I’m starting to hate Tribal. I’ve been told that pregnant women close to the end of the third trimester just want the baby out and done. I don’t know, I’ve never been pregnant. I do however empathize with those women. I want Tribal to be done so I can move on to the next book. A new idea popped into my head, and I think it might help me tie the book together in the end – which we all know I have problems with.

I’ve also restarted the Kyklos Saga – a cringeworthy name – and I am thinking that I am going to dip my toes into progression fantasy, since it seems to be still popular. Progression fantasy is a genre that tracks the advancement of a character, watching them become stronger and more capable book after book. The series I’m writing fits this nicely. It also has cute bunny people. Can’t go wrong with that. I’ve started outlining that when I’m not outlining Tyro’s series.

At least when the New Year begins, I can go to Tyro – speaking of her — and maybe that will get me back into it. Lately, I’ve been avoiding writing (*gasp*) anything on Tribal for the reasons outlined above. Is this common? Do other writers get to the point where they’re just done with the characters and want to shove the whole kit-and-kaboodle off a cliff? If I didn’t have this deadline, I would actually set it aside and work on something else long term, but I’ve got to have something published for this year and The Show Must Go On is not ready for that yet.

Might as well bear down and try to get it finished before December. I am going to take a break from it while I work out how this new idea is going to lead to the end.

Other than that – everything is going well. I’ve taken up light jogging and I feel a little better for it. With the weather turning away from summer, I am ready for the crisp fall air, soup for dinner and the crunch of leaves underfoot. I love fall.

Well – ta-ta for now. I should get back to work on something.

If you know, you know…

I am so close to finishing Tribal! I did the math (or rather, I let the website calculator do it for me for accuracy’s sake). If I do at least 600 words a day, every day – I can have the second draft of this novel done by the end of November. Which is good because I have not gotten very far in the outline. I want to have all of December to write the outline nd get it done, because January 1^st, I am dropping everything to work on Tyro’s novel, with an eye on getting it done in three to six months. That’s me being very optimistic.

Six hundred words is about an hour’s worth of quick work – maybe a little bit more if the stars aren’t in alignment. I think for Tyro’s novel, I might have to stretch it to 1700 – which means I’ll get it done in March if I really apply myself. Which is 850 during my lunch break, and another 850 after work. The time after work is going to be the hard part. I do have other things to do when I get home: laundry, dishes, lunches and spending time with the wife. I can cut one of these things. Lunch isn’t an important meal, is it? No – I don’t think it is. There! A few extra minutes gained!

I briefly considered handwriting this, then a realized I wanted to be productive. Maybe I’ll hand write one that’s not a major project. Perhaps Pleasure to Burn or one of the other ones I’ve got in my head. I watch a vlog about a very cozy looking writer who wrote a couple of chapters by long hand and seemed to like it. I’ve got all these pens and inks, I should do something substantial with them.

Other than all of this – nothing new is happening. I am buying more pens because I certainly don’t have a problem. Nope. Not me. Who’s got forty-five fountain pens, no money and two thumbs? Not me – I don’t have forty-five but thank you for the challenge. I won’t let you down.

On a personal note, my wife and I have just celebrated our 31^st wedding anniversary. She still won’t get matching tattoos, but I am willing to overlook that slight. Our marriage is made of sterner stuff.

I think that is going to be all for now. I need to get the rest of the daily word count finished and help out in the kitchen. Ta-ta for now!

I am not going to get a thing done today…

I’m sorry for missing last week, but those Thursdays sneak up on me.

Is that a Thursday?

I was also playing Baldur’s Gate Three when I should have been writing, obviously. Well, since there is no game tonight – moved to Mondays – I can finally get back on track for blogging at a regular day and time like clockwork.

Well, crap…

I’m getting ready to write another ice cream scene in Tribal, and this is going to be a doozy, so I really want to get it down the first time. I’m over halfway through the draft, so it’s looking like I’m going to have it done before the self-imposed deadline of December 31^st. I hope so because I am so far behind on my outline for Unbound. If I can get it done even a little bit before the end of the yar, I can spend the remaining time flinishing up the outline, because January 1^st – come hell or high water – I am going to get it started and finish it in six months. It’s going to be hard, but I have ot do it. This idea has been laying dormant for way too long of a time, and I think I have a shot of getting it traditionally published.

I also just finished up watching the movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. It’s a funny movie that pokes fu at Weird Al and rock movies in general. The jokes are there, but you’ve got to be a bit of a Weird Al fan or a movie buff to get some of them. I recommend it if you want something silly and pretty much by the numbers.

Not much else going on. I’m trying to get a group together in my area to play some Pathfinder 2.0, and that’s coming along as expected. Badly. It’s not a niche game, it’s just that it’s overshadowed by the larger dragon in the room. I might have to go to startplaying.games and put down some money. Not the best option, but the only one I have right now. If you’re in the Clarksville, IN area and want to get in on this game – drop me a line. I am way more interested in live games than I am playing through a VTT.

That’s really all for now – just me and my boring life trying to outhustle the crackheads. Hope your life Is far more interesting than mine, and I’ll see you in the next one.

I started watching Alien: Earth and I’m already disenchanted with it. I am a fan of the franchise, and I consider the original Alien a classic in the horror genre, but this iteration is just not really appealing to me, yet.

I’m just tired of the bad corporation trope in general. I know that Weyland-Yutani is the big bad in the films – even way back to the original movie, but I would have liked to have anyone else, anything else to be the protagonist. Or no protagonist – have it all be a messy industrial accident. Anything but a corporation that seems to delight in corporate malfeasance.

I’m also tired of the ‘corporations run the world’ trope as well. Again, I know it’s a cornerstone of dystopic sci-fi, but it’s also been done to death. I know that this trope has historical precedent, but let’s not go for the low hanging fruit? Besides – you really think the government is going to let these companies run as rampant as they’re depicted in most dystopian sci-fi? No one is going to give up power. Share? Sure – but knowing that the first sign of weakness is going to be the signal to take them out.

The beauty of the xenomorph is that it is an animal at the end of the day. It is unthinking, unfeeling force of nature. It doesn’t care about your stock portfolio, it doesn’t want conquest. It wants to feed and procreate. No matter how advanced we get in this particular universe, it doesn’t care. It will terrify us, humble us, and it does it with no emotion. That’s the horror of the movie – dying because you were in the wrong place a the wrong time. The xenomorph has no agenda.

Another trope that figures in the show – and can be traced back to the original movie – is the malicious robot. I know, I know: the robot can only do what it’s programmed to do. It’s not evil, it’s made that way. Are you telling me that the world of Aliens had no one stand up and say: “I’ve been reading this Asimov guy…and I think he’s got some good ideas about programming robots.” Even roboticists nowadays are programming – hard coding – the Three Laws of Robotics into systems. I’m ready to see man’s inhumanity to man again.

I know I’m knocking at the main tropes in this show, and the franchise in general, but it can be really good if they head in different directions. I liked Aliens 3 because it was different. No Marines. No scientists. Just man versus nature.

That’s what I want in my movie, but who am I to argue?

This is not what I wanted to write about, but technology has failed me again. For some unknown reason, my Bluetooth keyboard can not connect to my PC. I know – for you this is Thursday and you came here for updates to whatever project I am working this month (Tribal ia atill coming along, I’m getting ready to make a major revision). Instead, I am going to complain about my keyboard because that is peak storytelling right there.

Sure, throw that in my face, Bruce.

When it comes to keyboards, I am very picky. I want to have a certain feel to the keys. I want a particular sound. I want to hammer at the keys and see words come up on the screen (or see my little character from BG3 move around). I used to have one of those portable keyboards that all rubber, and I got rid of it within a month of buying it. The keys were too stiff for me. It felt like I was using a training speedbag rather than typing. Maybe it helped my typing speed, but it was too laborious to use it.

Am I crazy? I mean – above and beyond the normal level of madness writers have. I liked the springiness of the keys on my Bluetooth keyboard. It made a nice, professional clickinb sound when I was in a good writing mood. Not to disparage the keyboard I am using now. It did come with the PC and the keys feel deep and responsive. As far as free keyboards go, it’s fine. Better than what I would expect, but it’s not my Bluetooth keyboard.

Don’t worry, I’ll skip all the other stages of grief and get to acceptance soon enough.

As I said earlier, Tribal is coming along. I’m writing a scene that I wanted to revise and try to subvert expectations. I want to show Edgar still has a long way to go in becoming a real part of the pack. So – he’s going to get a beatdown at work because…why not? Let’s be realistic here – he’s only been a part of this werewolf fight club (yes, you read that right) for only a couple of months and he’s only been a full member of the pack for a few days. There’s practical knowledge and there’s experience. Edgar has very little experience.

The outline for Unbroken is very slowly coming along. I think things are going to pick up once I get into new territory. As it stands right now, I am still in the stickball game scene and the tides have changed as far as who has the ball. I can’t wait to get a little further along.  I have so many ideas!

I think that is going to do it for now. This keyboard is starting to grow on me, but I am going to try to get the Bluetooth fixed. I am not going to give up! I am going to take advantage of this denial while it’s here!

Here’s the issue I’m having. I’m writing the outline to Tyro’s series, and I am judging myself harshly on what I am puuting down for the outline. I’m bored with it. To quote Happy Hogan: “There’s no new ground being broken here.”

I know why that is: This story has been in my head since 1997 in one form or another. It’s boring because I have been tweaking the story since I was a young man. I’m writing down the outline and thinking that this is the most boring step. I want to go ahead and start writing it.

So – you mad genius and literary light of Gen X – why not write it now? You’ve been blathering about it all this time. Isn’t it time to nut up or shut up? I can hear you say to your computer screen. There are a couple of good reasons:

1. I am still working on Tribal and trying to get that finished before year’s end. While I am working on Tyro’s novel, I am going to publish Tribal and a couple of other books over the following year so I can try to gauge interest in my horror offerings versus my urban fantasy. If I drop Tribal, I might not be able to pick it up. I’ve got two other novels planned after this one (The Crab Bucket, Serve Me Now) not to mention planning another horror novel and possibly a couple of cheeky romances.
2. I want Tyro’s series to be really good. I mean not self-published to die a lingering death like a Victorian Era orphan. I am going to put this out for mass market. So, I’ve got to make sure that everything is on point and that means outlining this thing to death.

I have to remind myself that I am not being judged on the outline. I am going to be judged on the final product. That final product relies on me having a good outline with a clear set of directions. I’m writing the second draft of Tribal because I got to the point with the first draft where I didn’t know where to go, and I still had story to tell. I’m not going to fall prey to that with Unbound. Same thing with Serve Me Now – I got to a point where I just summed things up and that didn’t satisfy me. I do have to get to the outline on that one, however. I just need to carve out some time and all that.

Well – I do need to get to work, so I will let you go. Wish me luck and don’t forget to feed your authors.

Ever heard of folk horror? Think of movies like Midsommar and The Witch. The British really pioneered this movie genre with Wicker Man (the good one), Blood on Satan’s Claw among others.

This guy knows what it sounds like to be stabbed in the back…by stabbing someone in the back.

Well, while scouring YouTube, I found a channel that deals with horror writing, and there was one such entry about folk horror. Thinking, well why not? I clicked on it and watched. As I watched, I realized that this was a genre of horror I could get into. It ticked all the boxes for me: the creeping sensation that something is wrong. Knowing that something is wrong, but no one will or wants to believe you when you warn them. The subversion of the notion of society. Where has this been all my life?

And while I watched it, it hit me – this is the sequel to The Quietest Heart that I have been looking for. For decades (yes, decades) I’ve been trying to continue the adventures of Anya and Rhona, but I never came up with a good idea. I wanted to test the relationship. I wanted to explore more of Anya. I wanted to put the two up against something and see how everything shook out.

I grabbed a notebook and re-watched it, making notes about the qualities of the folk horror genre. Sure – it’s a tried and true trope, but can fit fantasy so wonderfully, and to be honest – who would see it coming? A friendly village in the middle of the woods. Everyone has smiles and waves…to one person. The other is treated with minor deference, but the stares are little too hard for her tastes. The whisper campaign is getting a little heated.

I can’t wait to get started…eventually. I literally just last week. I’m still deliberating about having certain characters in this book, or should I get rid of them? They would tip the power scale over the protagonists’ side quite easily. I’ve got to think about that one.

Also – the story takes place on a fantasy world I created that has undergone several changes in history, societies and populations. So, I’m going to have to carefully write this one so that the world can fit into the abridged history I wrote for the region. It’s a small worry, but I’m still going to obsess about it because it’s me. Anxiety? I’m soaking in it.

Is this new addition going to delay any of the other projects? Nope. I’m still working on Tribal, outlining Unbroken and making characters for my meager attempt at literary fiction called The Crab Bucket. Do I have a lot of irons in the fire? Yes. Am I enjoying myself? Also, yes.

I should get to work with…something. I hit my word count for Tribal today (not a huge amount) and I got let out of work early. I might outline Tyro a little, then make some more notes on folk horror. I should watch Misommar again to pick up some other things about this genre.

Ta-ta for now!