Inspiration, thou art a heartless little hussy

So, with a great deal of reluctance, I have decided to put The Singers in the Eternal Night on haitus.

Why? A couple of reasons. One is, I'm not happy with what I have so far, overall, and it's not really something a rewrite of a first draft will fix. It's just not throwing off the right vibe--it's becoming something I don't care for all that much. I hate to waste all that work but it will require a rethink. My basic goal was for it to be terrifying, and it's so . . . not. I hate that.

The other is, my next project, The Harvester of Faces, has become terribly interesting to me. I sat down and plotted it out this morning and started the first draft this afternoon. This one is quite a bit more complicated than the previous one but it's not strictly a horror novel--though it does have horrific elements. This one is more science fiction.

There are a lot of things I want to say with this one, many of them political. I'm hoping it won't become preachy or anything--I'm hoping you'll just be entertained by the story and then, later on, realize that maybe it helped you to see a different point of view on some issues we're facing these days. Or, maybe not. First and foremost, you'll have to enjoy the story. If you don't then, no matter how forcefully and cleverly I have made my arguments, it's just a waste of time. If you wanted political commentary you would have bought a book full of it. You buy a novel to be entertained and I'm not going to let that go by the wayside for the sake of a message.

So, it'll be thrilling, with lots of twists and turns, interesting characters you can identify with, and--since this is me--a truly monsterous serial killer. Nothing but fun, for everyone!

Using problems to solve problems

So, I was worrying myself into a state, with a couple of plot issues I have with The Singers of the Eternal Night.

I was sort of obsessing on this until it hit me--I can use one problem to solve another one.

I can't really get into details, but it involves what happened to one character--he disappears early in the story and everyone seems to forget about him. I finally figured out that finding the guy will be the solution to the second problem I was having.

This is the secret to plot twists, I think, and something I need to keep reminding myself. Any time I see a plot hole, I need to look at other plot holes, and see if one can be used to solve another. It makes for a stronger and more economical story, one that will keep a reader guessing and also helps to keep the story from becoming formulaic--another example of what I'm talking about, I might add.

So, that's my new motto, when I'm working on a story or something--use one problem to solve another one.

The story, by the way, is coming along quite nicely. I'm just over a quarter of the way through the first draft now, and the road to where I'm going is gradually getting clearer. This is always a good sign, when I'm working on a novel--it at least means I'll finish the thing.

Funny thing is, I'm also getting some pretty damned good ideas about the next project, too--The Harvester of Faces. This one will be a lot different from what I'm working on now--it'll be quite a bit more complicated, with a multi-layered story, subplots, and a pretty complicated milleau. It'll have to wait but when I finally am able to get started on it I've got a very good foundation to build on.

Either way, progress is being made!

It was a dark and stormy randomocity . . .

Well, it's dark, anyway. I don't think it'll be stormy. But what do I know?

As I write this I've just begun chapter five of this novel thing, The Singers in the Eternal Night. I've also gotten news that my lovely and talented eight year old goddaughter, Talyan, has been booked to appear in a Samsung commercial. So, I can see her in her Samsung commercial on my Samsung TV. It doesn't get more awesome than that. At least I hope I get to see it--I never did see her Burger King commercial.

It's been a long week, and I desperately needed the good news above--up until today it had been one bloody thing after another. I can't go into details--it's work related--all I can say is, with 366 days this year, everyone picks the same frakkin' one to plan something.

I actually have an idea for a musical project. I'm thinking of doing some instrumental pieces for a song cycle I'm calling Broken Planet, for now. It's been a while since I've done anything musical--I haven't even fooled around with one of my guitars in days--so as soon as I get some more stuff blocked out let's see if I can remember how to do this.

College football and the NFL get started in earnest this weekend, which means I'll be struggling to get anything done. Especially when my Atlanta Falcons are playing. I'm looking forward to the season--I think the Birds will be a bit better, though I'm a little concerned about two things: the passing game and the defense. I know, they have Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Roddy White on offense, but for some reason it seems really difficult for them to complete a pass of more than four or five yards. Also, the starting defense is fine--but when those guys come out for a breather, the dropoff seems to be a bit precipitous.

Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. I do expect them to make the playoffs, in any case, and maybe even win a post-season game or two.

Okay, I'm done with football. Your eyes can unglaze now.

So, I've still got quite a way to go with the first draft of the novel--I probably will be getting close to done with it by around Halloween. Hopefully. Once I get done with the first draft it won't take long for me to knock into some sort of shape to send off to someone. As for a publisher, I have a specific one in mind that will at least look at it, which is about all one can ask, these days.

20 Things I Believe

1. Most of the problems in the world today are caused by people who just refuse to leave other people who aren't bothering them alone to live their own lives.
2. About all one can do many times is laugh.
3. There are three, four, five, or more sides to every story.
4. Arguing religion and/or politics is a waste of time.
5. Arguing with idiots is also a waste of time.
6. Arguing is a waste of time.
7. Before you say something harsh or angry to someone you love, think about tomrrow--those words will still be echoing. Is that really what you want?
8. If you are with someone you don't love, move on, no matter how difficult it is. You aren't doing anyone any favors by hanging in there.
9. Every time you say goodbye to someone it may be for the last time. Don't say goodbye angry.
10. Enjoy the good times. Savor them. Enjoy your friends. Don't spend all your time worrying about tomorrow.
11. To quote Buddha--You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger.
12. Our imaginations seem to be getting more and more lazy.
13. Creative outlets are as essential as food and water.
14. Creative activities need to be nurtured in our children, even at the expense of math and science. Artists can figure the world out on their own.
15. I don't have many friends but the few I have I love totally and without illusion--I love them not in spite of their faults and failings, but because of them.
16. If you must worship a god of some kind, good for you. But don't confuse that with reality.
17. A writer, actor, comedian, artist, whatever, who is really and truly funny consistently should be considered a national treasure and be treated as one.
18. Farts, talking very loud, acting like an idiot, and making faces, are all things that are not, in and of themselves, funny.
19. If you are a drug addict or alcoholic, don't think people around you don't know. They do.
20. Be extremely picky with who you allow into your life, and treasure above all those who make the cut.

Pre-Isaac randomocity

Isaac, if you don't follow the weather, is a tropical storm in the Atlantic. The latest forecast has it still at tropical depression strength when it gets this far inland--we'll probably get some heavy rains, at least. Not that we don't need it. I just would like for it to fall when I don't have to drive in it. And without accompanying air-to-groiund lightening, high winds, or tornadoes.

Anyways, that's what I'm sort of bracing for right now.

On the creative front, I had an idea for a TV show this morning that I think is a really good one. It's sort of an unusual thing for me--it's a legal drama. I think the character at the heart of it would be interesting and there's a unique hook that will both draw in an audience and actually work to do good things in the real world. Of course, I can't divulge what I'm planning here, yet. Maybe one day.

I'm still working on the first draft of The Singers in the Eternal Night--my characters are starting to exhibit unplanned-for personality traits, which I know from experience is a good thing. Still got a long way to go on this thing.

I'm also still thinking about The Harvester of Faces. This is the next project in the queue--I want to wait to start on it because it will be a lot more complicated than my current project, which is basically a haunted house story in space. This one will have all sorts of social and political commentary worked into the plot--I'll be getting a lot of stuff off my chest with this one. Hopefully it won't come across as preachy--I hate that. One thing I can say about it: it's a dystopic story, but the dystopia isn't where you think it would be. It's nothing that hasn't already been done a few times but I'm hoping it'll be subtle enough to sneak up on most readers.

And I'm still re-reading and touching up Seer II--I think after I finish this pass I'll send it off to my friend who might be interested in starting actually getting it made. Of course she'll have some notes--she may actually hate it--but either way I'm looking forward to her feedback. She's incredibly busy these days but until I send it to her I'll keep obsessing over it, tweeking it, adjusting it, when I really should be working on other things.

Anyways, fingers crossed the weather doesn't get too terribly bad here, and if you're in the cone of uncertainty for Isaac keep your eyes on him over the next few days.

A maybe stormy Saturday night randomicity

It's been a bit of a roller coaster this week.

I can't really talk about work other than to say things are tough out there right now and everybody is trying to save as much money as they can. It could be worse. And so forth.

Things are pretty stressfull family-wise, too--I don't know everything that's going on there so I will refrain from commenting on it. It's just how things seem to go, I guess.

Offset that with the good news that my beautiful, talented, perfect little eight year old goddaughter, Talyan, will be reprising her role as Ava on Two and a Half Men. I figured they would have her back but it's nice to now know for sure. I'm very proud of her and I know she and her mom are very excited. Talyan is happiest when she's on set, I think. A little superstar in the making.

www.weather.com insists that this thunder I keep hearing is an hallucination--the map does not show any storms in this area and there probably won't be tonight. But it's awfully dark outside, and, as I said, I keep hearing this thunder . . . of course, I could just be losing my mind. It wouldn't take much at this point.

The redo of my first draft of this novel is coming along pretty well. I'm calling it The Singers in the Eternal Night, and it's science fiction/horror. Emphasis on the "horror." Still got a long way to go with it.

The problem I'm having is the next project on my to-do list, another science fiction/horror novel I'm calling The Harvester of Faces, is starting to clamor for my attention. That one is more like science fiction with horrific elements and it is by gawd gonna wait its turn! Dammit! I'll probably make some notes for it, plot some things out, that sort of thing, just to get my muse to calm down and focus on the issue at hand.

I'm still missing Atari terribly. I think every one of my neighbors has a dog and they all walk them when I'm out and about.

That's what's on my mind, this possibly stormy Saturday evening.

The third man - part four

Re-entry

Our boy has served two terms as President--all of the second and about half of the first one triumphant. He got a lot of his agenda accomplished, thanks to his own refusal to compromise his standards, and to more than a little bit of good luck. He's enormously popular, at home and abroad, and thanks to his endorsement his Veep gets elected next general election, overwhelmingly. That's a different story.

The real story begins now. Our boy--POTUS--is now our boy--private citizen. He still has a Secret Service detail but he doesn't truck around on Air Force 1 any more. Often, even though he gets a daily intelligence briefing, he has no idea what's going on in the trouble spots in the world. He has a staff and an office, but now he'll have hours--sometimes even a day or longer--where his every minute isn't already planned out and he can actually sleep until mid-morning.

It's an effort for him to not pick up the phone to call the current POTUS during a crisis--he really misses the feel of those reins in his hand and he remembers how annoyed he'd get when he'd get a call from a former POTUS with unsolicited advice. So, he watches the news with the remote in his hand, ready to change the channel when the story turns to something that would make him cringe and dive for the phone.

His wife has no trouble adjusting. She likes having her own house back--she was never comfortable with the army of servants and likes resuming her former role as a traditional house wife who cooks and shops for her family.

The boy digs being able to make breakfast for his wife again--it was a bit of a tradition with them but he had to stop during his terms in office. He misses being able to go shopping with her, or going to visit friends or just take a vacation without it becoming a major event. His popularity has not diminished--indeed, it has grown since he left office, and his predecessors can feel his shadow over them and it makes them really nervous. He gets asked--begged, even---not to take a stand on matters of policy, even if he is in agreement with what's being done, as it would cause problems with the current administration. He pretty much has to keep his mouth shut, smile for the cameras, and play nice.

It ain't easy. He can feel that people expect him to take a stand when something is happening, somewhere in the world, and he does get sent to hotspots to negotiate with troublesome world leaders--he's still respected, as everyone knows his word is good and the current administration would not dare to betray him by not following through on what he promises.

But after a while his popularity becomes troublesome, even among his friends who still hold office. He's the eight-hundred pound elephant in the room. Even his friends, even people who owe him their careers, wish he would just disappear sometimes.

Even he wishes he could do that, or at least go somewhere where people don't know him, where he can run down to the drug store at night to buy some asprin or a six pack of sodas without a motorcade and bodyguards. He'd love to go to a theater box office and buy a couple of tickets to a film and watch it with his wife like everyone else does.

So, does he eventually adjust? Of course he does. As he gets older so do the people who adore him so strongly--in his old age he's as popular as ever, but his supporters are older, wiser, more mellow, and consider him one of their gang. After several years he is able to go out, socialize, hang out with people--they still know who he is, and still love him, but they accept him as part of their own group without making a big deal about it. They love having him, and make him feel welcome, but consider him one of their own. Now he's able to go see a movie, or have dinner in a restaurant, or go shopping, and he'll be recognized and greeted by everyone, but he won't be mobbed--he's allowed to live his life surrounded by millions of people who consider him a personal friend.

He realizes, finally, that this is all he ever really wanted. If life is a mission, his was accomplished.