Rewriting Chapter Seven & Stuff

So, I suck at keeping this thing updated...

Anyway, so I'm been progressing steadily on Will-o'-the-Wisp. Chapter four will be posted soon (and Episode 2.4 of Rogue Wave Rising will be up this week, too) and I've gotten to chapter seven last week. It should have been written and ready ready to for editing this week. Well, it was full of suck! This in, surprisingly, the first time I'm written a chapter so horribly that I've had to go back and completely rewrite it. It sucks but it was bound to happen and will likely not be the last time. So I will be taking another crack at this damn chapter this week in hopes of slaying the dragon this time.

The good thing in all this is I found a new character to add to the fray, Robin Goodfellow. I was expecting him at first and he'll NOT be like the Shakespearean Puck you all know. Like most things, I try to get back to the root of the legion. Granted, I've taken a few liberties with him that I think you'll all like. Problem for those who want to see him is I'll likely add him later than chapter seven, since my rewrite will likely not include him. Still, it will be an added bonus to you all.

Since I've failed to keep you all updated on this story, I've also added some other new character you'll meet shortly, including a Púka and Ben, Arthur's roommate. Both play big roles in the story and more name association fun to decipher. I wonder if this will be a 110,000 word monster. I doubt it. I still don't see why such large numbers are so important in the publishing industry. A good story writes itself and is a long as it needs to be. Anything more is a waste. /rant So, I am still not totally sure where this story is headed but it does have a flow to it and I'm sure it will reveal itself shortly. Remember, I'm along for the ride same as you.

So, what other projects do I have on the waiting list besides everyone you can already see on dA and fanfiction.net? Well, a lot: Nebulosus is my vampire/religious epic novel that has been on the books since 2003 and it still my first story idea (really need to start cracking on that one); Emilee is a short story about a sick girl who mistakes a stranger for her dead brother; Bigfoot Chronicles that revolve around a series of short stories about the legionary creature; Light of Life is a short story about existence between life and death; Conitor is a Roman era short about slave twins and gladiators.

Lots to write and so little time; I need to finish these damn fan-fics so I can get cracking on the stuff that I can do something with... so, as if all these other ideas were not enough, Tee Morris threw me another reason to write. Originally I had yet another story that also involved vampires. Meant to be the original epic novel, it's first incarnation didn't go far before I had to rethink it. Nebulosus was and still is a very shorty story about a vampire and a human. After the original idea of the epic, called Certo, failed, I planned to merge these two ideas and work with it, since the short story filled the character needs of the epic. Well, perhaps it's then a good thing that I've waited so long to get things started.

As you all read, Tee Morris is part of the Double Trouble run on Amazon on 08/08/08, which is this Friday b.t.w. While listening to one of the interview he and Pip did for a movie review podcast (the name escapes me at the moment), which was over three hours of pure entertainment mind you, I heard Tee complain about how most vampire-based movies were always romanticizing the species and not being true to what the creatures really were. This is exactly what I've been bitching about for years to my friends. While I will concede that some of my stories do evolve the typical romantic/pulp-fiction Dracula-style vampires, I've always been a buff with the topic and wanted to write a book about the "true" folklore creatures, which are varied and unlike what most people think. Damn you, Morris, you showed me I have an audience!

While I had other plans, I will be start up this resurrected Certo plot and making once again its own story. This is good because I already have a lot of the story already planned out and many of the characters set up. The story would revolve around a dhampir named Blut who hunts the vile creatures across modern Europe and is several hundred years old. The creatures he hunts are these true to form creatures of myth and folklore. There's a lot of great emotional drama and action packed in with the blood and gore; and yes, I'll even make the dhampir more realistic; is that even possible with a fictional creature? Anyway, I'll keep you in the know once I get closer to working on it. Maybe it will even become a movie some day!

Again, remember 08/08/08!

Double Trouble

Tee Morris, author of the Morevi Series, Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, and host of The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy & Philippa Ballantine, author of Chasing the Bard and host of Whispers at the Edge, present to you Double Trouble, a dual run at Amazon.com to claim the top spots on the charts with their new squeal books:

The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery
Digital Magic

Troops: listen up!

Do not pre-order these two books!

Briefing: in order to make their mark, these two Dragon Moon Press authors must show the publishing world (once again) that small publishing is a force to be dealt with; especially through the medium of podcasting and podiobooks. Like those who have come before them (Sigler on April 1, Harwood on March 16), this run is critical to giving all small print and prospective writers the edge they need to redefine the world of publishing. Thus, ordering on this date will make sure that message is loud and clear!

Your mission: On August 8th, 2008 (08-08-08) starting at 0800hours Pacific Standard Time (USA), for 24hours you and everyone you know who enjoys fantasy or books in general buy The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and Digital Magic (along with any other of their already published books; but these two at least!) through Amazon.com (the USA version ONLY, NOT any other country specific version). The top dogs in the publishing industry are starting to take notice but they need more convincing before they will start thinking about taking action. Seeing two small press authors in the top two spots on Amazon.com should be the shot in the arm they need to keep this momentum going strong. Let the revolution continue as Double Trouble takes on and conquers Amazon.com.

Troops: you have your orders; dismissed!

Will-o'-the-Wisp

Will-o'-the-Wisp is my latest story, with the first chapter ready to read! The artwork above is a commission by MoonlightAlchemist. Be sure to check our her website "Ameiga Art" in the Linkage lists to the right! I get got the sketch and original in the mail today. Man, it puts this scan above to shame. Now I really know what they mean when they say their scanner rapes colors. I will be buying frames for it and the Erwin R. Morgenstern commissions this week.

So, since this is a writing blog, Will-o'-the-Wisp started as "Plight of the Faerie". Originally a very short tale that was edited down to a summery of less than 500 words, this sparked three more short summaries. The series stopped when I changed jobs. More recently, another deviation inspired me to do another; but this time it was a "full story" with dialogue and expanded plot. This helped me to begin expanding the summaries into chapters; and thus an adventure was born. Still, something was missing, drive and motivation. This is where this commission come in. It really was the key that got me where I am now with this story. The fire two chapters are comprised on two summaries each, with the third chapter comprised on the fifth installment plus new material. There are links to the original parts in the chapter descriptions.

The story revolves around Arthur Geoffrey, a young man of the Crown who is on holiday on the western shores of England hiking the coastline. There he encounters many fantastic and mythical creatures. While surprised to find them, he is not shocked at their existence. The time frame for this story is modern set in a world much like ours, where such myths are thought of a just fiction. Arthur is a kind man with a big heart and smile who is always willing to lend a hand, which gets him into the adventure of his life. What is it about this young man who can befriend faeries that draws Fate near? Read the story and find out!

It was inspired by a deviation (this is the term given to art postings on devantART) of a bound faerie, which you can find linked in the story description (use the link above!). This is how Gloriana, the nude faerie in the commission, got her start. For the fifth installment, the inspiration this time was another deviation of a sad Gothic faerie with a wish curse. This is where Morgan la Fay comes into play. Arthur gives them nicknames due to his in ability to sing their true names, which are in fact songs. I thought this to be a unique take (though I doubt original) and allows me to better fit names. Arthur is just a product of my brain. As you can tell, these names have connections to each other. While this will be a continuing trend in most all character names for this story, the names are more symbolic than descriptive. Still, the old tales will have an influence.

Biggest concern here is that Gloriana and Morgan are based on other's designs. This is why I had MoonlightAlchemist be sure to take the descriptions I originally gave and run with them. She did this that while keeping to whom they are. I have since modified their descriptions to better match what they look like in the commission. Same goes for the plight to which Morgan is first found. It is a fine line I do not want to cross, that of copyright infringement. However, I am taking an idea and making it my own, not stealing another's work and calling it my own. This is one key factor in my favor. Plus I will likely give credit to the original pieces as inspiration for this work; though this will not be enough should I have to defend myself. In my defense, what I have here is pieced from many sources combined into something more. I have never once taken credit for another's work in this matter so I doubt there is little to fear. Still, I need to delve into this more.

Blog Bullshit & Commission Stuff

So, I was listening to No Agenda with Adam Curry & John C Dvorak and they spoke on how blogs can only be successful when they are updated regularly and (sometimes more than daily) and have catchy titles. Under this formula, this blog is doomed! Well, I never kept to trends, no matter how "successful" they claim to be. I'm not here to please anyone, just keep them up to date on my writing adventures; especially with all these RSS feeds to keep people updated, there's not no excuse for this type of lazy behavior in readers. Srsly.

Anyway, got my commission from my good friend down in Argentina, know as kamikaze777 on deviantART. Think I told you about this sometime before (he posted it on dA about June 18) but unsure if I linked it properly. Well, here it is for those of you who haven't seen it; here is Erwin Rommel Morgenstern:

He, of course, is the leader of Section Nine from the U.N. Security Council charged with protecting three special ladies, known as Hybrids. For all the details, check out Hybrid History. Need to get a good frame for this when I hang it in my room.

Will likely wait on their venture until my other commission arrived from MoonlightAlchemist. She was very fast with this one was did a superb job. I've seen the final product and now am waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Once she posted it online, I'll give you guys the link. It is of my three character from my "Plight of the Faerie" series, which I have officially retitled. I am letting my friend be the first to expose the name of the second faerie plus the new title; so you will have to wait 'til then. Got another commission in the works with Meam-chan for my character Marcus from my Rogue Wave Rising Eureka 7 fan-fic. This is by far the most expensive commission I've requested and will be 19x24". Really looking forward to working with her on this one.

I've been working on the revamp of the story formerly known as "Plight of the Faerie". I am trying to coincide the re-release of the updated format and story with the posting of the commission to draw some attention to it. I have a better idea now of where this story is heading but have been too focused on getting what I have done updated to really produce more material. This said, I have added another part to it. What I've done is take two parts currently posted and made them into short chapters. So far I have three, with the additional part tacked onto the end of the fifth part, which is where my third main character is introduced. From here, things will finally start to get interesting. I think you'll like what I've done if you've already read the first incarnation. For the rest of you, let the adventure begin... once I post them. (You'll not I'm no longer linking to the original stories; this is on purpose.)

Should have the next part of Rogue Wave Rising posted next week. That and my redux of Shattered Reality have taken up much of my time. The sooner I get done with them the better, though I still enjoy them very much. Helping my sister move yesterday cut a lot of time out of my day as well. Tomorrow will be a perfect catchup day since with the holiday, I won't have to come in 'til late just to do my nightly run. Want to start some other projects I've been sitting on but for now these three stories are enough. I will be moving rooms sometime shortly so this will also decrease my writing time. Too much to do and not enough time in the day!

One last thing to add: my friend Agent-Elrond has a fun new book/guide out that you should all check out (see her blog in the link to your right for more info)! Wet Money: A Cartoon Guide to Raft Guiding

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans!

Words Are Just Words: RIP George Carlin

The Chicago Tribune's article regarding the late comedian's death sums things up well, methinks. Still the Independent article rocks more because of the last seven words!

For myself, I found his works 'laugh your ass off cry until you pass out because you couldn't breath roll on the floor make your parents listen just to piss them off tell all your friends about it' funny. More importantly, however, it was his messages behind the routines that made me respect him. Honestly, most of the points, if not all, that he has ever made I generally agree with. Makes me wonder how long this post will be up before its taken down do to my inclusion of his infamous "Seven Dirty Words" in my labels. You know, "shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits"? It might not come down, it just might. My point is the man was right about a lot of things: religion is bullshit, words are just words, and honest is the better policy, especially when talking to little children about the birds and bees. For his legacy and all the work he has done, intentionally or otherwise, I shall forever be in his debt. This week we loose one of the greatest men to ever walk this planet. Of this, I am certain.

RIP man... or at least cause all those fucking god-damn shithead pissy religious cunt-rag cock-sucking tit-sagging motherfuckers of the afterlife some good ol' fashioned Hell!

Rights and Government

“Natural Inalienable Rights”, like government, morals, society, ethics, culture, privacy, are but products of our collective brain; they are figments of our imagination, if you will. Like currency, their value and worth is based solely on our need and desire for them. Like freedom, rights are not free and to obtain them, they must be fought for and protected. Rights vary across the globe, through the various nations and ethnicities that make up our species. However, it is agreed upon that, generally speaking, most western and western-influenced states adhere to similar basic human rights. Details aside, there is enough consensus among these countries to conclude there is something worth protecting and fighting for. The problem in the E.U. and the U.S. is no one is fighting hard enough to keep these rights.

Once rights are agreed upon by a group of people, laws must be created to ensure them. To enact these laws, governments are formed. To check the power of a government, the people must be proactive and hold their government accountable to the responsibilities given to them. Any government should only be preoccupied about two things: that the rights of the people, and only the people, be maintained at all costs and that the people are given a prosperous environment in which they can exercise those rights. Police and the military, among others, are solely there for the benefit of the people, by way of enforcing the laws, and should not hold loyalty to any government or state. Politicians, too, should only be in office for the good of the people, not themselves directly, and act in the interest of those people based on their input. When a government can no longer fulfill its role, it should be replaced outright. The role of military and police forces in this matter is to make sure the will of the people is carried out, not to assure the continuation of a government.

The problems seen in the E.U. and U.S. are products of the current flawed outlook regarding rights, freedoms, and responsibilities among the people of these governing bodies. For far too long the people has sat idly by while others have made choices for them. This has resulted in no accountability held for the government. Thus the current trend of corruption and the removal of individual rights, replaced by governmental rights, have run ramped. Rights, like all ideas, are bulletproof; however, they fade with time without due vigilance. This is the critical flaw in rights; again for they are nothing more than the products of our mind. In order to keep them alive and real, we must desire them and place value in them. Like love, rights will die without active participation from all parties involved. People get the government they deserve; they also get the rights they deserve. The only way to correct this trend of individual subjection by governments is for the individuals to stand up as one, remove the shackles of social fears, and act for the good of the many instead of the few or the one. No one is free until everyone is free; and no one is free if they let others think and act for them. It is time to stand up; it is time to make a stand; it is time to take responsibility; it is time to think; and to act! They work for us!
Rights and Government

So, this is now you don't make friends on Capital Hill. This is basically a transcript for a audio comment I sent to Adam Curry for his podcast, the Daily Source Code. I'll link the episode should he play it. You can find his site through the blogs at CURRY.com. As you might have noticed, I added a ton of links that are worth checking out. I'll add more if you guys have any for me.

Moving On & Projects & Memorial Day

My greatest asset and most damned vice is my thinking big about anything I do. Most of the stories I write end up that way. Where this becomes a true problem is when I write fan-fiction. The problem is that with the nearly impossible likelihood of getting the original creators to let you publish, it is a labor of love and nothing more.

While I had originally planned a minimum of fifty chapter, which would equal out to at least ten episodes, I have decided to shorten my Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN fan-fiction to only twenty parts/four episodes. The reason is as I explained above, it gives me nothing but experience. While such is always needed, I need to start focusing on my original work if I ever want to be published. I believe I have matured enough to take on this task but do not want to leave an "unfinished work. Rogue Wave Rising will end after the first major story arc. This leave a major cliffhanger but I think it will work out for the best. This way, I can start to focus my time on other projects. You can check out E7:RWR on my deviantART account or on my fanfiction.net account.

Another project is Shattered Reality Redux, a Teen Titans Animated Series fan-fiction and my first major story (complete). The Redux indicates the reformatting of the story into my current style and the edits and additions (and subtracts) from the original posting. This story has thirteen chapters (made originally of 39 parts) plus two epilogue-style short stories (with a possible third at some point). The main story is what I am focusing on and so far have completed the redux on three chapters. Once done, the series will be "complete" and I will not edit it further (save for any major spelling/grammar errors). I hope to have this done about the end of the year. You can check them our on both my deviantART and fanfiction.net accounts.

Yer another project I have is a short five-six panel comic collaboration with Kamikaze777 from deviantART. A good Internet-friend of mine living in Argentina (he is an Ecuadorean) his art has inspired many a poem. The project involves me creating an amusing mini story with random characters of his and he will do the part for it. I have sent him the first draft for review. I have also done a short story highlighting the discovery of his Hybrid characters. Farah, Emma, & Ginny are just sweethearts. I've also done a biography of another of his characters from his Yurei Series, The Poltergeist. On a side note, I have commissioned him portray my character Erwin R. Morgenstern from the Hybrid story. (I'll post the picture once it's posted.)

My Plight of the Faerie series will be going into a major revision once I get time. Recently I created the latest in the series. Unlike the other "chapters", which where five-hundred words or less summaries, this one was a a full story with dialogue. I will be going back and expanding the other "chapters". Not sure where this series is going at the moment but will have a better idea once I complete this task and continue the story. I will also be revising and expanding my Tales of Miw series with the same hope of continuing the story and making them worthy of publication. As i stated above, all original stories will be gaining more attention.

So, how was your Memorial Day? Here's how mine went:
Drain-plug unscrewed itself. I had the oil changed on Friday bout did not get a chance to ride until Monday. Thankfully a black S.U.V. flashed me and alerted me to the "leak". This happened on I-5 South and the trail begins just over the King/Pierce line for about a mile and ends just before exit 137 in Fife.

Thankfully I still had a quart left to spill once I stopped. My 2008 KLR 650 takes about four quarts or so. The boss of ABT Towing was a lifesaver. I am ever so grateful for his assistance since none of the other towing companies I called were open. He saw me and pulled over and called up one of his trucks to help me out. Kent Kawasaki took full responsibility for the incident and even paid for the towing. They are a good dealer and have never done me wrong; so I count this as a freak happening. I still need to post this on the KLR forum... but I'm lazy.