one more draft…

and thrilled to be here! the holidays have been great and i’m extremely fortunate in family and friends*. hopefully, you and yours, regardless of what you did/celebrated/etc., are equally well and happy!

however, with all that great stuff going on, and preparing some last minute gifts and such, there was no fiction writing happening, of any kind. that’s not terrible, obviously, and i’m okay with it, but since finishing the revision of One Man’s Monster, i’ve not written any story or book material of anything more than a few lines or a random paragraph.

so, in part to spark my creativity, i entered into an informal writing challenge, with the goal of writing a thousand words toward a story by Christmas. sadly, while i wrote a couple of pages of notes and had some very good ideas on the whole, i failed to actually start the story (for the above reasons) and therefore did not meet the deadline.

however, my co-challenger was extremely flexible and yesterday afternoon found me back above the garage** and writing! of course, it didn’t hurt that i’d gotten in a bike ride during yesterday’s temporary midday thaw, and the story poured forth and i felt at peace again.

i didn’t quite nail the ending yesterday, but instead of beating my head against the wall over it, i set to work typing up yesterday’s work and by the time i’d gotten to the end of those pages, i’d found an ending. i’m not certain it’s quite the right ending, but it might well be. i need a little time away to determine that.

the story is titled Fragile and is probably easiest described as urban fantasy, but only if Eddie Murphy’s The Golden Child is urban fantasy. hm, that was an unexpected comparison…

regardless, i’m writing again, and feeling alive once more!

* though i’m not nearly as good at staying in touch with friends as i could be. i’m working on it, though.

** the unheated part of the garage, wrapped in my new super-warm over-shirt, over which i wore the house-banned green plaid over-shirt, plus a blanket wrapped around my legs, and a cup of Typhoo tea to warm the innards. and i couldn’t have been happier!

i need to catch up on some sleep, but it’s been a weekend without any new writing* and i need to do something, so i popped open the file with the bit of short story idea from last week and started in again. i don’t know exactly where i’m going with this one, yet, but i’m zeroing in on the narrator’s voice, and i’m resisting some impulses to make changes, allowing myself to just let it come out. this isn’t always easy, but i’m liking it, and tonight’s work even these few minutes, have put me right back into that feeling of excitement that resonates around a new story for me, and it makes me smile.**

and on that note, to bed.

* we had a great visit this weekend with some friends out of state, but it was too short and meant a long weekend driving, which usually drains me. i remember when i drove 6+ hours one way just to visit my wife (when she was my girlfriend) for the weekend, and hardly bat an eye at it. of course, those trips also consisted of at least one big bag of Jax each way and now that might actually put me into a coma…

** which is good, after getting another rejection for Congestive Heart Failure in the email.

well, not really, but i couldn’t think of a better term.

i just finished my revisions on One Man’s Monster this evening, which is great, but while i was working on the last few pieces (which revolve around some distinct unpleasantness), my wife was watching an episode of Glee* on her laptop and i couldn’t help but hear the strains of “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady being sung. That being one of our all-time favorite films**, i found myself watching the Glee rendition*** before returning to my story.

and this is the thing: when i got back, it was genuinely difficult to get my brain back to the proper mood for the story. i was looking at what i’d written, reading it over, and getting distinctly put off by the tragic themes at work there. this caught me by surprise and took me several moments to get past. it makes perfect sense when i describe it, but it was the first time i can recall having so noticeable a reaction of this type.

thankfully**** i was able to get past it and finish the story. For now, anyway. I’ve sent it out to a few readers, so there will surely be some further editing, but it’s time I moved on to something else for a bit, too, though i’m not sure what yet…

* this one’s growing on me. i’m not thrilled about the soap-opera elements, but the music has been top notch for the episodes i’ve seen so far.

** yes, despite the unmistakable sexism and whatnot in it. i still have a hard time with that, but i can’t not like anything audrey’s in.

*** not as good as the Cast Album recording, in my opinion, but still quite good.

**** should i be thankful that i was able to darken my mood?

first, i hope everyone had a lovely holiday break* and were able to be with family and friends and enjoy the time together. we had my brother’s family with us over the weekend. they’re living out of state for now, so it was great to see them all, including my way-too-fast-growing niece.**

Thanksgiving day itself was lovely, too, with more food than is safe***, but also with a lovely couple of spontaneous poetry readings (and read-alongs) by folks. this isn’t a regular thing, but i’m going to do my best to make it so. i am extraordinarily grateful to be part of such a family that holds the written and spoken word so highly.

thank you, Gram.

second, this evening was the first devoted time in a while that i’ve spent on One Man’s Monster, and i made a notable breakthrough! of course, it included killing another beloved section of the story, but it really was necessary. why can’t i make my hindsight work ahead of time?

anyway, it’s very nearly ready to give to someone else to have a go at and tear apart for me, while i move on to another story.

now, of course, it’s time for bed.

be well, all.

* for those of you in the US, anyway.

** who managed to break her hand goofing around with friends. ah, youth. (keep it elevated!)

*** there were almost as many pies as people at my grandmother’s house!

i’ve actually been rather productive today, but our pooch, Tupelo, was looking just so adorable, i couldn’t resist. the poor animal has to suffer like this with me most days.

i have hit a bit of a stumbling block in One Man’s Monster, though. it’s directly related to my lack of legal knowledge. now that i’ve made a more concerted effort to be realistic*, i’ve realized that the existing storyline doesn’t work. blatantly so.

so, i’m trying to re-jigger** the order of events of this particular scene while upping the credibility.

i know, i know, it sounds like a bad idea already, and it probably is, but i’m pushing on, anyway, because i do feel a good sense of momentum, overall. the story is strong and these latest efforts are only helping to tighten it, so that’s a good thing. this work has also revealed some surprising moments and i’ve been able to create some emotionally powerful situations, too. at least, i think so.

Tupelo doesn’t seem convinced…

* this scene was almost laughable before. who am i kidding, it was laughable.

** fake words are fabtacular.

at school, between those students who decided to show up for their tutoring appointments, i found myself surfing the net. thankfully, my wife popped in to say hi before heading off to an appointment and saved me:

her: “what are you doing?”

me: “surfing.”

her: “why?”

me: “i didn’t bring my story to work on.”

her: “so write something new.”

me: <silent for a moment, feeling stupid> “right, yeah. good idea.”

of course, the students started showing up for their appointments at just that moment, after i had wasted 45 minutes of prime writing time. nonetheless, i was able to get a little time a few hours later and this is what came out:

“It started with the frozen burritos,” she said, sipping distractedly from a cup of cold coffee.

She was a slight thing, maybe a hundred twenty pounds, maybe less. Her ears had more metal than cartilage and her hair was a riot of angry colors. Her skin was the color of ash, but Officer Sanjay couldn’t tell if that was from the shock or not.

“How do you know?” he asked her, shifting his feet carefully on the slick carpet of burst plastic bags and exploded frozen foods covering the slick floor.

She gave him the patented withering look of all wizened teens. “Duh. I watched it, didn’t I?”

Sanjay sighed and let it pass. “So tell me what you saw.”

The jaded wisdom faded as she turned back to the aisles of empty racks and shelves. “It was crazy, dude.”

Sanjay also looked at the bizarre wreckage of the mini-mart. ‘Crazy’ seemed as appropriate a description as any.

and that’s it so far. i can’t say i fully understand it yet, but it does in part stem from part of a conversation with my dad regarding HHNF, which he had just finished*. this piece is not connected to that storyline at all, though. i found myself wanting to do something unplanned, un-outlined, and perhaps more irreverent. i don’t honestly know where this story is going, but i rather like it so far.

any thoughts?

*and enjoyed overall, if i do say so myself.

so part of “One Man’s Monster” takes place in a courtroom, which i honestly know very little about apart from media input. i’ve done some research*, and tried to stay as professionally correct as i can, but i know there’s a lot i’m missing. to be fair, this story doesn’t hinge on any particular legal twists, more on psychological/perceptual ones. this particular scene i’s more about the dialogue than the law.

that being said, the research i have done, and the things i have found (many of which won’t find their way into this story), have sparked an unexpected interest in me. more than once i’ve had to pull myself back from getting ‘too legal’ and keep the focus on the original story. but this only makes me want to write a genuine courtroom drama or legal thriller, to dive right into that world.

i have to say, that was not a genre i ever really thought i’d be up for writing. not that i don’t like reading them, i do, i just never thought i’d find the research and development that interesting. it’s good to be proven wrong.**

* totally armchair, so far, but this has me thinking about spending some time sitting in on some proceedings.

** well, like this, anyway.

okay, so i blew most of the morning’s writing time trying to get that little swf file to play and look right in the header of the blog*, but i just salvaged a little bit of self-worth from the day with a half-hour’s work on “One Man’s Monster”.

it isn’t earth-shattering and i’m not finished, but the research i did earlier this week, plus some pre-sleep notes i got down last night, gave me a very strong push through a section i was expecting more trouble with. i’m enjoying the dialogue, but the current PoV character is really coming into his own, i think, as a fully realized character. he was good before**, but the work tonight has really found his voice.

i like him.

which is a nice way to remain unaffected by another rejection in the inbox this evening.

* just shows me how much i’ve forgotten about my web design days, already.

** an un-biased opinion, of course.