I woke up Monday morning at 7:30 and not long after I got to work in the hopes to finish Last Rites of the Capacitance. I dug deep and worked hard, going over it and over it and over it until I felt it was ready. I didn't walk away from the writing until I was finished shortly before noon. After a large exhale was released, I sent it to my publisher.
Whenever I finish a project I get hit with 2 feelings:
1, I'm proud, delighted, and happy to complete it.
2: I'm completely at a loss as to what to do with myself for awhile afterwards.
I end up so wrapped up in something and on such a schedule that when it all comes to a halt, even if I have something up next, I'm briefly stunned. Usually when I work, I'm multitasking between several projects. It's always helped me; however, for whatever subconscious reason, once I hit a certain point into the book, I shut everything else out and focused on it - giving it everything I had. I actually started writing this post Monday night but I've just been busy with life. I've actually decided to take a week off from writing. I say that every time I finish something and feel spent afterwards and I start working again a day or so later, but I can actually say I think I'm going to enjoy the week and recharge my batteries and then get back to work on my long to-do list.
This year's gone by quick thus far and I haven't gotten as much done or out as planned, but that's life - never enough time. The things I have gotten done are definitely setting me up for a better tomorrow. This being my first novel, I've learned a lot in the process and look forward to growing more with the next books. The original draft of Last Rites of the Capacitance was started in October 2015 and by the time it's released it'll be about a year or more. I'll get my notes back and make any additional changes needed. Then we'll figure out the cover and release date. As I found out with Gun Control for Polar Bears, there's a lot more that goes into this all than people think. It's not a situation of write, publish, release; it's a lot of writing, rewriting, editing, getting the cover right, finding the release date, another look over for any additional edits, about the author, dedication and acknowledgments, etc. The post work is a process just the like writing is a process.
My second science fiction book is aleady outlined and if I start on it this year I probably won't do so until October. I'm toying with adapting some of my lengthy horror stories/novellas into full lengths. In between the original manuscript and the more finished version of this book, I had completed 2 anthologies among other projects so it's been a busy year. I still hope to get my play out as well as the Tourniquet serials.
There's a lot of interesting stuff on the way. I hope you stay tuned.
Have a great day all. I'm going to go back to enjoying my little vacation.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Capacitance, Tourniquet, and More
Okay, so I'm a little behind. Life has gotten in the way of plans. My father always told me "Life is what happens when you're planning for the future" and he couldn't be more right. I had hoped to be finished with Last Rites of the Capacitance by July 1st and then I'd go into the Tourniquet book as Dennis and I await the comic to be lettered.
However, I've been met with constant interruptions which have set me back on my time. Last Rites of the Capacitance, my first novel, is done finished as now I'm just going through doing some extra fleshing out. As I'm going through the book some more scenes are coming to me that would help it out which is, of course, extending that time. On a plus side to the tardiness to my own timeframe I've set for myself, the book is coming out better than what I had originally thought it could be as well as my publisher is very patient. I'm hoping this book will help me out in all the ways I need it to. That puts a lot of pressure on it, and more on myself, I realize that, but it's a feeling I'm verbalizing.
Dennis Magnant, artist and friend, has been wonderfully patient with me as well. As I've mentioned before, it was he and his wife who'd mentioned the possibility of the Tourniquet book. I was the one who was kinda iffy on it before coming around to their idea, realizing how right they were. The thought on doing so was to take the original five scripts I'd written and transferring it to book form and fleshing it out. I had thought it would be interesting to use the original scripts as the comic is a little different. I figured that way, the readers can get two different reads instead of just the comic and book versions of the same thing. Something had hit me recently and I pitched it to Dennis and he liked it - we make all decisions for Tourniquet 50/50 as I'd never just write something from the world we've created without consulting him first and vice versa. It had occurred to me that it might be more fun to do it in 5 serials as opposed to doing one full book. Again, he agreed. So as soon as this novel gets done I'll be writing those serials and I think we talked about releasing them for free - I'll have to check again though. This world we've created and all the colorful characters within has been a long time coming and I'm sure some people think it's probably done for, not-so-much. It's actually becoming richer as the time passes. Dennis and I have hit a lot of roadblocks and they've, in turn, ended up strengthening our partnership and friendship. We know what this can be and believe in it, I think, even more than what we did in the very beginning. So, there are some exciting things coming up for the world of Tourniquet. I thank everyone who has stuck by with the same patience we have awaiting it to pick up speed.
In the past, I'd work on multiple things at once but, for some reason this novel has shut out everything else. I understand its importance and I think that's why I've chosen to keep everything at bay until it's completed. I have plenty of other projects that are on hold at the moment: a couple of screenplays with some friends, some art projects, animation, film, comics, a play, and more. There are so many things to get done and the year is going by FAST. I haven't put out nearly as much as I had hoped to by this time but I think what will be coming out will be even better, richer. My next scifi novel (still odd for me to type as I've said before I never planned on being a novelist) is already outlined, more or less, however I'd like to get some of these other things completed before jumping into my next all encompassing book.
I would like to note something else before I bid you adieu. Things change in time. When I wrote the initial draft of Last Rites of the Capacitance, it was 74 pages and, at the time, I loved it and thought it was good. In between that first draft and this rewrite, overhaul, what have you, I'd gone through a few other projects, furthering me in my craft. Going back to the original manuscript to do said rewrites, I saw the 74 pages totally differently other than a small section or so. So doing the newer draft, I used the original as an outline. BUT it made me think... I had transcribed, transferred 5 horror screenplays into stories for a horror anthology called Sharp Items & Bad Intentions. There wasn't much rewriting and fleshing out as they were quite simply script-to-story. Well, now that I've gone through the process and realizing how to really expand on ideas, I'm very curious about dismantling the anthology and actually fleshing out some of the works. I may actually have a few books in there. I think I may be able to get at least three books out of what's in the anthology. I'm starting to understand the nature of nurture when it comes to writing - as before I've worked very fast, however I hadn't really done any book work that required such nurturing until now. I love learning and growing, even if it's forcing me to change how I'd worked for so long. Every medium is different though.
Once this book is done, among the other projects I'll be diving into, I'll take a look at those lengthy horror stories in Sharp Items and see what can be done. Until then, keep an eye out for the Tourniquet serials and check out the science fiction novel Last Rites of the Capacitance when it comes out.
And of course, my poetry book, Gun Control For Polar Bears, is out and available so be sure to get a copy of that. I know a lot of people who don't necessarily care for poetry who've actually ended up liking the book. One guy bought it for his wife as "She likes poetry, it's not my thing" but then read it, loved it, and wanted to use it for lyrics in his band. It got a small, albeit great, review from Jeffery Potts on Amazon and the book and myself got a wonderful mention on the WTH (Well That Happened) Podcast. It's not in rhyme and verse but a little more experimental. It's not love poems or whatnot as it's a little bit of everything; some tell a story while others are more abstract, most are fairly dark I suppose. So if you're interested in some weird poetry, give it a read.
Gotta get back to work. You all have a great day and thanks for reading.
However, I've been met with constant interruptions which have set me back on my time. Last Rites of the Capacitance, my first novel, is done finished as now I'm just going through doing some extra fleshing out. As I'm going through the book some more scenes are coming to me that would help it out which is, of course, extending that time. On a plus side to the tardiness to my own timeframe I've set for myself, the book is coming out better than what I had originally thought it could be as well as my publisher is very patient. I'm hoping this book will help me out in all the ways I need it to. That puts a lot of pressure on it, and more on myself, I realize that, but it's a feeling I'm verbalizing.
Dennis Magnant, artist and friend, has been wonderfully patient with me as well. As I've mentioned before, it was he and his wife who'd mentioned the possibility of the Tourniquet book. I was the one who was kinda iffy on it before coming around to their idea, realizing how right they were. The thought on doing so was to take the original five scripts I'd written and transferring it to book form and fleshing it out. I had thought it would be interesting to use the original scripts as the comic is a little different. I figured that way, the readers can get two different reads instead of just the comic and book versions of the same thing. Something had hit me recently and I pitched it to Dennis and he liked it - we make all decisions for Tourniquet 50/50 as I'd never just write something from the world we've created without consulting him first and vice versa. It had occurred to me that it might be more fun to do it in 5 serials as opposed to doing one full book. Again, he agreed. So as soon as this novel gets done I'll be writing those serials and I think we talked about releasing them for free - I'll have to check again though. This world we've created and all the colorful characters within has been a long time coming and I'm sure some people think it's probably done for, not-so-much. It's actually becoming richer as the time passes. Dennis and I have hit a lot of roadblocks and they've, in turn, ended up strengthening our partnership and friendship. We know what this can be and believe in it, I think, even more than what we did in the very beginning. So, there are some exciting things coming up for the world of Tourniquet. I thank everyone who has stuck by with the same patience we have awaiting it to pick up speed.
In the past, I'd work on multiple things at once but, for some reason this novel has shut out everything else. I understand its importance and I think that's why I've chosen to keep everything at bay until it's completed. I have plenty of other projects that are on hold at the moment: a couple of screenplays with some friends, some art projects, animation, film, comics, a play, and more. There are so many things to get done and the year is going by FAST. I haven't put out nearly as much as I had hoped to by this time but I think what will be coming out will be even better, richer. My next scifi novel (still odd for me to type as I've said before I never planned on being a novelist) is already outlined, more or less, however I'd like to get some of these other things completed before jumping into my next all encompassing book.
I would like to note something else before I bid you adieu. Things change in time. When I wrote the initial draft of Last Rites of the Capacitance, it was 74 pages and, at the time, I loved it and thought it was good. In between that first draft and this rewrite, overhaul, what have you, I'd gone through a few other projects, furthering me in my craft. Going back to the original manuscript to do said rewrites, I saw the 74 pages totally differently other than a small section or so. So doing the newer draft, I used the original as an outline. BUT it made me think... I had transcribed, transferred 5 horror screenplays into stories for a horror anthology called Sharp Items & Bad Intentions. There wasn't much rewriting and fleshing out as they were quite simply script-to-story. Well, now that I've gone through the process and realizing how to really expand on ideas, I'm very curious about dismantling the anthology and actually fleshing out some of the works. I may actually have a few books in there. I think I may be able to get at least three books out of what's in the anthology. I'm starting to understand the nature of nurture when it comes to writing - as before I've worked very fast, however I hadn't really done any book work that required such nurturing until now. I love learning and growing, even if it's forcing me to change how I'd worked for so long. Every medium is different though.
Once this book is done, among the other projects I'll be diving into, I'll take a look at those lengthy horror stories in Sharp Items and see what can be done. Until then, keep an eye out for the Tourniquet serials and check out the science fiction novel Last Rites of the Capacitance when it comes out.
And of course, my poetry book, Gun Control For Polar Bears, is out and available so be sure to get a copy of that. I know a lot of people who don't necessarily care for poetry who've actually ended up liking the book. One guy bought it for his wife as "She likes poetry, it's not my thing" but then read it, loved it, and wanted to use it for lyrics in his band. It got a small, albeit great, review from Jeffery Potts on Amazon and the book and myself got a wonderful mention on the WTH (Well That Happened) Podcast. It's not in rhyme and verse but a little more experimental. It's not love poems or whatnot as it's a little bit of everything; some tell a story while others are more abstract, most are fairly dark I suppose. So if you're interested in some weird poetry, give it a read.
Gotta get back to work. You all have a great day and thanks for reading.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Animation
A little backstory on this:
In high school, my friend, Aaron, was on the school newspaper and he'd come to me one day telling me that they were looking to start doing a comic strip. I lit up, "That's awesome! Hey...I used to draw and I love comics!" To which he replied, "Yeah, that's why I told you about it." However, I hadn't drawn in forever and was finding it extremely hard to pick back up. In the school's lobby after school, waiting to be picked up by my mom, I was trying to draw Anything to see if I could bring it back even a little.
Years before, my friend Shane and myself had taken some art classes - the only kids in these night classes. In these classes they were having us draw various fruit and their shading. So, flashforward, I was trying to draw fruit and their shading when I fell asleep. In the short time I was asleep I had a dream of being chased by these creepy robed guys and then someone, something showed up to guide me out of the situation - it was a tall banana with legs; no arms or face. It had the pantlegs of shorts coming From the banana, and old school sneakers on his feet.
My friend Heather came from choir practice and woke me up, seeing if I was okay. I drew what I had dubbed Mr. Banana Legs for the comic strip Crazy Banana Legs - unoriginal title but I was happy the character had come to me. I did more than several comic strips for the school paper with Crazy Banana Legs.
Now, let me interject while I briefly explain my love for animation:
I love, love, love all different kinds of animation. As much as I enjoy CG Animation, I have a thing for really old cartoons, shows and movies. There's something about old hand drawn animated works that attracts me - the rawness, as if you can actually SEE the work put into it due to it not being as smooth as the medium became over time. I always wanted to animate, but I always liked the idea of independent animation vs. being a part of a huge company making these things. I've always had it in mind that if I ever attempted to animate something, I would put a little ragtag group together and create an independent animated film. The years had flown by and I was always distracted by different things life had thrown my way.
Years (Many Years) Later:
I had gotten a bee in my bonnet and decided to try to animate something. I didn't want to use a computer program and wanted to do it as barebones and as basic as possible. So, taking it down to the fundamentals of animation, I got a couple of pads of tracing paper and some pencils. It seemed that, after all the years, the only thing I could actually still draw was that damn Banana so that's what I used. I sat and drew, traced, drew, traced, over and over for 120 pages. It was long and tedious but I didn't mind - I was more excited about the fact that I could actually do it. I took all the pages, scanned them, and put them in order on Windows Movie Maker, trying to get each image down to the smallest allotted time. I played it back and loved what I got, this rough little clip of Mr. Banana Legs. More than that, I loved what it showed me - that if I DID happen to put my little group together someday that we could do it.
Now, after showing it on Facebook, my friend and cousin Scott asked if he could put sound to it. Of course, I said yes. So, in no time at all, he sends me this and I love it.
I took a brief pic of the pages I had done.
In high school, my friend, Aaron, was on the school newspaper and he'd come to me one day telling me that they were looking to start doing a comic strip. I lit up, "That's awesome! Hey...I used to draw and I love comics!" To which he replied, "Yeah, that's why I told you about it." However, I hadn't drawn in forever and was finding it extremely hard to pick back up. In the school's lobby after school, waiting to be picked up by my mom, I was trying to draw Anything to see if I could bring it back even a little.
Years before, my friend Shane and myself had taken some art classes - the only kids in these night classes. In these classes they were having us draw various fruit and their shading. So, flashforward, I was trying to draw fruit and their shading when I fell asleep. In the short time I was asleep I had a dream of being chased by these creepy robed guys and then someone, something showed up to guide me out of the situation - it was a tall banana with legs; no arms or face. It had the pantlegs of shorts coming From the banana, and old school sneakers on his feet.
My friend Heather came from choir practice and woke me up, seeing if I was okay. I drew what I had dubbed Mr. Banana Legs for the comic strip Crazy Banana Legs - unoriginal title but I was happy the character had come to me. I did more than several comic strips for the school paper with Crazy Banana Legs.
Now, let me interject while I briefly explain my love for animation:
I love, love, love all different kinds of animation. As much as I enjoy CG Animation, I have a thing for really old cartoons, shows and movies. There's something about old hand drawn animated works that attracts me - the rawness, as if you can actually SEE the work put into it due to it not being as smooth as the medium became over time. I always wanted to animate, but I always liked the idea of independent animation vs. being a part of a huge company making these things. I've always had it in mind that if I ever attempted to animate something, I would put a little ragtag group together and create an independent animated film. The years had flown by and I was always distracted by different things life had thrown my way.
Years (Many Years) Later:
I had gotten a bee in my bonnet and decided to try to animate something. I didn't want to use a computer program and wanted to do it as barebones and as basic as possible. So, taking it down to the fundamentals of animation, I got a couple of pads of tracing paper and some pencils. It seemed that, after all the years, the only thing I could actually still draw was that damn Banana so that's what I used. I sat and drew, traced, drew, traced, over and over for 120 pages. It was long and tedious but I didn't mind - I was more excited about the fact that I could actually do it. I took all the pages, scanned them, and put them in order on Windows Movie Maker, trying to get each image down to the smallest allotted time. I played it back and loved what I got, this rough little clip of Mr. Banana Legs. More than that, I loved what it showed me - that if I DID happen to put my little group together someday that we could do it.
Now, after showing it on Facebook, my friend and cousin Scott asked if he could put sound to it. Of course, I said yes. So, in no time at all, he sends me this and I love it.
I took a brief pic of the pages I had done.
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