Wednesday Wamblings

I felt a little Elmer Fudd-ish when I sat to white this, hence the post title.

So nothing of the creative bent thins evening. more of a reflection.

Its quickly turning to fall most everywhere, or most everywhere that is close to sea level, and not Canada. The time for cool evenings and conversations by the fire with those that matter to us the most. I sit here this evening reflecting on a more simple time, one where family was the second most important thing to most anyone that was asked. The debate for number one has raged for millennia and will continue on long after I have left this fine world. God or Money. I leave it at that.

The world we live is is chock full of disassociated family due to the job market, or this reason or that. I purposefully left my family home at 18 to see what the rest of the world held. That’s just me. In the decades I have been running around, I have seen more than I could ever describe in this forum. Thankfully not that much bad.

Many of us today pick what we choose to call our families. We find them in meeting halls, conference rooms, or the occasional bar. We are bound together by a common thread, the desire to belong. Though we may not choose to stay on the family estate or live in the same town as those that raised us, we still want something to belong to. We gather in churches, temples, coffee shops and book stores; each of us looking to connect.

The connection doesn’t have to be deep initially, let’s face it, not everyone is destined to be liked. But that connection is found in belief systems, favorite brews, or genres. We rally round the unfortunate when we take the time to notice their existence. We raise money for those in need. We belong, we have a cause.

I am fortunate to belong. I have connected, or so I choose to believe I have, and my life is better for it. The endless days of worrying about this or that, paying attention to only what matters to me have left me. To me, now, there is greater good for me when I take the time to focus my energy on something other than the overly active narcissist that lives in my head.

Thanks for reading, and allowing me to “connect”.

Namaste

 

Robert E

Torrential Tuesday

The last time I posted I wrote a lil’ prose about main character development using an interview technique.

The result came back that I didn’t like the way the guy was turning out. So, I now need to start again.

But before I do, let me tell ya’ll what I wanted him to be and how he was turning out.

I wanted a mysterious guy right, someone that seemed to be above the rules. That one special person that was free to act out in any way his twisted lil’ soul could imagine. What I got was a pompous ass that did nothing more than talk down to me.

I wanted a killer that killed because he liked it, one that was smart enough to get away with it because of his mental capacity to:

Not give a shit about the human condition

Know more than those that pursued him

Play a game of cat and mouse.

What showed up was this…  well…  thing that was hell bent on teaching me a lesson. He wanted to get all metaphysical on me, and even went so far as to bring his father to the interview. Yeah I know right… Like he’s 12 or some shit. Then the asshole introduces his dad as God. That was the end of my character. I didn’t type another word of the interview.

It’s not all the characters fault though, I had been toying with a couple ideas based on some reading I had done about a decade ago. Right now isn’t the time for me to write that guy though, as I don’t fully understand the story I was trying to tell with him. It’s still there and I may bring him back to the front, only at a later time.

There are a hell of a lot of words there to get to this simple morale. Try out a lot of ideas, mash-up a bunch of shit you’ve collected through the years of your experience. Sooner or later you will catch a thread that is worth pulling on and one that gets more interesting the more words you add to it.

At least I hope so.

So for now, happy writing, and much love… 

Namaste,

 

Robert E

Can you say WTF?

So, at the encouragement of Carolina Valdez Miller, I sat down last night in an effort to get to know my new main character by conducting an interview. A few things I knew going into the interview was that he was a killer, and a stealthy one at that. What I didn’t expect was for him to be as smart as he turned out to be.

The interview took place in my hotel room, and the guy showed up with a friend. I know, right? Just walked through the door and expected me to have a place for this other dude to sit. So we start the interview and I ask the MC to introduce his friend and he declines.

I’m thinking to myself as I sat there trying to type both sides of the interview, that I had completely lost my friggin’ mind. Here I was creating a character that I couldn’t control.

The MC tells me that his friends identity will be revealed by the end of the interview, and I decided the best thing to do was roll with it. I settled into the far more menial questions of age, ethnicity, etc. And the guy wigs on me. Tells me his age is not important, then starts referencing some shit about the Pharaohs.

I have to tell you, it’s been one hell of a long time since I did any hallucinogens, or mind altering chemical of any kind, but I swear to you I was trippin’.

I never made it through the entire interview because I was a little freaked. I am hopeful that I am able to draw his ass in tonight and get a little closer to what makes him tick.

Wish me luck!!!

Namaste

 

Robert E

It’s been awhile

Life throws us all little twists and turns, ups and downs, highs and lows. Nothing could be more true in my opinion than those few simple words.

Others have said that nothing is constant, except that is, change. And this year has had more than a few changes, far too many to count or document here.

After a hiatus, deserved or otherwise, I am beginning again to bubble with potential prose. Those that honored me by reading Dream State may or may not be happy to hear that. (yes folks, that’s humor) However, the humble beginnings of a premise are coming together. It’s far too early to let the cat out of the bag, but a few things I can share.

It’s about a killer (I know, no surprise there)

The back story is longer, deeper, and more disturbing than I have seen in the past (Though I am not that well read)

The core characters will be fleshed out first rather than allowing them to develop as the story builds (Hopefully this will allow me to just tell the story once I know what the characters are made of)

There is a bit of religious symbolism and rhetoric (I feel it’s a fun playground)

One of the few things that has not changed in the last year is my admiration I feel toward all of the people in my life that encourage my creative bent. Thank you all for being there and sending your warm comments and well wishes.

Take care all. Let the newest journey begin.

Robert E

Hello World

No, this is not going to be an exercise in how to program in some sexy new language.

This is a message of gratitude to all those who have followed me.

Thank you.

In other news, the price of Dream State has been reduced from $9.95 USD to $3.00. Bad decision making on my part as well as my not asking the right questions lead me to the original price. I hope the new price is more amenable to all who would like to buy the book.

If you would like a copy for FREE, go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7236 before Monday Morning and download a copy for free using coupon code PM84H

Happy Reading everyone, I hope you enjoy.

Namaste

Robert