Cora,
I see you. You are becoming real, not just a figment of my twisted imagination. The cardboard paper doll is evolving. Enjoy the innocence while you can. Life is going to blow like a leaf on the wind. Don't worry about death, we all face that eventually. Worry about what you are going to do with your life! I apologize in advance for the hell you are going to have to overcome. I know, it isn't fair. But you have a story to tell. Many won't understand or will fear you. It's ok, you have allot to accomplish and so little time if what you choose to do has an effect. Hang in there kid, I know you can do it. Just don't quit.
You know, I always wanted to write military sci fi, but an idea struck me and I need to follow this one through. I've been thinking about it all day. This project will span from no tech all the way to future tech and every dark hole in between. I'm not going to tell you the story, look for it down the road when I finish it and send it up for 3 million rejections and maybe a self publish.
But Cora is who I am developing. She has to be strong because in her world, she is viewed as crippled. Not so much a physical deformity, but a perceived mental deficiency. Why put her through hell? Well, no conflict no story. That's the honest truth. I mean I could keep this sweet young lass in a crystal ballerina ball, but she would only gather dust on the pix-elated shelves of my many files that get saved and never revisited. I can't say if I'll even keep her name, Cora was just the first one that popped into my head.
In a way I feel heart broken for what she may have to face. Of course the sadistic side of my wicked mind makes one helluva arch villain. Hey...it'll be fun right? What I can tell you is that I deal with both the heroic and the dark ugly parts of the mind. Subject matter will include some very sensitive and painful topics. I suppose you could hate me for that. But Cora as she stands has the potential to do the most good or most harm not just to her little world...but to many others.
Even if she does the unthinkable, the heinous...I know I'll love this creation. She is the Frankenstein Daughter to my creative will.
Periodically I'll update this particular line. If I publish these bits, I think it will help me stay focus and on whatever course it leads.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Shattering 2D Characters
Yup,
I want her to come alive. I’ve got the idea down. She's got all kinds of simple stats that gives age, height, weight, family, background, education etc. But still the poor girl is locked in a crystal mirror of two dimensions. I want to care. But it's a tough battle. Where are the flaws that make her human, or the strengths beyond a gun/robot/baseball bat? Where will conflict rise? Why should she care about anything or how the world goes?
Shattering through the simple stuff and making the mirror become flesh is terrifying. Why? I want to believe before she becomes a ghost, a wisp in the fog of night. I want to feel that spine tingling electricity that makes her pop forward and makes the careless reader suddenly embrace who and what she is. I've read a lot on strong female leads and my current project steps away from the typical hard bitten Soldier to something a bit different. The vulnerability needs to be there without becoming stagnant and depressing. Through the setbacks, I want to see her grow. Sometimes I catch glimpses of this. Steel hammers and iron anvils mixed with the fire of chaos. The edge gets a little better each round but it's like ripping clay from a pile of sand.
Still, this one has a whole lot of potential. Something that aches, groans, screams and kills. But where do I bring her to life? Today? Tomorrow? A thousand years from now on some distant world? What would shape her attitudes and desires? Is it nature or nurture or a few different things in between? I'm not sure where this leads but DAMMIT I know something is there.
All this because I want a reader to look beyond physical traits or historical facts. It's a craving, a quest and a heartbreaking climb. I love every minute of it even when I want to scream bloody murder.
How bout you? Do you see that one character you REALLY want to come alive? Is he or she just on the tip of your mind, ready to burst out and come alive? Drop a line and tell me how it comes!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
It all started when....
Well, the whole point of this is to write even though I'm
not working on my masterpieces that will inspire future generations (please
insert sarcasm here). Seriously, I love to write and tell plenty of stories. I
also love sharing ideas with other people whether they are writers or not. If
you came here expecting me to be nice and politically correct...probably want
to shut this down fast. My opinions are my own based upon personal experience
and attitudes and this is reflected in writing style. If Fuck and Shit offend
you...there are plenty of other tame sites out there. I often curse when I'm
working through problems and issues. It's just who I am. On that same note,
when I am writing it's from the heart and all the gooey syrupy stuff they call
emotion. Personally I like to write in sci-fi genres with a bent towards
military action of some sort or another. I get bloody, dirty and gritty. I am
not a hard science writer. I believe in being ball deep in the mess of
humanity. Gotta love that nastiness. Sites, smells, screams, hate, sex,
cruelty, humanity, free choice and a stubborn streak to carry on when every
thing sucks. Yup, those are the things I love about writing. Oh ya, I tend to
write in short moments between work madness, so spelling isn't a priority. If
that bothers you or if you are a grammar nazi, bear this in mind. This is my
dart board or splattercanvas. It's not for finished or polished writing, I
don't believe in doing that when I shoot out the vomit of ideas in my squirrely
little head.
Ok, enough butt sniffing. Welcome to my humble if not stable mind. This is where I pour it out and don't stop.
The thing is, getting it from that black hole of a brain of mine down onto paper or pixel text is a real pain in the ass. Oh, got plenty of those ideas but getting that right character to fit into the right plot for the right reasons often makes me want to throw my monitor through a window. Not the rig though, that shit is expensive and feeds my other addiction of video games and the loss of those would probably land me in the looney bin. Geeky? You got it man! I am a bit on the video nerd side and damned proud of it. Of course that can be so fucking distracting when I should be typing away at a story whether short or epic long. Very dangerous addiction, worse than my infinite love for booze.
Of late I've been surfing the internet for other writer blogs to follow and read. I see so many come up with interesting writing challenges, some based upon genre and others based upon word count. Hmm...over 400 words already on my first post, I'm ever so proud. Anyways, I get a lot of ideas from conversations I read or musings of others. Currently, one of my favorite bloggers is hands down Chuck Wendig from http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/ . The guy is honest and up front. His writings aren't sci-fi per se but they are pretty cool. Go check him out.
Well, back to work. Wait work you say? But I thought you wanted to be a writer?! Ya I am a writer, but I also got to put a roof over my head and food on the table. Takes a long time to be the next David Drake or Stephen King or Robert Ludlum. Still got to eat and I'm not into starving. done that once and it blows donkey balls. So, I work a mundane job, and in fits of madness I drop a few lines here and there. Anyways, drop a line, or a beer, or share a smoke. We'll laugh together.
Ok, enough butt sniffing. Welcome to my humble if not stable mind. This is where I pour it out and don't stop.
The thing is, getting it from that black hole of a brain of mine down onto paper or pixel text is a real pain in the ass. Oh, got plenty of those ideas but getting that right character to fit into the right plot for the right reasons often makes me want to throw my monitor through a window. Not the rig though, that shit is expensive and feeds my other addiction of video games and the loss of those would probably land me in the looney bin. Geeky? You got it man! I am a bit on the video nerd side and damned proud of it. Of course that can be so fucking distracting when I should be typing away at a story whether short or epic long. Very dangerous addiction, worse than my infinite love for booze.
Of late I've been surfing the internet for other writer blogs to follow and read. I see so many come up with interesting writing challenges, some based upon genre and others based upon word count. Hmm...over 400 words already on my first post, I'm ever so proud. Anyways, I get a lot of ideas from conversations I read or musings of others. Currently, one of my favorite bloggers is hands down Chuck Wendig from http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/ . The guy is honest and up front. His writings aren't sci-fi per se but they are pretty cool. Go check him out.
Well, back to work. Wait work you say? But I thought you wanted to be a writer?! Ya I am a writer, but I also got to put a roof over my head and food on the table. Takes a long time to be the next David Drake or Stephen King or Robert Ludlum. Still got to eat and I'm not into starving. done that once and it blows donkey balls. So, I work a mundane job, and in fits of madness I drop a few lines here and there. Anyways, drop a line, or a beer, or share a smoke. We'll laugh together.
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