Journals66
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Far Too Long, Podcasts
2 min read
Three months at least. I've managed to find the time to throw up a character sketch--(i.e. "Paragons")--but nothing else. Doing my best to type or write anything aside from hard news stories and the three features I have on-the-go in various stages of completeness. I've had very little luck. Thank you, post-secondary.
I've resuscitated my blog for the fourth time. Find it here. Going to try and actually use it this time for its intended purpose--another space for projects, but also a space to throw curious or bitter or contemplative words at. The goal is one a week at least, but given the choice between fiction and blogging, I'll throw out Blogspot with the bathwater without a second thought. Might post a few of my longer works there and give links in the Journal bar. In other words, I might dangle short fiction I'm proud of as blog-to-blog click-bait. We'll see.
Been getting into podcasts recently. Started off with an introduction to "99% Invisible" through an interesting compendium of podcasts called "Radiotopia." Doing my best to branch onward from there. Radiotopia's quite the fix if you're OK with your literary drug of choice being served through your speakers. Fiction junkies, look here Design/architecture/innovation enthusiasts, look here. All of it is free, online, and audible without downloading or subscribing.
Radio's an incredible medium for writers. The cheapness and structure of podcasting even more so. Seriously thought about buying a decent audio program (i.e. not Audacity) and trying out a few scripts or short pieces. Got any recommendations? Good 'casts or good programs? I'd be interested in hunting them down, if only to kill my commute.
I've resuscitated my blog for the fourth time. Find it here. Going to try and actually use it this time for its intended purpose--another space for projects, but also a space to throw curious or bitter or contemplative words at. The goal is one a week at least, but given the choice between fiction and blogging, I'll throw out Blogspot with the bathwater without a second thought. Might post a few of my longer works there and give links in the Journal bar. In other words, I might dangle short fiction I'm proud of as blog-to-blog click-bait. We'll see.
Been getting into podcasts recently. Started off with an introduction to "99% Invisible" through an interesting compendium of podcasts called "Radiotopia." Doing my best to branch onward from there. Radiotopia's quite the fix if you're OK with your literary drug of choice being served through your speakers. Fiction junkies, look here Design/architecture/innovation enthusiasts, look here. All of it is free, online, and audible without downloading or subscribing.
Radio's an incredible medium for writers. The cheapness and structure of podcasting even more so. Seriously thought about buying a decent audio program (i.e. not Audacity) and trying out a few scripts or short pieces. Got any recommendations? Good 'casts or good programs? I'd be interested in hunting them down, if only to kill my commute.
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Audiocide Up at Story Shack
1 min read
Find it here. I've fallen in love with the illustration after seeing it go by on my Facebook feed. Thanks to Darcy Rozen for creating it. It isn't what I imagined, but it fits the atmosphere (literally) of what I was intending. Thanks once again to the Story Shack for being a place where I can publish on a semi-regular basis. To anyone out there who writes short fiction and is looking for a place to send their stuff, I can't recommend them enough.
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On Still Being Alive
2 min read
Yup. Still here.
I've been plugging away at "Instant Gratification" in between my current temp job and spending time with friends I haven't regularly seen for months. This is set to change--I'm gunning to finish this one before August hits, though given my current word-counts and the fatigue of my job, this is looking less likely with every train-ride home.
Two of my stories are currently slated for posting on Story Shack Magazine's webpage--the first one, "Prerogatives", is already up. Check it (and the fine work of illustrator Daniele Murtas) out here A few other stories are simmering--some nicely, others not--on the back-burner at the moment. Wanted to take a few thousand words to poke the ridiculousness of sound bites in general and Ontario televised election campaigns in specific--look for "Talking Points" to appear somewhere on here in the next few days. Or weeks.
Or whenever I finish this monolith of a section. Novel chapters really drag when you let them, and this one is an almost-continuous series of journalistic FUBAR's on the part of the reporter and SNAFUS on the part of the setting in general. Sounds interesting in a notebook, but 8,000 words plus is making an IED explosion and slow bleed-out of a character I've come to find compelling and empathetic a dull, slow affair. You'll see what I mean when I finish this thing.
Hope to fill up the green gallery to your left at a faster rate than present as the summer progresses. In the works are the eventual editing and polishing of "Pit Stop", the planning of "Sirens", and, if time or inspiration permits, the outline for a graphic novel I'd be interested in working on with several other like-minded artists/writers. More on that later.
Not writing for almost eight months is getting to me. As the Lawrence Arms song goes, "The words don't come to me so easily/Don't believe what you hear/'Till you've heard it from me." As of this evening, there will be radio silence. Time to finish this chapter. And the other shadows lurking under the bed.
I've been plugging away at "Instant Gratification" in between my current temp job and spending time with friends I haven't regularly seen for months. This is set to change--I'm gunning to finish this one before August hits, though given my current word-counts and the fatigue of my job, this is looking less likely with every train-ride home.
Two of my stories are currently slated for posting on Story Shack Magazine's webpage--the first one, "Prerogatives", is already up. Check it (and the fine work of illustrator Daniele Murtas) out here A few other stories are simmering--some nicely, others not--on the back-burner at the moment. Wanted to take a few thousand words to poke the ridiculousness of sound bites in general and Ontario televised election campaigns in specific--look for "Talking Points" to appear somewhere on here in the next few days. Or weeks.
Or whenever I finish this monolith of a section. Novel chapters really drag when you let them, and this one is an almost-continuous series of journalistic FUBAR's on the part of the reporter and SNAFUS on the part of the setting in general. Sounds interesting in a notebook, but 8,000 words plus is making an IED explosion and slow bleed-out of a character I've come to find compelling and empathetic a dull, slow affair. You'll see what I mean when I finish this thing.
Hope to fill up the green gallery to your left at a faster rate than present as the summer progresses. In the works are the eventual editing and polishing of "Pit Stop", the planning of "Sirens", and, if time or inspiration permits, the outline for a graphic novel I'd be interested in working on with several other like-minded artists/writers. More on that later.
Not writing for almost eight months is getting to me. As the Lawrence Arms song goes, "The words don't come to me so easily/Don't believe what you hear/'Till you've heard it from me." As of this evening, there will be radio silence. Time to finish this chapter. And the other shadows lurking under the bed.
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Let The Scribbling Begin
3 min read
April is done. I survived. And after a week and a half spent hanging out with my lovely girlfriend, a number of tasty (and gust-busting) sushi dates, a Guinness, and a party with a number of my best friends, I have successfully purged any remaining good work-habits from my systm. Deadlines are a distant memory.
So, let the scribbling begin.
First off, thanks to all involved in giving "Her Catalyst" a Daily Deviation! That includes the two deviants who suggested it--vespera and neurotype--my lovely girlfriend for sending me the work of art that inspired it, and Chiu Chih for creating the art in the first place. If you haven't already, find her work here:
I finally got word back from Martin Hoojimans at Story Shack Magazine--one of my stories is currently in the works for publication there. They've got an illustrator lined up, and it should be out by the first week of May. I have to turn another one into them in the next week or so if I'm going to make the deadline, but I understand that they've got a lot of submissions on the go at the moment. Will post a link once it's up.
As for "Instant Gratification", I've been working on fleshing out the outline into something that I can use--something that doesn't look like it's been scribbled on a bar napkin. Hope to have it all done in the next two weeks. Writing shall hopefully commence in the last two weeks of May. I don't know how long this one's going to take, but hopefully it doesn't stop and start like "Pit Stop" has (which, by the way, is about two-thirds done. It's going to be my side project on top of "Instant Gratification". I love the story and the characters--it's just taken me forever. More on that later.)
There's a number of other things in the works: a few short stories, a graphic novel script idea, two novellas. Oh, and an Inception-based RP I'm doing with my very lovely girlfriend! Haven't done text role-plays in a long, long time. It's a private RP, but I feel the need to shout about it from the pixalated rooftops--so, if you hear about a Brazilian drug cartel member-turned-MI6 member named Adriano and/or a sophisticated British dream-maker named Clara, this is what I'm talking about.
The blog will be getting updated more (with project updates and other things--opinion things, perhaps), and I hope to get a few stories up in my gallery before the summer is out. Perhaps the novellas, if they don't go anywhere. I might end up writing one 40K fiction piece I've been mulling over for a long time--we'll see
Back to scribbling. More posts later this week.
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SgtPossum tagged me. Been told to pass this one on--answer if you like, ignore if you don't. I'll be tagging a few of you at the bottom either way. This one's to show anyone who still watches me that a) I'm alive, b) that this page is going to see more activity after Tuesday, and c) that I do respond to tags.
1.First off, what do you do on this website, exactly?
I post my work. Most of it is scraps I can't or won't publish, and some of it is the stuff that's been flogged around a fair bit and can't seem to find a home. Novel and story fragments of things I intend to publish go here as well to give any readers/watchers a taster, of sorts. And for the record, this ain't the only place I post my work--you can find me on tumblr and my blog.
2.Seriously? Why would you do that?
Rejection notices rarely give feedback, and I don't have a railway spike driven into my desk to keep the lot of them (especially seeing as all thus far have been electronic) a la Stephen King. So, this place provides a sounding board. A workshop of sorts. I like to think that readers might not give one allthe tools to create one's writing, but they do lend us a few. I've also noticed that writers, like journalists and filmmakers and musicians (and other artists, I imagine) are being expected to create online portfolios and an Internet presence to draw attention to their work--be that a prolific Twitter account, a tumblr feed, or a homepage. Or an art site like dA. Some say it's cheapened art. This is true, but it's also given exposure to writers and other artists who otherwise would never have seen their work released beyond the confines of their desk. And patrons (in my case, editors) may look upon my work more favorably for publication if they see that my work has gotten attention.
3.Okay, whatever you say pal. Why do that here and not professionally?
I've tried. And in four cases, I've succeeded. All of these stories were originally works I posted in my gallery. I was lucky enough to find a fiction website that accepted reprints, and fortunate to find an editor who liked my work. My goal is to publish professionally--hell, my real goal is to live off of the avails of publication. But I figure that I need the attention and the experience (and harsh critical analysis) before I'll be ready. And this site gives that in spades.
4.Huh. For writers: make up a relatively coherent sentence you're positive no one has ever said before. For visual artists: Sketch something you're positive no one has ever sketched before.
Sweetmeats--Pandora's Box, delectable dessert, or all of the above?
5.You're a very bizarre individual, y'know that?
Take a number.
6.What's one work you really want to do, but aren't sure how to do it yet?
Few things. One is a novel I'm thinking of writing that can best be described as a post-cyberpunk--meets--Beat Generation style work revolving around the character of an amnesiac. A part-time amnesiac (as in, he can't remember anything for part of the time). Work in progress. I think the research for this novel involves several road trips, vagabonding, excessive possession of Gibson novels, and immersion in an economy where part-time labor without benefits or job security is the norm. Or today's job market...
7.Yeah I don't know how anyone would manage that, either. Ever had an injury that stopped you from practising your craft?
Thankfully, no.
8.What inspires you? I mean really makes you want to perform your art?
Short answer: Anything but reading. Long answer: Whole bunch of things. Good books typically don't inspire me. That's not to say I don't gobble them up and lick up the scrap paper shavings. I do. It's the moments between books, stories, films, albums, conversations, turns of phrase (a number of my works have originated from snatches of conversation I've heard out-of-context. This is why I don't wear headphones in public) that give me the urge to face the keyboard It's the...melting pot, the sum total of a bunch of ideas that itch at me like grains of sand in my boots. I think of writing as impacting ideas. Getting one idea or character, then hitting it from two or three different angles with conflicting ideas and watching the pieces fall into place. So, as the short answer says: anything but reading. It's what happens after reading that gets me to write.
9.On that same sort of track, are there any particular influences, such as musicians, artists, writers, or events that you put into your work?
Absolutely. The writers that inspire me (with the addition of Mira Grant) are listed in my Interests section. Particular ones include the worldbuilding of Neal Stephenson and S.M Stirling, the emotional twists of Mira Grant (read Feed, folks), the hazy prose of Tony Burgess, and the characters of Orson Scott Card. I find music (both lyrics and melodies) to be very inspirational--"Drive", "Inked", "Walls", and "The Last Song" were inspired by the Gaslight Anthem, Horrible Crowes, The Riot Before and God Is An Astronaut respectively. "Her Catalyst" was inspired by Taiwanese artist Chiu Chih. And much of my other work is a combination of influences--a bar here, a shade there.
10.So, assuming you haven't already told me you just do this for the hell of it, do you plan on living off your particular trade?
As stated before, yes. Though I've done the research, and I'm pursuing a career in a (slightly) better-paying and secure occupation--namely, journalism. If this doesn't pan out (and it might not), I figure I can flog my skills and resume around and find something to support myself while I write.
11.Do you drink, or use any drugs? If so, do they help you with your craft?
Caffeine, in excessive amounts, helps. Alcoholic drinks of choice is ABW (anything but wine). I don't use anything harder--my memory/cognition is already flighty enough as is.
12.What's the most unfortunate name you can think of for a child, male or female?
Bradley.
Tags include:
Bark
UntamedUnwanted
TheMoorMaiden
Agrifex
karelwolf
vespera
1.First off, what do you do on this website, exactly?
I post my work. Most of it is scraps I can't or won't publish, and some of it is the stuff that's been flogged around a fair bit and can't seem to find a home. Novel and story fragments of things I intend to publish go here as well to give any readers/watchers a taster, of sorts. And for the record, this ain't the only place I post my work--you can find me on tumblr and my blog.
2.Seriously? Why would you do that?
Rejection notices rarely give feedback, and I don't have a railway spike driven into my desk to keep the lot of them (especially seeing as all thus far have been electronic) a la Stephen King. So, this place provides a sounding board. A workshop of sorts. I like to think that readers might not give one allthe tools to create one's writing, but they do lend us a few. I've also noticed that writers, like journalists and filmmakers and musicians (and other artists, I imagine) are being expected to create online portfolios and an Internet presence to draw attention to their work--be that a prolific Twitter account, a tumblr feed, or a homepage. Or an art site like dA. Some say it's cheapened art. This is true, but it's also given exposure to writers and other artists who otherwise would never have seen their work released beyond the confines of their desk. And patrons (in my case, editors) may look upon my work more favorably for publication if they see that my work has gotten attention.
3.Okay, whatever you say pal. Why do that here and not professionally?
I've tried. And in four cases, I've succeeded. All of these stories were originally works I posted in my gallery. I was lucky enough to find a fiction website that accepted reprints, and fortunate to find an editor who liked my work. My goal is to publish professionally--hell, my real goal is to live off of the avails of publication. But I figure that I need the attention and the experience (and harsh critical analysis) before I'll be ready. And this site gives that in spades.
4.Huh. For writers: make up a relatively coherent sentence you're positive no one has ever said before. For visual artists: Sketch something you're positive no one has ever sketched before.
Sweetmeats--Pandora's Box, delectable dessert, or all of the above?
5.You're a very bizarre individual, y'know that?
Take a number.
6.What's one work you really want to do, but aren't sure how to do it yet?
Few things. One is a novel I'm thinking of writing that can best be described as a post-cyberpunk--meets--Beat Generation style work revolving around the character of an amnesiac. A part-time amnesiac (as in, he can't remember anything for part of the time). Work in progress. I think the research for this novel involves several road trips, vagabonding, excessive possession of Gibson novels, and immersion in an economy where part-time labor without benefits or job security is the norm. Or today's job market...
7.Yeah I don't know how anyone would manage that, either. Ever had an injury that stopped you from practising your craft?
Thankfully, no.
8.What inspires you? I mean really makes you want to perform your art?
Short answer: Anything but reading. Long answer: Whole bunch of things. Good books typically don't inspire me. That's not to say I don't gobble them up and lick up the scrap paper shavings. I do. It's the moments between books, stories, films, albums, conversations, turns of phrase (a number of my works have originated from snatches of conversation I've heard out-of-context. This is why I don't wear headphones in public) that give me the urge to face the keyboard It's the...melting pot, the sum total of a bunch of ideas that itch at me like grains of sand in my boots. I think of writing as impacting ideas. Getting one idea or character, then hitting it from two or three different angles with conflicting ideas and watching the pieces fall into place. So, as the short answer says: anything but reading. It's what happens after reading that gets me to write.
9.On that same sort of track, are there any particular influences, such as musicians, artists, writers, or events that you put into your work?
Absolutely. The writers that inspire me (with the addition of Mira Grant) are listed in my Interests section. Particular ones include the worldbuilding of Neal Stephenson and S.M Stirling, the emotional twists of Mira Grant (read Feed, folks), the hazy prose of Tony Burgess, and the characters of Orson Scott Card. I find music (both lyrics and melodies) to be very inspirational--"Drive", "Inked", "Walls", and "The Last Song" were inspired by the Gaslight Anthem, Horrible Crowes, The Riot Before and God Is An Astronaut respectively. "Her Catalyst" was inspired by Taiwanese artist Chiu Chih. And much of my other work is a combination of influences--a bar here, a shade there.
10.So, assuming you haven't already told me you just do this for the hell of it, do you plan on living off your particular trade?
As stated before, yes. Though I've done the research, and I'm pursuing a career in a (slightly) better-paying and secure occupation--namely, journalism. If this doesn't pan out (and it might not), I figure I can flog my skills and resume around and find something to support myself while I write.
11.Do you drink, or use any drugs? If so, do they help you with your craft?
Caffeine, in excessive amounts, helps. Alcoholic drinks of choice is ABW (anything but wine). I don't use anything harder--my memory/cognition is already flighty enough as is.
12.What's the most unfortunate name you can think of for a child, male or female?
Bradley.
Tags include:
Bark
UntamedUnwanted
TheMoorMaiden
Agrifex
karelwolf
vespera
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