FITS AND STARTS

Status: Living with the in-laws. (Week 13)

Watching: Stargate Continuum.

Listening to: Nothing.

Reading: Books, books, and more books!

TOPIC: SOMEWHERE...A CHARACTER IS SCREAMING AT ME.

I dunno.

For the past couple of months, I've been trying to write a novel--Starchild Crossfire--and not getting anywhere with it as a result.

I strongly suspect that my living situation is at the core of my writing difficulties, but I am also finding that I miss writing on our PC.

All of my books are still stored there and I desperately want to continue writing, but I'm finding that I cannot.

The past several months has been a bit of test of both wills and chaos--making me wish that I was somewhere's else entirely.

But that hasn't been so and I've been forced to make do.

I have something like 60 to 70 pages completed, but nothing seems to be working as I originally thought--forcing me to start over a number of times already.

I have a strong suspicion that I'll continue making mistakes and false starts with the book until we get into our new apartment. (Least, that's the plan.)

But what I want is a good beginning for the novel. That's all I'm concerned about at the moment.

Schuyler Thorpe

A GREAT BOOK RECOMMENDATION!

Status: Writing on Chapter 191 of The Price of Freedom. (Page 1,672)

Doing: Writing on this blog; answering e-mails; working out, and well...you know the rest! :0)

Watching: Baseball! (Mets vs. Tigers)

Listening to: Not a thing.

Reading: Kushiel's Scion. Page 252.


TOPIC: CRUCIBLE: MCCOY-PROVENANCE OF SHADOWS

It isn't often that I do a book review. Rarely, in fact does a book just tear at the heart strings of this avid book worm and author.

But after reading Crucible: McCoy-Provenance of Shadows by David R. George III, I was like...so crushed with emotion. I spent the last couple of days finishing up the book (and not being on the internet as much)--not being able to put this one down for a second.

I wanted to know what happened with Doctor McCoy in the alternate timeline--after he had saved Edith Keeler. (For those of you who want to reference--you may want to watch the TOS episode of Star Trek called "City on the Edge of Forever".)

It turns out that he spent a lot of time in the past--almost a quarter century--before he met his end when the Nazis bombed the East Coast and wiped out Atlanta with a nuclear bomb; McCoy being killed by a German pilot whom he tried to help rescue from the wreckage--leaving behind the woman whom he had been married to for only a year.

What drove this one part of the storyline that David George had written so well--was the emotion and a sense of urgency behind McCoy's initial attempts to find his way out of this mess that he caused.

I was most taken by McCoy's struggles to adapt to some most unforgiving circumstances--to try and blend in into a most difficult time period; the Great Depression--as he moved from one place to another in an effort to basically survive.

As time went on, he became more and more entrenched in the life of the other people he commonly associated with; people like Phil Dickson and his wife Lynn.

Or Doctor Lyles.

McCoy became a mainstay in the little town of Hayden, South Carolina. And this version of the old Southern doctor died in a past he never once belonged to; because of one act of selfless heroism.

In the other timeline--the one that the other McCoy lived in--he didn't save Edith; thus allowing her to die.

However, events from his other "life" leads McCoy on a personal journey of self-discovery, heart ache, sorrow, and loss--as he spends the next 35 years trying to uncover a mystery that is connected to the life he never had.

What's interesting about this is how this one section of the book documents events covered in the last season of TOS, the movies--and sideline events which were fracturally obscured by time itself. (Those of you who know the romance between one Yeoman Barrows and McCoy should be delighted in knowing that the two finally married shortly after Kirk died at the beginning of "Generations"--and stayed married up until 2366; whereas (as he author hinted then), McCoy passed away with his wife of 71 years. Oddly still, the event chronicled then was a prelude to the TNG episode "Encounter at Farpoint"--where Barrows presented McCoy with the view of the newly commissioned Galaxy-class starship, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)--for their anniversary together; from their cabin lookout on the USS Hood. Though there are some contradictory themes here with this book and William Shatner's Star Trek saga involving the resurrection of Kirk and him joining forces with his some of his old crew far into 2371 and beyond. (McCoy was alive in this series.)

But one had to wonder: Why didn't DeForrest Kelly's character make anymore subsequent appearances in either TNG or Voyager episodes?

Because--as the last lines of the book indicates--: "...he peered back at out at the yard, at the trees, and no matter how it had started, he had a wonderful, happy life. He'd done good work, had enjoyed the company of close friends, and had shared much of his life with a loving partner.

"He knew that he could not have been more fortunate. And then he closed his eyes for the last time."--Doctor McCoy died soon after his visit on the new Enterprise.

Of course, we all know that Gene Roddenberry wanted to connect both generations together when he launched the new Star Trek franchise back in 1989. And so he brought a very old and very frail Admiral Leonard H. McCoy on board.

But the last pages connecting the final scene and this episode was marked by McCoy's comments about how he viewed Tonia Barrows as his "home"--and not the one he had been spending in Atlanta, Georgia, for the last 70 years.

This much he remarked to Lieutenant-Commander Data during the tour--but wasn't delved on in the famous scene in the pilot episode of the Next Generation.

Still, it was a nice touch by the author to connect a few loose ends together.

And by and by? A book I would strongly recommend--if not to read the last chapter over and over; for sentiment's sake.

Sky

THURSDAY'S MUSINGS. (PART 2)

Status: Writing Chapter 16 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper

Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out

Watching: Nothing at the moment. (News hasn't started.)

Listening to: "Sugar Steps" by Kama Sutra; Visions of Ibiza--Disc 1.

Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)


TOPIC: BUCKING THE TREND


As I discussed earlier at the beginning of the last entry, there are people out there who want to either sanitize or severely trim my books so that they read better, sound better, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

I remember coming across someone yesterday in one of my writer groups; telling everyone that her book was 195,000 words, but she managed to get it down to 120,000.

She said that it sounded better, read better, and was more "action-packed".

The sad thing about this example is this writer may not even know her own true potential--if she keeps axing out all the important parts to her novel; if she keeps streamlining her work to fit a standard template for publishing.

I've seen this many times over the years, where writers have novels ranging from 150K to as much as 300K--but in the end...?

They end up taking so much out of it.

And for what? To fit in?

The point of being a writer isn't to destroy what you've gone and created for the sake of money, the premise of being traditionally published, and the potential to become one of those famous authors who can live independently on their own self-absorbed income.

The point is to tell a story. To build a foundation for yourself and your work.

Naturally, I have people tell me that I cannot hold onto everything I write, but I do--because I am telling a story. Not just writing a novel.

The use of words is more than just an illustrious example of going for the Big Cheese and impressing your peeps on the internet.

We use them to express ourselves, to illustrate our creations, and most importantly--to tell a story.

But if we strive to limit ourselves in our pursuits of that, then we limit ourselves in our own potential as a writer.

How do we profess to be published authors, if we continue to take out the most important parts to our novels--by toning down our words, trimming out every bit of prose and replace it with choppy; non-connected sentences and phrases?

It may look good and passable to the untrained eye, but for those of us whom write and weave our tales into telling tomes which enrapture our respective audiences...?

Inside, I'm screaming!

For example?

In my first generation version of The Starchild, there is a scene between Isis and Bayen at a place called Observation Park.

This is the first opening sentence to it:

"...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been to. The trees in the park gave way to a translucent dome that showed a panorama of stars and a pure white moon..."

To anyone reading this, this would sound okay, right?

Wrong!

This opening paragraph just sucks! Why? Because it doesn't show anything!

It doesn't go into depth, doesn't express the whole feeling of actually being there, and doesn't impart anything important to the reader.

It lacks detail, it lacks depth, and it lacks impact.

But this example is what publishers want for their books! Overall, the majority of the novels we read today are done in this particular format.

This streamlined example is what goes into most writers' exposes when they complete their books.

Here is the updated version to that same scene. And while you may instantly notice that there is no mention of the dome, the trees, or the stars in the opening scene, most of what went into Observation Park's description had been taken out for something more sublime and easier to assimiliate:

"...The very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world. From her point of view, that’s exactly what it was. And this raw sense of feeling left her breathless as a result..."

What's changed between the two examples? Quite a bit!

In the 10 years since this book was completed, the style and voice in which I had been stuck with had suddenly transformed into something which exudes more confidence, more imagination, and more emotion.

The first opening words to the first example: "...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been in..."--had been replaced with, "...the very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world..."

4-5 years ago--this particular change had taken place because I had started to see things differently about the way I was writing. It wasn't something which I was desperate for, but it was a natural evolution in my abilities and writing.

And I took that opportunity in May of 2003 to reconstruct The Starchild completely from scratch by rewriting the 2nd draft version into something new.

But this new version was much different than the old-version. The old version was more compact, more direct--and didn't offer the reader a chance to do much of anything--except to plow right through the novel at a breakneck pace.

This second example illustrates how my writing style transformed into something else. Something which is lacking in the current media mainstream of novels.

The first example only used 2 short sentences to describe the opening scene (which was on page 105 of the first draft), and didn't use more than one powerword to impact the reader with. (Breathtaking)

The second rough example used three sentences to revamp the opening scene with (which was on page 480 of the third draft). But they aren't short sentences either. They are elaborately spun pieces of prose.

By drawing out the scene into something the reader can picture inside their heads, the reader can get a good, solid grasp of what's really going on.

This isn't what publishers really are after. They want books that are quick and to the point. Namely because readers these days have woefully short attention recall, and the older generation of readers aren't reading as much as they used to. (Not to mention that teens these days are spending more of their reading time on the 'net, on their games, and other techno-distractions--that reading has become something of a lost 'art' these days.)

The second example also uses a revamped version of breathtaking by using the word breathlessly to describe an emotional state.

When was the last time your character freely expressed themselves in one manner or another--rather than just blindly rushing through the whole scene or the process altogether?

Dollars to doughnuts, they haven't. And if they have, the moment in question was much too fleeting to pay it any mind; for both the author and the reader.

Oddly enough, I find that the second example needs some further tweaking--which is yet another clear example of my abilities evolving further still.

But...

The second example has been transformed from what was a bland form of writing into a more emotional core platform which gives Isis McGowan a sense of realism and physical presence.

Which the first example clearly lacked.

This is what is meant by "bucking the trend" in writing.

By doing something which rubs against the grain of conventional thought and due process.

This is what the industry and many of my critics are so dead set against wanting to see happen.

Being traditionally published may be good and all for the aspiring writer whom craves nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, but what it will always boil down to is whether or not that published plebe has the ability to convey themselves well as a master story-teller.

Doing a rush job on the whole thing won't get any of us any closer to our said goals. Because once you write something and complete it, you really aren't finished with the project in question.

You're just starting a process that only scratches the surface.

If you really want to shine, then you have to really grasp what you've written. Not just how well it reads to you, but every little crack, every little nuance--until (at some point)--you're really certain that this is what you first envisioned when you started out.

Because if it isn't...?

Then you still have a lot of work ahead of you until you do.

And that's the truth.

MONDAY WORDS OF WISDOM.

Status: Writing Chapter 14 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper

Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out

Watching: News Hour with Jim Leher

Listening to: "Addicted [Mushroom Dub]"; Nokturnal Mix Sessions by DJ Moda

Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)

TOPIC: CHARACTER CONFLICT

This is something which I posted to one of my groups last night:

I create conflict simply because I'm enamored by death and destruction. Macabre it may sound, but chaos, misery, and despair have always been constant companions in my life.

I've never known a true moment of peace in life, my days are consumed by worry about whether or not I'll have a place to live, food on the table, and the usual necessities which I find to be a comforting blanket of security.

But I also know that when conflict comes into my writing, I just don't add conflict to move the story along--filler as the case may be--but it comes at a critical point in the story arc.

Or it's used as a launch pad for the rest of the story--a key element in what's transpiring.

I use conflict to illustrate a, well, conflict for my characters; a dilemma, a moral incongruity--something that draws the reader into the book--not just skimming the pages and hoping for the best.

Some people adamantly believe that conflict is the only way you can keep someone riveted. And I'm like, "This is a novel, not a Hollywood-style shoot-em-up movie."

This is where the lines of common sense blur. No one really understands that conflict is just a part of the novel, not the whole enchillada.

It's much like the tide: Conflict ebbs and flows. You can't have it constantly crash, because it is draining and tiring on your target audience.

You have to give them time to recharge, relax, and recover. Hitting them incessantly with conflict is just going to cause them to put the book down.

This may not be what the big guns say, but from someone whose treated conflict as a second skin to better writing, you quickly learn that conflict has its place in the book. It's not the whole reason why the manuscript exists in the first place.

But in part...? It plays an important role. The trick is to keep it smooth and mellow. Yes, there is a time for when your character needs to make a critical judgment call, needs to shoot the bad guy, or needs to escape to fight another day, but you can't do that--if all you have is never ending conflict.

You don't just write a book to impress your fellow peeps. You write a book to build upon your foundation of knowledge and understanding of your craft.

Not what the industry lays out as irrefutable canon.

If you have an intimate awareness of what your literary pursuits are--and where they will go--then these parts of a novel (conflict included) will have their rightful place in your storyline.

8:30 PM...

Status: On vacation

Doing: Writing this blog; finished 150 pushups; and watching the cats beat on each other for leftover canned cat food. (shrugs)

Watching: Something on PBS regarding the prison break from one of Germany's infamous prison camps of the second world war. (THE GREAT ESCAPE's been on before. It's a good documentary.)

Listening to: "Slave" by Gary Numan; Falling Stars by Haroon Piracha; and "Try" by Ian Van Dahl.

State of Office: Worse than New Orleans is at the moment; expect a cleanup on Aisle 4 later tonight.

TOPIC: THE VAMPIRESS HUNTER

One of my many book projects that I first completed in 2001--this is a remake of my first attempt at erotic romance involving one wayward vampiress hunter and a San Francisco detective.

The original involved a man named Andrew Scott, but I changed the detective to be a woman this time around by the name of Amanda Scott: A freelance detective whom has a special esper-type ability. And specializes in the paranormal.

As I stated in my other Yahoo! 360 blog, I was pretty burnt out over the "guy meets girl; guy gets girl"-theme.

I just wanted something different for a change with this book.

A different take on romance, the vampire lore, and such. So I took another approach with the novel and wrote it in the first person perspective:

I suppose that my crime of existence was the fact that I was born so very, very poor.

My family–they…they didn’t have very much to sustain either myself nor my sister, Ana , or my brother Petre.

But my mother and father were a proud people–born of excellent Romanian stock from my beloved nation–and descended from the tribal Slavs; immigrating from what was Old East Europe at the time.

So the land upon which we were born and bred upon–we were its masters as well as its loyal servant.

And me?

I bore my mother’s good looks as well–myself being born fair and gamine as any farmer’s daughter should be. Tall in stature, strong and limber in the body, but gentle and caring in the heart and soul.

Like my mom and my sister, I toiled the soil of my beloved homeland–alongside with my family–enjoying every blessed moment, every sacred second which passed by my youthful eyes.

Of course, this the opening to the book; a prologue if you will. But it only tells a little bit of my main heroine's tale--that of Maria Elena Dumitra.

Oddly enough, she still goes by her birth name while attending Berkley University. No one has sought to question her--and those that did, were told of a tale of loss and pain.

But it was just a ruse to cover the truth. No one questioned her after that.

What is different about this vampire novel is the fact that Maria likes both blood and chocolate:

I stared into the case even more, my eyes roving around for potential prey. Though I wouldn’t find the kind I naturally enjoyed from time to time, this one was of a kind that only satiate the beast within.

“Um…” I faltered for a second. “All of them?”

The old man smiled. “So you must be a student, then, huh? Berkley?”

“Yes…”

“Good school. I graduated there back in the 90s. When do you graduate?”

“Two more years.” I said automatically, before finding what I wanted. An enriched, 96% cacao, strawberry-infused bar of the darkest chocolate I saw in quite some time.

Did I forget to mention a couple of important things here? I was a student at Berkley, but I was also hopelessly addicted to chocolate.

Not just the lattes I drank, but the bars which I enjoyed with sweet relish.

So there you have it.

Something new and exciting about my upcoming novel, The Vampiress Hunter.

I only have about 4 chapters completed so far, but it's not going to be finished for a couple more years--as I am in no hurry to complete this novel.

But by the time The Starchild is published in 2009, people will know that I have more than one book--in more than one genre--waiting for them in the wings.