Jun
18
I realized, on looking back, that the stories of mine that have had the best response are stories where the voice came easily to me. I think of it as “clicking” into the voice. Some stories have that from the beginning, others don’t. Last night, the other members of Altered Fluid helped me identify why those stories are more successful, though. There’s a confidence to that kind of writing that is often lacking in other stories. My one published story (so far) was like that. I clicked into the voice and I think that helped carry the story further.
I also realized that of those stories, most of them are told in the first person. I like first person a lot. Some of my favorite novels are first person novels, and Zelazny was one of my heroes. I remember reading, though, some cautions against first person for beginning writers. Which I agree with. It’s a hard thing to do well, I think. I’m not claiming to do so now. But sometimes it’s easier for me to get into the character that way. You can definitely convey more through their narrative style.
Obviously voice is an important aspect to a story, and I know this, but I don’t know that I’ve spent a lot of time up until now focusing on it. In some of my stories, the voice is clear from the start. In the others, though, I wonder what I can do to capture it.
Just thinking out loud…
Jun
16
Still Switched On
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I got another idea for a story yesterday. A new one. Not one of the old, myriad ideas that clutter my hard drive or notebooks. A new idea. My brain is behaving strangely, but I like it.
This latest idea, though, is a weird one. It’s almost fan fiction. Taking a character and working him into a story in a different way. It’s one of those ideas that might not succeed. And yet I can’t not write it. I won’t know until it’s done.
I only hope that this lasts into the next two months…
Jun
13
Writing on
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So much for taking a break from writing in the coming week. Since yesterday, I have been unable to stop. I’ve written two stories, in two days.
Granted, the first is short and the second is a rewrite of an old concept, but seriously – I feel pretty accomplished. It’s like the urge struck and I can’t seem to shake it.
I just hope this lasts me into CW…
Jun
13
This made me laugh
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From DS Fanboy
Jun
13
GTA: Gotham City?
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Over at the YMB Message Boards, Chris C was asking about the dearth of decent comic book based video games. There are tons of movie tie-ins, of course – Iron Man, The Hulk, Batman – but very few pulled directly from the comic universe and of those, even fewer are decent. X-Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance are the only two that come to mind.
That got me thinking. Grand Theft Auto is clearly one of the most popular games in video game history, and for good reason. The gameplay model and the in-game experience is something that few other games have captured.
Still, many have tried. After GTA 3 and Vice City, the market was flooded with games adapting at the very least GTA’s free-form approach.
So why not adapt this kind of game to a property like Batman? It’s a perfect fit. Imagine Gotham City rendered in current generation console glory. Tall, gothic spires, seedy underworld hangouts, the Batcave. You are Batman, Gotham City’s protector, determined to clean up your city. Standing in your way are the usual kooks and criminals – the Riddler, the Penguin, the Joker, etc. Like the mission structure of GTA, you would have contacts – Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, possibly more. You can go around completing missions, advancing the plot of the game, or you can enjoy crimefighting diversions, like breaking up bank robberies and muggings. Drive from location to location in your Batmobile. Or jump across rooftops. Collect components or collect schematics to upgrade your crimefighting gear. Or do favors for people in order to accomplish the same purpose. Use the Batcave to save your game and heal up. All leading up to the climactic finale in Arkham Asylum.
I saw we need this game and we need it now. Don’t you agree?
Jun
12
Tired
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I’m very tired right now, not having slept much last night. This was because I went to see a burlesque show, The World Famous Bob Presents and last night’s star was the beautiful and talented Weirdee Girl. I would highly recommend this show to anyone in the NY area who likes or is interested in burlesque. In addition to the always excellent Kitty Nights, it was one of the best shows I’ve seen recently.
So I’m tired, and a little hot, and I should go to bed, but like a little kid up past his bedtime, I can’t seem to make myself.
I didn’t get any writing done tonight, but I got a lot of writing administrative work done tonight – querying outstanding subs, sending off new ones, buying a membership for World Fantasy, sending off novel queries and sending my latest novel to the first readers.
So I feel accomplished. And I should be able to go to bed feeling like I can relax. And yet here I am, typing this at 1AM, looking for something to entertain me on the internets.
This is going to be a weird weekend. I can already feel it…
Jun
12
More novel stuff
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Thanks to all those who agreed to read my latest novel. I really appreciate your help with this. I have sent it out to those who made themselves known, with the exception of my classmates, who I won’t bother now with this. Maybe later, if that makes sense.
If you’re just reading this for the first time, however, and are interested, feel free to let me know. The more, the merrier (me, at least).
Thanks.
Jun
12
Argh
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So the alphabetizing/book shelving was going well. I had to give up hopes of fitting my anthologies on the three large bookcases I was using, but I was looking forward to at least getting everything else up.
I ran out of space after ‘W’. There’s not much that comes after W, of course, but I can’t even get to Zelazny. Perhaps my favorite genre writer ever.
It’s really rather depressing.
I’m now looking at my shelves, trying to figure out a creative way to rearrange what’s already up…
Jun
10
One of the nice things about moving is that it gives me an opportunity to reorganize my books and put them up on my shelves alphabetized and properly placed. I’m amazed at the number of people who look at me funny when I say that I alphabetize my books – it’s just the way that makes sense to me. This way I can find what I’m looking for. And this way there is a kind of order to all the chaos.
Having finished my second bookcase (moving slowly because all of the titles are currently out of order), I realized that I have a lot of Michael Moorcock books. I have not one shelf, not two shelves, but two and a half shelves devoted to his works. Of all my books, his occupy the most space, surpassing even Shakespeare.
This partly makes sense because Moorcock has written a lot of books in his time. But in addition to his recent releases and the nice White Wolf omnibuses that were released in the 90s, I have numerous paperbacks from the man, many of them stories that are duplicated elsewhere, that I’ve picked up in second-hand shops in England. There was a time when no matter what store I would go into, there would be a book of his there, and I would always buy them, hoping to snag up some long out of print gem to add to the canon. And that’s really what it was. Since most of his books are connected, it was like a jigsaw puzzle, filling in the pieces as it were.
This is mostly the fault of my friend Brian (ljuser=”asphalteden”). Thought I’d heard of Moorcock and Elric, it was Brian, himself a huge fan, who turned me on to the man and his works. We even went to see him at a rare appearance at a New York bookstore now long gone. I hadn’t read anything by him when I went to see him, but hearing him talk about the Eternal Champion and of the interconnectedness of his books, I felt a kind of kinship to what I wanted to accomplish one day. Thus began a systematic plan to acquire as much of his work as I could.
Looking at the titles now, I realize there are still many I haven’t read. There never seems to be enough time to read everything. But having them waiting there is like having a shelf (or rather two and a half) full of future possibilities.
Now, to shelve N-Z.
Jun
5
I’m watching 300…
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…mostly because it’s on, but I can’t look at the queen without thinking of her as Sarah Connor. That usually doesn’t happen to me.