Friday, December 23, 2011

NaNoWriMo Conclusion & Update

 Yes, this post is extremely late. Almost a month late, to be precise. However, I've taken the past 23 days off of writing, and done nothing but brainstorming, world-building, etc. Having a bad case of writer's block helped with that.
  Right, on to NaNoWriMo YWP. I won, yes. but painfully. I had two essays to work on during that period, so it got to 9300 words (About 2/3s of the way to my goal) and gave up. My research paper was more important. So, I worked on that. Then, it was November 30, and everyone else was working frantically to finish. Me, I was watching and cheering.
  Then I changed my mind, and decided to give it one last, glorious, kamikaze style attempt to get in as many words as I could. Not to win, of course, but to be close.
 It ended up lasting 5 1/2 hours, ending at 11:45 PM, and having 140 more words than my word goal. My hands hurt for two days afterwards.
 Since then, I've been hit by a bad case of writer's block. A short story that needed backstory brought me to a screeching halt. So I've spent almost a month thinking on that. Then I decided two days ago to just start writing, SotP style. It's worked, for a bit.
Now I've switched gears to get inspiration from writing. I'm aiming to finish part 1 of Hunter Romero and the Atlantean Curse by January 1st. Why? Just to finish and not worry about editing and finishing it at the same time. Then I figure out where to go from there, and how to add a dieselpunk underwater adventure, breaking into Area 51, a conspiracy, and going to Atlantis into the mix. The characters just have to find the idol first.

So, that's what I've been doing/will be doing. What about you? How did your NaNoWriMo go?

Thursday, October 6, 2011

NaNoWriMo

  There are 25 days until National Novel Writing Month, and hopefully, I will be participating. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a novel in 30 days. For the main program, it's 50,000 words. For the Young Writer's Program, you set your own goal. My goal is 25,000 words because it's a novella which I originally intended to be a comic book script. I don't know how to write a script, so I'll start with a novella first.
  My story for this year is an urban fantasy martial artist superhero story. Epic, isn't it? It's going to be a noir feeling story in the modern day, with all the troubles it entails. There's also two warring ninja clans, supernatural evils, and hopefully some deeper meaning.

 Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?


Saturday, September 3, 2011

History of Action/Adventure

 Technically, action/adventure is the oldest genre outside of historical records. The story of Gilgamesh would be the oldest recorded action/adventure story. However, I'll stick to modern action/adventure which sprouted in the previous century and a half.
...
 The originators are the penny dreadfuls (England) and dime novels (American) as well as newspaper serials (Like Wells' War of the Worlds). Dime novels often told embellished accounts of real people; such as Kit Carson, Wild Bill Hickhock, Jesse James, etc. Penny dreadfuls were British and heroes often feature Robin Hood type characters, highway robbers, etc. Newspaper serials were short parts of a longer work; in action/adventure, the best well known is King Solomon's Mines. It has become a classic.  These lasted until the early 20th century.

 These were published very cheaply, and very quickly.

 Then came the pulps. (My personal favorite era)
 The pulps were magazines printed on cheap paper made of wood pulp and told the tales of Western heroes, detectives, and eventually, the precursor to superheroes.  These lasted from 1896 to the 1950s. Haggard (Author of King Solomon's Mines) was a pioneer in this genre as well.
 The genre was filled with Westerns and mysteries. Tarzan was created in 1912 as a serial which went for 22 novels.  Then, The Shadow appeared on the radio show Detective Story Hour as the narrator. The publishers soon began receiving requests for The Shadow's stories of his own. Quickly, he earned his own magazine. (Some of his radio episodes can be found here at a link I'll post at the end). The Shadow magazine was published for 325 issues, the longest running pulp magazine ever. Then came the space opera hero Buck Rogers. Doc Savage soon followed. Doc Savage, the Superman precursor, and one of the biggest heroes. The Shadow was dark, mysterious, and dangerous, much like Batman. The Shadow is the archetype of dark, night-walking vigilantes. Doc Savage, on the other hand, was strong, heroic looking, extremely strong, extremely smart, and dedicated to crime-fighting. He acted with the approval of the government, and rarely killed. He's the archtype for Superman.

 There were other big ones of course; the Phantom Detective, Operator # 5, G-8 and his Flying Aces, John Carter (Of Mars, yes), Zorro, and the Black Bat. Eventually, they were fazed out by superheroes.

 Superheroes really kicked off in the 30s and have lasted in some way, since. Batman and Superman kicked the genre off and it's grown ever since. It deserves its own article.

James Bond novels were written about now. The super-spy. Excellent at disposing of insane enemies. Excellent at driving. Ladies man, of course. He's also a transition between the optimistic pulps and darker side of the Vietnam and Post-Vietnam era. He is a gentleman, (Martinis shaken, not stirred) yet ruthless.
 Then came the 60s; flower-power, anti-war, and nuclear fear. Action/adventure took a darker edge with Aggressor novels. They were dark, and violent.
 Then the 70s was another transition, to the 80s. Star Wars came out in 1977, a beacon of hope in what I've heard, for SF, was pretty bleak.  The 80s were different. Comics, and Batman in particular, were dark and violent. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in this decade. TV shows included The A-Team, Michael Knight, and other somewhat cheesy action shows. It's also brought about the variety in modern action/adventure.

 Since then, we've diversified. The original pulp heroes have gone out of print and new writers have picked them up. Writers inspired by those and Indy began creating their own heroes and stories. Things can be pulpy and optimistic, dark and gritty, or somewhere in between.

 More details?

The Shadow radio episodes
(http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/template.php?show_name=The%20Shadow)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Action & Adventure: What it Is and What it is Not

Changing gears here, to another of my favorite genres.

  Action/Adventure is a hard genre to pin down. Many of what could be considered its sub-genres are full-fledged genres. Unlike fantasy or SF (Which some works of those fall in this genre. See Buck Roge...rs and Conan) which have iconic settings that are easily recognizable, action/adventure doesn't. The closest thing would look more like a documentary.  It's settings range from Victorian Africa, the Wild West, to yesterday's headlines.

 First, what action/adventure is not. It is not action or adventure in another genre. All genres  have elements of action and elements of adventure.
  Action/adventure as a genre makes the action/adventure one of the main points of the novel. Deep characters are generally not necessary. Plots are not needed to be realistic. Make it over the top and exciting.
  It also often has secret societies, martial artists, lots of chases, commandos, and vigilantes.

Good is good. Bad is bad. Nazis are evil. Automatic weapons rules. Explosions are key. Settings should be exotic. Heroines tough, most of the time. Rest of the time they're damsels of distress. Heroes are either highly skilled operatives (James Bond, Jason Bourne, Rambo) or normal peopl thrown into unordinary circumstances (Indiana Jones). There are more, but they're older.
 


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Importance of Characters in Space Opera

   This is an unplanned for addition to my post, 5 Essentials for Space Opera, written on request. So here I go, exploring the last frontier in space opera (for me anyways).
    Let me back up a bit to give some definitions of space opera and some for hard SF. Hard SF isn't very dramatic or melodramatic in some cases. It's serious, and focuses more on the science than the characters or story. The laws of physics are absolute and can not be broken. Hard SF is quite popular in books and often is what give SF the adjective "atheistic." Many are. I haven't read any that aren't, but there are probably some out there.
   Space opera, on the other hand, is the opposite. Space opera focuses on the grand scales of conflict, adventure, and personal conflict or drama. Rules of physics are there to be broken, often literally. Space opera has very little regard for current science.
   I italicized the personal conflict or drama (And shall continue to do so) because it's what truly what drives space opera and puts a head and shoulders above the other genres. (Military SF, Golden Age, and steam/diesel-punk come close). It's the characters.
  Stories about aliens, galactic empires, epic starships, aren't exactly relatable. Stories about inter-familial conflicts are. Aliens, rebellions, starships, and scruffy rogues just make them more interesting than your average soap opera or random neighbor down the street. We know how how personal problems feel; the nervousness, the indecision, the fear. That sickening, roiling feeling in the stomach. You know what I'm talking about.
  I'm not sure how much more I can say; so I'll provide examples.
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy: Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Luke, R2-D2, and C-3PO are the driving charters in these three movies. Luke is the main character whose change and growth along the lines of the Heroes Journey is the main subject for the story. Han and Leia create the romantic sub-plot. Their fights; reconciliations, and acceptance draws viewers along for the movies. R2 and C-3PO add comic relief and aid in repairing damaged X-Wings. They add humor to what could otherwise be a grim affair.
  Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy: The driving characters are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chancellor Palpatine, Padme Amidala, and Anakin Skywalker. Anakin and Padme are the two main driving characters; their forbidden romance brings about Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. Palpatine facilitates it and drives the entire Clone Wars with his schemes. Obi-Wan tries to keep Anakin on the good side, as well as healthy and fine. Their interactions make what could be a standard pre-war conspiracy story in a galaxy far, far, away into a tense and emotionally rich story.
  Star Trek: The Original Series: (Are you seeing a pattern?) The driving characters are, of course, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and Doc McCoy. Spock and McCoy are the most relatable; since they're great friends yet constantly argue with each other. Kirk adds some philosophy, and Scotty adds somewhat of common sense.

 Without unique characters who don't have conflicting personalities, space opera can quickly fall into unbearable melodrama.
 

Monday, June 13, 2011

9 Things Learned from "Civilzations: Revolutuion"

My apologies to my long-term Facebook friends who have already read this. 

1. Being in possession of nuclear weapons is a good way to end open hostilities with another country. This I learned very quickly the first time I built the Manhattan Project wonder, all other empires gave me an offer of peace, even the Arabs. who I was in the middle of a century long war with.
 Addendum:  The UN rather negates this with nuclear disarmament treaties and what-not, but having them at least counts.

2. To ensure the survival of a nation, a strong military is needed. I don't mean armed militia either. I mean state-of-the art military technology with the capability of have large amounts of its units out in the field on a campaign, and still have large forces at home on defense and ready to cycle in to replace casualties.

3. Don't go to war until you are ready and able to support the strong military in number two. If you go to war to early, you won't be able to support them. Take to long, and they'll invade and you'll be stuck on defense. (tip, if this happens pull an Inchon, invade them somewhere else

4. Always stay one technological step ahead of your enemies, and allies. A technological advantage would be fighting spear men with riflemen, (Which is common). This advantage also gives you a plus to other advantages, such as mining, medicine, whatever it may be. Always keep researching, and there are other advantages as well, just look at what came of the space race.

5. Be willing to accept peace terms, but never offer them, unless you truly are ahead. Weakened enemies will, eventually, realize their mistake and sue for peace. Accept their offer. It will make your country look better and spare you from inner turmoil from too many casualties. It also gives you time to recover your strength.

6. Never crumble to hostile threats, unless it is a better idea than to fight. I generally spurn threats received from AI enemies, because I  am always far more powerful than they are. No, that wasn't hubris. I am generally always ahead of them in technology by a slim thread. That gives me an advantage. I also know I probably spend more on military units than I should. Sometimes, however, you are unable to fight due to another war, or some certain problem you're having.

7. Always maintain friendly relations with your citizens. Keep the people happy with good education, jobs, and cultural things. It'll keep them educated, happy, and prosperous, thus increasing your chances of scientific breakthroughs and reducing the risks of them becoming disgruntled and rebelling.
Addendum:  Just make sure you support the stuff, rather than give it to them.

8. Be sure to back up your threats, bluffs, etc. If you threaten to attack a country, and they want proof, you better give them proof, or else. "Or Else" means the realization that you can't back up your threats and will lose most of your power.
Corollary:  Never make a threat unless you can and are willing to back it up. Mean business.


9. Know your targets and priories, whether it be by spies, satellites, or high atmospheric planes. You must always know the priority targets that you would strike if necessary. Cities, industrial facilities, etc. Know your targets, and in what priority they lay. In "Revolution" I always head straight for the capital. More simply, have good intelligence.

Perhaps some embarrassing moments in history could have been avoided if leaders played this game, or read Sun Tzu's The Art of War (More on this book to come soon, think of this as a humorous introduction)


From a hidden bunker,
Varon

Monday, June 6, 2011

Hymn to the Fallen: D-Day Memorial

You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
                                                                            
                                                                  
     On June 6, 1944, 160,000 soldiers from the Allied countries of the United States of America,  England, and Canada underwent the largest amphibious operation in the history of warfare. Today is  67 years after the invasion.      The invasion was hurt by mistakes, bad weather, and plans that could never work. The American paratroopers were scattered over the French countryside, unable to reach each other or their targets. Despite that, they fought valiantly and confused the Germans.
    Omaha beach was assaulted by the United State's 1st Infantry Division, and they were against Hitler's finest. Only be many acts of heroic sacrifice were the bluffs taken and the Germans beaten back.
    By the end of the day, there were 10,000 Allied casualties. What was the reward for the cost? The Allies had gained a strong foot-hold in Europe and were advancing towards Berlin.

 Remember the fallen. God Bless America!

Monday, May 30, 2011

5 Essentials for Space Opera (tongue in cheek of course, but I mean every word)

 This was written for an online writer's group I'm in for science-fiction month. So, without any further ado...

  Space opera is the iconic sub-genre of science fiction for most people. Just mentioning the magic words “science-fiction” brings to mind images of lasers, starships, and colorful (though sometimes flat) characters. I’ve assembled my own personal list of 5 essentials to make a good space opera. Explanations may or may not appear. Starships are definitely an important part, but I couldn’t find room for them in the list.

#5: FTL FTW!
Translation please? FTL FTW is an acronym made of two separate acronyms that stands for the phrase “faster than light travel for the win.” That’s quite a mouthful there. More importantly, what does that mean? Well, one of the key elements of space opera is a big setting. That takes really, really fast travel methods to prevent you’re story from becoming the space version of a road trip without the quaint interesting little towns along the way. A pretty boring trip unless you like watching the constellations change shape.
            #4: Giant Super-weapons
  These monstrous symbols for man-kind’s ruthlessness and technological weapons improvement bring about high stakes and pulse-pounding adventure while oftentimes thumbing their nose at modern science (or treaties). Perfect for space opera, aye? Seriously though, space opera is all about being big and exciting. Plus, there are brownie points involved from the special effects, sometimes billions of dollars of profit. (Avatar anyone?)
            #3: Battered Freighters
  Maybe it has to do with the plucky underdog valiantly fighting better, more modern ships, but battered are almost a staple, nay, a cliché of the genre. Albeit, a lovable one, much like those scruffy rogues who pilot them. Or, perhaps, it’s the rogue that makes the ship. Nah, definitely the ship. Star Trek, in my opinion, is not that great of a space opera for several reasons, from boring costumes to not being all that fun for the whole family (a whole different post), plus the heroes were always flying a warship. Where’s the fun in that? Other than the vast firepower available of course.
            #2: Cocky Warrior Princess (and their hair-dos)
  The politically correct term would be strong, independent female leads. Isn’t that a bit boring? This archetype is almost as old as space opera itself, possible originating in Edgar Rice Burroughs’s novel  A Princess of Mars. Not to mention, Princess Leia’s iconic cinnamon bun hair-do has been forever ingrained as a cultural celebrity moment.
            #1: Aliens
 Aliens take the number one spot because of the color, variety, and imagination added to a story. Make them good, bad, ugly, slimy, or shimmering energy beings. Just make them unique and exotic. Nothing make’s a boring bar, excuse me, cantina scene more interesting than some two-headed aliens, a scary furry thing, and some other wildly creative aliens hanging about. Robert Heinlein’s  space operas were good, but they were a bit bland with the best aliens being primitive frog things on Venus. Not much to go on there.

Conclusion: The rule of cool either works really well for space opera, or was invented for space opera. Remember this list (but be creative) and you’re space opera will have a chance at becoming as memorable as Star Wars. Maybe.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Millenium Falcon? Nah. Enterprise? Nah. Spectral Vigilante? Maybe

His Ship
 So, I need a name for a starship.A battered old interceptor fighter turned freighter turned private ship for a private detective who's also a fugitive, so something dealing with unofficial law enforcement would be nice. I'm also going for a satire/Mark Twain style humor piece.
   These are my current ideas.
  •  Vigilante
  • Vigilante Shadow
  • Spectral Vigilante 
  • Vigilante Myth
  • The Investigator
  Any new ideas or suggestions would be very helpful.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Excerpt from THE DYING WORDS OF DICK ELDEN, GALACTIC GUMSHOE

      This is my latest novel and the reason I haven't posted in a bit. It's brand new, a parody, and copyrighted to me.        
                      

                                              The Dying Words of Dick Elden, Galactic Gumshoe

An Unexpected Visit
            I was always getting into trouble. Well, that isn’t true, not really. I’m the kind of boy who just can’t resist adventure, which has gotten me in trouble.
            Oh, call me Dick. My full name’s Elden, Dick Elden. I’m a high-schooler and whenever life got me down, I’d go for a walk. When my spirits needed restoring, I could always count on the headlands of Massachusetts to restore them. Or, at least, make them seem smaller. But it was the stars that truly drew me up.
            It was well after dawn on a spring morning in 2010 and the young teenagers of Blansfield were just dragging themselves out of bed. I was already up.
            In fact, I was a on a walk above the sea, absorbing the crashing of the waves and shrieks of sea gulls. Then it happened! A bang! A flash! I reared back like a horse with its reins caught round a tree.
            As I picked my self up off the ground, I spotted an oddly dressed figure staggering towards me. I scrambled back, but my curiosity was sparked. The figure looked like a man dressed in a trench-coat with a fedora on his head.
            “Wait!” He croaked, and I paused, before stepping forward like a man in a trance.
            “What?” I asked, still taking in the man’s bloodstained coat-front and pale face. He was dying that was obvious.
            “T-take t-this.” The man spluttered, coughing out spittle and globs of red liquid. He stuck his hand forward to me and shoved something at me.
            “A-alright.” I stammered. “What is it?” He muttered something. “What was that?” In a burst of strength, the man answered with a defiant yell.
            “The successor of the position is chosen!” With that, he collapsed like a limp rag. I checked his pulse. Nothing. I looked down at the thing. It was a small thingamajig that looked like a computerized passport. There was a button that was helpfully labeled ‘Press Me to Turn KIAC On.’ I pushed it.
            “Welcome unidentified person. I am the Know-It-All-Computer or KIAC.”
     “What?” I nearly dropped the machine. Fumbling, I managed to catch it, but not before I’d pressed several buttons.
            “Please state your name, date of birth, and place of residence.” That, my friend, was strange. I complied though. Something told me this was important and the machine’s orders be followed. I learned later it was the KIAC sending telepathic messages. Not cool.
            “I am Dick Elden, born on October 3, 1994 AD.” I studied the machine. It was doing something, and the words were in some weird alphabet like Klingon.
            “Congratulations on your promotion Dick Elden, Galactic Gumshoe and Official Representative of Terra to the Galactic Private Detective Agency.”
     “What are you talking about?” I asked, secretly wanting to know and do whatever it meant. It wasn’t KIAC this time either. I’d always wanted to be a private detective.
            “Perhaps Ah shout’ exsplain.” A new voice cut in. I turned and blinked. Again, I blinked. There was a small furry creature in greasy overalls with a rag sticking out of his pocket and a wrench beside it. It had a thin and long head with eyes on the side.
            “Shain’t pulite sto stare.” The creature said.
            “Er, um, well, sorry.” I stammered.
            “Stop stammering like a Kreech after a crash.” There was that KIAC again.
            “That might be a good idea.” I replied to the creature, alien, person. “You’re name isn’t Scotty is it?” He/it spat.
            “Shcotty! Swhat a shtrange name! Mah name ish Bax Grashden.” He added. “Shnow zwe really must be leaving!”
            “Bax! Grab the kid and move! We’ve got Hegemony fighters coming in!” That was a new voice coming out of nowhere. I whirled. A battered old ship shimmered into view, seemed to cough, and fully materialized. Then I saw three more ships.
-------------------------------------
  Tune in sometime for more!
  Can anyone guess where I copied and tweaked parodied the first three paragraphs? They're the opening paragraph to three well known classics. Here's some hints: safe for a  steamboat, whale of a tale, and fighting brothers.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Welcome to Ainaan and a Little Challenge

 Ainaan is one part of a universe shaped rather like a ball made of tissue paper, each universe a thin layer sandwiched between many other layers, or universe in this case. The center of this universe is Evenfar, home of Lyrianur and the heaven of my universe basically.

   Ainaan is a flat world and I have provided you with a map which, unfortunately, you will have to crane your neck around to see. Sorry about that.
 As you can see, there are four continents and numerous islands in a central sea named the Sea of Leioness after the Lyonesse of Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend. It also ties into the Great Flood. You see after the greatest and final battle of Dur Greden between Lyrianur (the good guy) and Malxor (the bad guy with big plans to make the world better) which ended with Malxor being banished, the world was changed to wipe away and cleanse the world of Malxor's stain. Originally, everything inside the outer edged was land. Then the flood came and flooded the valleys.
   There are four, wait, five main races in Ainaan. There are the humans of course, spread out and varied in culture. There are the dragons, mighty and intelligent creatures meant to protect and care for Ainaan. All but one were killed in Dur Greden, and he is in suspended animation until the End. There are the Dwarendell, small and reclusive beings who have enormous natural talent for creating objects out of stone. They all disappeared 100 years after Dur Greden. Then there are the Ithani, shorter than men and somewhat wider at the shoulders. They are natural woods-folk and specialize in anything with wood. Finally, there are the Krecks. The are mindless, moral-less, and physically perfect creatures made by Malxor. Malxor wanted every creature to be like them.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Polls, Ainaan, and General Announcement

 This will be a shorter post than normal and won't have to do completely with writing. I just have a few general announcements to make.
  The first announcement is that I have a poll up about, so please vote in that. One option, and it expires on February first.

  Secondly, I'm nearly ready for the second Steam Man post, so you won't have to wait to long. I have some concept art and new setting ideas like G.R.A.S.S. gunships. More on that soon.

 Finally, is there anyone who you'd like to see interviewed in the (probably not so soon) future? I can try to get them, but I'll have to come up with the interviews first.

 Now, if you vote about my fantasy world, it's called Ainaan and has four continents arranged around the Sea of Leionesse with islands in the sea. Currently, I have no stories in active progress in Ainaan, or fantasy in general.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Character Development & Genre: How much is to much?

 Character development is a tricky subject, and there are many ways to do it. So, how deep do your characters actually need to be? Well, it's your choice.
 Do you want an incredibly real and complex character for your explosion filled Indiana Jones style adventure? If you do, go ahead but it might be wasted.  The action genre doesn't normally have terribly complex or deep characters. Why? The characters are second to the action and plot.  Take Indiana Jones for example. What do you know about him? He's a professor and a treasure hunter. He's good with his fists and a bull whip. From the movies, that's about all we know about him. That's enough to know about him. We don't need to know anything else about him to enjoy the story.
 On the other hand, a shallow character more appropriate for an adventure novel won't work for a hefty 950 page literary novel. For a novel of this length and plot, you need fully developed characters. You would need to know everything about them, from motives to dreams. A shallow adventurer just won't have the color to move the story along. It would be like a tiny car engine trying to move a dump truck. It doesn't have the oomph to push it along.
 Back to the same comparison, a fully fleshed out, completely life-like character would have to much information. Does it matter that the main character dis-likes sports because he failed to make a team once? Only if it is directly related to the story.

 But what about the other genres? Fantasy? Science fiction? Historical fiction? Well, it depends on your story. Some fantasy stories are shorter and focus more on the plot. They don't need much character development. Others are extremely long and need rounded characters. It's the same for science fiction. Some need deep characters while others need shallow characters.
  More realistic genres, however, need fully developed characters. This is mainly because in a world remarkably similar to our own, need people that we can know well and understand.

 To wrap it up, speculative genres leave the amount of character development up to the story. Real world stories need better developed characters.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

NEW SERIES: Development of a Story: An Idea

 Alright, this is a new series I came up with. Instead of simply telling you about the process in which I write a novel, I'll involve you and share it with you step by step. This is for a project I'm currently calling The Steam Man. Part of why I'm doing this is to receive new input and ideas, creating a more varied and rounded story. In return, you'll get a mention on the acknowledgments and a signed copy if gets published.

   It all started with a conversation during chores. It was simply two people trying to out-do each other in a form of verbal combat. One person is tough, the other uses something to defeat it. Eventually, I came up with the idea of fire running through one's veins. Of course, then the person got doused with water. This created steam, and in a flash of inspiration, the Steam Man was forged. It took a little while to apply the finish to the idea.

   The Steam Man has, since the idea was formed, become an android assassin powered by a small nuclear reactor in a futuristic alternate Earth where cyberpunk meets steampunk. In a  country ruled by a despotic and removed government in which the citizen's only dealings with the government are through TV-like transmissions, a rebellion begins. Though guarded and subtle, the government learns of it. In response, they create a mechanical assassin. Its job is to target the rebellion leaders and eliminate them.  As it goes about its missions, unaware of its own existence, something happens. I don't know what yet, but the it becomes a he. The newly aware person has no history of his past, what his name is, or where he's from.

  That's all I have for the plot, and just a little more on the setting. Most of it will take place in a brick Victorian-esque city with levels built on top of each other and smoke hanging in the air. It will be a city under oppression. The place is also grimy, steam-punk style technology run by nuclear reactors, and dark.

Here's the part where you, my readers, come in. Please give your ideas on anything mentioned in this post and I'll give a short list of things that I need help with.

What happened to the Steam Man?
What is the rest of the world like?
Who are these brave rebels?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Seat of the Pants in Five (Almost) Easy Steps

   It may appear that many people frown on writers who write seat of the pants (SotP) style. It's a shame really. SotP writing is really fun, similar to reading a book for the first time. Or more like playing a role-playing game.
   Their disdain might stem from the fact that just sitting down and writing a novel with no idea what will happen is scary, even less so than outlining. In outlining, you don't actually have to write the novel for a while. You can spend quite a bit of time on the outline before starting the first sentence. You often can have detailed character profiles, plot, twists, character arcs. Everything but the story.
  With SotP, you start out with minimal planning and just dive in. I generally start with characters and a basic plot. I might write a list of scenes I want, but no order, so that the story flows and twists naturally. Granted, it sometimes seems to wander a bit. In Hunter Romero and the Atlantean Curse, I started with nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just started writing and it's the farthest and most developed one I have.
  Let me give you an example of my normal SotP outline along with the first step from Lester Dent's Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot. Here are the steps I've taken so far.
  STEP 1: I had an idea. That's how all my novels start out as, an idea, generally a scene or a nebulous feeling. It was a  modern Doc Savage/Indiana Jones/ Lance Juno character crossing a rickety wooden bridge. I sub-consciously asked three questions. Who was he? What was he doing? Why was he doing it?
  STEP 2: I answered the above questions with the answers Jack Wilder, fighting an Egyptian cult, and it was his job. That was good, but he needed fleshed out and helpers. I learned that he was an ex-Special Forces soldier who was honorably discharged due to an injury. He co-owns a company, Wilder and Gray, Soldiers of Fortune, along with Jonathan Gray, a retired CIA agent. There's a third person, but I haven't made him yet. I figured out their skills and their looks.
STEP 3: Define a basic plot idea. What is the conflict? Who are the perpetrators? Why is the hero there? Why is he involved?  This is also where I filled in the four starting points for the above mentioned formula. This is a simpler step, but it requires lots of thinking to make everything seem reasonable. I might use a plot generator for ideas, I found a good adventure plot generator, or even character generators.
STEP 4: Write. This is the final and longest step. This is where I just sit down and start pouring the story onto paper. It will be pretty bad, but some parts will be brilliant and other parts will need cut and fixed. The twists will surprise you, and they should surprise the readers.
STEP 5: Edit and revise the novel several times so that is perfect. This will take a while and will need several posts to cover fully. 

 So those are my five steps to writing a novel. Sometimes it's rough, it's normally hard, but it's a blast to write.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Windy Bluffs

 Windy Bluffs is a bit of a strange name for a blog, unless it's a blog for poker bluffs. Let me explain. Windy Bluffs has a three-fold meaning for me. The actual dictionary definition would be along the lines of lies that require lots of air or long lies. That's a pretty negative definition. However, it can also mean novels. Novels are long tales that can use lots of air. The personal definition is that Windy Bluffs is a school for bards in my world Edradria, as well as the the history of the world. Much responsibility, that brings.
     In case you're wondering what type of stories you may hear about, I'll give you a brief over view of my projects, the non-classified ones of course. I might as well do the classified ones as well. It won't hurt anybody, I don't think.
 1. The Price of Freedom: The First Chapter in the Untold Tale of America's Finest in World War Three: Despite the long title, this project is at 20,000 words and about 1/3 of the way done. It tells the story of Lance Juno, commander of a commando battalion, as he leads his soldiers against the new Terran Federation, a ruthless and Utopian dictatorship in the year 2021 AD. It's part of a three trilogy series.
2. "A store owner, a professor, and a 13 year old pickpocket race to unearth a cursed idol from Atlantis before the Nazis find it." That's the log-line for Hunter Romero and the Atlantean Curse, a story meant to bring to mind the tales of the pulp era,  which is nearing the 30,000 word mark in the first draft.
3. Wilder and Gray, Soldiers of Fortune:  This series follows the adventures of an ex-commando, retired spy, and a gadget whiz as they are hired to do some of the most dangerous jobs in the 21st century. It's in planning at the moment.

 Those are my top three projects at the moment, as is a jazz song that I'm writing.

 I'll also do my best to publish a post at least two times a month, maybe more.

  Aelinduren,
  Varon