different direction than before.
In any case I learned a few things from my challenge in January (and the miserable failure of a challenge that I tried in July) that I plan to put to use in this official undertaking so I’m hoping to pull it off again. Once November kicks around my posts here may drop off again a bit, but I will try and get something up to let you all know how things are progressing …. And of course you can always drop by NaNoWriMo and check on my profile to keep up with my progress.
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