I’m going to say this statement and let the comments rain down from Heaven: Horror films aren’t scaring me anymore.

Before you point out the obvious two films that come up in this conversation – yes, I’ve seen Weapons and I’ve seen Sinners. I’m not saying they’re bad films. They’re great films, but they’re not horror films in my eyes. The last film that scared me – I mean made me afraid to close my eyes – was The Ring, and that’s a film that I watch during my Christmas Horror Movie Marathon.

Is this going to void my warranty?

I don’t know if I am getting cynical in my old age, but movies now are getting ridiculously over-hyped. Yes, I grew up in the Eighties during the height of the slasher genre, and I loved the blood, guts and gore of it all. Now, my tastes are more to the pondering sort. A good horror movie for me now promotes thought. I liked The Substance, even if I’m not a huge fan of body horror.

I also think the trailers have more to do with it. Trailers now show you everything but what was on the Craft Services table. That and YouTube will show videos like this. It’s getting harder and harder for me to come into a movie without knowing anything about it ahead of time. Honestly – you could take two or three trailers for a film, cut them up and have the whole film there in front of you.

Speaking of horror: Tribal is coming along. I like the new twist I put in, and I might work a little more on it today. I also think I’ve got a decent way to end it, so I’ve got that going for me. I’m also working on the outline for Unbroken. I’m liking the idea of taking a situation and saying to myself ‘what’s the worst thing that can happen right now?’ and seeing the characters react to the results. This is taking the book in directions I didn’t really think about, but it’s not wandering away from the grand plan I have in my head.

That’s all I got for now. What’s your take on my horror movie opinion? I’ve love to read it in the comments. Ta-ta for now!

For the most part, I’ve followed the advice of W.C. Fields when it comes to working with kids and animals when I write. I don’t count werewolves as animals because for the most part, they’re still human. A technicality, but one I am going to cling to for all I have.

Father of the Year!

Of course, I had to break this rule when writing Tribal in that the main character has to make another werewolf for the pack he’s gotten himself tangled up in. Lycanthropy is transmitted by bite in this book, and Edgar is told up front he needs to bite someone.

So, he bites a young man because that’s what you do, among other horrible things. I really didn’t have this in my original outline, but I had no idea how to get along with the story. When in doubt, think of what’s the most likely outcome to cause chaos and go with it. I don’t think it’s one of Pixar’s rules for writing, but it works.

I also have the feeling that Tribal may not get finished by the end of the year, and I am okay with that. I can still fiddle around with it when Unbroken is at a standstill. Since I haven’t finished the outline to that yet, that is almost a certainty. I probably should work on it tonight, rather than paint minis. I can do minis later in the week, or next week when I have more days off.

On a lark, I got myself a dip pen. It’s neat to write with it. The ink flows very nicely, it’s smooth – not a smooth as my best fountain pen – but it’s neat. I recommend getting a dip pen and writing with it for your journal or notes. Obviously, it’s not for every day, common use. It’s good for me because the pen writes much drier than my fountain pens, and I have a problem with smearing because I write with my left hand. There are problematic notebooks that I like to use, but smearing is prevalent unless I use a particular brand of ink, which really limits my color choices.

Yes, I am one of those weird people that write in different colors. I’m not organized about a lot of things, but my writing and my notes are a different matter.

I did manage to see Netflix’s Frankenstein, and it is well worth the viewing. It follows the book very closely and has some very good performances in it. If you have the chance, I would see it. There are a couple of jump scares, but all in all it’s a rather interesting metaphor on hubris and childhood.

That’s all for now – living this exciting life and all. I need to go get to some laundry and finish putting Tyro through her paces. Ta-ta for now!